Saturday, December 19, 2015

how to get through a cold the week before Christmas (and ditch the to do list)

-make sure you get plenty of vitamins (I take D daily but nothing else, so I added a daily Airborne and extra C on top of that)

-boil thinly-sliced ginger to make a tea; add honey and lemon - this is a powerful remedy!

-if you can match the exact right homeopathic remedy to your cold symptoms it will help a lot

-a tablespoon of local raw honey before bed helps with sore throat and coughing

-echinacea tea with local raw honey is a good way to get extra fluids in 

-chicken soup really does help - add some turmeric for extra benefits

-I got achy with this cold so I took an Advil for two nights before bed so I could rest better

- keep going to the barn! Most of us have to anyway unless we have barn staff. Even if you don't do the full chore list I think breathing fresh air and visiting the equines helps us get better faster. You might find the horses are extra sweet when you come out coughing and nose-blowing into tissues. When you hand out the peppermints take one yourself. It clears the nasal passages. :)

Meanwhile I have managed to get little things done around the house. I'm behind on the "to-do" list I had for myself but I suspect succumbing to this cold was my body forcing me to slow down and focus on the special moments.

Remember this?



We've come to this:



Pixie kitten is all grown up and appointed herself Queen of the Christmas tree. I'm feeling better today and looking forward to my son coming home for the holiday week. Hope all are thriving and surviving the season!




6 comments:

Calm, Forward, Straight said...

Loving the kitty angel tree topper - how is that even possible?! I must have missed when you posted the first picture. Pixie appears to defy gravity.

Hope you feel better soon :D

billie said...

C, the tree is not even all that secure in terms of being anchored, etc. It's just standing there. From the time we put it when she came to us in early December 2012 she has adored the Christmas tree and made it her own special space. I doubted she could manage it this year because although she is a petite cat, she is still heavy enough that it does seem to defy gravity to see her go up it. Her on top blew my mind but that's the first thing she did this year!

I'm at the end of the cold cycle and pretty much back to normal - except not allowing myself to go into turbo-charge mode with 'things to do' - enjoying this cold snap and readying for winter solstice. :)

nuri said...

The first picture is just so "omg-hush-sweeeeet"! A kitten practically levitating in a Christmas tree?! (Can't believe these bendable twigs were really strong enough to hold this kitty's body!) Heartwarmingly cute. And conqueror-kitty way up in the tree's crown?!! Wonderful. I do remember how entertaining kittycats can be (says she with the orphaned heart...).
Hope you'll be fine by Christmas (ideally, before!) if you continue being sensible and using all the proven therapies... Get-well wishes to you, and have a very Merry Christmas -- and thanks for your blog!!

billie said...

Thanks, Nuri - I am pretty much back to warp speed. :)

Pixie has had a special thing about the tree since she was tiny - I don't know how it held her up then or now - she just seems to float up through it.

That first year she could be found sleeping just like that many times a day inside the tree. We had lost our oldest cat Moomintroll on Thanksgiving morning that year to a blood clot and having Pixie and Pippin come live with us was such a healing thing.

I hope you have a wonderful Christmas and a beautiful new year too!! Thank you for reading, commenting, and being here!

Grey Horse Matters said...

Love the Christmas kitty! How does she do that! She must be very careful and sure footed to not knock all the ornaments off or have the tree topple over. Amazing.

Bet you're excited your son will be back for a week. I'm sure you miss seeing him everyday. Feel better and have a wonderful Christmas!

billie said...

A, the first year she would climb to the top and ring one of the bell ornaments - that would announce her presence in the tree. Now the star at the top wobbles when she climbs. :) We have taken a break last year and this from the breakable ornaments. We did lose a few that first year!

Hope you and your family have a marvelous holiday!!