Back online, kind of.

So, I can once again hold a spoon without crying from pain. Two weeks of staying offline as much as I could stand and wearing a brace rather more than I could stand (although it was a great excuse for getting out of some things.) I woke up one morning in excruciating pain stabbing through the length of my arm. My shoulder throbbed, my hand went numb if I so much as made a fist and the slightest touch practically sent me into the air. I thought I'd just slept on it wrong, but when it didn't get any better I went to the doctor and he told me that carpal tunnel syndrome can effect your arm, not just your hand. Hence the two weeks of wearing a wrist brace. I'm much better now, but I still tend to go a little numb, so I'll be taking it easy with my online time. We'll see how it goes.

In the last two weeks:

Michael has had two friends come down with what we think is mono. These are the two that he hangs out with constantly and it turns out they are in the habit of buying 3 liter bottles of soda and sharing them, swigging directly from the bottle as they feel thirsty. Yes, they really did that. Yes, I'm keeping my fingers crossed and not breathing while we wait to find out if Michael will get sick and if it is indeed mono.

Thanksgiving went very well. We brined the turkey, which I have never done before, but it's true what they say. Once you've tasted a brined turkey, you'll never cook one any other way. Very little of the rest of the meal was eaten, as we all kept chowing down on the turkey. The husband was almost incoherent with delight. Definitely a triumph in my culinary career!

After years of putting up with the husband's obsession with the idea that sponge mops are best I said, "Forget it!" and went out and bought myself a bucket and a string mop. My floor is cleaner than it's been since the last time I got down on my hands and knees and scrubbed it. Which was kind of important, since broth splashed all over the floor and stove while transferring the turkey to the platter. Of course, today you'd never know it had ever been mopped, but that's OK because I can mop it again tomorrow and not have to scrub it! Bleagh, I hate sponge mops.

A house down the street from us burned down Thanksgiving night. The husband woke me up at three in the morning to let me know what was happening, then he headed out to find out if everyone was OK. The fire department was already there, but it wasn't enough. There is little left but blackened beams. The heat was so intense that the siding on the house next door was partially melted. Luckily, everyone got out alive, and our neighborhood has gotten together to raise money and get needed items for them. But, wow. Can you imagine? Losing everything like that? I had a small burner fire last Friday (the spilled broth, remember?) I reacted a lot more strongly than I normally would. My heart was pounding for a good 15 minutes afterward. A scary, scary thing.