A lost day

angelique tulips
Originally uploaded by norvegal

Today I write to you from my couch, where I'm semi-recumbent and wrapped up in a red plaid blanket. Casey is napping at my feet, an empty bowl of chicken broth is on a little tray on the floor, and Book Two of the Complete Calvin and Hobbes is by my side.

This has been an ironic day. Part of why I decided to skip the Maryland Sheep & Wool Festival this year is because it seems to bring bad migraines - I blame the pollen. Normally I'm a perfectly healthy person, mind you. But I spent an entire Saturday evening one year curled up on the bathroom floor of a rather sleazy hotel room that smelled like cigarettes. The next year I spent most of Sunday lying in my rental car, parked around the back of the fairgrounds where all the vendors come and go. Even last year I woke with a headache despite taking every precaution possible, keeping myself medicated all 48 hours of the event.

So you may find it rather ironic that, the year I decided to stay home, the ghosts of festivals past paid me a visit anyway. Without being too graphic, I'll just say that I spent eight solid hours being sicker than I've ever been before, at 20 minute intervals, and by the end, even the Russian judges gave me a 10 for my performance. I traded the gold medal for a cold washcloth and, 12 hours later, a bowl of homemade chicken broth. (Word to the wise: If you want to love yourself even more than I hope you already do, always, always, always keep some homemade chicken broth in the freezer. You never know when you may need it.)

I'm wiped out. But instead of boring you with any more of this gruesome woe, I'll share a picture of the angelique tulips that grow by my front door. This year's tulips are still humble green lollypops at this point, so this picture is from last year. But it's a nice reminder of things to come.

Thanks for listening.