Notes About Nothing

Posted January 25th, 2008 by Jen in family life

My husband has the flu. It’s the kind that lays flat a grown man and reduces him to moaning, groaning, and begging for chicken noodle soup. My mother, for her part, is heard in the background, insisting that garlic will heal him. “It’s been known to cure the plague!” she proclaims, bringing forth her potions and powders. The husband will hear nothing of it. He’d rather ache and moan.

My coffee pot just overflowed. The blinking red light on the coffee water filter simultaneously screams at me CLEANING NEEDED. I won’t complain, at least I have coffee. Yesterday, I ran out and was relegated to the lone pouch of stale beans I discovered in the back corner of the cupboard. I’m grateful to have fresh beans today, thanks to the early morning trip I made to purchase flu medicine.

The kids have tied a rope around the dog’s neck and attached it to a small wagon, into which one child has climbed. “Mush!” the child yells. The little wagon tips, dumping its precious cargo on the hard kitchen floor.

My oldest son has a Cub Scout meeting today. It’s the day when the scouts bring a collection of something. He pulled a bag of feathers down from his closet. He’s had a fascination with birds since he was a little tyke. He has a peacock feather, hawk feather, owl feather, and more. But don’t tell the folks at the High Desert Museum. Last time we were at the Birds of Prey exhibit, and the children had the opportunity to touch an owl’s wing, the presenter opened the exhibit up for questions. Or comments, in our case. “We have lots of owl feathers!” said my 6 year old. “Well, that’s illegal,” was the response. Apparently, even on your own property (where my boy found the feathers), you are not allowed to gather the feathers of an owl.

The flu-ridden husband wanders down. He’s trying to maintain a good attitude. “Jenny, when is God good?” he asks. “All the time,” I respond. Our mantra.

6 Responses

  1. Renae January 25th, 2008 at 3:46 pm

    Hope your hubby gets better soon. My husband is the poor soul who gets to hear our whining. It kind of makes him feel like a hero though. He rescues us from our flu/cold/I-don’t-know-what-we-have misery by making up veggie soup. I should have told him to put garlic in it. :)

    I’m glad your son wasn’t thrown in jail for mentioning his illegal owl feathers. That is crazy!

  2. Grace January 26th, 2008 at 12:33 am

    Hope your husband feels better soon. You are right Jen, God is good all the time. I just sometimes forget that, bad, bad me.

  3. mrs darling January 26th, 2008 at 9:12 am

    Okay I feel bad for your husband and all but really making the dogs mush is just hilarious!

  4. JHS January 26th, 2008 at 11:58 pm

    Hi Jenny:

    Ok, I am ROFL here because it all sounds very familiar.

    Esp. the dog part. My sister and cousins actually hitched my aunt’s boxer up to the wagon once and put me in the wagon. Then he pulled me around (I was the youngest and lightest). My aunt didn’t know until years later. My cousins were supposed to be babysitting the dog. (Auntie never had kids.) After we were all grown up and transferred my father’s black and white super 8 movies to videotape, she came to visit and just about wet her pants laughing so hard at the movies of that dog pulling me around. If she had known at the time, she would have killed us, though. :-)

    Hang in there! Hubby will be better soon, I’m sure.

    And thanks for contributing this post to this week’s edition of the Carnival of Family Life, hosted at Confessions of a Novice. The Carnival will be live on Monday, January 28, 2008, so be sure to stop by and check out all of this week’s excellent submissions!

  5. Jen January 28th, 2008 at 11:09 am

    Renae, my husband is better today. And how lucky to have a husband who makes you veggie soup!

    Grace, you know, it’s hard to remember that God is good all the time, especially when your circumstances are trying and your mind is clouded with fear. But I have to remember that it is true, and I have to remember all the past times that He has been good and has provided.

    Mrs. Darling, I just laughed out loud at the mushing myself. The dog isn’t very big (though neither are the children) and their plan didn’t work too well, but the whole set up was hilarious and precious.

    JHS, Your story about your Auntie’s boxer is fabulous, and all the better that it was captured on video!! What a riot! My husband is feeling better, thanks.

  6. Rob at Kintropy January 31st, 2008 at 12:45 am

    Glad to hear your husband is doing better. I’m the worst patient myself, but Janette soldiers on when sick. Seems like everyone is more sick this season (true for us, and the work bugs sound nastier over the cubicles), so hope you & family are spared for the most part.

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