Soft Kitty

After a few days of some weird bacterial infection which made my voice hover between laryngitis and a honking harp seal, I am upright and propped by pillows.  I haven't been this sick for a while.  John took great care of me short of singing "Soft Kitty"** when requested.

John told our language helper and friend, Sahed*, that I wouldn't be joining the Arabic lesson due to illness.  After, Sahed went to his father's farm and plucked ripened oranges for me.  He presented a bag of them to John the next day with instructions for me to eat them all.

My friend, Sarah*, who's a nurse brought an antibiotic and the infamous Vicks Vaporub.  That immediately took me back to my childhood remembering my mother, the hot water vaporizer, Vicks and a towel over my head steaming it all in.

I was also prescribed guava leaf tea.  A local doctor said that it was actually a good home remedy for coughing. Sarah asked our landlady to point out any guava trees in our yard.  She did and soon I had steaming guava leaf tea brought to me in my sickbed.  Not much taste, but my tongue did go numb for a bit.

Sahed also recommended that I drink ginger and honey tea, wrap my neck in a warm scarf and stay out of the "cold" air.  I thanked him for all his help.

I received one more bit of medicinal advice which involved sauteeing onions and garlic then placing them about my neck in a poultice.  I hadn't sensed any vampires near, so I passed on that one.

After 3 days of sincere care, my voice is almost normal and the coughing minimal.  When you're sick, it can be an emotional time of feeling sad or lonely.  I have to say that being sick here reminds me of the many wonderful people that are in my life.  How kindly they have received us and how they go out of their way to make sure I feel cared for.

And if I ever feel too cared for, then I'll just start sporting the onion and garlic poultice.  That should do it.

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Today's BOGO Blog:  One Step at a Time

*Not their real names
**From a popular sitcom in the US