rain on a (not hot) tin roof

May 7, 2023

Breakfast will not be served to the puppies until they pee outside in the grass. From the looks of it, breakfast may very well turn into brunch, lunch or even dinner. 😏

The sound of rain when you live in a barndo…

At the Seymour house, a tornado could’ve wiped out the neighbor’s home and I would’ve missed it. All brick, outside sounds were muffled almost to the point of non-existence.

But here?! When water hits metal it definitely makes a noise… and I like it! While you have to listen for it when downstairs, you can’t miss the pelting raindrops when upstairs.

Sinus infection? Breathing polyurethane fumes? A respiratory infection? Allergies?

I’ve had some kind of coughing crud for about three weeks. I COVID tested and it was negative, and I’m too hard-headed to go to the doctor, so I don’t know what I have. I know that coughing has prevented sleep because it’s 100 times worse when lying down. I’ve been sleeping in 2-hour stretches.

But not last night! I slept the whole night through without one single coughing fit. Yippee! But because I did so many things differently, I can’t pinpoint what’s been causing the coughing in the first place.

What led to a full night’s sleep…

So Jerilyn has this crap too and she offered advice. Of course, after 3 weeks, I’d have stood on my head and gargled peanut butter at the stoplight in town if I thought it would’ve made a difference. Her first recommended item was a neti pot…

Into this teacup looking item, you mix a packet of saline stuff (provided) with distilled water. It is the grossest thing I’ve ever done! It felt like I’d jumped off a 150′ cliff into the ocean and forgot to hold my nose!

Next, I created a Vick’s steam room with a warm mist humidifier and spent about 45 minutes in there. I did a slow, 15-minute walk on the treadmill and tanned in the same room for for 20 minutes. And finally, I spent the entire day outside — not in the polyurethane room.

While I don’t know the cause of what I have/had, I do know it’s a whole lot better! If you get the coughing crud, Doctors Shelley and Jerilyn suggest trying the above steps to wellness. 😉

TIL (Today I Learned): There is a spruce tree on Campbell Island that’s been named the “Loneliest Tree on Earth.” The closest tree to it is 170 miles away. It was planted by a lonely meteorologist in 1907.