Fever (Or What Happens When You're Home All Week With a Sick Child)

On days and weeks when I am housebound, and I feel like nothing is happening, I spend a lot of time online.

It's a little scary how much time can pass as I tell myself that I'll just look at one more link or search for one more thing. However, this week, and really more often than not, those hours bring in treasure of some kind

This week A. has been home sick with a virus. I knew it was a matter of time before the rest of us got some version of what he had. By Monday evening, I was achy and chilled, and slept poorly. Tuesday morning I woke up and wondered how I was going to get through the day taking care of him.

Slumped over my laptop at the kitchen table, I found my way to a very thorough and informative post on tips about food blogging. I worked my way through this list and all the links over the next two days.

Half inspired and encouraged and half wondering whether I should just close up shop, I don't think I can read any more about blogging for a while. However, I found all the ideas, suggestions, and links gave me plenty to think about. I believe they would be valuable to a blogger of any subject.

After two days of note-taking, I found myself back to thinking about what you do when you're waiting.

I haven't cooked or baked all week. Tuesday night I said I wanted a Chinese, brothy chicken soup. We picked up an order of soups, dumplings and sesame chicken. We haven't had take-out in so long, the menu looked yellowed.

Wednesday night Mr. Savory came home and said he was going to bed. He only wanted soup and nothing to clean up. O. walked into the kitchen and said she didn't feel well. I went out to the Co-Op for Carrot-Ginger Soup and Samosas.

All that reading about blogging and my week's circumstances had me thinking about my choices. I can spend the week thinking about what I can't do, and just wait until we all get back to normal. Second choice is to look a little harder at what has been influencing me in my state of achy cabin-fever.

I felt influenced to start going through closets. I have bags filled now by the front door to be taken to a clothing and fabric collection.

I am reluctant to touch the kitchen. That food mill I haven't used in years?--it's staying right in it's box on my shelf. However, I do find myself imagining the lightness of paring down, of not pushing unused gadgets aside every time I want my potato masher or cookie scoop.

Sunday's New York Times has had me dreaming of homemade soup. Maybe tonight or tomorrow night we could give one of these recipes a try, if Mr. Savory feels well enough to help with washing dishes.

The most recent Martha Stewart Living is the garden issue. I'm finding all sorts of project ideas in there. One in particular I hope to try next week for Bring in the Garden Friday.

The food blogging post reminds me that blogging is a juggling act, a balancing of a weekly newspaper column and a letter to a friend. That's the beauty and the challenge of the medium.

Not being a spin-on-a-dime kind of person, it takes me a few days to work through my frustration of not being able to carry through with my plans. Once I can pry myself away from the agenda, I can change my focus.

With that conflict resolved, everything opens up. I actually came away with a lot this week.

I hope this post finds you all well. We're starting to turn a corner here. Fever is gone, now it's all about the cough.