The house of sick
Ah, it was bound to happen. Despite being fully vaccinated and breastfed, The Little Empress has fallen ill with some sort of virus. Unfettered by whatever virus she has caught, TLE has gone about her business, ever the intrepid explorer. The only clue we had to the fact that she was sick was that she was just a little more irritable than usual and her poop was… well, not as it should be. And has been, well, not as it should have been for about four days now, joined by slight sniffles and sneezing. A few sneezes haven’t slowed her down one bit, though. She’s still crawling all over the place, climbing over things and is intent on learning to walk, darnit. A little cold will NOT stop this child! She laughs in the face of fevers and colds. She also would like it to be known that she haaaaaaates that suctioning bulb and would much rather blow snot bubbles all night.
Since her poopie issues have continued, off we went to the doctor who said she had a cold and a bacterial ear infection from the congestion. Great. That went a long way to explaining why she was so sensitive to being laid down to sleep and would wake up screaming. Luckily, wrapping her would lull her to a comfortable sleep… though it has meant that I’ve been spending at least part of the night either rocking her in her wrap… or sleeping upright with TLE in the wrap.
Did I mention I’m sick too? Ugh. I have a pretty I am so exhausted right now. Despite having the sickies, TLE isn’t sleeping any more than she usually does which means that I’m SOL for getting more rest myself. I bought some DayQuil but remembered to call my doctor to see if it was okay to take. It’s not. So here I am, sniffling, congested and pretty miserable, hoping that my coughing doesn’t wake TLE. Ughx2. Now I know that I am too much of a wimp to take care of TLE and be sick at the same time.
How does your garden grow?
When we were looking for houses last spring, one of the “must haves” on our list was a backyard big enough for Miyuki and a decent food garden. We moved in mid-summer so planting wasn’t an option but now that spring is around the corner, I’ve been giving some thought on how to approach this.
For one, I know jack about gardening. My dad had a vegetable garden for a bit during my childhood and I don’t remember much about it other than a bumper crop of tomatoes. So I really have no idea where to start. Secondly, our back lot was cleared over the summer but since then, lots of wild grass and weeds have grown in everywhere. Our back yard is huge but unfinished and I want to get it decent looking and safe for TLE to play in once she’s a toddler. I was so excited about the idea of a food garden but now the idea is daunting.
Still, I’m determined to have one but am hoping not to over extend myself and fail at this experiment. I’m hoping to have an herb garden with two types of basil (Italian and Thai), red perilla, mint, shungiku (chrysanthemum greens) and mizuna. These are all herbs that we eat on a regular basis and I’d much rather walk outside to get them than to go across town to pick up some sad looking greens from the market. I’m also planning on planting some cherry tomatoes. I love heirlooms but I don’t know if my gardening n00blet self should be trusted with such produce. 
Another green that I’m hoping to raise is wild betel leaves or la lot. Because, yes, I love that beef wrapped in la lot leaves dish so much. It’s not an easy herb to find and I’ve only ever seen it in ONE supermarket in the San Jose area so it will be interesting to see if I can even find seeds at all much less start them and raise them to maturity.
My dad offered to buy (and plant) some fruit trees as well. I know that I want a Meyer lemon tree. For one, they’re small and grow well in pots so I don’t have to worry about transferring. Plus I love the idea of having that sweet lemon as lemonade during the summer and making Meyer lemon curd and bread and…. oooh the possibilities. Mmm, nummy. I’ll probably also ask my dad if he can buy me a rainier cherry tree and a peach tree. I love cherries and peaches and they have such pretty blossoms.
Hopefully I’ll be able to do this. I need to read up and ask local nurseries if some of the greens I’d like are even possible!
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My name is Michelle. I write, I shoot and I mom, not necessarily in that order. I'm aware that 'mom' isn't widely accepted as a verb but I think it should be.I'm a self-professed geek and caffeine addict. (Some may argue that the latter is a requirement of the former.) I live with my husband and our daughter in the California Delta.
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