The Past Few Days

Well, I have had an awful time of it since last Friday. Stevie was running a fever by the end of the day Friday. Satruday he was still feeling crappy and I was starting with a little cough. By the time I got home from demoing at the fair, I was feeling terrible. About 3 Sunday morning, Stevie woke me up to tell me he didn't feel right. So up we got and headed to the ER. His fever was about 102.3. They gave him some cough syrup and an antibiotic. We get home around 6:30.

About 11:30 Stevie has a really bad coughing spell that causes him to black out. So to the ER we go again...They give him a breathing treatment and an inhaler and send us home. Everything was going "okay" until Monday morning. About 6 AM he was sitting on the edge of the bed getting ready to take the inhaler, when he had another spell. This time he fell off of the bed and hit his head on the wall. I called 911. By the time they arrived (only about 4 or 5 minutes), he was alert again. We took him back to the ER. We were there literally all day. The doctor came in to tell us they were going to release him because they did not have a valid reason to admit him! WHAT???? The man is coughing so hard that he is blacking out, is that not a valid reason?

Well, we did get him admitted and we just came home tonight. I really don't understand why they released him yet, he is still coughing, not quite so hard...but I thought a hospital was where people went to get well. I understand that the insurance companies (yes, I know) dictate to the hospitals what they can and cannot do now, but is that really the right way to do things? Are we really helping ourselves by allowing that game to be played?

I really hate seeing Stevie down like this. I know he hates it too. Hopefully, he will feel much better very very very soon! :-)

Updates

Well, it has been awhile and several minor things have happened...First, I have joined the Society for Creative Anachronism (SCA). Second, I have become an award winning photographer (truly not as glamorous as it sounds). Third, I am going to Maryland for the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival (MDSW).

The SCA is an international organization dedicated to researching and re-creating the arts, skills and traditions of pre 17th-century Europe (this is taken almost verbatim from their website - www.sca.org). With the different types of textile techniques used during those periods, this will be a great experience and will allow me a "reason" to learn to new techniques. I have already taken up one. It is called sprang. I have created a make-shift sprang loom or frame using canvas stretchers and dowels. The loom is warped and that is about as far as I have gotten with that. I have purchased needles for naalbinding, so that is the next on the list. Happily enough, the SCA will have a tent at MDSW. They will be demonstrating these two techniques plus a few others. As if I wasn't already excited enough about going to MDSW just for the fiber experience!!! :-)

Yes, I am now an award winning photographer. Like I said before, it is really not as glamorous as it sounds. I entered six pictures into the Central Florida Fair and four of them ended up with ribbons (two 1st place, one 2nd place and one honorable mention). Here are three of the pictures that were entered.

1st place (this was cropped and enlarged a little bit)

1st place

2nd place (was 2nd to the bee on flower)