I’ve been home sick for the past two days and that has meant lots of knitting and TV-watching and grapefruit-eating.
I had to go out today and buy more grapefruits because I had depleted the stock. The grocery store is about half an hour away by foot, and about halfway there I started wondering why I had ventured out of my nice warm comfy house where I felt not too bad as long as I wasn’t doing anything. Here I was, slowly trudging through snow and ice on a busy, noisy street, feeling the strength drain from my body with every step, feeling the blood pounding through the arteries in my head, for a whole hour, and for what? A grapefruit.
By the time I got to Loblaws I realized I needed to get more than a grapefruit, just to make the journey worthwhile, so I got chicken breasts, capers, Hagen-Dazs ice cream, cauliflour and a crusty roll, and then I put the ice cream back in the freezer because it was the only thing that didn’t start with the letter C. Except for the grapefruit of course. But grapefruit is citrus, and citrus starts with a C and has lots of Vitamin C in it. As you can see, I was feverish and suffering from a touch of fever-induced obsessive-compulsive disorder.
And then I trudged back home with all my C-food in my knapsack. There was a 50-meter stretch of sidewalk on Merivale that hadn’t been cleared and was now most likely unclearable because of the freezing rain. Someone had abandoned their stolen shopping cart in the mess.
For me, this stretch of sidewalk is a nuisance and a potential hazard. For the person who abandoned their shopping cart, this stretch of sidwalk just wasn’t worth the hassle. But it crossed my mind that anybody who lives in the neighbourhood and uses a wheelchair probably can’t go to the grocery store anymore.
Anyway, there’s another storm blasting into Ottawa tonight. I heard 20 more centimeters of snow, plus ice pellets and freezing rain and strong winds. And then another storm is expected on Saturday. The City apparently ran out of road salt, but has since found a more expensive source.
I had trouble finding salt too. The stores were out of it. A friend gave me a bag from his personal stash. My letter carrier has been leaving notes in my mailbox saying my pathway needs to be de-iced. I agree it’s treacherous and I want to de-ice it, but I’ve totally lost the battle with winter. I forgot to clear it one night after snow or freezing rain or something, and I didn’t get away with it – my steps are covered in thick, uneven, chunky ice. I’ve been throwing salt on it, but it’s too little too late.
I think the only thing that can fix it now is Spring.
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Alas, I must give you the worst website I know of…I made the mistake of looking at it when I got home from classes, and like the titular tape of The Ring, I have to pass it on to make sure my horror and fury at what I saw isn’t only contained to mine own self.
http://www.theweathernetwork.com/weather/caon0512
It’s the Weather Network 7-day forecast and I hate it. I wish I had Duncan to snuggle with to cat-belly-rub some of my March-hating away.
Use some of Duncan’s kitty litter on the ice. It’s dirty but better than a fallen postie or a fallen Zoom.
“Fever-induced obsessive-compulsive disorder”. Snork! Been there, had that, although not recently, thank the gods. I have had “fatigue-induced OCD” though, most recently this past morning. I work nights and couldn’t settle after I got off, so I took pictures of 2 FOs, updated my blog, did some housework (nothing heavy), puttered myself into a tizzy, then finally made myself go to bed around 10:45 a.m. Not fun, but I sure slept well!
This response is brought to you by the letters F and X, but first, icecream is mainly cream so you could have brought the Haagen Daz home with you. Second, be careful with the kitty litter. Some types stay granular; others become sludgy as soon as they get wet.I tried it with the wrong kind, It didn’t work at all, then it turned to disgusting grey goop and finally to cement that was impossible to clean up.
Now for F and X and their message. We all hope your cold is better. Next time do the Cold-FX thing. The first day you feel it coming on you take three capsules three times a day; the second day, two three times a day, and the third one three times a day till you are feeling perfectly well. It is high quality ginseng and it never fails to work for me. It boosts your own immune system so that you can fight better. As soon as you are out and about pick some up so that you are prepared.
Forget salt. Use kitty litter on those paths and doorsteps. Believe me the first spring rain will take it all away. For the cold, use chicken soup and avoid OTC medications. I remember feeling so badly early this winter from an illness I just couldn’t get out, I used BOOZE, a taxi pick up liquor service and I didn’t get any alcohol! I had them buy for me orange juice, fruit and milk and it only cost an extra $4.75 for this service. Nice to know about it for those time when the weather (winter) and or illness really keeps you housebound.
Another note on the kitty litter: use NON-CLUMPING clay litter only for paths and doorsteps. Clumping cat litter will do just that – clump into an oozing primordial sludge that can never be removed.
mmm…next time, remember that chocolate starts with C so chocolate ice cream would count
Ice Cream: I see two “c’s”…hum…
Get well soon, Zoom!
Oooh, I’m glad I didn’t use the kitty litter – mine’s the clumping kind!
Chipper, Ice.
That’s what you need. Only available in midsummer. We did without for about 5 years into home ownership. Then we wised up and stopped coveting our neightbour’s ice chipper.
I too was about to recommend an ice chipper of metal.