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DerynifanK

March 17, 2024, 03:48:44 PM
Happy St Patrick's Day. Enjoy the one day of the year when the whole world is Irish.

A rather lousy couple of days...

Started by Aerlys, October 12, 2013, 02:40:08 AM

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Aerlys

...literally!

Now, I know he word "literally" is often misused, so I am very careful to use it properly.

That said, I restate: It's been a lousy couple of days, literally.

While everyone absorbs that, and all that it implies, I'm going to make my way through the Nix fog and try to get some sleep for a couple of hours before DD1 needs to take her medicine (she just got her wisdom teeth out this morning, too...oh, well, yesterday morning now.)

'Night, all!

(I've had to keep up the brave and positive facade for the last 35 hours or so, and I just needed a little whine... and maybe a little wine, too    :P )
"Loss and possession, death and life are one, There falls no shadow where there shines no sun."

Hilaire Belloc

Laurna

Being a mother and wife means you are a very heroic, brave, staunchly strong leader. You have to hid your fears, motivate the pack, and organize the entire household. My hats off to all of you who manage it every day. Stand strong, my lady. It may not be said aloud, but I am certain you are appreciated.
May your horses have wings and fly!

Jerusha

You deserve a nice goblet of Fianna - but well away from the Nix fog!

Two of my boys had their wisdom teeth out on the same day - so you have my unfailing mental support and sympathy!
From ghoulies and ghosties and long-leggity beasties and things that go bump in the night...good Lord deliver us!

 -- Old English Litany

DesertRose

Ugh.  I HATE lice.  The last time I had to deal with them, I had hair almost long enough to sit on, and I was incensed when I realized I was infected.  (Somebody else brought them into my house, and I was NOT a happy camper at all.)

*passes a goblet of the finest Fianna red to Aerlys and sits her on the lovely rooftop porch of DR's apartment building in the absolutely gorgeous weather we're getting here in northeast Florida right now where the temperature is mild, there is a light breeze, and there is no Nix fog*
"If having a soul means being able to feel love, loyalty, and gratitude, then animals are better off than a lot of humans."

James Herriot (James Alfred "Alfie" Wight), when a human client asked him if animals have souls.  (I don't remember in which book the story originally appeared.)

Aerlys

Quote from: DesertRose on October 12, 2013, 10:14:08 AM
Ugh.  I HATE lice.  The last time I had to deal with them, I had hair almost long enough to sit on, and I was incensed when I realized I was infected.  (Somebody else brought them into my house, and I was NOT a happy camper at all.)

*passes a goblet of the finest Fianna red to Aerlys and sits her on the lovely rooftop porch of DR's apartment building in the absolutely gorgeous weather we're getting here in northeast Florida right now where the temperature is mild, there is a light breeze, and there is no Nix fog*

Ahhh, thanks. I needed that!

There are four of us females in this household, all with long hair. DD1's is past her waist, and very, very fine. Quite the challenge!

**takes a sip from her goblet, closes her eyes, and enjoys the beautiful sunshine at DR"s lovely residence**

"Loss and possession, death and life are one, There falls no shadow where there shines no sun."

Hilaire Belloc

Evie

When one of my children brought the gift that keeps on giving home from school one year right before Christmas break,  the medicated shampoo and multiple loads of laundry failed to eradicate the pests.   In desperation,  I glopped mayonnaise on everyone's head and stuck plastic shower caps over it for half an hour, then combed the suffocated lice out.  A vinegar/water solution loosened the eggs from the hair,  and then lots of shampoo mixed with Dawn dishwashing liquid cut through the grease and left the hair clean,  soft,  and lice-free.   Then we just did one more load of laundry,  packed our bags,  and went on the holiday vacation we'd already planned before all the chaos happened.  Two weeks without a human host will break their life cycle,  so by the time we returned home,  anything that might have hatched in our absence had died.   But since I assume you can't simply go elsewhere for two weeks, washing all clothing in high heat before storing it where it can't get reinfested will help, as will bagging non-washable fabric items like upholstered throw pillows and leaving them bagged for at least two weeks. If you have carpeting,  vacuum well and then throw the vacuum bag away outside immediately.  Lavender,  rosemary, cedar, and tea tree oil are natural repellents.   Good luck in the war!
"In necessariis unitas, in non-necessariis libertas, in utrisque caritas."

--WARNING!!!--
I have a vocabulary in excess of 75,000 words, and I'm not afraid to use it!

Aerlys

Whew! Long day. Now we have a tummy bug going through the house to go along with the other bugs! October always seems to be the advent of chaos for us, so I can't say I wasn't expecting something to happen. (Nothing has been as bad as three years ago, but that's another story...) DD1 is recovering nicely, Deo gratias, so at least things are going well on that front.

We dealt with lice once before, several years ago, when our house and our family were smaller. This time, with nine people's bedding, clothing, etc. to deal with, we hauled it all over to the laundromat (no sense killing our machines in the process, plus I'd still be washing stuff if we did it all here). All of us were treated, bugs or no bugs. The chemical stuff proved to be ineffective, of course, so we opted for a homeopathic treatment that dries up the lice and nits on contact. Since it really was the girls who were hit, their room is stripped, and they are kinda quarantined in there. Thank God DH and I didn't have any. (DS1 had a couple, but he was the one checking heads, so I'm not surprised) Every non-essential item, washed or not, has been bagged and tossed into the camper, to remain out of sight for a good month. (Maybe, just maybe, the kids will realize they don't need all this stuff and get rid of it!) Every other surface has been washed and vacuumed. Even the vehicles were vacuumed and sprayed. I've gone so far as to throw all the bedding in the dryer every morning, for good measure. Every male in the house got his head shaved. All of us girls are wearing shower caps, and everyone is getting rechecked every day. So far, so good. I'm praying God will be merciful and let us off with doing this only once.

We've gone though every "lousy" joke and pun there is. Like we told the kids, ya' gotta keep a sense of humor, even if it's corny, or else you'd just go buggy! Also on the upside, the older boys' room hasn't been this clean for a long time! 

Trust me, the thought of leaving home for a few weeks did cross my mind -- with everyone, not just me. Well, OK, so maybe a solo vacation is tempting. So is burning down the house.

Anyway, I'm done for the night, and I think this time I'll opt for something a little stronger than the Fianna red.



(Oh, and thank you, Laurna, for your kind words!)

"Loss and possession, death and life are one, There falls no shadow where there shines no sun."

Hilaire Belloc

Elkhound

As Judith Viorst would have said, some days are like that, even in Australia.   

Speaking of which, I'd like to know how her boys have grown up.  They'd be quite middle aged by now.