Let me put it this way, the holiday pitched a few punches. Mother-in-law in from out of town since last Thursday and co-adult’s two brothers arriving a little after that, co-adult got hit with the flu last Friday and has been in bed since then, completely since then, steeped in misery. I have been gobbling vitamin C.
I tried to make things nice. We’d picked things up for co-adult’s red beans and rice, and I went ahead and made it myself though I’ve never done it before, and it didn’t go toooooooooooo badly (kind of). And I really did endeavor to festive things up with holiday treats and juices from the Farmer’s Market (the boxes are at least nice if what’s inside is lacking) and some decorations and bought some holiday movies I hoped everyone would enjoy. Eventually I managed to find time and space on the second floor landing of the apartment building to wrap H.o.p.’s presents, which was fun. Wrapping presents is such a secret, back room activity…and here I was wrapping presents in public, on the stairs, a couple neighbors passing by from upstairs, climbing past the gold paper and ribbon, and it was still just as secret, H.o.p. a floor below not having a clue.
After opening gifts this morning, H.o.p. complained of feeling tired, I pulled back out his futon in his room and remade it for him and he zonked out. I juggled things around the 16 by 12 inch food preparation center and sink and dish drainer and made a fairly edible Christmas dinner though I’m not much of a cook. Apricot and garlic stuffed rolled pork roast (that I’d marinated all night but wasn’t as flavorful as one would hope), wild rice, buttered yams, squash and onions, green beans. Not great but was OK. Then dinner was done and dessert was done and dishes were done and leftovers were jammed into the smallish refrigerator and I thought now I would sit down but first went in to check on H.o.p. for the umpteenth time. He had been sleeping deep but not fitfully, no fever. This time he woke up and said he needed to go spit. But his grandmother was in the bathroom. So I took him to the kitchen. His feet rooted to the floor and he proceeded to vomit all over his feet and everything else for ten minutes–and in our kitchen that means pretty much everything. I got him clean, settled him down (he’s asleep again), Marty’s family left to go see a movie, I swabbed down the kitchen several times.
Marty’s briefly up and wandering by saying he never wants to experience anything like this again. Now he’s back in bed and sleeping.
I’m still standing. Hopefully I will be tomorrow and no one else will get ill either and hopefully H.o.p. and co-adult will be feeling better.
Am gonna go try and read a book a brother-in-law gave me but I imagine I’ll end up staring at the wall instead.
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