Recently . . .

I got chastised yesterday by Evan for not putting up a post in 10 days. That's kind of amusing in and of itself, because Evan probably only reads my blog about once every ten days, and so it was the first time he had noticed.

A friendly, fuzzy, healthy picture from a recent shoot. Just to make this post a bit less depressing. 

Well, internet, the thing is, I got a cold. And not really one of those warm fuzzy, oh-I've-just-got-a-cough-and-now-I-carry-some-extra-tissues colds. No, this one meant business. I had a fever on and off for probably five days (mostly on, unless I was taking fever reducing medicine) which just made me feel like sleeping all the time. And I did. Usually I can be semi-productive while sick, but this time it just didn't work. And then when the fever split I got laryngitis, where I could barely squeak for a couple of days. Now I'm better and I just sound like I've been a very heavy smoker for a few decades, plus I carry some extra tissues. Not much of a problem, really.

Except for the coughing. Once I started being able to speak, I stopped having the ability to be horizontal and not cough at the same time. Vertical? No problem. All day I barely cough. Lie down for a second? I'm going to need a throat replacement soon. And yet sleeping is still very important for cold recovery, and necessary for life in general, so I've been trying to figure out some kind of solution.

One thing that has helped is sleeping on the couch. This is not a reflection on Evan or our lovely bed (which really, is a great bed), it's just one of those unexplainable things. I cough less on the couch. Also, Mouse loves to sleep directly in front of my face, and she doesn't do that on the couch. So not inhaling cat hair helps. But still, 4 am is the witching hour for cold sufferers, and last night, when I couldn't stop coughing at 4 am (unless I sat up, at which point I couldn't sleep) I was desperate. And I remembered some vague reference to rum hot toddies and coughing.

So I got up and made myself a not-really-all-that delicious mixture of brandy, water, honey, and lemon juice and heated it all up in the microwave, and then downed it.

Somehow, it worked, and I slept like a baby afterwards. Drinking when I'm sick is not really my thing, let alone on the couch at four am by my lonesome, but anyway.

So, that's where I am now. How are y'all? Any cough remedies that grandma passed down to you? Because frankly, I think dextromethorphan doesn't do a thing. Except sound complicated, and taste pretty nasty. (Now that I do some research, maybe I should have just eaten some chocolate.)

(I promise, that's the last personal health post for a while. So you can come back tomorrow and I won't be bellyaching about my cough anymore. Cross my heart.)