SL Core 100 Week 3B Jan. 7-13, 2017 Sick

SL Core 100 Week 3B (Not an academic week.)

Jan. 7-13, 2017 

Sickness Arrives Again

Hello, Friends!

Ah, the misery of winter illnesses.  Dd had spent the weekend at her friend's house, returning home on Sunday, Jan. 7th, we picked her up after our church.  She went to church with her friends and got to experience a different church. Her friends sang during the service, Down to the River to Pray: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zSif77IVQdY , here is a link to YouTube if you are unfamiliar with the song that became popular when it was in the movie, O Brother Where Art Thou. 
Sleep Over:Dd had a great time with her friends and came home with a second bug; her immune system is shot right now!!!  She got worse each day this week as her tonsils got redder and more swollen as the days went by.  By the end of the week, her cough and mucus got worse.  I had migraines or headaches from Thursday on and gradually picked up her bug.  This wasn't a great week for us academically and started our longest illness so far this winter.  We are just plodding through right now.  What a doozy this bug is!

  Felt Birds:
While sitting and being brain-dead, I brought out the felt birds I started this winter and added lots of finishing touches.  I specifically worked on the wings and attaching the hoops to hang them from a tree, if desired, and some eyes too.  Dd and I both had waning brain power this week.

A Dark-Eyed Junco at our feeder

SNOW!
This week's weather went back and forth between snowing and then another "January Thaw" and back to snow again!  Last year we bought a new snowblower and finally this year I've fully figured it out!  It is great to finally have figured out all the shortcuts and I can get everything cleaned off in about an hour of work, whereas it used to take me much longer. 

Our garden is under snow.

Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
We had finished this book, but I had also bought a book, like Cliff Notes, to help us dissect and analyze the book and we read parts of that this week.  Also, the edition we had of the book has an Introduction, about 25 pages long, that we read in its entirety.  I'm liking taking extra time to discuss the book and figure out as much as we can.



Chickens:
Since the chickens are spending much of their time in the coop, I am having to clean the coop at least once a week.  I've persuaded Dd to carry the buckets of dirty straw out and to our compost pile to make this chore shorter for me to complete.  She really hasn't ever embraced having chickens and her interactions are few and far between. 

The chickens haven't been out here in months!

Chickens:
All our chickens are doing fine, though I can see they are getting skinnier each week, nothing major, but, they truly don't seem to like their pellets very much and preferred the wild greens I had supplied them last spring, summer, and fall.  I've tried to surprise them with black sunflower seeds, whole dried corn, cracked corn, table scraps, hard boiled eggs and lots of cooked egg shells, and anything I can think of!  I'm still hand-feeding Ms. Lemon each day and she seems a bit better this week.  I always bring her at least on chopped up hard boiled egg and shell; she also really likes bananas!  It is the highlight of my day to feed her!  This week I gave them a big bag of organic peas from Costo, and they loved it!



Chickens Outside!
Tuesday Larkin and I shoveled out the snow from the top two outdoor chicken runs and they all (except Ms. Lemon) spent most of the day outside!!! They spent Tuesday-Thursday outside; which greatly improved their disposition!  Zeus, our Buff Orpington rooster attacked my left leg this week, and left bruises!  He really went for me, more aggressively than ever before. 



Migraines & Illness:
I'm afraid I've had a string of migraines starting on Wednesday and lasting, off and on, for the next eight days.  I'm sure the crazy weather has something to do with it!  We went from 58 degrees to 18 degrees in the span of two days.  Both Dd and I were not in top form this week!!!



Dd very sick:
 We both had some super-cold-bug, red throats, swollen tonsils.  Dd had major coughing throughout and more mucus than I did. I was watching her fever to see if I needed to bring her into the doctor, as each day she got a little worse.  Locally our area has been hit hard with a really bad flu, so I wanted to avoid taking her to the doctors or ER for fear she would come home with the killer flu bug and take her from bad to worse.  Though she had a fever, it wasn't high.  The worst part of Dd being sick was that this made her "Brain Dead!" She went through an entire box of tissues! Often times I can squeeze homework into her sick days, but she couldn't focus her brain very well or for very long, so I kept my expectation to math and our study of, Of Mice and Men, and kept things under two hours, though spread out.  I believe she was able to read her Fun Book without trouble!  Isn't that always the way! 



Grace Classes:
Dd was too sick to go to her Grace classes; Painting Studio, Botany Watercolor class, and her Geometry math class on Friday.



Surgeon Appointment: Scheduled Surgery
My gastroenterologist referred me to a surgeon and he highly recommended that I get my gallbladder removed.  The surgery (laparoscopic) will be next Friday, Jan. 19th.  Dh will take off that day from work to bring me. I'm glad to get the appointment so quickly so I won't have too much time to fuss and worry about it.



Music Lessons:
Violin Lesson with Christie: 30 min.
Intermediate Orchestra (violin) 1:30 hours
Intermediate Band: 1:30 hours
Piano Lesson with Wendy: 30 min.



Music Practice:
Not much practicing going on with Dd having a cold, sore throat, coughing....



Fun Reading:
Cress by Marissa Meyer (In Process)


Grace Art Classes:
Painting Studio: 1:30 oil painting
Botany: 1:30 watercolor painting

One of Dd's watercolors this week--Groot.

Art:
Dd has been working on her painting and photography each day this week.  She is really enjoying both outlets. 



Math:
Saxon Geometry lessons 51-55



Bible:
Church, Sunday School, Volunteering at Olympians-Games.
Why Pray? (for SL) by John DeVries



Stink Alley by Jamie Gilson: Dropped
Dd decided to drop Stink Alley this week.  She just wasn't impressed with it.

For the first time, Agnes has decided she is a cat and jumped up on their cat climbing thing!  It is nice to see her finally adjusting to fit in with the new kittens.

Next Week:
We are no closer to feeling better; actually continuing to feel worse as each day goes by!  My surgery is scheduled for Friday and Dh will take the day off to take me.
..........