Monday, February 26, 2007

Progress, on Several Fronts.

It's been a gruelling week chez HalfSoledBoots. My poor little baby is on day four of a feverish cold, or flu, or whatever it is. She looks like a ghost - observe:







But I'm in high hopes she's beginning to feel better. I did the old Vinegar Sock trick* last night, and it seems to have broken the fever. This morning she had something to eat, and has been actually playing toys today. It feels like weeks since she has been herself, instead of days. I remarked to my mother yesterday that it's no wonder the 'flu is so often fatal to impoverished, undernourished children, since it turned my healthy, strong, first-world girl into a mere shadow of her former self in just three days.


Waste Not, Want Not

Work continues on the Ogee Tunic, excruciatingly slowly. I actually can't believe how long it is taking me to knit this, between the splitty yarn, the slippery needles, the sick baby, and the sick mummy (yes, I've had it too). At this rate I won't be finished until June.








But I really like how it's looking. I think the yarn sub is going well (the pattern called for 100% wool; I'm using 100% cotton because it was in my stash and wool wasn't...those are the rules).





And lastly, in the continuing spirit of Using Up What We Have:


Potential:



Oldish speckled bananas, and Old slumpy apples.

Actual:


Lovely, buttery apple pancakes.




Yummy banana bread.

* The Vinegar Sock is an old-fashioned home remedy for fever. You soak a sock in vinegar and put it on the child, putting another sock overtop to keep the vinegar more or less off the sheets. The vinegar is absorbed through the feet and drawn up through the body, cooling as it goes. It does not usually bring the fever completely down, it just makes it bearable. The principle is, if your body elevates its temperature, it has a perfectly good reason for doing so, and as long as it's within a few degrees of normal, you should not get all wiggy with the Tylenol, but simply let the immune system do its job. Once I had a vinegar sock on my daughter for about 36 hours straight, and by then you could smell it on her breath, and she was complaining of a funny taste. But, the fever was down.

8 comments:

Gwen said...

Oh, you sound tired. Have a cup of tea and some of that banana bread, dear. Try to have a nap at some point today. Poor thing!

Sue H said...

Loving the detail in the blue sweater.
Those pancakes and banana bread look absolutely scrummy.......(scrumptious/yummy = scrummy).
Many of those old fashioned remedeys work a treat, and as a nurse I prefer to resort to those where possible as we use too many "drugs" these days.
(qwarkus)

Jo said...

Good for you on using stuff up! I cannot stand when food has to be tossed out because someone hasn't eaten it. I've never had apple pancakes before. Sorry to hear Charlotte has been sick - mine has been coming doen with something the last few days as well :(

Anonymous said...

You're back - hooray! A day without a posting is a day without sunshine - even when your posting is about some sad, like sick children.

Brenda Oig said...

I'm so sorry Emily is sick, poor thing. I've never heard of the sock trick, cool. I can't believe how grown up Charlotte looks! She looks the same, though. :) I still remember when you told us Em was on the way. How time flies.

Love that sweater! You've gotten really good with the needles. I haven't picked up mine in much too long. Too busy creating with words. :)

Anonymous said...

a) poor sick cutie-pie.
b) vinegar sock trick = so cool
c) It's amazing how well past-their-prime bananas transform into primo baked goodies. Always seems like a small miracle to me.

Heather said...

our friends vicksvapo rub feet in socks for the same reason.

Jenny said...

I hope your daughter starts to feel better soon!
I've added vinegar in the tub to bring the fever down, never thought about a sock though.
I agree with Gwen, I hope you get a chance to enjoy some of that divine looking banana bread!
You've inspired me to make some banana bread tomorrow morning.