As of Thursday of last week, I officially caught the flu from Dad, which then quickly spread to Lacy and then to Mom. I started with the chills that morning, stuffy head and all the unpleasant sorts. Wrap up for heat, drink ice water to cool me again, back and forth, back and forth. The next day, I was rid of the fever, but still have a cough and a running nose.

Back on Wednesday (the day before the pagan's had their big celebration), I was asked to go down to my neighbor's house to fix a networking problem. Maybe they were having their celebration that day, I don't know. All I do know is, all the family was there, and people were moving everywhere. So I tried to get in, fix the problem, and back out as soon as I could.

Needless to say, before I could make my exit, Roy (my neighbor's grandfather) asked me if I could tend to the dogs while they would be gone over the weekend. Of course, feeling well and able at the time, I accepted, and asked them for a list. Then the next day is when I took sick! Yet, Lacy and I were still able enough to go down Friday evening to tend the dogs and the cat.

So that is what I have been doing every evening (tomorrow they come home). It's not difficult in the least, since we are used to working outside for extended periods.

On a side note, today is second to the last day of the year. Day 364 or 366 (this year 'twas the leap year). Yesterday was an absolutely beautiful day outside with the wind gusting from a storm that went around us, and today was lovely outside too.

Me and Dad were able to finish the deck Saturday, by running the downspouts into the Y and fitting the deck board in so it looks natural now By the way, the post title is the result of writing the post before thinking of a suitable title. Titling a post is as difficult to me, as titling a book.

catchup

The deck over top of the water tank is not quite finished yet, but we are working on it. In the wet, slippery, red mud, we put up plywood for the sidewalls and built a set of stairs to get on top of it, civilly. It's actually warmer inside this box then it is outside.

Apart from that, we bought a water spigot and placed it to the right of the steps that is connected to an electric pump at the bottom of the tank. After we run electricity over to the deck, we'll wire up a neat waterproof switch near the spigot which will turn the pump on, and provide water.

Of course, we are still going to put in a hand pump on top of the deck, but until we get one, this other method will work for getting water out of the tank and draining it. We still need to run an overflow pipe, pipe both of the spouting into the the tank, and somehow make a door to get into the box.

Here are a couple pictures to give you an idea of what it looks like:

It was about 16F outside last night; maybe colder. Mom got me up early this morning, so I could let the animals out of their boxes and start a fire in the barn. It was only 40F inside the barn when I got there, since I closed off the damper on the stove before I left yesterday (the fire was about out anyhow).

Here's some pictures of the pond with about half an inch of ice on it, a thin layer of ice from a puddle, some more ice-crystals, and a shot of the barnyard:

Last Saturday, Dad started with symptoms of the flu, such as a clogged nasal passage, sore throat and such. He took a vinegar bath, kept flushing his nasal passage, and he felt cold.

Sunday, he had a fever and was pretty sick, not to mention he had the chills. At the beginning of this year, we had the same type of sickness and December of last year. I had it pretty bad back in January too. Dizzy, cross-eyed, chills, head plugged, the whole nine yards.

Who knows where he picked it up this time. At work? In town? From the air? Hopefully the rest of us won't get it this time. He had to go back to work today and is feeling better.

Before he got sick, we had been working on the deck over the water tank, and framing up the bottom for walls. We have all of that done, but we still have to run electricity over to it for a pump switch, cut the hole for drains on the top of the deck, and run both spouting over to the tank.

I'll post some pictures tomorrow, if it is not raining.

Mom and Dad have been working on this slideshow movie of Righteousness by Faith. It's short, small, and to the point. Click below if you would like to watch it (only 2.41MBs)

Righteousness by Faith