And on and on and on

Ok, check the time-I'm in my own home on my own equipment and I can say without a doubt and with little fear of reprisal since I haven't actually named my company that I work with some complete idiots. Not everyone is an idiot, the company manages to make money after all, and I'm glad of it because that's how I afford things like food and the internet. No, I'm not biting the hand that feeds me, but I am critiquing some of the asses that are attached to the hand.

Of the hours I have managed to work this week-many have been spent answering questions and making plans for something that has been coming for months and isn't going to come across for many more months. In the meantime, I have things that need to be accomplished now. NOW. As I suspected, I was able to go into a two week coma and when I woke up no more had been accomplished than when I was put under, except for signing a contract where we agreed to provide some information in a format that isn't really feasible. When I pointed out that this isn't feasible I get snarled at so I say "fine, it's your issue".

There are people who do things and there are people who plan for things but never accomplish a damn thing. I do enjoy planning, but I also enjoy the fruition of my plans. I spent an hour in a meeting and the outcome was that I was going to continue doing what I was planning on doing anyway. I could make these plans because I understood the task at hand, the future task and the data structure involved. Apparently not everyone does, or not everyone believes that I do. However, I am apparently the only person who understands how to utilize the tool and can get any type of output out of it at all.

I have too many irons in the fire to worry about hurt feelings or plan any sort of retribution. I believe that karma will catch up with us all, so I will continue producing product with my hammer and chisel (that someone else built) and let the others plan and dream and spend money and sign contracts that make no sense. But I will scream in all caps what I was thinking today "DID YOU EVER STOP AND THINK ABOUT HOW EXACTLY THE TASK WOULD BE ACCOMPLISHED AND WHO WOULD ACCOMPLISH IT?"

I have a vision of this person writing on their to do list "make a million dollars" and then moving on to the next task. People often forget that there are a few details between the start and finish.

Bring it ON

I finalized the deal for the dog cart and went to bed dreaming of a matched team of Harelquin Great Danes and then damn if morning didn't come.

Cat hairballs all over the floor and I can't REACH the floor, I've been de-activated in my work payroll system so I can't record my time, Uncle John's condo has water damage in the bathroom and my Insurance Claim was OK'd for all the piddly services but they denied the 18K hospital bill. Thanks for nothing assholes.

I made it to the potty and had a peanut butter smear on half a bagel before my work teleconference and now I'm fixing a bit of lunch and then I will set about sorting through all of this.

There are some days when you can listen to mellow music and work peacefully eating anchovies on crackers and then there are some days when you just have to sit up, kick ass and take names. Guess what kind of day this is?

Oops, forgot to take my premarin

Well, I'm just in the throws of crisis-it's EXPENSIVE to have horses, and I can't afford the Ponderosa and take care of my Uncle John and my parents and still have time to do my job and waaaaaaaaaah.

So, about that dog cart....I'm negotiating with a guy for a two seater that will take two big dogs to pull two big adults. Now my biggest dog weighs a little bit less than 10 pounds so that is a problem....but first things first. In this case I have to put the cart before the dog, because the only way I can exercise the dogs is if they pull me (bad leg you see).

I've also returned the urban chicken books to amazon.com-why should I pay full price for my insanity? Some exchange fee is better than nothing-and the horse books are going back too.

Yes, we really CAN have it all, but only if we are willing to work for it. And unless I just get a huge rush of cash, the horse project would drain all my resources.

Am I getting timid in my old age? Or just wise enough not to jump in with checkbook a blazing. My little Scotty venture was not much money, and I could recoup it easily by placing the little darling on Craigslist or Ebay. Horses would involve thousands, yes that is multiple thousands. I just can't do that, or I just won't let myself do that.

Am I trying to convince myself that dogs will be just as good? I don't know, but experience has taught me that when that little voice in my head says pull up, it is a VERY GOOD IDEA to Pull Up.

And yet, that is not how Very Big Things get done. But I already KNOW how to work with dogs, I can afford dogs, and I already have a vehicle that will accomodate the cart and the dogs......And I can still wear my wellingtons I bought for the mucky yard in my own mucky yard. (They aren't wellies they are something else, but piss on it and piss on the compact I'm in a cast and if the only thing I will be able to wear this spring is mucking shoes then I'm going to get myself a good pair.)

So this is how it feels to go crazy.

Now, once upon a time middle aged people bought little red sports cars. I bought one of those when I was 17 (with my own earned money, no silver spoons here). So I am going to have a midlife crisis in an old travel trailer and a team of carting dogs pulling the elderly residence of Autumn Leaves around Whiterock Lake.

I don't think I am destined for Really Big Things.

POIDOGZ: Too good for words

POIDOGZ: Too good for words

Happy Lunch

The above link recounts my joyful lunch. I truly hope spring is here and not flirting with us, although with the cast on my leg I won't be getting out into the wilderness anytime soon.

Let's count. March 22 lose the cast begin weight bearing.....should be walking OK four weeks later as best I can guess....so by end of April. Uneven ground gives me the most grief, but even before that I can find paths and things to wander on.

I am very thankful for Whiterock Lake-and urban lake with a nice wide path all the way around it. Another reason why I live in my neighborhood, and another reason why I will/would find it hard to leave.

Just up and having a mid life crisis requires careful thought because you want to be mindful of what you toss away. I still think I cling too much, but there are some things worth clinging to.

Thar she blows

Both eggs blew completely clear of the microwave egg poacher this mornng in what is likely the most spectacular explosion this particular kitchen has seen. Luckily, the dogs are home now so I can just knock everything in the floor and let them take care of it. Who needs modern conveneineces with the canine cleaning system.

Uncle John, I Salute you

Picked up a birthday cake (red.white and blue) and went to the Assisted Living Center to have lunch with Uncle John. He's 71 on this very day. We had roast chicken and some really good eggplant (need to crash lunch more often) and lots of good conversation. Not everyone was quite aware of what was going on, but they liked the cake and the chance to celebrate.

Some things I learned:

A full sheet will feed an awful lot of senior citizens and staff (wow)
Red/White/Blue icing really gets messy when you are cutting it
A piece of cake on a plastic plate with people who really appreciate you tastes better than a 5 star restaurant.

I don't know if I'll make it to 71-I never really expected to make it to 46. Not that I planned on dying but I had no set agenda for life at 46. And agendas are made to be broken anyway.

I've noticed the older you get the better it is to plan for some things though, so I'm really trying to put some thought into my life. But the old guys at our table at lunch really supported the idea of a horse and buggy, as did Hannah, my friends' 2 year old. Hannah also supported the idea of world destruction too, she's easily swayed.

The fierce spring winds have blown the tarp off the Scotty-I hope it doesn't rain before I can get it back on. (That's kind of tough from a wheelchair). I also hope the winds stay down a bit or the thing might just catch a breeze and set sail. Oh well, I can't worry about everything.

The compact crisis

Ok my compact days are numbered. I can't get out to buy used books and I MUST relearn all I ever forgot about horses, continue my urban chicken studies, manage my finances, find inner peace and read everything Dr. Oz and Don Ho has to say about health and serenity. Also, my trial memebership in Amazon Prime, which I am not going to renew, expires in a few days, so I must order books in order to get them a few days faster....LOL.

I haven't dumped the chicken idea-just postponed it until I can walk again. This is middle age, where sanity prevails. Of course, as with all things, sanity is relative.

I think I may be ready to settle down. I realize that I sort of live my life expecting it to change-renting, not buying, this is only temporary. What if I lived it like this was IT? I could always change my mind, right?

I have to say this-the Freecycle thing is a good idea, but full of deadbeats and weirdos. I only found a few people I was willing to give my address to. Some of them wanted me to drive out to meet them in order for me to GIVE them stuff-not even willing to drive over and pick up my bounty. Sheesh. And what happened to the idea of sharing...gimmee gimmeee gimmeee. For safety purposes, I am suspending freecycle efforts until I can walk again.

I really AM going to get a horse this time. That's the one thing I would hate to get to the end of my life and not have accomplished (now that I've seen the Great White Shark that is). And it makes sense to do it while I still have hopes of scrambling aboard.

I'm toying with the idea of finding a place to board where I can pull the scotty to on weekends and camp and ride. I'm also toying with the idea of the little 5 acre plot I always thought I would have. How did exploring the idea of less and returning to my roots (the scotty) turn into becoming a land baron?

My life story is a little like being lost in the forest, where you sometimes have to go in circles before you find the way out. Of course, the way out of life is death, and that doesn't sound appealing on a day like today where the sun is shining and the snakes are basking and the cat is cleaning her fur on top of a big pile of bills.

I do have one discovery worth sharing-it's the olive oil that kills the desire for sweets, not the dark chocolate. I ate some a couple of times yesterday and had to spit out my candy corn I indulged in this morning. So, on with the Olive oil!

Jay and Sue are bringing the girls over today so I need to wash out my armpits, pick up the paperwork and put it in a sensible pile, and charge up the camera. It will be nice to photograph kids for a change.

Look an ye shall find

Rat agility. For the people with feet problems. Go figure.

I've also joined the yahoo groups the galloping grannies and pawpaws and doesmybuttlookbiginthissaddle?

I'm not going to take this new crippled thing lying down. Actually, I've been taking it on my feet which is the problem. Use the brain, not the ankle deb.....

I want it all

I decided that I would finally get a horse-since dog sports are now out. The dog sport was something I could do and still keep the animal at my house-but the horse is what I've always wanted. So, the first thing I did was google dog-carting.

What's up with that? Am I so afraid of getting what I want? Of course, I was raised with "You can't have a horse in the city" but why do I choose to listen to my parents on this particular thing and not anything else?

Sue and I had one of those "what's it all about" conversations. And I really don't understand why we don't give ourselves permission to have what we want. We really do keep ourselves in our own cages.

I did join the yahoo group galloping grannies and I've posed the question "how do you keep a horse in the city without going completely bankrupt".

It's funny, for some people "it all" means a big house, fine car, lovely child and plenty of leisure time. Me, I just want a job and a horse.

Pathetic story: During my early years I put a down payment on a horse knowing I would not have the money to pick up the horse, but I wanted one so badly that at least for a week I had a horse. But I don't want a false thing this time, I want the real deal-all four hooves and a saddle.

Clap and Grab

Now I'm supposed to be downsizing, but my current physical circumstances require that I get some help-so I bought one of those grabber things and a clapper-two things I have secretly wanted for a long time. They both arrived this week and I have been rolling about in my wheelchair grabbing up things from the floor and clapping my light on and off in my bedroom. It really doesn't take much to make me happy.

Let freedom ring

Stars and stripes

My new cast has stars and stripes-let freedom ring.

Best of all, the doctor did not have to fuse my ankle! He just broke my heal in two places and wedged some cadaver bone in to hold it in place-if I nix the dogs sports (running around in circles) and lose some weight, I may never need the fusion, or I can at least hold it off for another 10 years. Wooo Hooo!

Too much time on my hands

So I'm sitting in front of my front door with my feet hanging outside on the porch (can't get the wheelchair over the lip without risking too much momentum and crashing OFF the porch). The cat is rolling in the grass and I am trying to figure out what I want from my life. Same old story.

I thought without all the clutter of day to day that some things would become magically clear to me-yes yes-I will live in a tiny house community, or why sure, I'll move into a travel trailer, or, of course, I'll move into a mobil home on 5 acres and finally get that horse.

I don't know what I want. If I could orchestrate the rest of my life (which, technically I can) I wouldn't know where to begin. Achieving goals is not nearly as hard (for me) as it is to decide on what the goal should be.

There's the big Cheese

www.cheddarvision.tv

You can actually watch a block of cheddar age. Maybe I should install a Scotty cam, where you could log in an watch my dear Scotty waiting for me to get out of this wheelchair and on to the road.


There truly is something for everyone these days.

Driving Ms. Deb

So today was my first experience with a personal assistant. Olivia is a short, chubby woman of color. We share the same birthday and a similar PIN number. She was able to find smoked oysters at Albertsons when my parent's could not-I think we'll become friends.

I am still waiting for the trash bags I ordered-it's touch and go whether the bags will arrive first or the bathing cloths I ordered. The very quality of the air around me hangs in the balance. (Trash bags are to cover my splint so I can bathe).

I did find the razor today-it was in the hallway. Don't know who or why it was in the hallway-things like that tend to happen when people come to take care of you and it's best not to get too twisted about it.

I went to Office Depot in my favorite sick outfit-grey sweats and an olive tank top with cammo hoodie. It got hot, so I took off the hoodie and went BRALESS in the Mesquite Office Depot. I just figured the onlookers would think I was mentally as well as physically handicapped and let it go. I did show SOME decorum-I didn't raise my arm. I found my razor this morning-but I haven't had a chance to use it.

Trailer in the driveway

There's a trailer in the driveway
It's ready to go
Off down the road-hi-ho
There's a trailer in the driveway
Let's go for a ride
Bliss and quiet and peaceful outside.....


Sorry, too many painkillers have muddled the mind. But the voices in my head play the banjo as well, and that little ditty didn't sound half bad.

Oh the open road

Perhaps it's being cooped up with my leg, but the open road calls to me this morning. I'd love to hitch up and go somewhere WARM. Or, if my fanatasy had to be limited, even just back East a few hours to the piney woods. The grass is already started to green up here, mother nature is as impatient as I am.

In the meantime I think I'll sketch up some mural ideas for my paint job.

Yawn

This afternoon I am fighting a loosing battle with a nap. My parents and the chihuahuas are gone, the heater repairman has come and gone, the plumber is no longer here. No nurses, no doctors, no machines hooked up to my arms. Just me, the cat and remote control so I can watch all the animal planet that I want.

In the quiet I am conjuring up an image of what I want the Scotty to look like when finished. This is one of life's natural pauses an I am glad I am wise enough to enjoy it.

Oh what a night....

So the heat went out and I am here with only one good leg, a living room full of snakes, 3 chihuahuas and two elderly parents.

We made some phone calls, everyone was in tizzy-no one would go to hotel (I wouldn't leave the snakes and Mom wouldn't leave me), no heaters were available.

So,I reverted to my college days, turned on the oven and left the door open, made beds for Mom and Dad in the living room (showing them how to layer thermal and then cotton blankets). I did have a moment of being really annoyed that I had just rid myself of excess blankets and sleeping bags....SEE sometimes that stuff does come in handy.

But sorting through it all, no one was really even uncomfortable and we all slept through the night. I was pleased with myself for resolving crisis so that everyone was safe and warm.

Sometimes we need these little challenges to free us from our complacent selves and remind us that the heat isn't always available-sometimes you just have to figure out how to stay alive, or in our case, comfortable.

Mom was "tucking me in" by helping me it the leg raising pillow contraption and I said, "you know what, I spent many a cold night in a little Scotty like the one outside without any heat at all". And I'm sure, growing up in the depression, she and Dad slept on the chilly side too.

It's kind of scary how easily we become dependent on our modern conveniences and how lost we are without them.

The other thing I notice was having this thought, "How can I deal with this with only one leg?"... and I had to laugh at myself. What on earth does my bum leg have to do with heating the house? That though just illustrates how we throw every even together into ONE BIG MESS, I believe out of habit. Man is an animal that has been very successful looking for connections and relationships and cause and effect, but it's easy to take that too far. Well, at least it is for me.

I've been visiting a lot vintage trailer sights and women's travel groups. The cowgirl trailers are a hoot and I'm thinking of something really special. I did some artwork of a chihuahua howling at the moon and I'm thinking of expanding on that for my paint job.

While in the hospital I watched episodes of American Chopper for inspiration.

Now, with my leg up in the air, is the perfect time for daydreams.....

Like a one legged man in an A33 kicking contest

That is what I feel like, but I have to say that knowing what to expect has made a world of difference. I had a similar surgery 7 years ago and it really just didn't sink in that non-weight bearing is a politically correct way of saying 'you will be crippled for 8 weeks'. So, imagine my shock when I woke up and was, well, crippled.

I was quite freaked out, embarrassed and just didn't know how to cope. This time I have coped by buying mobility aids to aid my bathing, my bathrooming and my general rolling around. (Again with the buying) I'm a big girl, and crutches just don't do it for me. I do like the little walker with the seat on it-I can prop my knee on it and scoot around-that's pretty cool and I have a wheelchair that I really enjoy. Last time I had trouble appearing in public in the wheelchair. Now stay with me on this one-it gets a little weird. It wasn't the wheelchair, it was being a fat lady in the wheelchair-as if being upright and on two legs masked my obesity.

I still can't quite grasp the logic behind that one-my brain just grabbed on to two facts and made up something to be concerned about.

The cane was an entirely different story-it was being a cripple when my affliction was easily hidden so it was a little bit like a gay person coming out of the closet. Hey people, look, I don't really walk slow cause I'm fat and lazy, I'm actually slighty handicapped and just didn't want to tell you about it. (read my previous post regarding ET where my fears are confirmed)

I got to be pretty competent with the bedpan and now have been given clearance to go to the loo supervised. Tomorrow I'll get to go solo. Woo hoo.

Once I got off the really powerful pain killers I worked to be self sufficient AND I worked to overcome my embarrassment about being helped to do certain things and actually acknowledge the hospital workers with a 'thank you' and 'I really appreciate you'....my god-these people probably never get thanked-they lapped it up like a dog on clicker training.

It reminded me of the line from the color purple 'people just wants to be noticed' and it's true. If someone has the balls enough to wipe my ass, then I can have the balls enough to be nice and thank them for it instead of just wishing them away. By not dealing with the situation, we are also ignoring the very people who try to help us.

One of the first things I did when I fired up the PC was to look at the picture of the Scotty. It's waiting patiently for me in the driveway to come and clean it up and take out for a little camping trip. There are a few more hurdles to cross before that's possible, but promise is keeping me going and it gives me something to dream about. The Scotty was my 'thing to look forward to' and I'm having a blast e-mailing people and getting ideas for restoration. What a noble little trailer.

I would like to say I'm fully back mentally, but reading this it does lack a certain pizazz I've come to expect from me-but that will come back too. In the meantime, I'm going to daydream about a Scotty camping trip with HORSES-I found a group of women who does just that.....my idea of heaven really isn't that complicated.

To BOLDLY go where no (wo)man has gone before....

Actually, not. I've already been there, done that about 7 years ago. But the ankle blew out again and will need to be permanently fused this time. Like all things, this has pluses and minuses and the final outcome is not really certain at all.

Until they invent duct tape for bodies, a steel pin will have to do.

No chickens for me

No chickens for me, the landlord disagrees
It's HARD to be green.

No more fresh eggs, no matter how much I begs
It's HARD to be green.

It's just me and the snakes, and the 4 puppy-cakes
And the cat.
And the mealworms under the snake tank.
And the freezer full of rats/mice.

Yeah, it's HARD to be green

Who woulda thunk it?

Simplifying your life is really complicated. You try to give something away on Freecycle, you are bombarded with questions and "can you meet me halfway"? You try to raise chickens, your landlord doesn't like it.

Like Kermit says-"it's not Easy Being Green"

Community Scotty

Someone on the yahoo group suggested a communal Scotty, or Scotty sharing. I think it's a great idea-I would love someone to help me figure out what the next phase is for the little Scotty in the driveway.

But at the moment I see this as a solo trip-although I would like to encourage other people in the area, especially women, to take up Scotty Trekking. Part of my current angst, though, is that I've been doing a lot of shoulds and people pleasing-the Scotty is a selfish little pleasure just for me. And I'm not quite ready to share.

I got this fabulous CD on EB with scans of old Scotty ads, etc. some of which came right off some of the websites I've visited, but it was nice to have them organized.

The Compact

Ok, I joined the DFW Compact group-was actually INVITED to join, probably because I post on Freecycle. I've been doing pretty good about casting off unwanted, unneeded things, but struggle with the buying new. So, maybe buying used items will force me to be more thoughtful about what I buy.

Thank GOD I just sent a big order in to Amazon.com before I was invited to join....Whew, and I just bought a new freezer for the frozen mice.....I did actually try to find a used freezer but finding one that small proved difficult, and the frozen mice were on the way......

As for the Urban Chicken project, does this mean I must recycle the coops? Building a chicken coop is going to be tough in a wheelchair but maybe I can barter some excess stuff for one.

The Joy of Duct Tape and Atomic Chickens

The little Scotty is all snug, wrapped and duct taped to keep out any further elements until I can assess what needs to be done. I should have already done that-but I was enjoying so much just sticking my head inside and dreaming every day or two. But, you have to take care of your dreams or they will get wood rot.

Strangely enough (for me) I wasn't all despondent, I just fixed the problem and moved on. I have to think that comes from the size of the investment-I love the Scotty, but I told myself if I made a bad choice and it fell apart the day I bought it that it would be one of my lesser losses. I say this lovingly as I gaze upon my $2000 and counting rescue "free dog".

I've been too citified lately-I didn't even HAVE any duct tape-the handy man ran down to the store and bought several rolls-he left one just in case. I think he was horrified that a person could NOT have duct tape.

Actually, I grew up in an electrician's home, and electrical tape was my tape of choice, but I didn't have any of that either. I think I had some packing tape left over from a move. Clearly I am not prepared for any natural disaster. There is a Skaggs and a Big Lots right down the road, but what IF they were suddenly GONE?

Now, I grew up in an era when they taught disaster preparedness in the schools and scared the hell of me while they were doing it. We had to be READY in case the mushroom cloud appeared. I wonder if somehow that didn't sow seeds of resignation in some of us.

My biggest fear was that I would live and my family wouldn't and I would be alone. Turns out, that isn't too far off base-I'm the youngest of a family tree that is withering. Wouldn't it be ironic if I were left alone...and was delivered from my solitude BY an atomic cloud? It's those kinds of thoughts I generally keep to myself because I find them comforting.

The truth is, if there is an absolute truth, no one knows what life will bring. I doubt anyone at 46 is living the life they imagined they would at 26. These fears are just a macabre way of trying to control and deal with the unknown.

While researching the urban chicken movement, I came across a site that was geared towards the coming famine when we would all need chickens to sustain ourselves. The more chickens and eggs you had, the better off you would be because you would have food and currency. I just want to play with some baby chickens and then let them grow up and eat their eggs. I like the idea of a pet that will contribute to more than the emotional well being of the group. I am sure that I will come to love the lowly chicken as much as I would a $2000 parrot, assuming it is a hen, that is. Roosters scare the bejesus out of me. Keep your mushroom cloud-if you've ever been chased by an angry rooster-shudder-that is the real stuff of nightmares.

I haven't worked out how the chickens will fit in to the traveling part of my life. I'm planning on cutting down on the plane trips and kennel bills, but I don't think I'll be toting the girls along with us on camping trips. The current theory is to make sure the girls are socialized and have a neighbor kid come over and feed and water them-of course, that will mean bringing my chickens out of the closet. As a matter of fact, if I go with the portable hutches, I could just roll the chickens over to the neighbors yard and let them fertilize their backyard for a week. Perhaps I have just created the Mobile Urban Chicken Movement.

Chicken Scratch

Ok, the Urban Chicken movement is BIG-a real happening thing. And it is possible to get coops/runs that don't cost more than a high end mountainbike. Now, to be true to my keep it simple phase, I should recycle, go out, find materials, and build a serviceable coop that will not offend my neighbors.

But, I am also trying to keep it real. I don't have the skills and right now, the physical ability. I'm struggling with the realization that my dream of living on a farm will never happen unless I can afford to pay someone to take care of it for me. That one hurts a bit. But that doesn't mean I have to be shut out from nature and from growing things. I'm trying to make the best of what I have, and what I have isn't really all that bad.

I ordered my reading materials for my convalescence-YOU the Owners Manual, A Mrs. Mcmurphy Mystery, some book about having more by wanting less, a book on container gardening, 2 chicken books, etc. etc. I should be well informed in the next few months-ready to solve a murder, operate on a heart or raise a chicken.

I also ordered a vegetarian crock pot cook book. Now REALLY, that seems overkill-how hard is it to figure out what kind of veggies to throw in? But I like reading about the spice combos and such even if I never actually follow a recipe.

I posted one thing one freecycle this week-one of my bowling balls. Cutting out and weeding back must be done in stages. The BIG cut was when I moved across the street from myself and left about half my possessions behind. Weeding out the remainder is a bit more difficult, so I am putting myself on a one thing at a time plan. Of course, in order for it to be successful I will need to refrain from bringing in more items.

At this point, I don't seem myself ever able to live full time in a 12 foot Scotty. Maybe a tiny house on a commune....but I struggle with thinkng I need a second bedroom. Oh well, one step at a time.

The handy man is here and we are going to wrap the scotty in a tarp to keep it safe until I have recovered from my surgery.

Chicken poop

OK, do a google search on eglu. Come on. Go for it.

A plastic chicken coop that costs more than I paid for my scotty....what do you know, the trailer coop idea might just catch on. But I am all for the Urban Chicken Movement.

I may start my own group The Dallas Urban Chicken Klan-or DUCK.

The impending cold

I have that icky "a cold is coming " feeling-I hate that. I am taking the airborne flu immune booster and washing my nose like a mad woman with a netti pot. We'll see if an ounce of prevention really IS worth a pound of cure.