Pass me a tissue

So I have finally gotten sick. Too much running around and spending my time off from work doing other things, not to mention driving to PA/NY two weeks in a row and partying with Hot Mel. It's not surprising, but being sick sucks.

I knew it was coming on Thursday. I felt it. My throat was sore and I had a headache. Friday my nose ran and ran and ran. At work, the tissues and hand sanitizer were close at hand. I feel sort of guilty blowing a big loogie into a tissue and then dealing with people without sanitizing in between. And beleive - all my nose blowing was the there-is-something-big-and-wet-passing-through kind. I went to dance practice anyway (with tissues and sanitizer) to get my last practice in before the ball and to see if there was anything I needed to do to help. I was definitly not a fun one to be around and I left early to go home and find my dress and try to get to bed early.

For those of you who don't know, I have the odd hobby of colonial dancing, as in 17th century english country dancing like what they did in colonial Williamsburg and the new colonies. It is very random, but I really enjoy it. There are actually groups all over that meet and practice the dances and each group hosts a ball sometime of the year where everyone gets all dressed up in authentic dresses and coats and breeches and dances. We host the memorial day ball at Judge Harkrader's 1700 plantation house. Some people dance on the porch (the snooty - we must dance perfectly group), some dance on the brick walkway (more proper people), and the kids and everyone who is not that paticular and wants to have a good time dance on the grass. Guess where I dance? The problem with this particular hobby is that no one is my age. They are all high school or younger, or older than me. Or if they are my age, they are married and having kids and we have nothing in common.

Saturday I was scheduled until 7 and that is what time the ball started. I was trying to milk being sick so that I could go home early. I sort of lost my voice and I was still pretty snotty, but blowing my nose a lot less. We were so busy at the greenhouse that I only was able to leave about a half hour early. It has been a long time since I went to a ball, and though I had found my dress, I wasnt sure how to put it on and whether to tuck my blouse. I finally decided I didn;t care, grabbed my contribution of mnms and pretzels and ran out the door.

I had a good time at the ball. I generally dance with the kids and people who have less of an idea what to do and help by calling the dance. Sort of a difficult task when you have lost your voice. Things went smoothly anyway. Patticake Polka is still one of my favorites.

Sunday I had the day off and if anyone at work asked, I went home early on Saturday to go to bed and stayed there til Monday morning...

Karrie met me after her morning gym session and we trekked over the mountains to the Green Valley Book Fair, a random hodge podge of seconds, overstocks, and returns - cheap books in good condition. Karrie focused on the cookbooks, I ventured randomly, and we both found some gems. Next door to the book fair was a 'yard sale' selling more books, these older and used. I found a 1970's cookie book that has a waffle-iron brownie recipe that I am dying to try.

After books, we trekked back over the mountain for Karrie's first trip to WholeFoods. We were there for at least an hour as Karrie looked at everything in every aisle. She needs to stop going places with me I think bc I make her buy things. I made her buy some kumquats (that I don't even know how to spell) bc she overguessed the price by half. Kumquats look like cherry tomato-sized oranges and you eat the whole thing - peel and all. They are interesting. Sour on the outside and sweet and juicy on the inside. I made Mom try one tonight and the look on her face was priceless. She has declared them nasty. I think they are interesting.

Eventually we got home, I changed, grabbed more tissues, and I ran out the door to Hannahs's graduation party and be social and congratulate Hannah. I left when the Reynolds left, changed into my ball clothes in the parking lot at the church, and climbed in to the full 15-passenger van for the hoedown in Scottsville where we would be teaching some people how to colonial dance (that I found out about on Friday). We had timed it to get there after they were done eating. They didnt actually start eating until an hour after we arrived. So the timing was off, but we did get dinner out of the deal.

This group was a random hodge podge of people from a community and most of the people we taught the dances to were kids, little up to college. There were a few adults, but apparently the adults didnt want to dance with the kids and wanted to dance separately and Jerry sort of just told them that was not how he was going to do it. In our group of dancers most of them are kids and out of the 14 people we brought to teach them eight of them were kids.

The group was enthusiastic and wanted to learn, but there were so many of them - easily fifty couples and trying to teach them all without having them mess each other up was difficult for the fourteen of us who knew what we were doing and me still without a voice. The other dancers in my group did a demo dance that looked amazing that I need to learn - a lot of whirling. They were surprised I didnt know it (riley something, and the Virginia Reel - which I still don't know bc boys are dumb and I couldn't find one to dance with me). They are having another 'hoe down' later, but it is on the same day as my birthday party.

In the middle of dancing, I took a break and went to blow my nose and saw I had a message from my sister. So I called her back to see what she wanted. She wanted to tell me that she had gotten married yesterday. And no she was not joking. WHoa. Shocking. It sounded like a nice ceremony in someone's beautiful backyard and that she was very happy, so I am happy for her. Just a little surprised. I of course had to tell someone, so I told the other Cuckoo dancers, who don't even know her, and they were surprised too.

So a long weekend, and not a very restful one, but I am feeling much better. My voice is coming back and this morning when I woke up, I could already breathe out of my nose. A vast improvement. Tomorrow, I have the day off, but I am going in to cover someone whose husband is in the hospital, bc I don't feel like screwing Kimberly, the other cashier that I like, over. Then I will hang out with Dad and hopefully come home and have time to make mini=carrot cakes.