Sicky Icky

I am a freaking snot factory this week. I have gone through 2 regular boxes, and 5 minipacks of tissues - Mr. Duck had to bring home 3 jumbo boxes of tissues yesterday. Eeeeew. I had to go get fingerprinted at the Sherrif's office today (for background checks for teachers. I didn't realize it would be required, but it's a really good idea), and had to tote along a pack of tissues, and a jar of vasaline, with which to sooth my red, cracked, painful nose. Very summery and attractive, I'm sure.

And this isn't alergies, at least not mostly. It's full blown cold. I can't lay down without coughing to death, and so have spent the last few nights sleeping propped up on the couch. So my neck is all achy too. Feel sorry for me yet?

These ought to help. Mr. Duck felt bad I am so sick, and brought home feel better/ happy 1st day of summer flowers yesterday! We started dating 12 years ago today - I cannot believe it has been that long! Kinda makes me feel old. My nose was too plugged to smell them last night, but this afternoon they must be really putting on the olfactory fireworks, because even I can smell them, and they are lovely.

Like my shadowbox, too? S gave me a lovely fan at our farewell dinner, with a poem by Ono no Komachi , of which my favorite translation (by Dr. Helen Craig McCullough) is:

Alas! The cherry blossoms
Have flowered in vain and faded
During these long rains,
Interminable as my own
Melancholy reveries.

The fan on the bottom was given to me by Teacee, and has a lovely purple floral pattern, done on cloth rather than simple paper. Both very beautiful, so I thought I would try to create a little display for them. Not too shabby for my first try, but the composition isn't quite right. If I can figure it out, I might rearrange it a bit.

Also, stop for a moment and look at the vase for the roses. Mr. Duck didn't get a vase for them, so he had to find one at home. The actual vases I have are all small, so they wouldn't do, and the glass pitcher I have was too big, leaving them splayed out, so he put the bouquet in a big plastic UO football cup, put that into the pitcher for stability, and filled with water - voila! I'm pretty impressed at the ingenuity myself, I would never have thought of it.