Tuesday, December 11, 2007

puffball emerging


puffball emerging
Originally uploaded by mygothlaundry
Early this morning when I was walking the dogs (and adding to this Flickr set of fog pictures - I do love me some fog) I saw some mushrooms being born. This puffball and three or four of his siblings were just coming out of the earth. It was kind of awesome; I could tell that they hadn't been there moments before and then, prompted by the fog or the morning or some mysterious mushroom signals from deep in the dirt, they were making their way up. None of them were much bigger than my thumb. The dogs squashed one, of course, but that's nature for you - drooling in tooth and squashed by paws.

I'm wearing a broken mood ring today. I guess that means I'm confused but actually I like mood rings when they break - they turn a sort of metallic green/brown color that I think is actually prettier than the more strident tones that announce to the world Hey! I'm passionate! or, more accurately, Hey! My hands are warm! Mood rings are wonderful, though and I am the proud owner, due to years of working in museums with gift shops, of many. They all turn my finger green if I wear them too long; this is the nature of mood rings. It has to be that way - they're only for training purposes. You must learn how to tell your moods apart without the ring, grasshopper, or your finger will turn green.

In other news, my head is still totally congested and I think perhaps it is time to turn to the hippies. Speak to me of this thing called a Neti Pot, oh hippies. What the hell is it, where do I get one, how much will it cost me and, please, will it work? I'm tired of the buzzing in my ears, the constant headache and we won't even go into the sad state of my nose. Sudafed isn't working anymore and even if it was, I can't buy any more for another month or something. My cold has become suspect; young M and I have done enough sudafed over the last two months to make us meth lab suspects. Although if anyone starting up a meth lab is also going to the trouble of buying cough syrup and nyquil and box upon box of kleenex, I say give them an Oscar and let them cook speed. Unfortunately, this is not how the ladies in the drugstore, to whom sudafed is second only to crack in the suspect substances department, seem to view it. I'm tired of having my driver's license scrutinized. And even more tired of having my sinuses stopped up.

6 comments:

Unknown said...

Yep. You can buy a Neti POt at French Broad Food Co-op for about $15. You can also buy (or make) some saline solution and squirt it up your nose with a squeeze bottle. Tilt head back, squirt up one side till you feel it all up in your sinuses and tilt head forward to drain it out. Then do other side. It sucks to do (do it a least once a day). Honestly? Yes. It works.

Gordon Smith said...

Neti Pot works, yes. It's a little tricky to get the hang of, but once you've got it flowing, you'll definitely get some relief.

Anonymous said...

I don't know if I would use a squeeze bottle, that sounds a little foreful. I spent the first 12 years of my life in sinusitis hell and the only thing that ever brought relief was the famed Netipot. It is a thoroughly unenjoyable experience while it's happening, kind of like reverse throwing up a bunch of salt water. But later, you will praise the Gods of Neti and return for more. Trust me.

Anonymous said...

forceful

honeytoo said...

My sister said the netipot was helpful for her sinus problems. If you use it, remember to breathe through your mouth during the process, otherwise you will feel like you are being water-boarded. I've used it a few times, not much fun but I hear that it works.

mygothlaundry said...

I opted to skip the neti pot and just snort warm salt water out of a glass: kind of like a line of coke, but way less fun. It's gross. I think it might be working, but then I also put Vicks in a bowl of boiling water, put my head over the bowl and a towel over my head and promptly overdosed on Vicks Vapo-Rub, which, if you've ever done it, you know is NOT a fun way to die. Whoooo.