Under the weather – and then some

Sad today. Had to duck out of two benefits yesterday – a book signing with lots of other writers at the Cat and Fiddle Restaurant in Concord (where they serve the best lamb shiskebab ever) for The Granite State Reading Council, and a reading/signing at Barnes and Noble in Nashua to benefit Marguerite’s Place in Nashua, which provides transitional housing for women. I was sick abed in the woodbox. Felt like the coramobliss, tizzick and epizudic all at once. Years past I might have dragged myself to those events anyhow,  had my husband roll me in on a hand truck, stand me behind the lectern and wheel me out later. But, truth is, the shape I’ve been in the last few days, my presentations would definitely have been lacking. And I’d be spewing germs on all the folks nice enough to buy my books, so I stayed to home.

Yup, been in bed with the cats. They have a sixth sense when it comes to sickness. Maizie, my $1,600 money cat, curled up by my big head. Rosie stretched her big self across my wheezy chest, and our new boy, Dusty, when he dared, snuggled against my queasy belly.

Got the test results back this morning.  “Yup,” the doc said, “you’re allergic to cats.”

Just funning. It was the coramobliss, tizzick and a touch of the epizudic.   

It’s taken me a long time to learn not to go out in public and try to talk when you’re not up to snuff. The worst was the time I had a colonoscopy in the morning and was scheduled to lead a book discussion in the evening. The colonoscopy went fine, but they give you some heavy duty drugs during the procedure and you’re not supposed to drive afterwards. No problem, John Rule drove me to the appointed library. Evidently the drugs hadn’t quite worn off, and – I later learned – they play havoc with short-term memory. Try leading a book discussion when you can’t remember what book you’re talking about.

Not one of my finest moments.

Help me out. Coramobliss and tizzick are words for sickness that I learned from "Bert and I" –Maine terms evidently. Epizudic is what we called something worse than a cold but possibly not so bad as the flu when I was a kid.  What are some other expressions for being under the weather that you used in your family?  You can click “comment” or e-mail me at [email protected].

Be well.  

Comments

[Lynne]

Dear Becky,
I am truly sorry to learn that you are under the weather with the dreaded coramobliss and tizzick and epizudic!! I hope those don't lead to the Colorado quickstep, which is often accompanied by a bummer tummer.

Seriously, I hope you feel better right quick. It is no fun being sick, and for you to be feeling poorly enough to have to cancel engagements - yikes. I hope you are able see the lovely blue sky and sunshine outside and maybe as you feel well enough to get out of bed you and your cats can follow the sunshine from window to window, with John Rule bringing you a comfy chair and cup of chamomile tea.

For what it's worth, it took me about half an hour to successfully pass all the tests, er, steps to be able to post this comment. I'm no whiz on the computer, but still, this was not a user-friendly process. Perhaps that is why the comments aren't flowing in?? Maybe somebody at Islandportport Press could look into this.

With best wishes for a quick recovery, Lynne

[Lynne]

Dear Becky,
I am truly sorry to learn that you are under the weather with the dreaded coramobliss and tizzick and epizudic!! I hope those don't lead to the Colorado quickstep, which is often accompanied by a bummer tummer.

Seriously, I hope you feel better right quick. It is no fun being sick, and for you to be feeling poorly enough to have to cancel engagements - yikes. I hope you are able see the lovely blue sky and sunshine outside and maybe as you feel well enough to get out of bed you and your cats can follow the sunshine from window to window, with John Rule bringing you a comfy chair and cup of chamomile tea.

For what it's worth, it took me about half an hour to successfully pass all the tests, er, steps to be able to post this comment. I'm no whiz on the computer, but still, this was not a user-friendly process. Perhaps that is why the comments aren't flowing in?? Maybe somebody at Islandportport Press could look into this.

With best wishes for a quick recovery, Lynne

[rebecca Rule]

Gee, Lynne

Sorry it was a hassle signing in. No wonder I'm not getting too many comments. (The good news is now you've signed in you can comment any time!) Thanks for Colorado Quickstep and bummer tummer -- they sound just dreadful. Lucky there's none of that going around in these parts.

Take care.

Becky

[Amy Canfield]

Hi Becky,
Just testing the system!
By the way, when I was a kid and my mother would be under the weather, she would ask me to go get her "sick sweater." It was an old cardigan she kept in a bottom drawer and wore only when she had the chills, I guess!
Amy

[John]

Nice tale but doesn't do justice to the incessant hacking all night long or the hundreds of dirty kleenex strewn about the house.
Well...you wanted comments.
No trouble getting in to the "comments" section.