Birthday Weekend

I woke up late this morning after being sick last night. Came home feeling normal and then suddenly felt horrible. Thought I was coming down with the flu from contact with 2 sick students at work on Friday. Chills, dizziness, the shakes, nausea, and covered in a comforter when my daughter was in air conditioning. Flu can kill especially those who already have compromised systems so if I didn't feel better this morning I was going to the hospital to get tested to see if it was the flu and get the antiviral given to lessen the symptoms. This morning amazing I felt so much better. Twenty four hour virus? I guess so. What ever it was, I don't want it again. The hazards of being a school nurse. Parents don't keep sick children at home. They send them to school and they infect others including the nurse. I have to go get a flu shot soon.

The last 2 Saturdays I was up by six and out the door by 7:00. Not this morning. Tomorrow is my birthday and I have some shopping planned and a family dinner if I feel up to it. If not, we can  celebrate next weekend. The nursery calls to me to see if pansies have arrived. I guess they're late because of all the heat so the growers must be keeping them in a cool controlled environment until our weather is better because it's not feeling like fall. Of course it doesn't it's still officially summer. Autumn doesn't arrive until next Saturday. I'm in search of some shrubs like box woods for the planter in my yard. Maybe it can survive the raccoons because they decimated every plant in the container this season. Sweet potato vine, coleus, vinca,  impatiens, creeping Jenny, and other annuals, like they were never there. Two canna are hanging over the side of the container the only indication that anything was planted there. I guess the bulbs are a source of food. I'll see if any are left when I dig them up.

It's time to start preparing the house for winter. Chimney cleaning before the first fire in the hearth, weatherizing around my door, and trees in the yard and out front need pruning. I said that last year but they have to be done. They're out of control. In search of a new rug for the living room. I like sisal but am worried that it'll get too dirty. I'll decide soon. Still plan to get the trim on the outside of the house painted after the leaves fall because my tree is huge and the leaves and branches will obstruct the painters access to the trim. During the week I stopped at Home Depot and bulbs were out. I bought my share. Hopefully my order from Color Blends will arrive soon. It's time to get planting. This year I don't know if tulips will go in the ground in the yard. Maybe only narcissus that can perennialize (is that a word), and tulips will go in container. I'll decide soon. Have to get out of bed and get dressed and get to the nursery. I'll show you what I get later.