Monday, October 25, 2010

Common Cold Cure

You may not know this about me but I was down with a terrible flu over the weekend.

I suffered from VURTI*.

I read somewhere that this infection can put you down up to a week or more.

The bug must have sneaked into me while I was walking around the mall the other day, during the hot spell. Our sky had been hazy and polluted too, from the smoke and ashes carried by the wind from the burning of forests in Sumatra in neighbouring Indonesia. Inhaling that smoke alone was enough to give your lungs serious problems. Schools and offices had been closed for the whole of last week because of the pollution.

The rain did come suddenly that evening, and I had to rush out to bring in the clothes which had been hanged to dry. I couldn't find any umbrella nearby so was caught in the shower. I had a raincoat in the cupboard upstairs but taking that would have delayed me further and the clothes would have been drenched by then. Besides I knew there was a skeleton in there which I didn't want to drop out. I would have some serious explaining to do to Grandma if that were to happen.

I went to sleep early the night before and woke up with a fever and a swollen and painful throat. It felt like there was a golf ball stuck in it. Then the nose began to run  and I started coughing.With a cold that bad you are pretty much grounded.

I was exasperated.

Fortunately for me Grandma was at hand to keep me warm (that is as in putting a thick blanket over me on the couch).


I told Grandma that I needed to recover fast. Real fast. She must be thinking that I had some sick goats to attend to or was planning to babysit one of the grandchildren again this week. She knew that I had heaps to do at The Farm but that wasn't until later in the week. What she didn't know was that Rachael Harrie had on Friday put up the Second Crusader Challenge! I had only the weekend to come up with something before my retreat to the wilderness. Now this!

The Crusade, Rachael's brainchild was launched here. I had promised to participate in the challenge. So write I must.

There I was, with my runny nose, lying down on the couch coughing away and enduring the fever. I was hoping for a miraclous and instant cure. We don't normally see a doctor unless faced with a life threatening situation or something that requires surgery. Besides what can a doctor do for a common cold.

Then, like the angel from above, Grandma came to the rescue! I heard her doing something in the kitchen but wasn't sure exactly what she was up to. By late morning I had these natural home-made remedy lined up for me:


First, a big mug of Liquid Chlorophyll,
made from special strain of Mulberry (Morus alba) leaves


Next, a pot of  tea made from this bitter-tasting Ho Yan Hor herb

I had to drink them all day long.

For lunch was porridge and Grandma's chicken soup - made from finely grounded chicken skeleton, dried octopus, and old cucumbers, with the chinese nut kei chi thrown in.


Chicken soup for the soul


To top it all Grandma surprised me with my favourite potato cake for tea! I have cooked this before, from a recipe by a blogger friend in Tanzania, but never knew it as kartoffelpuffer!

The yummy potato cake a.k.a  kartoffelpuffer

All these did wonders to my speedy recovery, and I now find myself punching away at the keyboard putting this down as my entry for the Second Crusader Challenge, brought to you by Rachael Harrie and made possible by Grandma.

*viral upper respiratory tract infection

36 comments:

Anonymous said...

This is brilliant for the competition, well done. And hope you get better soon!

Unknown said...

Well done Grandma for taking care of you, and well done you for still posting an entry for the Challenge, even when you were sick!

Rachael Harrie said...

Tee hee, love it Grandpa!!! So glad you could take part in the challenge.

Vurti sounds terribly life-threatening, and I love the skeleton in your closet and your liquid chlorophyll. Hope you're feeling better :)

Rach

Megan K. Bickel said...

Boy, Grandma sure does take good care of you! Glad you are on the mend!!

Kittie Howard said...

Happy you're on the mend. Grandma is a great doctor. And happy you found my blog so I could find yours. Totally loved your story and your writing voice. Look forward to reading more.

Grandpa said...

Kangaroobee, Rachel, Rach, Meg -Thank you, thank you ALL! I hope you enjoy reading the story as much as I have enjoyed writing it. I'll tell Grandma too of your kind words. I'm feeling much better, thanks

Grandpa said...

Thanks Kittie, and thanks for dropping by. I look forward to reading yours too

Marieke said...

Absolutely love it! :D

Bast said...

Well, I'm glad you're feeling better. I could use some liquid chlorophyll of my own sometimes.

Joanna St. James said...

Oh how nice Grandma saved you and you actually had Kartoffelpuffer.
Thank you for coming to my blog today :)

Jessica Stanford said...

Grandpa, this was brilliant. We're all sure to lose with a post like this. Not to mention, the pity vote. My umbrella story couldn't possibly compete with a severe illness and an angel grandma that makes her own curing tonics.

Oh well, I guess there's next time:)I hope you feel better soon:)

Pat said...

A delightful post, despite the cold :)

Hope you're feeling a lot better today, Grandpa!

Grandpa said...

Marieke, thanks!

Quinn,thanks. Why not, try it the next time you are down with something. But try to get LC made from Mulberry rather than Alfalfa, especially for those with SLE (Systemic Lupus Erythematosus), as I understand that it is contra-indicated in that case.

Jess, (or shall I say K.Grinhelda!)aww...I'm so sorry, but hey, with so many great entries, yours included, the jury's still out there...I'm feeling much better, thanks

Grandpa said...

Hi Joanna, thanks for dropping by. I enjoyed reading your blog too

Wan Sharif said...

Salam perkenalan Grandpa..
Glad you are on the mend..
nice doctor you have there in Grandma..

Grandpa said...

Hi Pat, good to see you again. I'm feeling much better, thanks.

Salam Wan, thanks for dropping by, and for following. I couldn't find your blog from your profile page, can you give me the link? Thanks

Naz in Norway said...

Can you please ask Grandma whether I could come to her the next time I fall sick? *cough! cough!*
;D

Jun said...

hehe i agree with wan- u've got a personal doc in grandma ;) hope u're feeling better!

Grandpa said...

Naz, Grandma said anytime, just let us know!

Jun, thanks! I'm almost ok now, the hot broth did me good

Unknown said...

Amazing! I love how grandma took care of you. I always have believed that tea soothes the soul! Although, I've never really tried mulberry tea. You've peaked my interest. Must find. :)

Grandpa said...

Hi LadyJai, thanks for dropping by. There are a number of herbal tea preparations in the market. May be the Navy can make it their standard servings!

Hope you are making some progress with your writing. Slow, but steady is ok

Kittie Howard said...

Thanks for stopping by, Grandpa. Keying in those letters catches me, too!!

Thought I'd share that I've traveled a bit somewhat in your part of the world -- Singapore, KL -- to appreciate the treasures nature offers and look forward to your photos and local lore.

I think you'd enjoy Jack Matthews' blog (Sage to Meadow) to the right of my blog, Blogs I Follow. He's a rancher in Texas and has accomplished wonders restoring grasslands. He's also an anthropologist.

Hope you feel better!

Grandpa said...

Hi Kittie, good to see you again. Is that right? Let me know when you plan to travel this way again, we can drive to The Farm.
Thanks for the info - I'll check out Jack's blog in a bit.

I'm much better now, thanks

Jenny Beattie said...

Fabulous entry. I"m sorry to hear you're feeling poorly but hope you mend soon.

Grandpa said...

Hi Jenny, thanks! almost back to normal now

Denise Covey said...

Hey Grandpa, this was wonderful. I heard about those nasty skies over Indonesia. You made a great story about it - thought you said you were not a writer?

I just know you'll be fascinated to know I have Episode 4 of my scary vampire story up here...

Flashquake

Grandpa said...

L'Aussie! May be there's a writer giant in me waiting to be awoken, who knows? :)

I'll read that in broad daylight and when there are people around me!

kar_took said...

Hi Grandpa, gret challenge post. I'm super impressed by your blog and Grandma's kartoffelpuffer. Any time I've tried to make them, it has ended in a bit of a mess.

Grandpa said...

Hi kar_took thanks for dropping by. I was lucky it turned out ok the first time. If you need the recipe I can give you the link

Bimbimbie said...

Glad you got some TLC from Grandma and are feeling better - those upper respiratory tract infections are not nice*!*

Grandpa said...

Bimbimbie, thanks! They are pretty awful, and you can spread it too

The Weed said...

Great imagery, Grandpa! I very much enjoyed the post, and could really imagine you running out in the rain to grab those clothes.

Glad Grandma was there to keep you warm ;-)

Faith said...

Nice post! Another Crusader here saying hi, hope you're feeling much better these days :) Though I have to admit, that soup didn't sound all that appetizing to me... haha.

Grandpa said...

Hi Weedo, good to see you! Which I did, actually...

Hi Faith, thanks for dropping by. I'm back to normal and am back on The Farm most days. The soup not only look unappetizing but tastes bitter as well! I suppose medicines are like that...

Afzan said...

Hehehe I recognize that "grandpa" mug, I bought if for u and "grandma" too :)

Grandpa said...

Hi Afzan, I'm sure you do! It's nice even in the photo, and my favorite colour too!...they are one of our favorite mugs now