"I'd Have To Feel Better To Die..."

Here it is almost the end of March and I have prided myself on not succumbing to all the various cold and flu bugs that have been proliferating rampantly in this part of the sub-tropical world. My string of luck ran out this weekend.

I look forward all week to the coming weekend for the renewed opportunity to delve back into the myriad of home improvement projects I have on my drawing board. This Saturday was no exception. My outdoor shower drain has been for a while now not doing so. This is the location is where my wife washes out the cat's litter box...or did before standing water drove her to complain that I needed to do "something immediately" to remedy the problem. Thus this task was elevated from far down on my list of "honey-dos" to the number one position.

No amount of snaking the drain would dislodge the obstruction. I was left with one alternative: remove a portion of the adjoining wooden deck and dig down and below the concrete slab until I found the cause of the problem. One never realizes just how much dirt (or in my neck of the woods - sand) comes out of a hole, which had to be excavated large enough for me to get down into and under the concrete slab. By the time I had enough sand removed, it was piled all along the sidewalk, blocking access from the house to the garage. That's when the rains came...with a vengeance. I was left with a choice...leave the sand piled where I shoveled it and face the additional voiced dissatisfaction from my dear wife, or suck it up and cart the sand to some low areas in my yard. I elected the latter course of action. Two hours later all the sand had been deposited elsewhere and I was thoroughly soaked to the bone. Status...I still have an open ditch, the shower is inaccessible, and I have come down with the flu.

I did make it to church for Easter, but upon returning home I confined myself to bed and to fitfull sleep for the balance of the afternoon. The downside is that I still feel like death warmed over, but I did manage to catch a little of the NCAA tournament basketball games. Judi strongly suggested that I stay home from work today, but I decided that I'd better make an appearance, not wanting to give my employer anymore reason to perhaps terminate prematurely my already tenuous employment with his company. I'm going home soon...and back to bed. It's one thing to be a loyal employee, it is another thing entirely to be a martyr in doing so. At the moment I am convinced that I'd have to feel a lot better just to get well enough to die...but I am confident that I'll survive. I passed my cardiovascular stress test on this past Friday...with flying colors. A little flu bug is hardly going to get the best of me for long.