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Still sick. Thank you very much for the kind get-well comments and the praise for my recordings :) It thrills me that there are so many of you who love the Melendy family as much as I do! I hope that someday I’ll stop coughing long enough to record some more.

Sick, sick, sick. I stayed in bed all day and watched season one of Boardwalk Empire, which is just as good as everyone says! I’m totally hooked. Kind of glad I didn’t discover it before now, because it sure is helping to pass the time while I recover from whatever-this-is. I don’t think it’s the flu because I never had chills and aches, and I only had one day of fever. Whatever. It’s no fun.

I can smell turkey and onions and other nice Thanksgiving smells through my open window.

If you’re looking for something really great to listen to while you wait for me to finish Spiderweb for Two, may I recommend The Dark is Rising? It’s a completely different kind of story, but it’s so good and so well-written that I can’t imagine anyone not liking it. I’ve been listening to it again a lot lately. It’s on my “karabooks” playlist which I listen to all night. I’ve been falling asleep to a book which is further up on the playlist, so that I wake up to The Dark is Rising.

Here’s chapter one:
Pt1, Ch1 – Midwinter’s Eve
If you like it, you can find the rest on my Kayray Reads to You page.

Well, even though I’m fairly miserable, I’m very very thankful that I’m not sicker, and I’m not in the hospital, and I’m very cozy, and the cat keeps me company all day, and my lovely family keeps checking on me.

Today I feel like I might be starting to get better. I actually got out of bed and sat on the couch with Henry for a few hours. We got caught up on Doctor Who. The Anniversary episode was lots of fun! I am super-excited about Peter Capaldi taking over as The Doctor. I loved Eccleston and liked Tennant, but never could warm up to Smith. I guess I prefer an older, craggier Doctor.

Cough cough cough. All the coughing rattles my brain around and gives me a headache. May I please have a new respiratory system? My factory-installed one is a lemon.

I really try not to complain about my health here but I guess once in a while it’s ok.

So sick.

It has been a week since I first noticed extra coughing and exhaustion.

Monday and Tuesday I stayed in bed, mostly, and rested, hoping to nip it in the bud, but Wednesday I started feeling really bad. Thursday I had a low fever all day and that night the sore throat started. Meanwhile all week I’ve been having great, wracking, horrible coughing fits that make my throat hurt even more and make all my muscles sore. And my head aches so much, and my eyes burn.

I’d like to list all the things I’m grateful for (warm bed, clean water, etc.) but I’m feeling too ill to write any more. Ugh.

Adapted from the recipe on Serious Eats:
http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2013/07/creamy-cole-slaw.html

This was my first try and I used what I had handy. Next time I’ll add some
shredded carrots.

Toss 10 oz bag of shredded cabbage (Trader Joe’s) with 1 tablespoon salt and 2 tablespoons of sugar. Let it sit for five minutes or so while you make the
dressing.

Whisk:
1 tablespoon of vinegar (I used the last of my rice wine vinegar. Next time I’ll use balsamic ’cause that’s what I always have)
3 tablespoons mayo (next time I’ll cut back the mayo to 2 or 2.5 tablespoons)
1/2 tsp mustard
1/2 tsp sugar
Pepper

Ok now the cabbage should look all wilty and wet; the salt and sugar have been breaking down its cells and drawing out moisture. Rinse thoroughly and spin dry. Toss cabbage in dressing. Done.

I made my coleslaw just before I came down with this horrible virus so it sat in the fridge for a couple of days before I remembered to try it. It’s REALLY good — just a tiny bit too mayonnaisy for my taste. The texture is excellent: tender from its salt/sugar treatment, but still with lots of crunch.

Sick again. Bad cough, congested, phlegmy. I won’t be able to do any recording for a while, I’m afraid. I don’t have a sore throat, though, so that’s something to be thankful for.

Here are some photos of things that I’ve been making:

Crocheted snowflakes. I’m going to sell them on Etsy once I get some good photos.

Two pairs of little socks for Emma Rose:
http://ravel.me/kayray/hls

http://ravel.me/kayray/rbs

Well, I guess I’ll have some more juice and close my eyes for a while.

And another chapter of Spiderweb for Two! This is a really good one, and it made me think that around Christmas I should put all the random Christmas chapters out of all the books I’ve recorded into my podcast feed.

Spiderweb for Two 07 The Joyous Season

How perfect is the author’s depiction of that cold, crisp, snowy, winter weather? I’ve experienced that kind of weather just a few times and this chapter brought it all back so vividly.

Here’s another chapter of Spiderweb for Two :)

Spiderweb for Two 06 Peace is the Jewel

Enjoy!

I really like the new Rage Industries song, “Miami in 89”.

Thanks, Henry!

Hey guess what? My latest LibriVox audiobook, Just William by Richmal Crompton, is finished and ready to download!

Just William is the first book of hilarious short stories about 11-year-old William Brown — eternally scruffy and frowning. William’s family, his elder sister Ethel and brother Robert, placid mother and stern father, and never-ending supply of elderly aunts, cannot understand him. William just likes DOING things, that’s all! It’s not his fault he likes DOING things, is it?

http://librivox.org/just-william-version-2-by-richmal-crompton/

Thank you, Elli, for proof-listening and cataloging and cheering me on :) :) :)