I have been laying on ice packs, taking ibuprofen (and sometimes acetaminophen) every four hours, and trying hard not to worry too much about what's going on outside my bedroom. Are the rabbit chores done? When's the last time someone let the dog out to go potty? Can someone make a sandwich for #5? I hate being so useless. I have so much to do and no ability to actually accomplish anything.
I was hoping to have the new bunny barn set up this weekend, but it doesn't look like that's going to happen. Tomorrow we are swapping some rabbits. One of #1's new friends has two rabbits that she doesn't want anymore, and she will be bringing them over tomorrow and taking one of the white does in trade. In sad news, we've lost two rabbits in the last week. I'm not sure what's going on, as I have not been able to go out and tend to the rabbits and am relying on the kids and my husband to do everything for me right now. We lost Thumper a week ago, the second of the resort rabbits to die. We lost Cinder a couple days ago. Both were said to be well fed, had access to water, and were active and alert the day before they died. Their cages were both on pallets, low to the ground, but they were not on the same pallet, and the two other bunnies that were sharing their respective pallets seem fine. I wonder if the wild-running black rabbit has some kind of communicable illness, but then why are the remaining five bunnies living at ground level seemingly fine?
I was also planning to pull up the gardens for the year. Take out the vines and dried up stems and stalks, pull up the fencing and posts, and get everything put away for the year so it's easier to move come spring.
I really need to start going through our stuff and getting as much as I can listed for sale. I've got boxes and boxes of stuff that needs to go before we move, because we won't be bringing all the clutter when we move. But with down being my only current position, that's a little more difficult than anticipated. Eventually I will start getting stuff listed on eBay and Craigslist and such.
Two weeks ago the school that #3 and #4 attend sent home a notice that "hand foot and mouth disease" was going around. Let me save you the time of looking it up, in case you don't know what this is. Hand Foot and Mouth Disease is a highly contagious virus that causes fever and painful blisters on the hands, feet, mouth, and buttocks and is spread though contact with the blisters, saliva, or feces of the infected person. It takes 3-6 days of incubation between exposure to initial signs of infection. There is no treatment for it, just over-the-counter pain medicine if it gets too painful. It usually goes away in a week or two. Kids cannot go back to school until they have been completely blister-free for at least two days. Last Wednesday, #3 started getting blisters on her feet, and then her hands. I told her she'd have to wear socks and gloves and mind what she touches. By Friday little #5 started to get blisters on his butt, which spread to his feet, and now his hands as well. #3's have spread into her mouth. Yesterday #4 started getting them on her hands and feet. Today when #1 got up to get ready for school she discovered blisters starting on her feet, hands, and mouth too. Of course #4 has been coughing. It seems that she coughs the entire school year every year, so I'm sure she helped to spread it around. For now, #5 refuses to wear clothes other than his pull up - he's always been like that. As of last night, #2 seems unaffected. That boy has an incredible immune system. I'm really hoping that lots of hand washing and sock and glove wearing, and reminding kids not to share drinks and forks will stop it from reinfecting everyone all over again as they start to get better. Fortunately, so far no symptoms for the adults!
Otherwise it's been a fairly uneventful week. I have no photos to update or share, as I have been stuck here in my bed, staring at the same walls and ceiling, catching a few old episodes of tv on Netflix, reading the Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children series (almost done with book two), and getting lots of snuggles from #5, who checks in on me frequently.