Remember the troubles with Mick Pick, the man who’s been selling vehicles in our business’s name, forging Larry’s signature, so as not to have to pay any sales tax? Last Monday, a friend of ours called to tell us that Mick Pick was threatening to have the police arrest Larry on grounds that he stole Mick’s pickup. Now, Larry had checked with the county attorney before he got that duplicate title for that red diesel pickup of Mick’s that he’s been holding; the county attorney assured him that, so long as that title had Larry’s name on it, and so long as the paperwork had Larry’s signature, that truck was considered Larry’s. Still, around these parts they have a tendency to throw you in the calaboose first and ask questions later; so we were a bit concerned. So Larry had a talk with Mick.
The very next day Mick came back to town with a check: he paid us $100 for each of the vehicles he sold using our name (although, in actuality, the agreement was that he would pay us $300 every time he sold a vehicle through our business, and he was not at all supposed to forge Larry’s signature), and there had been 24 of them. Also Larry learned from the State Tax Bureau that the man had signed papers agreeing that he owed sales tax on each of those vehicles and intended to pay, and stated that we were not liable for that tax. So we gave him back his pickup, since that’s probably as much as we would ever get, in any case.
He ought to pay for our dealer’s license and insurance, since it is because of him that we need to buy them again. But I think that is as much skin as we will get off that cat. He tried to shake Larry’s hand when he left the shop, but Larry refused. “No! I’m not about to shake your hand!” Larry told him. “And don’t come back!” Mick departed, and we hope we have seen the last of him.
I have had several enormously important tasks to do this week, one of which entailed prying a rolled-up one-dollar bill from a teapot spout with a pair of tweezers. What? You didn’t know that is a normal thing to do, in a house with children? Ha! It seems that Hester, looking for a quick, safe place to stow a dollar bill, spotted the teapot. She rolled the bill and pushed it down the curved spout, thinking it could be easily removed from the other side, not knowing there was a metal lattice on the inside to prevent tea bags from trying to float out the spout. Thus it was stuck. By the time she decided to extract it again, she had forgotten whether it was a one-dollar bill or a five-dollar bill, hence there was an added incentive to retrieve the money.
Larry, Teddy, and Joseph often come home for dinner at noon. As soon as the boys are done eating, I lasso them and set them to hauling out the trash, watering the lawn, sweeping the garage, or some other chore. One afternoon, Teddy was pouring cat food into the cats’ bowls. Larry, who was ready to go, called him.
“I’ll be there in a minute,” Teddy called back, “I’m sloppin’ the cats!”
By Wednesday, I had decided what type of malady Dorcas, Lydia, and I had been suffering from: Scarlet Fever. Lydia’s, however, didn’t seem quite true to form; I couldn’t quite figure it out. We went to see Dr. Luckey Thursday. It turned out, Lydia had Fifth Disease. Fifth Disease, according to my Encarta Encyclopedia, is an infectious disease in children that causes a widespread red rash. It was so named because in the late 19th century it was fifth on a list of common childhood diseases, including diseases such as measles, mumps, German measles (rubella), and chickenpox.
Fifth disease is caused by a virus called parvovirus. It is most common in children between the ages of 5 and 14. Parvovirus (HPV) was found in 1984 to be the cause of a childhood rash called fifth disease; it has also been linked to cases of rheumatoid arthritis.
The disease is mild and may begin with a low fever and a general feeling of illness. A week to ten days later, an intense red rash develops, usually appearing first on the face. Because the cheeks appear to have been slapped, fifth disease is sometimes called ‘slapped cheek’ disease. The rash sometimes spreads to the limbs and the trunk where it may produce a lacy pattern. Although the rash fades in about two weeks, it may reappear if the skin is irritated, or in response to sunlight, exercise, or bathing.
In most cases, fifth disease does not cause serious complications. In people with diseases involving red blood cell destruction, including sickle cell anemia, however, fifth disease can cause a serious anemic reaction; other complications may be acute (short term) bone marrow failure or joint pain. That explained why Lydia ached so badly.
Although uncommon, fifth disease can occur in adults, producing more painful symptoms, including joint pain and arthritis. In some cases, these symptoms can last for months.
There is no specific treatment for fifth disease, other than applying calamine lotion and cool water to the rash. Bed rest and drinking clear fluids are also recommended, and acetaminophen may be taken to alleviate fever. The disease is only contagious in its early stages. By the time the rash appears, the disease is no longer contagious.
Scarlet fever, which is similar, is described as an infectious disease, caused by group A hemolytic streptococci, which also causes strep throat. The causative organism usually enters the body through the nose or mouth; it is transmitted from person to person by direct contact, that is, by sprays of droplets from the respiratory tract of an infected person, or by indirect contact through the use of utensils previously handled by an infected person.
The typical initial symptoms of the disease are headache, sore throat, chills, fever, and general malaise. From two to three days after the first appearance of symptoms, red spots may appear on the palate; bright red papilla emerge on the tongue, giving it an appearance commonly called strawberry tongue. A characteristic skin eruption appears on the chest and usually spreads over the entire body except the face. The rash fades on pressure. The fever, which frequently runs as high as 104° to 105° F, generally lasts only a few days but may extend to a week or longer. The rash usually fades in approximately a week, and at that time the skin begins to peel.
Scarlet fever may be complicated by an infection of the middle ear mastoids or sinuses, or even by pneumonia. It is similar to Rheumatic Fever. Occasionally, inflammation of the kidneys (glomerular nephritis) may develop after scarlet fever. Since the introduction of penicillin, however, most instances of scarlet fever can be cured without the occurrence of permanent aftereffects.
Acute rheumatic fever is a complication of streptococcal infection, such as strep throat, scarlet fever, or erysipelas. It sometimes develops after infections so mild as to pass unnoticed. Rheumatic fever begins either insidiously or abruptly after a latent period of two to six weeks following the streptococcal infection. Aside from fever, malaise, and migratory arthritis, patients may develop nodules under the skin, skin rashes, abdominal pain, pleurisy, and chorea. The most serious aspect of the disease, however, is the involvement of the heart (carditis).
If Dorcas and Lydia had scarlet fever, that would explain why, after the rash faded, Dorcas and Lydia’s feet and hands peeled. But the description of Fifth Disease fit Lydia’s symptoms almost perfectly. Some sort of combination of Fifth Disease, Scarlet Fever, and Rheumatic Fever matched Dorcas’ symptoms; and both Scarlet Fever and Rheumatic Fever fit all of mine. Dorcas didn’t go to the doctor, because she had nearly recovered, and wasn’t too awfully sick in the first place. My test proved ‘inconclusive’, perhaps because by the time it was done I had already taken three antibiotics and was starting to feel better. The biggest complaint we each have is that everything hurts, from head to toe.
In any case, no matter what awful ailment we have, I think we are going to live! {…and you are very welcome for the medical report.} [You did say thank you, did you not?]
Larry wondered if we could get compensation from the daycare center for all the diseases Dorcas will be bringing home. Ha! We suspect this all began after a baby was brought there sick, and with a red rash all over him. And Dorcas was the first to get it…
Wednesday, true to form, I had the little girls’ hair curled and had given Victoria a bath--a hard job, that day, since fingers, wrists, knees, ankles, and so forth were stubbornly refusing to work properly, and yelping when I forced them into action--when they decided to cancel church. This was on account of the new paint job in the school. The odor of paint was strong, and furniture was everywhere it didn’t belong. Hester and Lydia gladly removed their curlers and headed outside, where their curls were gone with the wind in no time flat.
On her way home from work, Dorcas stopped at the Goodwill. She bought me a beautiful shiny navy jacket with gold buttons, including five on the pleated V-shape peplum in the back. I’ve wanted a jacket like that for a long time! I think I will sew a gold lamé skirt to go with it, and wear it for the Christmas Program. The same afternoon, Hannah brought me a couple of dresses she didn’t want, and thought I might like. If one has enough daughters, one just might stay well dressed, one just might!
Hester and Lydia are getting better and better at playing the piano. Lydia has a softer touch than Hester, so we can almost always tell who is playing. We enjoy hearing them, and Dorcas, too, play the piano.
Friday, Larry went to Lens Crafters in Lincoln for an eye exam. As it turned out, his eyesight was almost 20/20; he is slightly nearsighted, enough to bother him when he is driving or trying to watch a video. So he got a pair of glasses--his first glasses ever. While he waited for them to make his glasses, he, Teddy, and Joseph went to Sears. A salesman greeted them.
“My job,” he informed them facetiously, “is to make sure you leave with as little money in your pockets as possible.”
“You’re too late,” Larry replied, “we’ve already been to Lens Crafters, and they do the same thing.”
Bobby and Hannah came visiting Friday evening, and we watched the video from our Ohio trip together. “Here we are at Lake Erie,” narrates Larry, as he runs the camcorder, “and this is Marblehead--” He pauses, trying to summon the word he wants--and at that precise instant, Lydia walks in front of the camera. “Lighthouse,” Larry at last finished his sentence, but he was drowned out by all of us laughing uproariously when Teddy remarked into the interlude, “Lydia! Did Daddy call you a marblehead?!”
Mama has been having troubles with a bad tooth this last week. We always worry about her when such things happen, for she seems so frail. We will try to coax her into seeing her dentist…
Bobby and Hannah have a neighbor lady who will soon be 92 years old. She is quite nimble for her age. She still tends to her flowers, and she always keeps her yard very nice. The lady has trouble seeing, and therefore it is difficult for her to cook. One day when Hannah took her a piece of pie, the lady, a small person, put her arms around Hannah and said, “Thank you for coming to visit me; you’re so pleasant!” Then she laid her head on Hannah’s shoulder and cried. Her children seldom come… Hannah put an ad in the paper for a card shower for the lady’s up-coming birthday.
The littles played in the sprinkler and wading pool Saturday afternoon; it was 94°.
Tad seems to like getting wet, silly kitten. He was playing with his mother: Here they came, tearing around the house like streaks of greased lightning, Kitty hot on Tad’s heels. He came to the wading pool and skidded to a stop. He peered in--and at that instant, Kitty flew up rapidly behind him, turned sideways, arched her back, puffed up her tail, and stalked him, ears drawn back flat against her head. I tell you, she looked lethal.
Tad looked nervously behind him, then abruptly flung himself straight into the pool, flipping a somersault as he went. He rolled once in the shallow water, came back up on all fours, and stood there, gazing in smug triumph at his mother, who would not have pulled such a stunt for all the catnip in the Northern Hemisphere.
She turned and strolled away, looking over her shoulder at her recalcitrant son, fluffy tail switching in distaste. Tad then leapt from the pool and ran after her, waiting until he was directly beside her to shake himself vigorously, flinging water droplets high and low. Kitty jumped back in disgust, and Tad dashed forward and did it again. Kitty fled. Tad gathered himself together and rocketed after her. They shot around the corner of the house, two dark streaks with enormous, bushy tails--and that was the last we saw of them for a couple of hours.
Last night after the children went to bed, Larry and I went for ride. The air conditioner in our house simply cannot keep up with this hot weather, and the house has been piping hot for days; so it was nice to get into a vehicle with an adequate cooling system. We went to Sapp Bros. for coffee, a Hershey’s chocolate bar with almonds, and a carton of chocolate milk, and then we drove around for a bit while we ate.
Larry is pleased because he can see so much better with his new glasses. As we were driving, he noticed all sorts of things he hadn’t been able to see until the last minute, before he got the glasses.
I said, “Are you sure they actually gave you corrective lenses, or did they just give you plain glass, since your eyesight is so near 20/20; and you are seeing so much better because you are trying so hard to prove the glasses are helping, that you are looking with all your might and main? A placebo effect, you know.”
“Well, whatever it is," he told me, "it’s working, so I’m satisfied.”
Now, Teddy needs contacts…he’s got one near-sighted eye, and one far-sighted. Lydia and Caleb probably need glasses, too; Lydia squints and scowls when trying to read anything very far away; and Caleb’s eye turns in, just like Joseph’s.
Now…back to my scribblings.
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