Elsie's Notes from New England - THEMission edition

I Don't Want to Play in Your Yard Written by Philip Wingate (1894)   Music by: H.W. Petrie  Recording by Peggy Lee (1957) is of the chorus only, and much slower than Mom sang it. This song was always accompanied by "Playmates," which follows.  Mom sang about "two little girls" with their "hair up in curls," and she only sang the first and fourth stanza along with the chorus.  The additional lyrics are in italics.  Then she would start right in with her version of "Playmates"  It wasn't until I moved to New England that I understood what it meant to slide down the cellar door (bulkhead). Once there lived side by side Two little maids Used to dress just alike, Hair down in braids, Blue gingham pinafores, Stockings of red, Little blue bonnets  Tied on each pretty head. When school was over, Secrets they'd tell, Whispering to themselves, Down by the well. One day a quarrel came,  Hot tears were shed: ...

Speaking of being sick, I had a little epiphany tonight that I thought I'd share. Two weeks ago, I got really sick, out of nowhere.  So sick, they had to give me a shot of rocephin in my tush.  That's like injecting peanutbutter into your flank -- so painful!  I had forgotten how much those shots hurt.  When I was little, I used to get strep throat and tonsillitis all the time, and several times each year I would get a shot of penicillin in my backside.  I hated it. What I hated even more, though, was having those sore throats.  I couldn't eat, I couldn't drink, I couldn't swallow.  Even breathing in and out hurt.  It was awful.  In the very worst moments, I would try to soothe myself by remembering what it felt like when my throat didn't hurt.  I tried.  I couldn't do it.  I recall the frustration of knowing that there existed a condition in which my throat was not raw and shredded and swollen and miserable, but I couldn't...

This is an old post I never got around to actually posting.  It's from late March/early April.  Nothing earth shattering; just my life.  It was a wonderful spring break.  We visited with John's sister Carolyn and her husband Dave.  We spent time with good friends, and the last four days we spent with John and Sheena and the girls.  It was bliss.  We had originally planned to go to Ithaca first and see Dave and Carolyn afterwards, but Sheena was sick last weekend, so we delayed our visit until she was better.  Part of our reasoning was to avoid the flu.  We've been lucky this year have not had to deal with the flu, even though neither of us got a flu shot this year. While in Ithaca, I was telling Sheena about how we've dodged the flu bullet this year.  We've been careful about things like handwashing, we've used essential oils regularly, and we've tried to stay well-rested and well-hydrated.  It seems like it's been working....