IT'S NOT EASY BEING A SOUTHERN BELLE-EVEN AFTER YEARS OF PRACTICE!













Monday, March 24, 2008

YELLOW HAZE!!!!!!!

With the onset of Spring, we have the beginning of the "Southern Pollen Fog". Every conceivable surface is covered with the yellow-green fine powder which comes with new tree growth. The deck has turned this same color as well as the drive. My previously pristine white Explorer is now a new shade of glazed pollen. I got out this afternoon to blow off all of the decks, porches, and drives. After more than a week of hacking, I did have the good sense to wear a mask. I read a church sign that said Spring is God's postcard to his loved ones. I couldn't put it any better!


Camille wrote in her blog about her fly fishing trip with Adam. She talked of learning to "Tease the Fish". My mother told me it was not nice to tease. I do have very real memories of being unmercifully teased by older brother, Robbie. I remember once at a very difficult time in a teen's life, working on make up techniques. When finished with my eye make up, I thought I had done a great job. When he saw me, he asked was I trying to look like a clown. That could be the reason that until this day, the make up is pretty light. Words said to get a laugh or a rise, and in a "Teasing" sense, sometimes have life long effects. I love to tease my friends and family, but try to stay off of sensitive subjects and always assure them of my love. Careful what you say-some words are never forgotten by the butt of the joke!


I remarked today that I might need an iron lung if I hacked up a lung. I am really dating myself when I speak of an iron lung. A very real part of my childhood was the threat of polio. I have friends and acquaintances that were affected by this deadly virus. Polio affects your muscles and causes paralysis. In severe cases, the muscles that controlled breathing quit working. The patient was placed in the iron lung which using air pressure forced the air in and out of the lungs. The modern day ventilator is the answer to the huge and bulky iron lung. Medical science has come a long way since those scary days.


One of the myths that floated around during those days is that you got the virus in the heat of the day. We were all under mandatory nap and rest orders during the hot summer months. This is probably one of the things that helped me learn to love to read. We were allowed to read after lunch and since there was no choice but to be in the bedroom-reading it was! I always suspected that this was Momma's way to get her own nap, but she would never admit something like that.


I did get up and run 5 miles this AM. SLLLLLOOOOOWWWWW! The really interesting thing is that you don't cough, much at all, while running, BUT WHEN YOU STOP-the deluge begins!

2 comments:

Deb said...

I think I just missed the polio scare. I never knew anyone that had it...except Joni Mitchell was in the hospital with polio. She was born in '43.

I just asked Jim if anyone his age got polio. He said there was one case of it in our town and the guy who got it was much older than he was....it was very rare. Maybe it did have something to do with heat. I have a friend at school who is 7 years younger than I am and she had it. She is a native Louisianan. You have peaked my curiosity. Where was the most polio?

Lora said...

Look at the web site for Kids Health Org. & look up polio. Catching it had nothing to do with heat-rather poor hygiene. Interesting article. Keith Winter (Michelle's Father) died from post polio syndrome & that is also what Sarah Beth Atkins has.