In My Home This Week: Recovery Effort

I'm not really sure what is in that bottle...but I'm thinking with the lemons on the plate next to it that it might well be a homemade cough remedy.


We had a quietly miserable weekend here...For all that I'd felt better on Thursday and even half alive on Friday, I felt very poorly indeed Saturday and Sunday I was just plain sick.  Ugh, Ick, and all that good stuff.

I am not planning a great deal this week and that's the truth.  Next week I'll have to play catch up in more ways than one but this week, it is my plan to spend time recovering and keeping pace with bare basics.

This morning I rose early after spending the bulk of yesterday sleeping.  I stripped the bed and got the laundry done.  I had to remake the bed in stages and I've yet to tackle the handful of dishes or to worry about what I shall make for dinner.

John came in from work bearing gifts: cold meds, normal saline spray, a soda.  I've toughed it through without medicines thus far but you know what?  A cold pill does help...Just sayin'.

And relating back to our opening photo, I'm reminded that Granny used to crush soft peppermint candies with bourbon to make a 'cough syrup' as well as mixing lemon juice with honey.  I don't recall either one helping much...  Anybody else have a homemade remedy tale to tell?

10 comments:

Louise said...

There seems to be a lot of crud going around this season.. Hope you get back to your usual self soon.

Out My window said...

We used a salt solution to gargle with and sugar syrup made with onion. I am sorry you are down with the crud.

Liz from New York said...

NyQuil is the ticket, the real brand from Vick’s, not the generic. It conks me out, and I think rest is the key, it makes you sleep soundly, and usually snaps us out of any cold/cough in 2 days. A little pricy, but so worth it! Feel better!

Carolyn @ Our Gilded Abode said...

Hope you feel better soon ... and don’t torture yourself by soaring the meds!

A family favorite of my mother's and grandmother’s was to apply Vick’s VapoRub on our necks and chests (and a dab under our noses). Then wrap and tie one of Dad’s clean white soft handkerchiefs around our neck to hold in the warmth.

And, we always kept a box of Mrs. Grass’s noodle soup (it came dry in a box) on hand. I recall it included a “golden egg” ... chicken bouillon seasoning shaped just like a little egg. Not sure they still make that brand. It was mainly broth and tasted great when you felt yucky.

Feel better soon!

Mable said...

I'm with your grandmother. I fix brandy or bourbon, honey, lemon and crushed up peppermint candy (we always have candy canes left over all year long...) It makes me sleep and clears my throat. Works on the husband, too.

Lana said...

I'm all for the bourbon. Other than that we are essential oils all the way. We haven't had any over the counter meds on hand here for many years. Get well soon!

susie @ persimmon moon cottage said...

One time when I was a young child and had a cold with bad chest congestion and the whole works, my Dad and Mom gave me what they called a hot toddy made with whisky, lemon juice, and sugar to try and break up the congestion. It was only a very, very small amount. I drank it down in one gulp. It came back up as fast as it went down. It didn't have time to help my cold, but it cured me from ever drinking whisky. To this day, as old as I am, the scent of whisky makes me nauseated.

Vicks Vaporub helps me for minor stuff, but with the prescription meds I take regularly, I can't take most of the over the counter meds like Nyquil.

I hope you are feeling well very soon. Take care.

Kathy said...

Hope you feel better soon! Get as much rest as you can, and eat some chicken noodle soup.
We did the salt water gargle for a sore throat. Vicks on chest and bottom of feet.
The alka seltzer stuff makes me gag, but my husband thinks it helps him

Debby in Kansas, USA said...

Yuck! Poor you with a cold so soon. I'm usually a January-March cold catcher. I've heard of a few things going around so I'm working on completing my Cold Pantry this weekend, just in case.
For the kitchen, I keep a case of Chicken Noodle soup, some large bottles of applesauce, saltines, Ginger Ale, & we always have plenty of eggs. For the med cabinet, I check all the dates and make sure there's VapoRub, Nyquil, Immodium, cough drops, & such. There is nothing worse than getting sick and not having the necessary things on hand! My husband & I both got pneumonia two winters ago and I'm so grateful we were all stocked up. Aside from a trip to the doc and the drive thru' pharmacy, we kept our germs to ourselves and didn't have to get out of the car in January's raw cold!

I hope you're feeling better!!

Karen in WI said...

I hope you are starting to feel better! We had colds threaten a few of us last week and I either start with homeopathic ColdCalm or Oscillococcinum (for flu symptoms) and then give every hour if not better. The homeopathic Oscillococcinum does wonders for naturally reducing a fever when it turns to the uncomfortable stage. You can get these at a health food store or online. It’s our first line of defense.
Then comes the essential oils (We use Plague Defense, Respiratory Relief from Hopewell Oils). And thirdly, herbal extracts. Right away we give Gaia Elderberry syrup and Quick Defense. If it’s in the chest, we use a respiratory tincture from Gaia. One of my sons had persistent ear pain, so besides putting an ear blend EO around his ear, I gave him an Echinacea/Goldenseal/Myrrh combination extract that acts like a natural antibiotic.. It helped! For everyone else who didn’t have any symptoms,, they got extra vitamin C and Gaia brand Immune Quick Defense, just in case, as well as a stern admonition to stay away from sugar! We all rebounded pretty quickly this time, thank the Lord. Oh and yes, I always put a pot of homemade chicken soup on.

I do hope that you have been waited on hand and foot by your family. I’m keeping you in my prayers.