One of the least enjoyable things about living in the Mississippi Delta is harvest time and the Delta Crud. Our local farmers burn their fields starting in late August and it seems to set off a chain reaction of sinus infections and allergy complications in everyone. At first, the smokey smell is almost welcoming, because it reminds me of fall and how close the cooler weather is approaching, but then I get sick enough to require a trip to the doctor and then I am so over it. We Deltans (not so)affectionately call this sickness “the Delta Crud”, and I don’t care if you do have the healthiest immune system ever, it will hunt you down like a rabid dog and find you.
E.B. was the first to get sick. I had to take him to the doctor on Monday and he missed two days of preschool. By Thursday, I could feel it slowly coming on and by Friday morning I had to call in dead to work and my Dad was having to drive me to the urgent care clinic because I was sure, nay, positive I was about to die and I could not die yet because I still hadn’t even got to see Duran Duran live in concert in all of my 36 years of life!!! SOB! WHINE! WHINESOMEMORE!!
And, if you are a mom reading this, you know moms don’t ever get sick days. Unless they’re in the hospital. I had to reach down deep to find the strength to still keep things going for E.B. Mealtimes and bathtimes and general supervision don’t stop just because Mommy is sick, you know.
These things always seem to happen when Daddy is out of town. He misses all of the good stuff.
So, we have our Kleenex. We have our antibiotics. We have our decongestants. In a couple of hours, we will have our daddy home to take care of us. And even though I feel slightly better, perhaps I’ll play down that fact while someone takes care of me for a change.
[…] evening that our son was coughing. He does have seasonal allergies sometimes, and it’s now “Delta Crud” season where we live. He was still coughing when he went to bed Sunday night and I actually had […]