Of COURSE that would happen

So yesterday, when I was all cocky and gloating about the tickets I bought to fly to Seattle, and how cheap they were, and how they were non-refundable because *nothing* was going to keep me from going? Yeah.

Lucy has an ear infection. An ear infection that elicited this response from the doctor: "Oh, ew. You can see all the green snot behind her ear drum."

Nice one.

So we brought home a loverly bottle of antibiotics, and I am going to pump her chalk full of them so her ear drum clears before we try to fly somewhere. She has a 10 day prescription, which should just about guarantee some sort of yeast infection too.

Sweet.

I am also plyig her with decongestants, and a cough syrup with codeine just because I am a cool mom like that. If you gotta be miserable, you might as well sleep through as much of it as possible. Her cough is hideous....it makes me wince every time I hear it. So while I am bummed that she has an ear infection, I am relieved that it isn't just a cold, and that it will respond to meds and she should be feeling much better very shortly.

Another surprise today (albeit a much nicer one) was a 6:40am phone call, asking me to cover a shift at the cafe, starting in 45 minutes. I know, I know, I have a hard and fast rule that I have to hate *anyone* who calls me before 8am, and usually a phone call at that hour would be answered with "This had better be an emergency" or threats of bodily harm, or at the very least some loud cursing. But the offer of a Sunday shift at the cafe can only be responded to with an enthusiastic "Thank YOU !" because it means beaucoup $ and an early exit from the cafe. Within 30 minutes I was showered, deodorized, and on the road in a freshly laundered apron, listening to NPR and trying to pull my head out of my ass. God I was so tired this morning. I was the kind of tired where you wake up, and you can't believe it is light outside, and you feel like maybe you actually never slept at all, or maybe just fell asleep an hour before. Your eyes are puffy, your head is foggy, your muscles are stiff and sore. So, "How 'Bout Some Breakfast Folks !"

After slogging through a slow but steady kind of day, I hit the wall at about 2pm. I was starting to lose focus, and then some guy wandered in, sort of looking like I felt. Tired, puffy-eyed, slightly disoriented and wearing a "what the HELL just happened" kind of expression. At first I thought he was just weird. Then, I thought maybe he was mildly delayed, or had some sort of a communication problem. After a few minutes of conversation, I suspected he might be high. And then he wandered up to the empty bar and ordered a whiskey and water - and stood up, waiting to drink it. I was pretty sure that he was not of sound mind, but still couldn't tell if it was chemically induced. I stalled. I needed someone else to make the call. I was too tired to be completely, totally sure. And I didn't feel like dealing with a confrontation if I refused to serve him.

I needed backup.

My manager walked in and I introduced her, explaining that she would be working the bar. She and I had a little non-verbal communication, I poured the drink, she watched, and then......he staggered. Just a little. But enough. Quick as a flash, she took the drink away, and handed him back the money he had just put down on the bar. He didn't argue - he just took his money and left. We both stood there, watching him go. I was relieved, something hadn't felt right at all. She and I looked at each other, and shook our heads, then reassured each other that we had made the right decision. We also discovered that it was the first time either of us had ever refused service to someone. I mean, I have cut people off many a time. But never have I had to refuse to serve someone at all.

I am home now, lying in bed, and I am ready for a good night's sleep. Tomorrow is filled with St Patrick's Day preparations (soda bread !) and organizing the chaos in this house. I envision many trips up and down the attic ladder - lugging up the last of the sorted "do not sell" items, and tugging down the suitcases necessary for a family of four to travel to a cold weather climate. And on the next sunny day, so help me, I am dragging all of our yard sale crap out in the yard and trying to get someone to buy it.

You likey? One Dollah.