Out of the Pit (con't)
1-2 inches new snow
7-8 inches snow on the ground
Partly cloudy, a balmy -5 degrees F
and the wind blowing out of the north like a mother...
So, my first day back at work went okay, though I am at that healing stage where my voice sounds like hell even though my throat is feeling pretty good at this point. My croaking over the radio encouraged the local pilots to keep our conversations brief, anyway. After work, I filled the gas tank in the Chevy, mailed off some bills that had come in during my illness and stopped off at the Safeway store to see if there was something I could treat myself to. They were having a sale on the big bottles of store-brand lemon-lime drink so I bought a couple of those. I picked up one of their take-and-bake pizzas and splurged on a couple packages of asparagus-stuffed pasta that was also on sale--that will make supper for the days I am not working late. I baked pizza while I fed the cats, put some fresh DVDs in the player and settled in for the night.
About an hour or so after I tucked myself into bed, I started hearing ghostly sounds, so muted the TV to listen. The wind had picked up and was rattling the wires and flashings and stuff that it normally rattles. Oh good, I thought, at least the temperature will warm up a bit...
(If anyone has noticed, looking at the little image of Alaska that is usually tucked off to one corner of the national weather map, we have been having frigid temperatures this past week. The highs for the day this morning were -2 for Anchorage and -40 for Fairbanks. Which is why my parents are in Arizona for the winter....)
Wrong again. I got up to look outside. A fine, dry snow was swirling around in the wind, the truck had acquired about an inch of snow since I had got home and the thermometer out front was firmly on zero. I stuffed some more wood on the fire, turned the fan up and went back to bed...
It is still breezy (gusts over 20 knots) and cold today. The inlet is veiled with a fine mist of steam-fog as far out as I can see, though the water remains unfrozen. The downtown thermometer read -1F when I drove past.
Ah, winter!
So, back to my story...
I forced myself awake early enough to call in sick to Kenai. I sounded so pitiful that all the supervisor asked was when I was supposed to stand watch. I called PD to let him know I wouldn't be in to relieve him, then fell back asleep until the medical clinic opened. The receptionist told me to come right in, so I dressed and hauled myself into town. The upshot was that I had not a cold but the flu and left the clinic with a prescription for cough medicine. Strangely, the doctor didn't seem too concerned about my fever--possibly because my morning temperature was around 99 degrees or maybe he just thought I was exaggerating. Whatever--if he wasn't too concerned, I wouldn't be either.
The cough medicine contained codeine, so I wrapped myself around the bottle and went to sleep for the rest of the day. It was healing to be able to sleep. I found a small cooler, stocked it with my ice pack and cold drinks, and put it beside the bed so I didn't have to stir much except to feed the cats. (And when you've fed the cats at our house, you feel as if you have accomplished something...) When my fever returned that evening, it was not as high or as uncomfortable as previously and it responded fairly well to aspirin. Besides, give me codeine and I lose interest in just about anything else. I was feeling more comfortable than I had in days.
After a good day's rest Friday and Saturday, I felt well enough on Sunday to go into work for an hour and do the time sheets (one of my collateral duties). Because I had been taking the cough medicine with codeine, I wouldn't be medically cleared for working traffic but administrative duties, like doing time sheets, was be okay.
What wasn't okay was the weather. Overnight, wind and snow had moved into the area and driving conditions were white-out in some areas. More than once I had to ask myself what the hell was I thinking to go in on such a crappy day but the time sheets needed to be done and trying to talk one of my colleagues through the process over the phone wasn't an option. I was just glad it was Sunday because traffic was light. The chances of running into some other fool were somewhat lower. Still, it was one of the most frightening drives I can ever recall making. Visibility near the airport was almost zero and I felt my way across the causeway at Beluga Lake by following the guard rail on my right. The return trip home (normally 10 to 15 minutes) took a good half hour. My wiper blades iced up and it took me a mile or so before I could find a safe place to pull over and clear them. Once the truck was safely parked in front of the house, I didn't stir again for four days
Sunday was also the day I realized it was time to go back to the non-prescription (ie, codeine-free) cough medication. The blissful sleep had gotten me past the worst of my symptoms but I had a variety of OTC medications available to get me the rest of the way. I was feeling marginally better, less-feverish and more alert. I was going to live through this.
But there was still the sore throat, the cough and a whole slew of sinus conditions that I won't go into here. Monday night I felt well enough to load the dishwasher for the first time in a week (obviously it needed it) and Tuesday evening I even cooked for myself something that wasn't microwaved. I'm still not at 100% but I am probably about 90% and that's good enough for now.
7-8 inches snow on the ground
Partly cloudy, a balmy -5 degrees F
and the wind blowing out of the north like a mother...
So, my first day back at work went okay, though I am at that healing stage where my voice sounds like hell even though my throat is feeling pretty good at this point. My croaking over the radio encouraged the local pilots to keep our conversations brief, anyway. After work, I filled the gas tank in the Chevy, mailed off some bills that had come in during my illness and stopped off at the Safeway store to see if there was something I could treat myself to. They were having a sale on the big bottles of store-brand lemon-lime drink so I bought a couple of those. I picked up one of their take-and-bake pizzas and splurged on a couple packages of asparagus-stuffed pasta that was also on sale--that will make supper for the days I am not working late. I baked pizza while I fed the cats, put some fresh DVDs in the player and settled in for the night.
About an hour or so after I tucked myself into bed, I started hearing ghostly sounds, so muted the TV to listen. The wind had picked up and was rattling the wires and flashings and stuff that it normally rattles. Oh good, I thought, at least the temperature will warm up a bit...
(If anyone has noticed, looking at the little image of Alaska that is usually tucked off to one corner of the national weather map, we have been having frigid temperatures this past week. The highs for the day this morning were -2 for Anchorage and -40 for Fairbanks. Which is why my parents are in Arizona for the winter....)
Wrong again. I got up to look outside. A fine, dry snow was swirling around in the wind, the truck had acquired about an inch of snow since I had got home and the thermometer out front was firmly on zero. I stuffed some more wood on the fire, turned the fan up and went back to bed...
It is still breezy (gusts over 20 knots) and cold today. The inlet is veiled with a fine mist of steam-fog as far out as I can see, though the water remains unfrozen. The downtown thermometer read -1F when I drove past.
Ah, winter!
So, back to my story...
I forced myself awake early enough to call in sick to Kenai. I sounded so pitiful that all the supervisor asked was when I was supposed to stand watch. I called PD to let him know I wouldn't be in to relieve him, then fell back asleep until the medical clinic opened. The receptionist told me to come right in, so I dressed and hauled myself into town. The upshot was that I had not a cold but the flu and left the clinic with a prescription for cough medicine. Strangely, the doctor didn't seem too concerned about my fever--possibly because my morning temperature was around 99 degrees or maybe he just thought I was exaggerating. Whatever--if he wasn't too concerned, I wouldn't be either.
The cough medicine contained codeine, so I wrapped myself around the bottle and went to sleep for the rest of the day. It was healing to be able to sleep. I found a small cooler, stocked it with my ice pack and cold drinks, and put it beside the bed so I didn't have to stir much except to feed the cats. (And when you've fed the cats at our house, you feel as if you have accomplished something...) When my fever returned that evening, it was not as high or as uncomfortable as previously and it responded fairly well to aspirin. Besides, give me codeine and I lose interest in just about anything else. I was feeling more comfortable than I had in days.
After a good day's rest Friday and Saturday, I felt well enough on Sunday to go into work for an hour and do the time sheets (one of my collateral duties). Because I had been taking the cough medicine with codeine, I wouldn't be medically cleared for working traffic but administrative duties, like doing time sheets, was be okay.
What wasn't okay was the weather. Overnight, wind and snow had moved into the area and driving conditions were white-out in some areas. More than once I had to ask myself what the hell was I thinking to go in on such a crappy day but the time sheets needed to be done and trying to talk one of my colleagues through the process over the phone wasn't an option. I was just glad it was Sunday because traffic was light. The chances of running into some other fool were somewhat lower. Still, it was one of the most frightening drives I can ever recall making. Visibility near the airport was almost zero and I felt my way across the causeway at Beluga Lake by following the guard rail on my right. The return trip home (normally 10 to 15 minutes) took a good half hour. My wiper blades iced up and it took me a mile or so before I could find a safe place to pull over and clear them. Once the truck was safely parked in front of the house, I didn't stir again for four days
Sunday was also the day I realized it was time to go back to the non-prescription (ie, codeine-free) cough medication. The blissful sleep had gotten me past the worst of my symptoms but I had a variety of OTC medications available to get me the rest of the way. I was feeling marginally better, less-feverish and more alert. I was going to live through this.
But there was still the sore throat, the cough and a whole slew of sinus conditions that I won't go into here. Monday night I felt well enough to load the dishwasher for the first time in a week (obviously it needed it) and Tuesday evening I even cooked for myself something that wasn't microwaved. I'm still not at 100% but I am probably about 90% and that's good enough for now.
