Tis time to find the colour in our winter

Unfortunately, Ottawa's famous canal was only frozen enough for a 28-day run, which is bad for us, for tourism, and for those who enjoy that exercise.

They say this isn't such a bad year for illness, since the cold season was short, and people got out in the good weather to play! I'm not sure about that!

My kids had a bad bout with the dreaded Norovirus last week. There are lots of things going around, however.
I'm glad we live in a country where children don't die from such bugs, despite Izzy barfing all night, she has lived to tell the tale and get good clean liquids back into her system.

I decided to wire them a cheery batch of flowers with a happy face mug!
It made me feel good, too!

My bronchitis/whooping cough(?) is getting better.
But I got bored. Going through several boxes of tissues, and 2 hankies per hour...

I had bought some Valentine roses, the buds made of chocolate, for my girls. Scrumptious dark chocolate, set on a stick, wrapped with proper florist tape, and a realistic green leaf. I decided my sore throat warranted a bit of chocolate... GONE!

While healing at home, I decided to get crafty. My faithful readers include nature nuts, wanderers, great aloha walkers & writers, chameleon teen author, writer omnivores, skywatchers, caregivers, cooks, camera critter photographers, floral photographers, artists, deckside photographers, vagabondes, fishermen, lots of retired teachers, travellers, crafty poets, house boat gardeners and gardeners, near (South Ontario; Central Ontario) and far across the pond, ranchers on this continent, ranchers afar, hilltop skywatchers. I felt hopeful I could create something, too.

I figured I ought to replace the chocolates with a homemade flower! I'd bought some craft foam and traced many sizes of the same shape, then plunked them on the top of the stems.
Not so bad!!!! I glued a bead on top, with my trusty hot glue gun.

We had planned a visit, abandoned when I went on antibiotics! I still believe that it was undiagnosed whooping cough. People my age haven't usually had their pertussis shot in recent years. I did a bit of research, after I heard about some other cases, and this I believe is true: it is going undiagnosed in many cases presented in the ER.

Norovirus infection Fact Sheet - Toronto Public Health

What are the signs and symptoms of Norovirus infection? How long do symptoms of ...What should I do if I, or a family member, become infected with Norovirus?
See also: Norovirus

Number of Whooping Cough Cases in B.C.

About 150 cases of whooping cough have now been reported in the Lower Mainland as health officials warn the disease is spreading west of the Fraser Valley.

Rotavirus Vaccine

Rotavirus is a virus that causes severe diarrhea, vomiting and dehydration among infants and children in the world. In Canada, 36 per cent of children with rotavirus see a doctor, 15 per cent go to hospital ERs and seven per cent require hospitalization.