Influenza Observations

At the end of March I caught a bad flu. I haven't had the flu for about six years. This one was pretty bad. I slept in the other room for a couple of nights so my husband could sleep while I coughed.

When the primary illness was done, a serious fatigue set in. I was worried about this because I look everything up on the internet and learned that sometimes post-viral fatigue can last a long time.  And I already have Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. Fortunately, after a few days I recovered from that.

Getting over the apathy took longer. Turns out, the flu-fighting cytokines can seriously deplete your levels of serotonin.  For a couple of weeks I had no interest in anything.  Not crafting in vinyl, not clothes sewing, and I didn't even care about my blog reading list.  I felt that I had experienced everything that this life had to offer, there was nothing left to become interested in, and the only thing to do is figure out how to slog through the rest of the dreary days I've been given on this earth.

Fortunately, that's over, too!  I'm enjoying life, walking the dog, painting WarHammer figures with my son, and thinking about getting after some of those projects that are outstanding.  It is amazing how a suboptimal level of a brain chemical can affect one's thinking and motivation.

Travel Soap Bag Feedback

"Super cute and Obviously made with love and great care. Mucho thanks, I love it!"

"Such a cool idea and it works really well. I needed something for my husband who had to share a loo [bathroom] with people he didn't know well and this kept his soap from accidentally being used by someone else and nice and dry. Speedy shipping and fantastic service. Thanks So much!! PerFecT! AAAAA+++++"

"Fabulous recycling idea, and I love the Soap Bag! Thanks!"

"Just what i needed! I had gone on a trip earlier, and really wish I had it after some bar-soap-stuck-to-the-box problems. Love the concept and design. It's going with me to the beach in the next few days."

"Love it!! Thanks for the super fast delivery."

"I just bought my second soap tote, this one for my mom. She loves it"

"My soap tote is adorable -- and so cleverly designed! If you're planning to use it for travel, you should know that it's weightless. Yay, there's a billboard in my bathroom! it's ideal for travel -- we If you're planning to use it for travel, you should know that I'm going to use it at home, but if anyone reading this wants to use it primarily for travel, considering these for travel"

"Love it! Now hubby can travel with my soap & not have a gloppy mess in his suitcase! Perfect! Fast shipping!"

Thanks to all my customers for the great feedback!

Outdoor Bicycle Storage

I got into billboard tarp recycling initially because I wanted a way to cover my family's bicycles. We don't have access to the garage at our house, our landlord is a general contractor and uses the garage to assemble cabinets. If bicycles are easy to get to, there's an increased likelihood they will be used more. 

I used a tarp to cover the bikes, but I never managed to sew a tent-cover for them! I have been recovering from chronic fatigue syndrome during the past four years on the guaifenesin protocol. So although my mind has thought of projects, the flesh was weak.  I've not been able to keep up this blog as I'd like, either. 

I had been looking for a bike stand for my home for years. This wood pallet bike rack from bikehacks.com is clever, and it has given me another idea. I can set up the wood pallets as shown, and either drape a billboard tarp over them, or attach the tarp on one side. Or even simpler, the tarp is held in place by the lean of the pallet.  A dowel on the tarp on the right edge of the tarp will hopefully be enough weight to keep the tarp in place with our Calgary winds.

Enough typing. I'm off to give this a try. Update: Well, my husband is not too keen on this idea as the area we have for bicycles is also the area where we play street hockey.