Influenza

Influenza has struck our city, and friends and neighbor children are toppling like dominoes. Four kids get influenza in one class and that grade is canceled for a week. And the next week some other class is infected and that class goes down. And parents have to stay home, partly to care for the ill, partly because if it is Swine flu the companies have a policy that workers must stay home a week if any family member is stricken. This makes for a lot of absences. I mean, SOMEONE in the family is sure to bring home some virus and then mom and day are banned from the workplace for a week, and then pretty soon some other member of the family gets it and everyone takes a week off again!

Usually there are about 20 kids from my neighborhood walking to school every morning but last week there were a whole 7. Some of the kids had influenza. Some of the kids' grades were cancelled. Some of the kids were just staying home for prevention purposes. And those that do go to school wear masks all day and gargle with green tea at breaks... (Not such a great picture but all the girls going to school in their group are wearing masks.)

All last week I was saying

"Let me get through the weekend Lord! I do not want to miss my guests!"

And I did make it. Yeah. I wonder how much longer I can hold out.