It's been a slow week...

Katy is still sick. It's been quite the run for her. Friday night she felt so bad and was coughing so hard that I made her a mustard plaster. It's a great old home remedy to relieve a bad cough that probably most of you reading this are familiar with. I have fond (?) memories of these plasters as I had a few bouts of pneumonia when I was a child and my mom was a strong believer in the merits of the mustard plaster. If you ever need to make one here's the recipe: equal amounts of flour and mustard (I usually do 2 tablespoons of each) and enough water to make a paste. Spread it on an old rag or a few layers of paper towels. I prefer the paper towels as I can just toss it when it's done. Put a layer of cloth or paper towels on top. Make sure your patient has a cotton shirt on and then apply the plaster compress. Cover the patient up to the chin and let the mustard do its work. You have to be careful because it gets really, really hot and can actually burn. In doing research lately, I have discovered that a mustard plaster can also be used to relieve aches and pains in muscles. I never imagined that but I suppose it's possible that it could work.