Hugh Goes to the Hospital Again Maybe

Hugh Goes to the Hospital Again Maybe

Daughter Cornucopia was down with a fever Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, so my wife stayed home for those three days to look after her. As a busy civil servant, she can't be away from the office indefinitely, so on Wednesday evening we agreed that I would stay home Thursday to liberate my wife for life at the office.

Thursday, however, our plan changed. My wife had come down with a fever in the night, and was in no condition but to drag herself off to the doctor.

I phoned the head office of the chain of schools I teach at. This was the second time I'd phoned to say I wouldn't be at work. The first time, I was the one who was sick, and the guy who took the call was grumpy and not very pleased with me.

This time it was the same guy, but, when I told him my wife and daughter were both sick, and that I had to stay home on that account, his attitude was completely different, and he was all sympathy.

Once the clinic that my wife attends in the neighborhood had opened up, my wife ventured out of the house to seek medical attention.

She discussed with her doctor-for-adults what the doctor-for-children had prescribed, and the doctor-for-adults didn't think much of the prescribing.

So, provisionally, the three of us - me, my wife and daughter Cornucopia - are all going to Meijin Hospital tomorrow, because they have a children's ward on the second floor, and maybe they can do something other than prescribe penicillin and whatever it was that sent my daughter high as a kite.

My daughter was Miss Manic Excitement in the morning but crashed hard in the afternoon, and went to sleep and slept and slept and slept and slept.

If I've remembered to upload the photo, there should be a pic of a penguin at the top of this blog entry.

Recently, Niigata Prefecture publicized itself by bringing snow to Yokohama, plus a penguin, taiko drums and the makings of a festival, so we went along to watch.

There were two penguins, both shown in the photo, standing in a very small enclosure. A security guard was standing close by, invigilating everyone, in case anyone suddenly had a hankering for penguin sashimi.

There was snow sufficient for Cornucopia to play with, and a good time was had by all.

Today, with wife and child in slumberland, I pushed ahead with work on GENGHIS LOTUS POETRY COLLECTION, the project which is closest to completion, though I still have some desired poems still to write.

When I wrote the piece about going to three parks with Cornucopia, I forgot one thing, which was that Cornucopia showed me another area in which I am brain-damaged. She wanted me to walk heel to toe round the narrow rim of a circular sandpit. And, though I could do it, I found it really hard, so my gymnastic ability has, evidently, taken a hit.

Cornucopia did not walk heel to toe herself, for two reasons. First, kids not yet three are not developmentally capable of doing heel-to-toe walking. Second, for her small feet the rim was wide enough for her to walk normally.

She has great feet, the very image of mine, good serviceable feet. I'm sure these feet will be very useful to her if she ends up, at some date in the future, fighting with Japanese ground forces in Syria, helping America bring democracy to that benighted land.

Both my daughter and I are capable of spreading our toes apart and then closing them. This is very useful if you want to pick up a pencil from the floor without bending down. Once upon a time I thought everyone could do this, and it was only after the birth of my daughter that I discovered that a lot of people can't. Two who can't are my wife and my father.

In compensation, my father is able to wiggle his ears. This, regrettably, is a talent that I have not inherited.

On the three days that Cornucopia was sick, I left home earlier, because I didn't have to go to the daycare. I arrived at Waniguchi Gakko fifteen minutes earlier than usual, and, because a Japanese staffer had opened up very early (which is not always the case) I was able to find all my files and choose all my lessons before teaching got underway for the day.

My wife has suggested that I make it a regular habit to leave a quarter of an hour earlier. Apparently the daycare center will accept Cornucopia at that hour, and I'm now thinking about it.