Another bug season is upon us

First the bad news. Another bug season is upon us. That means colds, chills, fever, coughs, sniffles, assorted body aches and flu could catch and zap us, making life miserable.

Now the good news. You might escape these wintertime illnesses. Just use wise common sense, live healthy, get seven to eight hours of sleep nightly, wash your hands frequently, take mega-doses of vitamin C and avoid likely germ hot spots.

My wife and I have been flu-free for 40-plus years. We have skipped serious colds since way back when. We recently increased our daily vitamin C intake from 1,000 to 2,000 milligrams. We'll boost that to 4,000 mg. if cold signs threaten. We got our flu vaccines in September. Have you had your annual flu shot? It's a must-do.

Our goal is to live this season without a cold. I'm sure the chances of catching a cold bug have multiplied by all the new shopping stores plus a more mobile population growth. This combo increases likelihood of exposure and swapping strange new strains of viruses and bacteria for which our bodies haven't an immunity.

As a young boy I became sickly whenever winter northers blew in. I'd come down with sore throats, earaches, coughs and respiratory infections. My mother, bless her soul, made me wear an aviator skull cap with long ear flaps that buckled under my chin. She nursed me with gobs of strongly pungent Vick's salve. She rubbed my chest, filled my nostrils and forced me to swallow chunks of it. But I really didn't get cold relief until my tonsils and adenoids were surgically removed.

Wife Rae, who is one-fourth Cherokee, remembers her grandmother treating her with Indian remedies.One was a poultice. This was a soft, warm, moist cloth or gauze filled with herbal medications. It was applied to her chest or hung around her neck at night. It was similar to a mustard plaster.

First and foremost in the battle against wintry maladies is home defense. Topping the list is hand scrubbing. I probably wash my hands 20 times a day. I try not to touch my face, eyes, mouth or nose a lot because that's where germs slip into your body.

Washing hands is a no-brainer. Lather them with soap, we are advised, 15 to 20 seconds. Whisper "Jesus loves me" five times so you'll time yourself correctly. When you use a public restroom, consider choosing a stall on either end of the row since these are used less often than the middle ones. And after washing up, pull a paper towel to exit the door handle.

My wife and I use a plastic container of alcohol wipes when we venture to supermarkets, retail stores or restaurants. We pull out about a dozen wipes and share them on any door surface. Some stores now offer both the wipes and sanitizing gel. I am encouraged to see more customers using them to wipe down door handles and shopping carts. But many folks still pass them by. What's the old saying? "You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink."

True carts are essential items for major shopping to transport your goods until you reach the checkout counter. But they're so risky for snagging and holding diseased bugs. I read where one health study found E. coli or similar bacteria existed on more than 70 percent of shopping carts.

Those plastic covers on the cart seat area are there for holding perishable or breakable goods like eggs, bread, fruit, etc. But they also are used by babies' bottoms. You don't want raw vegetables you eat sharing the same space. Since shopping carts are seldom washed down, rub handles and seats briskly with a disinfecting alcohol wipe. You might even line the seat with a plastic bag before wheeling it around the store.

Hot/cold packs find many uses

Here’s a different kind of spring craft, one that’s more functional than fun: a hot/cold pack to soothe away the aches and pains of spring gardening.

I have several of these little gems scattered throughout my home and, even one at work. They are perfect for easing tension in the neck, soothing away sore knees or warming the bed.

I was first introduced to the concept of these packs when someone bought me one from a retail store. It was called a “Bed Buddy,” and it looked like a sock stuffed with something (I can’t remember what) with rope handles on the end. If you placed it in the microwave and heated it for a couple minutes, it was perfect for easing the tension in a sore neck (that’s how I always used it).

Over the years, I’ve seen many different takes on these. Some were commercially purchased and filled with a variety of substances (flax, gel), and some were bought at craft fairs, filled with more accessible items like dried corn or rice.

It is the ones found at craft fairs that inspired this column (well, that and the fact I had to make a couple quick Mother’s Day gifts).

As a crafter who has many interests, I also have a large stash (from yarn to beads to fabric) and I’m prone to buy fabric, especially if it’s fleece, off the remnants racks at Jo-Ann and other stores. I find fleece comes in handy for a variety of projects.

The beauty of these hot/cold packs is you don’t necessarily need measurements. You can make them whatever size or shape you like. For this column, I made two (a long one that will wrap around the neck and a shorter, wider one that can be used on the low back).

With fleece in hand, I needed only a couple more items to accomplish my goal. Here’s the list.

What you’ll need:

•Muslin

•Fleece

•Rice (white, brown, red, whatever, amount depends on size of your pack)

•Essential oil (for this project, I used honey almond and sweet orange, found in the soap/candle-making aisle of the craft store, but you can buy it at health food stores as well)

•Thread that coordinates with fleece

•A sewing machine

•Scissors or a rotary cuter

What to do:

1. Pour rice into a zippered plastic bag and sprinkle with essential oil. Set aside. (Note: For the longer one I made, I used about 5 cups of rice).

2. Cut the muslin to the size you want, whether that’s a 24-inch log, 4-inch wide log or a 7 1/2 -inch wide, 16-inch long rectangle or, other size you desire.

3. Stitch three of the four sides of the muslin, leaving an opening to fill with rice.

4. Fill muslin sack with rice but be sure not to stuff so it is bulging. Instead, as you fill, lay the piece down (be sure to keep the end that’s open closed tight) and flatten rice out. The pack should be flexible so it bends around the neck, etc.

5. Fold in edges of open end and double stitch to close.

6. Cut fleece so that it fits the muslin pack a bit loosely (because you’ll remove the pack to chill or to wash the fleece covering).

7. Stitch up all but one end of the fleece.

8. Fold edges in and stitch around opening of the fleece sleeve.

If you are giving this as a gift, you could include a gift tag with printed instructions for use. Here is what the tag that comes with mine says:

For warm comfort: Heat two minutes or more (so it can be handled) in mircowave oven with a cup of water in the oven for moisture.

For moist heat: Spritz with water before microwaving.

For cool comfort: Place rice pack in refrigerator for an hour or so, or in freezer for a half-hour.