thrushing hither and yon, or slouching toward the laundry room

Right now: nursing boy, awakened moments ago from yet another nap punctuated by random facial expressions and power-fists punched in the air. From the upstairs window, dark sky and flecks of snow scrolling by. Dog has punched the clock and is on duty in her usual spot at the foot of the bed.

The hilarious blueberry stain is already fading from Finn's mouth. What? Blueberry? A word of explanation is in order. After we lost faith in Western medicine at approximately 10:30am yesterday, gentian violet was called into action as an alternative anti-fungal thrush treatment. Which essentially means painting Mama's nipples purple. In a truly moving gesture of solidarity and support, everyone in the house, including Tula and the cats, volunteered to have their nipples painted purple, too. Tula, ever-napping, was easy pickings; we crept up and nailed her with the gentian squirt gun before she even had a chance to wake up. But the cats, those wily, suspicious creatures, had to be dragged down from the basement rafters to receive their doses. They now sullenly wear their stained belly-fur like purple badges of resentment.

Where were we? Oh, yes. Purple gums. After nursing for the first time in the Time of Violet, the boy looked like he lost a fight with a blueberry bush. Like he'd been chewing on a leaky ballpoint pen. Like Fred Flintstone with lavender five o'clock shadow.

Strangely, fact meets fiction here, precisely where Finn's adorable little purple gums come together. As with many things in life, we find a precedent in Catch-22. Doc Daneeka, the pathologically morbid and self-obsessed squadron flight surgeon, is assisted by a pair of functionaries, Gus and Wes, who have "succeeded in elevating medicine to an exact science.

All men reporting on sick call with temperatures above 102 were rushed to the hospital. All those except Yossarian reporting on sick call with temperatures below 102 had their gums and toes painted with gentian violet solution and were given a laxative to throw away into the bushes. All those reporting on sick call with temperatures of exactly 102 were asked to return in an hour to have their temperatures taken again. Yossarian, with his temperature of 101, could go to the hospital whenever he wanted to because he was not afraid of them."

Meanwhile, we continue to cycle everything through the laundry as part of our thrush abatement procedures, with any purple stains as gentle, gentian reminder.