Hey Fair One, Sorry to hear you've been feelin' puny. I had a terrible flu/bronchitis/laryngitis/pharyngitis and general epizoodic last March and thought I'd lost my voice for good. It went completely away for a couple of weeks, which was good for the sympathy vote, but not great for the fact that I was trying to hustle a new job and needed to talk to the prospective boss every few days. Didn't want him thinking I was unreliable, or that I had a sickly disposition, but I just couldn't make a sound a couple of times when I tried to call him back.

It finally all got better, but it took weeks, literally. Good thing I didn't have any gigs lined up at the time. (Nor at this one, actually.) I'm 100 percent now. However, I didn't do myself any good by trying to force it before it was ready. So ... I'd say a steady course of hot toddies, deliciously hot baths-if-you-can-have-more-than-5-minutes-with-kids-in-the-house, and rest, rest, rest. Be consciously kind to yourself. If you were here and I were back in the mountains, I'd hie you off to a hot springs I know of and we'd go float around letting you see how different the stars are here.

ww