It tastes awful. And it works.

I'm really not feeling well today. In fact, I'm looking forward to spending the entire afternoon and evening languishing on the couch watching the Olympics. I was up all night last night coughing and at one point I vaguely remember Kev saying, "Are you okay honey, you should go take some Buckley's."

For those of you that don't know about it...Buckley's is a miracle medicine. It's this amazing cough syrupy kind of stuff that seems to kick the worst cough, clear up the most plugged nasal passage, and soothe the absolute worst sore throat. I never knew what Buckley's was until I moved to Canada. I remember my first cold, it was a doozy and I was visiting Kevin. He said, "Here, take some Buckleys! You'll feel so much better!" So, thinking it was like any other cough syrup I had ever had I downed a spoonful quickly...the next thing I knew, I thought it was going to come back up. It tastes SO awful! They even have funny commercials up here showing peoples' faces when they take the stuff. They are funny because if you have ever had the stuff you can completely identify with the faces those in the commercials are making!

Not only does Buckley's taste awful, but it burns! I can always feel it traveling all the way down my esophagus and into my stomach. Can something that hurts so much and tastes so awful really do that much good? After my first taste I thought there was no way I would be trying that stuff again! Then, just a few minutes after downing the atrocious mixture, my nasal passages cleared. I could breathe! Air, sweet air! My throat began to lose its scratchiness and my coughing subsided. I had experienced my first taste of the incredible, the amazing, the wonderful BUCKLEY'S!

This stuff is so wonderful that last Christmas when we went to South Dakota to visit my family I packed it in my suitcase. I was feeling a little cold coming on, and I didn't want to be stuck without my Buckleys. As it turned out, I did NOT have a cold, but my brother did. I suggested he try the wonder syrup and he did. His initial reaction was the same as mine, until he felt it working! I left that bottle there with him and this year he phoned me up one day from college. "Stacy, my roommate tried the Buckley's for his cold and now he wants some. Can you send me another bottle?"

The funniest experience was the first time my dad took it! I was on the phone talking to my mom. She mentioned that Dad wasn't feeling well. I had left a bottle of Buckleys with them, and I suggested he take some. All you are supposed to take is a teaspoon of the stuff. My dad is a tough guy though. He lifted the bottle directly to his lips, took a big swig, and suddenly I heard a "YEEEOWWWAAUUGHG!" Yep, a teaspoon is all you need!"

Their slogan is "It tastes awful. And it works." I guess I'd better go and let it work on me.