When to Declare Yourself Cured

I discovered that declaring yourself free of a bad cold is not as easy as it sounds. What do you do with the lingering cough and constant need of tissues? Craving extra sleep at night AND a nap in the afternoon are not indicators that all is well. I couldn’t answer the question, “Why am I able to taste food only every other day?” Senses that come and go made no sense. Tasteless comments about food were becoming old.

I’m here to tell you that, after much home research, I now have the answer. Well, it works for me. The definitive test involves a vaporizing rub. Your brand might be Vick’s, but mine is a miser’s knockoff. Take the cap off, get your nose as close as possible without infecting the contents, and take a deep sniff. If you can smell it, you are good to go. I still cannot smell it; therefore, I am not cured. The active ingredients are Camphor, Eucalyptus Oil, and Menthol. If you cannot register any of those odoriferous ingredients, you should not be mingling with other human beings. Unfortunately, my family is stuck with me, and they have nowhere else to go.

Before I discovered this over-the-cold test, I went out with John and grandson David, hunting a waterfall. We drove to the other side of Asheville to Old Fort to see Catawba Falls. The parking lot was upgraded only a year or so ago, and the trail is now open to the public. The walk was easy until we came to a major stream across the path. People were taking two routes – one involved a huge step and scooting on one’s bum across a slanted boulder before walking on fallen trees. The other route involved good balance, where you needed to leap nimbly across rounded stones that were not very close together. John told David to go on, that he would stay with me while David explored. Despite being there for a long time, I took only one photo to show my watery stopping place. The trail shows in the upper part of the picture. The logs people walked on are on the right, and the leaping stones are across the middle. Just on the other side of those stones was a cascade where the water fell several feet. On a summer day one might risk stepping in water up to the ankle, but I deemed it too cold to risk having wet feet for an hour or so.

I picked one photo to keep from David’s collection showing Catawba Falls. It was lovely, and I’m sure it had a wonderful sound in person. I’m content with having heard a video of it on line.

Being not cured of a cold, I overrode David’s request to go to a German restaurant in Black Mountain. I wouldn’t have been able to taste the food. We went to “FRESH – Wood-fired Pizza” that son John $pencer and Rose took me to for a birthday present. With the generous help of red pepper flakes, I was guaranteed to taste the pizza. Now back to serious, recuperative naps.

Well Enough to Write about It

Due to one horrendous head cold, the new year did not start for me until Epiphany (January 6). It all began with a bit of chest congestion, resulting in discrete coughs at the New Year’s Eve party. It fooled nobody.

My head filled up with fluid, which I do not have to describe. You’ve all been there. Eyeballs seemed twice their usual size and squeezed out tears that ran down my face. That pressure, of course, caused the brain to go totally stupid for days on end. The periods of waking were scattered throughout daylight and darkness. Explosive sneezes, properly focused, could have tunneled through a North Carolina mountain. Amplified coughs would have made an excellent fog horn on the coast. My lungs produced sounds like an out-of-tune calliope. I could have played a very sad tune with them.

John was smart. (Say in a posh English accent), “He went to his club for the duration.” The train club in Tennessee was already on the calendar, but he was fortunate to miss the worst of my debilitation.

There was measurable progress when I moved the tissue box from my lap and would venture five feet away from it. The brain was what I missed most. It finally went from the speed of stupid to merely “slow”. When I considered myself almost well, I lost cream cheese I took out of the refrigerator. I left Greek yogurt in the laundry room, rescued by John.

Grandson David did what he could to help, but he was working most of the time. It was son John $pencer who took care of me and kept the household running during the worst of this monster cold. He cooked for himself and David, and he kept the kitchen clean. Marvelous! I have only one photo to show for it. $ made himself and me a breakfast burrito that was hearty, attractive, and good for us. He knew I couldn’t taste it at all, but it did clear my sinuses for a while!

I lost a week, but that’s not all I lost! I now weigh less than at the beginning of Fat Season (Thanksgiving through January 1). Don’t get excited; it was ounces, not pounds. Considering I usually gain five pounds in that period, I’m way (weigh) ahead of the game this year.

The day I figured I would survive, I saw a lovely bow in the sky. There was neither rain nor snow where I was standing, but the sun shone on clouds to make a rainbow or snowbow.

Sweet Moment of 2019

Our dear neighbors came to see in the new year with us. We enjoy the easy conversation and teasing when this group gets together. I laughed when I looked at the quick snaps. Although the photographic quality was poor, I could mentally draw a line through the room separating the men and women. Everyone joined in, so that arbitrary line did not separate us.

This was the first year that neighbor Logan (9) stayed up until midnight with us. He was absorbed in his new tablet and seemed to delight in sharing it with grandson David. We appreciated David’s spending a great deal of time with him. The camera caught a sweet moment to end the year.

A Christmas Thought

I’ve heard the Gospel accounts of the birth of Jesus all my life. Amazingly, almost every year something shines out of the story to catch my attention. This year I thought of how God called two groups to see his son. The rich and the poor had special invitations for a birthday shower. The poor group of shepherds were terrified of the heavenly host, but they immediately went to Bethlehem to see the baby the night he was born. I’m assuming the Persian kings were rich enough to be globe-trotters of the day, and God got their attention with a celestial incident. My conclusion: God wanted everyone to know of his extraordinary act to rescue mankind. Both Jews (shepherds) and Gentiles (the magi) received notice.

What gifts did they bring to the party? Most people know the wise men brought gold, frankincense, and myrrh. The shepherds gave their hearts – they left the stable, glorifying and praising God, telling everyone they met what had happened.

God’s message remains the same. He’s dying to let us know that he loves each of us with an everlasting love.

John sent me this link to the King’s College Choir singing In the Bleak Midwinter. https://www.bing.com/search?q=youtube+in+the+bleak+midwinter&form=EDNTHT&mkt=en-us &httpsmsn=1&msnews=1&rec_search=1&plvar=0&refig=e4bc064a355a47bf8d8dda da745eebc7&PC=DCTS&sp=1&qs=SC&pq=youtube-in+the+bleak+mid+winter&sk=PR ES1&sc=8-31&cvid=e4bc064a355a47bf8d8ddada745eebc7&cc=US&setlang=en-US

Hiking from the Hostel

Rose and dog Sadie left in the morning for a Christmas visit with her family. By late afternoon we were in hostel mode. Son John $pencer bunked in with grandson David to give his room to Bob, a hiking friend of long standing. We had a leisurely breakfast before driving the two to Cataloochee to hike. Even though it was not prime grazing time, we saw a herd of elk resting in the valley.

I zoomed in to get this. The elk were across a large meadow.

The fellows let me take their picture after they strapped on their backpacks. They planned to hike back to a peak we can see from our living room window. It isn’t right in our back yard, but it is pretty close.

Bob and John ready to hike for a couple of days

Picturing Love

We went to the midnight service on Christmas Eve and the one on Christmas morning. If I had photos to share, they would show ordinary people gathered to worship God. We are common people loved by our extraordinary God. Sharing faith draws us together to love each other. What a celebration we have every year, because God sent his son to become one of us!

I hope our love shines through photos taken at home, beginning with Sadie, who had an immediate attachment to her new chew toy.

John and grandson David handed out gifts from under the tree. This was the best photo of the tree this year. Decorating the tree was a labor of love, one that I always leave entirely to John.

Son John $pencer held Sadie as Rose put treats in the dog’s main Christmas gift. That kept Sadie busy for the rest of the morning.

Family and neighbor friends watched the flaming of the Christmas pudding, a show we always enjoy. Our neighbors are very special, and we were blessed that half of our favorites could be with us. The others had family activities elsewhere.

John, Dawn, Jeff, and Connie watching the flame. Pumpkin roll waits patiently.

For the foodies: We had baked Brie with crackers, spinach dip with chips, a casserole of chicken and stuffing, frozen cranberry salad, glazed carrots, broccoli with Hollandaise sauce, homemade rolls (not tasty at all) Jell-o cottage cheese salad, Connie’s delicious pumpkin roll, and Christmas pudding with hard sauce.

Birthday

My 77^th birthday was one of the most delightful ever. First, there was the surprise party in New York with relatives and friends of long standing (not calling them old). Between that and my real birthday, I received lots of lovely cards, e-greetings, and phone calls. I was humbled by all the attention from around the world.

After church, I was given a fun story to write. Surely that counts as a gift. Ed and his wife were flying to Texas the next day to spend Christmas with relatives. Did he have a big family? Oh! My! Yes! He had 35 first cousins!! Those 35 were descended from 11 children, so Ed began life with 10 aunts and uncles. John and I wanted to know if he knew everyone’s name. You could see the wheels turning, so I suspect he could pull those names out, given time. He explained that every family member has a number. His dad was the seventh child, and Ed was his firstborn, so Ed’s number is 71. I think that is brilliant. If you know the number of the person you are talking to, you know exactly where s/he belongs in the family tree.

Rose and son John $pencer met us to go to a Thai restaurant north of Asheville. I last had Thai food three or four years ago, so I was excited about it. We shared an appetizer – spring rolls, crab Rangoon, and dumplings. John and grandson David chose orange sesame chicken, and Rose had a tofu dish. It didn’t matter what $ ordered, because he chose the hot version and probably couldn’t taste anything because of the searing heat. He turned all shades of red, while insisting he loved his food. I had pineapple curry with salmon that was only mildly spicy.

I asked $ to take a selfie of us, but we didn’t all fit in. $ overheard a family conversation at the next table, so when one of them offered to take a photo of all of us, he asked, “Are you also celebrating a birthday?” They were. It was a young woman on the far side of their table, so we waved and called greetings to each other.

At home, I quickly looked at messages. Having had the phone silenced during church and dinner, I was behind. Neighbor Shawn texted to ask if they could come over in the evening, and neighbor Marla said she and her mother would like to bring something to our house. That was the beginning of the best impromptu birthday party. Connie and Marla arrived wearing festive Santa hats.

Sadie was enthralled when Logan arrived. Their play was so active that both boy and dog were blurred in the photo. Shawn, our son $, and Bob were in the background.

I liked the picture of everyone at the table after we devoured the cake $ bought. It was marvelous to have this congenial group together. I couldn’t have dreamed of a better celebration.

Rose, John $, Connie, Marla, David, Shawn, Logan, Bob, and John

Stony Brook Family and Friends

Sister Barbara can turn any space into a festive party venue. We had a light supper in the living room after church and breakfast the next day in the sun-filled dining room.

We walked on Main Street, the place where I used to walk when we lived in Stony Brook. I got a quick photo at the millpond, but it was much too cold to linger. We walked back to the car as quickly as possible to thaw our faces.

David, Barbara, and John at the millpond

Our nieces and nephew visited in the afternoon. It was amazing how much great nephew Thomas had grown. His little brother Ellie is now a year old, and he was a mere infant the last time I saw him. The boys played together nicely while the rest of us chatted.

I liked the photo of Tonja and Catherine ( sisters-in-law) with Ellie.

Barbara served dinner for twelve, making it seem as easy as putting out snacks. It was delightful to visit with old friends from church. Resident Sophie and her niece Sara expedited the serving and cleaning up.

My birthday was the last thing on my mind. I put off thinking about it until this trip was over. It was a total surprise when Barbara came in with two pies, one headed my way with candles blazing. I have good breath control but no aim to speak of. It took both a huff and a puff to get the symbolic candles out. Who knew you needed to practice candle-blowing? I should be in good form Sunday when I turn 77. There should be no hoopla, although John always buys a luscious chocolate cake to celebrate. I like things so low-key that they almost fall off the piano.

Barbara, Sophie, Judy, Pat, Thom, David, Al, Karen, Anne, Ruth, and John

We stopped in New Jersey to see daughter Kate on our way to North Carolina. She was called into work early, so we talked with her as she set up her check-out area. It was fun to see her scan groceries and pack them efficiently.

We had a pleasant drive back to North Carolina, a trip of 16.5 hours. Now, on to Christmas!

A Pre-Christmas Day in New York

Even the drive into Manhattan was exciting, but I’ll not share the distant photos or the shots of buildings that are ho-hum to many. We posed in the entrance of St. Thomas Episcopal Church on Fifth Avenue – grandson David, John, sister Barbara, Sophie, brother Thom, and Sara. Sophie lives in Barbara’s and Thom’s home, and her cousin Sara is visiting for the Christmas break. This was Sara’s first visit to New York.

We had pews near the front for the noon service of lessons and carols.

From my seat, I took a photo of the front of the church. The huge Advent wreath was prominent. I wanted to show the creche in the center, too.

It’s the norm for the choir to have a quick rehearsal just before the service, and we’re often early enough to hear it. John immediately noticed that only the men were practicing. He had a feeling the boys were not going to sing, even though they were on the schedule to be there. Sure enough, the rector announced that because of the danger of ice falling, the boys were not allowed to leave their residence a few blocks away. He said there was heightened awareness of danger because a woman had been killed by falling debris only a few days before. Ice from sleet the night before was the present danger. As the service progressed, we became aware of how that affected what we heard. The twelve men would normally have sung the bass, tenor, and counter tenor (alto) lines. Boys always sing the top line. Five of the men shifted to share the soprano and alto lines, parts they had not rehearsed before. The director stood with them and was singing, something he normally would not do. The choir sounded as if they had intended to sing the music that way all along. We were totally impressed with their mastery of this quick change.

As the service ended, John looked back and said, “You won’t believe how many people are here. The church is full.” It’s amazing that so many came at noon on a Wednesday.

We approached the tree at Rockefeller Center from the back.

I took David’s face with the trunk of the tree to show how large the tree was. Santa Claus was skating at the ice rink in front of the tree. The skaters and crowds were enjoying him.

Can you find Santa skating on the right?

We walked around to the side where I took a shot of the tree that included the waterfall behind the golden statue. You might have to use imagination to see that.

I pushed myself to keep up the New York pace of walking. People appeared to be just walking, and I was almost running. I think I kept my tongue inside my mouth, but a dog would have been panting! There were people from many nations, identifiable by appearance and/or language.

One mini-conversation in English made me laugh. A man was loudly telling his companion, “I saw Bill there. He was in my class in school.”

The woman rolled her eyes outrageously and said softly and clearly, “Shut up!”

Barbara had wanted us to eat at a special restaurant where the wait staff sing to you at your table. They are actors hoping to land a part in a musical. The line to get in was too long, so John drove us to Queens to eat. Sophie,with her musical laugh, and Sara, with her beaming smile, were happy to experience a meal at a New York diner.

As we finished eating, a snow squall worked its magic, turning everything white. Thom, Barbara, and David posed with the snow before getting in the car.

Traffic was very heavy on the way out. We had five minutes to spare before the Advent service at our old church in Setauket. Friend Ruth had all the Chrismons laid out, and Thom and Liann shared the symbolism of the ornaments. Everyone participated in hanging them on the trees. That is instant decorating! How wonderful it was to see our former church family there!

I think we were gone about 12 hours, having a marvelous day with people we love.

Advent 3

The third Sunday of Advent has the theme of joy. We had a joyous day, starting with our service of lessons and carols. John and grandson David sang in the choir for both services. I took a photo from my seat, though it’s not a good one. If I look closely, I can see my men in the back row, David wedged under the eave on the left and John with the red eternal candle appearing to sit on his head on the right.

I was too far back to get a good shot of the chancel, though it does show how crowded the front was. In the center was a teen-aged angel holding a toddler cherub. Mary was a 14-year-old with a live baby, her cousin I think. The wise men and shepherds were sitting on the floor, hidden by the music stands of the orchestra. Also in front were the stands for the bell choir. Despite the crowded conditions, bell ringers moved freely from the congregation and choir to their stands. Maybe the children had angelic assistance to get to the chancel. The readers were in the back, reverently reading the Scripture on which the music was based. I can see the pianist on the far left and the director with his back to us.

What do choir members do when they are off-duty? They sing, of course. There was a pot-luck dinner for the musicians and readers at a member’s home. After we ate, we were invited to the living room to sing carols and Christmas songs. Pianist Lula and director Kevin were sitting on either side of the hanging wreath. I believe Kevin teaches guitar at the college level, so he was able to accompany us on any song we chose. Several people used their phones to call up all the words. It was a fun time for all.

For punsters: As we were leaving, David put COKES on the stairs while he fetched his sweater. The hostess asked if he were getting COATS, and we said yes, and that we would COAX him to leave.