I love the changing of the seasons, and I wanted to live here
so I could experience all four of them every year. However, I do not like the flu and colds that
come with the winter season, and it seems to me that friends’ illnesses has
been particularly virulent this year. My
post-Thanksgiving cold lasted almost to Christmas, and I did lots of coughing. Happily
Gerald did not catch it. Then week
before last he came down with what we called a cold, and we were grateful at
least he was not coughing when we heard so many others say they were coughing
until their ribs hurt.
Coughing or not, Gerald sounded terrible, and when suddenly
he had other symptoms, he sought medical help and found out the cold was really
a very bad sinus infection. Fortunately
it was not one of those infections resistant to antibiotics. He also had a terrible allergic rash at the
same time, and a return visit to the dermatologist for new meds solved that
problem. He is riding the exercise bike 30 minutes at a time, and he thinks he
may have cured his crippling knee pain.
His exercise discipline has inspired me to do my leg exercises two days
in a row. (I did them four days in a row
earlier in the month. I must make this a
priority because the weakness in my legs makes me walk like the old person I
am. I do not like that.)
Gerald brought me photos he had gotten off Facebook of our
three great grandsons down in Georgia Southern Illinois ,
but no snow for snowmen. Our lake is only partly frozen despite low
temperatures because Sunday was warm and sunny again. Our weather keeps bouncing from warm to very
cold. Despite all the warm days and so
far no blizzards, I think I have heard more complaints about winter weather
than ever before. Maybe that is a result
of being connected through Facebook; the weather is something we all have in
common to talk about. We have two more months of winter, so folks better accept
that cold weather will be with us at least part of the time for awhile.
Although autumn and spring are my favorites, I have happy memories
of being warm and isolated in the house during snow days when the children were
allowed to stay home from school. Popping corn and making snow ice cream were
special winter-time treats. (Later when
four-wheel drive vehicles broke that isolation and company showed up to destroy
the family closeness, I resented it.)
I have less pleasant memories of cold coming into the house
so that faucets needed to be left dripping and cabinet doors open to prevent
pipes from freezing. If we were not
diligent, I can also remember poor Gerald having to go under the house and thaw
pipes when he was already overburdened to keep baby pigs warm and the water
flowing for all the swine down in the pig buildings. If the roads were bad,
Gerald might load hogs in frigid dark early morning hours for the drive up to
the East Saint Louis
I enjoyed the challenge too although for me it was mostly a
vicarious challenge since I stayed inside. My worst challenge may have been
bundling children up to play in the snow and then soon unbundling them when
they came in with wet gloves and chilled hands throughout the day. Now none of those challenges exist for
Gerald and me, but I feel great concern for those who are homeless and for
those still struggling without proper fuel for heat this winter. I know the
cold is destroying many family budgets.
I am grateful for the churches and the shelters that open their doors to
those who need shelter and for all the volunteers and neighbors who help those
needing help.