Today I noticed...I appreciate little words of affirmation.

I've started transitioning from one grocery service to another. So, today when I completed my grocery delivery order and selected the Place order button, I was surprised to get a message telling me that I had saved an hour. 

Now, I have known that ordering groceries online saves me time for several years. I can just click on an item to add it to my cart as I think of it and not have to wander the store browsing for different items. I also know that I much prefer sitting in the privacy of my own home and completing a grocery order rather than wandering those grocery aisles. 

Even though I know those things, to have the app provide affirmation of those facts by telling me that I saved an hour really brightened my day. 

I began to wonder what other ways affirmation might impact us.

I am going to make a point to seek out ways to provide affirmation to those I encounter. It started this morning. I completed the survey sent by the grocery delivery guy. Then, I added a little personal note in the space provided saying that we really appreciate the job he does and are grateful that he was a part of our day.

What other ways could we lift up somebody do something ordinary in our lives?

Today is the day...

I'm feeling some better. 

I slept in the bed for a three-hour stretch last night with little coughing and no shivering.

In even better news, Mike also slept in the bed for most of the night and even slept so late this morning that I tiptoed into the bedroom where he was sleeping and checked on him. That soft snore was a wonderful sound!

Since the sleeping in the bed for three-hours has happened two nights in a row - even though on night one it was a two hour stretch and then an additional hour after sitting in the chair and sleeping for a couple of hours, I have declared that I am on the way to being almost well.

To me that means I've got to tackle a project. It is not one of those projects that I thought about for months and then figured out exactly how I was going to tackle it. This project is much simpler than that.

I am going to work on getting the Christmas decorations here inside the house put away. Yesterday, I went downstairs and dug out the tubs which hold the ornaments for the tree. I put them in the wagon and pulled that to the kitchen. Today, I plan to put ornaments into one of those tubs. If I have the stamina, I might undecorate both trees. I cannot believe I just entered that paragraph. There once was a day that I could have done all of that and more within an hour timeframe. Old age and sickness ain't for sissies!

Of course, at some point I will have to put groceries away and put something together for dinner. So, we shall see how many items off the list I have in front of me get crossed off!

Just 3 Things | #13

Our house is a mess. There are little puddles of cough lozenges sitting here and there. The kitchen island has cough syrup bottles and medicine bottles and spiced tea mixed cluttering it. The Granny Cabinet (a Hoosier Cabinet that was my Granny's) has more medications and a humidifier perched upon it along with a week's worth or more of mail. There are quilts and coverlets strewn across the sofa, Mike's recliner, and the chair in the bedroom. There's a stack of jackets draped across the back of a couple of chairs in the dining area. Plus, there are still all the trappings of Christmas decorations everywhere - and the twinkling has certainly lost it's holiday luster.

Things are looking up, though. We are only coughing about half as much as we were this time last week! We are also thinking of what we want to eat as a menu instead of thinking of what we could eat to just survive. Maybe we will be back to normal before February rolls in!

- What I've Been Reading -

I've done a lot of reading as I was coughing and dozing this past couple of weeks. The reading that stands out consists of three different books.

The Nantucket Restaurant by Pamela Kelley

Three sisters and a long-time restaurant manager inherit a Nantucket restaurant from the women's grandmother. The sisters were not even aware that their grandmother owned the restaurant. So, that was a surprise. The will also stipulated that they must all work there for at least a year. It just so happened that each of the sisters was sort of at a crossroads in their lives. So, the year of work began with each addressing the running of the restaurant using her strengths. It was a bit of a twist on an age-old concept. I enjoyed reading it without a struggle to keep up with what was going on since I was dozing in and out while reading. It made me stop and think about what I might do in such a situation if I was forced to work with relatives to keep a business going. It also made me think and wonder what strengths I have that would support such a venture. 

The Family Across the Street

Every family has secrets and this neighborhood is no different. There were a couple of strands of thought going on in this selection. It really prompted me to think about a lot of different things. Do I see beyond physical appearances and really accept people for who they are? If I suspected something was really wrong in somebody else's home, would I do something about it? Do I sometimes accept the version of people that I see at first glance and not give it another thought? Would I take action if put in a life or death situation?

Theo of Golden by Allen Levi

This book has had lots of hype in the reading circles that I follow. So, maybe I was anticipating a bit too much. This was a really good book. It did make an impact on my thinking even though it wasn't earth-shattering and life-changing like some readers have said. 

It is described as "a beautifully crafted novel about the power of creative generosity, the importance of wonder to a purposeful life, and the invisible threads of kindness that bind us to one another." I think I kept wanting to have the privileges that Theo had - that deep wealth and opportunities to make a difference to others. As I was reading, it dawned on me that I really do. I may not have unbounded wealth, but I am fortunate and can share what I do have in a purposeful way. Do I do that often enough? Maybe I need to be more creative with my generosity. Maybe I need to look at more ways to live my life in a purposeful way. Maybe I need to create more invisible threads of kindness.

- What I've Been Watching -

One thing is for certain, our television has been on and playing almost 24 hours per day and seven days per week since we've been sick. Have I been watching it? Not all that much. Mike, however, has the television going whenever he is in the house. So, there have been several old westerns like Gunsmoke and Bonanza playing. Never mind that all of these shows have been viewed by him before. Heck, half the time he is reading or watching something on his phone instead of paying attention to the television anyway. He just needs the noise going, I guess. Sometimes he will stream something and it will almost always be something that would fit on The Hallmark Channel. Character has issue and returns to the farm or the small town and an old flame saves the day ending in a happily ever after. 

Yesterday morning I mentioned that I was sick of old westerns. So, that afternoon, he pointed out that he was watching something other than an old western. It was Walker, Texas Ranger - program that I thought was pretty fake when it was new. So, I told him that was not a step up, if you ask me. He didn't really seem insulted and just chuckled at my response. 

A commercial came on last night while one of the sappy movies was playing. The narrator asked, "Why do you watch live TV?" Then, there were several examples given of options for streaming programs. Mike asked me how I would answer that question and my response was, "It is for mindless entertainment for me." Then, I turned the question back to him. He chuckled and said, "I guess just to aggravate you!"

- What I'm Loving -

This week I've been loving cozy quilts and coverlets. I can wrap up and keep warm or kick one off and still be comfy. They wrap around me when I'm on the sofa with my feet propped up on the ottoman or when I'm in a chair with my feet on a footstool. Mike has done the same. 

We've also been thankful for food delivery. We had a local grocery deliver food and drinks to help keep us hydrated and medicines like cough syrup to help with the incessant coughing. Bridgette had soup delivered and a humidifier with some eucalyptus oil as well. We've ordered from several restaurants to have comfort food delivered such as chicken-n-dumplings, pizza, and pot roast with mashed potatoes. It was so nice to have a good hot meal without having to cook! We are fortunate and truly blessed.

I've also been loving different hot drinks. I start the day with hot decaffeinated tea laced with honey and lemon. I usually end the day with a cup of hot cocoa I mix up and sip on just before falling asleep in the chair wrapped in a quilt. I've also been thankful that I mixed up some home-style spiced tea before Christmas. I gave some for gifts but I had some extra little jars and I have mixed that up for sipping some throughout the day. Here is the recipe I used:

Spiced Tea Mix

• 2 cups Tang powder
• 1 cup Instant unsweetened tea granules
• 1 cup lemonade powder
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 2 teaspoons ground cloves

Mix ingredients in a large bowl. Store in airtight container. Mix 2-3 teaspoons into a cup of boiling water.

While we are muddling through around here, not all has been horrific. We are grateful to be retired and not having to be concerned with taking off work to wallow in our sickness. We are grateful to have a nice home to hole up in and isolate from the world. We are thankful for the conveniences we enjoy. We really do look forward to shaking this mess off and getting back into a more active life.

Wheezy, Whistly, Squeaky, Craggy, and Crusty

Being sickly is not for the faint of heart. If you were unlucky enough to be sent into our household right now, the sounds you would hear would vary from that of a seal barking to noise of someone trying to start a very damaged chain saw to wheezes, squeaks, and whistly, craggy, crusty sounding breathing. 

Are we better?

Yes - some.

We are no longer coughing incessantly without a break. We are not moaning and groaning.

Instead we are puffing and blowing and making all manner of noises trying to breathe with an occasional coughing jag thrown in for good measure.

We went to the doctor a couple of days ago and were prescribed medications that will, hopefully, help us out.

Mike got an inhaler, a capsule, and some cough syrup. I got a cough syrup and a couple of antibiotics. We were told to get us a couple of those gizmos that the hospital hands out when somebody is recovering from surgery that has a ball in a chamber where you inhale deeply to push it to the top of the chamber. We have been puffing and inhaling into those on a regular basis and don't let surgery patients fool you into thinking it is easy to push that little ball to the top of the chamber. It is not. It takes a lot of force and powerful lungs. Mike is better at it than I am but it can be said that we sort of suck at sucking.

Spirometer

When we described our symptoms to the Physician's Assistant a couple of days ago, she sent us to get X-Rays to check for pneumonia. She said Mike's breathing sounded, "rattly," when she listened to us with her stethoscope. 

The X-Rays showed that we both had Atelectasis = small areas of lung collapse due to intense pressure on the air sacs from severe, sustained coughing. She thought I was in, "pre-pneumonia," and prescribed the anti-biotics. She also said the spirometer (that little gizmo with the ball in the chamber that we suck) use should help us to re-expand those areas in our lungs. She also suggested taking steamy showers, using a humidifier, and lots of rest.

So, here we are. Fifteen days into the new year and still sickly. Things may be looking up, though, because we do have periods where we are not coughing. Fingers are crossed - and so are my legs. Because coughing not only applies intense pressure to my lungs...

Old age ain't for sissies!

Today I noticed...I'm always excited to start reading a new book.

Anybody who knows me very well at all knows that I am a person who is always reading a book of some sort. Most times, I am reading more than one book at a time. 

I love reading.

I love that feeling of climbing into a new place and getting to know new characters.

I love that reading lets me get lost in another world.

I love that reading helps me to relax.

So, no matter whether I have just finished a really good book or have just stopped reading a book that was bleh, I am always excited to start reading a new book.

Today I Noticed...Change is Inevitable - and I don't always like it.

I've always been one who likes to settle into cozy and familiar. I like things to be organized and routine. I like things from days gone by to still be out there and available. I resist change quite often instead of embracing it.

Our grocery store go-to has discontinued having their blue truck delivery service. I understand that staffing is probably difficult. I get it that the corporation is in business to make a profit. Yet, I sort of want to shake my fist at them and call them greedy. What I read said that the blue delivery truck service would be discontinued but they would still work with third party businesses to continue delivering. The change should provide them with a $400 billion profit in 2026. That makes me sad. Oh, I will probably continue to use the third party delivery of my groceries because I truly like online ordering and delivery to my front door. I did love the blue truck service and it saved me money over the years. Even with the third party intervention, I may switch grocery companies, however. The other grocery company in our town is nearer to our house. It is located within our county and the other company is in the next county over. So, my tax dollars will stay here in our county, if I change that up as well.  We shall see...

Another change that was made recently also makes me sad. The discontinuation of the penny. Oh, I get that it is expensive to produce the coins. But, the penny has been a monetary institution all of my life. Sadness abounds.

Then, this morning I read where the Corporation for Public Broadcasting has voted to shut down. I was frustrated with the funding cut. I wrote to my legislators and emailed them as well. Yet, the funding was still cut despite lots of people's best efforts. So, the shut down has come. Sadness abounds.

Right now I sort of feel like our whole world is in a bit of upheaval. Maybe that is just the old woman in me surfacing. I know hat change is inevitable and usually serves a purpose for bettering things. I'm not sure these changes are good for the majority of people, however.

One Step Forward and Two Steps Back

We thought we had left the Creeping Crud behind when the new year rolled around. 

Evidently we did not.

I mean, we were hardly coughing at all except at night when things always seem to get more cruddy. We had both moved back to sleeping in the bed for most of the night because the coughing wasn't such a problem. We even did some socializing - had the children and grandchildren in for dinner and celebrating, went to my mother's for dinner and celebrating and things seemed to be on the upswing for us.

Then, this past weekend, we trekked halfway across the state to attend our great nephew's wedding and the Crud seemed to all come back to both of us. We had a great time. The wedding was beautiful. The fellowship with family was fabulous. Then, when we were on our way back home, we both noticed a bit of tickle and the coughing began. 

For the past couple of days and miserable nights we have learned to cough at depths unknown to us. Our sides are aching. Our chests are tight. Our hacking and coughing is non-stop. We have holed up here at the house and moaned and groaned and coughed and carried on something fierce. I don't know if this is a relapse or something new and even more cruddy. At any rate, we are sickly, grumpy, and tired.

We are a mess!

I hope you ushered in the new year and this fresh week in 2026 with good health and heartiness. Meanwhile we are over here hacking, coughing, sucking on cough drops, moaning, groaning, and trying to wear this mess out.

Happy New Year!