Cold and colds

Not only is it the coldest season on record, but it's been the season of lingering and recurring colds.  I spent the better part of the day in bed, and am still a little foggy from four different types of cold medicine - not all at the same time.  I thought with vitamins and breakfast fruit, I had beaten the odds, but the colds are definitely winning this year.

It was frightening to flip through the temperatures where everyone was living this past week.  Chicago -13.  Rochester -4.  Pittsfield. -1.  Princeton 4.  DC 12.  Yikes.  Then yesterday it was up in the 50s.  Last Sunday ice fishing, today people could have gone canoeing on the lake. Last Monday, when it was 1 degree here, I went over to take some pictures of the preservation project; people were out working and it was brutally cold.  I stayed for only 30 minutes and that was enough for me.  One more sign of the cold: we've almost gone through the woodpile I set aside for the winter.  Fortunately, winter's almost over.  Right?

The glow of the holidays is over;  Marge and Lew had come up for a new year's eve dinner with Mary's high school friends.  The big news is that we actually made it to midnight, and a little beyond.  Last Sunday we took down the tree.  We still have the big wreath up, but we haven't lit the lights since new year's eve.  And so, it's back to work and back to our routines.  

Did you all make new year's reservations?  I did but I can't really start until May when I am finished (hopefully) with school.   That's the best new year's resolution, one that doesn't begin for another five months.  What is mine, you ask?  Swimming.  Learn how to swim properly.

Odds and ends.  Two birthdays last week: Jeffrey and Margaret.  Happy days!  Marilyn had knee surgery this week, and has bounced back quickly. Not so happy a day, but it will mean happy days to come. Mary went with her swim team to a meet yesterday, and she swam in five different races.

We spoke with Joe last week, and he was getting ready to go back to work after two weeks off, part of which he spent in Paris.  Sweet.

So, we're watching football and Downton Abbey and Chris Christie press conferences, at least John Stewart and Stephen Colbert's takes on them.  Not sure which is more entertaining.

Outside of school reading, I am working my way through two Christmas books: one on Bush and Cheney and the other on the history of the Book of Common Prayer.  I am trying to find the connection between the two, other than that they are both interesting reads.  

I ran out of photos from the week, so I found one from the files.  Those were happy days, and warmer ones as well.  Stay warm.

Love from up here.