What have I been so busy with that I couldn't sit down and do any writing for several weeks? I'm not sure. I do remember Bill and I sat on the deck a lot and admired how green the dozen trees in our parklike backyard were getting. And then there's been the matter of the Cold From Hell that I caught eleven days ago. It started ever so innocently with just a tad bit of dryness and a bit of scratchiness in my throat two Fridays ago. Then on Sunday a tiny little dry cough started. By Monday, I was sure that I was coming down with something when I woke up and sounded hoarse when I talked. By then, it was too late to have stayed out of Addy's face. Tuesday hit me with a hammering cough. One that hasn't stopped yet.

I really don't know how I got through the next couple of days before I broke and went to a doctor. The coughing was so bad that I had to hold my head down with my hands because it felt like it would explode. The ensuing headache was bad. Stumbling into the bathroom and ransacking the medicine cabinet, I put any and every thing down my throat related to colds, sinuses, and coughs. Nothing really seemed to help but I kept chugging the stuff down anyway.

By Friday, my coping skills gave up. It was after regular doctor's hours so I had to go to an Urgent Care center. I was diagnosed with an "upper respiratory infection" and given some pills that were supposed to help calm down the cough. Hmmm, upper respiratory infection. Isn't that long and tedious for common cold? Only I don't think this cold is all that common. The day after the Urgent Care visit I developed wheezing in my esophagus and finally had the runny nose along with an elevated temperature. Why didn't they show up before I went to the doctor so that maybe he could have put down "severe upper respiratory infection"?

For several nights, I kept myself and Bill up with my coughing. Then usually about 1:30 a.m. I was able to find a position that allowed me to sleep only waking up every two hours from the coughing. Naturally, Bill ended up getting this cold, too. So he and I have been suffering together. For some reason, though, the lucky dog doesn't have the troublesome cough when he sleeps.

Addy and Amy were the first two unfortunate victims of my cold. They contracted it the day after I knew I had it. They ve had a bit of a cough but not this mind numbing one I've got, thank heaven. Poor Addy has a constant stream of yellowish mucuous streaming down her nose and hates having her nose wiped. She's had trouble sleeping which, of course, means that the parents then, too, have trouble sleeping. Todd seems to have a milder version of this thing now, too. I guess it's fitting that she who got it first should have it worse. The only thing we can't figure out is where I picked it up from. I don't go anywhere except to the grocery store and the library.

Hmmmm. Could that be a clue?

The most interesting thing about this cold is that for five days I couldn't taste anything or smell anything. That gave me a break from the foul tasting cough syrups and lozenges but made for entertaining eating. I couldn't tell if I was hungry or not while not having taste buds working properly. It sure brings the textures out, though.

I have got to be better by Friday. All the Muckheads and I have scheduled a trip to Tennessee to visit with the oldest brother and his wife. Second oldest son went down there to live two months ago. The third oldest son and his wife and daughter are coming up to Tennessee. So the rest of us are going down. The last time all of the siblings were together was when Grant got married 1 1/2 years ago which was also in Tennessee. I love it when all my kids are together at the same time. It's a rare event.