Chicken Soup

I now understand why I was such a Scrooge yesterday.  I was coming down with a cold!  This is my first of the winter season; that's unusual, because by February I've typically had two or three colds.  Perhaps, as a retiree, I've spent less time mingling with people, and thus had less opportunity to pick up a "bug."  (I don't want to suggest that attending church is bad for your health, but you do come into contact with a lot of people!)  I had planned to return north today, but now I'll put that off until Monday or Tuesday.  Instead, I'll do what one is supposed to do when fighting a cold — drink liquids, get lots of rest, and try not to pass this "gift" along to others.  I have not felt free to do this in the past.  In seminary I was told that showing up on Sunday was a near-absolute moral obligation: "If you're not dead, or nearly so, you must be in church on Sunday to celebrate the Holy Mysteries!" (even if, by showing up, you make others ill).

Everyone knows, of course, that chicken soup is good for what ails you.  My recommendation for colds is a big mug of chicken broth with the juice of half a lime squeezed in.  It may seem an odd combination, but I commend it.  The humble lime is medicinal, fending off scurvy and being rich in vitamin C.  I don't know if chicken broth with lime has any impact on a virus, but it does make one feel better.

As for the house, when I talked with Kyle on Thursday, he was laying down the oak flooring, and Dave was grouting tile.  I also had a call from Sears.  They want my appliances out of their warehouse before the annual inventory is taken, so I'll have to arrange delivery on or about the 20th. •••