Christmas and a Head Cold

After managing not to get sick for the entire year after I had Covid-19 last January, I caught something earlier this week.  Jude's guess is that the people coughing behind us during Prairie Home Companion at the Ryman on Monday night infected me.  Laughing, I suggested maybe Garrison Keillor gave me something since we were sitting in the third row, dead center, and my mouth was open in sheer joy for most of the show.  I know not but here I am, under the weather.

I began to feel a head cold coming on mid-week and by Friday, I felt terrible.  Still, I gutted out a mediation - the case settled because the attorneys were so good to work with - and I came home and when straight to bed after a large bowl of chicken and rice soup from International Market.  My favorite.  I slept fitfully and I've been tired all day.  I skipped a family outing to see the Predators play the red hot Toronto Maple Leafs tonight because I don't want to make anyone else sick.

Things could be worse, though.  I was able to run three miles this afternoon in the neighborhood, albeit more slowly than normal.  In my relative, high mileage youth, I used to run through head colds and sinus infections all the time, with the idea that I would just sweat the sickness out of me.  I tested negative for Covid-19 tonight, which was a relief.  I wasn't looking forward to becoming a four time loser.  

At present, I'm having a bourbon as I sit in a camping chair on our unfinished but soon to be screened in deck.  It's quite the project, for sure.  It's long overdue, though, and will be awesome when it's completed in a few weeks.  It's a ton of added space.  We're going to put a ping pong table out here, which I know all of us will enjoy.  The plan is to add a flat screen television, too, so we can watch football and baseball games in the fall and spring.  Jude's taken the point on the entire project and I'm grateful for that.  She's wanted a screen in deck for a long time and I'm happy she's going to have one soon.

Christmas is upon us, although the temperature today hit the low '60's.  My Christmas cards have been out for a couple of weeks, believe it or not.  I still have a some Christmas shopping to do, although I think I'm in pretty decent shape there, too.  I spent an hour + tonight in the guest room opening boxes from Amazon and other places, as almost all of my Christmas shopping to date has been done online.  It's convenient, I guess, but it's so much easier to spend money and not realize it.  Point the mouse, click, and soon enough, an Amazon box arrives at our doorstep.

JP and Joe were so relieved to finish exams.  JP, in particular, had his ass kicked, I believe, by a couple of his more difficult classed.  I worry sometimes that he's not enjoying high school as much as I would like for him to because his class load is so heavy.  He's so busy.  I hope he's taking the time to slow down, occasionally, and enjoy himself.  He's been spending time with a young lady that Jude and I are very fond of and that makes us happy.  It's strange to think that JP has three more semesters of high school left, then off he'll go to college.  Very strange, actually.

As I left the Belmont women's basketball game vs. Duke to day - they got smoked by Kara Lawson's Blue Devils - I looked around and, as is so often the case when I'm on campus, I saw ghosts everywhere.  The ghosts of JP and Joe, very young boys a decade or so ago, and a much younger me, too.  We spent so much time on campus when they were little.  

In the atrium outside the Curb Center, where the giant Christmas tree is now, Joe and I used to play (Nerf) football in the mornings before I took him to Children's House.  Today, I could almost see him chasing me after I passed the ball to myself and ran for a touchdown.  "Blue 49, Red 13, Green 24," and off I'd go, with Joe close behind me, both of us laughing.  

JP and I used to hang out in the Student Center upstairs, adjacent to the Curb, and pretend like we were in college.  He has such an active imagination which I, of course, encouraged.  Almost every night after dinner, I would take JP to Belmont while Jude fed Joe, who was still and infant.  Those were good, innocent days and I long for them sometimes.  Many times, actually.   

Before too long, I guess, Christmas will be a time when Jude and I get the boys back a home for a couple of weeks.  Then, inevitably, we'll get them for a few nights, then maybe not at all after they have kids.  Time sure gets by you, doesn't it?