Oh no!! I have a cold coming. My throat is raspy, my nose congested, my head aching and I’m coughing a bit. I’m going to lie low today so no game night. I haven’t had a cold since I retired so I’m hoping this is just a random series of symptoms.

Henry slept with his paws and head on my lap, the very first time he’s done that. I was thrilled and amazed.

Today is sunny but cold, around 32˚. Tonight will be even colder. Snow is forecasted for Tuesday, but we will get only and inch or two before it turns to rain. Luckily, after the rain, it will be above freezing so no ice.

When I was buttering my toast this morning, one of my mother’s stories popped into my head. She told us that during the war butter was heavily rationed; instead, they bought oleo margarine. It needed far fewer points than butter. The oleo was white so a packet of yellow food coloring was included to make the oleo look more like butter. My mother said it was awful tasting. That memory meant we always had butter.

The only time I didn’t use butter was in Ghana. I used margarine. It came in a large can with a blue label. I think it came from the Netherlands. The only times I’d buy the very expensive butter was for holidays. The butter came in a can and was from Australia. I used it when I made Christmas cookies.

I am a coffee snob which is probably because of my time in Ghana. I drank Nestlé instant coffee and Carnation canned milk, also made by Nestlé. After a while, I didn’t mind. I think I killed my taste buds.

I love jollof rice, a Ghanaian dish. I think I ate it just about every night I was in Bolga on my last trip. Some Ghanaian foods I really don’t like, kenkey being one of them. It has a sour taste and sour isn’t a favorite palate for me.

Mostly I don’t cook full meals for myself out of pure laziness. If I cook a chicken, it is two nights for dinner, chicken sandwiches for lunch and chicken salad at the end when I tear the chicken apart. For full evening meals, I usually buy already mashed potatoes, but I always cook a fresh vegetable. The last couple of nights I have had cereal for dinner. Now I’m out of cereal and milk. I wonder what’s in my freezer.