Contrary to rumor, I am still alive though l use that term loosely. I coughed for a long while last night then finally fell asleep as it was getting light. I slept until 2:45. I didn’t get my x-ray yesterday as they had no technician. I will try again tomorrow at a different clinic. I also hope to do that dump run and blood test.

I find myself talking more to the dogs. They tend to be patient and seemingly attentive. They haven’t started answering me yet. I’ll let you know.

My world is quiet. The wind which toppled tree limbs and knocked down my fence has finally moved on. It sounded like a hurricane. Even Henry and Nala kept looking at the ceiling.

The sky is pretty as the sun sets behind deep yellow clouds. Today was warm, in the 40’s. I was out but only for two minutes getting my newspaper.

When I was a kid, I didn’t cook or clean. My culinary skills were limited to a sandwich and a bowl of soup. I was partial to a fluffernutter sandwich and tomato soup though I would never turn down chicken noodle.

Okay, having been housebound for so long, my usual witty banter is waning. Please be patient.

Today I slept the morning and a piece of the afternoon away. It was 2 when I dragged myself out of bed. It was another night of coughing, the old three steps forward and two steps back. I called my doctor. His nurse practitioner and I will do a tele health appointment in about 15 minutes.

I am taking today off as I am exhausted. The nurse has set me up for a chest x-ray tomorrow so we can eliminate pneumonia. I need to take another Covid test. I am grumpy!

This morning I played my usual game. Without asking either Mr. Google or Miss Alexa, I tried to figure the day of the week. I saw the Sunday paper on the floor. Is it Sunday still? I woke up on the couch with both dogs snuggled. Had I napped or slept there all night? The back door was open. All night? My cable box showed the time: 11:30. The sky is blue. The sun is bright. Last thing I remembered was snow and rain. I got it!! I figured it out! Ta Da! It’s Monday!!!

I do feel better except I still have a heavy cough which has settled in my chest. I have a small bit of energy so I may bring trash to the car trunk but I don’t want to go hog wild. I am going to change my bed. I’m thinking slowly with breaks between sheets.

I have a tiny grocery order coming. Soon enough I’ll have bread, cream, coffee filters and Snickers, with a buy two get two coupon so I did. Did I mention java chip ice cream, for my throat of course.

Yesterday, a student from way back saved me. She dropped by and brought me presents. She brought me conversation, someone to talk to for a bit. She brought her chicken soup with pasta which I yummed my way through. That was my first food in almost four days, and it was scrumptious. I even have some left for today. She salved my spirit with a box of chocolates. She surprised me with drawing markers and drawing paper which appealed to my inner muse. She made my day, even my week!!

In Ghana, we always discussed our ailments. I’d see a volunteer I hadn’t seen in a while, and we’d stop to catch up. How’s everything at your school, village, town, city or site? What’s new? We never discussed the common ailments we all shared like diarrhea and catarrh, a dry season malady. They were givens. We discussed spectacular ailments like tropical rashes, worms, dengue fever and cholera when it appeared. We chuckled at Friedman’s disease named after a friend who had a horrid tropical skin rash. We had made up the name of the disease but it became part of the disease lexicon as if it were real. What a legacy!!