She’s Back

I don’t even want to look at the date of my last entry. It’s been too long and I am the only one to blame for it. Yes, I have excuses. I’ve been sick, as in bronchitis and pleurisy. There was also a little thing like Christmas to interfere with my writing. Not to mention having company over the holiday and, more recently moving my mother from assisted living back home with dad. All while not feeling 100% and all in lousy weather.  We had mom home for Christmas week. Dad and I picked her up on Sunday, December 23 and had planned to go out to lunch first. But, no, that didn’t happen because we had this monster rainstorm while driving her home. So, instead of all three of us going out, I ended up calling the restaurant, placing a take-out order, and going back out in the rain to pick up the food. Then, of course, I had to clean up (toss the containers and put the dishes in the dishwasher, but still) after we ate. This was after I’d played for church that morning.The next day wasn’t much better.  I had to go to the candlelight service, which meant driving, which meant no codeine cough medicine. I started coughing while the offering was being collected and didn’t stop until part way through the opening of “Silent Night”. Believe me, it was anything but silent while I was hacking up a lung.Then, on Christmas, I had to play for another church. I got through that service without coughing, but felt lousy doing it. Then, I went to visit mom and dad and cook dinner for them. By the time I got home, I was exhausted. Christmas wasn’t over, though, because my sister, her husband, and my nephew came to visit the following day. Fortunately, they were able to do their own housework and they ate most of their meals out. They also understood that I was too sick to do anything with them, so they spent all their time with my parents.I spent most of the next week or so after they left on the couch with books and magazines and the TV remote. I ventured out only to visit the doctor or to pick up my newspaper or my mail. And now, suddenly, it’s January 23 and I don’t know where the past month has gone.  I’m still going to the doctor, later today, in fact, and trying to catch up with everything I haven’t done since around Thanksgiving.  I’ll be writing for the website, Black and White, that “investigates various subjects of public interest”, once we work out a few details. Stay tuned. And, yes, I promise myself to write more often now that I can actually sit at a computer again.