I came down with Covid last week. I woke up one morning with lungs that felt like I had been out partying the night before and smoked two packs of cigarettes (though I’ve never actually done this so I’m only guessing).The discomfort quickly spread to the rest of my body and I ended up in bed for a week. Along with Covid, the snow came in on little cat feet and blanketed the landscape with quiet. What a good time of year to be sick, if a person is going to be sick, that is!
Although my body felt great discomfort, I thoroughly relished having an excuse to slide to a screeching halt. I pulled the plug on all my to-do lists and the busy outside world. Although my body ached, the pain was offset by the lovely sensation of being entirely relaxed, at ease and comfortable in my bed. Since I had a lot of chills, I dug out my down sleeping bag; the tag said it’s supposed to keep me warm down to 20⁰. That is enormously humorous. If it was that cold I sure as heck would not be outside! I piled my electric blanket on top of the puffy down and the lovely warmth penetrated to my core. The snow produced a serene atmosphere that beautifully matched my mood. Every afternoon, sleep would lure me to into my warm and cozy bed and it was beyond delightful.
I always keep a big bowl of fresh lemons in the kitchen because a splash of lemon often accentuates flavors and they look pretty. Jerry reminded me to stay hydrated so I filled a pitcher with water and added vitamin C powder, honey and the juice from several lemons. I had a couple of jugs of Crystal Geyser spring water which is bottled near Mt. Shasta. Mt. Shasta has quite the reputation for being supernatural and some believe it has a sacred spring with magical powers. The drink not only tasted good, it felt like a wonderful healing elixir.
I didn’t have much appetite but knew I needed to eat so I cooked a big pot of red potatoes and mashed them up with lots of butter, green onions and parsley. I ate many Scarlett ruby red grapefruits; their intense flavor and extra juiciness makes regular grapefruits seem boring. Randal dropped off homemade chicken pot pie – the best I’ve ever eaten – and that will be the subject of a column soon if he can remember to write down the recipe!
In a certain sense being sick with Covid was a pleasurable experience. I’m looking forward to being restored, refreshed and reset when spring soon arrives.