Today's weather making up for the week inauqurated by the devil's spawn . . .

Loggerhead Shrike - not one mentioned below!

Wow is not a really good descriptive word for the weather today on the eve of Christmas 2016. It is 79 degrees, sunny with a decent breeze and all I wish to do is sit on my back porch swing and enjoy the warmth, the flowers that have survived my poor management and the flocks of American Goldfinches, Cardinals, Chickadees and Tufted Titmice. But back to my tale of woe.

Sometime last week a spawn of the fiercest devil gave me the worst chest and head cold I have ever had. Finally ended up seeing my primary care for a regular checkup and she said I had sinusitis plus all sorts of other aches especially in my right arm and shoulder. So I am now on antibiotics and also the six day treatment with prednisone along with special eye drops to clear up the allergic reaction I had two weeks ago to Restasis. Although I am feeling better the cough is almost bringing me to my knees when it decides to attack me. Hell has no fury like a coughing fit that knocks you down and out. Must admit it ticks me off but to no avail do I complain - it is what it is ( I hate that expression) and I'll just live with it until it peters out. I will miss Christmas Mass which saddens me because I enjoy the music and the time of year but I don't dare drive because all of these pills on top of my other pills makes a foggy brain - well a foggier brain than usual. I will make a super easy cheesecake for our Christmas dinner tomorrow as Big Kiddo and perhaps Puppy will come for dinner. It will be a very easy plain dinner of shrimp and corn soup, boudin and rice stuffed boneless chicken, fresh mixed vegetables, Caesar salad and white wine with my easy cheesecake for dessert. It'll be a pleasant quiet day. I need that right about now and so does P&D's Pop who has had to put up with the coughing fits from hell.

One of the sweet pluses is I have two beautiful bouquets of roses for my birthday and Christmas and I also received a box of dark chocolate covered ginger from our Oneco friends who continue to spoil me even in our absence. No matter what I like Christmas quiet or noisy; it's a heartwarming time to recoup and love our kids and their families with all our hearts and to be nostalgic for the lives we led as children when the world was perfect and so were our families.

Quote:  Jesus Christ, the condescension of divinity, and the exaltation of humanity.   _______Phillips Brooks