It's starting to look like Christmas !!! Every year, boxes of red green and gold balls, sparkling, shimmering twinkling decorations, wreaths garlands and treasured memories get filed away in nondescript cardboard boxes. The beautiful rich green boughs of our Christmas tree are hastily disconnected and little baby Jesus in his porcelain crib joins the pious figurines of Mary and Joseph, the three shabby shepherds, the opulent three kings and the various other colorful characters featuring in the story of the first Christmas. Each year boxes are opened and memories of Christmas's long ago and far away, the holiday season spent with friends and family long since departed or living in distant lands come to mind. Each ornament on my dysfunctional "memory tree" reminds me of a time or a place, a spiritual reconnection with someone or something special to us. Sometimes a smile...more often a tear, but my scruffy little mismatched memory tree holds a very special place in our Christmas home. Garlands decked with, twinkling lights and plush velvet bows snake around cupboards, Candles and wreaths transform counters and walls....steaming mulled wine, rich with oranges, lemons and cinnamon warm a body chilled by frigid winds.... Christmas is here once again.
Despite all the seasonal goodwill, happy memories.... and mulled wine, there is currently a significant amount of coughing spluttering sneezing and snorting evident in the Sikora home. Clearly, my immune system is allowing free access for all and any bugs that happen to be within 50 miles of me and, having just recovered from my British pneumonia, I have now succumbed to a particularly virulent American grown cold/cough. Being the generous, accommodating unselfish person that I am, I have shared my condition with Greg and now our uncontrolled coughing, wheezing and sneezing all happens in glorious stereo. Our bedside tables are laden with pills and potions, bottles of cough linctus and vapor rub.....we cough and sneeze from one dose of antibiotics to the next and our jolly Santa hats this year aren't going to be seasonal, just functionally warm. Timely advice....Christmas guests will be given a mince pie, mug of mulled wine and a tablespoon of cough medicine.
On a happy note, the oldest and the best ranch hand in the world, Greg's mom is (ignoring our current unhealthy condition) arriving for a month's visit to the ranch. We welcome her home and pray that the traditional Seattle climate will be kind to our Albuquerque resident. Love you Mom.
Time to go, the cuckoo clock has spoken. Take care, keep safe, M
Despite all the seasonal goodwill, happy memories.... and mulled wine, there is currently a significant amount of coughing spluttering sneezing and snorting evident in the Sikora home. Clearly, my immune system is allowing free access for all and any bugs that happen to be within 50 miles of me and, having just recovered from my British pneumonia, I have now succumbed to a particularly virulent American grown cold/cough. Being the generous, accommodating unselfish person that I am, I have shared my condition with Greg and now our uncontrolled coughing, wheezing and sneezing all happens in glorious stereo. Our bedside tables are laden with pills and potions, bottles of cough linctus and vapor rub.....we cough and sneeze from one dose of antibiotics to the next and our jolly Santa hats this year aren't going to be seasonal, just functionally warm. Timely advice....Christmas guests will be given a mince pie, mug of mulled wine and a tablespoon of cough medicine.
On a happy note, the oldest and the best ranch hand in the world, Greg's mom is (ignoring our current unhealthy condition) arriving for a month's visit to the ranch. We welcome her home and pray that the traditional Seattle climate will be kind to our Albuquerque resident. Love you Mom.
Time to go, the cuckoo clock has spoken. Take care, keep safe, M
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