"NOW I HATE WINTER!"

This morning it was a balmy 13 degrees with a wind chill of 3 degrees. Fine if you are inside but I had to take my dog out in that freezing biting stinging cold. Yes, I had on a heavy coat but no gloves or hat. Reason? I didn't look at the weather forecast on tv. After about six or seven minutes outside, my dog and I were ready to run back into the house.

And now the temperature has risen because snow is on the way. And more snow in the latter part of the week.  Used to love winter and the things that are associated with it like sleigh riding, making snowmen but that was then and this is now.  My body cannot take the extreme cold.

When you have a dog, you have no choice but to make a mad dash outside when it's freezing cold, sleeting or snowing. None.

Winter and I used to have an agreement of sorts: I dealt with it and apparently it dealt with me in a not so bad way. Now not only do I now like it, I hate it. Where I live we have the four seasons for which I am grateful--spring, summer, fall and the one I am not grateful for now, winter. Fear of falling and breaking every bone in my body is not on my top ten list of things I want to do and neither is shoveling snow.  Also the frigid temperatures leave me chilling right down to the bare bone and that's with layers and layers of clothes on as well as a hat, gloves and a coat. Being stuck in the house when the streets are snow laden is not a favorite of mine either--cabin fever sets in really quick.

And it's still January with months to go with winter deciding what it wants to do--be calm or be wild.   I need a magic wand but winter wouldn't care one bit. All I can do is deal with it and hate it at this point in my life. I don't think I'm alone in my thoughts.

Sherry Hill

"THE FLU GOT ME!"

Before Christmas, I had every intention of writing a post--that is until I came down with the flu.

On December 8, 2012, I had gone to my regular doctor and had the flu shot. "Oh I'll escape it" I thought to myself because the year before when I got that shot, I wound up with pneumonia. Yep, I'm one of those lucky ones who gets adverse reactions. Two days before Christmas,  a headache started and would not go away. Lasted two days despite taking medicine for it. Then came the nausea and congestion. Chills upon chills made me take to my bed when I didn't want to but had no choice.

Christmas seemed a blur to me. Yes, family was here and I didn't have a temperature at that time so they were spared. There would be no way I'd expose them to the flu.

The next week was not fun at all. Aside from the chills, I was so congested that trying to sleep on two pillows didn't help one bit and what sleep? Called my doctor and spoke to a nurse. Described my symptoms and told her I had the flu shot. I was advised not to come to the office for it was full of people with the flu--who'd want to sit there with them anyway? A prescription was phoned in and picked up by my son who barely opened my front door and sort of threw it in. Can't say I blame him for he didn't want to get sick.

Ten morose days did not whiz by: They dragged. I dragged. Watched television some, tried to sleep some and not one thing productive was done and I didn't care.

I've now been over the ghastly flu. Apparently the flu shot I received and no doubt you might have, does not cover all the strains that are out there floating around waiting to jump on someone.

I'm sorry that I let you, the readers, down; it is not like me to not write. Perhaps I'll be writing so much that it will seem like an avalanche of stories for during that time I did a lot of thinking.

Take care of you and I hope and pray that you don't become a flu victim. Stay away from anyone that appears sick. Who wants it? I sure didn't.

Sherry Hill