Homebodies - Home again, home again, sniggly snot…
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- Published on Saturday, October 8, 2016
By Rita Friesen
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It happened. I caught a cold. Perhaps a flue/cold, but the results are the same. Much nose blowing, much coughing and hacking, much, much fatigue. It started my first morning in Slave Lake. Early morning I snuck into the kitchen for a spoonful of honey. I wanted instant relief from the itch in my throat, and I did not want to disturb the household. Honey worked. Short term.
By the time the family was awake I knew I needed to find the medicine chest. Fortunately, it was well stocked. With the regular ingestion of modern medicine, I enjoyed time at the lakeshore, long walks around town, love and laughter from the three generations younger than I. But by late night game time, and I have been a leader in late nights, I grumbled my excuses and headed to bed. The one morning every part of my body ached, even my flesh hurt when touched, and I longed to pull the covers over my head and hibernate for a day, or two. The sounds of children at play roused me from my daydreams and I swigged back a spoonful of Buckley’s, popped in a throat lozenge and one more little yellow pill for colds and sinuses, and faced the day. And felt the better for it.
The days were filled with so much fun. The day at the beach involved a metal detector that only located iron. Did not meet my needs, but the sun, the wind, family and the laughing dogs made the time precious. I got to go on a run with my son. From Slave Lake to Edmonton for a fill, then on to Hinton, Grand Cache and Grande Prairie. One granddaughter and her family live at grand Prairie and everyone was already there for another fun filled day. Almost twelve hours in the rig gave us opportunity to explore new thoughts, reflect on the past and offer love and support to each other as we approach the two-year anniversary of the loss of our patriarch. Needed that. One on the highlights was sitting around the kitchen table with four generations of the Friesen family, playing games and sharing ideas. Yahtzee, Double Trouble, and a new Paw Patrol board game allowed from four to seventy an enjoyable memory making time. Right along with that was getting to see the hair salon that my grandsons opened in the basement of their home. Complimentary cut and colour for grandma!
The cold lingered, threatened and annoyed, but I bulled through. Back at home I succumbed. I spent a day on the big chair, a book and a cup of tea at my side and a dog on my lap. Rest and more rest. Liquids and more liquids – who needs to sleep through a night anyway? So, a week back at home and I am still careful. When out walking I have Kleenex in the left pocket and scoop bags in the right. And the right hand knows what the left hand is doing!
