Colds

Dan seemed to always get a cold in January. You could set your clock by it. And it wasn't just your normal, everyday cold. It was a sinus swelling, chest thumping cold. I always gave him a bad time about it because he ate horribly and never took care of himself. Especially when he was driving long distances. He wasn't one to eat a pile of french fries and a hamburger. No he ate cookies and potato chips and washed them down with vitamin water. His exercise amounted to getting in and out of the truck (which is a feat, I do admit) Although when he was in Montana he could buck hay with the best of them. And he could ride a horse for hours.

I bring this up because I have a cold, the mother of all colds. I sat at home today after a night of no sleep because I couldn't breath. My thoughts have been about Dan and his colds all day. I am convinced (without any evidence) that Dan's history with Valley Fever was the cause of all of his colds. Mine are because I keep going out to jails and hanging around people who have colds.

Mother (who was a nurse) always treated our colds with Vicks VapoRub. We all hated it. A thick coating on our chest covered by flannel, a hot humidifier in our room, and lots of soup and water. I remember the sound of that humidifier in Dan's room. I remember the smell of Vicks in his room. Funny, I don't remember it in mine or Bill's. But the smell of Dan's room is sharp tonight. And I don't have any Vick's in the house.