Christmas

 

I don't get to claim this photo.  Liz took it in The Maribor Park while visiting her friend, Petra, and her family.  I think it is an amazing photo.  I was home being sick at the time.

This extraordinarily-large tree is also in the park.

We have been on lockdown for so long we are beginning to get a little antsy.  However, we got fairly good news this week.  The government has decided to ease restrictions from noon on Christmas Eve until curfew begins (9:00 pm) on Christmas Day.  People can travel about the country, and we are allowed to have up to 6 people gathered together from up to one other household in our homes.   And most stores are also allowed to be open during those times.

    Who would have thought such a little easing would have us so excited?!?  The reason we are so excited is that it is enough that we can have each group of young missionaries over to our home (one at a time) so we can feed them Christmas dinner and spend some time with them.  This means we will eat Christmas dinner 4 times - 5:00 and 8:00 Christmas Eve with the two groups of sisters, and then noon and 6:00 Christmas day with the two groups.  Yeah!  Turkey with all the fixins over and over.  Yum!

I have had bronchitis for several weeks now, but it is finally beginning to clear up.  I take expectorants, antibiotics, and an asthma inhaler, as well as OTC Zinc and Vitamin D3.  It really sucks, especially the inhaler - it has little tablets in it.  You press a plunger to crush the tablet, give it a second, then suck it in and hold it for several seconds.  It is so caustic, you have to rinse out your mouth after inhaling, and it hurts all the way down into the lungs.  But it does help and I am getting over the bronchitis.

    Something in all those medications makes me sleepy.  About every 3rd or 4th day I sleep for about 18 hours.  Weird.

A few weeks ago we were in Ljubljana for a doctor appointment.  While I was waiting, I noticed this clock on the wall.  It is simply a mounted photo with a clock movement in it, and numbers stuck on.  Simple!  Pure genius!  I like it.  I think I'll make some when we return.

While I was sick, I was sitting around a lot because I'd get out of breath every time I got up and moved around in the least amount.  I watched some movies, but then I started reading The Lord of The Rings again.  I've read it many times before, but I find great delight in reading it over.  In fact, I have read it so many times I've literally worn out two copies.  They were only paperback copies, but still, they were dog-eared and shredded.  I've also given away several copies of it.