I suppose I should have been expecting it; Will caught it first, but as Christmas approached, I could feel it coming. I took Vitamin C and zinc, ate plenty of hot peppers, but it still caught me. I didn’t even bake Christmas cookies until Christmas Eve! It was depressing since I usually bake for several days before Christmas. But I got ‘er done. Luckily, David decided to host our family Christmas dinner at his house. I helped out by bringing green bean casserole, providing the pickles, and a cheesecake. And I came early to show him how to do the ham. Then I went to pick up Javid at Orr. We had a real good time visiting, opening presents, and EATING.

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Will was in the middle of his cold and fell asleep on the couch after dinner. It was cute with granddaughter, Ava, asleep on the other couch!

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Javid will be moving to Cook next week, as there’s an opening for him at the assisted living there. That’ll be much better for all of us as it’ll be easier to visit, pick him up to come home and for him to buzz about town where there’s much more to do than in Orr. Now if I can just shake this nasty cold! I had my flu shot and pneumonia shot but it was a cold that got me down.

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Our new fridge is running great and now it’s up against the wall so I’m starting to fill it up. What a great addition that is! Our old Consul is cooling but not normally. The inside fridge temp. is about 50 degrees and the freezer about 20 degrees. Will’s still trying to figure that one out. But he’s not recovered from his cold yet so it may be a while. I don’t care. The new fridge is more than twice as big as the Consul so I sure am not whining.

I’ve still got turkey to can (frozen now) but my giddi-up has gone away for now. Soon though… — Jackie

9 COMMENTS

  1. Rick,

    Yeah, I’ve done the elderberry too. Unfortunately the birds get ours before they even begin to ripen! So no elderberry juice for Jackie. I think I’ll have to net the shorter bushes so we can harvest some. I, too, love the syrup and jelly!

  2. Jackie,

    We have had no luck with flu shots so we take 1000 units D-3 a day for each 100 pounds we weigh. Men could get away with two, small women with one. We use the Now brand which is mades from sheep’s lanolin and it has worked well for us over the years. You have to use it every day of the year though to build up your immune system. Helps with digestive issue like yours and mine as well. Good luck.

  3. The only thing worse than a winter cold is a summer cold. Hope you both recover quickly. A brite spot in winter is planning what your garden will be this summer, sure to bring on smiles. Have you ever had any experience with the weed killer Preen? Have had thoughts of trying to use it as we are absent to weed for several weeks during the growing season. We already till and mulch, but still come home to a truck load of weeds. We are careful what we put on and into our soil. Stay warm.

  4. Miss Jackie, So SORRY about those abysmal colds…..I gather wild black elderberries every late summer( for us about very end of July and early August). I juice them and can the juice for winter…It is believed to have antiviral properties….If we suspect we have been exposed to colds or flu we take a tablespoon or two of the juice every 2 hours for a day or two and it seems to prevent the illness. ( I Learned of this at a health food store, then researched it on the internet ). Elderberry juice even seems to help shorten the duration of these miseries if we begin taking it when we are first suspect we may be coming down with the junk….But if it is full blown case of Flu or cold I am not sure if it will help as I haven’t had one since I started making it my wintertime ally.

    As the bears, birds, deer and informed humans all want their share of the black elderberries in the wilds here, I have to be vigilant to get enough for my needs. I plan to take a lot of cuttings and start a patch of my own this spring. Then I’ll not need to out guess the local foragers. The critters may still be a challenge!! Black elderberry juice makes a great syrup for hotcakes when I mix it with my own honey, and I love the homemade jelly too! Rick

  5. My girlfriend wiped my cold out overnight with her grandmothers trick.Make a can of tomato soup,pour in black pepper…not a dash,but as much as you can stand……then add even more! Eat it all,then go to bed.I thought it was crazy,but it worked for me.Your results may vary.

  6. Bronchitis and pneumonia are epidemic here in WA state. My daughter works at a hospital and says the numbers are huge with a number of elderly patients dying from pneumonia. Scary stuff. Our carpenter is on his third round of antibiotics. Thankfully we are both staying well.

  7. When ever some one here starts feeling bad, I pull out the GRAPEFRUIT SEED EXTRACT. Some taste just like biting into a grapefruit seed! Mix with water. Last winter was first time I got sick. So mild…….. Was not bad. I used to be sick all winter! Between RAW milk and GSE…………..

    Sorry you were sick. It is so draining.

  8. Oh, I am so sorry that you are feeling lousy. I can sympathize. It is so frustrating looking at all the things that need to be done and not having the energy to do them. Feel better soon you guys.

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