Whatever that was that I was complaining about yesterday turned into something else overnight. I was sure I was just having a bad allergy day, and I felt a little guilty about inflicting it on myself by overdoing the yard work. But no, I have a cold. And I got it honestly, from Aiden, whose sniffles I helped wipe off when I saw him the other night. Little did I know. But I wouldn’t trade the experience. I’ll gladly suffer.

It does make me feel better about getting back in the yard, once this onslaught is behind me. And it’s also good to know I have a cold, because I know what to do about a cold. I drink a lot of water (and herbal tea and orange juice and cran-grape), and I wait it out. If possible, I get a little more sleep than usual, although sleep comes even harder when you’re struggling to breathe.

I’ll tell you how long it’s been since I’ve been sick this way. Last night I was looking through the medicine cabinet for something that might help, and all my cold remedies seemed to have expired in 2004. I did find one box of decongestant tablets that said “10/06” on the side, so I took a couple of those. It seemed to help get me through the night.

Staying at home and lying around all day again today wasn’t an option. I had to get to the bank to deposit my paycheck, so that my rent check would be covered. And while I was there I stopped at the supermarket and picked up a few things, including some Nyquil capsules. I’ve always used the liquid form, but I think these might not taste as nasty. I’ll see how they work tonight. And I’ll see if they make me feel any better tomorrow.