Boxing Day 2024

A cough started today, and it got terrible. I have little sleep, but I am feeling better Friday morning. Thursday’s story will be short and cover a few things as I am tired and still coughing here and there.

I rose early and started coughing more than usual. Deborah told me that the mold makes her cough when the winter freeze breaks, and I thought that may be the issue. It has been years and years since I have been in Michigan for winter. It manifests as a post-nasal drip that is causing my lungs to react. Ugh!

I started to pack early as it was a hotel change day. Off to the greater Detroit area again. I had four loads of stuff for the car, including things that needed a frig. I have to do a repack for my trip to New Hampshire next week and wash my clothing. I am also mostly out of clean clothing. I brought lots of clothing for this trip, but I knew one day would be for doing laundry. Deborah has offered a quiet day at her house while we play board games and do laundry.

I checked out of the Hilton with Air Kia, which is now loaded. I headed to Lansing from East Lansing and discovered that the gaming store, Hoplites, opens in the afternoon. I will miss them. I head to Summit near the Capital and am shocked that the Peanut Store is not open on Boxing Day, but the gaming store is open at 10!

The staff at Summit is not the same as last time, but soon, I was searching for those unique items I found at their store. And I was not disappointed, and spent over $30 on two items I had not seen for sale before. Excellent.

I have breakfast one last time for this trip at Homewood Suites by Hilton, and the cough worsens. Maybe a cold and not alergies. Ugh! I call Leta; she has a terrible cold but agrees to have lunch before I head out.

I walk to the old theater and see a store inside the building, now an incubator for small stores, and buy a lovely card from the store. I chatted with the store owner about her uranium glass on display. The glass creates alpha particles when exposed to light, but those are stopped by a single sheet of paper. It’s not a risk, but it makes some folks nervous, especially if you have a Geiger counter (I do). I have a sugar bowl, creamer, and some absinthe glasses from the odd-colored green glass (which glows in UV).

The place reeks of mold, and soon, I am not improved by the exposure. I leave and breathe better. I took Air Kia to Panera Bread near the Lansing Mall and met Leta soon. Leta is much worse than me. We both have chicken soup, and Leta insists she buy lunch. I give, a sad moment, the wedding bands, engagement rings, and some other jewelry from Susie for Barb, Susie’s sister. It was a moment I dreaded, but I am happy to send the jewelry to their next life as family items. I also gave Leta the information on one last insurance policy on Susie, which we discovered needs some basic information to pay off. It was a pleasant lunch, and we discussed my plan to be back in April for a few days if we can make that work–the planning is in light pencil.

With my cough not improving, I head to Flint to reach the Greater Detroit Area. In the fast driving of Michigan, it is wise to take highways that head in the wrong direction to get the right road, as 80+ makes up for the extra driving. I stopped once to prove hydration and reach the Holiday Express in less than 90 minutes. My room, now 303, is much like my last one but strangely cold, and I head to Meijer’s (the local grocery and everything store) and get some cold products. This is added to the collection I got at Wallgreens in Lansing, stopping there before lunch with Leta.

I discovered the heat is set to AC, which explains the 64F while set to 70F. F**k. I push the heat button, and the room soon becomes toasty. That was unexpected!

I drop by Deborah’s house, and we keep our distance. Deborah is ill from her medical test. The dogs, Trixie and Zelda, are happy to see me. I bring the food and booze left over from my cooking at Café 207 for Christmas Dinner. We chatted, but I agreed to head back to the hotel and see about the cough.

I take some meds, walk next door, and try Grand Tavern and its bar. There, I have two Spanish Coffees and steak bites (served in a lovely gravy and with toasted bread), and I feel less good. I get to my room, shower to get warm, cough the night away, and can’t sleep until 3AM, about midnight in Oregon. F**k. I finally take some painkillers, and that works, oddly, with my allergy meds. Hmmm. It might not be a cold after all. Just a bad reaction to mold. F**k. Sleep comes, and I wake at 5, 6, 7, and rise before 8.

I am writing this in the lobby, and I am feeling better. My nose is running, and I have a tickle in my throat that makes me cough, but I do not feel I have a cold. Just allergies.

Thanks for reading.