January 3

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On the 3rd we ventured out into the freezing rain.

My paternal grandma liked peppermint stick ice cream, so I had some on the 3rd, even though it wasn't a very ice-creamy sort of day.  I wanted to be sure to have some before peppermint-ice-cream season ended.....

Zingerman's creamery makes really good gelato.  I recommend the peppermint.  (The peanut butter is another one of my faves, and the coffee is really good, too.)

Remembering you fondly, Grandma, with each tiny pepperminty spoonful.

I wasn't really in the mood for sweets.  Especially in addition to my bit of ice cream.  I really wanted something that was more like food.

Luckily, there are many savory choices Next Door (and even more in the Deli proper, of course).  This is one of the sandwiches from Next Door -- roasted pepper and farm cheese.  It was really tasty -- and was lunch as well as breakfast; I ate half of it at breakfast time, and half for lunch. 

I didn't want to eat sweets in the morning, but a "special bake" this weekend was cherry scones.  I got one to take home, and I shared it after lunch.  Mmmmmm.....

This is what kind of day it was.  This is our recycle bin, which spent the night on the curb, waiting to be emptied.  Freezing rain.  Ick.

We took a huge load of library books back to the library.  Maybe the most, ever, in one trip.  Two big bags.  Of course we had a bunch to pick up.  I'm trying to become educated about the new smart phone.  It's a non-trivial learning curve............

We went to the grocery and to the bagel store.

Then we decided to do something Different.  We went to the mall, and walked there.  Our bread&milk grocery is very close to the mall, and we thought -- "Here we are (almost) at the mall.  Let's go walk." 

So we did.  (We basically never go to the mall, and had never done so, ever, just to walk.)

It was nice to be able to walk where it was dry and the footing was secure.  It wasn't too crowded.  On the other hand, it was pretty loud (loudspeakers), and pretty stinky.  Too many places selling over-perfumed [whatever].  All in all, I'd much rather walk outside.

But not today.  Way too slippery.

Isn't it nice to have choices?


I learned something from walking inside.  The few times I have walked outside in the cold since I got sick, I have been doing a lot more coughing after walking.  I wasn't sure if it was walking that resulted in increased coughing, or whether it was the cold, or whether it was some combination.

Now I know. 

It's the cold.

I think I need to find some more indoor places to walk, until walking outside doesn't make me cough.

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