Turned out I had a bad gearbox. An order was placed for a new one that arrived Thursday, but it had a defect, so another order went in, with promise of delivery the next day. As it worked out, however, the company didn't get around to shipping another new part until late Friday. It arrived early Saturday morning instead, and I picked up the van Saturday afternoon.
After spending part of Saturday evening revising my planned fishing trips, I awoke Sunday morning to the undeniable signs of an old-fashioned cold. Those signs only increased as the day wore on, and thus has been my plight ever since. Five days into the battle, I truthfully can't say I've turned the corner yet. Cough syrup follows more cough syrup, cold pills follow more cold pills...I think you probably get the picture.
I have to admit I may have aggravated the situation yesterday with a trip to the Hampton Bass Pro Shops. I had been planning for days to make this trip, 'cause I finally had scratched together enough cash to afford a decent rainsuit, and I wasn't about to let rain, nor sleet, nor a cold stand in my way.
I asked my better half to drive me to Hampton (figured I'd better pay attention to all those warning labels on the medicine I've been taking), and away we went. Ended up walking around, browsing for a spell but ultimately only purchased one of the Gore-Tex 100 mph suits that were on sale. It was a half-and-half Christmas present--you know the kind I'm talking about, where the man and wife split the cost.
By the time we got back home, it would be an understatement if I said I was feeling worse than ever. Besides the cold aches and pains I've been dealing with for days now, I was feeling the full effects of a major cluster headache--in other words, approaching what I sometimes refer to as the "4 alarm" level. It was one of those where I felt like I had a drummer inside my head banging it from one side to the other and back. I only saw one soul before we got home who appeared to feel even worse than me, and that was a pregnant older woman in Walmart, where we had stopped for a few last-minute items. I watched her make it to an end cap in the store, holding her belly with one hand, while grabbing the end cap with the other. If the pained look on her face matched the way she was feeling at the moment, that lady was hurting seriously. If not for the fact I didn't want to get anywhere near her with my cold, I would have offered a helping hand.
I have no way of knowing for certain, but if I had to venture a guess, I'd say my cold probably will last about another five days or so, provided it's the old-fashioned kind as I surmise. I will try and keep posting a little bit of stuff here in the meantime, but even this short item took three sessions at the computer to get it together. This much I assure you: Until I'm fully over this cold now, I'll be sticking close to home. Any more shopping will just have to wait.
Incidentally, if you're one of those brave souls who get out there and do battle with the Black Friday shoppers, be sure to keep one eye on your prize and the other on everyone around you. I've been reading some real horror stories in recent days about what happens to some people during this annual event. Even read about one 83-year-old woman who tackled a woman about half her age because the older woman felt the younger one had too many bolts of a particular fabric in her shopping cart. Just so happens the older woman wanted some of the same stuff, and there were no more bolts like it on the shelf. What the older woman didn't know is that the younger one had special-ordered this material several days earlier. Of course, that fact may not have made any difference to the older woman.
As any Navy pilot will tell you, "Keep your 6 covered."
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