Care Takers and Care Packages

When I was sick as a kid, my go-to movie marathon was Anne of Green Gables and Anne of Avonlea. I absolutely adored the movies and the books and the best part about the series: they were hours long so I had entertainment all day. I loved the stories and had a huge crush on Gilbert Blythe and wanted nothing more than to live on Prince Edward Island. What a gorgeous place it was!

Alas, I only have the movies on VHS somewhere in a box so I can’t watch them when I’m sick. But I watched something that I enjoyed just as much this week. I was on the couch sick, snotty, sneezing and nursing my aching, red nose for days. What a nasty cold! At least it wasn’t moving into my chest like most colds do. I passed the time with catching up on Netflix: Justified Season 2, the last season of Brothers & Sisters and I started Downton Abbey.

What an awesome show! I love the scenery, the acting is great, the story is compelling and the costumes are to-die-for. It takes place in 1912, England, and begins with the sinking of the Titanic. The heirs to Downton Abbey were on the Titanic and now the family living there is thrown into chaos without an heir. It’s told by equal parts of the upper-class family and their dozens of servants. What a fantastic show.

I had good TV to keep my company, and lots of kitty love too. Fat Kitty was at my side pretty much the entire time I was home sick. He likes to snuggle. 🙂 Of course, he’d run away for a bit when I had my sneezing fits that shook the whole couch. But he always came back.

The first night I was home sick, Michael made us spicy bean burritos for dinner. I just wanted something spicy to clear up my sinuses. He piled on tons of jalapenos and it did the trick. The second night, we totally got junk food for dinner. I had zero desire to leave the house, or to eat anything resembling “healthy.”

Michael got us chicken strips and jalapeno poppers from the grocery store. Unfortunately, the poppers were not spicy at all (boo) but I sprinkled some cayenne pepper on my chicken strips and that did the trick for a little bit. I tried to justify the dinner by adding some raw broccoli to my plate, but who am I kidding? It was just comfort food with very little nutritional value.

The highlight of my convalescence was getting a care package from Cynthia! Our birthdays are near each other and I won her birthday giveaway. The package arrived and I happily tore into it from my sick bed (the couch). Fat Kitty was super excited about the paper wrapping and the box. I was excited about the CHOCOLATE!

She kindly sent me chocolate, macaroons, spicy jelly, hot cocoa, tea, a marinade, and her favorite book. I immediately had one of the teas and the mini chocolate (dark chocolate with lavender and blueberry) as an afternoon snack.

Thank you so much, Cynthia! 🙂 I can’t wait to try everything! Of course, it will have to wait for when I feel better and can actually taste things again…

QUESTION: What is your favorite at-home-sick-on-the-couch movie?