I am so not a fan of January.

Once again, Banjo Man and I were sick as we left Austin.  Banjo Man had been suffering with a cold and cough for days and went willingly to an Urgent Care Clinic in Round Rock on Friday when I told him that’s what the plan was.

He didn’t even argue or have a counter-suggestion, which shows how sick he was.  Diagnosis?  Acute bronchitis.  Cure?  Antibiotics and magic cough suppressant pills.

We knew he was sick when he couldn’t go to the Saxon Pub to hear his favorite musician, Johnny Nicholas, at the Wednesday night happy hour.

Fast forward a few days to Sunday, when he and I–along with daughter Nancy and Son #1 Ben–headed to the airport to fly back to Rhode Island.  Now it was my turn to be sick.  The night before I suddenly realized I was coming down with a head cold (something Will, Son #2 was suffering with).

I had no choice but to fill my carry on bag with tissues, huddle in the window seat and pray that my ear drums wouldn’t explode.  The ear drum thing was touch and go.  I will admit to weeping silently during the last half hour of that flight to DC.  Once we landed I told Banjo Man that I really wanted to get a room in DC while they went home without me.

He thought I was kidding.

Not.

We had a three-hour layover and Banjo Man wrapped me in his little travel blanket.  I bought some Claritin and hoped that it would work for the next–blessedly short–flight to Providence.

I survived just fine.  Without tears.  Yay for me.

It was 4 degrees in RI when we landed at 8:30 PM.  It had been bitter cold for more than a week, so we had little hope of our car starting.  We’d left it at the Hampton Inn, so we needed to get the shuttle.  Banjo Man said he’d go by himself, see if the car started, then come get us.  If it didn’t start we wouldn’t hang around for hours waiting for AAA but would instead rent a car at the airport.

We had a plan.  Unfortunately we didn’t have a shuttle.  It was New Year’s Eve and the shuttle driver was in high demand driving Hampton Inn folks back and forth to local restaurants.

But after all that worked out, the car started!  I love you, my old Highlander.

I couldn’t get out of bed Monday.  Or Tuesday.  Just the typically vicious head cold we all hate.  Today I am sitting at my computer, something I think I can manage for another 30 minutes or so.  Improvement!  I still have a killer earache but that’s going to have to wait because…wait for it…we’re getting  snowstorm tomorrow.

Not just a snowstorm.  According to the weather channel and the local news reports, we’re getting a “snowicane”, a “cyclone bomb” and a nor’easter, all wrapped up in one miserable snow happening.

Something about air currents meeting each other as Canadian arctic winds meet the snow storm as it barrels up the coast.  On Saturday it’s going to be minus 12.  MINUS 12!

Ben was supposed to fly home to Texas tomorrow, but we changed his flight to Saturday.  Tomorrow will be horrendous and then Friday we’ll be digging out, dealing with 45-70 mile an hour winds and probably no electricity.

Not a good day to fly, even if flights are leaving the airport.

I’m sure Ben wishes he was back in Texas, dealing with unusual 25 degree temps and keeping the water running so the pipes don’t freeze.  Piece of cake compared to a bomb cyclone of snow.  The good news is that Ben has been able to spend lots of time with his grandmother, which was the whole point of his trip to RI.

We’re doing the usual things in anticipation of no electricity (and therefore no water).  I should say Banjo Man is doing the usual things.  I can’t imagine exerting myself by even going into the kitchen and filling pots and pans with water.

Very pathetic.

We will have heat from the two propane fireplaces (one upstairs, one down).  We certainly have a lot of quilts.

See you on the other side…