Margie and I venture out into the wind to do some early Christmas shopping

During the night, I had been struck once again by a terrible coughing fit that raged until nearly 6:00 AM, at which time it loosened its hold on me and I went to sleep. I did not get up until nearly noon, when I found a comment suggesting a good cure from reader cuppajava, but I could not followup because Margie was ready to go out Christmas shopping right then, and it was Saturday, and not a good day to track down my doctor.

I don't think tomorrow will be a very good day to track her down, either. Right now, I don't feel so bad and am not coughing much, but this was true at this time yesterday, too. The cough might hit on and off during the day, but it really likes to set in at night.

So off we went, to wander and stumble about, in a confused attempt to do a little Christmas shopping. The first store we stopped in was All I Saw Cookware, and we actually bought a gift there but what I will not say what nor for who.

There are a few other little stores in the same tiny mall, so we checked them all. I found this picture in one. It was created by the store keepers eight-year old daughter Blaze and is of her beloved dog, Jedda.

I liked it and wanted to buy it and hang it on our wall and was prepared to offer a million dollars for it but I knew such a paltry figure would insult both the artist and her mother, so I refrained.

We moved on. As you can see, the wind still blew and it was a bit cool - ten degrees colder than yesterday but still much warmer than earlier in the week.

We drove to Palmer, 12 miles away.

We parked at one end of a downtown block and walked towards the other, stopping at little shops along the way and we actually bought a few things, but in no way did we finish our Christmas shopping. As we walked, the wind was in our face and Margie made quite a few exclamations about the cold. She doesn't like it.

When we got to the far end of the block, we found ourselves right across the street from Vagabond Blues coffee shop, so we went in and had some. She liked that. The hot cups feel real good in cold hands. She liked that, too.

We walked back to the car with the wind to our backs, but Margie found this even worse, as it kept pushing her, nearly sweeping her off her feet, nearly causing her shoes to slide out from under her.

There was some speculation about how, one day, when we are very old, about ten years or maybe days from now, we might find we can no longer handle winter here and might have to leave for the whole winter.

But then, whenever I look at the country that surrounds us, I wonder how I could ever do that. Oh, sure, I know there are mountains in other places, like Arizona and Utah and Colorado and California and any of those places we might go, but there's something different about the mountains here than the mountains down there.

There just is. Something I love. I don't want to leave them, or any of this great country up here. Not even when I'm old and cold. Maybe for a little while sometimes. Two weeks, a month, perhaps. But that's about it.

Finally, our Christmas shopping maybe seven percent done, we began the drive home. Out in front of the Mormon Church across the street from Colony High and Middle Schools we found this Alaska State Trooper. Undoubtedly, as he leaned into the window, he was saying, "Ho, ho, ho and Merry Christmas to you!"