Summer Winter Mystery Series: Chapter 18... Lost in time or is it Time Lost

Chapter 18

I’ve lost all track of time. I can’t remember when I was sick or well. I guess it has only been a week but the week certainly shifted in time and events. On Monday we volunteered to go to the Urgent Care Center and beg the doctor to treat us. She did and we didn’t have to do much begging… After getting our prescriptions we obeyed the doctor, went home, took our meds and went to bed. Basically, we stayed there for the next 3 days. ES was way worse than me but I didn’t feel so hot either. I was diagnosed with a sinus infection but ES had tonsillitis, asthma and a lung infection. He was really sick.

By Wednesday we were down to 2 naps a day and a couple of errands run. Wednesday night we realized we were not well enough to take the drive to Pretoria for Zone Conference. After discussing it with the Swans (I’m the driver when we go) we all decided to take a bye.

We really missed going to Zone Conference but we made the correct decision. It would have set ES back on his wellness course. Today is Sunday and we are about 85% well.

On Friday we were both stronger but not out rock-n-rolling. I spent all day preparing food for our Branch Christmas Braai at the Weitsz. It was also very hot in Nelspruit and believe me cooking in the heat isn’t any more fun here than at home.

We did go to lunch at the Mugg & Bean. They make delicious salads and we have a favorite waitress. I haven’t really mastered the money thing around here. I don’t know the coins at all except the ones for the parker-people—they’re easy—but the rest of it just won’t stick into my brain. Consequently, I tend to tip LARGE. Especially after I heard that the servers generally only work for tips. I guess I got a little generous with this particular server one time because she came running after us with her tip money in hand and thanked us profusely. Needless to say she always seats us at her tables. She is very good and she gets ES’s jokes so that’s a plus. Well, Friday while we are there and waiting for our bill (one must ask for the “bill” not “check” if you want to get out of the place as they will let you sit all day if you choose)after she brought the slip of paper in the leather cover she said to ES, “You are such delightful people. I would follow your beliefs of your church just because of you.” I cannot think of a great compliment. I know she was being kind to include me but she was looking right at ES when she said it. Well, of course, she got a pass-along-card. It is such a pleasure to share the gospel and a great cobb salad at the same time.

But, back to the Braai! It was great FUN! We had American Hamburgers… BBQ’d beef patties, buns, Heinz Ketchup, American Style Mustard (really that’s what it’s called)Hellman’s (Best Foods in the West) Mayonnaise, tomato slices, pickles (sorta) and lettuce with cheese for those cheese burger fans. Yummmmm… and all sorts of delish. We also BBQ’d chicken legs… so good. I made potato salad, rice pudding (that was yucky) Rice Crispy Treats and sugar cookies without cookies cutters… I found some but nothing to write home about so I cut out circles with a jar mouth and made ornaments… they were cute. The recipe was not mine but Valerie Myers butter recipe since they do not have shortening in South Africa. Go figure.

We had crackers… the popping kind that you pull apart and find a prize inside like opening a box of cracker jacks… along with a paper hat and a riddle or joke. ES’s joke said “what do you get when you eat Christmas decorations? Ready for it????? Tinsillitis’s! Get it? Uh, he had Tonsillitis and you get TINSIL—itis… Well, I laughed a little.

It was a low key, singing Christmas songs and visit kinda day. It drizzled rain all day which kept it delightfully cool, almost chilly, which was wonderful since it’s been rather hot for the last week.

Tonight is Sunday evening and we’ve just finished dinner, the dishes and the Elders (Elder Ah Wong since now Elder Smith is sick with the upper respiratory infection) made Snickerdoodles for a family in the Branch. They are going caroling tomorrow night and cookie delivering. I supervised Elder Ah Wong while Elder Smith read and rested.

After church we took Elder Smith to the Urgent Care Center to get medicine for the Lad. He had gotten sick in his last area and let it go too long. We did not want a repeat of that so he’s already on his way to recovery.

Does it seem like Christmas time mixes the great with the tragic? It seems like this is the happiest season as well as the one most subject to grief. Our Branch President who is a marvelous man with two small really active young sons almost lost one early Saturday morning. A miracle occurred which prevented a total tragedy but here’s what happened.

The Manjate’s put their sons to bed and then went off to bed themselves falling into a peaceful slumber. Suddenly, Sister Manjate woke up about 2 AM and rushed into their son’s bedroom finding him on the floor in his own vomit and not breathing. His eyes were wide open, his mouth clenched shut, his hands in claws and his lips and nails blue. He had aspirated his vomit and suffocated on it. Fortunately, Sister Manjate is a doctor. She knew what to do. She knew how to get his jaws unclenched and brought her baby back to life. After clearing his airway, he coughed then started to cry and asked for a toy. He is still in the hospital and undergoing tests but there doesn’t seem to be any lasting damage to him.

President was at church this morning looking as if an entire building was sitting on his shoulders. His wife was with their 3 year old in the hospital while he had custody of their 18 month old who is a cute spit-fire of a kid. I just sent the Jrs. with dinner for President—just spaghetti and fruit salad but something he can heat up without thinking about it much. I suggested to our RS councilor today that we might want to do that as a RS and she acted as if this the first time she’d heard about this kind of service. She agreed to post it on our message thing called “Whatsup?” and see who could take in meals for a week. I think this is the first time that compassionate service has been done in our branch. It is so meat-and-potatoes for the Sister’s in the States so I just kinda figured it would be worldwide. Maybe it is now here as well.

Last report from President is good. He’s doing better and mom and dad are recovering as well.

So all is right with the world again. Still no monkeys but I keep finding little crawly things trying to get in my house. Eisch! I hate bugs. Till next time.

a tent trailer...all that fits into these tiny things a Smart Car could pull. Really amazing