Cold Elixir – 5:00 Fridays

The only thing worse than rain on your wedding day is being sick on your birthday.

I happen to love my birthday. L.O.V.E. it. I even celebrate my half birthday. One time I had a boss who humored me and brought in bagels for our team to celebrate my half birthday. Everyone gagged but enjoyed the free food nonetheless. Mac Daddy humors me every year and indulges my cake slurping ways. He sits back and lets me savor the attention that I wholeheartedly embrace. Bird and Deal are in on it too. Mac Daddy has shown them how to shower Mommy with gobs of love on her birthday. I just talked about myself in the third person. I hate it when people do it. Ilina, note to self, stop doing that.

So it turns out that I am laid up with a head cold on my birthday this year. My neck feels like I swallowed seven ping pong balls. After Bird and Deal clambered into bed this morning to greet me with kisses and birthday cheer, I chiseled the sleep out of my eyes and blew my nose like a French horn being tuned. Then both boys exclaimed, “Wow, that’s a lot of snot!” and “Can we see those boogers?” Graceful indeed. And no, I did not show them my boogers. I had all sorts of frolicking planned today. I’ll muster up the gumption to hit the Busy Bee Cafe for a live 5:00 Fridays tonight. Couldn’t miss that. But alas, fancy dinner plans at Mo’s Diner postponed. Babysitter canceled. Strappy heels tucked away.

Woe is me.

On days like this when I fall ill, Mac Daddy prepares a little tincture for me to take away the pooky feeling a cold brings on. This drink is served in a really big mug. It would be lovely in a teacup, but I don’t have any teacups that I can reach. One time Mac Daddy and I were in an antique store in Stillwater, MN, where I spotted some dainty teacups. I thought it would be a nice tradition for Mac Daddy to buy me a teacup and saucer every year so I could start a collection. He thought that was the dumbest idea he’s ever heard. He was right. Now we just have a bunch of tacky mugs that we get from tradeshows and tacky souvenir shops.

Cold Elixir

Hot water

Rum or Bourbon

Wedge of lemon

Honey

Fresh ginger

Whole cloves

Fill a mug three-quarters full of hot water. Add a shot or so of rum or bourbon (I prefer rum.). It’s OK if you’re a bit heavy handed here. Grate in some fresh ginger, add a generous dollop of honey. Now here’s the good part – poke a few whole cloves into the rind of a wedge of lemon. Squeeze in the lemon and plop the whole thing in. Inhale the soothing aroma. Savor the flavors. Sip til you can breathe through both nostrils at the same time.