Stilly, I don’t have to look for any chemical sources for my frequent bouts of bronchitis. This condition has hit me so often over more than 50 years, and in such widely varied circumstances, that the cause just has to be something both natural and ubiquitous — the common cold virus.

It’s improving slowly; I just have wait it out.

I’ve given up all hope of singing in the community choir’s two holiday concerts, scheduled for the 7th and 9th of December, but I’ll be okay for the church choir — the congregation won’t mind if I duck into the sacristy to cough. Concerts are different; the audience has bought their tickets and the other performers deserve to not have their efforts ruined by my rebellious respiratory system.