I blame the contrast between our warm bed and the cold, damp shelter.  But whatever it was, for the first few days of the war I was really suffering.  I kept thinking I would come down with bronchitis and I wrapped myself up in at least 3 layers before i put my coat on.  But Ezi seemed fine with it, so as usual I blamed my finicky nature.  Since then, Ezi has been hacking away and getting sicker and sicker.  Today was the first day he brightened up a bit, so when i offered to buy more cold medicine he offered to join me.  And, as always seems to happen, the chore itself seemed to somewhat relieve his symptoms.   But the queue was very long so I offered to wander the store while Ezi sat outside.  

There was really a lot of stuff I wanted, stuff to spoil me, cosmetics I don’t need or use, perfumes (for the man who lost his sense of smell in Covid), vitamins that don’t do anything because I forget to take them, nail polish (I’m going for what Churchill called ‘victory red’)…. You know, the usual.  But as I wandered the normally elegant pharmacy it began to look more and more like a remainder store.  The brands I treat myself to all the time were just not there, except in the cosmetics department.  And when it finally came my turn, the only cough medicines and cold medications were something you’d buy in the dollar store, and the even the nail polish remover was generic and ineffective.  

When I complained to Ezi (the pharmacist seemed too young to remember better times) he reasoned that the shipping blockade of the Houtis together with the flying limitations have made the usual imports problematic.  

This, I explained, is why I always carry a large stock of my favorite items.  He did not appreciate this response, tired of items falling out of the cupboards whenever he opens the doors.

All this, is not what I need to be reminded that there is a war going on.  Seven alarms last night threw even the hardiest neighbor off track, and this morning most of them didn’t make it to the shelter.  I myself was told I responded to every siren, but I have no memory of it…