Relay: Sorry, I Didn’t Know

Well, I have the cold.

Everyone has or has had this cold. It’s what is going around. If you deal with crowds, if you go to the movies or the gym, if you go to the store and stand in line to get turkey gravy, you are surrounded by people. Some of them will have a cold and not know it. Some will have a cold and will do their stealth sneezing and coughing into their elbow, but it is out there and I got it.

But I didn’t know it.

The long weekend just passed gave me the opportunity to do some work on my sizable collection of antique quilts. I know it is best to refold and shake out all vintage textiles pretty regularly and I had waited way too long. The weekend stretched out with continuous hours of running textiles through the dryer (on gentle and air fluff). I pulled them all out into a mountain of patchwork and homespun and tackled the job. The room filled with the tiniest bits of what I would like to call fallout from another century. Every time I put something in I would clean the filter, but there was so much shaking out, and some are fragile and just need patting. Well, the setting sun showed a blur of dust and stuff in the air. Eventually I started sneezing. It was the particulates, for sure.

I mopped the floor to pick up the extra bits and threads and motes as they landed. I folded everything and put all of the quilts back on their shelves. More dust in the folding and pushing. Over 100, not counting the homespun coverlets. Like I said, a collection.

The next day, head feeling full of the dust (that had landed after the mopping), I headed to Montauk, windows open for the fresh air. I enjoyed that spectacular sunset standing in the wind at Indian Wells. Feeling great from that sea air, I went to a fancy party. The following day I went on the East Hampton Historical Society house tour. I felt perky, but still a little bit of sneezing and a bit of a cough from all that dust from the quilts.

But when I woke up Sunday morning and said hello to my cats and my husband (not in that order), nobody heard me because there was no voice. I never felt sick, but finally the cold had announced itself with silence. All along it was not from the particulates, it was the cold.

So if, while I was swanning around feeling fine, I gave you laryngitis over Thanksgiving weekend, I am truly sorry. If, however, one of you standing in line for turkey gravy gave it to me while you were swanning around feeling fine or sneezing onto your elbow, I forgive you, because you didn’t know you were sick either.

Keep calm and carry Kleenex. This too shall pass.

Durell Godfrey is a contributing photographer for The Star.