Cough, hack, sneeze, wheeze.

Oh, the joy. I’ve been sick with bronchitis since the holidays. Let me tell you, even my beloved characters avoid me when I don’t feel well.

So instead of writing, I turn to my various reliable comforts. Hot chicken soup with lots of garlic and wasabi. (My own recipe). Cold Coke, with lots of ice. Warm flannel blankets. Thick socks. Cats, cuddled close. Nero Wolfe.

Nero Wolfe?

Rex Stout wrote a wonderful series of murder mysteries staring Nero Wolfe and Archie Goodwin. Classic characters. While Wolfe has been brought to the screen a number of times, my favorite is the A&E series with Timothy Hutton and Maury Chaykin.

I’ve loved these books since I discovered the series, and I have copies of all of the books, novellas, and short stories. So I have been curled up in my writing room, watching Wolfe and Goodwin and Cramer. Then I crawl under into bed, and read the books over and over.

For those of you who don’t know the characters, Nero Wolfe is a consulting detective in NYC who never leaves his house unless forced to do so. Archie is his assistant and the action man, who hits the streets looking for clues and suspects and brings them back to the brownstone. They are opposed by Inspector Cramer and Sargent Purley. Every so often, they are assisted by Saul Panzer, Orrie Cather and Fred Durkin.

Wolfe is an orchid lover has a greenhouse filled with hundred of plants. He is also a gourmet, with a personal chef - Fritz Brenner. The books are filled with references to food and flowers and I am fascinated by them. There is even a Nero Wolfe Cookbook, and yes, I have a copy. I’ve butchered some of those recipes with my nonexistent cooking skills.

And I really don’t want to tell you how many orchid plants I have killed with my black thumb.

I am feeling much better, so my indulgences are over. My own characters are demanding my attention.

But its nice to know that Wolfe and Goodwin are on my shelf, waiting for the next time I feel under the weather.

Beth