Carol: After my 2-weeks flu in March of last year, I also had "this pain up and down my chest whenever I cough". It's a mild case of pneumonia that came with the flu, and it away after a few weeks. I didn't take any medications.

My worst pneumonia? Decade ago when I breathed in peat-moss while planting azaleas .. That fungal infection usually affects the skin, but it can also enter the lung if one breathe in peat moss dust. I had shortness of breadth, chest pain, and coughing up blood: tons of chest-X-ray, antibiotics, plus a bronchoscopy (over $4,000 medical bill, but insurance paid for most). Some excerpt from below link:

"Sporotrichosis is a fungal infection caused by a fungus called Sporothrix schenckii. It usually infects the skin.

The fungus can be found in rose thorns, sphagnum moss, in hay, in other plant materials, and in the soil. It enters the skin through small cuts or punctures from thorns, barbs, pine needles, or wires. It can also be inhaled and cause pulmonary infection or disseminated infection."

https://fungalinfections.wordpress.com/tag/sphagnum-moss/

From WebMD: " Sporothrix schenckii. This fungus is related more closely to the mold on stale bread or the yeast used to brew beer than to bacteria that usually cause infections. The mold is found on rose thorns, hay, sphagnum moss, twigs, and soil.

The first symptom of sporotrichosis is a firm bump (nodule) on the skin that can range in color from pink to nearly purple. The nodule is usually painless or only mildly tender. Over time, the nodule may develop an open sore (ulcer) that may drain clear fluid."

*** From Straw: google for images of sporotrichosis and it's quite distinct.

Winter-protect plants & roses? They can withstand against the cold if there's plenty of moisture. This is a wet fall, so the ornamental pear trees in my zone 5a hang on to their leaves longer. Below is my neighbor's tree, still green as of today, Dec. 4, after two heavy snowfall.