Tuesday, Nov. 25

We awoke to sunshine this morning, with the promise of moderate temps in the low 60s. Right after breakfast, I did a treadmill session, and then continued exploring my new laptop computer before getting ready to go to the beauty shop.

Mother came over shortly before our appointment time of 11:30 a.m. She opted out of getting her hair cut last month, because I made an earlier appointment than usual, and she felt her hair hadn't grown enough by then. She was certainly ready by today's appointment, though, since she was beginning to look a bit shaggy. I was ready for a cut, too, because my hair tends to grow fast.

The economic downturn is affecting everyone, including our hairdressers, who said their business is significantly down right now.

Speaking of haircuts, Daughter-in-Law sent an e-mail today, commenting that her hairdresser got "scissor-happy" and cut her hair too short. I guess she wanted to warn us, so we won't be shocked by her new "do." I'll reserve judgement until I see her. It's probably a cute style, but just not one that Daughter-in-Law is used to.

Daughter-in-Law has begun making lifestyle changes in diet and exercise, because she was recently diagnosed with high cholesterol and triglycerides. She remarked today that after choosing low-fat foods lately, she is already feeling more energetic.

Since her medical condition is so new to her, she is still trying to navigate the confusing maze of information about it. Those of us who have researched the conditions and experimented with healthy recipes will assist her when she joins us this Thursday for Thanksgiving. She, and others on restricted diets, will have a choice of several low-fat dishes on our Thanksgiving table this year.

For supper, we had lasagna, mainly to use a carton of cottage cheese that I didn't like. It's a low-fat house brand from a favorite grocery store, and in the past I've preferred it over name brands. But the past couple of times I've bought it, I've noticed the carton design has changed, and so has the taste. It has gone from being creamy and full-flavored to sharp and sour. Upon first opening the cartons, there was a watery layer that had to be mixed in. So I'll be looking for another brand of cottage cheese.