Workshop and Ballroom Dancing

This afternoon, Hubbie and I attended a very informative and comprehensive two-hour workshop about buying and selling at a popular online auction site. We were also provided with a thick packet of reference materials.

The workshop leader, an agent of our state's Cooperative Extension Services, is a skilled presenter, who made the information very clear and easy to understand. This was one of the most well-attended workshops sponsored by Extension Services lately. Skyrocketing gasoline and grocery prices are no doubt spurring folks to seek avenues of supplemental income.

Other than the workshop, our day consisted of sprucing the house a bit for a visit from Hubbie's daughter, grandddaughter, and two great-grandsons tomorrow morning. Daughter said we are not to prepare lunch, because she is bringing it.

This evening we went to the church fellowship hall for the regular Friday night dance, but we were the only ones who showed up. I was afraid folks wouldn't show up tonight, since this is Memorial Day weekend. In fact, I was surprised that the dance wasn't cancelled.

A couple of ladies that we are acquainted with were there preparing snacks and playing music. They had been there since 6 p.m., because they hadn't gotten the message that ballroom dancing classes have been postponed until the fall. The regular dance is from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.

We stayed until 8 p.m., and had a great time visiting with the ladies, who were in no hurry to leave. Again, I asked if the church will continue the dances, since attendance has been so low lately. They said yes, that this is something the community needs, and it's just a matter of getting the message out to folks that everyone is welcome to come.

I agree that we need a place to practice the techniques we've learned in ballroom dancing classes. If we don't dance regularly, we'll forget what we've learned.

We think we'll advertise the dance as a community dance, rather than ballroom dancing...folks may be afraid to come, believing that they have to perform like "Dancing with the Stars." Also, folks have lots of distractions during the summer, like vacations, kids sports, or just being outdoors, which will probably keep attendance at the dances low until fall.

We might also try theme nights once a month. The night we had a country and western themed night, with a barbecue supper, we had great attendance. We could do that again, or have a '50s night, or a Big Band night, or a Latin night. But I think we need to wait until fall to try any of these.

The Hummers are Back

Yay! Hubbie saw a hummingbird in the yard yesterday. He said he put his hand out, and the tiny bird nearly perched on it before whizzing away to a flower. We don't know if the hummers have recently arrived, or if they've been here for a while, and we just haven't seen them. They aren't visiting the feeders yet, so we can't enjoy watching them through the windows. Maybe the variety of flowers in the gardens right now is enough to satisfy their appetites without nectar supplement from feeders. Or maybe they aren't visiting the feeders because a couple of orioles are monopolizing them. I thought the orioles were just here for a stopover on their way north, but it seems they've taken up residence.



Well, this morning was Cardiac Rehab day again. My blood pressure was nice and low, my weight is holding steady, and my oxygen saturation is still 100%. A couple of the guys, who have just recently joined the 9 a.m. group, commented that I had made them tired Wednesday watching me walk on the treadmill. "Yes, she really gets with it, doesn't she?" the exercise physiologist chimed in. I'm sure they'll be striding right along, too, in a few weeks.

Today, our hearts got a laughter bonus: after exercising, we are required to sit for a while to allow our heart rates to come down before taking off our monitors. A registered nurse tracks our heart rates and lets us know when to remove the monitors by saying, in a very professional manner, "Fred, you can take off your monitor now." Today, though, she announced, "Fred, you can take off your shoe, now." We all looked puzzled. "Shoe?" we asked in chorus, and then broke into gales of laughter.

We had a quiet afternoon, with each of us going about our own business until 5 p.m., when Mother and I went to a Weight Watchers meeting. Actually, we just stopped by the meeting for our monthly weigh-in. Mother lost a pound, and I stayed the same. I was glad to see that the Weight Watchers and the Cardiac Rehab scales agree.

Doctor Day

I awoke at 6 a.m. this morning to a familiar infection requiring a physician's attention. As soon as 8 a.m. rolled around, I called the doctor's office to make an appointment. My regular doctor, a female, was out, so I had to choose another one in the clinic. I chose the male doctor my husband uses.

Since the appointment wasn't until 11 a.m., Mother came over and we worked on scrapbook pages in the meantime.

Hubbie accompanied me to the clinic and ran errands while I was there. I expected him to be sitting in the waiting room when I came out, but he wasn't, so I called his cell phone. Naturally, he'd forgotten to turn it on. However, I saw him drive up just as I got down to the first floor lobby to wait for him. We went straight to the pharmacy from the clinic to pick up the prescribed antibiotic before coming home for lunch.

Fortunately, the infection will not prevent my going to Cardiac Rehab in the morning. And if I had to be plagued with an infection, today is probably the most convenient time, since it's not Rehab day, not Memorial Day weekend, and not the weekend after Memorial Day, when we've planned a camping trip for a family reunion/birthday get-together in a town south of us.

Mother didn't feel up to a walk around the lake after lunch, so we relaxed, worked on scrapbook pages, and planned craft projects to use as county fair entries in July.

At 3 p.m., I went for a routine dental appointment. All is well with my mouth this time, thank goodness, and the dentist said I am practicing good dental hygiene. That was good news, since I know that good dental hygiene and early treatment of infections are important to heart health.

Voting and Other Stuff

Today was education day at Cardiac Rehab. The topic was how to exercise safely and effectively. We were provided several booklets on the subject aimed at helping us continue our workouts at home without endangering ourselves.


On my way to Rehab, I noticed a large contingent of folks standing on a curb waving placards and wearing t-shirts promoting the candidates of their choice for local elections. The polls are open today to vote for a state representative, a sheriff, a county judge, and others, so as soon as I got home from Rehab, we headed to our polling place to cast ballots. Turnout is usually low at the place where we vote, and today was no exception. We were the only three there at 10:30 this morning.


After we voted, we went to the college lake so Mother could get her two rounds of exercise. It was pretty busy at the lake today. A couple seated on a concrete bench had cast several lines into the lake and were watching their fishing bobbers. A family group of what I assumed to be great-grandma, grandma, mom, and child were gathered on the wooden bridge for snapshots. As we were finishing our second round, a group of about ten middle school children, along with their teacher and parent helpers arrived. I assume they were on an end-of-school-year field trip.

In the interest of conserving on gasoline, Hubbie and Shih Tzu accompanied us to the lake today so that we could run errands afterward, rather than making an extra trip later.


We didn't accomplish much during the afternoon. For supper, we tried a new sodium-free beef roast recipe using dried plums, dried apples, and golden raisins. It was very good, though folks would have to like the flavor of dried plums (otherwise known as prunes) to appreciate this dish.


Last evening, I attended a community theater board meeting, where we worked at setting the upcoming fall and winter production season. Beyond occupying a seat to help assure a quorum for voting purposes, my duties on the board have dwindled over the twenty or so years I've been on it. New, younger, and ambitious members are filling the void created by older ones. They are happily agreeing to direct and act in shows, as well as do the grunt work backstage. Hubbie and I spent years in all aspects of our little theater, but feel it's time to turn it over to others.

Gaillardia Flowers

Gaillardia, or blanket flower, was named for M. Gaillard de Charotonneau, who was an 18th century French Magistrate and a patron of botany, according to Wikipedia. Its common name...blanket flower...results from its resemblance to brightly patterned native American blankets.

A member of the sunflower family, it's popular in backyard gardens not only because it is so strikingly beautiful, but because it is so hearty, growing very well in harsh, dry, summer conditions.

Gaillardia flowers are just beginning to bloom in our yard, and we look forward to bunches of them, like the ones shown above that I photographed last summer.

Rose in Bloom

Saturday, I snapped a shot of the rose above as it was getting ready to open. Today, I captured it in full bloom.

Other flowers are blooming in the yard, too, like Gaillardia, Sweet William, and Rose Campion, but this single, elegant rose caught my eye.

Average Monday

I arrived at Cardiac Rehab this morning 20 minutes ahead of the session, so that I could weigh and then relax for a few minutes before my blood pressure was checked. But I no sooner sat down than an exercise physiologist rushed over with the BP monitor.


"I haven't rested very long," I said, "so my pressure will probably be up."


"You're our star athlete," he said, "so your pressure will be fine." It was 130/62, when it is usually less than 120/80 after a few minutes sitting still. By the end of the workout, however, it was down to 109/52.


After I got home from Cardiac Rehab, Hubbie and I went to the worldwide discount chain store for groceries to satisfy our menu for the week. We stopped by the farmer's market first to pick up fresh vegetables, but the only thing available this morning other than green beans and cucumbers was tomatoes. We selected a small box of those.


By the time we got back from shopping, it was lunchtime. Since we are having a veggie supper, I indulged in a sandwich for lunch made on toasted wheat bread spread with yellow mustard, and topped with a thin slice of hickory smoked turkey, a thin slice of baby Swiss cheese, and slices of tomato and Vidalia onion, sprinkled with black pepper and sodium-free seasoning. Hubbie opted for wheat bread spread with salad dressing and topped with deli turkey and pepper Jack cheese. He had corn chips with his and I had a couple of tablespoons of cottage cheese. We both had low fat fudgsicles for dessert.


After lunch, Mother and I went for a walk at the college lake. The temp climbed toward 80, but a warm wind made the walk pleasant. Today, we were the only ones on the path. The ducks were inactive, hunkered down in pairs or clusters here and there around the lake. They quack-quaked at us as we made our rounds, but otherwise didn't bestir themselves. The large turtle sunned on its favorite log, and a small cottonmouth quickly swam for cover under a rock near the bank.


The rest of the day was quiet, with each of us going about our own household or yard business until suppertime. Our veggie supper consisted of boiled new potatoes, corn on the cob, sliced tomatoes, English peas leftover from yesterday, and yellow and zucchini squash, with onions, bell peppers, and seasonings, sauteed in butter Pam. We added no salt to the veggies, but at the table, we added a little light margarine, plus seasoning blend and pepper to the potatoes and corn. It took several weeks, but we are now accustomed to a low-sodium diet.

Laid Back Sunday

We were in no hurry to get up this morning, and it was 8 a.m. before we did. I skipped a workout on the treadmill to give my muscles a day of rest.


Mother came over about 9:30 a.m., and we went for a walk at the college lake. On the parking lot, a middle-aged man had his leg hiked up on the back of his car, stretching before walking. A few minutes later, the young Hispanic man we'd seen yesterday arrived with his preschool boy, and toddler in a stroller. Today, the boy was riding a bicycle with training wheels and wearing a crash helmet.


The temperature is predicted to get into the 80s today, but it was in the low 70s this morning with very little humidity, making for ideal strolling weather.


As for wildlife, a duck was busy grooming its breast, pulling feathers out as it worked. The ducks are obviously in the process of spring molting, replacing old, worn, feathers with new ones, because white feathers dotted the bank around the lake.


We saw two more cottonmouth snakes this morning. Hubbie asked how we knew one of the pair wasn't the same one we saw yesterday. I told him that these two were smaller snakes, while the one we saw yesterday was quite large. The two today weaved their way among the grasses growing near the bank, holding their slant-eyed heads out of the water. The cottonmouths are convincing evidence that this lake is not a place to go swimming.


As we were leaving, a carload of young people drove onto the parking lot, and a young woman hopped out and placed something on the lawn under a tree. When they left, I went to inspect. It was a turtle. I decided the critter needed to be closer to the water, so I took it down to the bank, where it could join a number of other turtles sunning on a log.


Trying a new, very tasty, low-sodium barbecued pork chop recipe, listening to romantic Rod Stewart and Michael Bolton CDs, reading the Sunday newspaper, and watching evening TV, rounded out a perfect do-nothing-of-importance day.