Friday night, we attended an art auction event, which is the primary fundraiser for the local arts council. Not as many folks turned out as have in the past, but there was still a pretty good gathering.
We planned not to bid on silent auction items this year, but ended up doing so, anyway, coming away with a lead crystal vase, a cross on a chain necklace, a 12-box container of thin mint Girl Scout cookies, a season pass to 2008-2009 community theatre productions, two tickets to a dinner/theatre show in another town, and tickets to two Branson shows. Since no one else bid on these items, we got them for the small opening bid amounts. We're glad to get the Branson show tickets, which we'll use when we travel there in the fall to see the new musical show, "Noah." We're always looking for new things to do in Branson when we go, so these two extra shows will help round out the vacation.
The refreshment table was loaded with goodies that I couldn't eat, including pork loin for mini-sandwiches, a brisket, pepper Jack feta cheese ball, hot stuffed mushrooms, a caviar dish, chocolate bon-bons and lots of other tasty looking dishes. I stuck with raw veggies and fruits, and a sampling of the cream cheese dip with crackers that I provided as my contribution. Hubbie, who has no diet restrictions, chowed down.
The event took place at the college president's home, where a chamber music ensemble entertained in the parlor, and a guitarist with harmonica played country ballads on the patio. The evening ended with a live auction of a watercolor painting by an internationally known local artist. I have a print of one of this artist's works, which I love.
There was also a drawing for a cruise. We bought chances on this prize, but did not, boo-hoo, win it. The lady who won the bid for the photograph I donated also won the cruise.
It was a fun evening that provided a great opportunity to visit with lots of folks.
Saturday, June 21, 2008
Another Busy Day
Wow! We had a busy Saturday. Our local historical society and other organizations sponsored a Civil War re-enactment event downtown today. Re-enactors from several towns in our state, dressed in period costumes, demonstrated square dancing, blacksmithing, spinning, butter churning, outdoor cooking, and laundering for the soldiers.
Soldier re-enactors, in authentic costumes, demonstrated firing rifles and a cannon, and displayed a variety of artillery. There was even a medical corp re-enactment of a doctor "amputating" the gangrene leg of a soldier. Two ladies, decked out in hooped skirt finery, greeted visitors from the porch of one of the historic homes downtown, and related a historic incident of the area. Another lady, a local Master Gardener, talked about herbs, while a gentleman played a dulcimer nearby.
One of the organizers of the event asked me to take pictures, so I was busy going from spot to spot around town snapping photos. I got some pretty good ones, some of which I'll submit to our state newspaper for publication
Later, at the museum, a Civil War historian talked about encampments in our town, which at one time numbered 5,000 soldiers. Years ago, this gentleman wrote a play about the Civil War, which he produced for our local community theatre. The cast of the play included only one woman, the mother of a soldier about to be hanged...I portrayed that hysterical woman.
Before the re-enactment events began at 10 a.m., there was a community yard sale downtown. Various businesses and individuals participated. Other than a small plastic drawer organizer, and a small ornamental iron bicycle, we didn't find much of interest. Mother plans to use the little bicycle in one of her flower beds, and we'll use the drawer organizer to contain scrapbook paraphernalia.
Saturday night, we went to see the community theatre perform two fairy tales..."Little Red Riding Hood," and "Jack and the Bean Stalk." These were aimed at children, naturally, but we went just to support the organization. From "Little Red Riding Hood," the wolf decided that fruits and vegetables are a better diet than "grandmas;" Grandma decided to take up jogging for exercise after running away from the wolf; and Little Red Riding Hood learned she should obey her mother, that it's dangerous to stray off the path, and that she shouldn't talk to strangers.
From "Jack and the Beanstalk," the characters learned, among other things, that stealing is wrong (Jack couldn't take the golden egg without permission); that it is good to be charitable (the giant gave Jack and his mother the egg, and did other things to make their lives better); and that you shouldn't betray a friend (Jack selling his beloved cow for a handful of beans).
The adapted plays were cute, and the actors, mostly children and young people, did a good job. The simple sets were effective, too.
Soldier re-enactors, in authentic costumes, demonstrated firing rifles and a cannon, and displayed a variety of artillery. There was even a medical corp re-enactment of a doctor "amputating" the gangrene leg of a soldier. Two ladies, decked out in hooped skirt finery, greeted visitors from the porch of one of the historic homes downtown, and related a historic incident of the area. Another lady, a local Master Gardener, talked about herbs, while a gentleman played a dulcimer nearby.
One of the organizers of the event asked me to take pictures, so I was busy going from spot to spot around town snapping photos. I got some pretty good ones, some of which I'll submit to our state newspaper for publication
Later, at the museum, a Civil War historian talked about encampments in our town, which at one time numbered 5,000 soldiers. Years ago, this gentleman wrote a play about the Civil War, which he produced for our local community theatre. The cast of the play included only one woman, the mother of a soldier about to be hanged...I portrayed that hysterical woman.
Before the re-enactment events began at 10 a.m., there was a community yard sale downtown. Various businesses and individuals participated. Other than a small plastic drawer organizer, and a small ornamental iron bicycle, we didn't find much of interest. Mother plans to use the little bicycle in one of her flower beds, and we'll use the drawer organizer to contain scrapbook paraphernalia.
Saturday night, we went to see the community theatre perform two fairy tales..."Little Red Riding Hood," and "Jack and the Bean Stalk." These were aimed at children, naturally, but we went just to support the organization. From "Little Red Riding Hood," the wolf decided that fruits and vegetables are a better diet than "grandmas;" Grandma decided to take up jogging for exercise after running away from the wolf; and Little Red Riding Hood learned she should obey her mother, that it's dangerous to stray off the path, and that she shouldn't talk to strangers.
From "Jack and the Beanstalk," the characters learned, among other things, that stealing is wrong (Jack couldn't take the golden egg without permission); that it is good to be charitable (the giant gave Jack and his mother the egg, and did other things to make their lives better); and that you shouldn't betray a friend (Jack selling his beloved cow for a handful of beans).
The adapted plays were cute, and the actors, mostly children and young people, did a good job. The simple sets were effective, too.
Friday, June 20, 2008
MG Picnic Photos, Part Two
These are more photos from the gardens of the folks who hosted the Master Gardener picnic last night. Not only are there well tended flower gardens at their home, but there is also a plum tree laden with fruit, as well as grape and blackberry vines, also bearing fruit. One of the photos shows squash, which is among the many vegetables these folks grow, including tomatoes, corn, other varieties of squash, cabbage, and onions.MG Picnic Photos, Part One
These photos are from the gardens of the Master Gardeners who hosted a picnic for the group last night. More photos will follow in another blog.
Thursday, June 19, 2008
Thursday. Whew!
This has been a very busy day. It started, as it always does on Thursdays, with Cardiac Rehab. The scale showed that I'm up three pounds today, which is probably water weight from the barbecue birthday lunch Tuesday. Otherwise, my vital signs were good, and I got an intense workout.
After the session, I stopped by the medical clinic for a doctor's appointment. By the time I got an antibiotic prescription filled at the pharmacy, it was 11:30 before I was back home. Hubbie arrived around noon, after attending a Master Gardener monthly meeting.
After lunch, Mother and I went to our monthly scrapbook meeting at the Extension Services Office, where five of us worked, visited, and admired each others creative pages. Of course, the main topic of conversation was grandkids and great-grandkids. Since two of my great-grandsons were born earlier this month, Mother and I had plenty of photos to work with.
We got back home about 3 p.m. and relaxed for a while before getting ready to go to a Master Gardener picnic at 6 p.m. this evening. Various members are assigned (according to letters of the alphabet) food dishes to contribute to the meal, and our assignment was salad. While I was at Cardiac Rehab this morning, Mother put together a "Picnic Bean Salad" of kidney beans, cucumbers, onions, and tomatoes in ranch dressing, seasoned with dill weed and pepper, and topped with parmesan cheese. Most of the folks who attended must have been in the salad assignment block of the alphabet, because other than one rice dish and one couscous dish, there was nothing but salads, with most of those prepared in creamy dressings.
Among the meat dishes, there was pulled pork barbecue (wouldn't you know it), hamburgers and hot dogs, and grilled chicken. I opted for the grilled chicken, of course. I did sample a couple of desserts, but only very small portions.
The hosts' gardens, which feature wooden bridges, and a goldfish pond, are well-planned and beautifully manicured...the perfect setting for a picnic. The weather was mild, with an overcast sky, and we enjoyed this pleasant outing.
After the session, I stopped by the medical clinic for a doctor's appointment. By the time I got an antibiotic prescription filled at the pharmacy, it was 11:30 before I was back home. Hubbie arrived around noon, after attending a Master Gardener monthly meeting.
After lunch, Mother and I went to our monthly scrapbook meeting at the Extension Services Office, where five of us worked, visited, and admired each others creative pages. Of course, the main topic of conversation was grandkids and great-grandkids. Since two of my great-grandsons were born earlier this month, Mother and I had plenty of photos to work with.
We got back home about 3 p.m. and relaxed for a while before getting ready to go to a Master Gardener picnic at 6 p.m. this evening. Various members are assigned (according to letters of the alphabet) food dishes to contribute to the meal, and our assignment was salad. While I was at Cardiac Rehab this morning, Mother put together a "Picnic Bean Salad" of kidney beans, cucumbers, onions, and tomatoes in ranch dressing, seasoned with dill weed and pepper, and topped with parmesan cheese. Most of the folks who attended must have been in the salad assignment block of the alphabet, because other than one rice dish and one couscous dish, there was nothing but salads, with most of those prepared in creamy dressings.
Among the meat dishes, there was pulled pork barbecue (wouldn't you know it), hamburgers and hot dogs, and grilled chicken. I opted for the grilled chicken, of course. I did sample a couple of desserts, but only very small portions.
The hosts' gardens, which feature wooden bridges, and a goldfish pond, are well-planned and beautifully manicured...the perfect setting for a picnic. The weather was mild, with an overcast sky, and we enjoyed this pleasant outing.
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
More Examples of Stepping Stones
Here are some more examples of stepping stones that Mother, Hubbie, and I made. Hubbie and I worked together on the top one, which uses a broken flower-pattern dinner plate. I made the patriotic red, white and blue stone, using broken tiles, and clear jewel stones to form a sort of star pattern in the middle. For this one, I added red concrete dye to the Quickrete mixture. I also made the lady bug stone and the red-dyed stone featuring small seashells in starburst patterns. Mother made the seashell/rock combination stone at the bottom. None of these are grand, but they were fun to make, and add interest to the path in the arbor. Directions for making the stones is in the previous blog.
Making Stepping Stones
Today, Mother, Hubbie, and I made the stepping stones shown above. The top one is mine, the middle one is Mother's, and the bottom one is Hubbie's. Right now, the Quikrete we used to make the stones is still wet, and mine, for example, has concrete residue on the tile pieces I used, but this will wash off easily with a wet paper towel after the stone has set for a few hours.
Here's how we made the stones:
1. Use small or large plastic plant dishes for molds. Once the stones are dry, they will come out of the dish without much trouble.
2. Cut a piece of screening, a little smaller than the mold.
3. Mix Quickrete at the ratio of about 5 cups of the concrete to about 1 cup of water. We use a gallon ice cream bucket to mix the Quickrete. Add the water a little at a time to the Quickrete and mix with a large, old, spoon, until the concrete is a little wetter than cookie dough.
4. Put a layer of the Quickrete into the plastic dish and spread it out. Place the screening on top, and add the rest of the Quickrete. Smooth the concrete out.
5. Tap around the dish to bring air bubbles to the top of the concrete.
6. Add embellishments. In the examples above, we used a whole tile, a broken tile, a broken plate, jewel stones, and seashells from an old necklace. We usually lay out our design on the table before we mix the Quickrete so we'll have some idea of design placement before we begin.
7. Lay the embellishments on top of the Quickrete, and when you are satisfied with your design, push the embellishments down into the Quickrete.
8. Once your design is completed, do not move the stone. Allow it to dry two or three days.
Stumbling Blocks Wednesday
I arrived at water aerobics a little later than usual this morning, because (stumbling block number one) the van wouldn't start. Yesterday, Hubbie and his son were trying out a jack connection to a boom box and inadvertently left the car key turned on in the ignition. It was on overnight...result, dead battery this morning.
The reason they were trying the jack is because we have a lot of audio books on tape, but this van has only a CD player, so Hubbie and Son were checking to see if a jack to the boom box would work. It does, which is good, because now we can listen to books on tape when we travel in the van. But since the van's battery was dead this morning, Hubbie had to take me over to the college pool in the truck, then come back home and use booster cables to start the van.
We saw an interesting thing at the college this morning, when Hubbie came to pick me up. He seemed to be studying a large bush when I got to the van, and pointed to a bird in the limbs. It was a fledgling road runner. Poor thing was trying it's best to hide from us, but it's little fuzzy gray head, where a topknot was just beginning to grow, it's round eyes, long beak, and long slender gray body with long tail were just too obvious to be camouflaged by the green leaves.
Later this morning, Mother and I decided to make stepping stones, but found that (stumbling block number two) the Quikrete was not useable...the bag had gotten wet when the hot tub ran over last fall. Hubbie tried to save it, but it was in solid clumps today. So we made a run to buy some more, stopping by a grocery store first to pick up on-sale bananas and grapes, and at the farmer's market to pick up tomatoes and cucumbers.
Finally, we did get three stones made, which now need to dry for several days. Over the past several years, we've made lots of them, which I enjoy displaying in the arbor. Directions for making stepping stones, and pictures of ones we've made will follow in another blog post.
After lunch, Mother and I made Tarjeteria greeting cards. Examples of cards we've made will also be in another blog post.
The reason they were trying the jack is because we have a lot of audio books on tape, but this van has only a CD player, so Hubbie and Son were checking to see if a jack to the boom box would work. It does, which is good, because now we can listen to books on tape when we travel in the van. But since the van's battery was dead this morning, Hubbie had to take me over to the college pool in the truck, then come back home and use booster cables to start the van.
We saw an interesting thing at the college this morning, when Hubbie came to pick me up. He seemed to be studying a large bush when I got to the van, and pointed to a bird in the limbs. It was a fledgling road runner. Poor thing was trying it's best to hide from us, but it's little fuzzy gray head, where a topknot was just beginning to grow, it's round eyes, long beak, and long slender gray body with long tail were just too obvious to be camouflaged by the green leaves.
Later this morning, Mother and I decided to make stepping stones, but found that (stumbling block number two) the Quikrete was not useable...the bag had gotten wet when the hot tub ran over last fall. Hubbie tried to save it, but it was in solid clumps today. So we made a run to buy some more, stopping by a grocery store first to pick up on-sale bananas and grapes, and at the farmer's market to pick up tomatoes and cucumbers.
Finally, we did get three stones made, which now need to dry for several days. Over the past several years, we've made lots of them, which I enjoy displaying in the arbor. Directions for making stepping stones, and pictures of ones we've made will follow in another blog post.
After lunch, Mother and I made Tarjeteria greeting cards. Examples of cards we've made will also be in another blog post.
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Birthday Bash
I got up extra early this morning so I could cook the lemon pudding for Hubbie's birthday cake, and get some other things done for the birthday gathering before I went to Cardiac Rehab.
Today was education day at Rehab, which meant I had to stay an extra 30 minutes. The session concerned managing medications. The registered nurse emphasized several points, which I already adhere to, like keeping a record of prescription drugs and vitamin supplements; providing that record to all of my health care professionals; incorporating taking my medications into my daily routine; putting my meds into plastic days-of-the-week pillboxes; taking my meds exactly as directed; and refilling prescriptions in a timely manner.
The nurse also explained various brands and types blood pressure and cardiac medicines, and encouraged us to discuss them, and any reactions to them, with both our physicians and our pharmacists.
I worked hard enough on the cardio-stepper today that it took a while for my heart rate to slow to a point I could remove the monitor. Finally, though, I was able to leave, and I got home about 10:30, showered, dressed, and began lunch preparations about 11 a.m.
Hubbie's family drifted in around 11:30 a.m., and we all sat down to lunch at noon. After lunch, dessert, and gift giving, Hubbie toured his family around the yard and flower gardens while Mother and I cleaned the kitchen. Then we all sat in the yard and visited for a while. The weather, cooler with low humidity, was perfect for being outdoors. Before the family left mid-afternoon, we gathered them near the dogwood tree for a snapshot.
Besides Mother and me, the group included Hubbie's two daughters and son, his two sisters, a grown grandson (an Army veteran who served several tours of duty, including to Iraq), a young grandson and granddaughter, two great-grandsons, a great-granddaughter, and a son-in-law.
Hubbie had a good birthday, made all the better by being surrounded by loving family.
Today was education day at Rehab, which meant I had to stay an extra 30 minutes. The session concerned managing medications. The registered nurse emphasized several points, which I already adhere to, like keeping a record of prescription drugs and vitamin supplements; providing that record to all of my health care professionals; incorporating taking my medications into my daily routine; putting my meds into plastic days-of-the-week pillboxes; taking my meds exactly as directed; and refilling prescriptions in a timely manner.
The nurse also explained various brands and types blood pressure and cardiac medicines, and encouraged us to discuss them, and any reactions to them, with both our physicians and our pharmacists.
I worked hard enough on the cardio-stepper today that it took a while for my heart rate to slow to a point I could remove the monitor. Finally, though, I was able to leave, and I got home about 10:30, showered, dressed, and began lunch preparations about 11 a.m.
Hubbie's family drifted in around 11:30 a.m., and we all sat down to lunch at noon. After lunch, dessert, and gift giving, Hubbie toured his family around the yard and flower gardens while Mother and I cleaned the kitchen. Then we all sat in the yard and visited for a while. The weather, cooler with low humidity, was perfect for being outdoors. Before the family left mid-afternoon, we gathered them near the dogwood tree for a snapshot.
Besides Mother and me, the group included Hubbie's two daughters and son, his two sisters, a grown grandson (an Army veteran who served several tours of duty, including to Iraq), a young grandson and granddaughter, two great-grandsons, a great-granddaughter, and a son-in-law.
Hubbie had a good birthday, made all the better by being surrounded by loving family.
Monday, June 16, 2008
Monday Again
It seems like Mondays are rolling around faster these days. It's always hard to pry myself out of bed on Monday mornings to go to Cardiac Rehab. It doesn't help that I'm not a morning person to begin with, but on Mondays, I'm an absolute slug.
Once I begin exercising, though, I'm fine. After eating out yesterday, I dreaded the scale this morning, but it showed a two-pound loss. This up-two-pounds-down-two-pounds thing is a fluctuation in water weight, I'm sure.
My blood pressure was good, and my oxygen saturation remains at 100%. It didn't take as long for my heart rate to go down after the session today, though, which indicates to me I might not have worked hard enough on the cardio-stepper.
The educational video was about healthy eating, which the guys in the session pooh-poohed. The men just really don't want to change their eating habits. I sure can't figure out why...did they enjoy triple and quadruple bypasses that much? Just having a 95% clogged artery was enough to make me willing to do whatever it takes to stay healthy.
After I got home, Hubbie and I ran errands around town, including to the farmer's market, where we got some luscious homegrown, salmonella-free, tomatoes. These days, I feel like I'm playing Russian Roulette whenever I buy produce grown in other states.
At home, I made two bowls of potato salad, a sodium-free and egg-yolk free one for me, and my regular recipe for everyone else. Hubbie loves my potato salad, so I try to make it for him frequently through the summer. It's hard to make just a little potato salad, though, so I usually have to wait until we're going to have a family gathering before I make it.
With the barbecue and potato salad, we'll have baked beans (which I won't eat), corn on the cob, and sliced tomatoes and cucumbers for Hubbie's Father's Day/birthday celebration tomorrow. There will also be low-fat hot dogs and macaroni and cheese for kids who might not like barbecue and salads.
For dessert, Mother has baked a lemon cake, which I'll finish with lemon pudding and egg white meringue icing in the morning. This is another of Hubbie's favorites. Because I'm allergic to yellow dye, I'll have a chocolate cupcake and strawberries.
The rest of the day was spent sprucing the house, and making another run to the worldwide discount chain store to pick up frozen corn on the cob, and a bucket of ice cream, that we forgot on our first trip. Since we were out anyway, we stopped by Blockbuster video store, where I hoped to spend a gift card. But we were shocked to find it vacant...when in the world did they go out of business, I wonder? I guess they had too much competition from a couple of other video rental stores in town, as well as from online video rental sites. Now, I'll need to either visit a Blockbuster when I'm in another town, or spend the gift card online.
Once I begin exercising, though, I'm fine. After eating out yesterday, I dreaded the scale this morning, but it showed a two-pound loss. This up-two-pounds-down-two-pounds thing is a fluctuation in water weight, I'm sure.
My blood pressure was good, and my oxygen saturation remains at 100%. It didn't take as long for my heart rate to go down after the session today, though, which indicates to me I might not have worked hard enough on the cardio-stepper.
The educational video was about healthy eating, which the guys in the session pooh-poohed. The men just really don't want to change their eating habits. I sure can't figure out why...did they enjoy triple and quadruple bypasses that much? Just having a 95% clogged artery was enough to make me willing to do whatever it takes to stay healthy.
After I got home, Hubbie and I ran errands around town, including to the farmer's market, where we got some luscious homegrown, salmonella-free, tomatoes. These days, I feel like I'm playing Russian Roulette whenever I buy produce grown in other states.
At home, I made two bowls of potato salad, a sodium-free and egg-yolk free one for me, and my regular recipe for everyone else. Hubbie loves my potato salad, so I try to make it for him frequently through the summer. It's hard to make just a little potato salad, though, so I usually have to wait until we're going to have a family gathering before I make it.
With the barbecue and potato salad, we'll have baked beans (which I won't eat), corn on the cob, and sliced tomatoes and cucumbers for Hubbie's Father's Day/birthday celebration tomorrow. There will also be low-fat hot dogs and macaroni and cheese for kids who might not like barbecue and salads.
For dessert, Mother has baked a lemon cake, which I'll finish with lemon pudding and egg white meringue icing in the morning. This is another of Hubbie's favorites. Because I'm allergic to yellow dye, I'll have a chocolate cupcake and strawberries.
The rest of the day was spent sprucing the house, and making another run to the worldwide discount chain store to pick up frozen corn on the cob, and a bucket of ice cream, that we forgot on our first trip. Since we were out anyway, we stopped by Blockbuster video store, where I hoped to spend a gift card. But we were shocked to find it vacant...when in the world did they go out of business, I wonder? I guess they had too much competition from a couple of other video rental stores in town, as well as from online video rental sites. Now, I'll need to either visit a Blockbuster when I'm in another town, or spend the gift card online.
Sunday, June 15, 2008
Wildflowers
Queen Anne's lace continues to grow in abundance along our rural roadways. Sharing space with those now tall and broad-faced wildflowers are butterfly weed, and wild roses. Blooming trumpet vine climbs on barbed wire fences, and nestled near the fence posts are clusters of day lilies.
Mother has planted a small wildflower garden that is just now sprouting. We're anxious to see what it yields. There is a new variety of daisy blooming in one of the gardens, and cone flowers in another one, both considered to be wildflowers.
Hubbie professes not to be a fan of wildflowers, many of which he considers to be "just weeds," but Mother and I find most of them quite beautiful.
Father's Day
We had a quiet Father's Day. Hubbie's children, some of his grandchildren, a great-grandchild, and his sisters will be here Tuesday to celebrate both Father's Day and his birthday, so today the celebration consisted of lunch at a local steakhouse, a card from me, and phone calls from his children.
High fuel and food prices certainly didn't keep folks at home today. The steakhouse was packed. We got there about 11:30 a.m., and already people were waiting to be seated. We lucked out and got seated immediately, since there was a small booth available, large enough to accommodate the three of us.
Hubbie ordered one of his favorite meals...steak, baked potato, and salad. Mother and I stuck with grilled chicken and baked potatoes. The restaurant obligingly prepared my chicken without salt. We all chowed down on the big, fluffy, yeast rolls, with honey, though.
Even by being careful of what I ordered, and eating only half of my meat portion, I still overindulged, so I ate a very low-sodium supper of all bran cereal and half a banana. Mother and Hubbie only ate half of their meat portions, too, so we brought the remainder home. Shih Tzu will enjoy a couple of meals from the leftover steak, and Mother and I will probably make sandwiches for lunch tomorrow from our chicken portions.
I make certain that leftover cooked meats taste fresh the next day by wrapping them securely in plastic wrap so that no oxygen can get to them. Refrigerating meats unwrapped changes the taste. Leftover poultry, particularly, has an unpleasant taste to me if it's refrigerated unwrapped.
Around dark time last night, Hubbie and I gathered up lawn chairs, hand fans, and bug repellant, and went over to the college to join a handful of others to see the animated feature, "Bee Movie," on an outdoor screen. We only went to be supportive of the arts council, which sponsored the movie. Hubbie is not a big fan of animated movies, though he seemed to enjoy this one. Mother opted out of going this time.
The movie, rated PG for some mild suggestive humor, promotes the message that bees are crucial to the environment, not only as suppliers of honey, but as pollinators, without whom plant life, and ultimately all life could perish.
It was a pleasant evening to sit outdoors. After a hot and humid day, the temperature had moderated by 8:30, and there was a cool breeze in the garden where the movie was shown. A three-quarter moon shown brilliantly, and in the clear night sky right overhead, the Big Dipper constellation seemed close enough to touch.
High fuel and food prices certainly didn't keep folks at home today. The steakhouse was packed. We got there about 11:30 a.m., and already people were waiting to be seated. We lucked out and got seated immediately, since there was a small booth available, large enough to accommodate the three of us.
Hubbie ordered one of his favorite meals...steak, baked potato, and salad. Mother and I stuck with grilled chicken and baked potatoes. The restaurant obligingly prepared my chicken without salt. We all chowed down on the big, fluffy, yeast rolls, with honey, though.
Even by being careful of what I ordered, and eating only half of my meat portion, I still overindulged, so I ate a very low-sodium supper of all bran cereal and half a banana. Mother and Hubbie only ate half of their meat portions, too, so we brought the remainder home. Shih Tzu will enjoy a couple of meals from the leftover steak, and Mother and I will probably make sandwiches for lunch tomorrow from our chicken portions.
I make certain that leftover cooked meats taste fresh the next day by wrapping them securely in plastic wrap so that no oxygen can get to them. Refrigerating meats unwrapped changes the taste. Leftover poultry, particularly, has an unpleasant taste to me if it's refrigerated unwrapped.
Around dark time last night, Hubbie and I gathered up lawn chairs, hand fans, and bug repellant, and went over to the college to join a handful of others to see the animated feature, "Bee Movie," on an outdoor screen. We only went to be supportive of the arts council, which sponsored the movie. Hubbie is not a big fan of animated movies, though he seemed to enjoy this one. Mother opted out of going this time.
The movie, rated PG for some mild suggestive humor, promotes the message that bees are crucial to the environment, not only as suppliers of honey, but as pollinators, without whom plant life, and ultimately all life could perish.
It was a pleasant evening to sit outdoors. After a hot and humid day, the temperature had moderated by 8:30, and there was a cool breeze in the garden where the movie was shown. A three-quarter moon shown brilliantly, and in the clear night sky right overhead, the Big Dipper constellation seemed close enough to touch.
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