The gardens needed rain, and today they got it. We awoke to thunderstorms this morning, which brought slow, constant rain, until around noon. It's still cloudy, but the rain has stopped.
The rain made for a damp trip to finish last-minute shopping at the worldwide discount chain store. I think now we have everything we need for meals this week. Of course, it isn't as though we are going to some isolated outpost, where we might not find a convenient grocery store, but we don't want to have to shop any more often than is absolutely necessary.
For a change, there were no events scheduled on the calendar for today, so we relaxed a little and took care of odds and ends.
Because I can't rely on my memory alone, I'm an inveterate list-maker. For weeks ahead of a major trip or event, I make and add to lists...camp supply lists, menu lists, grocery lists, lists of extra things I need to remember to take, like birthday gifts, cards, photos and whatever, and lists of tasks that need to be taken care of, like stopping the mail and newspaper, filling the truck with diesel, checking propane tanks on the camper, etc.
Except for gathering last-minute personal items in the morning, all the lists have been checked off now. So we're good to go, I think.
Saturday, June 28, 2008
Friday, June 27, 2008
A Day of Pleasant Events
Pleasant event number one: water aerobics...the pool this morning was still a delightful 86 degrees, and I enjoyed it thoroughly. As always, I felt refreshed and energized afterward.
Pleasant event number two: when I got back from the pool, I found that I'd received a snail-mail note from a high school friend, who will be in our state over the July 4 weekend. She wondered if I would be available for a visit while she's in town.
After e-mailing back and forth, it looks like the morning of July 4 is a good time for her to come and see me at the campground where we will be staying. I hope nothing comes up to interfere with that plan, since I haven't seen this friend in many years. In fact, we lost touch with each other until shortly after a 40th anniversary high school reunion several years ago, when I learned of her address and contacted her. After that we corresponded by e-mail from time to time, until for some reason she no longer had my current e-mail address. Hence, the snail-mail note, which I'm so glad she took the trouble to send.
Pleasant event number three: this evening, we traveled to another town to attend a hand bell concert held at a college theater. We've enjoyed several performances in this state-of-the-art theater, where the seating is comfortable and the acoustics are good. The folks who schedule reservations are very nice...making sure to accommodate Mother's need to sit in an aisle seat with a good view of the stage. She is claustrophobic about sitting in middle seats, and she's so short she can't see over the heads of folks in front of her in those confined areas.
These wonderful, internationally recognized concert performers, who have also appeared on public television, are on tour from North Carolina. This is their first appearance in our state, however. They are so much in demand that it took the college five years to finally book them.
Tonight, besides performing classical and sacred music, like "Exultation" and "Tristesse (Etude Op. 10 No. 3), they also performed pieces that I would not have thought suited to hand bells, like the rock tunes "Hotel California," and "Pinball Wizard." For these, they dressed in "hippie" costumes and wigs, and encouraged the audience to yell, wave their arms and clap to the beat, as if at a rock concert. There were a couple of other humor routines included, too, that kept the large audience well entertained. As an encore, the group played a selection from the Trans-Siberian Orchestra.
We all, including Hubbie, who is not always thrilled with my entertainment choices, enjoyed the hand bell concert so well that we bought a CD of their Christmas music. I buy a Christmas CD every year, so this one will serve as this season's new music.
The only downside to this concert was a three or four-year-old child who was restless and noisy. Her mother took her into the hall several times, but she kept bringing her back in, despite disapproving stares. At one point, a gentleman got up and closed the theater door behind her once the young woman and her child were outside, which was a sufficient hint that we were all tired of being distracted by the child's misbehavior. I wonder, have folks forgotten what babysitters are for?
Pleasant event number two: when I got back from the pool, I found that I'd received a snail-mail note from a high school friend, who will be in our state over the July 4 weekend. She wondered if I would be available for a visit while she's in town.
After e-mailing back and forth, it looks like the morning of July 4 is a good time for her to come and see me at the campground where we will be staying. I hope nothing comes up to interfere with that plan, since I haven't seen this friend in many years. In fact, we lost touch with each other until shortly after a 40th anniversary high school reunion several years ago, when I learned of her address and contacted her. After that we corresponded by e-mail from time to time, until for some reason she no longer had my current e-mail address. Hence, the snail-mail note, which I'm so glad she took the trouble to send.
Pleasant event number three: this evening, we traveled to another town to attend a hand bell concert held at a college theater. We've enjoyed several performances in this state-of-the-art theater, where the seating is comfortable and the acoustics are good. The folks who schedule reservations are very nice...making sure to accommodate Mother's need to sit in an aisle seat with a good view of the stage. She is claustrophobic about sitting in middle seats, and she's so short she can't see over the heads of folks in front of her in those confined areas.
These wonderful, internationally recognized concert performers, who have also appeared on public television, are on tour from North Carolina. This is their first appearance in our state, however. They are so much in demand that it took the college five years to finally book them.
Tonight, besides performing classical and sacred music, like "Exultation" and "Tristesse (Etude Op. 10 No. 3), they also performed pieces that I would not have thought suited to hand bells, like the rock tunes "Hotel California," and "Pinball Wizard." For these, they dressed in "hippie" costumes and wigs, and encouraged the audience to yell, wave their arms and clap to the beat, as if at a rock concert. There were a couple of other humor routines included, too, that kept the large audience well entertained. As an encore, the group played a selection from the Trans-Siberian Orchestra.
We all, including Hubbie, who is not always thrilled with my entertainment choices, enjoyed the hand bell concert so well that we bought a CD of their Christmas music. I buy a Christmas CD every year, so this one will serve as this season's new music.
The only downside to this concert was a three or four-year-old child who was restless and noisy. Her mother took her into the hall several times, but she kept bringing her back in, despite disapproving stares. At one point, a gentleman got up and closed the theater door behind her once the young woman and her child were outside, which was a sufficient hint that we were all tired of being distracted by the child's misbehavior. I wonder, have folks forgotten what babysitters are for?
Thursday, June 26, 2008
This and That Thursday
Today was Cardiac Rehab day, of course. This was my last session until I return from our trip to the capital city next week. Just when I think I'm working on the treadmill about as fast as I can go, the exercise physiologist increases my speed. Today, I worked at 3.7 mph. Whew.
After I got home, Hubbie and I went through all my photography equipment and supplies, making sure everything is packed for the session at the science museum next week. So far, nine kids are registered, which is a nice size group to work with.
Now it's a matter of packing personal needs into the camper. We try to make it easy on ourselves by cooking meals ahead for trips. What we do is double whatever recipe we're having for suppers during the week, and freeze half to take with us. The camper is well equipped with a stove, microwave, and refrigerator, and we always carry a grill with us, but on working trips like the one next week, we certainly don't want to worry about meal preparation.
Mother and Shih Tzu will stay at the campground during my afternoon work times, but Hubbie will go with me to help load and unload, set up the darkroom, supervise kids, etc.
During the week, we expect family to visit at the campground, so Mother will have company part of the time. Sis might be able to take a break from work and visit. And Daughter plans to visit one day, along with her aunt (who is also my good friend). Son and Daughter-in-Law will be at camp on Friday to go with us to the big fireworks display and symphony orchestra performance. So it promises to be a busy but fun week.
This evening, Mother and I went to a Weight Watchers meeting for a monthly weigh-in. We're still well under our target weights. I weighed the same as last month, and the same as I've been weighing every workout day at Cardiac Rehab.
After I got home, Hubbie and I went through all my photography equipment and supplies, making sure everything is packed for the session at the science museum next week. So far, nine kids are registered, which is a nice size group to work with.
Now it's a matter of packing personal needs into the camper. We try to make it easy on ourselves by cooking meals ahead for trips. What we do is double whatever recipe we're having for suppers during the week, and freeze half to take with us. The camper is well equipped with a stove, microwave, and refrigerator, and we always carry a grill with us, but on working trips like the one next week, we certainly don't want to worry about meal preparation.
Mother and Shih Tzu will stay at the campground during my afternoon work times, but Hubbie will go with me to help load and unload, set up the darkroom, supervise kids, etc.
During the week, we expect family to visit at the campground, so Mother will have company part of the time. Sis might be able to take a break from work and visit. And Daughter plans to visit one day, along with her aunt (who is also my good friend). Son and Daughter-in-Law will be at camp on Friday to go with us to the big fireworks display and symphony orchestra performance. So it promises to be a busy but fun week.
This evening, Mother and I went to a Weight Watchers meeting for a monthly weigh-in. We're still well under our target weights. I weighed the same as last month, and the same as I've been weighing every workout day at Cardiac Rehab.
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Wednesday Outing
I started the day with an energizing water aerobics session. The pool felt wonderful at 86 degrees.
After lunch, Hubbie and I traveled to a town a couple of hours east of us to visit his niece, and her husband and two boys, who are in the state visiting from Stockholm, Sweden. We met at another niece's very nice home, where the boys and their assorted cousins enjoyed the swimming pool, while the adults visited on the patio.
This was our first opportunity to tour Niece's two-story home, which is enviously spacious. She has decorated her home in browns, tans, and animal prints in the living room and master bedroom. For her young son's bedroom, she hired an artist to paint airplane scenes and inspirational sayings on the walls. Her daughter's room, which has its own adjoining bathroom and a large walk-in closet, is done in feminine pinks.
The master bedroom has a king-size sleigh bed, with leather padded head and foot boards. This room is large enough to accommodate a living room suit, too. The adjoining bathroom is humongous, with a walk-in closet big enough to serve as a small bedroom.
One small room serves as Niece's scrapbooking area. Like others of us in the family, she is an avid scrapbooker. The combination office/den, with large-screen TV, is spacious, and obviously a favorite entertainment and relaxation space for the family.
When we arrived, we found a tray of fruits to nibble on. I was grateful for these healthy snacks, and indulged in fresh strawberries, cherries, watermelon, and pineapple. Niece is very health conscious, and is in great shape, thanks to a diligent program of exercise and healthy eating.
We enjoyed our short visit with this niece and her family, as well as with the niece and family from Sweden, who struggled with the heat and humidity of our southern state. Niece said that the summer temp in Sweden is in the 60s, reaching into the 70s only in the hottest part of the summer...late July and August. The water in the lakes, etc., is too cold to swim in, she said.
After a pleasant afternoon visiting with nieces and families, as well as with Hubbie's sisters and one of his daughters, we headed home around 4:30 p.m.
On our way, a thunderstorm blew up , which didn't stop the pilot of a low flying, yellow plane from banking and dipping to crop dust the fields on either side of the highway. Back and forth across the road he flew against the backdrop of black clouds streaked with lightening. Here in this delta area are fields of soybeans, rice, and milo. There are also cotton fields farther east, though more corn than cotton is grown now, to be sold, we presume, for the manufacture of alternative fuel.
At home, Mother, who had opted not to go with us to visit Hubbie's relatives, had prepared a new recipe for turkey roast that was delicious. This was a slow cooker recipe using onions, celery, thyme, rosemary, and pepper. She also made a no-salt dish of scalloped potatoes that was very good.
After lunch, Hubbie and I traveled to a town a couple of hours east of us to visit his niece, and her husband and two boys, who are in the state visiting from Stockholm, Sweden. We met at another niece's very nice home, where the boys and their assorted cousins enjoyed the swimming pool, while the adults visited on the patio.
This was our first opportunity to tour Niece's two-story home, which is enviously spacious. She has decorated her home in browns, tans, and animal prints in the living room and master bedroom. For her young son's bedroom, she hired an artist to paint airplane scenes and inspirational sayings on the walls. Her daughter's room, which has its own adjoining bathroom and a large walk-in closet, is done in feminine pinks.
The master bedroom has a king-size sleigh bed, with leather padded head and foot boards. This room is large enough to accommodate a living room suit, too. The adjoining bathroom is humongous, with a walk-in closet big enough to serve as a small bedroom.
One small room serves as Niece's scrapbooking area. Like others of us in the family, she is an avid scrapbooker. The combination office/den, with large-screen TV, is spacious, and obviously a favorite entertainment and relaxation space for the family.
When we arrived, we found a tray of fruits to nibble on. I was grateful for these healthy snacks, and indulged in fresh strawberries, cherries, watermelon, and pineapple. Niece is very health conscious, and is in great shape, thanks to a diligent program of exercise and healthy eating.
We enjoyed our short visit with this niece and her family, as well as with the niece and family from Sweden, who struggled with the heat and humidity of our southern state. Niece said that the summer temp in Sweden is in the 60s, reaching into the 70s only in the hottest part of the summer...late July and August. The water in the lakes, etc., is too cold to swim in, she said.
After a pleasant afternoon visiting with nieces and families, as well as with Hubbie's sisters and one of his daughters, we headed home around 4:30 p.m.
On our way, a thunderstorm blew up , which didn't stop the pilot of a low flying, yellow plane from banking and dipping to crop dust the fields on either side of the highway. Back and forth across the road he flew against the backdrop of black clouds streaked with lightening. Here in this delta area are fields of soybeans, rice, and milo. There are also cotton fields farther east, though more corn than cotton is grown now, to be sold, we presume, for the manufacture of alternative fuel.
At home, Mother, who had opted not to go with us to visit Hubbie's relatives, had prepared a new recipe for turkey roast that was delicious. This was a slow cooker recipe using onions, celery, thyme, rosemary, and pepper. She also made a no-salt dish of scalloped potatoes that was very good.
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Education Day
Today was a day for education. At Cardiac Rehab, the nutritionist talked to the group about healthy eating, which included a demonstration of portion sizes using plastic "food" items, like half a chicken breast and a piece of steak (each about the size of a deck on playing cards), an orange (the size of a fist), cooked rice and spaghetti (half a cup), a hamburger bun (counts as two servings), and a slice of bread (one serving). Since Mother and I are Weight Watcher members, I was already aware of the concept of portion control.
An American Heart Association booklet the nutritionist provided contains some information that I was unaware of, however. It states that adults aged 51 years and older need four servings of fat-free or low-fat milk products...the same required by children and teenagers 9-18 years old. I don't think I'm getting that much every day.
The other informational tidbit is that albacore (white) tuna contains more mercury than canned tuna. We haven't been eating albacore, but now that I know about the mercury, I'll be avoiding it for sure.
This afternoon, Mother and I attended a session on maintaining a healthy brain, sponsored by the local agency on aging. The informative workshop included fun brain teaser and crossword puzzle games. Mother and I both love puzzles. She works crossword, cryptogram, and word search puzzles almost every day. Time constraints prevent me from working puzzles every day, but I keep crosswords, word searches, Sudoku, and brain teaser puzzles on the end table in the den for when I have a few minutes of down time.
Before we went to the healthy brain session, we stopped by the art gallery so Mother could see a fiber arts exhibit. Hubbie and I saw it a few weeks ago at a reception for the artist, but Mother opted out of going that evening. The artist creates whimsical human figures on wall hangings that are fashioned from fabrics and found objects. She also makes fabric jewelry, and creates quilted postcards. Her work is very interesting, and I thought Mother might enjoy seeing it. She did.
An American Heart Association booklet the nutritionist provided contains some information that I was unaware of, however. It states that adults aged 51 years and older need four servings of fat-free or low-fat milk products...the same required by children and teenagers 9-18 years old. I don't think I'm getting that much every day.
The other informational tidbit is that albacore (white) tuna contains more mercury than canned tuna. We haven't been eating albacore, but now that I know about the mercury, I'll be avoiding it for sure.
This afternoon, Mother and I attended a session on maintaining a healthy brain, sponsored by the local agency on aging. The informative workshop included fun brain teaser and crossword puzzle games. Mother and I both love puzzles. She works crossword, cryptogram, and word search puzzles almost every day. Time constraints prevent me from working puzzles every day, but I keep crosswords, word searches, Sudoku, and brain teaser puzzles on the end table in the den for when I have a few minutes of down time.
Before we went to the healthy brain session, we stopped by the art gallery so Mother could see a fiber arts exhibit. Hubbie and I saw it a few weeks ago at a reception for the artist, but Mother opted out of going that evening. The artist creates whimsical human figures on wall hangings that are fashioned from fabrics and found objects. She also makes fabric jewelry, and creates quilted postcards. Her work is very interesting, and I thought Mother might enjoy seeing it. She did.
Monday, June 23, 2008
Another Monday
At the end of this week, I will have completed 31 of the 36 required days of Cardiac Rehab (three months). But since I'll be gone next week to teach photography at a museum in our capital city, I'll have to make up the remaining five days after I get back.
Today, I was given an exit interview packet...questionnaires testing what I've learned during my session, plus a satisfaction survey. The Cardiac Rehab team will get a good score from me, since they've been very attentive.
I was down two pounds today, after a three pound gain last week. Following exercise, my blood pressure was 86/52, prompting the exercise physiologist to ask if I felt okay. I did. My heart rate came down faster than it did last Thursday, too. I work hard, so it takes a while for my heart rate to decrease, meaning that I'm the last one in my group to be dismissed each session.
Cardiac Rehab has been very good for me, so I think I'll sign up for Phase III of the program. I can take either a two or a three-day-a-week session, and I'll do the two-day one, on Tuesdays and Thursdays. That way, I can be free to go to water aerobics Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.
After lunch, I mixed fresh chemicals for the photography session next week, and then Mother and I went into the "darkroom" (a small bathroom with no windows that Hubbie set up with my photography enlarger, chemical trays, safe light, etc.) In order to test photo papers, we created a variety of sunprints. Mother is satisfied enough with one of hers to frame and use as a county fair entry. I might scan one of mine and manipulate it in a photo workshop program.
By the time we finished our projects, it was close to suppertime. We enjoyed a succulent beef roast, using a variety of no-salt spices like garlic and thyme, as well as onions, carrots, and potatoes, then roasted several hours in a slow cooker.
It's been a busy day, and I'm ready now to wind down.
Today, I was given an exit interview packet...questionnaires testing what I've learned during my session, plus a satisfaction survey. The Cardiac Rehab team will get a good score from me, since they've been very attentive.
I was down two pounds today, after a three pound gain last week. Following exercise, my blood pressure was 86/52, prompting the exercise physiologist to ask if I felt okay. I did. My heart rate came down faster than it did last Thursday, too. I work hard, so it takes a while for my heart rate to decrease, meaning that I'm the last one in my group to be dismissed each session.
Cardiac Rehab has been very good for me, so I think I'll sign up for Phase III of the program. I can take either a two or a three-day-a-week session, and I'll do the two-day one, on Tuesdays and Thursdays. That way, I can be free to go to water aerobics Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.
After lunch, I mixed fresh chemicals for the photography session next week, and then Mother and I went into the "darkroom" (a small bathroom with no windows that Hubbie set up with my photography enlarger, chemical trays, safe light, etc.) In order to test photo papers, we created a variety of sunprints. Mother is satisfied enough with one of hers to frame and use as a county fair entry. I might scan one of mine and manipulate it in a photo workshop program.
By the time we finished our projects, it was close to suppertime. We enjoyed a succulent beef roast, using a variety of no-salt spices like garlic and thyme, as well as onions, carrots, and potatoes, then roasted several hours in a slow cooker.
It's been a busy day, and I'm ready now to wind down.
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