Saturday, February 7

I started my Saturday with a treadmill and weights workout session, as usual. Afterwards, while I was getting ready for the day, Hubbie went to the Extension Services office, where he was to meet a group of Master Gardeners at 9 a.m. to work on the flower beds. But at 9:30, when no one else had shown up, he came back home. He tried calling other members to find out what had happened, but was unable to reach anyone.

So he showered and dressed to accompany me to the WDCS to shop for groceries on this moderately warm day that would have been more comfortable with less wind. We got back home around 11:30.

Mother had come over and chopped lettuce and other veggies while we were gone. Hubbie and I had big plates of this salad base for lunch, topped with sliced canned beets, dried cranberries, and almonds, as well as leftover boiled chicken, and low-fat cottage cheese, and served with warmed bran muffins and hot tea, along with small bowls of mixed fresh fruits. Mother, whose stomach doesn't tolerate a lot of raw veggies and fruits, opted for chicken noodle soup from a package and half a chicken sandwich.

Right after lunch, our neighbor's teenage boy came to the door selling orders of barbequed ribs as a school fundraiser. We agreed to buy an order, of course, which we are to pick up Friday at one of the businesses in town. We are usually suckers for kids selling stuff for school or other organizations. That's one reason we have so many boxes of Girl Scout cookies in the freezer, and why we have several magazine subscriptions, scented candles, etc.

Today is Son's birthday, so I called him after lunch, and we had a nice chat. He and Daughter-in-Law (who celebrated a birthday last Thursday) were traveling home from a shopping trip when I called, so his cell phone kept cutting out. I had to call back three times before we finished our conversation, which amused both of us. Cell phones are not yet an exact science.

Other than Daughter-in-Law and Grandson suffering bouts of a 24-hour bug, everything seems to be fine with Son's family. They were basically unaffected by the recent ice storm beyond Son missing one day of work.

Then I called Sis so Mother could talk to her. She said she was able to go to work during the ice storm, but one employee had an auto accident that kept her from coming in...it seems her air bag failed to deploy causing her to bump her head and get squeezed into the steering wheel. She came to work the next day, but complained of pains, so she saw her doctor and learned she had a concussion and bruised ribs.

Hubbie went outdoors to work in the yard this afternoon while the DVR recorded our favorite basketball team in SEC play. We like to wait at least an hour into recording before watching a game, so we can zap the annoying commercials. Unfortunately, our team, coming out like Gang Busters in the first half, let the game slip to a disappointing loss in the second half. Phooey.

For supper, we had pizzas made with wheat bagels topped with slices of provolone cheese, no- salt diced tomatoes, sauteed onions, bell peppers, and mushrooms, along with minced garlic from a jar. We sprinkled the pizzas with no-salt seasoning, pepper, dried basil, oregano, and shredded Quesadilla cheese. These were baked for about 25 minutes, until hot and bubbly, and served with sauteed potatoes.

Later, Hubbie and I watched a movie titled "The Copyist," about a young woman who becomes a copyist to Ludwig Von Beethoven (a copyist is a person who makes neat copies of a composer's music). This is a work of fiction, since Beethoven never employed such a woman, but it is a very interesting PG-13 movie...given this rating because of some adult content (Beethoven, played by Ed Harris, moons the woman, played by Diane Kruger, in one scene, and there is a little mild language). The story centers on Beethoven's final symphony, completed in 1824, shortly before his death. At one point in the film, we are treated to a portion of this Ninth Symphony that includes a singing chorus.