We were up at 6 a.m. this morning so Mother and I could go to a 7 a.m. yard sale on the parking lot of one of the food processing plants, and Hubbie could get ready to be at the Master Gardeners plant sale at 8 a.m.
We were disappointed in the yard sale, which was advertised as being a big one. Only a few folks were manning tables, and we didn't find a lot to interest us. I bought four paperback novels for Hubbie....three westerns, and a John Grisham. For myself, I got a historical novel and a DVD of the musical, "Sweeney Todd," starring Angela Landsbury (one of my favorite actors) and a jigsaw puzzle.
After that, we went to the fairgrounds for the plant sale. It didn't open until 8 a.m., but since Hubbie is a member of the organization, Mother and I got in early. Mother chose several plants that she wanted, particularly coleus, which was good, because as soon as the doors opened, a flood of people poured in and within minutes the coleus was gone.
I took my camera along with me, and got several snapshots to e-mail to the photo editor of the regional section of our state newspaper.
By 9 a.m., we were ready to leave the sale and go to the greeting card shop. Upon arriving, we learned the store didn't open until 10 a.m., so we toured the town, looking for more yard sales. We only located a couple, though, and neither one had anything we wanted.
At 10, we went back to the greeting card shop to buy Mother's Day cards. I had a $3 coupon with an April 30 expiration, plus a coupon for a free card with a purchase of three, and I was glad to be able to use both.
We came home after that and relaxed for a little while before returning to the plant sale around noon, when everything was half price. Mother found a few more plants that she wanted. The sale ended at 1 p.m. and Hubbie stayed around for the clean-up chores, but Mother and I came home for lunch. I had a grilled cheese sandwich, with fresh strawberries for dessert, and Mother had the Ramen noodle soup leftover from yesterday, and an individual container of fruited Jell-o. Hubbie just settled for the sweets provided at the plant sale as his lunch, which couldn't have been very satisfying.
After lunch, Mother and I watched the "Sweeney Todd" musical on DVD. I only paid $2 for it, so I hoped it wasn't defective. It isn't.
When Hubbie got home, he immediately went into the yard to put his and Mother's new plants into the ground, and to do some mowing. Rain is predicted for the next few days, so he wanted to get a head start on mowing the lawn, which is growing by leaps and bounds after the last rain.
For Supper, we tried a new hamburger/macaroni recipe that we got at the last Weight Watchers meeting. It's very tasty. Spent the rest of the evening, as usual, watching TV.
Saturday, April 25, 2009
Friday, April 24, 2009
Friday, April 24
We were up at 6 a.m. this morning, so Hubbie could go hook the trailer to the truck and then get to the high school horticulture department before 7 a.m. to pick up plants for the plant sale this weekend. After he left, I spruced the upstairs bathroom, bedroom, and office, in anticipation of the pest control guy coming for the quarterly spraying this afternoon. Hubbie always laughs at me for wanting to clean house for the bug man.
Hubbie wasn't gone long, because it turned out that he couldn't crank the trailer high enough for the truck hitch to connect with it. So he came home and called another Master Gardener to report the problem. The MG said her husband had a truck and trailer that could be used for the task, which meant that Hubbie could just go on down to the fairgrounds and help unload the plants once they arrived.
In the meantime, I went to the college pool for water aerobics. The pool is still over-filled, and was a bit cooler this morning, but it felt good once I got used to it.
One of the ladies has been wearing blue-tinted sunglasses in the pool, and I wondered why. Today, she volunteered that she's been having trouble seeing. She visited her doctor yesterday and was told that she has arthritis in her eyes. I never heard of that. I always associated arthritis with joints. But another lady said she was diagnosed with arthritis in her ears. In researching online, I learned that indeed arthritis can occur anywhere in the body, including eyes, ears, and face.
Back home, after I got ready for the day, I continued sprucing the house. Then I heated the remaining two fajitas for Hubbie's and my lunch. Mother joined us for lunch, but she chose to have Ramen noodle soup. Hubbie got back from the fairgrounds about 11:45.
After lunch, Mother and I walked at the college lake, while Hubbie planted some flowers and four tomato plants that he'd been given this morning while he worked at the fairgrounds.
It was quite warm today, with a very gusty wind that provided a lot of resistance as we walked. Mother is only four feet eleven inches tall and weighs just 128 pounds, so a gusty wind like that makes her totter sideways. I'm alert that she doesn't just totter right into the lake!
Back home, I finished a grocery list and went to the WDCS. The road that the store is on is under construction to build two new lanes, and this afternoon the traffic was backed up half a mile from the store, and inched along at a snail's pace. I finally cut across a large parking lot and entered the WDCS parking lot from a side street. The trip home was faster, since the lane I needed was not jammed with traffic.
The bug man came around 3 p.m. and began (horrors!) opening closet doors to squirt spray inside. I apologized for my messy closets. He said he's single and works 70 hours a week, so I should see what his house looks like. Okay, well he has a good excuse. What's mine?
Supper tonight was salmon loaf, baked sweet potatoes, and whole kernel corn. Afterwards, we toured the yard to look at the pretty flowers. After that, we spent the evening in our usual activities.
Note: the mama cat has five more kittens...three buff colored ones, a black one, and a light yellow one. Add those to five that are already roaming the yard, four of which are female, and, we think, also pregnant, and that equals: We've absolutely got to do something about all these cats!
Hubbie wasn't gone long, because it turned out that he couldn't crank the trailer high enough for the truck hitch to connect with it. So he came home and called another Master Gardener to report the problem. The MG said her husband had a truck and trailer that could be used for the task, which meant that Hubbie could just go on down to the fairgrounds and help unload the plants once they arrived.
In the meantime, I went to the college pool for water aerobics. The pool is still over-filled, and was a bit cooler this morning, but it felt good once I got used to it.
One of the ladies has been wearing blue-tinted sunglasses in the pool, and I wondered why. Today, she volunteered that she's been having trouble seeing. She visited her doctor yesterday and was told that she has arthritis in her eyes. I never heard of that. I always associated arthritis with joints. But another lady said she was diagnosed with arthritis in her ears. In researching online, I learned that indeed arthritis can occur anywhere in the body, including eyes, ears, and face.
Back home, after I got ready for the day, I continued sprucing the house. Then I heated the remaining two fajitas for Hubbie's and my lunch. Mother joined us for lunch, but she chose to have Ramen noodle soup. Hubbie got back from the fairgrounds about 11:45.
After lunch, Mother and I walked at the college lake, while Hubbie planted some flowers and four tomato plants that he'd been given this morning while he worked at the fairgrounds.
It was quite warm today, with a very gusty wind that provided a lot of resistance as we walked. Mother is only four feet eleven inches tall and weighs just 128 pounds, so a gusty wind like that makes her totter sideways. I'm alert that she doesn't just totter right into the lake!
Back home, I finished a grocery list and went to the WDCS. The road that the store is on is under construction to build two new lanes, and this afternoon the traffic was backed up half a mile from the store, and inched along at a snail's pace. I finally cut across a large parking lot and entered the WDCS parking lot from a side street. The trip home was faster, since the lane I needed was not jammed with traffic.
The bug man came around 3 p.m. and began (horrors!) opening closet doors to squirt spray inside. I apologized for my messy closets. He said he's single and works 70 hours a week, so I should see what his house looks like. Okay, well he has a good excuse. What's mine?
Supper tonight was salmon loaf, baked sweet potatoes, and whole kernel corn. Afterwards, we toured the yard to look at the pretty flowers. After that, we spent the evening in our usual activities.
Note: the mama cat has five more kittens...three buff colored ones, a black one, and a light yellow one. Add those to five that are already roaming the yard, four of which are female, and, we think, also pregnant, and that equals: We've absolutely got to do something about all these cats!
Flowers in the Yard
These are snapshots of flowers in our yard. The irises are just beginning to bloom...they are later every year than others around town, maybe because our yard is very shady and cool most of the day. The second photo shows a bee busy at an azalea bush. The third picture is of dogwood blossoms, of course. Some of the blossoms in the background are already shriveling, making way for leaves. I really love the color of the tulip in the bottom photo.
Thursday, April 23, 2009
After the Trip, Part Five
Today, Thursday: we got up at 7 a.m., because I needed to be ready to take Mother for her doctor appointment, which was scheduled for 8:45. At the clinic, the nurse seemed confused about Mother getting blood work and had to consult the doctor first...but she was in a meeting. So poor Mother, who hadn't eaten this morning, because she was to have fasting blood work done, had to wait about 30 minutes before she was called for the test. Then we had to sit in a frigid exam room for quite a while before the doctor came in. Anyway, everything appears to be okay with Mother. She'll get the results of her blood work in a few days.
After we got back home, Mother only ate a piece of toast and jelly, because lunch time was so near. For lunch, we had cold chicken sandwiches, with fresh strawberries for dessert. Afterward, Mother went home, Hubbie went to the fairgrounds to help the Master Gardener members set up tables for the plant sale, and I uploaded Texas trip pictures to the one-hour service for printing
I also went out to the yard again to shoot more pictures of the blooming plants. It was cloudy today, a better day for getting evenly lighted shots than the sunny day yesterday.
For supper, I made fajitas for Hubbie and me, using leftover chicken and beans, along with sauteed green onions, bell pepper, mushrooms, and banana peppers, and salsa and seasonings. I served leftover sauteed potatoes and salad with the fajitas.
Mother opted to stay home this evening. She is not fond of Mexican-type foods. Also, she likes to spend one supper meal each week at home. She usually has lots of foods in her freezer...dibs and dabs of leftovers from various meals we've had at our house. She doesn't label the food when she freezes it, so it's always a fun surprise to her when she pulls out several little packages and microwaves them. She says it's like eating at a buffet restaurant, where you sample several foods without worrying whether they go together or not.
Later, Hubbie and I spent our hour of downtime in the usual pursuits, and then we watched TV.
After we got back home, Mother only ate a piece of toast and jelly, because lunch time was so near. For lunch, we had cold chicken sandwiches, with fresh strawberries for dessert. Afterward, Mother went home, Hubbie went to the fairgrounds to help the Master Gardener members set up tables for the plant sale, and I uploaded Texas trip pictures to the one-hour service for printing
I also went out to the yard again to shoot more pictures of the blooming plants. It was cloudy today, a better day for getting evenly lighted shots than the sunny day yesterday.
For supper, I made fajitas for Hubbie and me, using leftover chicken and beans, along with sauteed green onions, bell pepper, mushrooms, and banana peppers, and salsa and seasonings. I served leftover sauteed potatoes and salad with the fajitas.
Mother opted to stay home this evening. She is not fond of Mexican-type foods. Also, she likes to spend one supper meal each week at home. She usually has lots of foods in her freezer...dibs and dabs of leftovers from various meals we've had at our house. She doesn't label the food when she freezes it, so it's always a fun surprise to her when she pulls out several little packages and microwaves them. She says it's like eating at a buffet restaurant, where you sample several foods without worrying whether they go together or not.
Later, Hubbie and I spent our hour of downtime in the usual pursuits, and then we watched TV.
After the Trip, Part Four
The college pool was still very full this morning, but also still warm, so I enjoyed the workout. Back home, I spent most of my time editing my Texas trip photos, and uploading them to my blog.
Mother used her time to plant lettuce, green onions, and chard in the raised garden. Hubbie potted some plants that he is donating to the Master Gardener plant sale event on Saturday.
After a chicken soup lunch, I went into the yard to take pictures of the blooming plants, shrubs, and trees. When we got back from our trip, the dogwood tree was already at its peak, and by today, it was starting to fade. But there were still some pretty blooms on it. The azaleas are spectacular, in an array of pretty spring colors. There are still some tulips, too, and a few irises are blooming. There are also a couple of pretty phlox plants, some daisies, and a few roses.
One of the things Hubbie did today was cut a board to use as a barrier behind Mother's washer and dryer, because Snoops the cat kept getting behind them, but then was unable to get herself out. Several times, Hubbie was called upon to climb on the machines, reach way down behind them, grab Snoops by the nape of the neck, and bring her out. And of course, since cats never learn their lessons, Hubbie finally decided to build a barrier.
Supper tonight was leftover beans, taters, and cabbage. Then it was the usual evening of TV. Since the DVR was full (I'd set it to record our favorite shows while we were gone) , we watched several one-hour programs.
Mother used her time to plant lettuce, green onions, and chard in the raised garden. Hubbie potted some plants that he is donating to the Master Gardener plant sale event on Saturday.
After a chicken soup lunch, I went into the yard to take pictures of the blooming plants, shrubs, and trees. When we got back from our trip, the dogwood tree was already at its peak, and by today, it was starting to fade. But there were still some pretty blooms on it. The azaleas are spectacular, in an array of pretty spring colors. There are still some tulips, too, and a few irises are blooming. There are also a couple of pretty phlox plants, some daisies, and a few roses.
One of the things Hubbie did today was cut a board to use as a barrier behind Mother's washer and dryer, because Snoops the cat kept getting behind them, but then was unable to get herself out. Several times, Hubbie was called upon to climb on the machines, reach way down behind them, grab Snoops by the nape of the neck, and bring her out. And of course, since cats never learn their lessons, Hubbie finally decided to build a barrier.
Supper tonight was leftover beans, taters, and cabbage. Then it was the usual evening of TV. Since the DVR was full (I'd set it to record our favorite shows while we were gone) , we watched several one-hour programs.
After the Trip, Part Three
I did a treadmill session after breakfast this morning. After that I got busy reading and editing a 20-page paper that Niece e-mailed to me. The paper, an assignment for a master's degree class she is taking, was due on Thursday, so she was frantic to get it done. It took a good bit of the day to do this, and then when I tried to e-mail the edited version back to her, I somehow lost it and had to start all over again. Drats!
Also today, I researched the subject of bromeliads. Hubbie is the scheduled speaker for his Master Gardener group in May, and I'm trying to help him pull together a 30-minute program.
While I was working on those things, Mother put a pot of chicken on for making soup for supper, and Hubbie did various tasks related to the upcoming Master Gardener plant sale this weekend.
Nothing much else happened today. This evening, Hubbie and I watched a strange movie called "The Gathering." This movie is R-rated for language and violence. The plot revolves around a young woman who is hit by a car. The young woman is uninjured in the accident, but the driver, another woman, insists she go home with her to recuperate. The young woman begins to visualize the deaths of various townspeople, and later, in a twisted ending, learns why.
Also today, I researched the subject of bromeliads. Hubbie is the scheduled speaker for his Master Gardener group in May, and I'm trying to help him pull together a 30-minute program.
While I was working on those things, Mother put a pot of chicken on for making soup for supper, and Hubbie did various tasks related to the upcoming Master Gardener plant sale this weekend.
Nothing much else happened today. This evening, Hubbie and I watched a strange movie called "The Gathering." This movie is R-rated for language and violence. The plot revolves around a young woman who is hit by a car. The young woman is uninjured in the accident, but the driver, another woman, insists she go home with her to recuperate. The young woman begins to visualize the deaths of various townspeople, and later, in a twisted ending, learns why.
After the Trip, Part Two
Monday morning it was back to water aerobics. After nine days of not much exercise and too many of the wrong things to eat, I needed to get back to a normal routine. Today, the pool was over-filled, but thankfully it was warm. One of the ladies said the pool maintenance guy intended to just add a little water to the pool, but forgot about it until it was over-filled. Several of us ladies like to do our aerobics near the rope that divides the shallow end from the deep end, but the pool is so full that we are exercising on tippy-toes.
After I got back from the pool and was ready for the day, I made an appointment for Thursday for Mother to see her doctor for routine blood work and a blood pressure check. Then she came over and we planned the week's menu. After lunch, Hubbie and I went to the WDCS to get the groceries needed for the meals.
Then Mother and I went for a walk at the college lake. No one else was at the lake today. It was warm, but windy, and just a little cool. We were glad we wore jackets.
Supper tonight was a pot of beans, sauteed potatoes, and boiled cabbage. Afterward, Hubbie and I spent our hour of down time in separate pursuits...he reading a book, and I on my laptop. At 7 p.m., we watched "The Bucket List," a PG-13 comedy/drama starring Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman. This is a very good movie about two men who learn they have terminal illnesses, and who decide to fulfill some personal dreams before they die.
After that we watched a couple of favorite one-hour shows before bedtime. We were pretty tired by 10 p.m.
After I got back from the pool and was ready for the day, I made an appointment for Thursday for Mother to see her doctor for routine blood work and a blood pressure check. Then she came over and we planned the week's menu. After lunch, Hubbie and I went to the WDCS to get the groceries needed for the meals.
Then Mother and I went for a walk at the college lake. No one else was at the lake today. It was warm, but windy, and just a little cool. We were glad we wore jackets.
Supper tonight was a pot of beans, sauteed potatoes, and boiled cabbage. Afterward, Hubbie and I spent our hour of down time in separate pursuits...he reading a book, and I on my laptop. At 7 p.m., we watched "The Bucket List," a PG-13 comedy/drama starring Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman. This is a very good movie about two men who learn they have terminal illnesses, and who decide to fulfill some personal dreams before they die.
After that we watched a couple of favorite one-hour shows before bedtime. We were pretty tired by 10 p.m.
After the Trip
I've used a lot of blog space this week doing narratives and uploading photos of our Texas trip. So what have we been doing since? Let's see...
Last Saturday, we spent most of our day catching up with household chores, reading a stack of newspapers, answering e-mails, responding to phone calls, shopping for grocery essentials, etc. One e-mail we received was from Niece, who said that the play that Great-Niece and Great-Nephew were cast in was scheduled for last Thurs. through Sunday afternoon.
The play, "The Music Man," is one of my favorites. So we decided to head a couple of hours south on Sunday afternoon to see the 2 p.m. performance. It was a high school production that cast not only high school students, but lots of community members. So, although Great-Niece is not yet in high school, she was cast as one of the River City Teens and Kids. Great-Nephew was cast as one of the River City Adults.
Sunday was a beautiful, sunny day for traveling. We left home about 11 a.m., and stopped in a town about an hour away to have lunch at a buffet restaurant. At another town a few miles from our destination, we noticed a roadside stand selling the first of this year's local strawberries. So we stopped to buy a flat of the very large, plump and luscious berries.
We arrived at the auditorium where the play was to be performed just minutes before the curtain went up. Niece, her husband, and their other son, arrived right after we did, and sat in a row right behind us.
The play was absolutely wonderful, and as far as I could tell, flawless....very professionally performed...and we thoroughly enjoyed it. That high school has a lot of very talented kids!
After the performance, I presented Great-Niece with a drama mask pin. I had two of them, and I thought she would enjoy having one of them. I'm so glad that she loves live theater as much as I do.
I was disappointed that when we arrived, there were no programs left, but after the play, Hubbie went around the auditorium and found a couple that people had left under their seats, so I got one, and Niece got one.
It was a good day.
Last Saturday, we spent most of our day catching up with household chores, reading a stack of newspapers, answering e-mails, responding to phone calls, shopping for grocery essentials, etc. One e-mail we received was from Niece, who said that the play that Great-Niece and Great-Nephew were cast in was scheduled for last Thurs. through Sunday afternoon.
The play, "The Music Man," is one of my favorites. So we decided to head a couple of hours south on Sunday afternoon to see the 2 p.m. performance. It was a high school production that cast not only high school students, but lots of community members. So, although Great-Niece is not yet in high school, she was cast as one of the River City Teens and Kids. Great-Nephew was cast as one of the River City Adults.
Sunday was a beautiful, sunny day for traveling. We left home about 11 a.m., and stopped in a town about an hour away to have lunch at a buffet restaurant. At another town a few miles from our destination, we noticed a roadside stand selling the first of this year's local strawberries. So we stopped to buy a flat of the very large, plump and luscious berries.
We arrived at the auditorium where the play was to be performed just minutes before the curtain went up. Niece, her husband, and their other son, arrived right after we did, and sat in a row right behind us.
The play was absolutely wonderful, and as far as I could tell, flawless....very professionally performed...and we thoroughly enjoyed it. That high school has a lot of very talented kids!
After the performance, I presented Great-Niece with a drama mask pin. I had two of them, and I thought she would enjoy having one of them. I'm so glad that she loves live theater as much as I do.
I was disappointed that when we arrived, there were no programs left, but after the play, Hubbie went around the auditorium and found a couple that people had left under their seats, so I got one, and Niece got one.
It was a good day.
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
LBJ Park
More photos from the LBJ Historic Park. The first two snapshots are of cars from LBJ's collection. The fourth one is the white house, where LBJ entertained dignitaries, and the bottom snapshot is of his boyhood home.
Lyndon Johnson Historic Park
These are snapshots from the Lyndon Johnson Historic Presidential Park, several miles from Fredricksburg. The first photo shows the Pederales River near one of the buildings at the park. The second photo is of LBJ's grandparent's home. The third photo is of the school he attended as a youth.
Luckenbach
These are snaps from Luckenbach, Texas, made famous by Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson. The top photo is of the post office, now a gift store and saloon. The second photo is of the dance hall where Waylon and Willie performed. The tongue-in-cheek sign in the third photo asks folks not to deface the building, which is covered in signatures and graffiti. The bottom photo shows sweaty western hats for sale in the gift shop.
Wildseed Farms
More photos from Wildseed Farms. The top photo is of red corn poppies. The third snapshot shows a field of the poppies, with a forest of mesquite trees in the background. The bottom photo is a field of mixed wildflowers, with one the farm's buildings in the background. This field features a walking path that meanders through the field, and benches for sitting and relaxing among the beautiful wildflowers (double click on any photo to enlarge it).
Butterfly House at Wildseed Farms
Snapshots from the butterfly house at Wildseed Farms. The top photo is of a passion flower. I haven't identified the names of the butterflies, yet.
Friedricksburg Herb Farm and Garden
More photos from Fredricksburg. The brightly painted watering cans at an herb farm caught my eye, as did the signage leaning against a wall, and an old shack with wooden rocking chairs. The bottom two photos were taken at a downtown garden.
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Downtown Fredricksburg
More shots from historic downtown Fredricksburg. The top photo is of the Catholic Church. The other two are from the shopping district.
Waco
These shots are from the campground in Waco...nothing special....they're just what was available for my camera that day.
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