Saturday, May 2, 2009

Saturday, May 2

Wow...what a dismal, dark, rainy day it has been. It has rained so much lately that I feel like I'm beginning to mildew. Fortunately, though, there have been no serious thunderstorms in our area.

We got up early this morning, at 6:30, because I was awake and couldn't go back to sleep. Around 7:30, Mother and I went downtown to an indoor yard sale, sponsored by Habitat for Humanity, and held in the fellowship hall of a church.

The room was wall-to-wall people looking for bargains. And there were plenty of bargains to be had, since the items were very reasonably priced. Mother and I found paperback books, music CDs, wood frames, picture mats, a grape vine wreath, a deviled egg tote, a couple of decorative tin planters, a very pretty table runner, and a beautiful, small, hand-carved wooden camel ornament (this item was only ten cents).

Just as we were leaving the parking lot after the sale, it started raining, but stopped shortly after we got home. Since there was a break in the rain, we decided to go to a local herb farm that was having a sale. Mother has been looking for some healthy plants to raise, and this farm had exactly what she wanted.

Again, it started raining just as we were leaving the farm. Back home, we relaxed with cups of hot coffee/tea to help us warm up after getting a bit damp and chilled on this mid-50's degree day.

After that, Mother and I started a jigsaw puzzle. We played until about 11:30, and then I heated the white chili leftover from last night for Hubbie's and my lunch (Mother had ramen noodle, of course). After lunch, I put an angel food cake in the oven, and then went back to work with Mother on the jigsaw puzzle, while Hubbie read his novel.

It was a pleasant way to spend a rainy afternoon, and for supper we had turkey bacon-lettuce- tomato-Vidalia onion sandwiches, with macaroni and cheese, using wheat macaroni cooked with chopped bell pepper, and a sauce of fat free milk, a little cheese, and spices. Afterward, we had slices of angel food cake.

Mother went home after supper, and Hubbie and I settled in to watch TV. This evening, we began the PBS Masterpiece series, "Little Dorrit," based on the Charles Dickens serial novel.

Friday, May 1, 2009

Friday, May 1

May Day. It's hard to believe that April is already gone! I guess it seemed like such a short month because we spent a good part of the middle of it on the Texas trip.





We were up early this morning, since it was water aerobics day. The pool was pretty nippy...br-r-r. Our leader wore a wreath of yellow silk roses with leaves on her head, in celebration of May Day. She has headdresses and hats for every occasion, so we never know what she'll turn up in.





I left the session early today, since Mother and I were scheduled to meet with the Caring Hands Hospice group at 10 a.m. to help put together a memory book for an elderly Alzheimer's patient. This will be used to aid him in remembering family members and their names.





I knew that Mother and I would be late getting to the meeting, since it takes a while to get home, shower, and dress, even when I leave water aerobics fifteen minutes early, so I had alerted the Caring Hands leader that we'd be late. But we were later than we intended, since when we arrived at the home medical office where we'd had the meeting last month, we learned that it was being held at a local bank instead. I didn't get word that the meeting place had changed.





Fortunately, the bank is just down the street from the home medical office, so we were only about 30 minutes late in arriving. The others hadn't accomplished much by the time we got there, so we all got busy and completed the memory book by lunch time.





We were asked to bring sack lunches with us, so we could stay after the memory book session and watch a video. Well, Mother and I brought PB&J sandwiches and grapes, but the others ordered pizza. We stuck with our sandwiches, even though the pizza smelled good. It was very greasy and decidedly not heart healthy.





The video, featuring grief counselor, Doug Manning, was very informative in its message about appropriate ways to comfort people who have lost loved ones. Manning writes books intended to be sent to grieving people at specific intervals...third week, third month, sixth month, and eleventh month. The thrust of his talk was to just listen and not try to cheer up the bereaved, or try to talk them out of their grief with empty platitudes.

Today, the Caring Hands leader very casually remarked, "After dad dies....," which prompted me to ask what her dad suffers from. She said he has some sort of rare terminal disease (I don't remember what) that usually carries people off before they are 30. In fact, he is the longest living person with the disease, since another person who was long-lived, too, recently died. Her father is now 50, so the family has been living with this threat for a very long time, and, I guess, is completely resigned to it.



We got home from the meeting about 1:30, and relaxed for a while. Later, we had a veggie supper of steamed new potatoes and yellow squash, plus green tomatoes sauteed in olive oil. Veggie suppers are always a favorite with us.

Later, Hubbie and I spent our quiet hour in the usual activities, before watching TV.


Note: sadly, one of the year-old cats from mama cat's last batch of kittens crawled into the chipper vacuum tube and died. She was pregnant, so she might have thought this was a good place to have her kittens. We'd missed her for a few days, and wondered where she'd gotten off to. But the smell emanating from the garage this morning told us she was probably dead somewhere in there. Hubbie had to pull out and look behind a lot of stuff before finding her. I'm ready to be rid of some of the cats, but not that way!

Thursday, April 30, 2009

Thursday, April 30

We were up around 7:30 this morning. I got on the treadmill after having a cold cereal with bananas breakfast. It began raining while I was getting ready for the day...just a slow rain with no thunder. There's been an awful lot of rain this week, so we hope the newly planted tomato plants don't drown.



Later this morning, Hubbie and I went to the farmer's market in the southside community of our town to check on strawberries and tomatoes. The strawberries, grown in our county and the adjacent one, were $3 for one-pound packages. I bought a couple just to try them, as well as a basket of Florida tomatoes.



About two miles from home, we noticed that there was a guy selling strawberries from the back of his truck, so we stopped to look at them. They came from the same area as the ones at the southside community, and were also $3. But these were quart-size boxes, with more berries for the price, so I bought a quart. Since this guy is so close to our house, we'll probably buy berries for the table from him.

Mother stayed home all day today, and when I talked to her, she said she'd like another flat of strawberries for the freezer...she had already worked up the two we bought yesterday. So Hubbie went back to the meat market/grocer to buy the ones for $2.25 a quart that will work for making preserves.

After a grilled cheese sandwich lunch, with strawberries for dessert, we spent this rainy afternoon watching a Hallmark movie that I'd recorded on DVR..."The Courageous Heart of Irena Sendler," about an amazing lady who smuggled 2,500 Jewish children out of the Warsaw Ghetto during World War II.

While we were watching the movie, there came a thunderstorm with a brief downpour. And then the sun came out. Later, we learned the storm had spawned a small tornado in the eastern part of our county, with some wind damage, though we don't know how much, yet.

After the storm, I put together a white chili, using canned chicken, white beans, shoepeg corn, chicken broth, green chilies, onions, garlic, and various spices. I served this for supper, topped with shredded Monterey Jack cheese, and dollops of sour cream, with crackers on the side. Mother doesn't like hot, spicy dishes, so she didn't join us.

Spent the evening in our usual routine. Pretty unexciting day, but unexciting is good sometimes.

Wednesday, April 29, 2009

Wednesday, April 29

We were up early this morning so I could go to water aerobics. On the parking lot, when I arrived, the member with the tomato plants she'd started from seeds was just getting out of her car with a box of the plants. I was expecting them to be big enough to put in the ground, but they are just tiny, baby ones. I took two for Hubbie to nurse to a bigger size before he puts them in the raised bed. Right now, they are under the grow lights in our kitchen window.

The water at the pool was still pretty cool this morning, but was okay once I got used to it. Now that the weather is warmer, more women are attending the sessions.

The lady who is going on a cruise next week said she and her family have obtained Tamiflu doses to take with them, since they are to visit Canada. Her family's doctors balked at giving them the antibiotic, but capitulated when told that the family felt they had to make the trip, since they had invested so much money in it already. This lady is in her late 70s or early 80s, so I hope she doesn't come in contact with the virus while she's on the trip.

Back home, once I was ready for the day, I did household chores while Hubbie ran an errand. Mother came over around 11 a.m., and later we fixed separate lunches for each of us...Mother had her usual ramen noodle soup, Hubbie had the last of the leftover pork roast and trimmings, and I had egg substitute scrambled with onions and mushrooms, and a half a wheat bagel. Hubbie and I had sliced fresh strawberries for dessert.

After lunch, we ran more errands...to a grocery store selling grapes at 99 cents a pound, to another grocery store to pick up light cottage cheese (the only store we know of in our small town that carries the brand we like), and to a meat packing plant/wholesale grocer that was selling local strawberries at $2.25 a quart, rather than $4 a quart, which is what we paid for the last eight quarts we bought. These strawberries, grown within ten miles of our house, are somewhat smaller than the other ones we got, but they are fine for making preserves.

We picked up only one flat of them and brought them home for Mother to inspect. She's the one who loves to wash, cap and slice them for the freezer, and then make preserves from them later. We offer every year to help her with this task, but she prefers to do it herself. Anyway, she said the strawberries were fine, so we went back to the market and got another flat of them.

After that, we went to the WDCS for a few items. I was glad to see, upon entering the store, that there was a very large container of antibacterial wipes to use on the shopping carts. I also carry a bottle of the liquid to wash my hands at the store. With the threat of swine flu, these measures are imperative.

At the pool this morning, our leader mentioned that the WDCS has rubber shoes for wearing in the pool. My old ones have seen better days, so I picked up a pair. Other than that, I got a large box of quart-size freezer bags for the strawberries, and a few grocery items, especially salad makings for our supper of beef strips sauteed with onions and bell peppers, and baked potatoes.

We didn't do much after we returned from shopping...Hubbie continued reading his novel, and I played on my laptop.

During supper, we kept hearing the new kittens yowling their heads off, wanting mama cat to come feed them. So after supper, Hubbie gathered the kittens and put them in the large wire cage, and then put the mama cat in with them.

After that, we made another trip to the WDCS to get kitten food. While we were there, we bought a new broom for the kitchen, because Hubbie used the old one today to sweep mud and debris from yesterday's storm off the concrete porch in front of the house, after which I deemed the broom no longer sanitary for kitchen use.

Mama cat is none too happy being inside the cage, nor does she appreciate being outside of it without the kittens. But to keep her from eating the kitten food, Hubbie removed her for a while. We weren't sure if the kittens would take to the new food, but they eagerly chowed down.

We hope by keeping the kittens caged for a while, we can tame them and make them ready to be adopted.

Later, we watched President Obama speak, followed by a couple of our favorite one-hour shows that I'd recorded on DVR.

Tuesday, April 28, 2009

Tuesday, April 28

Two thunderclaps and three raindrops was all we got from yesterday's predicted thunderstorms. But nature made up for it early this morning with lots of thunder, lightening, and buckets of rain.

We had nothing important scheduled for today, so we took advantage of the foul weather to snooze late...didn't get up until after 8 a.m. The storm had abated by then, so after a cold cereal breakfast with sliced bananas, I hopped on the treadmill. It rained pretty hard again as I was getting ready for the day, but there was no thunder or lightening with it.

After getting over four inches of rain, the yard was flooded, so obviously Hubbie couldn't go outdoors to work, and since I didn't have a good plan for the day, we decided to catch up on some new shows that I'd recorded on DVR. We watched a couple of episodes of each of three shows..."Harper's Island," "Southland," and "The Unusuals." We didn't care for "Southland," but will probably continue watching the other two for as long as they remain on the air, which, if they're like other shows we've decided to watch, will probably be promptly cancelled.

Mother stayed home most of the day, and came over about 3 p.m. to join us in watching TV. For supper, we had (you guessed it) leftovers...this time the macaroni dish from last Saturday night. It was still very good. Here's the recipe that we got at a Weight Watchers meeting:

HAMBURGER STUFF

1 lb. lean ground beef
3/4 cup chopped onion
1 1/2 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. salt (we added no salt, of course)
Pepper to taste
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can red kidney beans
3/4 cup pasta or quick-cooking rice
3/4 water
3 tbsp. green pepper, chopped
3/4 cup fat free cheddar cheese, grated

Cook ground beef with onion until beef is brown and onion is tender, seasoning with salt (optional)), garlic, pepper, and chili powder. Drain fat, if there is any. Add undrained tomatoes, beans, pasta or rice, water, and green pepper. Cover and simmer, stirring occasionally until pasta or rice is done. Top with cheese; cover and cook until cheese is melted.

Because diced tomatoes now come in 14 1/2 oz. cans instead of 16 oz., and because we drain and rinse canned beans, we added 1/2 cup more water to make up the liquid difference. Also, because I am allergic to yellow dye, we used shredded Monterey Jack cheese instead of cheddar.

Monday, April 27, 2009

Monday, April 27

We were up at 6:30 a.m. so I could be ready to go to water aerobics by 7:30. The pool was much cooler this morning, so it was shivery getting into it. The smart folks climb down the steps and immediately squat to get wet quickly. Not me. I inch my way in, standing on tippy-toes as I go deeper into the water, postponing the inevitable for as long as possible. But then I'm a pull-the-Bandaid-off-one-hair-at-a-time person, too.

The talk today, of course, was all about the swine flu, and how it will affect our community. One lady is scheduled to go on a cruise with her family next week, and she wonders if the cruise line will cancel.

The pool is scheduled to close for summer break May 15 to June 15, so hopefully the flu will not set that date back. In fact, hopefully it will miss our state and community altogether (wishful thinking, I'm afraid).

A story from the pool: last week, one of the ladies went on a tour bus trip to Memphis, sponsored by a local bank. The group toured the Pink Palace and Graceland, before making the long trip back home. Unfortunately, the bus's air conditioner quit on this very warm day, and some policy of the bus line forbid opening the windows. By the time the lady got home, she was ill (as were others on the bus, I imagine). The lady said she felt very sorry for the driver, who was facing the sun all the whole trip home.

When I got back home, I saw that Hubbie and Mother had shopped for Better Boy tomato plants, and were planting them in the raised veggie garden. At water aerobics, a young woman asked if any of us would like free beefsteak tomato plants that she had cultivated from seeds (just to see if she could). I asked for two or three of them. Hubbie and Mother said there is room for two in the bed with the others. I'll pick those up on Wednesday, when I go to the pool.

While they were doing that, I stored my winter sweaters and turtleneck shirts and got out my spring and summer clothes.

For lunch, Hubbie and I had chef's salad with crackers, and fresh fruit for dessert. After lunch, we went to the WDCS for groceries to satisfy this week's menu that we planned yesterday.

Back home, we relaxed for a while. I worked a Numbrix puzzle from Sunday's newspaper, while Hubbie and Mother dozed. It's a cloudy day with the threat of thunderstorms, so I think the barometric pressure is making us feel lazy and drowsy. Mother is even complaining of a mild headache.

Supper tonight was leftover pork roast, mashed potatoes, and veggies. I'm sure you've noticed that around here, we do leftovers a lot. In fact, we plan meals that will assure leftovers. Saves a lot of time and energy, and it's economical.

After supper, we spent an hour of down time with no TV. Hubbie used his time to make dog biscuits for Shih Tzu. I wrote a note to Friend from Texas and included a picture of her standing with Mother and me in a field of bluebonnets, and I then I answered e-mails.

Later, we watched the movie, "Rails and Ties," a PG-13 film starring Kevin Bacon and Marcia Gay Harden, about a train engineer who hits a suicidal woman who has parked her car on the tracks. Her son escapes the car at the last minute, and then forms a relationship with the engineer and his terminally ill wife.

Finally, we watched tonight's episode of "Dancing with the Stars."

Sunday, April 26, 2009

Sunday, April 26

Gorgeous day today. Too bad rain is predicted for much of the upcoming week. We were up a little after 7 a.m. this morning, and after breakfast I did a session on the treadmill, since I missed yesterday.

Once I was ready for the day, I washed a couple of loads of clothes, set the DVR for the week's shows, read the Sunday newspaper, and e-mailed photos of the Master Gardener plant sale to the regional section of our state newspaper.

I was excited this morning to see, for the first time this spring, a hummingbird at a feeder. If they arrived earlier, they have been feeding, unnoticed, in the flower gardens. The hummingbird wasn't the only one that visited the nectar feeder....a northern oriole also fed there. Each spring, the orioles stop by here for a few days on their migration north, and I'm always happy to see them. A goldfinch feeding at the thistle feeder, and a cardinal sorting through seeds in another feeder, made for a colorful display in the backyard.

Mother came over mid-morning and put a pork roast with carrots and onions into the slow cooker. We had mashed potatoes and gravy and individual cups of applesauce with the roast. For dinner music, we listened to Mozart and Beethoven.

Around 2 p.m., we traveled to another town about 30 minutes away to meet Hubbie's daughter and two great-grandsons. She was on her way home, a five-hour trip from her mother's home. Our main reason for meeting her was to give her four pints of strawberry preserves that Mother had made for her. Daughter requests and pays for four pints each year.

On the way to the other town, we stopped at a roadside fruit and vegetable market to buy four quarts of fresh strawberries, grown locally...in fact, they are grown in the fields adjacent to the market. I also bought a box of new potatoes and two boxes of yellow squash for a veggie dinner later this week.

Mother wanted to buy tomato plants at the market, too, but they didn't have the type she wanted. So we moved on to another market. There were none there, either. So she and Hubbie will scout our town tomorrow for some.

Daughter and great-grandsons arrived at the filling station where we agreed to meet about 3 p.m., and we visited for a short time. Then I took pictures, we bid each other goodbye, and were on the road back home.

The roadsides are lovely right now in red clover, evening primrose, and daisies. The fields are covered in bright yellow wildflowers, too (don't know what they are, but they are pleasing to look at).

Back home, I washed and sliced some strawberries for supper, and then made a batch of pancake batter, using plain and wheat flour, egg substitute, and sour skim milk (the milk was Mother's...it had soured before she could drink it, and I didn't want to it to go to waste).

Hubbie did the honors of cooking the pancakes, while I heated sugar-free syrup, scrambled some egg substitute for me, microwaved turkey bacon for Hubbie, heated the dinner plates in the microwave, heated hot water for tea for me, and set the pull-down table on the couch in the den. This is our usual Sunday night supper routine, because Hubbie likes pancakes, waffles, or French toast for supper on Sundays, except for Sundays when we have an unusually large lunch, when we settle for cold cereal and toast.

Afterwards, we watched TV, as usual.