I didn't feel as awful today as I did yesterday, but I coughed more and began developing laryngitis, so I still wasn't ready to get on the treadmill this morning. Hubbie is feeling much better though, and despite a lingering cough, he spent most of his day in the yard.
The first thing we did after breakfast was start a pot of chicken stewing for a chicken noodle soup lunch. Then I ironed clothes for our trip next week, while Mother made a batch of chocolate no-bake cookies as our contribution to the chocolate bake sale that the hospice program is holding on Tuesday. The money raised will be used to sponsor hospice volunteers who will be running in the Relay for Life event next weekend.
The afternoon was pretty quiet, until we got a phone call advising that Hubbie's daughter was involved in a minor accident, where she gently tapped the rear end of a vehicle in front of her that then bumped the vehicle in front of it. Fortunately, she was uninjured, and the patrolman who investigated the accident chose not to issue a ticket, because none of the vehicles sustained much damage beyond scratches to fenders. But two people in the vehicle she bumped, a mother and young son, were taken by ambulance to the hospital, though they appeared uninjured. The whole thing has thoroughly upset Daughter and ruined her family's Memorial Day weekend, which they had planned to spend at their lake house. Heavy rain is predicted for this weekend, anyway, so Daughter's family would probably not have been able to get out on the lake, anyway.
For supper, we had leftover beef hash topped with eggs fried in a blend of low fat margarine and olive oil, and toast and jelly.
Later, Hubbie and I watched the movie, "Georgia Rule," rate "R" for language and sexual content. It stars Jane Fonda and Linsay Lohan as grandmother and granddaughter. The granddaughter, who flaunts her sexuality, is sent to live with her grandmother for the summer because her mother has not been able to control her. Here, the reason for the granddaughter's bad behavior is finally revealed.
Saturday, May 23, 2009
Friday, May 22, 2009
Friday, May 22
Well, phooey. I woke up with a head cold this morning (thanks, Hubbie, for passing yours on to me) and felt too miserable to get on the treadmill. In fact, I didn't have the energy to do much of anything this morning beyond washing a few loads of clothes, and reading. And even with reading, I kept nodding off.
For lunch, I fixed myself French toast and scrambled egg substitute, and Hubbie heated a can of chicken noodle soup for himself. I'd much rather have had the chicken noodle soup, but the canned variety is just too high in sodium.
Mother came over this afternoon, and we watched the 1961 musical, "West Side Story," starring Natalie Wood. Even after all these years, it's still a fresh story...maybe that's because it is based on William Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet."
Mother went home after that, and later Hubbie and I had a strange supper....I mashed leftover beans and mixed them with mustard, then spread the mixture on toast, placed slices of cheese on top and heated the toast until the cheese melted and the beans heated. I topped these with slices of Vidalia onions and another slice of toast. As odd as it sounds, these make very good sandwiches. We had fresh strawberries for dessert.
After that, I took a tour around the yard with Hubbie, and then finished the novel written by our retired professor friend. Then we watched one-hour shows on TV. What an exciting day.
I checked the eagle's nest several times today, but was never able to get a steady video feed. Something is obviously wrong with the cameras right now.
Mystery solved: for several days, we've been mystified by some dark yellow puddles that were occurring on the pantry floor. We wiped them up several times, but they kept reappearing. We checked the pantry for leaking canned goods, sweet potatoes or onions that had gone bad (though there was no odor to indicate rotting food). Nothing seemed amiss.
Then today, when I got ready to make French toast, I picked up a can of butter spray substitute and it slipped out of my hand and bounced off my jeans and sandels, leaving greasy spots. Obviously, the can was flawed and leaking, leaving small yellow puddles on the pantry floor.
I think I may have ruined a pair of jeans and my favorite leather sandals in the process, though, because I'm not sure how to lift the oily stains out of them. But I'll check online for hints.
For lunch, I fixed myself French toast and scrambled egg substitute, and Hubbie heated a can of chicken noodle soup for himself. I'd much rather have had the chicken noodle soup, but the canned variety is just too high in sodium.
Mother came over this afternoon, and we watched the 1961 musical, "West Side Story," starring Natalie Wood. Even after all these years, it's still a fresh story...maybe that's because it is based on William Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet."
Mother went home after that, and later Hubbie and I had a strange supper....I mashed leftover beans and mixed them with mustard, then spread the mixture on toast, placed slices of cheese on top and heated the toast until the cheese melted and the beans heated. I topped these with slices of Vidalia onions and another slice of toast. As odd as it sounds, these make very good sandwiches. We had fresh strawberries for dessert.
After that, I took a tour around the yard with Hubbie, and then finished the novel written by our retired professor friend. Then we watched one-hour shows on TV. What an exciting day.
I checked the eagle's nest several times today, but was never able to get a steady video feed. Something is obviously wrong with the cameras right now.
Mystery solved: for several days, we've been mystified by some dark yellow puddles that were occurring on the pantry floor. We wiped them up several times, but they kept reappearing. We checked the pantry for leaking canned goods, sweet potatoes or onions that had gone bad (though there was no odor to indicate rotting food). Nothing seemed amiss.
Then today, when I got ready to make French toast, I picked up a can of butter spray substitute and it slipped out of my hand and bounced off my jeans and sandels, leaving greasy spots. Obviously, the can was flawed and leaking, leaving small yellow puddles on the pantry floor.
I think I may have ruined a pair of jeans and my favorite leather sandals in the process, though, because I'm not sure how to lift the oily stains out of them. But I'll check online for hints.
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Thursday, May 21
We awoke around 8 a.m. to a beautiful, sunny day. After breakfast, I got on the treadmill, though I walked at a somewhat slower pace and didn't use the ski arms today. I did use the resistance bands for strength exercising, though.
After that, I called the other scrapbook club members. The first lady I talked to just wasn't up to doing scrapbooking, because she recently learned that her three-year-old great-granddaughter has been diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor. The baby is to have a biopsy tomorrow morning, so naturally this lady is worried and stressed right now. She also has a grandson who had surgery on a foot last week to cut out an infected area, which now needs a skin graft. As if that were not enough, her sister had a mastectomy recently, and now has pneumonia.
Of course the member who lost both her husband and her son within weeks of each other is still not up to club meetings.
So that left one other member, who, after I called and told her that we could not meet at the Extension Services office this month, agreed to come to my house to work on scrapbook pages. So she, Mother, and I spent a pleasant afternoon from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. doing memory pages and making greeting cards.
After that, we had a same-song-second-verse supper of leftover spaghetti, beans with turkey bacon, and sauteed cabbage. While things heated, we made a dish of fruited Jell-o, using fruit cocktail and fresh bananas...I found a bag of bananas at 39 cents a pound while I was at the grocery store pharmacy Tuesday, so they are our fruit-of-the-week this week. They need to be eaten right away since they are at their peak of ripeness. Of course, I sent some of them home with Mother. Any that become overripe will be put in the freezer to be used in banana bread.
It was 7 p.m. (5 p.m. BC time) before I was able to check on the eagle nest, when I found that the close-up camera is out of commission right now. So I had to go to the wide angle view, which is way up above the nest. It's obvious, though, that the mother is still patiently sitting there, with the baby in the shade of her body. It's as sunny there as it is here.
This evening, we watched, "The Flying Scotsman," starring Johnny Lee Miller and rated PG-13. This 2007 film, based on true events, is about Graeme Obree, who overcomes great odds in the early to mid-1990s to become a world champion bicyclist. This is a good movie, though the Scottish accents made a few words hard to understand.
,
After that, I called the other scrapbook club members. The first lady I talked to just wasn't up to doing scrapbooking, because she recently learned that her three-year-old great-granddaughter has been diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor. The baby is to have a biopsy tomorrow morning, so naturally this lady is worried and stressed right now. She also has a grandson who had surgery on a foot last week to cut out an infected area, which now needs a skin graft. As if that were not enough, her sister had a mastectomy recently, and now has pneumonia.
Of course the member who lost both her husband and her son within weeks of each other is still not up to club meetings.
So that left one other member, who, after I called and told her that we could not meet at the Extension Services office this month, agreed to come to my house to work on scrapbook pages. So she, Mother, and I spent a pleasant afternoon from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. doing memory pages and making greeting cards.
After that, we had a same-song-second-verse supper of leftover spaghetti, beans with turkey bacon, and sauteed cabbage. While things heated, we made a dish of fruited Jell-o, using fruit cocktail and fresh bananas...I found a bag of bananas at 39 cents a pound while I was at the grocery store pharmacy Tuesday, so they are our fruit-of-the-week this week. They need to be eaten right away since they are at their peak of ripeness. Of course, I sent some of them home with Mother. Any that become overripe will be put in the freezer to be used in banana bread.
It was 7 p.m. (5 p.m. BC time) before I was able to check on the eagle nest, when I found that the close-up camera is out of commission right now. So I had to go to the wide angle view, which is way up above the nest. It's obvious, though, that the mother is still patiently sitting there, with the baby in the shade of her body. It's as sunny there as it is here.
This evening, we watched, "The Flying Scotsman," starring Johnny Lee Miller and rated PG-13. This 2007 film, based on true events, is about Graeme Obree, who overcomes great odds in the early to mid-1990s to become a world champion bicyclist. This is a good movie, though the Scottish accents made a few words hard to understand.
,
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Wednesday, May 20
I woke up this morning with a familiar infection that I knew needed a doctor's attention. So I called for an appointment at 8 a.m., and was scheduled for 9:15. Therefore, I didn't have time to get on the treadmill, but I didn't feel much like exercising, anyway.
By the time I got out of the doctor's office and sat around the pharmacy for 30 minutes waiting for an antibiotic prescription to be filled, it was nearly 11 a.m. before I got back home. I didn't accomplish anything before lunch other then unsuccessfully trying to contact the scrapbook club members to remind them of our meeting tomorrow afternoon.
First, though, I called the Extension Services office to make sure the conference room is available, and learned that a group of ladies will be decorating the area for an Extension Homemakers potluck luncheon Friday. They want to begin decorating at 2 p.m., but our meeting is from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. So I needed to see if the scrapbook ladies would agree to meet earlier, around noon, or perhaps come to my house. The only other option is to cancel the meeting again this month.
I checked the eagle nest before lunch, and found the baby sitting up and busily grooming himself. Later, the mother flew away, but she soon returned to her post, where the baby was snoozing peacefully in the shade of the tree trunk.
After lunch, I continued trying to contact scrapbook club members, to no avail. If I can't reach them by later this evening, then I'll try in the morning.
The antibiotic I'm taking makes me drowsy, so I didn't do much during the afternoon beyond trying to read the book written by our retired professor friend. But thanks to the medication, I kept nodding off. Still, I managed to get 60 pages into the 172-page novel.
While I was at the doctor's office this morning, Mother came over and boiled potatoes to use in making beef hash for supper tonight. When I got back home, she was out working in her raised veggie garden. Hubbie spent time in the yard, too, despite being in the throes of a head cold that started Monday. I hope Mother and I don't catch his cold just in time for the camping trip next week!
After supper, we turned off the TV and we each read novels...I continued with the one I began this afternoon. Then we watched several TV shows. A last check on the eagles showed that the mother was still guarding the nest. She appeared to be looking longingly out over the trees and lake, though in reality, she was probably just being vigilant.
By the time I got out of the doctor's office and sat around the pharmacy for 30 minutes waiting for an antibiotic prescription to be filled, it was nearly 11 a.m. before I got back home. I didn't accomplish anything before lunch other then unsuccessfully trying to contact the scrapbook club members to remind them of our meeting tomorrow afternoon.
First, though, I called the Extension Services office to make sure the conference room is available, and learned that a group of ladies will be decorating the area for an Extension Homemakers potluck luncheon Friday. They want to begin decorating at 2 p.m., but our meeting is from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. So I needed to see if the scrapbook ladies would agree to meet earlier, around noon, or perhaps come to my house. The only other option is to cancel the meeting again this month.
I checked the eagle nest before lunch, and found the baby sitting up and busily grooming himself. Later, the mother flew away, but she soon returned to her post, where the baby was snoozing peacefully in the shade of the tree trunk.
After lunch, I continued trying to contact scrapbook club members, to no avail. If I can't reach them by later this evening, then I'll try in the morning.
The antibiotic I'm taking makes me drowsy, so I didn't do much during the afternoon beyond trying to read the book written by our retired professor friend. But thanks to the medication, I kept nodding off. Still, I managed to get 60 pages into the 172-page novel.
While I was at the doctor's office this morning, Mother came over and boiled potatoes to use in making beef hash for supper tonight. When I got back home, she was out working in her raised veggie garden. Hubbie spent time in the yard, too, despite being in the throes of a head cold that started Monday. I hope Mother and I don't catch his cold just in time for the camping trip next week!
After supper, we turned off the TV and we each read novels...I continued with the one I began this afternoon. Then we watched several TV shows. A last check on the eagles showed that the mother was still guarding the nest. She appeared to be looking longingly out over the trees and lake, though in reality, she was probably just being vigilant.
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Greeting Cards
The snapshots above show greeting cards that Mother and I made today as our contribution to the hospice program that we volunteer with. The program is planning a card making session in another county, and we were invited to attend. But the town where the meeting is to be held is about 45 minutes from us, so we opted to make cards at home and give them to the hospice worker, who will use them for patients in that county.
Hubbie and I got up late this morning, but I still did a treadmill session and weights exercises. Later, while Mother and I made greeting cards, Hubbie worked in the yard. After a while, he came in to say that there had been a minor accident on the highway in front of our house. It seems that an organization that will hold an event at the park on the river on Saturday was hauling items needed for the event on a trailer, when the trailer edged into the opposite lane, hitting and knocking off the sideview mirror of an oncoming vehicle. No one was hurt in the accident.
Nothing much else happened today. Later, I checked on the eagles. Nothing much was happening in the nest, either. The mother seemed to have trouble finding stored food in the nest, and at one point, the male dropped by briefly, "empty-beaked," it appeared. He soon winged away again, hopefully to find and bring back food.
For supper tonight, we had veggies...baked sweet potatoes, beans cooked with turkey bacon, onions, and banana peppers, and sauteed cabbage. Later, we watched "Dancing with the Stars," and were surprised when Shawn Johnson won. We were betting on Gilles Marini.
Monday, May 18, 2009
Monday, May 18
At 7:30 a.m., we arose to a beautiful sunny, cool day. After breakfast, I did a treadmill session and resistance exercises. Mother came over once I was ready for the day and we gathered photos, card stock, etc., that we'll need to complete several memory pages at the scrapbook club meeting Thursday afternoon.
I also checked on the eagles. It was business at usual in the nest. I'm amazed every day at how much the baby grows in 24 hours. Today, he looks almost as big as the mother. And he's moving around more, though he's still plenty wobbly. He's so comical looking when he sits up and stretches that fuzzy head around to observe the world around him. He still spends quite a lot of time sleeping, though, while the mother keeps an endless vigil over him. Being an eagle mother obviously requires infinite patience.
After lunch today, Hubbie and I ran errands...to the bank, to the WDCS for groceries and incidentals, and then to the new pharmacy to check on our favorite brand of ice cream, which was advertised at two cartons for $6. Unfortunately, the store didn't have the fat free version, so we didn't buy any.
Back home, Mother and I planned the layouts for the scrapbook pages that we'll do at the meeting. We like to be prepared to just put together the pages when we get to the meeting. Otherwise, we waste a lot of time struggling with design ideas. It's hard for me to concentrate on design and layout at the meetings, since chatting with the other ladies is a distraction.
Later in the afternoon, Hubbie and I went out again...this time to find a roadside stand that was selling locally-grown strawberries. We found one that still had a few quarts of berries left. We also picked up an overripe cantaloupe for Shih Tzu, who loves the fruit. The folks at the stand were going to throw the melon away anyway, so they gave it to us free of charge. They were amazed that a dog would eat cantaloupe, but Shih Tzu has always loved them. As soon as we got home, she begged for some of it, and Hubbie obliged.
From the roadside stand, we went to the hardware store to pick up some more sealant. Hubbie's treatment of the shower drain the other day didn't fix the problem, but he thinks he can see a hairline crack in the pipe and decided to try to fix that. We're not real hopeful that it will solve the problem, but it can't hurt to try.
This evening, Hubbie and I went to the movie theater to see "Angels and Demons," an adaptation of the Dan Brown novel by the same name, and sequel to "The DaVinci Code," also an adaptation of a Dan Brown novel. The film is rated PG-13, and revolves around a quest to keep Vatican City and possibly all of Rome from being annihilated by a canister of anti-matter if it is not found before it comes into contact with matter and causes a cataclysmic explosion.
I also checked on the eagles. It was business at usual in the nest. I'm amazed every day at how much the baby grows in 24 hours. Today, he looks almost as big as the mother. And he's moving around more, though he's still plenty wobbly. He's so comical looking when he sits up and stretches that fuzzy head around to observe the world around him. He still spends quite a lot of time sleeping, though, while the mother keeps an endless vigil over him. Being an eagle mother obviously requires infinite patience.
After lunch today, Hubbie and I ran errands...to the bank, to the WDCS for groceries and incidentals, and then to the new pharmacy to check on our favorite brand of ice cream, which was advertised at two cartons for $6. Unfortunately, the store didn't have the fat free version, so we didn't buy any.
Back home, Mother and I planned the layouts for the scrapbook pages that we'll do at the meeting. We like to be prepared to just put together the pages when we get to the meeting. Otherwise, we waste a lot of time struggling with design ideas. It's hard for me to concentrate on design and layout at the meetings, since chatting with the other ladies is a distraction.
Later in the afternoon, Hubbie and I went out again...this time to find a roadside stand that was selling locally-grown strawberries. We found one that still had a few quarts of berries left. We also picked up an overripe cantaloupe for Shih Tzu, who loves the fruit. The folks at the stand were going to throw the melon away anyway, so they gave it to us free of charge. They were amazed that a dog would eat cantaloupe, but Shih Tzu has always loved them. As soon as we got home, she begged for some of it, and Hubbie obliged.
From the roadside stand, we went to the hardware store to pick up some more sealant. Hubbie's treatment of the shower drain the other day didn't fix the problem, but he thinks he can see a hairline crack in the pipe and decided to try to fix that. We're not real hopeful that it will solve the problem, but it can't hurt to try.
This evening, Hubbie and I went to the movie theater to see "Angels and Demons," an adaptation of the Dan Brown novel by the same name, and sequel to "The DaVinci Code," also an adaptation of a Dan Brown novel. The film is rated PG-13, and revolves around a quest to keep Vatican City and possibly all of Rome from being annihilated by a canister of anti-matter if it is not found before it comes into contact with matter and causes a cataclysmic explosion.
Sunday, May 17, 2009
Sunday, May 17
We were up by 7:30 a.m., and I hit the treadmill right after breakfast. This morning, I had to use the shower in the downstairs bathroom, because when I showered last night upstairs, the water leaked through to the den, even though Hubbie used sealant on the drain. So now, we are probably faced with tearing that shower out and fixing pipes or something.
Once I was ready for the day, I checked on the eagles. The picture is fuzzy again today. Yesterday, I thought fog was the problem, but today I think it's something more than that...I think it's baby eagle poop. Since I've been watching the nest, I've seen the baby awkwardly balance himself, hind end up, and then shoot a mighty stream, which usually landed on the tree trunk or the edge of the nest. But the camera lens must be close enough to the nest that it took a hit yesterday or sometime in the night Friday.
This morning, the baby was more active, sitting up and looking about, wobble-walking around the nest, and stretching his wings. The baby is certainly not beautiful, but I'm getting more and more attached to him as I watch him grow and struggle to maturity. It's fascinating to witness the day-by-day changes in him. I'll miss him when he finally leaves the nest.
Later this morning, I could hear the sounds of people talking and laughing, and there was loud music, possibly from a radio, which continued for several hours. The mother eagle was vigilant, though not frightened. To me, though, the noises disturbed the peacefulness of the nest, and I began to wish the people would leave, or at least ditch the music.
In our own hometown area, the sun shone all day, though the temp was in the cool 60s. At least there was no rain for a change. The meteorologist at a TV station in our capital city said that it rained 13 out of the past 16 days. No wonder our yard is a swamp. The rest of the week is supposed to be sunny and warm, though, so maybe everything can dry out a bit. Of course, it'll be no time at all before we are wishing for rain again.
For lunch today, we had a delicious beef roast cooked with carrots and onions, and mashed potatoes and brown gravy, and applesauce for dessert. Afterwards, Mother and Hubbie went out to check the veggie garden. Hubbie also helped get Mother's yard ornaments out of the shed and place them around her house. I did nothing constructive...just programmed the DVR for the week's movies and shows, and read the Sunday newspaper.
Speaking of gardens, Hubbie discovered last week that potatoes are volunteering in the compost heap, so later we'll have a crop of new potatoes for a meal. You may remember that last year butternut squash volunteered. We never know what we'll get from the compost heap.
Later, I checked on the eagles again. The picture is jerky now, because it is being shown at one frame per second in order to conserve network bandwidth until the camera lens can be cleaned. If nature doesn't take care of it with rain, then it can't be manually cleaned until the birds leave the nest. However, there is an alternate view at the wide-angle site. But I prefer the more intimate close-up view, so I'll probably just tolerate this jerky version.
We spent a leisurely afternoon, reading and then watching a movie, "He Was a Quiet Man," starring Christian Slater and William H. Macy. This movie is unrated, but it contains violence and language. The plot revolves around a mousy man who is stuck in a dull, dead end job, ignored by his co-workers, and bullied by a younger male office manager. He brings a gun to work with the intention of killing several people, but a guy in the next cubicle beats him to it. In the process, he becomes a hero and his life changes...or so it seems.
Once I was ready for the day, I checked on the eagles. The picture is fuzzy again today. Yesterday, I thought fog was the problem, but today I think it's something more than that...I think it's baby eagle poop. Since I've been watching the nest, I've seen the baby awkwardly balance himself, hind end up, and then shoot a mighty stream, which usually landed on the tree trunk or the edge of the nest. But the camera lens must be close enough to the nest that it took a hit yesterday or sometime in the night Friday.
This morning, the baby was more active, sitting up and looking about, wobble-walking around the nest, and stretching his wings. The baby is certainly not beautiful, but I'm getting more and more attached to him as I watch him grow and struggle to maturity. It's fascinating to witness the day-by-day changes in him. I'll miss him when he finally leaves the nest.
Later this morning, I could hear the sounds of people talking and laughing, and there was loud music, possibly from a radio, which continued for several hours. The mother eagle was vigilant, though not frightened. To me, though, the noises disturbed the peacefulness of the nest, and I began to wish the people would leave, or at least ditch the music.
In our own hometown area, the sun shone all day, though the temp was in the cool 60s. At least there was no rain for a change. The meteorologist at a TV station in our capital city said that it rained 13 out of the past 16 days. No wonder our yard is a swamp. The rest of the week is supposed to be sunny and warm, though, so maybe everything can dry out a bit. Of course, it'll be no time at all before we are wishing for rain again.
For lunch today, we had a delicious beef roast cooked with carrots and onions, and mashed potatoes and brown gravy, and applesauce for dessert. Afterwards, Mother and Hubbie went out to check the veggie garden. Hubbie also helped get Mother's yard ornaments out of the shed and place them around her house. I did nothing constructive...just programmed the DVR for the week's movies and shows, and read the Sunday newspaper.
Speaking of gardens, Hubbie discovered last week that potatoes are volunteering in the compost heap, so later we'll have a crop of new potatoes for a meal. You may remember that last year butternut squash volunteered. We never know what we'll get from the compost heap.
Later, I checked on the eagles again. The picture is jerky now, because it is being shown at one frame per second in order to conserve network bandwidth until the camera lens can be cleaned. If nature doesn't take care of it with rain, then it can't be manually cleaned until the birds leave the nest. However, there is an alternate view at the wide-angle site. But I prefer the more intimate close-up view, so I'll probably just tolerate this jerky version.
We spent a leisurely afternoon, reading and then watching a movie, "He Was a Quiet Man," starring Christian Slater and William H. Macy. This movie is unrated, but it contains violence and language. The plot revolves around a mousy man who is stuck in a dull, dead end job, ignored by his co-workers, and bullied by a younger male office manager. He brings a gun to work with the intention of killing several people, but a guy in the next cubicle beats him to it. In the process, he becomes a hero and his life changes...or so it seems.
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