We were up at 7 a.m., so we could get ready to go to Son and Daughter-in-Law's house a couple of hours away for a family gathering. We left home around 9 a.m. and arrived at around 11 a.m.
Family began arriving right away, including Grandson and his family, with newborn baby Great-Grandson. What a cutie! Naturally, I took possession of him right away, and held him for a long, long time (see a snapshot of him in an upcoming blog). He was, of course, the center of attention today, as he was passed from person to person.
While I was doing this, Mother and other women in the family heated the soups and laid out the deli meats and cheeses for lunch. Thirty-seven of us gathered, though not all of us ate lunch. Some dropped by for dessert only. Lunch was a choice of 11-bean soup with ham, chicken noodle soup, deli turkey and ham and cheese sandwiches on a choice of whole wheat bread or wraps. Desserts were chocolate and white cupcakes, or peach cobbler, with a choice of vanilla, chocolate, or strawberry ice cream.
After lunch, I distributed gifts from Mother and me to those who have birthdays this month or in the near future. Three of the lady honorees received gift packs of bath salts and lotions that we made. A photo of these gifts will be in an upcoming blog.
For a Granddaughter, I put together a gift pack consisting of a bundt pan containing a jar of friendship cake starter, a hunk of friendship cake, and the recipe for making her own cakes. Each year, I give one of these cakes to Son for his birthday, but it'd get pretty expensive to make the cakes for everybody who requests them. However, I'm perfectly willing to share starter and the recipe.
For the other Granddaughter, who is trying to lose weight to bring down her cholesterol and blood pressure, Mother put together a package of Weight Watcher booklets and information.
We were entertained this afternoon, when we gathered on the front porch to hear Nephew and Son play blues and bluegrass music on their guitars.
Later, we gathered for family photos, and then Hubbie, Mother and I headed home around 4:30. Since I didn't have anything planned for supper tonight, we stopped by a fast food restaurant and picked up cups of chili.
At home, we watched our favorite college basketball team play to a heartbreaking loss. Boo. Spent the rest of the evening watching one-hour shows I'd recorded on DVR.
Funny: Hubbie was unaware that the knob on the inside of the bathroom door had fallen off when he visited and pushed the door shut. So when he was ready to exit, he couldn't get out. Thanks to our noisy and boistrous family, it was a few minutes before he was able to get anyone's attention to open the door from the outside. I guess if he'd been in there much longer, we would have eventually missed him and sent out a search and rescue team.
Saturday, February 20, 2010
Friday, February 19, 2010
Friday, Feb. 19
Yellow crocus are blooming in the yard! Spring can't be far behind.
Had trouble going asleep last night, so got up late this morning...around 8 a.m. Did a treadmill session and resistance exercises after breakfast, and then got ready to go to a Caring Hands luncheon.
One of the ladies from water aerobics called this morning. She said that the reason the college pool is closed right now is that vandals broke in and damaged it. She wasn't sure how much damage had been done, or how long the pool will be closed, but when it opens again, water aerobics can resume. Yay!
At 11:30, the three of us went to a local bank community room for the catered lunch. We enjoyed lasagna, garlic bread with dipping sauce, and salad, at very nicely decorated tables. After lunch, we volunteers were presented with hours-served pieces that can be added to our hospice volunteer pins.
Mother and I were recognized for our hours of service, and praised highly for the greeting cards that we create. Our efforts don't hold a candle to what other volunteers are doing. But we appreciate the recognition, anyway.
Afterward, cake and coffee were served. Hubbie and Mother indulged, but I passed, since I couldn't tell if the cake had yellow dye in it.
Back home, Hubbie and I changed clothes and then went shopping for last-minute grocery items for the family gathering tomorrow.
Spent part of the rest of the afternoon gathering all the stuff we'll need to take with us in the morning, and then we relaxed and watched last night's Winter Olympics that I'd recorded on DVR. I was interested in seeing the men's figure skating.
Mother went home after that, and Hubbie and I ate a light supper. Later, we went to a movie at the downtown theater that charges only $2 admission. We saw "The Twilight Saga: New Moon," along with a couple of hundred other folks. The book and movie series are wildly popular.
Before the movie began, I commented on how many people go to that theater. "It's probably because they show mainly kid movies," Hubbie, who is a fan of the Twilight series, said. "Like this one," he laughed.
Funny: As Mother walked into our downstairs bathroom this afternoon, she began cooing to what she thought was Shih Tzu curled up on the floor. But when she turned on the light, she saw that she was actually talking to a dark blue towel that had fallen off the rack.
Had trouble going asleep last night, so got up late this morning...around 8 a.m. Did a treadmill session and resistance exercises after breakfast, and then got ready to go to a Caring Hands luncheon.
One of the ladies from water aerobics called this morning. She said that the reason the college pool is closed right now is that vandals broke in and damaged it. She wasn't sure how much damage had been done, or how long the pool will be closed, but when it opens again, water aerobics can resume. Yay!
At 11:30, the three of us went to a local bank community room for the catered lunch. We enjoyed lasagna, garlic bread with dipping sauce, and salad, at very nicely decorated tables. After lunch, we volunteers were presented with hours-served pieces that can be added to our hospice volunteer pins.
Mother and I were recognized for our hours of service, and praised highly for the greeting cards that we create. Our efforts don't hold a candle to what other volunteers are doing. But we appreciate the recognition, anyway.
Afterward, cake and coffee were served. Hubbie and Mother indulged, but I passed, since I couldn't tell if the cake had yellow dye in it.
Back home, Hubbie and I changed clothes and then went shopping for last-minute grocery items for the family gathering tomorrow.
Spent part of the rest of the afternoon gathering all the stuff we'll need to take with us in the morning, and then we relaxed and watched last night's Winter Olympics that I'd recorded on DVR. I was interested in seeing the men's figure skating.
Mother went home after that, and Hubbie and I ate a light supper. Later, we went to a movie at the downtown theater that charges only $2 admission. We saw "The Twilight Saga: New Moon," along with a couple of hundred other folks. The book and movie series are wildly popular.
Before the movie began, I commented on how many people go to that theater. "It's probably because they show mainly kid movies," Hubbie, who is a fan of the Twilight series, said. "Like this one," he laughed.
Funny: As Mother walked into our downstairs bathroom this afternoon, she began cooing to what she thought was Shih Tzu curled up on the floor. But when she turned on the light, she saw that she was actually talking to a dark blue towel that had fallen off the rack.
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Thursday, Feb. 18
Today is Granddaughter's birthday. Happy Birthday, Granddaughter! Did you know, Granddaughter, that you share a birthday with Vanna White on "Wheel of Fortune?"
Got up around 8:30 a.m., and did a treadmill session and weights exercises after breakfast. By the time I was ready for the day, it was late morning. I didn't do much before lunch, except decide what to wear to a Caring Hands award luncheon tomorrow.
Finally settled on the new brown jacket I bought on sale recently, teamed with brown slacks and an off-white turtleneck shirt. The sleeves needed hemming, though, and both needed to be pressed. But those chores would have to wait until later in the day, because Mother and I were scheduled to go to a scrapbook club meeting at 1 p.m.
Mother came over shortly after lunch, and we waited for another member, who asked if she could ride with us to the meeting. She is the older lady who had two bad falls in recently. She's edgy about driving on high-traffic highways, and felt more comfortable riding with me.
There were five of us at the meeting today, and we had a pleasant time chatting and working on scrapbook pages and greeting cards. Our friend who had a virus recently, fell to the floor of her home and, being too weak to get up again, lay there for five hours before she was found and taken to the hospital attended the meeting today.
She was in the hospital for about a week, but today she looked fine, though she has obviously lost weight, and exhibits a general lack of enthusiasm. No wonder, after all she's been through...losing both her husband and her son within weeks of each other, and then suffering a serious illness. We were very glad to see her, and hope that visiting with all of us today helped lift her spirits.
We got back home about 3 p.m. Hubbie met us in the driveway to help carry our scrapbooking totes back into the house. The first thing he said was, "You got a phone call that you're not going to like." At my questioning look, he said, "Your water aerobics leader called and said that the college pool will be closed until further notice."
Rats!! We don't know why the pool is being closed...maybe for repairs, maybe because attendance at water aerobics has been so low since we resumed in the middle of January, following winter break. Whatever the reason, I hope, hope, hope, this is not a permanent situation.
Mother went home after the meeting, and I hemmed the brown jacket, and then pressed it and the slacks. After that, it was time to heat the leftover stew for supper, which we had with cornbread for Hubbie, and a slice of bread with peanut butter for me, followed by banana pudding for dessert.
Watched TV after supper, of course...assorted one-hour shows I'd recorded on the DVR.
Got up around 8:30 a.m., and did a treadmill session and weights exercises after breakfast. By the time I was ready for the day, it was late morning. I didn't do much before lunch, except decide what to wear to a Caring Hands award luncheon tomorrow.
Finally settled on the new brown jacket I bought on sale recently, teamed with brown slacks and an off-white turtleneck shirt. The sleeves needed hemming, though, and both needed to be pressed. But those chores would have to wait until later in the day, because Mother and I were scheduled to go to a scrapbook club meeting at 1 p.m.
Mother came over shortly after lunch, and we waited for another member, who asked if she could ride with us to the meeting. She is the older lady who had two bad falls in recently. She's edgy about driving on high-traffic highways, and felt more comfortable riding with me.
There were five of us at the meeting today, and we had a pleasant time chatting and working on scrapbook pages and greeting cards. Our friend who had a virus recently, fell to the floor of her home and, being too weak to get up again, lay there for five hours before she was found and taken to the hospital attended the meeting today.
She was in the hospital for about a week, but today she looked fine, though she has obviously lost weight, and exhibits a general lack of enthusiasm. No wonder, after all she's been through...losing both her husband and her son within weeks of each other, and then suffering a serious illness. We were very glad to see her, and hope that visiting with all of us today helped lift her spirits.
We got back home about 3 p.m. Hubbie met us in the driveway to help carry our scrapbooking totes back into the house. The first thing he said was, "You got a phone call that you're not going to like." At my questioning look, he said, "Your water aerobics leader called and said that the college pool will be closed until further notice."
Rats!! We don't know why the pool is being closed...maybe for repairs, maybe because attendance at water aerobics has been so low since we resumed in the middle of January, following winter break. Whatever the reason, I hope, hope, hope, this is not a permanent situation.
Mother went home after the meeting, and I hemmed the brown jacket, and then pressed it and the slacks. After that, it was time to heat the leftover stew for supper, which we had with cornbread for Hubbie, and a slice of bread with peanut butter for me, followed by banana pudding for dessert.
Watched TV after supper, of course...assorted one-hour shows I'd recorded on the DVR.
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Ash Wednesday
Felt icky when I got up at 6:30 this morning....lightheaded and a tummy ache. Hubbie had gotten up at 4 a.m. with tummy troubles. So I surmised that we both had a mild case of food- borne illness, probably from something we ate at lunch yesterday at the restaurant. We ate from the food bar, whereas our friend ordered from the menu. Hubbie and I had eaten several of the same items, but of course, I couldn't identify the exact culprit.
At any rate, since I continued to have tummy problems for a while, I didn't go to water aerobics. The problem finally corrected itself, but I felt sort of blah for the rest of the morning.
Mother came over mid-morning, bringing tuna salad for lunch, since this is Ash Wednesday. I wasn't sure I'd be up for tuna at lunch time, but I was. Since Hubbie and I like our tuna salad on toast, I put bread into the toaster. Our toaster, though, requires two tries to get the toast just right. Too bad I was busy heating coffee in the microwave for Mother and forgot the toast. So I burned the first batch and had to start over.
After lunch, I met my hair cut appointment at 1 p.m. I felt okay by this time. Back home, I saw that our computer tech guys were here installing our flat screen TV surround sound system. Now I have another remote control to learn to use, making four remotes altogether...one for the TV, one for the new surround system and DVD player, one for the other DVD/VCR combo, and one to access the cable guide. Lots of functions for my feeble brain to absorb, but with practice, I'll get it. The clarity of the surround sound system, combined with the HD feature of the TV is really nice.
Naturally, we experimented with watching various channels on TV for part of the afternoon. The Winter Olympics in HD is spectacular. The picture resolution on non-HD channels seems better, too.
By suppertime, I was plenty ready for spaghetti, with salad, cottage cheese, and Parmesan toast made from leftover whole wheat hamburger buns. The spaghetti sauce is meatless, in keeping with Ash Wednesday. A very satisfying meal.
Yesterday, we bought bananas on sale for 39 cents a pound, so today Mother made banana pudding, cooking the pudding from scratch, because I am allergic to the yellow dye in packaged vanilla pudding mix. Hubbie and I had this for a snack later in the evening.
Mother went home after supper (forgetting to take a helping of banana pudding with her...so Hubbie took some to her later). We watched TV until 8 p.m., when our favorite college basketball team played. Since the game wasn't on TV, we listened to it on the surround sound radio, as our team played to a much-needed win. Yay!
Funny: I felt chilled this afternoon, and decided to heat a cup of cranberry juice in the microwave. But the toaster and microwave were not my friends today, so as the juice heated, I got distracted by something else and forgot it. Later, as I was preparing Parmesan toast for supper, I noticed the cup in the microwave.
"Did someone heat a cup of coffee and forget it?" I asked. "No, wait," I said right away. "That's my cranberry juice."
Hubbie cracked up laughing, as I set the microwave timer to re-heat the juice. When it was hot, I took the cup out. Noticing that it was 4 p.m., though, I decided not to spoil my supper by drinking it.
After supper, I poured the cooled juice back into the bottle. Around 8 p.m., Hubbie fixed popcorn for us to munch on as we listened to the game. "Would you like that cup of hot cranberry juice now?" he asked. Yes, I would. So he heated it for me.
He didn't forget to take it out of the microwave.
At any rate, since I continued to have tummy problems for a while, I didn't go to water aerobics. The problem finally corrected itself, but I felt sort of blah for the rest of the morning.
Mother came over mid-morning, bringing tuna salad for lunch, since this is Ash Wednesday. I wasn't sure I'd be up for tuna at lunch time, but I was. Since Hubbie and I like our tuna salad on toast, I put bread into the toaster. Our toaster, though, requires two tries to get the toast just right. Too bad I was busy heating coffee in the microwave for Mother and forgot the toast. So I burned the first batch and had to start over.
After lunch, I met my hair cut appointment at 1 p.m. I felt okay by this time. Back home, I saw that our computer tech guys were here installing our flat screen TV surround sound system. Now I have another remote control to learn to use, making four remotes altogether...one for the TV, one for the new surround system and DVD player, one for the other DVD/VCR combo, and one to access the cable guide. Lots of functions for my feeble brain to absorb, but with practice, I'll get it. The clarity of the surround sound system, combined with the HD feature of the TV is really nice.
Naturally, we experimented with watching various channels on TV for part of the afternoon. The Winter Olympics in HD is spectacular. The picture resolution on non-HD channels seems better, too.
By suppertime, I was plenty ready for spaghetti, with salad, cottage cheese, and Parmesan toast made from leftover whole wheat hamburger buns. The spaghetti sauce is meatless, in keeping with Ash Wednesday. A very satisfying meal.
Yesterday, we bought bananas on sale for 39 cents a pound, so today Mother made banana pudding, cooking the pudding from scratch, because I am allergic to the yellow dye in packaged vanilla pudding mix. Hubbie and I had this for a snack later in the evening.
Mother went home after supper (forgetting to take a helping of banana pudding with her...so Hubbie took some to her later). We watched TV until 8 p.m., when our favorite college basketball team played. Since the game wasn't on TV, we listened to it on the surround sound radio, as our team played to a much-needed win. Yay!
Funny: I felt chilled this afternoon, and decided to heat a cup of cranberry juice in the microwave. But the toaster and microwave were not my friends today, so as the juice heated, I got distracted by something else and forgot it. Later, as I was preparing Parmesan toast for supper, I noticed the cup in the microwave.
"Did someone heat a cup of coffee and forget it?" I asked. "No, wait," I said right away. "That's my cranberry juice."
Hubbie cracked up laughing, as I set the microwave timer to re-heat the juice. When it was hot, I took the cup out. Noticing that it was 4 p.m., though, I decided not to spoil my supper by drinking it.
After supper, I poured the cooled juice back into the bottle. Around 8 p.m., Hubbie fixed popcorn for us to munch on as we listened to the game. "Would you like that cup of hot cranberry juice now?" he asked. Yes, I would. So he heated it for me.
He didn't forget to take it out of the microwave.
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Tuesday, Feb. 16
Up at 7 a.m., and did a treadmill session and resistance exercises after breakfast. Hubbiie went to a 9:30 a.m. Master Gardener meeting that lasted until around 11 a.m.
Mother came over around 9 a.m. and started two pots of 11-bean soup with ham cooking, while I did this and that around the house. Then we sat down to watch the opening night of the Westminster Dog Show that I recorded on DVR. We saw the first hour of it before Hubbie came home from his meeting.
Since we had a lunch date at 11:30 with a friend from the office where we worked years ago, Hubbie hurried to feed and walk Shih Tzu. We got to the restaurant a few minutes ahead of our friend, but she arrived soon.
We had a good visit with this lady, who recently retired. We treated her to lunch as part of our retirement gift to her, since she had worked as Hubbie's secretary for many years. She lives in our neighborhood, and we all live only a couple of miles from the office where we worked.
I invited her to join our scrapbook club on Thursday, but she is such a homebody that I'll be surprised if she comes. She is a skilled quilter, who spends most of her spare time making them for friends and family.
We were happy to learn that after so many years as a smoker, this lady quit several weeks ago. I hope she doesn't falter. Her mother died of lung cancer several years ago, and her younger sister has been warned that if she doesn't quit, she'll soon be in a wheelchair (because of a lung disease).
After we left the restaurant, we stopped by a grocery store to pick up a stalk of celery to use this afternoon in cooking chicken in broth for soup Saturday. We put both of the soups in the freezer until later this week.
When we got home from the restaurant, Mother and I watched the rest of the first night's Westminster Dog Show. Hubbie napped through the show.
Later, we had some of the boiled chicken for supper, served with sauteed potatoes and steamed veggies. Mother went home after that, and Hubbie and I watched TV, including the final night of the Westminster Dog Show.
Mother came over around 9 a.m. and started two pots of 11-bean soup with ham cooking, while I did this and that around the house. Then we sat down to watch the opening night of the Westminster Dog Show that I recorded on DVR. We saw the first hour of it before Hubbie came home from his meeting.
Since we had a lunch date at 11:30 with a friend from the office where we worked years ago, Hubbie hurried to feed and walk Shih Tzu. We got to the restaurant a few minutes ahead of our friend, but she arrived soon.
We had a good visit with this lady, who recently retired. We treated her to lunch as part of our retirement gift to her, since she had worked as Hubbie's secretary for many years. She lives in our neighborhood, and we all live only a couple of miles from the office where we worked.
I invited her to join our scrapbook club on Thursday, but she is such a homebody that I'll be surprised if she comes. She is a skilled quilter, who spends most of her spare time making them for friends and family.
We were happy to learn that after so many years as a smoker, this lady quit several weeks ago. I hope she doesn't falter. Her mother died of lung cancer several years ago, and her younger sister has been warned that if she doesn't quit, she'll soon be in a wheelchair (because of a lung disease).
After we left the restaurant, we stopped by a grocery store to pick up a stalk of celery to use this afternoon in cooking chicken in broth for soup Saturday. We put both of the soups in the freezer until later this week.
When we got home from the restaurant, Mother and I watched the rest of the first night's Westminster Dog Show. Hubbie napped through the show.
Later, we had some of the boiled chicken for supper, served with sauteed potatoes and steamed veggies. Mother went home after that, and Hubbie and I watched TV, including the final night of the Westminster Dog Show.
Monday, February 15, 2010
President's Day
Hubbie hung the flag today in honor of President's Day, but brought it back in again mid-afternoon when the wind blew it down.
We were up at 6:30 this morning. I was undecided when we went to bed last night whether I wanted to venture forth to water aerobics this morning or not, since the weather was predicted to be very cold...in the 20s...with a brisk wind.
Also, Hubbie was scheduled to take the van to another town (to the dealer from whom we purchased it) to see if he could get the sliding door fixed. His appointment was at 9:30. That meant I would have to drive the diesel truck to water aerobics. I hate taking that big, honking pickup truck to the college, because it's so noisy, and hard to park.
But I decided to go, anyway. The parking lot at the college had plenty of open spaces, so I didn't have to squeeze the truck in between two vehicles. And I dressed in several layers, plus hat and gloves, so the walk to the pool was okay.
Thirteen of us showed up today, though our leader wasn't one of them. However, there were three other alternates in attendance, and one of them led the session. The water was pleasant, and I was glad to be swimming again. It's hard getting up early and facing the cold weather, but I'm always glad when I do, because I love the pool so much.
The story today was about a young man...son of the manager of one of our grocery stores...who was killed in an explosion at his work in another state. He was only 31 years old, and left a young family behind.
This incident reminded one of the ladies of her childhood, when her older sister, then three years old, somehow toppled into a wash pot of boiling water. In those days, her mother boiled the bedsheets in a big pot in the yard. The child survived, but has been forever scarred and handicapped. What a horrific thing to happen! I can only imagine the agony the family must have gone through.
This lady has been away from the pool for several weeks...since December, really...because she fell ill with a flu that was finally determined to be HINI. She caught the flu from a niece, when she visited her in another state.
Hubbie was not yet home when I got back from the pool. Mother came over and put color in my hair in anticipation of getting a haircut Wednesday. Mother has opted out of having her hair cut. She says her hair is so thin that she can't afford to have any of it cut off. Instead, she plans to let it grow to a length that she can pull back into a bun, or something.
Hubbie arrived just as I finished getting ready for the day. I was happy to hear that the auto dealership's shop was able to fix the sliding door on the van (some sort of computer thing needed to be reset). And while he was there, a FAX arrived, recalling our van year model to replace a faulty windshild wiper mechanism. Fortunately, the shop had the necessary part on hand and could fix the problem right away, instead of our having to take the van back later.
The three of us put together a pot of sort-of New England vegetable stew. I browned eye of round steak in olive oil, garlic, and seasonings (salt free mixed seasoning, pepper, and paprika) while Hubbie peeled and quartered potatoes, and Mother cut up other veggies...celery, onions, carrots, and cabbage. I added cans of both low-sodium beef and chicken broths to the meat, and then put the veggies in, with more seasonings and garlic, and simmered the stew for several hours. It was delicious, served with a choice of hot rolls brought home from the restaurant yesterday, or cornbread.
We didn't accomplish much during the afternoon. I spent some time making phone calls. First, I called the secretary who retired recently from the office where Hubbie and I worked before we retired. I had promised to treat her to lunch in January, but that month and part of this one was awful weather-wise, so I waited until today to call. I was pleased that she said she is free to have lunch with us tomorrow at a local restaurant.
Then I called the two other ladies of the scrapbook club to remind them of our upcoming Thursday meeting. Of course, I spent quite a bit of time chatting with each of them.
Later, I noticed our local newspaper featured two large, color, photos of the gutted and charred rooms of the motel that was ablaze yesterday as we came home from the restaurant. Fortunately, no one was injured in the fire. I saw the damage to the motel as I traveled to the college this morning.
After supper, it was business as usual...Mother went home, and Hubbie and I planted ourselves in front of the TV. Movie fare tonight was "Changling," a 2008 R-rated (for violence) film starring Angelina Jolie. The story is about a 1920s true incident of child abduction and police corruption in Los Angeles. It's unbelievable what happens as the life of the mother of a missing nine-year-old boy degenerates at the hands of corrupt police, when she rightly insists that an abandoned boy they bring to her is not her son.
We were up at 6:30 this morning. I was undecided when we went to bed last night whether I wanted to venture forth to water aerobics this morning or not, since the weather was predicted to be very cold...in the 20s...with a brisk wind.
Also, Hubbie was scheduled to take the van to another town (to the dealer from whom we purchased it) to see if he could get the sliding door fixed. His appointment was at 9:30. That meant I would have to drive the diesel truck to water aerobics. I hate taking that big, honking pickup truck to the college, because it's so noisy, and hard to park.
But I decided to go, anyway. The parking lot at the college had plenty of open spaces, so I didn't have to squeeze the truck in between two vehicles. And I dressed in several layers, plus hat and gloves, so the walk to the pool was okay.
Thirteen of us showed up today, though our leader wasn't one of them. However, there were three other alternates in attendance, and one of them led the session. The water was pleasant, and I was glad to be swimming again. It's hard getting up early and facing the cold weather, but I'm always glad when I do, because I love the pool so much.
The story today was about a young man...son of the manager of one of our grocery stores...who was killed in an explosion at his work in another state. He was only 31 years old, and left a young family behind.
This incident reminded one of the ladies of her childhood, when her older sister, then three years old, somehow toppled into a wash pot of boiling water. In those days, her mother boiled the bedsheets in a big pot in the yard. The child survived, but has been forever scarred and handicapped. What a horrific thing to happen! I can only imagine the agony the family must have gone through.
This lady has been away from the pool for several weeks...since December, really...because she fell ill with a flu that was finally determined to be HINI. She caught the flu from a niece, when she visited her in another state.
Hubbie was not yet home when I got back from the pool. Mother came over and put color in my hair in anticipation of getting a haircut Wednesday. Mother has opted out of having her hair cut. She says her hair is so thin that she can't afford to have any of it cut off. Instead, she plans to let it grow to a length that she can pull back into a bun, or something.
Hubbie arrived just as I finished getting ready for the day. I was happy to hear that the auto dealership's shop was able to fix the sliding door on the van (some sort of computer thing needed to be reset). And while he was there, a FAX arrived, recalling our van year model to replace a faulty windshild wiper mechanism. Fortunately, the shop had the necessary part on hand and could fix the problem right away, instead of our having to take the van back later.
The three of us put together a pot of sort-of New England vegetable stew. I browned eye of round steak in olive oil, garlic, and seasonings (salt free mixed seasoning, pepper, and paprika) while Hubbie peeled and quartered potatoes, and Mother cut up other veggies...celery, onions, carrots, and cabbage. I added cans of both low-sodium beef and chicken broths to the meat, and then put the veggies in, with more seasonings and garlic, and simmered the stew for several hours. It was delicious, served with a choice of hot rolls brought home from the restaurant yesterday, or cornbread.
We didn't accomplish much during the afternoon. I spent some time making phone calls. First, I called the secretary who retired recently from the office where Hubbie and I worked before we retired. I had promised to treat her to lunch in January, but that month and part of this one was awful weather-wise, so I waited until today to call. I was pleased that she said she is free to have lunch with us tomorrow at a local restaurant.
Then I called the two other ladies of the scrapbook club to remind them of our upcoming Thursday meeting. Of course, I spent quite a bit of time chatting with each of them.
Later, I noticed our local newspaper featured two large, color, photos of the gutted and charred rooms of the motel that was ablaze yesterday as we came home from the restaurant. Fortunately, no one was injured in the fire. I saw the damage to the motel as I traveled to the college this morning.
After supper, it was business as usual...Mother went home, and Hubbie and I planted ourselves in front of the TV. Movie fare tonight was "Changling," a 2008 R-rated (for violence) film starring Angelina Jolie. The story is about a 1920s true incident of child abduction and police corruption in Los Angeles. It's unbelievable what happens as the life of the mother of a missing nine-year-old boy degenerates at the hands of corrupt police, when she rightly insists that an abandoned boy they bring to her is not her son.
Sunday, February 14, 2010
Sunday, Feb. 14
Got up at 7:30 and did a treadmill session and weights exercises after breakfast. I usually take Sunday off, but since I missed last Thursday, I felt like I needed to do a make-up session today.
I didn't do anything else of significance after that, except program the DVR for this week's shows and movies, and get ready to go out for a Valentine's Day lunch at a popular restaurant on the river. Mother came over at 11:00, and after exchanging Valentine cards, the three of us left for the restaurant around 11:30 for an 11:45 reservation.
We noticed on the way that most of the snow has melted in our town, though there are still some holdout blobs in shaded areas, and the neighbor's snowman is now a squatty, backward leaning, four-foot-tall mound.
One of our favorite local musicians, a guitarist, was performing at the restaurant. We were seated at a table overlooking the river, and it was very pleasant watching the water flow over the dam as we listened to the music. We each chose something different from the menu...Hubbie had the deep fried catfish, Mother had grilled chicken, and I had Caribbean pork tenderloin. We all had salads and baked potatoes.
We skipped the desserts, though, since Mother had made dark chocolate cupcakes, and thawed a quart of strawberries, for us to have with ice cream later in the day.
On the way home, we saw black smoke billowing from a building, and on approaching, saw that part of a motel a few miles from our house was fully engulfed in flames. Sirens blared as fire trucks and other emergency vehicles rushed to the scene. Across the street from the motel, curiosity seekers were parked on a vacant lot, enjoying the entertainment, I guess.
We hurried on home, hoping that no one was injured in the fire. After changing out of our dress clothes, Mother and I planned the week's menu, and then Hubbie and I went to the WDCS to shop for groceries.
We relaxed for the rest of the afternoon, doing nothing more than washing a couple of loads of clothes, reading the Sunday newspaper, and watching a scrapbooking episode on TV. Well, actually, Mother and I watched that, while Hubbie went upstairs to play on the computer.
It was 4:30 before we were ready for our dessert. Mother went home after that, and Hubbie and I took up residence in front of the TV, as usual. Around 7:30, we had a light supper...I opted for an egg sandwich, and Hubbie had a bowl of cereal. We shared an orange.
Then we watched two episodes of "America's Funniest Home Videos," followed by the movie "Twilight," based on the popular vampire book. We read all four of the books in the series, which Hubbie was more intrigued with than I was, so I thought he'd also enjoy the movie.
I didn't do anything else of significance after that, except program the DVR for this week's shows and movies, and get ready to go out for a Valentine's Day lunch at a popular restaurant on the river. Mother came over at 11:00, and after exchanging Valentine cards, the three of us left for the restaurant around 11:30 for an 11:45 reservation.
We noticed on the way that most of the snow has melted in our town, though there are still some holdout blobs in shaded areas, and the neighbor's snowman is now a squatty, backward leaning, four-foot-tall mound.
One of our favorite local musicians, a guitarist, was performing at the restaurant. We were seated at a table overlooking the river, and it was very pleasant watching the water flow over the dam as we listened to the music. We each chose something different from the menu...Hubbie had the deep fried catfish, Mother had grilled chicken, and I had Caribbean pork tenderloin. We all had salads and baked potatoes.
We skipped the desserts, though, since Mother had made dark chocolate cupcakes, and thawed a quart of strawberries, for us to have with ice cream later in the day.
On the way home, we saw black smoke billowing from a building, and on approaching, saw that part of a motel a few miles from our house was fully engulfed in flames. Sirens blared as fire trucks and other emergency vehicles rushed to the scene. Across the street from the motel, curiosity seekers were parked on a vacant lot, enjoying the entertainment, I guess.
We hurried on home, hoping that no one was injured in the fire. After changing out of our dress clothes, Mother and I planned the week's menu, and then Hubbie and I went to the WDCS to shop for groceries.
We relaxed for the rest of the afternoon, doing nothing more than washing a couple of loads of clothes, reading the Sunday newspaper, and watching a scrapbooking episode on TV. Well, actually, Mother and I watched that, while Hubbie went upstairs to play on the computer.
It was 4:30 before we were ready for our dessert. Mother went home after that, and Hubbie and I took up residence in front of the TV, as usual. Around 7:30, we had a light supper...I opted for an egg sandwich, and Hubbie had a bowl of cereal. We shared an orange.
Then we watched two episodes of "America's Funniest Home Videos," followed by the movie "Twilight," based on the popular vampire book. We read all four of the books in the series, which Hubbie was more intrigued with than I was, so I thought he'd also enjoy the movie.
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