Saturday, March 6

Today is Nephew's birthday. Happy Birthday, Nephew!



We were up around 6:30 this morning, though I skipped my exercises so I could be dressed and ready when Daughter arrived. While I waited for her, I cut up salad veggies, as well as veggies to be sauteed for bagel pizzas. I also prepared a dish of Parmesan potatoes to be baked later. Mother helped with the potato dish, though she felt somewhat under the weather today. She continues to have tummy troubles.



Daughter arrived around 10:30 a.m., bringing Great-Granddaughter with her, to our delight. I put the potatoes into the oven, so they could bake while we went to an Extension Homemakers yard and craft sale at the fairgrounds.



We browsed at the sale for about an hour. There were lots of exhibitors both indoors and outdoors, and tons of goods. Mother found a couple of items she wanted, as did Daughter, but Hubbie and I came away empty-handed.



By the time we got back home, the potato dish was done, so we put together bagel pizzas for the oven, with each person choosing what they wanted as toppings. The pizzas were done in about twenty minutes, and were delicious with the salad, Parmesan potatoes, and cottage cheese.



After lunch, we went over to Mother's house to help her clean a what-not shelf. Back at my house, everyone enjoyed lemon cake, except me...I had a chocolate cupcake with pie cherries and whipped topping.



Then Daughter and Great-Granddaughter made cute greeting cards. Around 4 p.m., they headed home, and Mother and I worked on the jigsaw puzzle for a while before she went home. As we were working on the puzzle, I recorded our favorite college basketball team in SEC play.



At 5 p.m., we watched as our team played to a very, very disappointing loss.



Later, we watched the movie, "An American Crime," a 2007 R-rated film is based on a true story about Gertrude "Gertie" Baniszewski, a divorced mother of seven kids, who, in the 1960s, takes in a couple of girls and then proceeds to torture and eventually murder one of them...sixteen-year-old Sylvia Likens.

The second movie we watched, also R-rated was, "Stuck." This 2007 film is based on a real-life incident of a woman who hits a homeless man, and then drives home and parks the car in her garage with the man still stuck in her windshield.

Friday, March 5

We were up at 6:30 this morning, so I could get ready to go to water aerobics. It was a sunny morning, but cool enough for there to be frost on the windows of the van. The pool was a little cool, too, though tolerable. Eleven of us showed up for aerobics. This was the last session until after spring break next week.

When I got home, Son and Daughter-in-Law were already here, having arrived minutes before me. Hubbie met me at the car to let me know Daughter had called. She was at a hobby store browsing through Easter-themed rubber stamps for me. She sent photos of two she thought I might like, which I asked her to purchase on behalf of our scrapbook club. She'll bring them with her when she comes to visit tomorrow.

Son and Daughter-in-Law got busy right away washing windows at Mother's house in honor of her birthday. They also presented her with a gift certificate for purchasing new kitchen curtains.

At lunchtime, we went to a catfish restaurant, where everyone but me got the fried catfish specials. I opted for grilled fish. Some of us had French fries, and some of us had baked potatoes. The meal included bowls of pinto beans, pickled green tomatoes, hush puppies, and coleslaw.

After we got back home, Son went to a home improvement store to buy new curtain rods for Mother's kitchen, which he then installed. While he was doing that, Mother, Dauther-in-Law, and I came to my house to work on the jigsaw puzzle.

While we worked on the puzzle, I washed and dried Mother's kitchen curtains. Mid-afternoon, we indulged in lemon pudding cake (or, in my case, chocolate cupcake with chocolate ice cream). We visited for quite a while after that. Around 4 p.m., Son and Daughter-in-Law headed home

Later, around 6 p.m., Hubbie and I had pancakes for supper, with a fresh orange and prunes. Then we watched TV...a couple of one-hour shows.

It was a good day.

Thursday, March 4

Today is Mother's birthday. Happy Birthday, Mother!

What a beautiful day today...sunny and mild...definetly hinting at spring. Got up around 8 a.m. and did a treadmill session and weights exercises. Mother came over after I finished my exercises and began working on a jigsaw puzzle.

I cooked lemon pudding before I went upstairs to get ready for the day. By the time I came back downstairs, it was already 11 a.m. I relaxed with Mother for a while before putting lunch on the table. She's having tummy troubles today and requested a grilled cheese sandwich. I made that, and heated leftover barbecue for Hubbie and me.

Mother wanted chicken noodle soup for supper, so I started a pot stewing right after lunch. While that was cooking, Hubbie and I went to the WDCS for a few groceries. On the way home, we stopped at a gas station, where I picked up $10 worth of scratch-off lottery tickets to give to Mother as one of her birthday gifts (until we can find a purse to her liking).

Back home, I finished putting together the lemon cake, spreading it with cooled lemon pudding, and making meringue for a topping.

After supper, I served Mother a hunk of the cake, holding the scratch-off tickets under the plate. She didn't realize the tickets were there until Hubbie removed the plate after she'd finished her cake. And even then she didn't see them right away, because she was busy chatting with me. Finally, she saw them and was delighted.

This was her first experience with lottery tickets, and she had a great time scratching them off. She was excited to win $9. We had a good laugh, though, at how unobservant she had been in discovering the tickets. It was $10 well spent for the entertainment it provided Mother. I could have just handed her a $10 bill, but it wouldn't have been nearly as much fun.

Later, Mother worked on her puzzle some more before going home. Hubbie and I spent the rest of the evening watching TV, as usual. Tonight, we saw the movie, "Antibody," a 2002 R-rated film, though I didn't see anything in it to warrant that rating. The movie stars Robin Givens and Lance Henrickson.

A terrorist has a nuclear bomb detonator microchip implanted in his body. A team of scientists enter his bloodstream with an experimental craft to destroy the detonator before the world is blown to bits. Shades of "Fantastic Voyage," with the difference being that in "Fantastic Voyage," the crew is trying to save one man, while in "Antibody," the entire world hangs in the balance.

Wednesday, March 3

We were up at 6:30 this morning, so I could get ready to go to water aerobics. It was a cold morning requiring layers of clothing and a coat and gloves. The pool was a bit cool, but tolerable once I was in it.

Seems some ladies showed up Monday, but the lifeguard warned that the water was so cool that he was sure they wouldn't want to get in it. So they didn't. I figured the water would be cold that day and opted to wait until today.

We will have one more day of aerobics before the school closes for spring break next week. This has been a very unusual winter for water aerobics, with the pool being closed several weeks for winter break, a couple of weeks for snowstorms, and a couple of weeks for repairs to the pool after someone broke in and damaged it (I learned that it was done by the men of one of the on-campus fraternities following a rowdy party).

There were only eleven of us there today, but if the weather moderates, maybe participation will pick up after spring break.

Leaving the pool today, I spotted what appeared to be an Eastern Bluebird on one of the pine trees. It has been a week for seeing wildlife. On Sunday afternoon, as we were coming home from shopping, Mother and I saw several deer grazing in a field. Then yesterday, as Hubbie and I were traveling home from a grocery store, we saw what looked like a Great Blue Heron wading in the water of a swampy area, near where we frequently see a groundhog sitting upright, surveying his territory.

When I got back home, Mother said Sis had called saying she was coming up for a visit. She arrived around the time I was done getting ready for the day. Hubbie went to a local barbecue restaurant to pick up a pound of pulled pork, and then went to a grocery store to pick up buns and slaw mix. In the meantime, Mother had put potatoes in the oven to bake.

We had a good afternoon following lunch. Sis made a batch of hand cream, bath salts, and scrub. The project became a comedy of errors (which Sis will explain in an upcoming blog at her blog site). While she was doing that, I baked a lemon cake for Mother's birthday tomorrow. In the morning, I'll make lemon pudding and merigue for the cake.

About 3 p.m., we indulged in a dessert of low-fat cupcakes, topped with fat-free pudding, light pie cherries, and fat-free whipped topping. Then we visited the rest of the afternoon.

For supper, we had a variety of leftovers...baked meatloaf/rice dish, mashed potatoes with gravy/pork/carrots/onions mixture, Lima beans, cole slaw, and toasted whole wheat mini-bagels spread with low-fat margarine mixed with Parmesan cheese and oregano.

At 6 p.m., Hubbie and I listened to the radio as our favorite college basketball team played to a loss. Phooey. While we listened to the game, Mother and Sis visited in the living room. Sis headed home around 8 p.m., and Mother went to her house. Hubbie and I watched TV the rest of the evening.

Lesson learned: it's easier to peel a banana from the non-stem end, or what I call the bottom (though some strongly argue that the stem end is the bottom since bananas grow upward in bunches on trees). For all my years, I'd been struggling trying to peel bananas by various means...bending the stem back til it breaks (often mashing part of the fruit), jamming my thumbnail into the stem end to break the peel and then pulling it back, or cutting the stem with a knife (Hubbie's preferred method). Then, one day, I watched a monkey on TV effortlessly peel a banana from the non-stem end. I tried it. It was way easier. Duh. Why did it take a monkey to show me what should have been so obvious? Haven't convinced Hubbie of it yet, though. He still prefers the knife method.

Tuesday, March 2

We were up around 8 a.m., and I did a treadmill session and resistance exercises after breakfast. Guess tomorrow morning, I'll return to water aerobics (hope the pool won't be too cold).

Mother came over while I was on the treadmill. Once I was ready for the day, we all worked to spruce the house a little for the weekend.

After lunch, Hubbie ran errands, Mother worked puzzle books, and I occupied myself in my office. I received an e-mail from a teacher at a local school...we are working out details for my week-long photography residency there, where I will work with third graders and fifth graders in April.

Then I struggled writing a brief biography, at the request of one of my high school classmates. A committee organizing a May reunion is putting together a booklet of our life journeys as part of the 50-year celebration.

Later, we had a supper of leftovers from Sunday lunch. Mother went home afterwards, and Hubbie and I ran to a grocery store to pick up ten packages of on-sale frozen onion/bell peppers. Back home, we watched a rather long movie called " The Baader Meinhof Complex," a 2008 R-rated (for language and nudity) subtitled film that takes place mainly in Germany. It's a story about students in the 1970s, who according to the product description, decide to fight what they perceive as American Imperialism supported by the German establishment, with the aim of creating a more human society. But as the years roll on, they become terrorists who lose sight of their original goal, and their humanity.

Monday, March 1

Another month behind us! Well, good riddance to that one...it was too cold! Hopefully, March will bring some more pleasant weather, though today, still windy-cold, isn't what I have in mind.

Got up around 7:30 this morning and did a treadmill session and weights exercises. Later, Hubbie called his surgeon, but didn't immediately reach him. After a couple of hours, the nurse called to say the surgeon said Hubbie's symptoms are not related to the hernia surgery, and that he should see his general practitioner. So he got an appointment for this afternoon.

We didn't accomplish anything this morning. We didn't want to get all involved in a project and then have to stop to go to the doctor. So we just did this and that while we waited for a call from the surgeon's office.

Mother came over about 11:30 and joined us for lunch. I made cheese omelets for Hubbie and me, and Mother had Ramen noodle soup.

Around 2 p.m., Hubbie and I met with the doctor, who diagnosed Hubbie's problem as gastritis and possible ulcers. He said patients often develop this problem after surgery, as a result of stress. He prescribed a medication, and advised that if Hubbie's problem didn't go away in two months, to come back to explore the possibility of gall bladder problems. Hopefully, it won't come to that.

From the doctor's office, we went to a drugstore to pick up a couple of on-sale items. While we were there, I asked if the store still develops film in one hour. They do. The WDCS still does, too, but I was told that they would stop soon, and they didn't know if they'd still be doing so in April, which is when I'd need the service...during a photo teaching residency at a local school. The pharmacy assured me they will still offer the service in April.

I found a bargain on one-time use cameras while I was there, too, and picked up four packages of three cameras to a package. The store also obliged me in ordering four more packages, which I can get at the current sale price.

Then we took Hubbie's prescription to our usual pharmacy, but didn't wait for it to be filled. Instead, we went to the bank, and to the health store...where I picked up a new cereal called muesli, containing oats and other grains, plus almonds, walnuts, dates, and raisins. Hope it's good. I was tired of eating the eight grain cereal I've been buying (which I refer to as cattle feed).

After that, we went to the WDCS for several grocery items, a box of envelopes, and cat food. We were back home about 4:30. Mother had prepared a casserole, using the leftover meatloaf, cooked rice, and cheese. We had this with a choice of Lima beans or large butter beans.

Mother went home after supper, and Hubbie and I watched TV. Tonight's fare was a PBS movie..."The 39 Steps," a British spy mystery set in 1914. Pretty good.

Then we saw Morgan Freeman in a movie titled, "10 Items or Less." In this R-rated film (mainly for language), a famous actor who hasn't worked for four years decides to research an out-of-the-way supermarket for a possible role in a small independent film. He becomes fascinated with the young 10-items-or-less checker, whom he befriends and then helps to abandon her dead-end job in hopes of finding more suitable employment. Adventures ensue, with a mix of philosophy and humor from Freeman.

Sunday, Feb. 28

Pretty typical Sunday. Got up around 7:30 and did a treadmill session and resistance exercises after breakfast. Mother came over while I was doing that and put a pork roast with accompanying veggies in the slow cooker.

It was a fairly nice day...sunny, though still pretty cool...so after lunch, Mother and I decided to go shopping at the local book/music/video store. Mother had a gift card, given to her for Christmas by Niece.

We spent a lot of time looking through books. None suited her. So we went to the magazine rack. Here, she found several greeting card making magazines that interested her. So she sat in an easy chair and browsed through them to decide which ones she wanted.

Meanwhile, I browsed through the videos on the other side of the store. I also have a gift card, given to me by Hubbie at Christmas, so I thought I might find a movie I wanted. I didn't. I'll go back to the store some other day, when I can spend more time exploring on my own.

When I got back to the seating area, Mother had selected two magazines that she wanted, which used all but twelve cents of her gift card.

On the way back home, Mother was delighted when we saw several deer grazing in a pasture. She went to her house when we got back, and Hubbie and I pursued our own activities for the rest of the afternoon...he watched the Olympic Games hockey event between the U.S. and Canada, with Canada emerging the victor, of course.

I occupied myself on my computer upstairs, uploading snapshots of the greeting cards Mother and I made yesterday (see previous blog). I also tried (three times) to upload photos to my Facebook site, without success. One of Mother, Sis, and Daughter finally uploaded. Guess I'll have to try to upload the others again tomorrow. Maybe the site is too busy today.

Hubbie has been feeling not quite right lately. I've convinced him he should consult the doctor who did his hernia surgery, since I think his problem is related to that. He has been insisting he just has a bug, but his symptoms of an uneasy stomach and bloating, along with loss of appetite and general listlessness, which have been going on for several days now, don't quite fit the bill for a bug.

I think he is having a reaction to the mesh that the doctor used in his surgery. The doctor explained before the surgery that some men have problems with the mesh, and I think Hubbie is one of them. I won't be surprised if another procedure is required to remove it.

At suppertime tonight, Hubbie requested a grilled cheese sandwich, so that's what we had, with cottage cheese and an orange. Afterward, we watched a movie..."Code 46," a 2003 R-rated film, starring Tim Robbins. Genetic imperfections are avoided by forbidding people to have sex with 100%, 50% or 25% matching DNA. Naturally, our married hero proceeds to violate the code with another woman, and gets in all sorts of trouble.

Greeting Cards, Feb. 28

At the request of Caring Hands Hospice, Mother and I made just-a-note, and sympathy cards yesterday. In the first photo, Mother made the top card, and I made the other two. In the bottom photo, I made the card with the dove, and Mother made the other two. We made the cards using rubber stamps I bought at a hobby shop, while we were in the Capital City last week. The rubber stamps actually belong to the scrapbook club, since I used money given us by the Extension Homemakers Council, which is earmarked for buying tools and supplies for a community project.