Tuesday, May 25, 2010

Tuesday, May 25

Up at 7:30, and did a treadmill session and weights exercises after breakfast. After that, I got ready to meet an 11 a.m. dental appointment.



I hate going to the dentist...for one reason, it dips into my pocketbook. We don't have dental insurance, so today's visit (cleaning and routine digital x-rays) set me back $163. I never get away with less than $100 tab.



Today, the dentist's office was particularly unnerving with lots of drill-like noises emanating from various exam rooms. Didn't hear any moans of pain, though. Still, there's something about those high-pitched drill noises that raises the hair on the back of my neck and sets my teeth on edge...like someone running fingernails down a chalkboard.



While I was gone, Mother came over and boiled potatoes and macaroni for the trip. She also put together a meatloaf for supper.



I got back home a little after noon, and fixed deli turkey sandwiches for lunch. At the WDCS, I ran into a new item...whole wheat bread rounds...that are very tasty. They are flat and crustier than regular slices of bread, so tomatoes and other sandwich makings don't soak through. They are also easier to handle when piled with meat, cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, and onions.



After lunch, Hubbie and I ran errands...to deliver a bag of laundry detergent to a friend, to the WDCS for a few last-minute trip items, and to a grocery store for a sugar-free angel food cake.



Back home, we did things related to the trip. Supper was the meatloaf, with mashed potatoes and green beans.



Mother went home after that, and Hubbie and I visited a neighbor to take her some information about digital cameras. She wanted my advice on a fully automatic SLR camera for around $500. I found information on one that seemed to meet her needs, but I suggested she call the camera store to get more information about this and other cameras. I don't want to influence anyone about a camera purchase. If they are dissatisfied, they might blame me.



This neighbor is very nice. She always comes over and feeds the cats and waters the gardens while we are gone. She and other neighbors also keep a watch on our house anytime we are away.



Spent the evening watching TV, as usual, including the final episode of "Dancing with the Stars." We were not surprised by the winners...Nichole and Derek.

Monday, May 24, 2010

Monday, May 24

Up at 8 a.m., and did a treadmill session and resistance exercises. Mother came over mid-morning and fixed a pot of spaghetti sauce for an upcoming trip. I did other things related to the trip.

After lunch, Hubbie and I ran errands...to the Post Office, to the pharmacy, to the hydroponic farm for tomatoes, to a roadside vendor for cantaloupe and strawberries (but boo, there are no more strawberries), and to a gas station to fill the van.

The roadsides are resplendent with wildflowers right now...white Queen Anne's lace, orange butterfly weed, white and pink wild roses, and a pesky variety of thistle with big purple blooms.

Funny: as we were preparing to leave the driveway, Hubbie discovered that the hazard lights were blinking on the van, and we didn't know how to shut them off. After fiddling with everything, without success, I frantically searched the manual, again without success. Finally, we decided to just drive the van to our car repair dealership to have it checked. The dealership owner knew exactly where the hazard light button was...right above the radio. Turned out, I was searching for "caution lights" in the manual, when the function is listed under "hazard lights." How did the lights get turned on in the first place? Who knows. One of us must have accidentally pushed the button. We've never had reason to use the lights, so I never thought to acquaint myself with the function. It was one of those times when we both felt pretty stupid.

Supper tonight was talapia fish, served with baked beans and leftover Pamesan potatoes.

Later, we watched the final episode of "Lost," that I'd recorded on DVR last night. The two and a half hour show was reduced to one hour and forty-five minutes, once I'd fast forwarded through 45 minutes of commercials. I wondered how the writers would pull it altogether...I figured it either had to all be a dream, or everyone was already dead. The latter was the case.

After that, we watched tonight's episode of "Dancing with the Stars." Tomorrow, the final results, and then this series is over for the season.

Sunday, May 23, 2010

Sunday, May 23

Up late this morning, around 8 a.m., and did a treadmill session and weights exercises after breakfast.



Spent the rest of the morning doing the usual Sunday things of programming the DVR, reading the Sunday newspaper, etc.



Mother came over mid-morning, and we fixed fried chicken, fried green tomatoes, mashed potatoes, and gravy for lunch. She went home shortly after lunch.



Hubbie and I wasted the afternoon watching a couple of movies, including, "Goya's Ghosts," a 2006, R-rated film about the famous Spanish painter, about Francisco Goya, and the 18 century Spanish Inquisition. This was a horrible time, when religious fundamentalism reined, and innocent people were tortured as heretics. It was also the time of the invasion of Spain by Napoleon's army.

Sandwiches for supper, and then we watched a few one-hour shows. A dull and unproductive day.