Having been wakeful the night before last, I slept late this morning, but still did a treadmill session and resistance exercises after breakfast. Hubbie accompanied Mother to our house while I was getting ready for the day. I could tell she had something on her mind, so I asked what was wrong. She said she saw blood in her urine this morning and was uncomfortable.
Of course, the clinic we usually visit is closed on Saturdays, so I took her to an urgent care clinic. Tests revealed she has another UTI, so the doctor prescribed an antibiotic. I'm surprised the infection didn't show up during her appointment with the urologist, but these things can occur without warning.
By the time we left the clinic it was nearly 1 p.m. Back home, I fixed BLT's for lunch, at Mother's request. Then she rested while Hubbie and I ran errands...to the pharmacy to drop off the prescription, and to the WDCS for a few grocery items, then back to the pharmacy to pick up the prescription.
At home, Mother and I sorted our fair exhibit entry tickets to make it easier to pick things up tomorrow. Then, I gathered greeting card making stuff that Mother and I will need Monday, when we meet with the Caring Hands Hospice group.
Later, I made hamburgers/turkey burgers for supper, which we had with the last of a batch of Parmesan potatoes, and corn on the cob.
I accompanied Mother home afterward, and then Hubbie and I watched TV, including a Hercule Poirot mystery from the PBS channel. I should say I watched it, because Hubbie snoozed through it.
Whew! It has been another white hot and humid day. Hope this heat breaks a little next week.
Saturday, July 24, 2010
Friday, July 23, 2010
Friday, July 23
Up around 7 a.m., and did a treadmill session and weights exercises after breakfast. While I was on the treadmill, Hubbie came in to tell me Mother had buzzed him on the intercom to announce that something was wrong with her air conditioner. Seems it quit working in the middle of the night, so she and her cat suffered the heat until this morning. Wish we'd known...they could have spent the night with us.
Hubbie immediately called a heat and air repairman, and then assisted Mother and her cat to our house. They were pretty wilted and glad for the respite of our cool house. Of course, the cat, who was confined to a cage, wasn't ecstatic, so she whined a bit.
We weren't sure when the repairman would come...sometime today, he said...but we left Mother's house open for him in case we weren't here ( he is a trustworthy individual that we've dealt with over many years).
At 10 a.m., we went to the fairgrounds for Senior Day. It was hot, hot, hot, and there is no air conditioning in the buildings, but big fans did alleviate the heat a little. We began by touring the women's building, and the plant and vegetable sheds, to see what ribbons we'd won. We got lots of blue ribbons in the crafts, canned goods, and baked goods, but as far as we could tell, no Best of Show awards.
Mother and I both got blue ribbons for our place settings, but the Best of Show went to a setting of gold rimmed china, with gold rimmed crystal glassware. No way would I have displayed a fine set like that at the fair where, even though it is locked behind chicken wire fences and gates, it can still be accessed by some enterprising thief.
This year, most of the top awards went to patriotic-themed exhibits. Both the Extension Homemakers and the 4-H booths that got Grand Champion awards had patriotic themes. A patriotic wreath in the holiday division of crafts took the top award, as did other red, white, and blue themes in other sections.
In fact, the whole fairgrounds was patriotic-themed, with American flags posted all around the perimeter, and a special area of tall flags with accompanying photos of fallen soldiers was set aside...very moving, particularly since our town lost a young man in Iraq recently. The fair this year is dedicated to him.
After the women's building, we visited the plant and vegetable sheds. We got a few red ribbons on cut flowers, which admittedly weren't as pretty as they might have been in a less heat-stressed year. But we got lots of blue ribbons on plants and on the few tomatoes we entered. My floral arrangement got a blue ribbon, but no top award this year. Boo.
After touring the women's building, we went through the commercial building, where we signed up for every door prize offered. I used address labels for this, which is an easy way to register. Mother didn't have any labels, though, so I registered for her.
We visited with lots of folks in this building...all of whom were manning exhibt boothes. We saw the lady who coordinates Caring Hands Hospice, and a woman whose daughter is cast in the upcoming children's play, produced by the community theater, as well as my dentist, who is promoting the community/sports complex.
Outside of the building, I met a woman who was my daughter's childhood playmate...her family lived in the same neighborhood as we did. I didn't recognize her, but she immediately recognized me. I was sad to learn that her mother passed away with lung cancer two years ago. This woman and my daughter were dance students for several years, and were in recitals together. She came to our fair from a town about 45 minutes away, where she works for a health center. The center was distributing fans and bottles of water, as well as canvas totes.
Around 11:30, I located Hubbie in the entertainment shed, where he had gotten three tickets for our lunch...lunch was provided by the local senior citizens center. Each ticket was numbered for door prize drawings. Hubbie got two prizes...a very pretty candle in a jar, and two dinners to a fast food cajun chicken restaurant.
Lunch was chicken salad sandwiches, broccoli and white cheese salad with a vinegar dressing, baked potato chips, canned mandarin oranges, and cartons of 2% milk. The baked chips contain yellow dye, and I drink only skim milk. But I ate everything else. We thought canned mandarin oranges was a strange dessert, but we ate them, anyway.
After that, we headed home. As soon as we arrived, I poured glasses of lemonade over ice for Hubbie and me (for the first time since we can remember, no one was selling lemonade at the fair).
Not-so-funny: I had just finished pouring the lemonade when, as I was attempting to set the empty container on the table, I knocked one of the glasses of the sticky liquid over. Just what we needed. I sopped up the lemonade off the table, while Hubbie mopped it off the floor. Of course, both surfaces needed more than one sopping/mopping, because they were both very sticky. Our shoes stuck to the floor when we walked.
In the meantime, I made another batch of lemonade, and we downed two glasses of it apiece. Mother didn't want any. Since she'd lost sleep last night, all she wanted to do was nap.
The good thing is that the air condtioner repairman had come while we were gone and fixed the unit, so when Hubbie went to Mother's house to check on it, he found that it was cool inside.
Mother did well at the fair, since she wore cool clothing, rode in the wheelchair, and wore house shoes rather than regular shoes, as I suggested. I figured she just needed to be comfortable, not make a fashion statement. None of the seniors at the fair were trying to make fashion statements, I noticed.
Mother and I relaxed for the afternoon, while Hubbie went to the barber shop. Later, we had a supper of leftover lasagna, with green beans, and cottage cheese with tomatoes. Then, I accompanied Mother to her house. Afterward, Hubbie and I watched TV...three episodes of "Lark Rise to Candleford," from the PBS channel.
Note: got a phone call from Niece last night. She said her dad and mother (my brother and his wife) have moved back to New York from Florida. They both have health problems, so they are now living with Niece. She has been seeing to their medical needs, and she says both are doing better than they were.
Both seem to have settled in nicely, and Brother has even made a new friend, who lives across the street. Sister-in-Law is in the early stages of Alzheimer's Disease, so things are dicier with her. She suffers from Sundowners Syndrome, which is stressing Niece. Things are okay during the day, but then her mother gets confused and agitated in the evening. After working all day (she works at a hospital), she is already tired, and then she has to prepare a meal for her parents, and try to be patient with her mother's mood shifts. My heart goes out to her.
Hubbie immediately called a heat and air repairman, and then assisted Mother and her cat to our house. They were pretty wilted and glad for the respite of our cool house. Of course, the cat, who was confined to a cage, wasn't ecstatic, so she whined a bit.
We weren't sure when the repairman would come...sometime today, he said...but we left Mother's house open for him in case we weren't here ( he is a trustworthy individual that we've dealt with over many years).
At 10 a.m., we went to the fairgrounds for Senior Day. It was hot, hot, hot, and there is no air conditioning in the buildings, but big fans did alleviate the heat a little. We began by touring the women's building, and the plant and vegetable sheds, to see what ribbons we'd won. We got lots of blue ribbons in the crafts, canned goods, and baked goods, but as far as we could tell, no Best of Show awards.
Mother and I both got blue ribbons for our place settings, but the Best of Show went to a setting of gold rimmed china, with gold rimmed crystal glassware. No way would I have displayed a fine set like that at the fair where, even though it is locked behind chicken wire fences and gates, it can still be accessed by some enterprising thief.
This year, most of the top awards went to patriotic-themed exhibits. Both the Extension Homemakers and the 4-H booths that got Grand Champion awards had patriotic themes. A patriotic wreath in the holiday division of crafts took the top award, as did other red, white, and blue themes in other sections.
In fact, the whole fairgrounds was patriotic-themed, with American flags posted all around the perimeter, and a special area of tall flags with accompanying photos of fallen soldiers was set aside...very moving, particularly since our town lost a young man in Iraq recently. The fair this year is dedicated to him.
After the women's building, we visited the plant and vegetable sheds. We got a few red ribbons on cut flowers, which admittedly weren't as pretty as they might have been in a less heat-stressed year. But we got lots of blue ribbons on plants and on the few tomatoes we entered. My floral arrangement got a blue ribbon, but no top award this year. Boo.
After touring the women's building, we went through the commercial building, where we signed up for every door prize offered. I used address labels for this, which is an easy way to register. Mother didn't have any labels, though, so I registered for her.
We visited with lots of folks in this building...all of whom were manning exhibt boothes. We saw the lady who coordinates Caring Hands Hospice, and a woman whose daughter is cast in the upcoming children's play, produced by the community theater, as well as my dentist, who is promoting the community/sports complex.
Outside of the building, I met a woman who was my daughter's childhood playmate...her family lived in the same neighborhood as we did. I didn't recognize her, but she immediately recognized me. I was sad to learn that her mother passed away with lung cancer two years ago. This woman and my daughter were dance students for several years, and were in recitals together. She came to our fair from a town about 45 minutes away, where she works for a health center. The center was distributing fans and bottles of water, as well as canvas totes.
Around 11:30, I located Hubbie in the entertainment shed, where he had gotten three tickets for our lunch...lunch was provided by the local senior citizens center. Each ticket was numbered for door prize drawings. Hubbie got two prizes...a very pretty candle in a jar, and two dinners to a fast food cajun chicken restaurant.
Lunch was chicken salad sandwiches, broccoli and white cheese salad with a vinegar dressing, baked potato chips, canned mandarin oranges, and cartons of 2% milk. The baked chips contain yellow dye, and I drink only skim milk. But I ate everything else. We thought canned mandarin oranges was a strange dessert, but we ate them, anyway.
After that, we headed home. As soon as we arrived, I poured glasses of lemonade over ice for Hubbie and me (for the first time since we can remember, no one was selling lemonade at the fair).
Not-so-funny: I had just finished pouring the lemonade when, as I was attempting to set the empty container on the table, I knocked one of the glasses of the sticky liquid over. Just what we needed. I sopped up the lemonade off the table, while Hubbie mopped it off the floor. Of course, both surfaces needed more than one sopping/mopping, because they were both very sticky. Our shoes stuck to the floor when we walked.
In the meantime, I made another batch of lemonade, and we downed two glasses of it apiece. Mother didn't want any. Since she'd lost sleep last night, all she wanted to do was nap.
The good thing is that the air condtioner repairman had come while we were gone and fixed the unit, so when Hubbie went to Mother's house to check on it, he found that it was cool inside.
Mother did well at the fair, since she wore cool clothing, rode in the wheelchair, and wore house shoes rather than regular shoes, as I suggested. I figured she just needed to be comfortable, not make a fashion statement. None of the seniors at the fair were trying to make fashion statements, I noticed.
Mother and I relaxed for the afternoon, while Hubbie went to the barber shop. Later, we had a supper of leftover lasagna, with green beans, and cottage cheese with tomatoes. Then, I accompanied Mother to her house. Afterward, Hubbie and I watched TV...three episodes of "Lark Rise to Candleford," from the PBS channel.
Note: got a phone call from Niece last night. She said her dad and mother (my brother and his wife) have moved back to New York from Florida. They both have health problems, so they are now living with Niece. She has been seeing to their medical needs, and she says both are doing better than they were.
Both seem to have settled in nicely, and Brother has even made a new friend, who lives across the street. Sister-in-Law is in the early stages of Alzheimer's Disease, so things are dicier with her. She suffers from Sundowners Syndrome, which is stressing Niece. Things are okay during the day, but then her mother gets confused and agitated in the evening. After working all day (she works at a hospital), she is already tired, and then she has to prepare a meal for her parents, and try to be patient with her mother's mood shifts. My heart goes out to her.
Thursday, July 22, 2010
Thursday, July 22
Up around 7:30 this morning, and did a treadmill session and resistance exercises after breakfast. Once I was ready for the day, I just did this and that until 10:45, when I went for a haircut appointment. Hubbie went along, dropped me off at the beauty shop, and then ran a few errands. He returned exactly as I stepped out of the door of the shop.
Today, at the beauty shop, the talk was about a proposed new community center and sports complex. The owners of the shop are displaying a large poster about the proposal, and it is being received with mixed reviews.
Some, who are opposed to the proposal, are vehemently opposed because of the tax increase that goes with it, and express disgust that the beauty shop ladies have the audacity to display the poster. The ladies have firmly stood their ground, because our community is in sore need of such a facility, which will not only serve the community and surrounding towns, but it will draw folks from other counties, that will want to rent it for tournaments. It will bring a lot of money into the county. The facility will help grow our community by helping lure businesses, which will create employment opportunities. It's a good idea, and I hope our citizens are not so short-sighted as to vote the proposal down.
Back home from the beauty shop, I made turkey bacon, tomato, Vidalia onion, and lettuce sandwiches for Hubbie and myself. Mother didn't join us, since opted to stay home today, though both Hubbie and I visited her to make sure she's okay, and she is.
After lunch, Hubbie went to a service station to have the oil changed on the van (he did the same with the truck yesterday). While he was gone, I uninstalled and then re-installed the virus package on the upstairs computer. As that proceeded, I ironed a stack of clothes, and cleared images from the memory card in my camera, so I could charge the battery. Both of those tasks help advance tasks for an upcoming trip.
Once I'd completed my office projects, Hubbie and I went shopping...first, at the other store that has a sale every weekend, where he found a package of socks for $3.99, and I found a Christmas shirt on a clearance rack for $6.99. We were able to use two 20% off coupons on these.
Then we went to the WDCS for several grocery items. The one thing I specifically intended t get...hamburger...is the one thing I failed to get, naturally. Good thing I don't actually need it until next Tuesday, but it would have been handy to have it in the freezer.
Later, I heated "week in review" leftovers for Hubbie's and my supper, and then we watched a Lifetime Movie Network feature, called, "The Thrill of the Kill." A popular novelist writes a book about a serial killer, from the point of view of the killer. A female bartender reads the book and recognizes a similarity between the killing of the fictional character and the murder of her sister. So she enlists the help of the novelist to find the killer.
Today, at the beauty shop, the talk was about a proposed new community center and sports complex. The owners of the shop are displaying a large poster about the proposal, and it is being received with mixed reviews.
Some, who are opposed to the proposal, are vehemently opposed because of the tax increase that goes with it, and express disgust that the beauty shop ladies have the audacity to display the poster. The ladies have firmly stood their ground, because our community is in sore need of such a facility, which will not only serve the community and surrounding towns, but it will draw folks from other counties, that will want to rent it for tournaments. It will bring a lot of money into the county. The facility will help grow our community by helping lure businesses, which will create employment opportunities. It's a good idea, and I hope our citizens are not so short-sighted as to vote the proposal down.
Back home from the beauty shop, I made turkey bacon, tomato, Vidalia onion, and lettuce sandwiches for Hubbie and myself. Mother didn't join us, since opted to stay home today, though both Hubbie and I visited her to make sure she's okay, and she is.
After lunch, Hubbie went to a service station to have the oil changed on the van (he did the same with the truck yesterday). While he was gone, I uninstalled and then re-installed the virus package on the upstairs computer. As that proceeded, I ironed a stack of clothes, and cleared images from the memory card in my camera, so I could charge the battery. Both of those tasks help advance tasks for an upcoming trip.
Once I'd completed my office projects, Hubbie and I went shopping...first, at the other store that has a sale every weekend, where he found a package of socks for $3.99, and I found a Christmas shirt on a clearance rack for $6.99. We were able to use two 20% off coupons on these.
Then we went to the WDCS for several grocery items. The one thing I specifically intended t get...hamburger...is the one thing I failed to get, naturally. Good thing I don't actually need it until next Tuesday, but it would have been handy to have it in the freezer.
Later, I heated "week in review" leftovers for Hubbie's and my supper, and then we watched a Lifetime Movie Network feature, called, "The Thrill of the Kill." A popular novelist writes a book about a serial killer, from the point of view of the killer. A female bartender reads the book and recognizes a similarity between the killing of the fictional character and the murder of her sister. So she enlists the help of the novelist to find the killer.
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Wednesday, July 21
Up early today, at a little after 6 a.m., so Hubbie could gather individual flowers to be entered in the fair. Around 7:30, we took the flowers, my floral arrangement, and Mother's and my baked goods to the fair.
We were back home around 8 a.m. I accompanied Mother to our house, and then I gathered ingredients for lasagna so that she could sit at a table in the kitchen and put the dish together while I changed into exercise clothes and do a treadmill session and weights exercises. She seems to do okay with tasks, as long as she can be seated.
We stored the lasagna in the refrigerator until time to bake it this evening. After I was done with my exercises, Hubbie put color in my hair. He has taken over this duty since it's difficult for Mother to stand for any length of time.
Once I was ready for the day, I uploaded photos to a social network, and then fixed a lunch of cheese omelets, sourdough bread, and coffee cake.
Didn't accomplish much for the afternoon. At 3:00, I took Mother to an appointment with a urologist. The appointment was for 3:30, but we were still in the waiting room at 4:30, sitting next to a motor-mouth woman, who revealed every aspect of her family, as well as her personal medical history.
Finally, we were ushered back to an exam room. In a few minutes, after Mother had given a urine sample, we were ushered to yet another exam room. Here, the nurse took a sample with a catheter and found that Mother had retained about a cupful more of urine. The doctor examined her bladder, but found no tumors or polyps. So he has ordered a CT scan of her kidneys on August 1. He recommended that Mother drink cranberry juice. He also recommended that she visit the bathroom every two hours, whether she feels like it or not, and then return to the bathroom 10 minutes later, in an attempt to completely empty her bladder.
I figured that when the nurse and doctor examined Mother, they would ask me to leave the room, but they did not...probably because both wanted to ask both her and me questions, and then have us both listen to his advice. Also, they probably know that older folks are nervous and need a family member close by during exams.
We were back home about 5:30. I'd asked Hubbie to put the lasagna in the oven at 4 p.m., so it was ready to eat when we arrived. We had that with cottage cheese and grape tomatoes, and sourdough bread.
I accompanied Mother home after that, and then I uninstalled my anti-virus package and re-installed it on my laptop. I'd gotten a window stating that the anti-virus was having problems, so I called our favorite computer guy, and he recommended the re-installation, commenting that others with this brand have experienced the same problem. Tomorrow, I'll re-install the anti-virus on the PC in my office upstairs.
While I was dealing with the anit-virus package, Hubbie and I watched the movie, "Hard Cash," a 2002, R-rated film starring Christian Slater and Val Kilmer. Bank robbers, car chases, explosions, language. Didn't give it my full attention. Didn't need to.
We were back home around 8 a.m. I accompanied Mother to our house, and then I gathered ingredients for lasagna so that she could sit at a table in the kitchen and put the dish together while I changed into exercise clothes and do a treadmill session and weights exercises. She seems to do okay with tasks, as long as she can be seated.
We stored the lasagna in the refrigerator until time to bake it this evening. After I was done with my exercises, Hubbie put color in my hair. He has taken over this duty since it's difficult for Mother to stand for any length of time.
Once I was ready for the day, I uploaded photos to a social network, and then fixed a lunch of cheese omelets, sourdough bread, and coffee cake.
Didn't accomplish much for the afternoon. At 3:00, I took Mother to an appointment with a urologist. The appointment was for 3:30, but we were still in the waiting room at 4:30, sitting next to a motor-mouth woman, who revealed every aspect of her family, as well as her personal medical history.
Finally, we were ushered back to an exam room. In a few minutes, after Mother had given a urine sample, we were ushered to yet another exam room. Here, the nurse took a sample with a catheter and found that Mother had retained about a cupful more of urine. The doctor examined her bladder, but found no tumors or polyps. So he has ordered a CT scan of her kidneys on August 1. He recommended that Mother drink cranberry juice. He also recommended that she visit the bathroom every two hours, whether she feels like it or not, and then return to the bathroom 10 minutes later, in an attempt to completely empty her bladder.
I figured that when the nurse and doctor examined Mother, they would ask me to leave the room, but they did not...probably because both wanted to ask both her and me questions, and then have us both listen to his advice. Also, they probably know that older folks are nervous and need a family member close by during exams.
We were back home about 5:30. I'd asked Hubbie to put the lasagna in the oven at 4 p.m., so it was ready to eat when we arrived. We had that with cottage cheese and grape tomatoes, and sourdough bread.
I accompanied Mother home after that, and then I uninstalled my anti-virus package and re-installed it on my laptop. I'd gotten a window stating that the anti-virus was having problems, so I called our favorite computer guy, and he recommended the re-installation, commenting that others with this brand have experienced the same problem. Tomorrow, I'll re-install the anti-virus on the PC in my office upstairs.
While I was dealing with the anit-virus package, Hubbie and I watched the movie, "Hard Cash," a 2002, R-rated film starring Christian Slater and Val Kilmer. Bank robbers, car chases, explosions, language. Didn't give it my full attention. Didn't need to.
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Tuesday, July 20
Up at 6 a.m., but skipped my exercises again, because Hubbie and I needed to be at the fairgrounds by 7:30 to enter crafts and canned goods.
This year, there is a new category...place settings...and a former exhibit booth has been converted for this category. I set up two place settings on the shelf provided...one for Mother, and one for me. Mother's is an oriental setting. So on a black place mat, I arranged an oriental bowl and cup, and a red napkin holding chopsticks and a red flower tied with a red cord. For a background, there is a fan on a stand. The fan features the image of a Japanese woman.
My place setting is contemporary eclectic, I used China plates and a cup and saucer, all in different blue floral patterns, but which all blend. These are set on a blue place mat. When I had arranged my setting, I noticed I'd forgotten to bring along silverware and glasses, so I came back home (only a couple of miles) and gathered them. I used a juice glass and a water goblet, and a cut work white napkin in a silver napkin ring.
There are lots of place setting entries, including colorful Fiesta ware, autumn and Christmas colored dinnerware, and other eclectic settings, but I think Mother's is the simplest and most unique and striking, so I hope she wins a best of show.
On the second trip back to the fairgrounds, Mother went along. I knew we'd only be there for a short while, so she wouldn't get exhausted.
Back home, Hubbie and I went to a grocery store to pick up a few groceries, including bell peppers for tonight's supper.
Then I made a coffee cake to enter in the baked goods division tomorrow. Then I made big chef's salads for Hubbie's and my lunch (Mother opted for Ramen noodle soup). After lunch, Mother and I made sugar cookies. I mixed the cookie dough, and Mother spooned it onto cookie sheets, and used the end of a thread spool to make a design on the cookies. I put them in the oven, then transferred them to cooling sheets when they were baked. This cookie recipe makes about four dozen of the mouth-watering treats. Because we worked on them together, we can each enter three cookies for judging.
After that, I fixed a supper of beef strips with onions and bell peppers, baked potatoes, and cream style corn. By that time, Mother was ready to go home, so I accompanied her.
At home, I toured the yard to cut flowers for making an arrangement. I gathered zinnias, phlox, crape myrtal blooms, cone flowers, and other things to place in a mason jar. A raffia bow finished the arrangement. It's not spectacular, but it has a certain country charm, so I hope it wins a blue ribbon. Two years ago, I entered a similar arrangement and won best of show. I was very surprised, since there were so many other big, beautiful arrangements. I thought they made mine look like the Charlie Brown Christmas tree.
Finally, by about 8 p.m., I was plenty ready to relax and watch TV for a while. Tonight, we saw the movie, "K-PAX," a 2002, PG-13, film starring Kevin Spacey and Jeff Bridges. A man (Kevin Spacey), believing he is from the planet K-PAX, becomes a psychiatric patient treated by a psychiatrist (Jeff Bridges), who becomes fascinated by the patient, who more and more sounds authentic.
This year, there is a new category...place settings...and a former exhibit booth has been converted for this category. I set up two place settings on the shelf provided...one for Mother, and one for me. Mother's is an oriental setting. So on a black place mat, I arranged an oriental bowl and cup, and a red napkin holding chopsticks and a red flower tied with a red cord. For a background, there is a fan on a stand. The fan features the image of a Japanese woman.
My place setting is contemporary eclectic, I used China plates and a cup and saucer, all in different blue floral patterns, but which all blend. These are set on a blue place mat. When I had arranged my setting, I noticed I'd forgotten to bring along silverware and glasses, so I came back home (only a couple of miles) and gathered them. I used a juice glass and a water goblet, and a cut work white napkin in a silver napkin ring.
There are lots of place setting entries, including colorful Fiesta ware, autumn and Christmas colored dinnerware, and other eclectic settings, but I think Mother's is the simplest and most unique and striking, so I hope she wins a best of show.
On the second trip back to the fairgrounds, Mother went along. I knew we'd only be there for a short while, so she wouldn't get exhausted.
Back home, Hubbie and I went to a grocery store to pick up a few groceries, including bell peppers for tonight's supper.
Then I made a coffee cake to enter in the baked goods division tomorrow. Then I made big chef's salads for Hubbie's and my lunch (Mother opted for Ramen noodle soup). After lunch, Mother and I made sugar cookies. I mixed the cookie dough, and Mother spooned it onto cookie sheets, and used the end of a thread spool to make a design on the cookies. I put them in the oven, then transferred them to cooling sheets when they were baked. This cookie recipe makes about four dozen of the mouth-watering treats. Because we worked on them together, we can each enter three cookies for judging.
After that, I fixed a supper of beef strips with onions and bell peppers, baked potatoes, and cream style corn. By that time, Mother was ready to go home, so I accompanied her.
At home, I toured the yard to cut flowers for making an arrangement. I gathered zinnias, phlox, crape myrtal blooms, cone flowers, and other things to place in a mason jar. A raffia bow finished the arrangement. It's not spectacular, but it has a certain country charm, so I hope it wins a blue ribbon. Two years ago, I entered a similar arrangement and won best of show. I was very surprised, since there were so many other big, beautiful arrangements. I thought they made mine look like the Charlie Brown Christmas tree.
Finally, by about 8 p.m., I was plenty ready to relax and watch TV for a while. Tonight, we saw the movie, "K-PAX," a 2002, PG-13, film starring Kevin Spacey and Jeff Bridges. A man (Kevin Spacey), believing he is from the planet K-PAX, becomes a psychiatric patient treated by a psychiatrist (Jeff Bridges), who becomes fascinated by the patient, who more and more sounds authentic.
Monday, July 19, 2010
Monday, July 19
Up at 7:30 and did a treadmill session and resistance exercises. Before I dressed, I accompanied Mother over to our house, where we immediately got busy making crafts for the fair. I finished the drop earrings, then made several beaded Christmas ornaments, and a plastic canvas patriotic pin. I also put together a gift basket of homemade beauty products.
It was lunchtime before I finished. After lunch, I showered and dressed, and did some laundry. Around 3:30, we went to the fairgrounds to enter plants and get exhibitor numbers for the rest of our entries.
Before we left, I gathered leftovers, and sliced green tomatoes to be fried for supper. Mother stayed at home to simmer a pot of canned white beans with onions and spices, heat the leftovers in the oven, fry the green tomatoes, and make white gravy. I advised her that I could do all of this when I got back from the fairgrounds, but she insisted on doing it herself. I didn't argue, since I don't want her to begin to feel helpless, and worse, useless.
It is beastly hot at the fairgrounds, and the women's building and plant and vegetable sheds are not air conditioned. I don't know how the workers will be able to tolerate the heat this week. And I feel for the animals on exhibit. At least, though, there are huge fans and water sprays for the large animals.
We got to the fairgrounds around 3:30, and had our entries placed by 4 p.m. Back home, Mother had supper underway, but I helped with it. She had the pan of beans simmering, leftovers in the oven, and was in the process of doing fried green tomatoes. I could tell she was feeling weak-kneed, though, and suggested she go sit down. I finished the tomatoes and made a skillet of white gravy. This is why I really don't want her doing a lot in the kitchen without my being present. I'd never forgive myself if she had a problem and I wasn't here.
She's getting pretty disgusted with herself for not being able to be as productive as in the past. The day we made tarjeteria cards, and she had shaky hands when trying to follow the pattern outlines, she complained that she wanted to be young again. For years, she has said she doesn't want to be one of those people who live to 100, and I've always told her she'd probably change her mind when she got closer to it. It's very frustrating not being able to do the things one once did.
On top of that, she's suffering some confusion, and admits it. Today, she had difficulty filling out the fair entry tags for her crafts and greeting cards. But with patience, my help, and a few laughs, we got the task done. I want to keep things lighthearted, because I don't want her to sink into depression. I hope she wins lots of blue ribbons at the fair, because that will definitely lift her spirits.
After supper, I accompanied Mother back to her house, and then I helped Hubbie gather tomatoes and banana peppers to enter in the fair. We'll take those, along with the crafts to the fairgrounds early in the morning...exhibits can be entered from 8 a.m. to noon.
Washed another load of clothes, and then settled in to watch TV. Tonight's fare was the movie, "When Strangers Appear." This 2001, R-rated, film stars Rahda Mitchell, Barry Watson, and Josh Lucas. It's an intense psychological drama. A waitress opens a diner, and in comes a drifter with a bloody wound to his torso. Soon, three surfers arrive. The drifter hides and beckons to the waitress that the surfers are after him. Who should the waitress trust?
It was lunchtime before I finished. After lunch, I showered and dressed, and did some laundry. Around 3:30, we went to the fairgrounds to enter plants and get exhibitor numbers for the rest of our entries.
Before we left, I gathered leftovers, and sliced green tomatoes to be fried for supper. Mother stayed at home to simmer a pot of canned white beans with onions and spices, heat the leftovers in the oven, fry the green tomatoes, and make white gravy. I advised her that I could do all of this when I got back from the fairgrounds, but she insisted on doing it herself. I didn't argue, since I don't want her to begin to feel helpless, and worse, useless.
It is beastly hot at the fairgrounds, and the women's building and plant and vegetable sheds are not air conditioned. I don't know how the workers will be able to tolerate the heat this week. And I feel for the animals on exhibit. At least, though, there are huge fans and water sprays for the large animals.
We got to the fairgrounds around 3:30, and had our entries placed by 4 p.m. Back home, Mother had supper underway, but I helped with it. She had the pan of beans simmering, leftovers in the oven, and was in the process of doing fried green tomatoes. I could tell she was feeling weak-kneed, though, and suggested she go sit down. I finished the tomatoes and made a skillet of white gravy. This is why I really don't want her doing a lot in the kitchen without my being present. I'd never forgive myself if she had a problem and I wasn't here.
She's getting pretty disgusted with herself for not being able to be as productive as in the past. The day we made tarjeteria cards, and she had shaky hands when trying to follow the pattern outlines, she complained that she wanted to be young again. For years, she has said she doesn't want to be one of those people who live to 100, and I've always told her she'd probably change her mind when she got closer to it. It's very frustrating not being able to do the things one once did.
On top of that, she's suffering some confusion, and admits it. Today, she had difficulty filling out the fair entry tags for her crafts and greeting cards. But with patience, my help, and a few laughs, we got the task done. I want to keep things lighthearted, because I don't want her to sink into depression. I hope she wins lots of blue ribbons at the fair, because that will definitely lift her spirits.
After supper, I accompanied Mother back to her house, and then I helped Hubbie gather tomatoes and banana peppers to enter in the fair. We'll take those, along with the crafts to the fairgrounds early in the morning...exhibits can be entered from 8 a.m. to noon.
Washed another load of clothes, and then settled in to watch TV. Tonight's fare was the movie, "When Strangers Appear." This 2001, R-rated, film stars Rahda Mitchell, Barry Watson, and Josh Lucas. It's an intense psychological drama. A waitress opens a diner, and in comes a drifter with a bloody wound to his torso. Soon, three surfers arrive. The drifter hides and beckons to the waitress that the surfers are after him. Who should the waitress trust?
Sunday, July 18, 2010
Sunday, July 18
Up at a little after 7 a.m., and after breakfast, I accompanied Mother to our front yard, where she sat in a lawn chair and advised Hubbie on plants suitable to enter in the fair tomorrow evening. He then wrote out the entry tags for them.
While they were doing that, I did a treadmill session and weights exercises, and got ready for the day. Then I did my usual Sunday things of programming the DVR, etc.
For lunch, I fixed acorn squash, baked with brown sugar substitute, cinnamon, and low-fat margarine, Parmesan potatoes, and braised pork chops, seasoned with no-salt seasoning, pepper, paprika, and garlic powder, and slices of sourdough bread.
Later, at 1:30, Mother, Hubbie, and I went to the museum to watch a reenactor, dressed in a mid-1800s backwoodsman costume, relate stories as a fictional character who lived in our area. The character was the creation of a local resident of the era, who became a popular writer for an eastern newspaper.
Today, the character told stories of the bear hunts he'd been on, of his political campaign, and of his penchant for horse racing. In real life, the reenactor is a staff member of our old statehouse museum in the capital city. He reenacts many historical characters, he said. He's a very talented and entertaining individual, and we really enjoyed his portrayal this afternoon.
Back home, I accompanied Mother to her house, and then worked to make a pair of drop earrings to enter in the fair. I've never tried making this type of jewelry, so I was all thumbs with it. But after three failed attempts, I finally managed to do a decent looking pair. The problem was, though, I didn't have a pair of ear wires for them, which meant I would have to go to the WDCS to buy some.
The earrings are supposed to be the easiest of the items in this kit. There are materials for a necklace and a bracelet, too, but I doubt I'll want to attempt them. I think I'm no threat to the jewelry makers of the world, including Sis, who makes lovely pieces, seemingly effortlessy. I plan to file this craft with basket and other types of weaving...as not for me.
Once I'd made the earrings, though, we shopped for the ear wires, and then swung by a one grocery store for lasagna noodles (because the WDCS doesn't carry the no-boil kind), and another grocery store for a carton of cottage cheese to make lasagna this week.
At home, I heated the rest of the leftover tomato soup for supper, which which we had with bread and margarine, followed by bowls of mixd fruit...grapes, strawberries, blueberries, and cherries.
Then we watched the movie, "Civic Duty," a 2006, R-rated film, starring Peter Krause. An accountant, who has lost his job, becomes obsessed with a neighbor, an Islamic student, deciding that he is a terrorist. He calls the FBI, and an agent advises him to stay away from the neighbor and let the agent pursue an investigation. Of course, the man ignores the advice, takes matters into his own hands, and things escalate.
While they were doing that, I did a treadmill session and weights exercises, and got ready for the day. Then I did my usual Sunday things of programming the DVR, etc.
For lunch, I fixed acorn squash, baked with brown sugar substitute, cinnamon, and low-fat margarine, Parmesan potatoes, and braised pork chops, seasoned with no-salt seasoning, pepper, paprika, and garlic powder, and slices of sourdough bread.
Later, at 1:30, Mother, Hubbie, and I went to the museum to watch a reenactor, dressed in a mid-1800s backwoodsman costume, relate stories as a fictional character who lived in our area. The character was the creation of a local resident of the era, who became a popular writer for an eastern newspaper.
Today, the character told stories of the bear hunts he'd been on, of his political campaign, and of his penchant for horse racing. In real life, the reenactor is a staff member of our old statehouse museum in the capital city. He reenacts many historical characters, he said. He's a very talented and entertaining individual, and we really enjoyed his portrayal this afternoon.
Back home, I accompanied Mother to her house, and then worked to make a pair of drop earrings to enter in the fair. I've never tried making this type of jewelry, so I was all thumbs with it. But after three failed attempts, I finally managed to do a decent looking pair. The problem was, though, I didn't have a pair of ear wires for them, which meant I would have to go to the WDCS to buy some.
The earrings are supposed to be the easiest of the items in this kit. There are materials for a necklace and a bracelet, too, but I doubt I'll want to attempt them. I think I'm no threat to the jewelry makers of the world, including Sis, who makes lovely pieces, seemingly effortlessy. I plan to file this craft with basket and other types of weaving...as not for me.
Once I'd made the earrings, though, we shopped for the ear wires, and then swung by a one grocery store for lasagna noodles (because the WDCS doesn't carry the no-boil kind), and another grocery store for a carton of cottage cheese to make lasagna this week.
At home, I heated the rest of the leftover tomato soup for supper, which which we had with bread and margarine, followed by bowls of mixd fruit...grapes, strawberries, blueberries, and cherries.
Then we watched the movie, "Civic Duty," a 2006, R-rated film, starring Peter Krause. An accountant, who has lost his job, becomes obsessed with a neighbor, an Islamic student, deciding that he is a terrorist. He calls the FBI, and an agent advises him to stay away from the neighbor and let the agent pursue an investigation. Of course, the man ignores the advice, takes matters into his own hands, and things escalate.
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