Up at 7:30 this morning, and did a treadmill session and weights exercises after breakfast. Didn't do a lot after that for the rest of the morning, except search for a photo that I never did find. Phooey.
After lunch, Hubbie and I ran errands...to a grocery store to get cottage cheese, to the bank, to the WDCS to shop for Mother and us, and to a farm store for dog food.
While we were gone, Mother started a pot of chili cooking for our Halloween supper tonight. When we got back from shopping, the three of us put together an Apple Betty dessert...Hubbie peeled the apples, which I sliced, and Mother mixed the topping. I chopped some walnuts to add to the dish.
We didn't have room for the dessert after supper, so we saved it for a snack after we returned from a symphony orchestra performance at the college.
We left home about 6:30 to go to the concert. We didn't leave the porch light on, because our town opted to celebrate Halloween tonight, and we didn't want trick-or-treaters visiting. The downtown business association and several churches held events for kids, and we are far enough out of town that we haven't had trick-or-treaters the last few years, but we didn't want to chance it.
The symphony was very good, of course. It began with "Sunrise Fanfare," (the theme from 2001: A Space Odyssey) by Richard Strauss, and ended with a compilation of New York tribute tunes. In between, the program included works of Schumann, Tchaikovsky, Mozart, and Wagner.
The concert ended around 9 p.m., and upon returning home, we enjoyed helpings of the Apple Betty dessert with ice cream, and cups of coffee. Mother went home afterward, and Hubbie and I watched our favorite college football team play to a win. I'd recorded the game on DVR.
While we watched the game, I enjoyed looking at snapshots of one of my beautiful great-granddaughters on my social network page. Great-Granddaughter was voted second grade queen, and she was all dressed up in pageant wear to receive a tiara at the school's fall festival tonight. She and her little escort also received a trophy. I'm anxious to get a professional photographer's print for making a scrapbook page.
Saturday, October 30, 2010
Friday, October 29, 2010
Friday, Oct. 29
Today is Great-Granddaughter's sixth birthday, and Great-Grandson's third birthday. Happy birthday to both!
We were up late, around 8:30, this morning, and I did a treadmill session and resistance exercises after breakfast.
Spent the rest of the morning after getting ready for the day ironing clothes and doing laundry. Pretty exciting stuff.
When I came downstairs, I saw that Mother had come over, and was sitting in the living room working puzzles. If I'd known she was here, I would have come downstairs earlier, and said so. But Mother commented that she didn't need a babysitter, and I shouldn't stop whatever I'm doing to keep her company.
After lunch, we decided to make a big batch of whole wheat pancakes for the freezer, but I discovered that we didn't have a carton egg substitute thawed. So I put a carton of it in a sink of cold water, and prepared the dry ingredients.
While we waited for the eggs to thaw, we watched "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown," and "You're Not Elected, Charlie Brown," that I'd recorded on DVR.
By the time those features ended, the eggs were thawed, and I finished mixing the pancake batter. Hubbie did the honors of cooking them. We all agreed that these whole wheat pancakes are much better than the ones we had for supper last night.
After that, we watched the 2005, R-rated movie called, "Constantine," starring Keanu Reeves, and Rachel Weisz. Reeves plays a guy dying of lung cancer, who teams up with a policewoman (Weisz) to solve the mysterious death of her twin sister. They travel through an underworld of demons and angels in their quest. The digital effects scenes of hell are pretty fantastic, but this is not a movie for the faint of heart. It's a far cry from Charlie Brown.
Supper of leftovers, and more TV.
We were up late, around 8:30, this morning, and I did a treadmill session and resistance exercises after breakfast.
Spent the rest of the morning after getting ready for the day ironing clothes and doing laundry. Pretty exciting stuff.
When I came downstairs, I saw that Mother had come over, and was sitting in the living room working puzzles. If I'd known she was here, I would have come downstairs earlier, and said so. But Mother commented that she didn't need a babysitter, and I shouldn't stop whatever I'm doing to keep her company.
After lunch, we decided to make a big batch of whole wheat pancakes for the freezer, but I discovered that we didn't have a carton egg substitute thawed. So I put a carton of it in a sink of cold water, and prepared the dry ingredients.
While we waited for the eggs to thaw, we watched "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown," and "You're Not Elected, Charlie Brown," that I'd recorded on DVR.
By the time those features ended, the eggs were thawed, and I finished mixing the pancake batter. Hubbie did the honors of cooking them. We all agreed that these whole wheat pancakes are much better than the ones we had for supper last night.
After that, we watched the 2005, R-rated movie called, "Constantine," starring Keanu Reeves, and Rachel Weisz. Reeves plays a guy dying of lung cancer, who teams up with a policewoman (Weisz) to solve the mysterious death of her twin sister. They travel through an underworld of demons and angels in their quest. The digital effects scenes of hell are pretty fantastic, but this is not a movie for the faint of heart. It's a far cry from Charlie Brown.
Supper of leftovers, and more TV.
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Thursday, Oct. 28
Up late, around 8:30, on this rather chilly morning, and did a treadmill session and weights exercises after breakfast. After I got ready for the day, I spent the rest of the morning and part of the afternoon updating anti-virus programs on my office computer and my laptop, and then doing full scans on both.
Didn't accomplish much else while that was going on. Mother stayed home most of the day. Hubbie ran errands this afternoon. While he was out, he called to say he'd been given three tickets for a pancake supper fundraiser, and he planned to stop by the church where the event was being held to pick up the food for our supper.
Mother came over about 3 p.m., bringing jars of the herbs she's been drying this week. Since it was too late to start another major project this afternoon, we opted to watch the 1954, black and white movie, "Creature From the Black Lagoon." The first time I saw this movie as a young teen, Mother went with me to the theater. During every scary part, when the creature reached out it's webbed, pointy-fingered claw to grab someone, Mother beat on my knee. The movie is pretty tame by today's standards, but it's good for a walk down memory lane.
Later, we heated the pancakes in the oven, steamed the sausage (yukky to me, but Mother and Hubbie like it), prepared a couple of slices of turkey bacon for me, heated syrup and dinner plates in the microwave, and fried eggs for a breakfast-for-supper meal.
Mother went home afterward, and Hubbie and I did our usual TV watching...several favorite one-hour shows.
Didn't accomplish much else while that was going on. Mother stayed home most of the day. Hubbie ran errands this afternoon. While he was out, he called to say he'd been given three tickets for a pancake supper fundraiser, and he planned to stop by the church where the event was being held to pick up the food for our supper.
Mother came over about 3 p.m., bringing jars of the herbs she's been drying this week. Since it was too late to start another major project this afternoon, we opted to watch the 1954, black and white movie, "Creature From the Black Lagoon." The first time I saw this movie as a young teen, Mother went with me to the theater. During every scary part, when the creature reached out it's webbed, pointy-fingered claw to grab someone, Mother beat on my knee. The movie is pretty tame by today's standards, but it's good for a walk down memory lane.
Later, we heated the pancakes in the oven, steamed the sausage (yukky to me, but Mother and Hubbie like it), prepared a couple of slices of turkey bacon for me, heated syrup and dinner plates in the microwave, and fried eggs for a breakfast-for-supper meal.
Mother went home afterward, and Hubbie and I did our usual TV watching...several favorite one-hour shows.
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Wednesday, Oct. 27
Up at 7:30, and did a treadmill session and resistance exercises after breakfast. After getting ready for the day, I spent the rest of the morning at my computer upstairs, putting together a resume' and other materials for our county's literacy council.
At 1 p.m., Mother and I went to a local coffee shop to have lunch with our friends. We spent two hours visiting with them. Before we got in our cars to leave, one of our friends, who lives in our town, handed me a bag of rubber stamps that she no longer uses. We are glad to have these for making cards for Caring Hands Hospice.
When we got back home at 3 p.m., Hubbie and I ran errands....to a grocery store and the WDCS. But before we went to the stores, we drove by the college where a fire broke out in the dining hall yesterday. We had to park quite a way from the building and walk across campus, because the road to the dining hall, and the parking lots near the building, were blocked off, and yellow tape surrounded the area.
A couple of fire trucks, and an ambulance, were on the scene. Firemen were on a fire truck ladder, pouring water onto the building, where, we were told, flames had started up again. Firemen fought the fire all night last night, and plan to remain on scene through tonight.
We learned today that the fire may have been the result of arson, because staff found a waste can on fire in the men's room yesterday, and then discovered a fire in the linen closet of the dining hall. They managed to put out the fire in the men's room, but the one in the closet was already too far gone...that's the one that eventually consumed the dining hall.
We were interested in seeing the building, which is ruined, but our reason for visiting that part of the campus was to see if a play was still going to be held tonight in the theater that adjoins the building that housed the dining hall. It was still scheduled.
After a supper of low-fat, low-sodium ham, baked sweet potatoes, and hominy cooked with bell pepper and cheese, we all got ready to go to the play.
We arrived at the theater just before 8 p.m. curtain time. There was a hint of smoke in the theater, though the director of the play said they'd worked all day to eliminate it.
The play was very good. It followed three white girls and three black girls from childhood, through teen years, into young adulthood, and finally into middle age, as they tried to deal with not only their relationships with each other, but with the turbulent years between 1956 and 1992. The young women did an outstanding job of carrying the audience through these emotional times. You could hear a pin drop during the scene that dealt with the hanging of the brother of one of the black girls, and during the scene of a bruised and battered black girl who had been raped. The girls who played those roles literally wept as they acted their parts, and the audience was swept up in sympathy.
The play lasted two hours, so we were back home shortly after 10 p.m.
At 1 p.m., Mother and I went to a local coffee shop to have lunch with our friends. We spent two hours visiting with them. Before we got in our cars to leave, one of our friends, who lives in our town, handed me a bag of rubber stamps that she no longer uses. We are glad to have these for making cards for Caring Hands Hospice.
When we got back home at 3 p.m., Hubbie and I ran errands....to a grocery store and the WDCS. But before we went to the stores, we drove by the college where a fire broke out in the dining hall yesterday. We had to park quite a way from the building and walk across campus, because the road to the dining hall, and the parking lots near the building, were blocked off, and yellow tape surrounded the area.
A couple of fire trucks, and an ambulance, were on the scene. Firemen were on a fire truck ladder, pouring water onto the building, where, we were told, flames had started up again. Firemen fought the fire all night last night, and plan to remain on scene through tonight.
We learned today that the fire may have been the result of arson, because staff found a waste can on fire in the men's room yesterday, and then discovered a fire in the linen closet of the dining hall. They managed to put out the fire in the men's room, but the one in the closet was already too far gone...that's the one that eventually consumed the dining hall.
We were interested in seeing the building, which is ruined, but our reason for visiting that part of the campus was to see if a play was still going to be held tonight in the theater that adjoins the building that housed the dining hall. It was still scheduled.
After a supper of low-fat, low-sodium ham, baked sweet potatoes, and hominy cooked with bell pepper and cheese, we all got ready to go to the play.
We arrived at the theater just before 8 p.m. curtain time. There was a hint of smoke in the theater, though the director of the play said they'd worked all day to eliminate it.
The play was very good. It followed three white girls and three black girls from childhood, through teen years, into young adulthood, and finally into middle age, as they tried to deal with not only their relationships with each other, but with the turbulent years between 1956 and 1992. The young women did an outstanding job of carrying the audience through these emotional times. You could hear a pin drop during the scene that dealt with the hanging of the brother of one of the black girls, and during the scene of a bruised and battered black girl who had been raped. The girls who played those roles literally wept as they acted their parts, and the audience was swept up in sympathy.
The play lasted two hours, so we were back home shortly after 10 p.m.
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Tuesday, Oct. 26
Today is Daughter-in-Law's birthday. Happy birthday, Daughter-in-Law!
Awoke early this morning to the sound of rain, a welcome sound, since we have been in a drought for so many weeks. I snuggled back under the covers to snooze a while longer, and then got up around 7:30. The rain had stopped, and the sun shone. Everything looked fresh and clean.
The morning reminded me of an anecdote I heard while I was downtown last Saturday. As I was about to leave an antique/flea market store, one of the vendors pointed to a young mother, and a little girl about 4 years old, at the checkout counter. The mother told the vendor that when the little girl awoke that morning, she looked out a window and exclaimed to her mother, "Look, Mommy! It's a new day!"
That's how I felt this morning.
After breakfast, I did a treadmill session and weights exercises. Once I was ready for the day, I took Mother to the vision center at the WDCS to get her glasses adjusted (yes, I called ahead this time).
After lunch, Hubbie and I ran errands...to the pharmacy, and then back to the WDCS for groceries to satisfy our menu for the week.
Back home, we spent the afternoon watching two Dracula movies...."Dracula 2000," starring Christopher Plummer, Gerard Butler, and Johnny Lee Miller, and "Bram Stoker's Dracula," starring Gary Oldman, Winona Ryder, and Anthony Hopkins.
As we were watching the movies, our friend who lives about an hour and a half away, called to say she is in town visiting our other friend, and would Mother and I be free to go to lunch with them tomorrow. We look forward to seeing them both.
Supper tonight was leftover lasagna with spring mix salad and grape tomatoes. For dessert, we enjoyed individual cups of Italian lemon ice and cups of coffee. I picked up the package of ices on impulse while we were at the WDCS this afternoon. They contain only 60 calories each, with no fat and no sodium.
As we were having supper, the TV news reported that the dining hall at the college where I go to water aerobics was on fire. This building houses the student center and bookstore, among other things. It was reported that the building is totally destroyed. We're sick about it.
Awoke early this morning to the sound of rain, a welcome sound, since we have been in a drought for so many weeks. I snuggled back under the covers to snooze a while longer, and then got up around 7:30. The rain had stopped, and the sun shone. Everything looked fresh and clean.
The morning reminded me of an anecdote I heard while I was downtown last Saturday. As I was about to leave an antique/flea market store, one of the vendors pointed to a young mother, and a little girl about 4 years old, at the checkout counter. The mother told the vendor that when the little girl awoke that morning, she looked out a window and exclaimed to her mother, "Look, Mommy! It's a new day!"
That's how I felt this morning.
After breakfast, I did a treadmill session and weights exercises. Once I was ready for the day, I took Mother to the vision center at the WDCS to get her glasses adjusted (yes, I called ahead this time).
After lunch, Hubbie and I ran errands...to the pharmacy, and then back to the WDCS for groceries to satisfy our menu for the week.
Back home, we spent the afternoon watching two Dracula movies...."Dracula 2000," starring Christopher Plummer, Gerard Butler, and Johnny Lee Miller, and "Bram Stoker's Dracula," starring Gary Oldman, Winona Ryder, and Anthony Hopkins.
As we were watching the movies, our friend who lives about an hour and a half away, called to say she is in town visiting our other friend, and would Mother and I be free to go to lunch with them tomorrow. We look forward to seeing them both.
Supper tonight was leftover lasagna with spring mix salad and grape tomatoes. For dessert, we enjoyed individual cups of Italian lemon ice and cups of coffee. I picked up the package of ices on impulse while we were at the WDCS this afternoon. They contain only 60 calories each, with no fat and no sodium.
As we were having supper, the TV news reported that the dining hall at the college where I go to water aerobics was on fire. This building houses the student center and bookstore, among other things. It was reported that the building is totally destroyed. We're sick about it.
Monday, October 25, 2010
Monday, Oct. 25
Up at 6:30 to go to water aerobics. At the parking lot, however, our aerobics leader was waiting to inform us that there would be no session today, because the temperature in the pool is only 77 degrees. So there will be no swimming until further notice.
I returned home, but did not get on the treadmill. Decided I should get ready for the day, in case Hubbie's daughter decided to visit on her way home. But she called and said she wouldn't be able to come by today.
So I spent time on my computer working on family tree information and adding details to yesterday's blog.
Mother came over mid-morning, and we made a pot of tomato soup to have for lunch. We made a double batch, so there will be plenty for another one or two lunches. After lunch, Mother went out to gather herbs to be dried, before a frost comes along and kills the plants.
Also, since the vines have died, Hubbie and I gathered the acorn-type squash that volunteered from the compost heap. We got five squashes...not so many that Hubbie needed my assistance, but he just wanted my company in the yard.
Around 3 p.m., I took Mother to the eye center at the WDCS to get her glasses adjusted. But wouldn't you know it, the optician was out and wouldn't be back until 4 p.m. The last time we visited the center, we arrived at 1 p.m. and were told that the optician was out to lunch and would be back at 2 p.m., as was his usual schedule. So today, I decided to wait an extra hour to be sure he was there. No dice. Guess I should have called ahead, even though it's a drop in service.
Two wasted trips in one day. Phooey.
Mother went back to her house after we returned, and I did this and that around the house for the rest of the afternoon, while Hubbie took Shih Tzu to the vet. She has a chronic cough and a skin disorder, and her appetite has declined to the point that she has lost a lot of weight.
The vet prescribed an appetite stimulant and medication for her cough, but he reminded Hubbie that time is running out. We know this, but we are not ready to accept it.
Later, Hubbie and I went to an annual meeting/dinner of our farmer's insurance company, held at the college down the road from us. Speakers were in high praise of the farmers and ranchers in our state. I wish our meal could have reflected the bounty of the farmers and ranchers, which might have been healthier choices than the deep fried catfish, chicken strips, hush puppies, and French fries. I would have appreciated the choice of a baked potato at least. As it was, I ate the coleslaw, a hush puppy, and what fish and chicken I could salvage after peeling away the breading.
We probably wouldn't have gone to the function, if we'd known the officials were not going to discuss three constitutional amendments to be voted on at the November election. We were hoping to get more enlightenment on the amendments before going to the polls. But I guess we'll have to research the subjects elsewhere.
The event ended around 7 p.m., and we returned home to watch TV for the rest of the evening.
I returned home, but did not get on the treadmill. Decided I should get ready for the day, in case Hubbie's daughter decided to visit on her way home. But she called and said she wouldn't be able to come by today.
So I spent time on my computer working on family tree information and adding details to yesterday's blog.
Mother came over mid-morning, and we made a pot of tomato soup to have for lunch. We made a double batch, so there will be plenty for another one or two lunches. After lunch, Mother went out to gather herbs to be dried, before a frost comes along and kills the plants.
Also, since the vines have died, Hubbie and I gathered the acorn-type squash that volunteered from the compost heap. We got five squashes...not so many that Hubbie needed my assistance, but he just wanted my company in the yard.
Around 3 p.m., I took Mother to the eye center at the WDCS to get her glasses adjusted. But wouldn't you know it, the optician was out and wouldn't be back until 4 p.m. The last time we visited the center, we arrived at 1 p.m. and were told that the optician was out to lunch and would be back at 2 p.m., as was his usual schedule. So today, I decided to wait an extra hour to be sure he was there. No dice. Guess I should have called ahead, even though it's a drop in service.
Two wasted trips in one day. Phooey.
Mother went back to her house after we returned, and I did this and that around the house for the rest of the afternoon, while Hubbie took Shih Tzu to the vet. She has a chronic cough and a skin disorder, and her appetite has declined to the point that she has lost a lot of weight.
The vet prescribed an appetite stimulant and medication for her cough, but he reminded Hubbie that time is running out. We know this, but we are not ready to accept it.
Later, Hubbie and I went to an annual meeting/dinner of our farmer's insurance company, held at the college down the road from us. Speakers were in high praise of the farmers and ranchers in our state. I wish our meal could have reflected the bounty of the farmers and ranchers, which might have been healthier choices than the deep fried catfish, chicken strips, hush puppies, and French fries. I would have appreciated the choice of a baked potato at least. As it was, I ate the coleslaw, a hush puppy, and what fish and chicken I could salvage after peeling away the breading.
We probably wouldn't have gone to the function, if we'd known the officials were not going to discuss three constitutional amendments to be voted on at the November election. We were hoping to get more enlightenment on the amendments before going to the polls. But I guess we'll have to research the subjects elsewhere.
The event ended around 7 p.m., and we returned home to watch TV for the rest of the evening.
Sunday, October 24, 2010
Sunday, Oct. 24
Slept late this morning, until nearly 8:30. By the time I completed my usual Sunday morning routine, including a session on the treadmill and resistance exercises, it was nearly noon. Mother had come over and put lasagna in the oven for our lunch.
I waited until after lunch to shower and get ready for the day. This afternoon, around 2 p.m., Mother and I went to the museum for a program on the history of music from the Civil War to WWII.
We were surprised when we arrived to find that no one was there. We stepped into the foyer and read on the bulletin board that the program was not until 4 p.m. Seems Hubbie had seen a blurb in the newspaper about the program and told me it was 2 p.m., which I dutifully recorded on the calendar.
Oh well, Mother and and I decided to kill an hour or so in town until time to return to the museum. We went first to the everything's a dollar store, where I found ribbons I needed for making gift packs.
Then we went to the other dollar store, where I found headphones for my cassette player. The foam had deteriorated and come off of my old headphones, and they were uncomfortable.
Finally, we went to a fast food restaurant to get soft serve ice cream. When we ordered two medium cups of it, the young man at the counter leaned over and said that if I bought two coupon books for $1 each, which have five coupons each for junior size cups of ice cream, I could use three coupons per book to buy medium cups of ice cream and save a dollar, and still have coupons left to buy four junior cups of ice cream. It was a good deal, so I was glad for the offer.
By the time we finished our ice cream, we were ready to go to the museum. We got there in time to park in a handicapped space near the front door of the museum.
About 50 people crowded into the small room of the museum...obviously many more than expected, because museum staff had to scurry to the closet to drag out more chairs.
The program, presented by four women that we are personally acquainted with, was very interesting. Mother thoroughly enjoyed it. One of the ladies is a collector/historian, who brought along a large number of sheet music samples. As she talked about the various war eras...the Civil War, World War I, and World War II, she showed the sheet music she had collected from those times. She noted that early rag paper sheet music preserved well, while later sheet music, made from wood pulp, became more fragile.
One song from the sheet music she showed was titled, Madelon, "I'll be True to the Whole Regiment," (1918). This provoked laughter, since we weren't sure what the song expressed. Lyrics online tell the story of a young woman in France, a tavern owner's daughter. She flirts with the soldiers, who all vie for her affections. But she refuses them, saying she must be true to the whole regiment. Her heart is eventually won by a young Brittany man, at the end of the war.
Three other women participated in the program...two of whom sang, while the third played keyboard accompaniment. The audience was prevailed upon to sing along to a couple of the songs...the Civil War tunes "Dixie," from the South, and "Battle Hymn of the Republic," from the North.
But the ladies also sang several songs on their own, some serious ones, some about longing for loved ones, and some humorous ones, like "Paper of Pins," "A Ring on the Finger is Worth Two on the Phone," and "Sweet Violets."
"Sweet Violets," for instance is a novelty tune, written in 1882 by O. Williams of Amherst Point, Nova Scotia. The listener thinks a rhyming word will follow the first line of each couplet..."kiss" to rhyme with "miss," for instance. But the couplets take surprising and humorous turns instead.
"There once was a farmer who took a young miss
In back of a barn, where he gave her a.....
Lecture on horses and chickens and eggs
And told her she had such beautiful....
Manners that suited a girl of her charms
A girl he wanted to take in his...
Washing and ironing and then if she did
They would get married and raise lots of...
Sweet violets, sweeter than all of the roses
Covered all over from head to toe
Covered all over with sweet violets."
Another novelty tune, "Paper of Pins," is about a guy offering gifts to get a girl to marry him:
"I'll give you a paper of pins,
And that's the way my love begins,
If you will marry me, me, me,
If you will marry me".
He offers lots of gifts, including his heart, that she refuses. Then he offers all his wealth:
"I'll give to you the key to my chest,
That you may have gold at your request,
If you will marry me, me, me
If you will marry me."
This is a gift too tempting to refuse, so she accepts. But now the table is turned, and the young man says:
"Oh, you love coffee and you love tea,
You love my gold, but you don't love me,
I'll not marry you, you, you,
I'll not marry you."
After the performance, refreshments of fruitcake squares and brownies, with coffee, was served. We were back home about 5 p.m.
Hubbie opted out of going to the museum, in favor of bathing Shih Tzu, vacuuming the den and living room, and doing other household chores, in anticipation of his daughter's possible visit tomorrow.
We spent the rest of the evening watching TV, as usual.
It has been a rainy, and in some places around the state, a stormy day. But though clouds came and went, and a wind kicked up, no rain fell here. We don't want storms, but the earth is parched, and the leaves on the trees are curling and crisp. The yard is deep in brown leaves that crunch underfoot when we walk on them. We desperately need a few days of slow, soaking rain.
I waited until after lunch to shower and get ready for the day. This afternoon, around 2 p.m., Mother and I went to the museum for a program on the history of music from the Civil War to WWII.
We were surprised when we arrived to find that no one was there. We stepped into the foyer and read on the bulletin board that the program was not until 4 p.m. Seems Hubbie had seen a blurb in the newspaper about the program and told me it was 2 p.m., which I dutifully recorded on the calendar.
Oh well, Mother and and I decided to kill an hour or so in town until time to return to the museum. We went first to the everything's a dollar store, where I found ribbons I needed for making gift packs.
Then we went to the other dollar store, where I found headphones for my cassette player. The foam had deteriorated and come off of my old headphones, and they were uncomfortable.
Finally, we went to a fast food restaurant to get soft serve ice cream. When we ordered two medium cups of it, the young man at the counter leaned over and said that if I bought two coupon books for $1 each, which have five coupons each for junior size cups of ice cream, I could use three coupons per book to buy medium cups of ice cream and save a dollar, and still have coupons left to buy four junior cups of ice cream. It was a good deal, so I was glad for the offer.
By the time we finished our ice cream, we were ready to go to the museum. We got there in time to park in a handicapped space near the front door of the museum.
About 50 people crowded into the small room of the museum...obviously many more than expected, because museum staff had to scurry to the closet to drag out more chairs.
The program, presented by four women that we are personally acquainted with, was very interesting. Mother thoroughly enjoyed it. One of the ladies is a collector/historian, who brought along a large number of sheet music samples. As she talked about the various war eras...the Civil War, World War I, and World War II, she showed the sheet music she had collected from those times. She noted that early rag paper sheet music preserved well, while later sheet music, made from wood pulp, became more fragile.
One song from the sheet music she showed was titled, Madelon, "I'll be True to the Whole Regiment," (1918). This provoked laughter, since we weren't sure what the song expressed. Lyrics online tell the story of a young woman in France, a tavern owner's daughter. She flirts with the soldiers, who all vie for her affections. But she refuses them, saying she must be true to the whole regiment. Her heart is eventually won by a young Brittany man, at the end of the war.
Three other women participated in the program...two of whom sang, while the third played keyboard accompaniment. The audience was prevailed upon to sing along to a couple of the songs...the Civil War tunes "Dixie," from the South, and "Battle Hymn of the Republic," from the North.
But the ladies also sang several songs on their own, some serious ones, some about longing for loved ones, and some humorous ones, like "Paper of Pins," "A Ring on the Finger is Worth Two on the Phone," and "Sweet Violets."
"Sweet Violets," for instance is a novelty tune, written in 1882 by O. Williams of Amherst Point, Nova Scotia. The listener thinks a rhyming word will follow the first line of each couplet..."kiss" to rhyme with "miss," for instance. But the couplets take surprising and humorous turns instead.
"There once was a farmer who took a young miss
In back of a barn, where he gave her a.....
Lecture on horses and chickens and eggs
And told her she had such beautiful....
Manners that suited a girl of her charms
A girl he wanted to take in his...
Washing and ironing and then if she did
They would get married and raise lots of...
Sweet violets, sweeter than all of the roses
Covered all over from head to toe
Covered all over with sweet violets."
Another novelty tune, "Paper of Pins," is about a guy offering gifts to get a girl to marry him:
"I'll give you a paper of pins,
And that's the way my love begins,
If you will marry me, me, me,
If you will marry me".
He offers lots of gifts, including his heart, that she refuses. Then he offers all his wealth:
"I'll give to you the key to my chest,
That you may have gold at your request,
If you will marry me, me, me
If you will marry me."
This is a gift too tempting to refuse, so she accepts. But now the table is turned, and the young man says:
"Oh, you love coffee and you love tea,
You love my gold, but you don't love me,
I'll not marry you, you, you,
I'll not marry you."
After the performance, refreshments of fruitcake squares and brownies, with coffee, was served. We were back home about 5 p.m.
Hubbie opted out of going to the museum, in favor of bathing Shih Tzu, vacuuming the den and living room, and doing other household chores, in anticipation of his daughter's possible visit tomorrow.
We spent the rest of the evening watching TV, as usual.
It has been a rainy, and in some places around the state, a stormy day. But though clouds came and went, and a wind kicked up, no rain fell here. We don't want storms, but the earth is parched, and the leaves on the trees are curling and crisp. The yard is deep in brown leaves that crunch underfoot when we walk on them. We desperately need a few days of slow, soaking rain.
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