Tuesday, Feb. 8

Up around 7:30 this morning, and did a treadmill session and resistance exercises. As I was getting ready for the day, the phone rang (usually this happens while I'm in the shower, but this time I'd already towel dried). It was one of the ladies who works with the home medical services letting me know tomorrow morning's advisory board meeting has been cancelled, due to predicted snow. I anticipated that.



I felt sorry for the poor woman, though, because she sounded awful. She said she had a cold or a bug or something with fever and was feeling really rotten. So I really pitied her when about a half hour later, she called again. This time, she'd mistaken my number for someone else's. I'm sure it was a struggle to call the list of members once, without repeating herself.



Around 9:30, Hubbie went to a Master Gardener training meeting. The meeting was primarily intended for new members, but veteran members were invited today to hear the state's Extension Services horticulture specialist speak about annuals and perennials. Veteran members are required to acquire a certain number of education hours per year, and this meeting counted toward those hours. Local members of the organization provided a soup/chili/sandwich lunch for the group.



Mother came over while I was on the treadmill, and relaxed while I got ready for the day. In Hubbie's absence, I was in charge of taking care of Shih Tzu, who, in her old age, needs to go out frequently. I made sure she was fed, had water, and was walked sufficiently before lunch, so she'd be comfortable while Mother and I were gone.



Around 12:45 p.m., we went to the beauty shop for haircuts. As is the case most places we go, there were several people there that we know. One woman, who serves on the visual arts committee with me, just returned from a trip to Jamaica or some such place. The husband of another woman who serves on the visual arts committee commented today that they are bound for the Cayman Islands in a few days. Must be nice, especially during this unusually cold winter.



One of the hairdressers, a young woman who is expecting, said she was glad to see me, because she needed to ask me a question...what should she wear to the upcoming Go Red luncheon. I told her anything red...I usually wear black slacks, a black turtleneck, and a red jacket, with lots of bling jewelry. It seems her husband will be serving as one of the "Heartthrob" escorts this year.



Hubbie was back home by the time we returned from the beauty shop. So he peeled potatoes and sliced them in the food processor so Mother could make a pot of potato soup. We'll definitely want soup for the predicted snow tomorrow.



She also made a pan of lasagna for supper. I'm perfectly willing to help with cooking duties, but she insists on doing it herself. I don't want to discourage her and make her feel unneeded, so I just let her do what she feels up to.



So far, she's been perfectly capable of putting together meals, though she's showing signs of forgetfulness otherwise. For instance, she asked when we should make 11-bean soups for the birthday party, forgetting that she'd made them this past Saturday. Then today, she asked where we got "those cute rugs" that are on the sunroom floor. They are ones that had been in the kitchen for ages, but when the rubber backing disintegrated, Hubbie moved them to the pebble flooring of the sunroom to catch dirt from his shoes after he's been outdoors.



No sooner had she made the potato soup than she commented that she didn't put cheese in it, because she didn't think it would freeze well that way. We never freeze potato soup...she confused having the soup these next couple of snowy days with taking some to the birthday party at the end of the month, which will have to be made the day before the party.


After supper, as Mother was leaving to go home, she inquired what soups we need to make tomorrow for the birthday party. Once again, she'd forgotten that we already made both the 11-bean soup and the chicken broth for noodle soup.


Later this afternoon, the arts council director called to postpone tonight's monthly meeting to tomorrow night. I told her I doubted I'd be there, as we'd probably be inundated with snow. In fact, I doubt anyone will be there. I did, however, go to the community theater board meeting at 7 p.m., since the snow event isn't predicted to happen before late tonight or early tomorrow morning.

About ten of us showed up for the board meeting. A rundown of the income and expenses of the recent Civil War reader's theater yielded the information that we barely broke even. The director of the play was very discouraged about this, especially since it was highly advertised in every print medium.

I noted to the board that people rarely read newspapers anymore, and that we need a new approach to promotions that will include social networking like Facebook, Twitter, and texting. We also need to make ourselves known to local civic and other organizations, so we can be included as program speakers. We could do ten or fifteen minute "preview performances" for them. Too often, we've heard people say they didn't know the community theater was doing anything, so obviously they haven't seen our advertising. Time to get in people's faces, so they can't help but know we're there.

The meeting ended early, and I was back home a little after 8 p.m. to join Hubbie in watching TV. I brought several jigsaw puzzles with me, given to us by the lady at whose house we had the meeting. In exchange, I took two puzzles to her.