Saturday, March 12

Up around 7:30 and did a treadmill session and weights exercises after breakfast. We didn't do a lot before lunch aside from sprucing the house a little in anticipation of a visit from Hubbie's daughter.

After lunch, I went to the other store that has a sale every weekend hoping to use a 20% off coupon to find something fit to wear during spring and summer. No luck.

Hubbie's daughter, her husband, and a grandson arrived around 2:30. Daughter will be making a mission trip to Uganda with six other people next week, and I suppose she wanted to visit with family beforehand, because one never knows what might happen on a trip so far to a country on a troubled continent. The Congo, for instance, borders Uganda. And though they are many miles away, Egypt and Libya are also on the African continent. And Iraq and Iran are in the same part of the world.

She will be gone for a week to a village four hours away from a major city. The purpose of the trip is to teach elementary school teachers classroom techniques. They will take along lots of schoolroom supplies.

She said that when they arrive, there will be a ceremony of greeting that involves the leader of the mission delegation meeting with the leader and delegation of the area, who will decide if the mission group is acceptable. Part of the ceremony is providing "blessings" to the leader's delegation. Those blessings consist of the gifts of precious commodities...flour, sugar, and salt, which are difficult to come by in the area. Providing those blessings pretty much assures that the mission group will be accepted.

She also said that the women of the area do not wear pants...only skirts that fall below the ankles. Ankles, and knees are considered sensual in that country. So Daughter shopped at a consignment store and found $2 and $3 skirts and very conservative tops for the trip.

Daughter and her family agreed to join us for a supper of pork barbecue on hamburger buns, Parmesan potatoes, a choice of coleslaw or garden salad, sliced tomatoes from the hydroponic farm, and cottage cheese.

Daughter had brought along brownies, which we enjoyed as a mid-afternoon snack, so no one wanted dessert after supper.

Daughter and family left shortly after supper, around 6:30, and Mother went to her house. Hubbie and I watched TV.

The three cats spent the day in the sunroom, which they seemed to enjoy, but they were ready to come back inside when company left. They were cautious, though, when they came back in, sniffing the floor where "strangers" had trod, and investigating rooms to make sure no one but family was here.

What a gorgeous day, reminding us that spring is only one week away. Purple, lavender, and yellow crocus, yellow and white daffodils, white blooming Bradford pear trees, pink blooming trees, and yellow forsythia bushes lift the spirits.

Funny: Hubbie's daughter was admiring daffodils from our yard that I'd arranged in a white teapot for the dining room table. "They're so perfect they look like artificial flowers," she remarked.