Saturday, March 5

Got up around 6:30 this morning, but skipped my exercises so I could get ready to go to an Extension Homemakers annual yard sale at the fairgrounds. Mother and Sis came over around 8:30, and we headed out.

It has been a cloudy, windy, really cool day, so the walk (wheelchair ride for Mother) to and from the building where the yard sale took place was very uncomfortable.

We toured the sale twice. Sis found several items she could use, including bars of homemade lavender bath soap, Mother bought a package of thank you notes for a quarter, and I bought two two books of condensed novels for a dollar each.

We were back home around 10 a.m. Daughter and two great-grandkids arrived around 10:30. We immediately went to the museum for a children's day event. The event began at 10 a.m., but we got there in time for story hour. This was a really fun time that even the adults enjoyed, as a librarian from one of the larger libraries in the state entertained the large group of kids by reading humorous books, leading them in singing silly songs, and enlisting a few of them to play parts in a simple skit.

One of the books she read was "Dirty Joe, the Pirate: A True Story," by Bill Harley, illustrated by Jack E. Davis. It's a hilarious story about a pirate who steals smelly dirty socks. Eventually, he runs into another pirate, Stinky Annie, who steals underwear. There's a battle and a surprise when they meet each other.

A song she led was called Pepperoni Pizza: "I like to eat, eat, eat, pepperoni pizza. I like to eat, eat, eat pepperoni pizza." Then the vowels are replaced with a,, i, o, u. "I like to ate, ate, ate, papparana pazza. I like to ite, ite, ite, pippirini pizzi...etc." Naturally, the kids cracked up at: "I like to ute, ute, ute, puppurunu puzzu (as in poopooroonoo poozzoo).

After the story hour, the kids made their own books. Book backs and fronts made from construction paper, plus plastic sandwich bags with sheets of white paper inside were provided for the kids to design their books. Holes had been punched in the papers and bags, which were fastened with strands of yarn.

From there, we moved on to another story area, where the kids heard pirates and princesses. Afterward, they made princess hats from paper, to which were attached ribbons and netting. They also made shields from paper plates, which they decorated.

The kids had fun, too, making puppets from white athletic socks, to which they attached yarn hair and fabric skirts or aprons. They used markers to create faces.

We came back home around 12:30. Mother and Sis, who (along with Hubbie) had opted to stay home while we went to the museum, had prepared a lunch of sandwiches and salad, followed by a choice of lemon cake or chocolate cupcakes and strawberries (some ate both).

A birthday party for Mother followed...Daughter and the kids had brought a bouquet of balloons, party hats, whistles, and leis, as well as birthday cards and a gift. Mother was delighted with the metal yard ornament cat that has a solar light inside that she received from Daughter.

Afterward, we began another jigsaw puzzle...the one of Mother's cat that I gave her for Christmas. This proved to be a real challenge. After battling it a long time, we still hadn't managed to complete the border.

Around 4 p.m., I left Mother and Sis with it, while I fixed a spaghetti supper. We sat down to eat at 5 p.m. Daughter and great-grandkids didn't stay much longer afterward, and were ready to leave by 6 p.m.

Once we'd cleaned the kitchen, Mother and Sis resumed with the jigsaw puzzle, while Hubbie and settled in to watch our favorite college basketball team play to a very disappointing loss.

Mother and Sis went to Mother's house around 7 p.m., and Hubbie and I continued to laze in front of TV.