Wednesday, May 11

Up around 7:30 this morning. After breakfast, Mother and Sis came over, so Sis could visit for a few minutes before she left for home.

After she left, I did a treadmill session and weights exercises. Afterward, I set the TV for Mother to watch last night's episode of "Dancing with the Stars," while I got ready for the day.

I spent the rest of the morning doing this and that. After lunch, Hubbie and I ran errands...to drop the word search puzzle contest off at the newspaper office; to the bank; to a pharmacy store to pick up a bottle of fingernail polish remover; to the roadside vendor to get another flat of strawberries for the freezer; to the WDCS for a few grocery items; and back to a grocery store to search for borax, since there was none at the WDCS. The borax is for Mother to use on ant trails in her kitchen...the ants won't cross the substance, so it should keep them from entering the house.

While we were at the grocery store, I decided to request that my favorite brand of fat-free ice cream be ordered. At the service desk, though, three employees were dealing with an elderly woman. Apparently, she had unwittingly tried to cash a scam "lottery winner" check...one of those where an unsuspecting person is asked to cash a check and send the money by money gram to a "tax agent." This is supposed to be the amount of tax the "winner" is required to pay out his or her large winnings. Once the "tax" is paid, the winnings will supposedly be awarded. When the check bounces, the victim has to foot the bill. Not only that, but the victim can also be arrested and prosecuted for a variety of felony crimes like fraud and passing bad checks.

The grocery store employees recognized the scam and alerted the state's attorney general office. Both the employees and the elderly lady talked to a representative from that office. They were still ironing out the issue when we left the store.

It amazes me that after all the information on TV, in newspapers, and in other places, there are still folks willing to fall for this scam.

Back home, Mother and I sorted through the jigsaw puzzles to cull the ones she no longer wants. These will be donated to Caring Hands Hospice for a fundraising yard sale on Saturday. Then I went through all my audio cassette books and filled several bags for the sale.

By this time, it was 4 p.m., so I relaxed for a while before going downtown for a 5 p.m. visual arts committee meeting. Only two of us, besides the arts council director, were present, but we covered a lot of ground...mostly related to an upcoming fundraising Summer Celebration event.

The meeting ended at 6 p.m. At home, Mother had prepared a supper of leftover meatloaf heated in the oven, along with homemade macaroni and cheese. We had this with leftover Lima beans, and sliced tomatoes.

Mother went home afterward, and Hubbie and I watched TV, including the 2001, R-rated movie, "Firetrap," starring Angela Angel, Dean Cain, and Mel Harris. A master burglar fails in his first attempt to steal a computer chip from an industry. Later, he enters as a cop, but a fire breaks out, and he is forced to help save people.