Saturday, June 11

Up late this morning, around 8 a.m. In fact, I was snoozing so soundly that Hubbie had to come and wake me up. He'd gotten up early and taken Shih Tzu to the vet around 7:30. I didn't even know he'd left the house.

Shih Tzu is having problems with cancers on her front feet that sometimes bleed if she walks on gumballs in the yard. The vet advised us to wrap the paws in gauze, and apply cornstarch to keep them dry. He also gave her medication to prevent infection. Shih Tzu is very old, and we know these are only stop-gap measures to keep her around just a little longer. She is still eating well, and drinking water, so we are not reedy to consider the alternative, yet.

I did a treadmill session and resistance exercises after breakfast, and then once I was ready for the day, I ran an errand for Mother. Didn't accomplish much else before lunch.

After lunch, Hubbie gathered about a third of the many green onions in the garden, which Mother washed and chopped for the freezer. Then I got the whole cherry tomatoes from last year's garden out of the freezer to be stewed and processed and put back into the freezer.

Later, we attended the Master Gardener annual picnic at a member's house. We were assigned to bring a dessert, so Mother baked a pineapple upside down cake early this morning (she insisted on doing this, though I could have done it just as well...she wants to feel useful, so I don't argue with her when she wants to do these things).

I was a little aggravated that in shopping for groceries the other day, I intended to pick up sliced pineapple for the cake, but somehow Hubbie grabbed the crushed pineapple instead, and I didn't notice it. But the cake still looked attractive with maraschino cherries decorating the top.

I was further aggravated by the fact that we'd put a bouquet of green onions into a Mason jar to take to the picnic, but left them sitting on the counter at home. Phooey.

The picnic was from 4:30 to 6:30. We arrived around 5 p.m. While the burgers and dogs were grilling, I toured our hosts' lovely yard that includes three veggie gardens, as well as several flower gardens...one with a goldfish pond, waterfall feature, and wooden bridge.

Just as I'd filled Mother's and my plates with the picnic food, a dark cloud blew up, bringing with it a wind brisk enough to blow leaves and dust around. So Hubbie and I escorted Mother to the van, and the three of us ate there.

As it turned out, the rain held off until the rest of the guests finished their meals, but within minutes afterward, there was thunder and lightening. Folks hurried to clear the picnic tables and take their potluck dishes to their various automobiles.

It rained briefly on our way home, but quit by the time we pulled into our driveway. It's doubtful the veggie garden benefited much from it.

Notes: one of the Master Gardeners in attendance was wearing a protective boot on one foot, because she broke it when she somehow got tangled in her sheets, twisted her leg, and fell as she tried to get out of bed. She's to have surgery at a hospital a couple of hours east of us, where a plate and two screws will be inserted. I think if I'd had a broken foot, I'd have skipped the picnic!

Another of the members recently had a heart attack, so she obviously was unable to attend.

Later, we watched the 2009 sci-fi movie called, "Polar Storm," starring no one we know. It's a typical disaster movie...in this one, the world is threatened when a piece of a comet collides with earth, knocking it off its axis, which interferes with earth's magnetic field. Fissures open up in the ground, people are electrocuted, and electronics go berserk. The magnetic force must be reversed or civilization will end. The world is counting on one scientist and his team. Can they save the day?