Wednesday, July 13

Up at 6:30, so I could get ready to go to water aerobics. The water felt wonderful this morning. Our leader started the aerobics session sooner than I wanted, though. But I understand why she did...she needed to take a friend for a stress test around 9 a.m. Because of that, she also ended the session a little early.

Back home, once I was ready for the day, Mother and I gathered the dinnerware we needed to make two place settings for the fair. Mine is a brunch setting, with mixed patterns of pink/blue floral China dishes, cup and saucer, plus a China coffee pot, creamer, and sugar bowl. The dishes will rest on a blue place mat topped with a white lace place mat.

Mother's theme is Mexican...white dinner plate topped with a smaller black plate, black napkin patterned with hot peppers, and a black cup, all on a black place mat. A small, red sombrero-like straw hat on a stand completes the look for her setting.

After that, I searched for lotions and other things I'd need to make hand cream, bath salts, etc. But I found that I needed supplies for everything but the bath salts. A shopping trip was in order.

So after lunch, I ran errands, while Hubbie worked in the yard. I stopped by a grocery store first...the new store that charges wholesale prices plus ten percent... to pick up cottage cheese, sea salt, and lettuce.

I had difficulty finding the salt, so resorted to asking for help. The manager happened to be available, so he escorted me to an island display of spices at the other end of the store.

Took him a few minutes to locate the salt, but once he did, he asked what I'd paid for the last box of salt I'd bought. I had no idea.

"Well, here you only pay-y-y....you only pay-y-y," he said, as he searched for a shelf price, even getting down on one knee to study the tabs. "Hm-m-m, I was going to tell you how much you saved by shopping with us, but I can't seem to find the price." We both laughed.

From there, I went to a pharmacy store to buy replacement brushes for a between-teeth tool. In line to pay for my purchase, I, and everyone in the line, overheard a woman at the next register demand that the clerk (a teenager) hurry and give her the change that was due her. Seems the lady had given the clerk a hundred dollar bill, and the register didn't have enough change, so the clerk had to call a "code 40" to someone in the back to bring her some money.

Well, the woman waiting became more and more impatient, and more and more irate. "Just go back there and get my money!" she demanded.

A guy in line ahead of me said, "I don't think she can leave her register," to which the older clerk at the register in our line agreed.

"I need my money!!" the woman growled. "I'm in a hurry, and I can't wait around here any longer!"

The poor teenage clerk was on the verge of a meltdown when another clerk finally arrived at the register, apologizing to the woman, and telling her she had been with another customer.

"Well, I need to leave, because I have kids in the car!!" And she stomped out.

The older clerk noted that the lady was lucky she didn't call the authorities about the lady leaving kids in a car in this extreme heat. Then she apologized that I had to witness the exchange.

"If that's the worst thing that happens to me today, I'm good," I laughed.

From that store, I went to a dollar store to buy baby lotion, vitamin E cream, and petroleum jelly for making hand cream. I also looked for a black cup to use in Mother's place setting, and there were some at $2 each. That's inexpensive enough, but I decided to see if the everything's a dollar store had one. And they did. At that store, I also bought a gift shrink-bag with bow for making a gift basket.

I was back home around 3 p.m. Spent a few minutes finishing a novelty necklace I made at a craft extravaganza last fall. After that, I relaxed for a while...or tried to relax. We nearly hit the ceiling when we jumped because of an enormously loud thunderclap that sounded like a bomb dropping. The thunder announced the arrival of a heavy thunderstorm that dropped an inch of rain. Startling thunder continued throughout the storm, but none was as loud as that first clap.

Later, I was supposed to go to an arts council meeting, but was just in no mood for it. I tried to call the council director, but there was no answer. So I'll contact her tomorrow to see what information the meeting yielded.

Around 4:30, I started a supper of goulash, or pasta fagioli, by adding a can of pinto beans to leftover spaghetti sauce from last night, and pouring it over cooked macaroni. We had the goulash with tomatoes topped with cottage cheese, and slices of sourdough bread.

I accompanied Mother home afterward, since the ground was wet and slick in some spots. I might need to start walking Mother back and forth across the yard everyday, anyway, because she is getting more and more wobbly on her feet.

Later, Hubbie and I watched the 2009 movie, "Walled In." A female demolition agent unearths awful secrets within the walls of a building she's scheduled to raze.