Wednesday, Oct. 12

Up at 6:30 on this rainy morning so I could get ready to go to water aerobics. Today, Hubbie fixed oatmeal for our breakfast, since I needed a soft food after my dental procedure yesterday. He prepared enough to take a serving of it to Mother for her breakfast.

When it began thundering, I debated whether I wanted to go to the pool. But I finally decided to chance it. The water was pleasant again, and I enjoyed my swim until a flash of lightening made me wonder, along with some others in the pool, if I should vacate the pool. But since nothing more happened, I stayed in the water.

Seventeen of us showed up for the session this morning, so obviously others had debated with themselves about attending and decided to stay home.

I was home only a few minutes, though, when it began raining pretty hard. It rained steadily for the rest of the morning, and into the afternoon. According to our rain gauge, we got almost three and a half inches, which was desperately needed, since a burn ban has been in effect for our county.

Hubbie was gone when I got home...he'd gone to pick up the camper, which had been at a repair shop in another town since last week. He returned home around 11 a.m. By then, I had gotten ready for the day and had accompanied Mother to our house.

Since Mother had not watched "Dancing with the Stars" on Monday and Tuesday nights, I played them for her from our DVR while I did this and that around the house and prepared our lunch.

After lunch, I met my appointment at the beauty shop. Mother decided she wasn't up to going today, so I'd called the shop this morning and cancelled her appointment.

As soon as I got back home, Hubbie and I ran errands...to the bank, to the pharmacy, to a grocery store, and to the WDCS.

Strange: at the WDCS checkout, the clerk noticed I was buying a ham and asked if I was shopping for Thanksgiving already. I said no. "You're not shopping for Halloween, are you?"

I began wondering how it was any of her business why I was buying a ham, but discovered it was just her way of launching into a subject. "Halloween is getting to be such a big deal that I won't be surprised if we start having a big meal with it, like Thanksgiving or Christmas," she said.

And then she said something that startled us. "I made sure my husband died on Halloween," she announced. "He always loved Halloween, so I made sure the kids had costumes and went trick or treating."

It dawned on us that she hadn't meant the statement about making sure her husband died on Halloween the way she had said it. With the right pauses, what she meant was, "I made sure..." (pause to start her sentence over again)..."My husband died on Halloween, and since he loved Halloween, I always made sure the kids had costumes and went trick or treating," (in his memory).

It was about 4 p.m. when we got back home, and time to prepare supper. Hubbie had peeled potatoes while I was at the beauty shop, and I boiled those, made chicken gravy, and heated leftover chicken and English peas.

Afterward, I accompanied Mother to her house, and then Hubbie and I watched TV, as usual.