Monday, Nov. 7

Up at 6:30 a.m. to get ready to go to water aerobics. Before I got ready, I saw that Mother was comfortable in the den and had breakfast. She chose to stay in the den until I got back from the aerobics session.

The water in the pool was cool, but not unbearable. I'd been told by a member last week that the water was just plain cold and most members had stayed away. But this morning, sixteen or seventeen of us showed up.

A maintenance woman explained that last week after the pool had been topped off, someone had inadvertently turned the heat up to the dressing room showers, making them scalding, while turning down the heat to the pool, making it icy cold. We were assured the problem had been corrected however. So I'm hoping the water will be pleasant on Wednesday.

Back home, Hubbie had gone to the county clerk's office to pick up an absentee ballot for Mother, so she could vote on a highway bond issue. This required several trips, since he had to get the form to request the ballot, then bring it home for Mother to fill out, then return it and get the ballot, then bring that home for Mother to cast her vote. During one of his trips, he stopped by the pharmacy to pick up prescriptions for Mother and me.

After Mother cast her ballot, I helped her shower and change clothes. By the time I got ready for the day, it was time to fix lunch. Mother opted for buttered mashed potatoes, with a side of English peas. Hubbie and I had whole wheat pancakes.

Following lunch, after I got Mother settled in for a nap, Hubbie and I ran a couple of errands...to drop the weekly word search puzzle contest off at the newspaper, take Mother's ballot back to the clerk's office, and then go to the college where the swimming pool is, so that I could take pictures of the beautiful autumn trees.

While I was doing this, a college staff member asked if I'd post some of my images at the college's website. The man seemed extremely pleased that I was shooting photos, and he wondered why more people weren't doing it, since this has been an exceptional year for colors.

Back home, I wandered around the yard shooting fall colors, before it was time to go to the college down the road to meet with my student. Since I had my camera on hand, I snapped a couple of pictures of her. She asked that I email one to her, as well as some images of the fall colors. She is enchanted with the colorful trees and wants to email pictures of them to her relatives in Venezuela, where there is nothing in the landscape to compare with them.

She also mentioned that she will not be able to meet with me next Monday, because she is going to an airport to pick up her Mother, who will spend a few weeks here on a visit. She plans to bring her mother to our next session the week after next. I'll be happy to meet her.

Today, she learned to change statements to questions, using "what." "Mr. Smith is selling his car." "What is Mr. Smith selling?" "Jill is laughing at the pup." "What is Jill laughing at?"

Then she learned to use mom and dad, rather than the more formal mother and father, and use the verbs get and got: "I get a letter from my sister every week." "I got this letter yesterday." She also leaned verbs that show affection: kisses, hugs, holds hand with, pats.

Then she learned to use indirect objects without "to." "Ann gives Jack a gift," rather than "Ann gives a gift to Jack."

Finally, she learned to use "let" in the sense of allowing or permitting something. "Mom lets Dan have two pieces of candy." "Mr. Hunt doesn't let his son drive the car."

At home, Hubbie had put potatoes in the oven for supper, and I heated the beef strips with peppers and onions, made salads, and heated the yeast rolls I'd bought at the craft fair Saturday. It was all very good, and Mother ate her entire portion (though I didn't make a salad for her...she had peas instead).

Mother stayed up for the evening and watched TV with us...a 2011 spy movie from the PBS channel called "Page Eight." The boss and best friend of an M15 intelligence officer dies suddenly and leaves him a mysterious file. He's forced to walk out of his life and identity to find the truth.

I helped Mother to her bed afterward, and then Hubbie and I watched a USA Channel movie based on a John Sanford novel...the 2011, "Certain Prey." Mark Harmon plays the lead. Minneapolis Deputy Police Chief Lucas Davenport goes after a hit woman and a murderous lawyer.