Tuesday, Nov. 29

Up at 7 a.m., and after breakfast, I helped Mother take a shower. Mainly, I just stood by in case she needed me, since she undressed and dressed herself, as well as getting herself onto the bat hub stool, and using the flexible shower head on her own. Nice progress.

Just as I had finished getting ready for the day, Mother's nurse dropped by to check her vitals, which are great. The nurse commented that she will now be visiting Mother only once a week, instead of twice.

After she left, Mother and I worked getting a pot of beans and a pot of vegetable soup ready to simmer. I gathered everything Mother needed to slice and dice the various vegetables needed...onions, carrots, banana peppers, and zucchini, as well as ham, and then I assembled the recipes and started them cooking.

Then Mother cubed leftover chicken, and chopped onion, apple, celery and dill pickles for chicken salad. The salad also includes Craisins and pecans. I mixed all these together with salad dressing.

The veggie soup is for a soup and chili event at a local college, where Hubbie and I are Friends of the Library. The event is scheduled for Thursday night, where the soups and chilies will be judged for prizes, and where there will be a silent and live auction, as well as a baked goods sale, all to raise funds for the library, of course.

The beans and ham were for tonight's supper, and the chicken salad is for whenever meals we need it.

After lunch, Hubbie went to the barber shop, while I did a few things around the house, including gathering the last of fall decorations and putting them in a large tote to be taken to the storage shed.

When he returned, we went together to run errands (Mother napped while we were gone). First stop was the art gallery, where we dropped off the ornaments that Sis painted while she was here. The gallery director was most grateful to get them, and thought they were lovely.

From there, we went to the newspaper office to drop off the word search puzzle contest entry. Then, we went to the store that has a sale every weekend to buy pairs of heavy white and black socks for Mother. She's been wearing my brown ones and really likes them, so I thought it'd be a good idea to get her some for Christmas.

A pharmacy store was our next stop, where I looked for a bottle of shampoo/body wash combination like the bottle Mother brought home from the hospital. She likes the wash, and I want to get a bottle of it for her as a twelve days of Christmas gift.

Then we went to a shoe store, where I bought black and brown socks for myself. I like these socks, which are super soft and comfy.

Our last stop was an everything's a dollar store, where I got five Christmas stockings on behalf of our scrapbook club to be donated to the Extension Homemakers Club. Every club donates stockings to equal the number of members in their club, and the total number of them is donated to a local bank, which fills them with goodies for underprivileged kids.

At the dollar store, I also picked up several cans of cookie straws, and a mesh back cushion. It's curved to fit the curvature of the spine, and has elastic bands on the back so it gives as a person moves.

Back home, Mother tried the cushion and really likes it. So I think we'll go back to the store and buy several more for the house and vehicles.

Since it was now 3 p.m., I put huge potatoes in the oven to bake, and sauteed cabbage. Near 5 p.m., I put a pan of cornbread in the oven. This meal was very good...good, plain food after several days of rich Thanksgiving fare.

Later, we watched a 1996 PG movie on DVD called, "Dear God." A con man is directed by the court, close to Christmas, to either go to jail or get a job at the postal service dead letter office. He starts opening letters to God, and he and the other workers decide to grant the wishes of the letter writers. The media loves the idea, but the Postmaster General does not, declaring that it is illegal to open letters addressed to someone else, even God. The case goes to trial. Not an award-winner, but amusing in places, and certainly decent enough for Mother.