Got up around 6:30 this morning, but skipped my exercises so I could get ready to go to an Extension Homemakers annual yard sale at the fairgrounds. Mother and Sis came over around 8:30, and we headed out.
It has been a cloudy, windy, really cool day, so the walk (wheelchair ride for Mother) to and from the building where the yard sale took place was very uncomfortable.
We toured the sale twice. Sis found several items she could use, including bars of homemade lavender bath soap, Mother bought a package of thank you notes for a quarter, and I bought two two books of condensed novels for a dollar each.
We were back home around 10 a.m. Daughter and two great-grandkids arrived around 10:30. We immediately went to the museum for a children's day event. The event began at 10 a.m., but we got there in time for story hour. This was a really fun time that even the adults enjoyed, as a librarian from one of the larger libraries in the state entertained the large group of kids by reading humorous books, leading them in singing silly songs, and enlisting a few of them to play parts in a simple skit.
One of the books she read was "Dirty Joe, the Pirate: A True Story," by Bill Harley, illustrated by Jack E. Davis. It's a hilarious story about a pirate who steals smelly dirty socks. Eventually, he runs into another pirate, Stinky Annie, who steals underwear. There's a battle and a surprise when they meet each other.
A song she led was called Pepperoni Pizza: "I like to eat, eat, eat, pepperoni pizza. I like to eat, eat, eat pepperoni pizza." Then the vowels are replaced with a,, i, o, u. "I like to ate, ate, ate, papparana pazza. I like to ite, ite, ite, pippirini pizzi...etc." Naturally, the kids cracked up at: "I like to ute, ute, ute, puppurunu puzzu (as in poopooroonoo poozzoo).
After the story hour, the kids made their own books. Book backs and fronts made from construction paper, plus plastic sandwich bags with sheets of white paper inside were provided for the kids to design their books. Holes had been punched in the papers and bags, which were fastened with strands of yarn.
From there, we moved on to another story area, where the kids heard pirates and princesses. Afterward, they made princess hats from paper, to which were attached ribbons and netting. They also made shields from paper plates, which they decorated.
The kids had fun, too, making puppets from white athletic socks, to which they attached yarn hair and fabric skirts or aprons. They used markers to create faces.
We came back home around 12:30. Mother and Sis, who (along with Hubbie) had opted to stay home while we went to the museum, had prepared a lunch of sandwiches and salad, followed by a choice of lemon cake or chocolate cupcakes and strawberries (some ate both).
A birthday party for Mother followed...Daughter and the kids had brought a bouquet of balloons, party hats, whistles, and leis, as well as birthday cards and a gift. Mother was delighted with the metal yard ornament cat that has a solar light inside that she received from Daughter.
Afterward, we began another jigsaw puzzle...the one of Mother's cat that I gave her for Christmas. This proved to be a real challenge. After battling it a long time, we still hadn't managed to complete the border.
Around 4 p.m., I left Mother and Sis with it, while I fixed a spaghetti supper. We sat down to eat at 5 p.m. Daughter and great-grandkids didn't stay much longer afterward, and were ready to leave by 6 p.m.
Once we'd cleaned the kitchen, Mother and Sis resumed with the jigsaw puzzle, while Hubbie and settled in to watch our favorite college basketball team play to a very disappointing loss.
Mother and Sis went to Mother's house around 7 p.m., and Hubbie and I continued to laze in front of TV.
Saturday, March 5, 2011
Friday, March 4, 2011
Friday, March 4
Today is Mother's 89th birthday. Happy Birthday, Mother!
I was up around 7 a.m. Proceeded with my morning a little differently today. While I waited for my thyroid medication to take effect before breakfast, I cooked a double batch of lemon pudding, and let it cool while I ate, did a treadmill session and resistance exercises, and got ready for the day.
Mother and Sis came over while I was upstairs and worked on the jigsaw puzzle. When I got back downstairs, I made a recipe of spaghetti sauce for tomorrow night's supper. By that time, the lemon pudding had cooled enough to be spread on the lemon cake I baked yesterday, so I made a merigue icing to top the cake and pudding.
Later, I prepared a lunch of leftovers...cold meatloaf sandwiches for Sis and Hubbie, the turkey wrap we brought home from the restaurant yesterday for me, and the chicken salad from the restaurant for Mother. Hubbie, Sis, and Mother enjoyed servings of the lemon cake for dessert, while I had a chocolate cupcake and a small dish of strawberries (because I'm allergic to the yellow dye in the cake and pudding).
After lunch, I drove Sis to her haircut appointment at the beauty shop that Mother and I use.
As we were traveling down the road from our house, there was a strange noise on top of the van...like someone riding up there and pounding on the roof. Very eerie, like some sort of urban legend.
I looked in the rear view mirror, thinking that something would fly off the van, but it didn't. So we pulled off the road, and Sis got out and checked it out. She found that there was a floor mat up there, the edge of which was shut in the doors. It had been flapping in the wind and whopping the top of the van.
As if that were not enough, on the way home from Sis's appointment, the right rear turn signal on the van suddenly quit working. Yesterday it was animal frustrations, and today it was the van.
When we got home, I alerted Hubbie about the turn signal, and he went immediately to an auto service and got the bulb in the light changed. By the time he got back, we were ready to head to another town about forty-five minutes away to have dinner at a favorite restaurant in honor of Mother's birthday.
We arrived early and decided to shop a little until suppertime. So Hubbie dropped us off at a discount store, while he went to a home improvement store. We'd brought along Mother's wheelchair, because we weren't sure if the store would have one. As it happened, they did, but we used Mother's anyway.
Sis wheeled Mother around the store, while I browsed through a display of $3 DVD movies. I found four that I think we'll enjoy, and then moved on to explore the scrapbooking aisle. The only thing I found there was a package of sticky-back borders that will work in making greeting cards.
I took a brief tour of the rest of the store, and then met Mother and Sis at the checkout counter. Mother had one item...a box of hummingbird food. As we were checking out, Hubbie arrived.
Since it still was too early to eat, we drove around the small town for a while, and then went to the WDCS to pick up a couple of items. By then, it was time to go to the restaurant. Hubbie fed, watered, and walked Shih Tzu before we went in.
Mother thoroughly enjoyed her meal of baked white fish, lots of macaroni and cheese, glazed carrots, fried okra, and coleslaw. She loves the fish and mac and cheese at this restaurant. The rest of us enjoyed our meals...so much so that we probably ate too much.
It's been a very dreary day with on and off rain. On the way home, there was a brief spell of pretty heavy rain, but it abated by the time we arrived. Mother and Sis stayed at our house for a little while to watch the news I'd recorded on the DVR, and then went on to Mother's house.
Hubbie and I watched the year 2000 French movie (dubbed in English), "With a Friend like Harry," about a couple of men who went to high school together and then meet accidently in adulthood. One man insinuates himself into the other's life and things turn sinister.
I was up around 7 a.m. Proceeded with my morning a little differently today. While I waited for my thyroid medication to take effect before breakfast, I cooked a double batch of lemon pudding, and let it cool while I ate, did a treadmill session and resistance exercises, and got ready for the day.
Mother and Sis came over while I was upstairs and worked on the jigsaw puzzle. When I got back downstairs, I made a recipe of spaghetti sauce for tomorrow night's supper. By that time, the lemon pudding had cooled enough to be spread on the lemon cake I baked yesterday, so I made a merigue icing to top the cake and pudding.
Later, I prepared a lunch of leftovers...cold meatloaf sandwiches for Sis and Hubbie, the turkey wrap we brought home from the restaurant yesterday for me, and the chicken salad from the restaurant for Mother. Hubbie, Sis, and Mother enjoyed servings of the lemon cake for dessert, while I had a chocolate cupcake and a small dish of strawberries (because I'm allergic to the yellow dye in the cake and pudding).
After lunch, I drove Sis to her haircut appointment at the beauty shop that Mother and I use.
As we were traveling down the road from our house, there was a strange noise on top of the van...like someone riding up there and pounding on the roof. Very eerie, like some sort of urban legend.
I looked in the rear view mirror, thinking that something would fly off the van, but it didn't. So we pulled off the road, and Sis got out and checked it out. She found that there was a floor mat up there, the edge of which was shut in the doors. It had been flapping in the wind and whopping the top of the van.
As if that were not enough, on the way home from Sis's appointment, the right rear turn signal on the van suddenly quit working. Yesterday it was animal frustrations, and today it was the van.
When we got home, I alerted Hubbie about the turn signal, and he went immediately to an auto service and got the bulb in the light changed. By the time he got back, we were ready to head to another town about forty-five minutes away to have dinner at a favorite restaurant in honor of Mother's birthday.
We arrived early and decided to shop a little until suppertime. So Hubbie dropped us off at a discount store, while he went to a home improvement store. We'd brought along Mother's wheelchair, because we weren't sure if the store would have one. As it happened, they did, but we used Mother's anyway.
Sis wheeled Mother around the store, while I browsed through a display of $3 DVD movies. I found four that I think we'll enjoy, and then moved on to explore the scrapbooking aisle. The only thing I found there was a package of sticky-back borders that will work in making greeting cards.
I took a brief tour of the rest of the store, and then met Mother and Sis at the checkout counter. Mother had one item...a box of hummingbird food. As we were checking out, Hubbie arrived.
Since it still was too early to eat, we drove around the small town for a while, and then went to the WDCS to pick up a couple of items. By then, it was time to go to the restaurant. Hubbie fed, watered, and walked Shih Tzu before we went in.
Mother thoroughly enjoyed her meal of baked white fish, lots of macaroni and cheese, glazed carrots, fried okra, and coleslaw. She loves the fish and mac and cheese at this restaurant. The rest of us enjoyed our meals...so much so that we probably ate too much.
It's been a very dreary day with on and off rain. On the way home, there was a brief spell of pretty heavy rain, but it abated by the time we arrived. Mother and Sis stayed at our house for a little while to watch the news I'd recorded on the DVR, and then went on to Mother's house.
Hubbie and I watched the year 2000 French movie (dubbed in English), "With a Friend like Harry," about a couple of men who went to high school together and then meet accidently in adulthood. One man insinuates himself into the other's life and things turn sinister.
Thursday, March 3, 2011
Thursday, March 3
Up around 7:30, but skipped my exercises. Hubbie left at 8 a.m. to go to a Master Gardener training session, and after breakfast, I debated (once again) what to wear to a lunch date with friends. I thought I had it all figured out, but when I stuck my head out the door, I noticed it was quite chilly. So I tried on various things that might work, and settled on a pink turtleneck shirt with a pink hoodie. Within minutes, I began sweating. So I reverted to my original choice of clothes.
Mother came over just as I was finished dressing. Our lunch date was for 11:10, but just before we left the house, Shih Tzu indicated she needed to go out. As I was bringing her back in, the male cat dashed out, which necessitated my coaxing him to let me pick him up and bring him back in. I tossed him in the bathroom and shut the door to keep him from dashing out again when Mother and I left.
I was already put out with that cat, because as I was having my breakfast, he jumped on the kitchen counter and proceeded to chow down on Shih Tzu's lunch, which Hubbie had prepared before he left.
It was a frustrating morning, and I was nearly pooped before Mother and I finally got out the door.
We arrived at the restaurant a few minutes before our friends. The waitress told us to choose any table we wanted, so we selected one closest to the back entrance, so Mother wouldn't have to walk far to the car. Only thing was, the tables are so tall that Mother's chin practically rested on the edge. So we folded her jacket and my sweater for her to sit on, but it didn't help much.
So the waitress suggested we move to one of the long tables, which are not as high as the small tables. Mother still needed the folded jacket and sweater to sit on, but she was more comfortable here.
Just as the waitress had served our water and brought us a basket of the restaurant's melt-in-your-mouth rolls, our friends arrived. They started to sit at another table until they spied us. They indicated they wanted us to sit where they were, because the table featured red cloth napkins in honor of Mother's birthday. So we started to get up and accommodate, but the waitress said it'd be easier for her to move the napkins than to move the water glasses and rolls and us to the other table.
So our friends joined us at our table. They had brought along a gift and card for Mother...a tin of scent, a bar of scented soap, and sachets, from the local greeting card and gift shop. One friend, who is cleaning closets in anticipation of moving, also brought a bag of crafting items and fabrics.
For lunch, Mother chose a turkey wrap and fruit, while I had the tropical salad plate that included two scoops of chicken salad served on a pineapple shell, with fruits of grapes, pineapple, honey dew melon, cantaloupe, strawberries, and kiwi. It was a very pretty presentation.
We were only able to eat half of our food, though, so we brought the other half home to be added to tomorrow's lunch.
Funny: one of the ladies, whose husband has always insisted that she get receipts for any money she spends said today that he has eased up a bit, telling her she now needs only get receipts on expenditures over $5.
The other lady came back with the story that her niece, who has married a very wealthy man, has told her that if she plans to spend anything over $5,000, she should consult him. Hm-m-m. That's certainly two ends of a spectrum!
Back home, Mother went to her house to change into comfortable clothes so she could put together a meatloaf while Hubbie and I ran errands. We went to a couple of grocery stores, a pharmacy, and to the WDCS, to get supplies for the weekend.
When we got back, we found Sis had arrived, and she and Mother were working on the jigsaw puzzle, which they finished. They started another one, while I baked a lemon cake for Mother's birthday tomorrow.
In the meantime, Hubbie went in search of wild daffodils along the road on the west side of our house. There are many patches of the flowers there, near pastures and vacant lots. He cut a large bunch, which I arranged in a white teapot, and placed on a blue tablecloth that I'd ironed earlier. So pretty and spring-like.
The mail today brought a package for Mother from Hubbie's sister that contained stickers and other cute elements for making greeting cards. Mother was very pleased. She also got a couple more birthday cards and a letter from friends.
Our supper of meatloaf, with leftover steamed veggies was very good. Mother, Sis, and I worked on the jigsaw puzzle for a while after supper, and then they went to her house around 7:30.
Hubbie and I watched the 1994, R-rated movie, "Blown Away," starring Jeff Bridges, Tommy Lee Jones, Suzy Amis, Lloyd Bridges, and Forest Whitaker. A cop (Bridges) on the Boston Police Department bomb squad tries to thwart a mad Irish bomber (Jones). Both have a history with the Irish Republican Army.
Mother came over just as I was finished dressing. Our lunch date was for 11:10, but just before we left the house, Shih Tzu indicated she needed to go out. As I was bringing her back in, the male cat dashed out, which necessitated my coaxing him to let me pick him up and bring him back in. I tossed him in the bathroom and shut the door to keep him from dashing out again when Mother and I left.
I was already put out with that cat, because as I was having my breakfast, he jumped on the kitchen counter and proceeded to chow down on Shih Tzu's lunch, which Hubbie had prepared before he left.
It was a frustrating morning, and I was nearly pooped before Mother and I finally got out the door.
We arrived at the restaurant a few minutes before our friends. The waitress told us to choose any table we wanted, so we selected one closest to the back entrance, so Mother wouldn't have to walk far to the car. Only thing was, the tables are so tall that Mother's chin practically rested on the edge. So we folded her jacket and my sweater for her to sit on, but it didn't help much.
So the waitress suggested we move to one of the long tables, which are not as high as the small tables. Mother still needed the folded jacket and sweater to sit on, but she was more comfortable here.
Just as the waitress had served our water and brought us a basket of the restaurant's melt-in-your-mouth rolls, our friends arrived. They started to sit at another table until they spied us. They indicated they wanted us to sit where they were, because the table featured red cloth napkins in honor of Mother's birthday. So we started to get up and accommodate, but the waitress said it'd be easier for her to move the napkins than to move the water glasses and rolls and us to the other table.
So our friends joined us at our table. They had brought along a gift and card for Mother...a tin of scent, a bar of scented soap, and sachets, from the local greeting card and gift shop. One friend, who is cleaning closets in anticipation of moving, also brought a bag of crafting items and fabrics.
For lunch, Mother chose a turkey wrap and fruit, while I had the tropical salad plate that included two scoops of chicken salad served on a pineapple shell, with fruits of grapes, pineapple, honey dew melon, cantaloupe, strawberries, and kiwi. It was a very pretty presentation.
We were only able to eat half of our food, though, so we brought the other half home to be added to tomorrow's lunch.
Funny: one of the ladies, whose husband has always insisted that she get receipts for any money she spends said today that he has eased up a bit, telling her she now needs only get receipts on expenditures over $5.
The other lady came back with the story that her niece, who has married a very wealthy man, has told her that if she plans to spend anything over $5,000, she should consult him. Hm-m-m. That's certainly two ends of a spectrum!
Back home, Mother went to her house to change into comfortable clothes so she could put together a meatloaf while Hubbie and I ran errands. We went to a couple of grocery stores, a pharmacy, and to the WDCS, to get supplies for the weekend.
When we got back, we found Sis had arrived, and she and Mother were working on the jigsaw puzzle, which they finished. They started another one, while I baked a lemon cake for Mother's birthday tomorrow.
In the meantime, Hubbie went in search of wild daffodils along the road on the west side of our house. There are many patches of the flowers there, near pastures and vacant lots. He cut a large bunch, which I arranged in a white teapot, and placed on a blue tablecloth that I'd ironed earlier. So pretty and spring-like.
The mail today brought a package for Mother from Hubbie's sister that contained stickers and other cute elements for making greeting cards. Mother was very pleased. She also got a couple more birthday cards and a letter from friends.
Our supper of meatloaf, with leftover steamed veggies was very good. Mother, Sis, and I worked on the jigsaw puzzle for a while after supper, and then they went to her house around 7:30.
Hubbie and I watched the 1994, R-rated movie, "Blown Away," starring Jeff Bridges, Tommy Lee Jones, Suzy Amis, Lloyd Bridges, and Forest Whitaker. A cop (Bridges) on the Boston Police Department bomb squad tries to thwart a mad Irish bomber (Jones). Both have a history with the Irish Republican Army.
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Tuesday, March 2
Up at 7:30 this morning and did a treadmill session and weights exercises after breakfast. Mother came over while I was getting ready for the day and continued to work on her jigsaw puzzle.
While she did that, and Hubbie prepared a raised garden and planted onion sets, I went to one of the stores that has a sale every weekend to look for something spring-like to wear tomorrow when Mother and I meet friends for lunch. I'd have been happy to wear what I already have, if I could have found a particular green shell that goes with a long-sleeve shirt I like. I looked everywhere for it and am stumped about where it can be hiding.
After scouring the store, I came home with an inexpensive beige t-shirt that will work okay with the long-sleeved shirt. Shopping today was as frustrating an experience as trying to find the missing shell in my own closet. You'd think it'd be easy to turn up a simple cotton shell, but the necklines on most of them dip too low for a woman my age. Others are printed with various designs on the front. Many of them are too form fitting.
If I could have found a complete outfit that I liked at the store today, at a price I was willing to pay, I would have bought it, but most of what I saw was just plain ugly. So I was amused when, at the checkout counter, a young male clerk watched a woman leaving the store and declared that the top she was wearing "was ugly and not a bit flattering." He was right, it was a hideous top, but I wanted to comment that what I'd seen in the store today wasn't much better.
Back home, I puzzled over what to fix for lunch, and finally decided to scramble egg substitute with sauteed onion and bell pepper, and add a diced baked potato left from last night's supper, and a slice of low-fat American cheese. We had this with slices of whole wheat thin bagels.
Later, Mother cut up yellow and zucchini squashes, onions, and small red potatoes for the steamer. This was all we had for supper, which prompted Hubbie to ask, "Where's the beef?" He was just joking, because he's okay with veggie dinners.
Mother went home after supper, and Hubbie and I watched TV for a while, and then listened to the radio as our favorite college basketball team played to a disappointing loss. Tonight's game was telecast on another cable network. Toward the end of the game, I searched for the website of that network and found that we could have watched it live on my laptop computer. Instead, we saw only the last three minutes of the game.
Note: after lunch today, Hubbie took Shih Tzu to the vet, because he discovered a sore place on her foot while he was bathing her this morning. Sadly, the vet said that it's a carcinoma. He has given her both topical and oral medication for it, but nothing else can be done since she's so old. My heart is heavy for this precious dog.
While she did that, and Hubbie prepared a raised garden and planted onion sets, I went to one of the stores that has a sale every weekend to look for something spring-like to wear tomorrow when Mother and I meet friends for lunch. I'd have been happy to wear what I already have, if I could have found a particular green shell that goes with a long-sleeve shirt I like. I looked everywhere for it and am stumped about where it can be hiding.
After scouring the store, I came home with an inexpensive beige t-shirt that will work okay with the long-sleeved shirt. Shopping today was as frustrating an experience as trying to find the missing shell in my own closet. You'd think it'd be easy to turn up a simple cotton shell, but the necklines on most of them dip too low for a woman my age. Others are printed with various designs on the front. Many of them are too form fitting.
If I could have found a complete outfit that I liked at the store today, at a price I was willing to pay, I would have bought it, but most of what I saw was just plain ugly. So I was amused when, at the checkout counter, a young male clerk watched a woman leaving the store and declared that the top she was wearing "was ugly and not a bit flattering." He was right, it was a hideous top, but I wanted to comment that what I'd seen in the store today wasn't much better.
Back home, I puzzled over what to fix for lunch, and finally decided to scramble egg substitute with sauteed onion and bell pepper, and add a diced baked potato left from last night's supper, and a slice of low-fat American cheese. We had this with slices of whole wheat thin bagels.
Later, Mother cut up yellow and zucchini squashes, onions, and small red potatoes for the steamer. This was all we had for supper, which prompted Hubbie to ask, "Where's the beef?" He was just joking, because he's okay with veggie dinners.
Mother went home after supper, and Hubbie and I watched TV for a while, and then listened to the radio as our favorite college basketball team played to a disappointing loss. Tonight's game was telecast on another cable network. Toward the end of the game, I searched for the website of that network and found that we could have watched it live on my laptop computer. Instead, we saw only the last three minutes of the game.
Note: after lunch today, Hubbie took Shih Tzu to the vet, because he discovered a sore place on her foot while he was bathing her this morning. Sadly, the vet said that it's a carcinoma. He has given her both topical and oral medication for it, but nothing else can be done since she's so old. My heart is heavy for this precious dog.
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Tuesday, March 1
I was up around 7:30 on this lovely, spring-like first day of March, and did a treadmill session and resistance exercises after breakfast. Days like this it'd be great to walk outdoors, but I don't feel safe traipsing down the road on the west side of our house, because the homes are too far apart (I don't trust passing traffic) and barking dogs make a beeline for me as I walk past. I'm never sure how friendly the dogs are...some are too friendly, wanting to nuzzle wet noses into my hands, or jump on me. I only walk on that road if Hubbie is with me.
Mother came over as I was getting ready for the day and worked on her jigsaw puzzle. I goofed off so much this morning reading my novel and playing on my office computer that I didn't accomplish anything before lunch.
After lunch, I went to one of the stores that has a sale every weekend to look for a pair of denim jeans of the brand that Mother likes...she has a birthday gift card from Son and Daughter-in-Law to purchase them. Unfortunately, the store didn't have her size today, but I ordered a pair, which will come in sometime next week.
Back home, I loaded high school reunion snapshots sent to me on a flash drive from one of my classmates into my laptop computer, and then burned a copy onto a CD for my office computer. This was a convoluted way of doing things, but I couldn't get my office computer to cooperate in any functions I tried yesterday. I was able to load my own snapshots onto a fresh flash drive, however, which I'll send to my classmate, along with his flash drive. It's beginning to look like I need to invest in updating my old office computer.
While I was doing this, Hubbie went to the farm store to pick up onion sets for Mother, since it's time to get those into the ground.
Got a call from my doctor's office reporting that all my tests were okay, except that I'm showing slightly elevated liver enzymes, probably due to taking cholesterol lowering medication. I'm to cut my medication in half and not drink alcohol for the next four weeks, and then get re-tested.
Supper tonight was sauteed beef strips with onions and bell peppers, baked potatoes, and canned whole kernel corn.
Later, I met with my student. We practiced conversational skills using the third person singular -s form of a verb with a singular noun, a person's name, or with he or she, as in "The man looks at the tent," "I look at the tent," "Bob looks at the tent."
We also practiced question and answer skills: "Are you from Puerto Rico?" "Yes, I'm from San Juan." "That's a beautiful city." "Yes, it is."
Then we practiced the words: river, snake, tent, valley, woman, yells. Valley is difficult for her to pronounce. She keeps saying, "volley," so we'll need to work on that one some more. She's still having difficulty with the word "thin," too.
Tonight, she revealed that she is from a town in Mexico that she says is violent and not beautiful. So she is glad to be in our town, which she deems not only beautiful but a safe place to live.
Back home, Hubbie and I watched a couple of one-hour shows before bedtime.
Mother came over as I was getting ready for the day and worked on her jigsaw puzzle. I goofed off so much this morning reading my novel and playing on my office computer that I didn't accomplish anything before lunch.
After lunch, I went to one of the stores that has a sale every weekend to look for a pair of denim jeans of the brand that Mother likes...she has a birthday gift card from Son and Daughter-in-Law to purchase them. Unfortunately, the store didn't have her size today, but I ordered a pair, which will come in sometime next week.
Back home, I loaded high school reunion snapshots sent to me on a flash drive from one of my classmates into my laptop computer, and then burned a copy onto a CD for my office computer. This was a convoluted way of doing things, but I couldn't get my office computer to cooperate in any functions I tried yesterday. I was able to load my own snapshots onto a fresh flash drive, however, which I'll send to my classmate, along with his flash drive. It's beginning to look like I need to invest in updating my old office computer.
While I was doing this, Hubbie went to the farm store to pick up onion sets for Mother, since it's time to get those into the ground.
Got a call from my doctor's office reporting that all my tests were okay, except that I'm showing slightly elevated liver enzymes, probably due to taking cholesterol lowering medication. I'm to cut my medication in half and not drink alcohol for the next four weeks, and then get re-tested.
Supper tonight was sauteed beef strips with onions and bell peppers, baked potatoes, and canned whole kernel corn.
Later, I met with my student. We practiced conversational skills using the third person singular -s form of a verb with a singular noun, a person's name, or with he or she, as in "The man looks at the tent," "I look at the tent," "Bob looks at the tent."
We also practiced question and answer skills: "Are you from Puerto Rico?" "Yes, I'm from San Juan." "That's a beautiful city." "Yes, it is."
Then we practiced the words: river, snake, tent, valley, woman, yells. Valley is difficult for her to pronounce. She keeps saying, "volley," so we'll need to work on that one some more. She's still having difficulty with the word "thin," too.
Tonight, she revealed that she is from a town in Mexico that she says is violent and not beautiful. So she is glad to be in our town, which she deems not only beautiful but a safe place to live.
Back home, Hubbie and I watched a couple of one-hour shows before bedtime.
Monday, February 28, 2011
Monday, Feb. 28
Hard to believe that February is gone already! Where did it go?
Slept on and off last night (kept checking the TV to see if there were tornado warnings in our area), but got up around 7:30 and did a treadmill session and weights exercises after breakfast.
Mother came over mid-morning and set up a jigsaw puzzle. I encouraged her to do this, since this is her birthday week.
Once I was ready for the day, I spent time at my office computer, where I learned that family who live a couple of hours south of us were unnerved by a 4.7 magnitude earthquake that rattled their houses around 11 p.m. last night.
Later news reports (it was the lead story in our local newspaper) stated that the quake was felt by some folks in our town, too, but we didn't feel anything. We did hear what we thought was the rumble of distant thunder at that hour. We now suspect it was the rumble of the quake, since there was no other thunder to follow, and the newspaper article reported that others heard the same one-time rumble.
In fact, it was felt in many towns of our state, and even in surrounding states. Sis lives practically at the epicenter of the recent swarm of quakes that have occurred since last fall, and she's getting more and more edgy about them. The U.S.G.S. notes that there was an unexplained earthquake swarm in the 1980s, too, and think that it might just be a cyclic thing and not an indication of "the big one." It's hard to convince folks whose pictures are being knocked off the walls and whose dishes are flying out of cabinets, that these increasingly stronger quakes might not be a forerunner to something larger.
None of us accomplished anything of note today. While I was on the computer, Hubbie ran a couple of errands...to the pharmacy and to get a haircut.
For lunch, we each had something different...Mother finished the potato soup, Hubbie had a bowl of 11-bean soup (we put the rest of it in the freezer), and for my lunch, I cooked a handful of macaroni to add to a small amount of leftover homemade tomato soup. Each of us had a canned pear half topped with cottage cheese for dessert.
Just after lunch, I got a call from someone at the local elementary school, passing the message on to me that my student would not be attending her session tonight, because she has a 6 p.m. appointment...I figure she probably has a parent/teacher meeting. Anyway, I agreed that we could meet tomorrow night.
Just as with the morning, we did nothing of consequence after lunch. For supper, we had leftover lasagna from the freezer, with French style green beans and more cottage cheese, this time with tomatoes, and the remainder of the coleslaw from Saturday.
Mother went home afterward, and Hubbie and I continued wasting time by watching TV. Tonight we saw the 2002, PG-13 movie, "The Ring," starring Naomi Watts, and Martin Henderson. A reporter views a mysterious video that is linked to the deaths of those who watch it. Anyone who watches the video receives a phone call telling them they will die in seven days. Now the reporter views it and stuff begins happening. Her life is in danger as she tries to solve the mystery.
Slept on and off last night (kept checking the TV to see if there were tornado warnings in our area), but got up around 7:30 and did a treadmill session and weights exercises after breakfast.
Mother came over mid-morning and set up a jigsaw puzzle. I encouraged her to do this, since this is her birthday week.
Once I was ready for the day, I spent time at my office computer, where I learned that family who live a couple of hours south of us were unnerved by a 4.7 magnitude earthquake that rattled their houses around 11 p.m. last night.
Later news reports (it was the lead story in our local newspaper) stated that the quake was felt by some folks in our town, too, but we didn't feel anything. We did hear what we thought was the rumble of distant thunder at that hour. We now suspect it was the rumble of the quake, since there was no other thunder to follow, and the newspaper article reported that others heard the same one-time rumble.
In fact, it was felt in many towns of our state, and even in surrounding states. Sis lives practically at the epicenter of the recent swarm of quakes that have occurred since last fall, and she's getting more and more edgy about them. The U.S.G.S. notes that there was an unexplained earthquake swarm in the 1980s, too, and think that it might just be a cyclic thing and not an indication of "the big one." It's hard to convince folks whose pictures are being knocked off the walls and whose dishes are flying out of cabinets, that these increasingly stronger quakes might not be a forerunner to something larger.
None of us accomplished anything of note today. While I was on the computer, Hubbie ran a couple of errands...to the pharmacy and to get a haircut.
For lunch, we each had something different...Mother finished the potato soup, Hubbie had a bowl of 11-bean soup (we put the rest of it in the freezer), and for my lunch, I cooked a handful of macaroni to add to a small amount of leftover homemade tomato soup. Each of us had a canned pear half topped with cottage cheese for dessert.
Just after lunch, I got a call from someone at the local elementary school, passing the message on to me that my student would not be attending her session tonight, because she has a 6 p.m. appointment...I figure she probably has a parent/teacher meeting. Anyway, I agreed that we could meet tomorrow night.
Just as with the morning, we did nothing of consequence after lunch. For supper, we had leftover lasagna from the freezer, with French style green beans and more cottage cheese, this time with tomatoes, and the remainder of the coleslaw from Saturday.
Mother went home afterward, and Hubbie and I continued wasting time by watching TV. Tonight we saw the 2002, PG-13 movie, "The Ring," starring Naomi Watts, and Martin Henderson. A reporter views a mysterious video that is linked to the deaths of those who watch it. Anyone who watches the video receives a phone call telling them they will die in seven days. Now the reporter views it and stuff begins happening. Her life is in danger as she tries to solve the mystery.
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Sunday, Feb. 27
Up about 7:30 this morning, and did a treadmill session and resistance exercises after breakfast. Normally, I skip my exercises on Sunday, but since I didn't work out Friday or Saturday, I felt I needed a makeup day.
Once I was ready for the day, I did my usual Sunday things of programming the DVR, reading the Sunday newspaper, doing laundry, etc. I also posted a family group snapshot to my social network page. Usually, I take loads of pictures at family gatherings, but yesterday, I was too occupied with getting lunch ready, and then visiting with various family members after lunch. Hopefully, others managed to get some snaps.
Mother came over mid-morning, and at noon, we had leftover potato soup and barbecue sandwiches for lunch. Mealtime conversation today was, of course, reviewing yesterday's fun time at the family gathering at Son and Daughter-in-Law's house.
We marveled at how tall some of the kids have grown, and how cute the now crawling one-year-old baby boy is. A couple of the younger children were suffering maladies that made them either uncomfortable or whiny. We always wish we could somehow take pain and discomfort away from little ones.
An upcoming wedding, and the addition of a great-grandchild into the family later this year topped our discussion list, of course. But there were other things...like thinking that Sis has lost quite a bit of weight, and noticing that Nephew has grown a beard since we saw him last.
Mother went home after lunch, and Hubbie and I ran a few errands...to the WDCS for a few grocery items for this week's meals, to the gas station to fill the van (Hubbie complains constantly of the ever-rising fuel prices), and to the farm store for bird seed.
Back home, we watched the 2009, R-rated movie, "Edge of Darkness," starring Mel Gibson. A Boston cop's daughter is shot to death as they are leaving his house one evening, and it's thought that the bullet was meant for him (Gipson), but an investigation proves otherwise.
Later, after supper, we watched the 2009, PG-13 movie, "Invictus," starring Morgan Freeman and Matt Damon. Nelson Mandala (played by Freeman) is released from prison after 27 years, and finds hope for national unity on the rugby field, asking the national rugby captain (Damon) and his team to do the impossible and win the World Cup. Clint Eastwood won an Oscar as director of this film, and both Freeman and Damon were Oscar nominees. Excellent movie.
Once I was ready for the day, I did my usual Sunday things of programming the DVR, reading the Sunday newspaper, doing laundry, etc. I also posted a family group snapshot to my social network page. Usually, I take loads of pictures at family gatherings, but yesterday, I was too occupied with getting lunch ready, and then visiting with various family members after lunch. Hopefully, others managed to get some snaps.
Mother came over mid-morning, and at noon, we had leftover potato soup and barbecue sandwiches for lunch. Mealtime conversation today was, of course, reviewing yesterday's fun time at the family gathering at Son and Daughter-in-Law's house.
We marveled at how tall some of the kids have grown, and how cute the now crawling one-year-old baby boy is. A couple of the younger children were suffering maladies that made them either uncomfortable or whiny. We always wish we could somehow take pain and discomfort away from little ones.
An upcoming wedding, and the addition of a great-grandchild into the family later this year topped our discussion list, of course. But there were other things...like thinking that Sis has lost quite a bit of weight, and noticing that Nephew has grown a beard since we saw him last.
Mother went home after lunch, and Hubbie and I ran a few errands...to the WDCS for a few grocery items for this week's meals, to the gas station to fill the van (Hubbie complains constantly of the ever-rising fuel prices), and to the farm store for bird seed.
Back home, we watched the 2009, R-rated movie, "Edge of Darkness," starring Mel Gibson. A Boston cop's daughter is shot to death as they are leaving his house one evening, and it's thought that the bullet was meant for him (Gipson), but an investigation proves otherwise.
Later, after supper, we watched the 2009, PG-13 movie, "Invictus," starring Morgan Freeman and Matt Damon. Nelson Mandala (played by Freeman) is released from prison after 27 years, and finds hope for national unity on the rugby field, asking the national rugby captain (Damon) and his team to do the impossible and win the World Cup. Clint Eastwood won an Oscar as director of this film, and both Freeman and Damon were Oscar nominees. Excellent movie.
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