Up late this morning, around 8:30, but did a treadmill session and resistance exercises after breakfast. Mother came over mid-morning, and we planned the menu for next week and made a grocery list.
Didn't accomplish much else before lunch. After lunch, Hubbie and I ran errands...to the hydroponic farm to get grape and slicing tomatoes, to the WDCS to shop for groceries for the menu, to the gas station, and to a vet clinic to pick up vitamins for Shih Tzu.
Back home, Mother worked on her jigsaw puzzle, Hubbie worked in the yard, and I just did this and that for the afternoon.
For supper, we had pancakes and scrambled egg substitute. Mother, who began feeling nauseated around 4 p.m., ate only one small pancake, spread with a little margarine. She went home right after supper, saying she wasn't up to going to a film festival event tonight. I had gotten her a ticket, since this was the one event of the festival that she wanted to attend.
Around 6:30, Hubbie and I went to the college down the road from our house to attend the screening of the German 1927 sci-fi silent movie, "Metropolis," with sound effects music by a group who specialize in silent movie accompaniment. The film was long, at two and a half hours, but the time passed quickly because the movie is so intriguing.
"Metropolis" was way ahead of its time in the construction of a futuristic city of splendor in 2026, and science laboratory effects (which remind the viewer of the laboratory for the movie, "Frankenstein's Monster"). Many modern sci-fi films, like "Blade Runner," and "A Space Odyssey," took their cue from this movie.
Back home, I went to Mother's house to check on her, but she was sound asleep on her couch, so I didn't bother her. I'll check on her again first thing in the morning.
Friday, March 25, 2011
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Thursday, March 24
Up at 7:30, and did a treadmill session and weights exercises after breakfast. Then after I was ready for the day, I packed a lunch for Hubbie and me to take to the second free film festival screening at the museum.
Today, a member of our scrapbook club went with us, but Mother, of course refused to, though I think she would have really enjoyed this video about seed swaps in our state.
The scrapbook member came to our house to ride with us to the museum about 11:30. Before the noon screening began, we toured the museum, which is currently exhibiting toys, clothing, and other memorabilia from around the 1920s to the 1970s.
The exhibits took all of us down memory lane, as we remembered special toys, like tea sets, paper dolls, and games that we once owned, and clothing styles that we wore.
Shortly before the video began, we claimed seats in the front row and enjoyed our lunches. A man who attended brought along samples of wild dock and branches from blooming red bud trees. We were invited to sample these edible plants, so the three of us did. I found that the dock tasted like a weed...maybe it's better when cooked. The red bud blossoms, to me, had no discernible taste.
The seed-swap video, about 70 minutes long, examined several seed swap meetings, where folks offered hundreds of varieties of heirloom seeds.
The purpose of exchanging seeds is to grow them, and preserve some of the seeds to exchange in future swaps. This is so people can pass on agricultural knowledge, eat healthier, locally grown food, and lead more self-sustaining lives.
Both the professor who started the project, and the filmmaker were in attendance to answer questions following the video.
At home, I went online to check out the websites for the seed swaps, and found that one was scheduled for a town near Sis, so I emailed the info to her. It's on a day that she is off work, so she's excited at the prospect of attending.
Mid-afternoon, I went downtown to our local newspaper office to search for the article that I haven't been able to locate in my files. I was able to quickly turn it up in the archives. A staff member was glad to make a copy of it for me.
Back home, I wrote and posted a blog for yesterday's activities, and started one for today, while Hubbie continued working in the yard. Later, I heated the veggie soup that Mother made yesterday, and invited her to supper.
This evening, the three of us went downtown to a movie theater renovated into a church to attend a film festival feature that followed 23 women vying for Miss Wheelchair America. The film pulled no punches in showing the trials that the women had to go through to compete.
It showed women in the most intimate circumstances...having someone dress them, and even in one instance, a woman dealing with relieving herself in the bathroom.
All women want to be beautiful, and these were no different. There was a lot of primping with makeup and hair, and choosing gowns. And as with any competition, there was discouragement and tears, and gossip, but mostly there was a whole lot of courage.
In their private lives, one woman surfs, one went skydiving, and one races cars with her husband. One had an abusive husband.
The woman who represented our state is very well-spoken, and placed fifth in the pageant. She was present for the screening tonight. As with the rest of the audience, this was her first time to see the film, and she appears in it quite often, even though the filmmaker spent more time following four other women.
This is a pageant of abilities, not beauty, though several of the contestants were young and very physically attractive. The one who won was one of those, as was the winner of the 2009 contest.
The film, and the question and answer period that followed, ended around 9 p.m., and we were home a few minutes later.
Wow, it was cool today. What happened to our nice, warm, spring weather? It was sunny, though, and everything is getting more and more beautiful. The tulip garden in our yard is gorgeous, and even as the Bradford pear and pink magnolia trees have lost their bloom, the red bud trees are lovely. I expect the dogwood to follow soon.
Today, a member of our scrapbook club went with us, but Mother, of course refused to, though I think she would have really enjoyed this video about seed swaps in our state.
The scrapbook member came to our house to ride with us to the museum about 11:30. Before the noon screening began, we toured the museum, which is currently exhibiting toys, clothing, and other memorabilia from around the 1920s to the 1970s.
The exhibits took all of us down memory lane, as we remembered special toys, like tea sets, paper dolls, and games that we once owned, and clothing styles that we wore.
Shortly before the video began, we claimed seats in the front row and enjoyed our lunches. A man who attended brought along samples of wild dock and branches from blooming red bud trees. We were invited to sample these edible plants, so the three of us did. I found that the dock tasted like a weed...maybe it's better when cooked. The red bud blossoms, to me, had no discernible taste.
The seed-swap video, about 70 minutes long, examined several seed swap meetings, where folks offered hundreds of varieties of heirloom seeds.
The purpose of exchanging seeds is to grow them, and preserve some of the seeds to exchange in future swaps. This is so people can pass on agricultural knowledge, eat healthier, locally grown food, and lead more self-sustaining lives.
Both the professor who started the project, and the filmmaker were in attendance to answer questions following the video.
At home, I went online to check out the websites for the seed swaps, and found that one was scheduled for a town near Sis, so I emailed the info to her. It's on a day that she is off work, so she's excited at the prospect of attending.
Mid-afternoon, I went downtown to our local newspaper office to search for the article that I haven't been able to locate in my files. I was able to quickly turn it up in the archives. A staff member was glad to make a copy of it for me.
Back home, I wrote and posted a blog for yesterday's activities, and started one for today, while Hubbie continued working in the yard. Later, I heated the veggie soup that Mother made yesterday, and invited her to supper.
This evening, the three of us went downtown to a movie theater renovated into a church to attend a film festival feature that followed 23 women vying for Miss Wheelchair America. The film pulled no punches in showing the trials that the women had to go through to compete.
It showed women in the most intimate circumstances...having someone dress them, and even in one instance, a woman dealing with relieving herself in the bathroom.
All women want to be beautiful, and these were no different. There was a lot of primping with makeup and hair, and choosing gowns. And as with any competition, there was discouragement and tears, and gossip, but mostly there was a whole lot of courage.
In their private lives, one woman surfs, one went skydiving, and one races cars with her husband. One had an abusive husband.
The woman who represented our state is very well-spoken, and placed fifth in the pageant. She was present for the screening tonight. As with the rest of the audience, this was her first time to see the film, and she appears in it quite often, even though the filmmaker spent more time following four other women.
This is a pageant of abilities, not beauty, though several of the contestants were young and very physically attractive. The one who won was one of those, as was the winner of the 2009 contest.
The film, and the question and answer period that followed, ended around 9 p.m., and we were home a few minutes later.
Wow, it was cool today. What happened to our nice, warm, spring weather? It was sunny, though, and everything is getting more and more beautiful. The tulip garden in our yard is gorgeous, and even as the Bradford pear and pink magnolia trees have lost their bloom, the red bud trees are lovely. I expect the dogwood to follow soon.
Wednesday, March 23
Up around 7:30 this morning, and did a treadmill session and resistance exercises after breakfast. Didn't do a lot before 11:30, except pack a lunch to take to the first offering of this year's film festival. The event was held at the museum. Mother and Hubbie opted not to go...Hubbie because he was working in the yard, and Mother because she has become unnecessarily uncomfortable going to the museum. The last time she went, she imagined a couple of women had pointed toward her and talked about her, and that the woman sitting beside her turned her back on her. Mother thinks she was somehow offended by her (like she had an odor). I think this is all in Mother's imagination, but I can't dissuade her from it, so I guess she will no longer go to the museum.
A good crowd attended the showing, which included four videos. The first was about a woman who sold furniture, army surplus, and other cast-offs at her thrift shop. Later her grandson turned the space into a space where artists could create from the store's inventory. He included a small cafe' in the store. The second video allowed viewers to visit two semi-retired high school teachers, who traveled the world together, and who enjoy each other's company doing jigsaw puzzles. During one session of puzzle construction, the woman commented that she didn't think she could work on the puzzle anymore, because her fingers were frozen. The man advised her to go turn up the heat to "60 degrees...no go ahead and set it at 62." Holy cow, how cold does he keep his house? I'd have to wear thermal underwear and gloves to be there.
The third feature was very emotional...a young African-American couple and their baby stay in their home after a devastating hurricane rips through their Florida town. The woman had wanted to evacuate, but the husband refused to leave his home to looters. Eventually, looters do enter the home, and the husband, shotgun in hand, confronts them. One of the looters fires a pistol, hitting the man's wife in the stomach. He tries to rush her to a hospital, but he finds he can't exit his garage, because heavy debris blocks the way. The wife bleeds to death. The husband, flying into a rage, tosses all the household stuff outdoor, then sits on the floor, crying and rocking his baby. This video, done by a student filmmaker, was only 19 minutes long, but felt like a full-length feature. It was fiction, but it packed a powerful lesson about remembering what's really important in our lives.
The final video was a comedy about a romantic showdown between a roller derby girl and her film professor boyfriend, who finds her with another man. It doesn't sound like funny material, but with the girl in roller blades and helmet, and the "other man" in nothing but a bathrobe, it is funny.
Funny: a woman seated in the row behind me realized after the second video that she was at the museum on the wrong day for the feature she wanted see. She leaned over to the lady next to her and said, "I've been early to events before, but never 24-hours early!" Whereupon, she got up and left.
While I was gone, Mother simmered a pot of vegetable soup, and worked on her jigsaw puzzle. When I got back home, Hubbie and I gathered three large totes of books and took them to the college library as my contribution to their upcoming book sale. I decided to become a friend of the library, and handed over my dues, whereupon I was given an invitation to a champagne reception the evening before the book sale. I also agreed to work that afternoon helping sort books for the sale. Maybe I can get my own personal preview and buy some ahead of the reception.
For supper, we had hamburgers/turkey burgers, with leftover potatoes au gratin. Mother went home afterward, and around 6:30, Hubbie and I went to the college to attend the film festival's French Indie Showcase (all subtitled in English). This showing included eight videos, three of which were animated. One intriguing video features a woman taking refuge from a rainstorm under a archway, where she meets a man who lends her his coat, because she is drenched. Nothing is said between them for most of the film...but there is intense sexual tension with looks and actions. Finally, she walks up to him and starts to put her hand on his back. He turns and starts to put his hands on her face. They don't touch, though. He tells her he has always loved a woman in the rain, then walks off to where his small son is waiting to be picked up from school. The woman steps from under the archway, and the boy call to her...she is his mother. Turns out the couple is divorced or separated or something, and the man is there to take his son for the weekend. All of that was packed into nine minutes.
A fifteen-minute video was called "A Prostitute and a Chicken." A woman is let out of a car on a lonely road. She begins walking and complaining that men call her a prostitute. A man dressed in a yellow chicken costume rides by on a motorcycle. She calls out to him, and he tells her he doesn't have any money. She protests that all men thinks she's a prostitute. He stops and eventually gives her a ride to an apartment building. For a little while, they contemplate a possible relationship, but abandon the idea. He rides off, and she walks away from the apartment building down a street lined with prostitutes who greet her.
A good crowd attended the showing, which included four videos. The first was about a woman who sold furniture, army surplus, and other cast-offs at her thrift shop. Later her grandson turned the space into a space where artists could create from the store's inventory. He included a small cafe' in the store. The second video allowed viewers to visit two semi-retired high school teachers, who traveled the world together, and who enjoy each other's company doing jigsaw puzzles. During one session of puzzle construction, the woman commented that she didn't think she could work on the puzzle anymore, because her fingers were frozen. The man advised her to go turn up the heat to "60 degrees...no go ahead and set it at 62." Holy cow, how cold does he keep his house? I'd have to wear thermal underwear and gloves to be there.
The third feature was very emotional...a young African-American couple and their baby stay in their home after a devastating hurricane rips through their Florida town. The woman had wanted to evacuate, but the husband refused to leave his home to looters. Eventually, looters do enter the home, and the husband, shotgun in hand, confronts them. One of the looters fires a pistol, hitting the man's wife in the stomach. He tries to rush her to a hospital, but he finds he can't exit his garage, because heavy debris blocks the way. The wife bleeds to death. The husband, flying into a rage, tosses all the household stuff outdoor, then sits on the floor, crying and rocking his baby. This video, done by a student filmmaker, was only 19 minutes long, but felt like a full-length feature. It was fiction, but it packed a powerful lesson about remembering what's really important in our lives.
The final video was a comedy about a romantic showdown between a roller derby girl and her film professor boyfriend, who finds her with another man. It doesn't sound like funny material, but with the girl in roller blades and helmet, and the "other man" in nothing but a bathrobe, it is funny.
Funny: a woman seated in the row behind me realized after the second video that she was at the museum on the wrong day for the feature she wanted see. She leaned over to the lady next to her and said, "I've been early to events before, but never 24-hours early!" Whereupon, she got up and left.
While I was gone, Mother simmered a pot of vegetable soup, and worked on her jigsaw puzzle. When I got back home, Hubbie and I gathered three large totes of books and took them to the college library as my contribution to their upcoming book sale. I decided to become a friend of the library, and handed over my dues, whereupon I was given an invitation to a champagne reception the evening before the book sale. I also agreed to work that afternoon helping sort books for the sale. Maybe I can get my own personal preview and buy some ahead of the reception.
For supper, we had hamburgers/turkey burgers, with leftover potatoes au gratin. Mother went home afterward, and around 6:30, Hubbie and I went to the college to attend the film festival's French Indie Showcase (all subtitled in English). This showing included eight videos, three of which were animated. One intriguing video features a woman taking refuge from a rainstorm under a archway, where she meets a man who lends her his coat, because she is drenched. Nothing is said between them for most of the film...but there is intense sexual tension with looks and actions. Finally, she walks up to him and starts to put her hand on his back. He turns and starts to put his hands on her face. They don't touch, though. He tells her he has always loved a woman in the rain, then walks off to where his small son is waiting to be picked up from school. The woman steps from under the archway, and the boy call to her...she is his mother. Turns out the couple is divorced or separated or something, and the man is there to take his son for the weekend. All of that was packed into nine minutes.
A fifteen-minute video was called "A Prostitute and a Chicken." A woman is let out of a car on a lonely road. She begins walking and complaining that men call her a prostitute. A man dressed in a yellow chicken costume rides by on a motorcycle. She calls out to him, and he tells her he doesn't have any money. She protests that all men thinks she's a prostitute. He stops and eventually gives her a ride to an apartment building. For a little while, they contemplate a possible relationship, but abandon the idea. He rides off, and she walks away from the apartment building down a street lined with prostitutes who greet her.
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Tuesday, March 22
Up around 7:30 this morning, and did a treadmill session and weights exercises after breakfast. Mother came over mid-morning and worked on her jigsaw puzzle, and Hubbie went out to work in the yard.
Once I was ready for the day, Hubbie came back inside and freshened up to accompany me to the WDCS to shop for groceries. We shopped for both ourselves and Mother.
Back home, Mother had heated chicken noodle soup and muffins for our lunch. Afterward, Hubbie went to a Master Gardener's home to dig forsythia bushes...some to be potted for the organization's upcoming plant sale, and a few to bring home and plant in our yard.
While he was gone, Mother and I spent most of our afternoon in the kitchen, where I split, cleaned, and baked the remainder of the butternut squash that grew in our flower bed last summer. I also peeled and used the food processor to slice potatoes for an au gratin recipe that Mother put together (recipe follows).
Then I put another pot of chicken on to stew. Once it was cooked, I set out a few pieces to cool, which Mother used to make chicken salad for making sandwiches to take with us to the museum tomorrow for a brown bag lunch during a film festival event. I put the broth, with a few pieces of chicken, into a container for the freezer. The rest of the chicken is in the refrigerator for Shih Tzu, who, at 17 years old, needs special encouragement to eat.
After that, Mother returned to her jigsaw puzzle, and I went to my office to search for an article I wrote for our local newspaper years ago. It's about the origins of squash, along with several recipes for using it. I thought I could use this article to submit to the Master Gardener monthly newsletter, but I can't find it...drat! I'm supposed to submit an article by April, to be published in summer, and now I'm back to square one.
Around 4 p.m., Hubbie returned home and immediately looked for likely places to plant his newest acquisitions. In the meantime, Mother and I finished putting supper together. The potatoes and squash, along with the rest of the corn-on-the-cob, and Chinese beets, really hit the spot. The potato recipe is a new one, and we definitely think it's a keeper.
POTATOES DAUPHINOIS
3 tablespoons melted butter, divided
6 peeled russet potatoes (but we used 12 small red potatoes), cut into 1/8-inch slices
1 garlic clove, minced (we used garlic in a jar)
3/4 cup (3 ounces) Swiss cheese
1/2 teaspoon salt (we omitted this)
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
(and we added no-salt seasoning and paprika...sprinkle to taste)
1 cup 2 percent reduced-fat milk, heated (we used skim milk)
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Spread an 11-by-7-inch dis with 1 tablespoon of the melted butter.
2. Arrange half the potatoes in dish. Sprinkle with half the garlic. Drizzle with half the remaining butter. Sprinkle on half the cheese and half the salt and pepper. Repeat layers. Pour hot milk over potatoes.
3. Cover and bake 40 minutes or until potatoes are tender, milk is absorbed, and top is browned (cover can be removed during the last few minutes to help brown).
After supper, Mother went home, and Hubbie and I watched the 2009, R-rated movie, "Tell Tale," starring Josh Lucas. A man receives a heart transplant, and then becomes haunted by his heartbeat, which drives him to find out how his donor died. More and more, he takes on the personality of the donor, doing things that he himself would never dream of doing. This is a re-imagined version of Edgar Allen Poe's short story, "The Tell Tale Heart."
Once I was ready for the day, Hubbie came back inside and freshened up to accompany me to the WDCS to shop for groceries. We shopped for both ourselves and Mother.
Back home, Mother had heated chicken noodle soup and muffins for our lunch. Afterward, Hubbie went to a Master Gardener's home to dig forsythia bushes...some to be potted for the organization's upcoming plant sale, and a few to bring home and plant in our yard.
While he was gone, Mother and I spent most of our afternoon in the kitchen, where I split, cleaned, and baked the remainder of the butternut squash that grew in our flower bed last summer. I also peeled and used the food processor to slice potatoes for an au gratin recipe that Mother put together (recipe follows).
Then I put another pot of chicken on to stew. Once it was cooked, I set out a few pieces to cool, which Mother used to make chicken salad for making sandwiches to take with us to the museum tomorrow for a brown bag lunch during a film festival event. I put the broth, with a few pieces of chicken, into a container for the freezer. The rest of the chicken is in the refrigerator for Shih Tzu, who, at 17 years old, needs special encouragement to eat.
After that, Mother returned to her jigsaw puzzle, and I went to my office to search for an article I wrote for our local newspaper years ago. It's about the origins of squash, along with several recipes for using it. I thought I could use this article to submit to the Master Gardener monthly newsletter, but I can't find it...drat! I'm supposed to submit an article by April, to be published in summer, and now I'm back to square one.
Around 4 p.m., Hubbie returned home and immediately looked for likely places to plant his newest acquisitions. In the meantime, Mother and I finished putting supper together. The potatoes and squash, along with the rest of the corn-on-the-cob, and Chinese beets, really hit the spot. The potato recipe is a new one, and we definitely think it's a keeper.
POTATOES DAUPHINOIS
3 tablespoons melted butter, divided
6 peeled russet potatoes (but we used 12 small red potatoes), cut into 1/8-inch slices
1 garlic clove, minced (we used garlic in a jar)
3/4 cup (3 ounces) Swiss cheese
1/2 teaspoon salt (we omitted this)
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
(and we added no-salt seasoning and paprika...sprinkle to taste)
1 cup 2 percent reduced-fat milk, heated (we used skim milk)
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Spread an 11-by-7-inch dis with 1 tablespoon of the melted butter.
2. Arrange half the potatoes in dish. Sprinkle with half the garlic. Drizzle with half the remaining butter. Sprinkle on half the cheese and half the salt and pepper. Repeat layers. Pour hot milk over potatoes.
3. Cover and bake 40 minutes or until potatoes are tender, milk is absorbed, and top is browned (cover can be removed during the last few minutes to help brown).
After supper, Mother went home, and Hubbie and I watched the 2009, R-rated movie, "Tell Tale," starring Josh Lucas. A man receives a heart transplant, and then becomes haunted by his heartbeat, which drives him to find out how his donor died. More and more, he takes on the personality of the donor, doing things that he himself would never dream of doing. This is a re-imagined version of Edgar Allen Poe's short story, "The Tell Tale Heart."
Monday, March 21, 2011
Monday, March 21
Up around 8 a.m., and did a treadmill session and resistance exercises after breakfast. Mother came over mid-morning, and was downstairs waiting for me when I finished getting ready for the day.
She'd busied herself this morning baking muffins, which she brought over to have with chicken noodle soup for lunch.
I spent my morning doing this and that household tasks, while Hubbie worked in the yard, and Mother worked on her jigsaw puzzle.
After lunch, Hubbie and I ran a few errands...to our income tax preparers office, to the bank, to the pharmacy to pick up a prescription, and to a restaurant and the Chamber of Commerce to drop off promotional packages on behalf of the blues band of which Son is a member.
Back home, we decided to go for a pleasure drive to see if we could find the pasture of jonquils featured in tonight's local newspaper. We did find it, but the flowers are way past peak...the featured photo must have been taken a week or two ago. Back home, I made a note on next year's calendar to go snap some pictures of it earlier in March.
Hubbie spent the rest of the afternoon in the yard...he likes to half kill himself in the early days of the season, getting so sore he can barely walk, and then falling asleep exhausted in front of the TV. I think we should hire someone to help him get the yard in order, and then he could keep it up for the rest of the season, but he refuses to do that. Neither Mother nor I are in a shape to help him....Mother because of her age, of course, and me because of a lower back injury that prohibits much lifting, repeated squatting, bending, or twisting movements.
So Mother continued working her jigsaw puzzle, and I played on my computer, including sending a snapshot I did of the Super Moon last Saturday night to a TV station. I inadvertently got a lens flare on the photo that is very interesting, which I thought might intrigue the station's meteorologist. I also reviewed my lesson plan for tonight's Literacy Council student session.
Later, we had a supper of leftovers from yesterday's stewed chicken meal, and then I went to the college library to meet my student. When by six-fifteen she had not arrived, I tried calling the Literacy Council director to see if the student had opted to attend a "Talk Time" session again tonight, but I didn't reach her.
I didn't try to call the student, because I couldn't be sure I'd reach an English-speaking person. She's been good to call ahead of time if she plans not to attend a session, so I'm wondering what might have happened.
While I was at the library, I talked with a staff member to find out when might be a good time to bring a bunch of books from my collection to donate to the library for an upcoming book sale. The staff member asked if I am a friend of the library, and when I said no, she recommended that I become one so that I could be invited to a champagne reception and book preview in the college's memorial garden the evening before the sale opens to the public. Maybe I'll do that.
Back home, I grabbed my camera and headed into the yard to snap pictures of the tulips. What a beautiful evening! The temperature is just perfect. I wouldn't mind if it stayed this way for a long time. But I think it's supposed to get cooler later this week. Oh well, if it does, I'll be indoors most of the time, anyway, attending the annual film festival, which runs from Wednesday through Sunday.
Tonight, Hubbie and I watched the 2009, R-rated movie, "Crossing Over," starring Harrison Ford, Ashley Judd, and Ray Liotta. We've seen this movie before, fairly recently, but Hubbie seemed not to remember it. This is an emotional movie that revolves around a couple of families that get caught in the cross hairs of immigration officials.
She'd busied herself this morning baking muffins, which she brought over to have with chicken noodle soup for lunch.
I spent my morning doing this and that household tasks, while Hubbie worked in the yard, and Mother worked on her jigsaw puzzle.
After lunch, Hubbie and I ran a few errands...to our income tax preparers office, to the bank, to the pharmacy to pick up a prescription, and to a restaurant and the Chamber of Commerce to drop off promotional packages on behalf of the blues band of which Son is a member.
Back home, we decided to go for a pleasure drive to see if we could find the pasture of jonquils featured in tonight's local newspaper. We did find it, but the flowers are way past peak...the featured photo must have been taken a week or two ago. Back home, I made a note on next year's calendar to go snap some pictures of it earlier in March.
Hubbie spent the rest of the afternoon in the yard...he likes to half kill himself in the early days of the season, getting so sore he can barely walk, and then falling asleep exhausted in front of the TV. I think we should hire someone to help him get the yard in order, and then he could keep it up for the rest of the season, but he refuses to do that. Neither Mother nor I are in a shape to help him....Mother because of her age, of course, and me because of a lower back injury that prohibits much lifting, repeated squatting, bending, or twisting movements.
So Mother continued working her jigsaw puzzle, and I played on my computer, including sending a snapshot I did of the Super Moon last Saturday night to a TV station. I inadvertently got a lens flare on the photo that is very interesting, which I thought might intrigue the station's meteorologist. I also reviewed my lesson plan for tonight's Literacy Council student session.
Later, we had a supper of leftovers from yesterday's stewed chicken meal, and then I went to the college library to meet my student. When by six-fifteen she had not arrived, I tried calling the Literacy Council director to see if the student had opted to attend a "Talk Time" session again tonight, but I didn't reach her.
I didn't try to call the student, because I couldn't be sure I'd reach an English-speaking person. She's been good to call ahead of time if she plans not to attend a session, so I'm wondering what might have happened.
While I was at the library, I talked with a staff member to find out when might be a good time to bring a bunch of books from my collection to donate to the library for an upcoming book sale. The staff member asked if I am a friend of the library, and when I said no, she recommended that I become one so that I could be invited to a champagne reception and book preview in the college's memorial garden the evening before the sale opens to the public. Maybe I'll do that.
Back home, I grabbed my camera and headed into the yard to snap pictures of the tulips. What a beautiful evening! The temperature is just perfect. I wouldn't mind if it stayed this way for a long time. But I think it's supposed to get cooler later this week. Oh well, if it does, I'll be indoors most of the time, anyway, attending the annual film festival, which runs from Wednesday through Sunday.
Tonight, Hubbie and I watched the 2009, R-rated movie, "Crossing Over," starring Harrison Ford, Ashley Judd, and Ray Liotta. We've seen this movie before, fairly recently, but Hubbie seemed not to remember it. This is an emotional movie that revolves around a couple of families that get caught in the cross hairs of immigration officials.
Sunday, March 20, 2011
Sunday, March 20
Happy first day of spring! And wasn't it a lovely one. The temp rose into the high 70s under partly cloudy skies. We even ran the air conditioner today.
Slept until around 8:30 this morning, and then did a treadmill session and weights exercises after breakfast. Mother came over mid-morning and put a pot of chicken on to stew. Hubbie peeled potatoes to boil later, and then shucked corn from the freezer. We'd put the corn from Son's garden into the freezer last summer, wrapped individually, husks and all.
The chicken, served with the potatoes (that I mashed...my only contribution to the meal preparation), gravy made from the broth, Chinese beets, and the delicious corn-on-the-cob, was very satisfying.
After lunch, Mother and I walked down to the shade garden, where Mother enjoyed sitting on the bench and soaking up the warmth. Meanwhile, I toured the yard to take pictures of plants in bloom...vinca, daffodils, tulips, and hellebores. Hubbie spent this time raking leaves and doing other clean-up jobs around the yard.
We spent about an hour and a half outdoors, before Mother was ready to come back inside. I helped her walk to her house...it was quite a hike for her to go to the shade garden and back.
Then I uploaded photos I'd taken this afternoon to my social network page.
Later, Hubbie and I had leftover bagel pizzas from last night with tomatoes topped with cottage cheese, and fruit for dessert. Then we watched one of our state's basketball teams (women) play in the NCAA tournament. Unfortunately, they lost. But they put up a heck of a fight against a team that is pegged to win this tournament.
Then we watched the 2008, R-rated movie, "Birds of Prey," starring Matthew Perry and Hilary Swank. Morrie (Perry) tries to deal with his dysfunctional family. His brother is clinically depressed and very strange. His sister is promiscuous. His wife wants to start a family. Morrie's life is falling apart.
Slept until around 8:30 this morning, and then did a treadmill session and weights exercises after breakfast. Mother came over mid-morning and put a pot of chicken on to stew. Hubbie peeled potatoes to boil later, and then shucked corn from the freezer. We'd put the corn from Son's garden into the freezer last summer, wrapped individually, husks and all.
The chicken, served with the potatoes (that I mashed...my only contribution to the meal preparation), gravy made from the broth, Chinese beets, and the delicious corn-on-the-cob, was very satisfying.
After lunch, Mother and I walked down to the shade garden, where Mother enjoyed sitting on the bench and soaking up the warmth. Meanwhile, I toured the yard to take pictures of plants in bloom...vinca, daffodils, tulips, and hellebores. Hubbie spent this time raking leaves and doing other clean-up jobs around the yard.
We spent about an hour and a half outdoors, before Mother was ready to come back inside. I helped her walk to her house...it was quite a hike for her to go to the shade garden and back.
Then I uploaded photos I'd taken this afternoon to my social network page.
Later, Hubbie and I had leftover bagel pizzas from last night with tomatoes topped with cottage cheese, and fruit for dessert. Then we watched one of our state's basketball teams (women) play in the NCAA tournament. Unfortunately, they lost. But they put up a heck of a fight against a team that is pegged to win this tournament.
Then we watched the 2008, R-rated movie, "Birds of Prey," starring Matthew Perry and Hilary Swank. Morrie (Perry) tries to deal with his dysfunctional family. His brother is clinically depressed and very strange. His sister is promiscuous. His wife wants to start a family. Morrie's life is falling apart.
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