Up around 7:30, and dressed to get on the treadmill, but just after breakfast, Hubbie's daughter called to say she and her husband would be visiting shortly after lunch.
So I dressed for the day and helped get the house in order. We didn't clear away our card making supplies, though, because Mother and I wanted to work on some cards while we waited for company. We have a long folding table and a card table set up in the living room, which is the only place large enough for us to craft.
Before we started crafting, I put a Dutch oven of spaghetti sauce on to simmer, and Mother cut up onions and banana peppers to add to beans later.
Then we set to work creating cards. Our goal today was to make several sympathy cards for Caring Hands Hospice. As we were doing this, I got a call from the man who is president of the Extension Homemakers Council (go figure why a man would be interested in heading up an organization of older women. I think he has illusions of whipping us into shape).
He called to thank me for the report I labored over Thursday and mailed to him yesterday. Apparently, my report was somewhat delinquent, having been due by Aug. 1. I thought it was due by Sept. 1. "No," he said, "it was due Aug. 1, but Sept. 1 is the absolute deadline date it is to be received by the government, so after receiving yours, I was able to get the total Council report into the mail today." Guess whipping me into shape is proving to be a bit difficult for him.
I'm sure he'd agree, since last month he had to pry out of me the information on our club members' total volunteer hours for last fiscal year. As with this month's report, I sort of let the deadline date for the volunteer hours report slip by me. This is what I get for accepting (because I'm the youngest among our members) the duties of president, vice-president, treasurer, and secretary, as well as community service leader, for our club.
After lunch, around 1:30, Hubbie's daughter and son-in-law arrived. Their reason for coming, aside from visiting us, was to bring back our generator, which they'd borrowed two winters ago, when an ice storm caused a power outage that deprived them of electricity for over a week.
Neither they nor we remembered they had the generator, until I mentioned the other day that I was glad we had it in case there was a power outage due to the extreme hot weather, and Hubbie said, "We don't have it. It's at Daughter's house." Whereupon he called Daughter to say that we'd pick it up when we visited their town later this month. That's when Daughter said they would bring it to us, since they recently bought a new truck and could haul it.
Daughter also brought her laptop, so she could show us snapshots she'd taken during a recent trip to Michigan to visit her niece (Hubbie's granddaughter) and family...especially the new baby girl.
Daughter and Son-in-Law left around 3:30, and Mother and I continued our card-making. Around 4:30, I finished supper preparations. The spaghetti, with salad, and cottage cheese, was very good.
Afterward, I put the beans, veggies, broths, and spices in a slow cooker to cook overnight. Mother cut up carrots to add to the beans, and then she went home. She stopped on our porch to check the thermometer before going, and found that it registered over 100 degrees. Since we'd stayed indoors all day, we weren't bothered by the temperature and didn't realize how hot it had gotten.
Later, Hubbie and I settled in to watch TV for the evening. Tonight, we saw the 1997 movie, "Jackie Brown," starring Pam Grier, Samuel L. Jackson, and Robert De Niro. A flight attendant plays a key role between the police and an arms dealer. Hubbie seemed interested in it, but for me it was slow and rather boring. Maybe that's because I was paying more attention to my laptop than to the movie.
Saturday, August 6, 2011
Friday, August 5, 2011
Friday, August 5
Up at 6:30 a.m. on this much more pleasant, overcast day, so I could get ready to go to water aerobics. The swim and aerobics session was great, as usual. I think I could stay in the pool for half a day.
Back home, after I was ready for the day, Hubbie and I ran errands...to a pharmacy to pick up some information for Mother, and to another pharmacy store to spend a $3 store coupon. To avail ourselves of the coupon, we were required to buy $10 in store-brand goods. We needed mouthwash and a couple of other items, anyway, and thought we'd buy those.
But in looking at the coupon more closely, we saw that what we really had to do was buy $10 worth today, and then a bar-code coupon for $3 would print out to be used toward our next purchase.
I also had manufacturer's coupons for hair color...buy two and get $5 off, and buy one and get $2 off. I almost did that, but we decided to check the prices on hair color and mouthwash at the WDCS first, since we needed to go there, anyway.
At the WDCS, we found that the hair color was a dollar less per box, so my coupons were worth more there. The mouthwash was essentially the same price, so we decided to buy that at the pharmacy later to rack up the $10 we needed to get that $3 coupon.
Back home, after lunch, Mother and I were going to work on greeting cards for Caring Hands Hospice, but Mother decided she needed light gray paper to use as insert pages in a couple of sympathy cards she made at our last scrapbook meeting.
So off Hubbie and I went again...first to the graphics supply store for the paper, then to the pharmacy store again to pick up the mouthwash. The shelf price for the mouthwash showed $2.99 a bottle, so we figured that if we bought two of those, and a bottle of hand lotion that Hubbie likes, plus a $99 cent package of his favorite candy, we could get that elusive $3 coupon.
Well, it turned out the mouthwash was on sale for $1.99, which meant we had to get three bottles of it. I surely hope we like this store brand, since we now have so much of it. But at last, a bar-code $3-off coupon on our next purchase finally printed out!
The store really makes customers jump through hoops to get their bargains. Yesterday, I went there to buy a box of hair color for what I thought would be $5.99 after $1 off, according to the advertising flyer. Well, the $1 was not taken off at the register. Instead, I got a bar-code $1 coupon to spend on my next purchase. Not only did I not get the sale price immediately, but the coupon I received says I cannot use it on Proctor and Gamble products, the company that manufactures the hair color I use.
I picked up a flyer in the store to look at the ad more closely. It says "Our Price $6.99," "Register Rewards Good on Next Purchase $1," (underscore) "Like Paying $5.99." Well, no, it's not like paying $5.99. It's exactly like paying $6.99, since I didn't get a sale price, and I can't use the coupon on any products by that manufacturer.
Add to that the fact that at home, we compared the number of ounces in the bottles of mouthwash from the pharmacy with the number of ounces in bottles from the WDCS. We found that the three we bought at the pharmacy had the same total number of ounces as in two from the WDCS. So we paid the same price at the pharmacy as we would have at the WDCS: three bottles for $6 at the pharmacy, compared to $6 for two bottles at the WDCS, for the same number of ounces. We certainly wouldn't save money paying the usual shelf price of $2.99 per bottle of mouthwash at the pharmacy. It pays to comparison shop.
From the pharmacy, we went to the grocery store that charges wholesale prices plus ten percent to get a carton of cottage cheese. After that we headed home.
I intended to make greeting cards this afternoon, but it was already 3 p.m., and I was pooped after being on the go since 6:30 a.m. So I just vegged until time to prepare supper.
Tonight, we had breakfast for supper...scrambled egg substitute, with biscuits and gravy, and slices of locally grown cataloupe. This time, I made plenty of gravy to suit Hubbie, who not only likes to slather his biscuits and eggs with it, but also his cantaloupe. The meal must have really hit the spot, because Mother ate heartily.
Mother went home after supper, and Hubbie and I watched TV, including the movie, "Creation," about Charles Darwin. This British film follows Darwin's middle years, when he suffered physically and mentally, as he promoted his revolutionary theories about evolution, while trying to maintain a relationship with his religious wife, whose faith contradicted his theories.
It was a pretty nice day in our county today, compared to some other parts of the state that continued having triple digit high temps. It was eight to ten degrees cooler here. By 6 p.m., it was only 88 degrees...positively balmy (comparatively speaking). We could have used some rain, but except for a brief shower, we didn't get any. Maybe tomorrow.
Back home, after I was ready for the day, Hubbie and I ran errands...to a pharmacy to pick up some information for Mother, and to another pharmacy store to spend a $3 store coupon. To avail ourselves of the coupon, we were required to buy $10 in store-brand goods. We needed mouthwash and a couple of other items, anyway, and thought we'd buy those.
But in looking at the coupon more closely, we saw that what we really had to do was buy $10 worth today, and then a bar-code coupon for $3 would print out to be used toward our next purchase.
I also had manufacturer's coupons for hair color...buy two and get $5 off, and buy one and get $2 off. I almost did that, but we decided to check the prices on hair color and mouthwash at the WDCS first, since we needed to go there, anyway.
At the WDCS, we found that the hair color was a dollar less per box, so my coupons were worth more there. The mouthwash was essentially the same price, so we decided to buy that at the pharmacy later to rack up the $10 we needed to get that $3 coupon.
Back home, after lunch, Mother and I were going to work on greeting cards for Caring Hands Hospice, but Mother decided she needed light gray paper to use as insert pages in a couple of sympathy cards she made at our last scrapbook meeting.
So off Hubbie and I went again...first to the graphics supply store for the paper, then to the pharmacy store again to pick up the mouthwash. The shelf price for the mouthwash showed $2.99 a bottle, so we figured that if we bought two of those, and a bottle of hand lotion that Hubbie likes, plus a $99 cent package of his favorite candy, we could get that elusive $3 coupon.
Well, it turned out the mouthwash was on sale for $1.99, which meant we had to get three bottles of it. I surely hope we like this store brand, since we now have so much of it. But at last, a bar-code $3-off coupon on our next purchase finally printed out!
The store really makes customers jump through hoops to get their bargains. Yesterday, I went there to buy a box of hair color for what I thought would be $5.99 after $1 off, according to the advertising flyer. Well, the $1 was not taken off at the register. Instead, I got a bar-code $1 coupon to spend on my next purchase. Not only did I not get the sale price immediately, but the coupon I received says I cannot use it on Proctor and Gamble products, the company that manufactures the hair color I use.
I picked up a flyer in the store to look at the ad more closely. It says "Our Price $6.99," "Register Rewards Good on Next Purchase $1," (underscore) "Like Paying $5.99." Well, no, it's not like paying $5.99. It's exactly like paying $6.99, since I didn't get a sale price, and I can't use the coupon on any products by that manufacturer.
Add to that the fact that at home, we compared the number of ounces in the bottles of mouthwash from the pharmacy with the number of ounces in bottles from the WDCS. We found that the three we bought at the pharmacy had the same total number of ounces as in two from the WDCS. So we paid the same price at the pharmacy as we would have at the WDCS: three bottles for $6 at the pharmacy, compared to $6 for two bottles at the WDCS, for the same number of ounces. We certainly wouldn't save money paying the usual shelf price of $2.99 per bottle of mouthwash at the pharmacy. It pays to comparison shop.
From the pharmacy, we went to the grocery store that charges wholesale prices plus ten percent to get a carton of cottage cheese. After that we headed home.
I intended to make greeting cards this afternoon, but it was already 3 p.m., and I was pooped after being on the go since 6:30 a.m. So I just vegged until time to prepare supper.
Tonight, we had breakfast for supper...scrambled egg substitute, with biscuits and gravy, and slices of locally grown cataloupe. This time, I made plenty of gravy to suit Hubbie, who not only likes to slather his biscuits and eggs with it, but also his cantaloupe. The meal must have really hit the spot, because Mother ate heartily.
Mother went home after supper, and Hubbie and I watched TV, including the movie, "Creation," about Charles Darwin. This British film follows Darwin's middle years, when he suffered physically and mentally, as he promoted his revolutionary theories about evolution, while trying to maintain a relationship with his religious wife, whose faith contradicted his theories.
It was a pretty nice day in our county today, compared to some other parts of the state that continued having triple digit high temps. It was eight to ten degrees cooler here. By 6 p.m., it was only 88 degrees...positively balmy (comparatively speaking). We could have used some rain, but except for a brief shower, we didn't get any. Maybe tomorrow.
Thursday, August 4, 2011
Thursday, August 4
Up around 7:30 a.m., and did a treadmill session and weights exercises after breakfast.
Once I was ready for the day, I gathered paperwork I needed to complete an annual financial report for our scrapbook club. For the past couple of years, our small clubs have been required by the government to report income and expenses, as well as any inventory we own over $250. Well, our club owns nothing, and our treasury contains less than $100.
Nevertheless, we are required to complete a report of several pages (has the government not heard about paper conservation?). Since I only recently took over the treasury of our club, I found it necessary to first reconstruct our income and expenses, since the former treasurer failed to keep a detailed record.
While I wrangled with this, Hubbie ran several errands. After lunch, I continued with the report, and finally finished it about an hour later. I also wrote a narrative report of how we used $100 grant money for our club's community service project. This year, we bought punches and washable markers for making greeting cards for Caring Hands Hospice.
After that, I relaxed for the afternoon. I needed the downtime after the last few very busy weeks.
Around 4 p.m., Hubbie put potatoes in the oven to bake, and then around 4:30 grilled t-bone steaks. I'd marinated the steaks overnight, using a little vinegar, along with no-salt ketchup, Worchestershire sauce, minced garlic, onions, no-salt seasoning, pepper, and paprika. The steaks and potatoes, along with a salad I put together, were very tasty, served with glasses of Splendid Red wine.
After supper, Hubbie went outside to work in the yard for a while, and I watched a "Shark Week" episode that I'd recorded from the Discovery Channel.
Later, we watched a Lifetime Movie Network feature..."Justice for Natalee Halloway." This movie is less about Natalee as it is about her mother, Beth, and her relentless fight to bring Joren Van der Sloot to justice.
Thanks to cloud cover, it wasn't nearly as hot today in our part of the state as it was yesterday. Still, I was glad to stay indoors. Mother stayed at her home today, too, though we checked on her from time to time.
Once I was ready for the day, I gathered paperwork I needed to complete an annual financial report for our scrapbook club. For the past couple of years, our small clubs have been required by the government to report income and expenses, as well as any inventory we own over $250. Well, our club owns nothing, and our treasury contains less than $100.
Nevertheless, we are required to complete a report of several pages (has the government not heard about paper conservation?). Since I only recently took over the treasury of our club, I found it necessary to first reconstruct our income and expenses, since the former treasurer failed to keep a detailed record.
While I wrangled with this, Hubbie ran several errands. After lunch, I continued with the report, and finally finished it about an hour later. I also wrote a narrative report of how we used $100 grant money for our club's community service project. This year, we bought punches and washable markers for making greeting cards for Caring Hands Hospice.
After that, I relaxed for the afternoon. I needed the downtime after the last few very busy weeks.
Around 4 p.m., Hubbie put potatoes in the oven to bake, and then around 4:30 grilled t-bone steaks. I'd marinated the steaks overnight, using a little vinegar, along with no-salt ketchup, Worchestershire sauce, minced garlic, onions, no-salt seasoning, pepper, and paprika. The steaks and potatoes, along with a salad I put together, were very tasty, served with glasses of Splendid Red wine.
After supper, Hubbie went outside to work in the yard for a while, and I watched a "Shark Week" episode that I'd recorded from the Discovery Channel.
Later, we watched a Lifetime Movie Network feature..."Justice for Natalee Halloway." This movie is less about Natalee as it is about her mother, Beth, and her relentless fight to bring Joren Van der Sloot to justice.
Thanks to cloud cover, it wasn't nearly as hot today in our part of the state as it was yesterday. Still, I was glad to stay indoors. Mother stayed at her home today, too, though we checked on her from time to time.
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
Wednesday, August 3
Whew, today we are suffering the hottest day in recorded history! The temperature in our county eventually rose to 109 degrees, with a heat index of 114. I've often wished our water aerobics session was later in the morning, but this morning, I was glad it was earlier.
We were up at 6:30, so I could get ready to go to the pool. Today, two sections of the parking lot were blocked off, so I had to walk a distance to the gym. Ordinarily, I welcome a little extra walking, but I could have done without it on this sultry morning. Later, when I left the pool, I found out why the parking lot sections were blocked off...a couple of guys were painting the white stripes separating each space. So hopefully, those sections will be open to parking on Friday.
Fewer members attended the aerobics session this morning. I guess some of the ladies didn't want to venture into the heat.
Back home afterward, once I was ready for the day, Mother came over to chop veggies for chicken salad. While she was doing that, Hubbie and I ran errands...to the newspaper office to drop off this week's puzzle search contest entry, to the greeting card shop to buy two baby gift cards, to a pharmacy to pick up on-sale hair color, to a bank to pick up a photography contest entry form (which, I learned, ended July 30), and to the WDCS for various things.
While I was at the WDCS, I complained to an associate who was stocking the ice cream refrigerator that the store no longer carried the fat-free variety of my favorite brand of ice cream. He made a note of it, saying he would try to get some ordered, but didn't know if his request would be honored by the higher-ups in the store. I suspect that it will not.
Back home, after lunch, I put together the chicken salad, and then busied myself clearing away everything related to the fair. I took Mother's fair items to her house, and stowed mine in their appointed places.
After that, I started catching up on blog posts. Later, for supper, we had the chicken salad on slices of the homemade wheat bread, along with tomatoes, cottage cheese, and chips. A cold sandwich supper was just the thing after a long, hot day.
Afterward, I accompanied Mother home, and then Hubbie and I watched TV, while I continued posting blogs.
Today, because of the extreme heat, we brought the cats in from the sun room. Even though the cats enjoy staying in the sun room, where they can entertain themselves watching the squirrels and birds from the low windows, today they were happy to come indoors, because when the temp in that room climbed to nearly 100, even they became uncomfortable.
The cats are quite happy to be home, after spending four days and nights being boarded at the vet's office. I don't think they particularly enjoyed listening to barking dogs. I wouldn't like that very much, either.
We were up at 6:30, so I could get ready to go to the pool. Today, two sections of the parking lot were blocked off, so I had to walk a distance to the gym. Ordinarily, I welcome a little extra walking, but I could have done without it on this sultry morning. Later, when I left the pool, I found out why the parking lot sections were blocked off...a couple of guys were painting the white stripes separating each space. So hopefully, those sections will be open to parking on Friday.
Fewer members attended the aerobics session this morning. I guess some of the ladies didn't want to venture into the heat.
Back home afterward, once I was ready for the day, Mother came over to chop veggies for chicken salad. While she was doing that, Hubbie and I ran errands...to the newspaper office to drop off this week's puzzle search contest entry, to the greeting card shop to buy two baby gift cards, to a pharmacy to pick up on-sale hair color, to a bank to pick up a photography contest entry form (which, I learned, ended July 30), and to the WDCS for various things.
While I was at the WDCS, I complained to an associate who was stocking the ice cream refrigerator that the store no longer carried the fat-free variety of my favorite brand of ice cream. He made a note of it, saying he would try to get some ordered, but didn't know if his request would be honored by the higher-ups in the store. I suspect that it will not.
Back home, after lunch, I put together the chicken salad, and then busied myself clearing away everything related to the fair. I took Mother's fair items to her house, and stowed mine in their appointed places.
After that, I started catching up on blog posts. Later, for supper, we had the chicken salad on slices of the homemade wheat bread, along with tomatoes, cottage cheese, and chips. A cold sandwich supper was just the thing after a long, hot day.
Afterward, I accompanied Mother home, and then Hubbie and I watched TV, while I continued posting blogs.
Today, because of the extreme heat, we brought the cats in from the sun room. Even though the cats enjoy staying in the sun room, where they can entertain themselves watching the squirrels and birds from the low windows, today they were happy to come indoors, because when the temp in that room climbed to nearly 100, even they became uncomfortable.
The cats are quite happy to be home, after spending four days and nights being boarded at the vet's office. I don't think they particularly enjoyed listening to barking dogs. I wouldn't like that very much, either.
Tuesday, August 2
We were up at 7 a.m. this morning, and after a more successful breakfast than we had yesterday morning, I did a treadmill session and resistance exercises. Yesterday, we had our usual breakfast of orange juice and cereal, but the both the juice and the milk were at the point of spoiling...that point where they both just tasted "off."
Once I was ready for the day, I recorded info on the backs of the ribbons we won at the fair until lunchtime. After lunch, I uploaded wedding photos to my social network page, and e-mailed my monthly report to the Literacy Council, while Mother put a pot of chicken on to stew.
Around 2:30, Mother and I went to the beauty shop, where, while waiting for her haircut, Mother discovered that there is a snapshot of Hubbie and me in this month's county slick magazine. The photo was taken at the area arts council Summer Celebration in June. So after our haircuts, I drove to the Chamber of Commerce to pick up a couple of copies.
Back home, we relaxed until time to have a supper of chicken noodle soup, with slices of homemade wheat bread from a loaf I bought at the grape festival. A couple of Mennonite women were selling baked goods at their booth, and the bread looked especially good. It's yummy.
I accompanied Mother home afterward, and then Hubbie and I watched TV, while I finished uploading wedding photos to my social network page, and then burned a copy of the photos to a CD to send to Daughter-in-Law, at her request.
Once I was ready for the day, I recorded info on the backs of the ribbons we won at the fair until lunchtime. After lunch, I uploaded wedding photos to my social network page, and e-mailed my monthly report to the Literacy Council, while Mother put a pot of chicken on to stew.
Around 2:30, Mother and I went to the beauty shop, where, while waiting for her haircut, Mother discovered that there is a snapshot of Hubbie and me in this month's county slick magazine. The photo was taken at the area arts council Summer Celebration in June. So after our haircuts, I drove to the Chamber of Commerce to pick up a couple of copies.
Back home, we relaxed until time to have a supper of chicken noodle soup, with slices of homemade wheat bread from a loaf I bought at the grape festival. A couple of Mennonite women were selling baked goods at their booth, and the bread looked especially good. It's yummy.
I accompanied Mother home afterward, and then Hubbie and I watched TV, while I finished uploading wedding photos to my social network page, and then burned a copy of the photos to a CD to send to Daughter-in-Law, at her request.
Monday, August 1
Today is Great-Grandson's birthday. Happy Birthday, Great-Grandson.
Another month gone. It was a busy one, with the fair, a trip, and life in general. About the only things we missed in July were a Caring Hands luncheon, and a wine and cheese event at the home of the Literacy Council director, both of which happened last week, while we were on our trip. It doesn't look like August will be quite as busy as July, but there are still plenty of things going on.
We were up at 6:30 this morning so I could get ready to go to water aerobics. I arrived at the pool around 7:30, so I had plenty of time for swimming in the deep end before aerobics started.
At home afterward, Hubbie put hair color in my hair in anticipation of a haircut tomorrow. In my usual goofy manner, I made the appointment for this week, instead of last week, before the wedding. Oh well, everyone was supposed to be paying so much attention to the beautiful bride that they shouldn't have noticed my shaggy head, anyway.
Once I was ready for the day, I called Mother's doctor to check on her urine test from last week. The nurse returned my call, and said Mother has no infection, but does have microscopic blood. She suggested Mother might need to see a urologist. I noted to her that Mother had seen a urologist the last time her urine showed blood, and nothing was found amiss. So the nurse said the doctor would consult with the urologist to see if he thought Mother needed to be re-tested. She called back later to say he did not see a need for further testing...that Mother just needs to drink more water. Good luck with that. She drinks lots of coffee, but hardly any water.
I'd left my cell phone number with the nurse before we left on our trip so she could call, if necessary, while we were at camp, and we could pick up a prescription there, if needed. She did call, but my cell phone didn't ring. It was out of range of a tower, I guess. But oddly, it did record a message, which I didn't find until bedtime Friday night. You'd think we were in some remote outback, not just four hours from home. I tried to call the clinic on Saturday morning, but it was closed.
I spent the rest of the morning looking over a lesson plan for my Literacy Council student. After lunch, I didn't accomplish much before my 2:30 meeting with the student.
Today, I took a carton of the Reliance grapes to the student, since she has brought me peaches, figs, and banana peppers.
We worked on a lesson that included practicing making an emergency call for an ambulance, addressing an envelope, using affirmative past tense statements with irregular verbs: go/went, do/did, drink/drank, buy/bought, teach/taught. She caught on to these pretty quickly, but stumbled on how to say bought and taught, which she pronounced as bout and tout. She wanted to use drink/drunk, instead of drink/drank, but laughed when she looked up the word drunk, and found the meaning to be "inebriated."
We also dealt with a story about a cat killing a rat, as a way to see if she understood the difference between "dead" and "alive." She did. I had to correct her pronunciation of alive from a short "i" to a long "i," though.
Today, we were able to carry on a conversation about her homeland. She is very proud of Simon Bolivar, who, in the 1800s, succeeded in leading Bolivia, Columbia, Peru, Ecuador, Panama, and Venezuela to independence from the Spanish Empire.
As for speaking English, I asked if she is using more of the language in her home, among her American family, and she assured me she is.
Back home, we had a supper of hamburgers smothered in onions and bell peppers, with baked potatoes, coleslaw, and sliced tomatoes. I accompanied Mother home afterward, and then Hubbie and I settled in to watch TV.
Another month gone. It was a busy one, with the fair, a trip, and life in general. About the only things we missed in July were a Caring Hands luncheon, and a wine and cheese event at the home of the Literacy Council director, both of which happened last week, while we were on our trip. It doesn't look like August will be quite as busy as July, but there are still plenty of things going on.
We were up at 6:30 this morning so I could get ready to go to water aerobics. I arrived at the pool around 7:30, so I had plenty of time for swimming in the deep end before aerobics started.
At home afterward, Hubbie put hair color in my hair in anticipation of a haircut tomorrow. In my usual goofy manner, I made the appointment for this week, instead of last week, before the wedding. Oh well, everyone was supposed to be paying so much attention to the beautiful bride that they shouldn't have noticed my shaggy head, anyway.
Once I was ready for the day, I called Mother's doctor to check on her urine test from last week. The nurse returned my call, and said Mother has no infection, but does have microscopic blood. She suggested Mother might need to see a urologist. I noted to her that Mother had seen a urologist the last time her urine showed blood, and nothing was found amiss. So the nurse said the doctor would consult with the urologist to see if he thought Mother needed to be re-tested. She called back later to say he did not see a need for further testing...that Mother just needs to drink more water. Good luck with that. She drinks lots of coffee, but hardly any water.
I'd left my cell phone number with the nurse before we left on our trip so she could call, if necessary, while we were at camp, and we could pick up a prescription there, if needed. She did call, but my cell phone didn't ring. It was out of range of a tower, I guess. But oddly, it did record a message, which I didn't find until bedtime Friday night. You'd think we were in some remote outback, not just four hours from home. I tried to call the clinic on Saturday morning, but it was closed.
I spent the rest of the morning looking over a lesson plan for my Literacy Council student. After lunch, I didn't accomplish much before my 2:30 meeting with the student.
Today, I took a carton of the Reliance grapes to the student, since she has brought me peaches, figs, and banana peppers.
We worked on a lesson that included practicing making an emergency call for an ambulance, addressing an envelope, using affirmative past tense statements with irregular verbs: go/went, do/did, drink/drank, buy/bought, teach/taught. She caught on to these pretty quickly, but stumbled on how to say bought and taught, which she pronounced as bout and tout. She wanted to use drink/drunk, instead of drink/drank, but laughed when she looked up the word drunk, and found the meaning to be "inebriated."
We also dealt with a story about a cat killing a rat, as a way to see if she understood the difference between "dead" and "alive." She did. I had to correct her pronunciation of alive from a short "i" to a long "i," though.
Today, we were able to carry on a conversation about her homeland. She is very proud of Simon Bolivar, who, in the 1800s, succeeded in leading Bolivia, Columbia, Peru, Ecuador, Panama, and Venezuela to independence from the Spanish Empire.
As for speaking English, I asked if she is using more of the language in her home, among her American family, and she assured me she is.
Back home, we had a supper of hamburgers smothered in onions and bell peppers, with baked potatoes, coleslaw, and sliced tomatoes. I accompanied Mother home afterward, and then Hubbie and I settled in to watch TV.
Sunday, July 31
We were up around 7 a.m. this morning, and after a breakfast of banana bread with cream cheese, fresh fruits, and coffee, we got ready for our trip home. Mother, Sis, and I sat outside to enjoy the morning, while Hubbie prepared the camper.
A light mist was on the placid lake this morning. The geese, following their leader, leisurely floated near shallow water grasses to begin their morning feeding. A while later, the mist burned off, leaving the lake mirror like. Jewel-green trees on the hill on the other side of the lake reflected off the surface, creating the effect of a water color painting.
By about 9:30, Hubbie had finished preparing the camper to be hooked to the truck, and once I'd helped him with that task, we were ready to head out. Sis went to a nearby gas station/store to buy ice, fill her car, and wait for us while we visited the dump station. Then she followed us for the two-hour trip to the exit to her home, and we continued for another two hours to our home, stopping once just long enough to make PB&J sandwiches to have with chips and cookies as we traveled. It was just too stifling hot to eat in the camper.
We arrived home around 2 p.m., and spent the rest of the afternoon and evening unloading the camper, washing clothes, and doing other chores related to getting organized after a trip.
We had a wonderful few days, though we missed the usual fireworks event at the festival this year. It was cancelled due to the high fire danger from lack of rain. At one of the wineries, a staff member told us that a few days earlier, a couple of young boys had been playing with fireworks and started a fire that burned down two homes. Thank goodness no one was injured, but I feel sorry for both the families who lost their homes, and the families of the boys, who will no doubt be held responsible and have to pay for damages.
Also this year, the prison band did not perform, as it has every other year that we've attended. Usually, too, there is a horse and buggy ride available, but not this year.
I think there was a smaller crowd at the festival this year, too. Heat and the economy obviously took their toll. But except for being extremely hot, the festival was still fun. The town where the festival is held is not far from the area of the state that has had the highest temperatures this summer. For weeks, the temps have been above 100 degrees, with intolerable heat indices.
It was nice to get home, and kick back after our chores to read the Sunday newspaper and veg in front of TV. Since it's an unusually hot summer, it'll probably be several weeks before we venture out with the camper again.
A light mist was on the placid lake this morning. The geese, following their leader, leisurely floated near shallow water grasses to begin their morning feeding. A while later, the mist burned off, leaving the lake mirror like. Jewel-green trees on the hill on the other side of the lake reflected off the surface, creating the effect of a water color painting.
By about 9:30, Hubbie had finished preparing the camper to be hooked to the truck, and once I'd helped him with that task, we were ready to head out. Sis went to a nearby gas station/store to buy ice, fill her car, and wait for us while we visited the dump station. Then she followed us for the two-hour trip to the exit to her home, and we continued for another two hours to our home, stopping once just long enough to make PB&J sandwiches to have with chips and cookies as we traveled. It was just too stifling hot to eat in the camper.
We arrived home around 2 p.m., and spent the rest of the afternoon and evening unloading the camper, washing clothes, and doing other chores related to getting organized after a trip.
We had a wonderful few days, though we missed the usual fireworks event at the festival this year. It was cancelled due to the high fire danger from lack of rain. At one of the wineries, a staff member told us that a few days earlier, a couple of young boys had been playing with fireworks and started a fire that burned down two homes. Thank goodness no one was injured, but I feel sorry for both the families who lost their homes, and the families of the boys, who will no doubt be held responsible and have to pay for damages.
Also this year, the prison band did not perform, as it has every other year that we've attended. Usually, too, there is a horse and buggy ride available, but not this year.
I think there was a smaller crowd at the festival this year, too. Heat and the economy obviously took their toll. But except for being extremely hot, the festival was still fun. The town where the festival is held is not far from the area of the state that has had the highest temperatures this summer. For weeks, the temps have been above 100 degrees, with intolerable heat indices.
It was nice to get home, and kick back after our chores to read the Sunday newspaper and veg in front of TV. Since it's an unusually hot summer, it'll probably be several weeks before we venture out with the camper again.
Saturday, July 30
I had trouble going to sleep last night, and was still tossing and turning at 2 a.m. The train horns didn't help, but I finally drifted off, waking up again at 4 a.m., and drifting off again after a long time. So I was bleary-eyed at 7 a.m., when we got up.
After a breakfast of toasted raisin bread with cream cheese, and a variety of fruits, plus coffee, we took turns using the bathroom to get dressed and ready to go to the festival.
We arrived at the festival around 10 a.m., where a polka band was in full swing. We took a turn around the park, pushing Mother in her wheelchair, to briefly look at the booths offering goods from home baked breads, to honeys and jams, to clothing, to hats, to hair feathers, to temporary tattoos, to manicures, to characiture drawings, to jewelry, etc.
Then we parked Mother's wheelchair under trees near the bandstand, where she enjoyed the music while we visited the winery booths to sample wines. Before we did this, though, I went to the ice cream stand to buy Mother a cup of soft serve ice cream. I was surprised that the fellow running the stand remembered me from last year. Of course this is a very, very small community (under 300 population), so anyone new in town is probably noticed right away.
We watched a grape stomp, followed by the blessing of the vines by a local priest, before returning to the campground for lunch. After lunch, I convinced Mother that she should take a nap, and helped her get comfortable on the couch under a couple of afghans, before Hubbie, Sis, and I went to a package store owned by one of the wineries.
We didn't find anything we wanted there, so we went to the store's winery, which is located in a Swiss village that is an incorporated town (population 46). After visiting the tasting room, we bought a bottle of this year's festival wine, along with bottles of our other favorites.
While we were in the village, Hubbie made reservations for dinner at the German restaurant, located in the village's quaint former wine cellar. Here, the waitresses are dressed in colorful Swiss costumes, and ours agreed to let me photograph her seated with Mother and Sis.
For dinner (served by candlelight), Mother, Sis, and I ordered baked salmon, with baked potatoes, while Hubbie ordered steak and shrimp. Before the main course, we were served a salad, followed by Swiss onion soup and hot loaves of yeast bread. We also enjoyed a bottle of wine with the meal.
After we returned to the campground, we again played several rounds of Skipbo (Mother's favorite game). I think we each won at least one game this time, but Sis and Hubbie still remained the champs.
Just after dark, we hopped in the truck (well, Mother, already dressed in her pajamas and housecoat, didn't exactly hop in), and rode down to the end of the campground, where there is a spectacular view of the lighted bridge. This is listed as one of the sixteen prettiest lighted spans in the state, with it's amber lights reflecting off the water.
Then we swung back by the dam to see those lights. These are white lights, but the effect is still nice.
Back home, we resumed playing cards, but by this time, thanks to loss of sleep last night and a day of wine sampling, I was having a hard time staying awake, so we soon decided to call it a night.
After a breakfast of toasted raisin bread with cream cheese, and a variety of fruits, plus coffee, we took turns using the bathroom to get dressed and ready to go to the festival.
We arrived at the festival around 10 a.m., where a polka band was in full swing. We took a turn around the park, pushing Mother in her wheelchair, to briefly look at the booths offering goods from home baked breads, to honeys and jams, to clothing, to hats, to hair feathers, to temporary tattoos, to manicures, to characiture drawings, to jewelry, etc.
Then we parked Mother's wheelchair under trees near the bandstand, where she enjoyed the music while we visited the winery booths to sample wines. Before we did this, though, I went to the ice cream stand to buy Mother a cup of soft serve ice cream. I was surprised that the fellow running the stand remembered me from last year. Of course this is a very, very small community (under 300 population), so anyone new in town is probably noticed right away.
We watched a grape stomp, followed by the blessing of the vines by a local priest, before returning to the campground for lunch. After lunch, I convinced Mother that she should take a nap, and helped her get comfortable on the couch under a couple of afghans, before Hubbie, Sis, and I went to a package store owned by one of the wineries.
We didn't find anything we wanted there, so we went to the store's winery, which is located in a Swiss village that is an incorporated town (population 46). After visiting the tasting room, we bought a bottle of this year's festival wine, along with bottles of our other favorites.
While we were in the village, Hubbie made reservations for dinner at the German restaurant, located in the village's quaint former wine cellar. Here, the waitresses are dressed in colorful Swiss costumes, and ours agreed to let me photograph her seated with Mother and Sis.
For dinner (served by candlelight), Mother, Sis, and I ordered baked salmon, with baked potatoes, while Hubbie ordered steak and shrimp. Before the main course, we were served a salad, followed by Swiss onion soup and hot loaves of yeast bread. We also enjoyed a bottle of wine with the meal.
After we returned to the campground, we again played several rounds of Skipbo (Mother's favorite game). I think we each won at least one game this time, but Sis and Hubbie still remained the champs.
Just after dark, we hopped in the truck (well, Mother, already dressed in her pajamas and housecoat, didn't exactly hop in), and rode down to the end of the campground, where there is a spectacular view of the lighted bridge. This is listed as one of the sixteen prettiest lighted spans in the state, with it's amber lights reflecting off the water.
Then we swung back by the dam to see those lights. These are white lights, but the effect is still nice.
Back home, we resumed playing cards, but by this time, thanks to loss of sleep last night and a day of wine sampling, I was having a hard time staying awake, so we soon decided to call it a night.
Friday, July 29
Up at 6 a.m., so we could get on the road to the grape festival about two hours northwest. Sis arrived at camp before we left so she could follow us to the campground in a town a few miles from the town where the festival was held.
We arrived before lunch. It was a hot day, but not intolerable at the shaded campground, situated along the lake. Once the camper was set up, we had a sandwich lunch, and then Mother, Sis, and I enjoyed relaxing in lawn chairs outdoors. The scenery at this campground is lovely.
I grabbed my camera when a barge, pushed by a tugboat, came through the lock at the nearby dam. There is something so appealing about those white tugboats...so deceptively cute while being powerful workhorses of the river.
A railroad track runs along the bank across the lake, upon which trains traveled several times a day and night, blaring their warning horns no matter the hour. I was often awakened by them during our two-night stay. Still, it was fascinating to watch the trains roll through when we relaxed outdoors.
Nature abounds at the campground, with geese upending themselves in the lake, looking for food on the lake bottom, turtles crawing onto dead logs to bask in the sun, and fish breaking the surface of the lake in an attempt to catch bugs floating there.
Later, Mother went indoors to rest in the camper air conditioning, while Hubbie, Sis, and I went to the town where the festival was scheduled to begin in the evening. We toured three of the four wineries, where we sampled several sweet wines, and bought bottles of our favorites, including Splendid Red, processed with Splenda, and a new variety called Moscato. We really, really like this one, and I bought four bottles of it. We also like the wines made with fruits other than grapes, like a delicious blackberry variety that one of the wineries offered.
Then we stopped by the park, where festival booths were being set up. There I bought
ten cartons of sweet seedless grapes...a variety called Reliance, which are small pink grapes, and one called Venus, which are small, deep purple ones.
Last year, we were disappointed that Reliance grapes were not available. We were told by the vendor that the success of that variety depends on weather conditions. Last year was wet, so the grapes failed, while there is an abundance of them this year, thanks to a dry spring.
We also stopped by a grocery store to look for Vidalia onions. Didn't find those, but I picked up a carton of strawberries to go with the grapes, peaches, cantaloupe and watermelon to have for Saturday and Sunday beakfasts, along with raisin bread and Mother's homemade banana bread.
Back home, we had a supper of barbecue pork sandwiches, with coleslaw, baked beans, and sliced tomatoes. Afterward, played several games of Skipbo, with Sis and Hubbie winning all of them.
By 10 p.m., we were all plenty ready for bed. It had been a long, but enjoyable day.
We arrived before lunch. It was a hot day, but not intolerable at the shaded campground, situated along the lake. Once the camper was set up, we had a sandwich lunch, and then Mother, Sis, and I enjoyed relaxing in lawn chairs outdoors. The scenery at this campground is lovely.
I grabbed my camera when a barge, pushed by a tugboat, came through the lock at the nearby dam. There is something so appealing about those white tugboats...so deceptively cute while being powerful workhorses of the river.
A railroad track runs along the bank across the lake, upon which trains traveled several times a day and night, blaring their warning horns no matter the hour. I was often awakened by them during our two-night stay. Still, it was fascinating to watch the trains roll through when we relaxed outdoors.
Nature abounds at the campground, with geese upending themselves in the lake, looking for food on the lake bottom, turtles crawing onto dead logs to bask in the sun, and fish breaking the surface of the lake in an attempt to catch bugs floating there.
Later, Mother went indoors to rest in the camper air conditioning, while Hubbie, Sis, and I went to the town where the festival was scheduled to begin in the evening. We toured three of the four wineries, where we sampled several sweet wines, and bought bottles of our favorites, including Splendid Red, processed with Splenda, and a new variety called Moscato. We really, really like this one, and I bought four bottles of it. We also like the wines made with fruits other than grapes, like a delicious blackberry variety that one of the wineries offered.
Then we stopped by the park, where festival booths were being set up. There I bought
ten cartons of sweet seedless grapes...a variety called Reliance, which are small pink grapes, and one called Venus, which are small, deep purple ones.
Last year, we were disappointed that Reliance grapes were not available. We were told by the vendor that the success of that variety depends on weather conditions. Last year was wet, so the grapes failed, while there is an abundance of them this year, thanks to a dry spring.
We also stopped by a grocery store to look for Vidalia onions. Didn't find those, but I picked up a carton of strawberries to go with the grapes, peaches, cantaloupe and watermelon to have for Saturday and Sunday beakfasts, along with raisin bread and Mother's homemade banana bread.
Back home, we had a supper of barbecue pork sandwiches, with coleslaw, baked beans, and sliced tomatoes. Afterward, played several games of Skipbo, with Sis and Hubbie winning all of them.
By 10 p.m., we were all plenty ready for bed. It had been a long, but enjoyable day.
Tuesday, August 2, 2011
Thursday, July 28
We were up early this morning, at 6 a.m., so we could finish packing the camper and get on the road. We left town at 8:30 on this very hot day, and had an uneventful trip the two and a half hours to the campground. We arrived around 11 a.m.
As Hubbie was setting up the camper, we heard the sound of glass shattering. Seems that a microwave dish had fallen out of the cabinet and wedged between the cabinet and the slide out. When Hubbie operated the slide out, the dish got crushed. Usually, Hubbie ties that cabinet door closed, but forgot to this time.
After lunch, Mother and I prepared fruits to take to Grandson's wedding later in the day. Hubbie cut a large watermelon and cantaloupe, which Mother and I cubed. We also washed strawberries and grapes, and peeled and sliced peaches. Before we sliced the peaches, I looked for the fruit fresh that I'd planned to bring, but somehow it had been left at home.
So Hubbie and I went in search of some at the WDCS, where there was none. We also searched a grocery store, and another store, with no luck. So we returned to the grocery store and picked up a few lemons.
Back at camp, once we'd finished preparing the fruits, we all changed clothes to go to the wedding. The wedding was scheduled for 7 p.m., but we wanted to be there by 5 p.m., so I could take pictures of the bride getting ready for her big day.
The wedding took place right on schedule. The bride was beautiful in a full-length satin gown with scooped neckline, short sleeves, and bodice with an embroidered chiffon layer accented with pearls. Her cape-style double veil fell to a train bordered with embroidery and pearls. A satin and pearl headpiece held the veil in place. A pearl necklace, and a bouquet of white and pale yellow roses, centered with bright pink lilies, accented with baby's breath, and tied with a white satin ribbon, completed her ensemble.
The bridesmaids wore short form-fitting palest yellow dresses that featured soft horizontal gathering on the fronts and matching gathered one-shoulder straps. The toddler flower girl wore a white organdy sundress embroidered with pink flowers.
The bridegroom was attired in a white linen suit accented with a yellow vest and tie. The best man wore a white shirt and yellow tie, with khaki slacks.
A reception following the ceremony featured a bride's yellow layer/groom's chocolate layer two-tier white iced cake, piped with yellow icing around the edges of each tier, and topped with a pair of silver hearts. Daughter-in-law made this lovely and delicious cake.
The bride and groom were toasted with a choice of champagne or wine, the best man (my son) gave a short speech, and after the couple cut the wedding cake, guests enjoyed a buffet of sandwiches, ham roll-ups, sausage balls, cocktail wieners, cheese and crackers, and fruit.
By 9 p.m., most folks began departing, though some stayed behind to dance and continue the party. We arrived back at our camper around 9:30, tired and ready to hit the sack.
As Hubbie was setting up the camper, we heard the sound of glass shattering. Seems that a microwave dish had fallen out of the cabinet and wedged between the cabinet and the slide out. When Hubbie operated the slide out, the dish got crushed. Usually, Hubbie ties that cabinet door closed, but forgot to this time.
After lunch, Mother and I prepared fruits to take to Grandson's wedding later in the day. Hubbie cut a large watermelon and cantaloupe, which Mother and I cubed. We also washed strawberries and grapes, and peeled and sliced peaches. Before we sliced the peaches, I looked for the fruit fresh that I'd planned to bring, but somehow it had been left at home.
So Hubbie and I went in search of some at the WDCS, where there was none. We also searched a grocery store, and another store, with no luck. So we returned to the grocery store and picked up a few lemons.
Back at camp, once we'd finished preparing the fruits, we all changed clothes to go to the wedding. The wedding was scheduled for 7 p.m., but we wanted to be there by 5 p.m., so I could take pictures of the bride getting ready for her big day.
The wedding took place right on schedule. The bride was beautiful in a full-length satin gown with scooped neckline, short sleeves, and bodice with an embroidered chiffon layer accented with pearls. Her cape-style double veil fell to a train bordered with embroidery and pearls. A satin and pearl headpiece held the veil in place. A pearl necklace, and a bouquet of white and pale yellow roses, centered with bright pink lilies, accented with baby's breath, and tied with a white satin ribbon, completed her ensemble.
The bridesmaids wore short form-fitting palest yellow dresses that featured soft horizontal gathering on the fronts and matching gathered one-shoulder straps. The toddler flower girl wore a white organdy sundress embroidered with pink flowers.
The bridegroom was attired in a white linen suit accented with a yellow vest and tie. The best man wore a white shirt and yellow tie, with khaki slacks.
A reception following the ceremony featured a bride's yellow layer/groom's chocolate layer two-tier white iced cake, piped with yellow icing around the edges of each tier, and topped with a pair of silver hearts. Daughter-in-law made this lovely and delicious cake.
The bride and groom were toasted with a choice of champagne or wine, the best man (my son) gave a short speech, and after the couple cut the wedding cake, guests enjoyed a buffet of sandwiches, ham roll-ups, sausage balls, cocktail wieners, cheese and crackers, and fruit.
By 9 p.m., most folks began departing, though some stayed behind to dance and continue the party. We arrived back at our camper around 9:30, tired and ready to hit the sack.
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