Up at 7:30, but skipped my exercises so I could be dressed and ready when Daughter arrived. She's spending the weekend in order to be with Mother while we make a trip a couple of hours east to visit Hubbie's family tomorrow and see two new great-grandbabies for the first time.
The first thing I did this morning was bake a chocolate cake for a mid-afternoon snack. Daughter arrived as I was doing this.
Shortly after 10 a.m., we were ready for an excursion around town to visit the various antique/flea markets. We browsed two this morning before returning home for lunch. I found a couple of reasonably priced delicate glass Christmas ornaments for my "white" tree in the living room, but Daughter didn't find anything she wanted (or wanted to spend money on).
We visited two shops downtown and tried to visit a third, but a sign on the door of that one read, "Open when I'm in the mood...and closed when I feel like it." Apparently, today was one of those times when the owner wasn't in the mood. This approach tends to discourage me from patronizing the business at all. Of all the days when the owner should be "in the mood," it seems to me that Saturday would be one.
At home, Mother had prepared a pot of potato soup for our lunch (Hubbie had peeled potatoes and sliced them for her before we went on our outing). We had a choice of sandwiches...ham or hickory smoked turkey, with Swiss or American cheese, on bread rounds or rye bread, plus sliced tomatoes and Vidalia onions.
After lunch, Mother worked on her jigsaw puzzle, while the rest of us continued our tour of the antique/flea markets. Again, Daughter didn't find anything she wanted to spend money on, but I found three audio books on CD...all westerns...that I thought Hubbie would like, so we bought those. They were very inexpensive.
On the way to the stores, we stopped at a new coffee house/sandwich shop. We didn't intend to order anything, but I wanted Daughter to see an unusual part of the shop's decor...a table, with place settings and a lamp in the middle, and four chairs, all sitting on a rug, hangs upside down on the ceiling. We marvelled at this, wondering how all of it was mounted so that it is secure.
The first antique/flea market we stopped at had a sign on the door saying the owner would return in 30 minutes. We took this opportunity to visit a roadside produce vendor, where I bought tomatoes and red delicious apples.
And then we visited another flea market. By that time, the first market was open. But we found nothing we wanted in either store. One of the stores offered a signed copy of Hillary Clinton's book, "It Takes a Village," for $40. The owner declared that it's a valuable collector's item that will become more valuable with time. Maybe so, but I still didn't want to pay $40 for it.
So we went to a grocery store for hamburger buns, and on the the WDCS, where Daughter stocked up on hygiene items. Our last stop was at a gas station to fill the van for our trip tomorrow.
Back home, we enjoyed hunks of chocolate cake, with a choice of coffee or milk. My plan was to sprinkle powdered sugar on the servings of cake, but I discovered the sugar had weevils. None of us had ever heard of sugar getting weevils, but when I researched it online, I found that it can indeed be invaded.
We discovered weevils in a bag of sugar substitute a few days ago, and that's when I researched it. But I thought it was an isolated incident. When we found the pests in the powdered sugar, we spent the afternoon inspecting everything in the pantry, and found that we had an infestation. Those weevils found their way not only into boxes, but into tightly covered plastic containers and Ziplock bags. Apparently nothing is secure enough to keep them out. The infestation necessitated thoroughly cleaning the entire pantry and treating it for pests...not what I had in mind for an afternoon's entertainment.
Later, we had a choice of hamburgers or turkey burgers for supper, with corn on the cob and cottage cheese. Afterward, Mother went back to her puzzle, Daughter and I played on our laptop computers, and Hubbie watched TV.
Our favorite college football team played tonight, and I recorded it on DVR for a couple of hours, so we could watch it and fast forward through the commercials. Daughter walked Mother home shortly after the game began, and then she joined us to watch the team slaughter the opponents.
Saturday, September 10, 2011
Friday, September 9, 2011
Friday, Sept. 9
Up at 6:30 to get ready to go to water aerobics. I seemed to drag my feet getting ready this morning, so I was a little later arriving at the pool. Br-r-r, the pool was cold, so I was just as happy not to be in it as long as usual. Only about a dozen of us showed up today, so our leader started the session early.
Funny: one of the women at the pool related a story about a friend from her church. The friend's children threw a big birthday party for her. Part of the big meal was a platter of fried chicken backs.
"Why did you fry chicken backs," the woman asked.
"Because we know how much you like them. They were always the pieces you chose when we were kids."
"I chose chicken backs because that was all that was left after you kids got what you wanted. I hate chicken backs!"
Some of us moms who struggled through lean times during early motherhood can relate to that story.
Back home, Mother came over once I was ready for the day. We spent the rest of the morning planning a menu for next week, as well as planning meals for an upcoming trip. Meal planning is getting to be more and more of a chore each week.
After lunch, Hubbie and I went grocery shopping. Back home, we each engaged in our own activities...Hubbie went outdoors, Mother worked on her jigsaw puzzle, and I played on my laptop.
Later, we had omelets and biscuits for supper. Mother went home afterward, and Hubbie and I settled in front of TV. We watched the 1985 movie, "1918," with Matthew Broderick. The story takes place in a Texas community, during the height of World War I, and during the height of a flu pandemic that killed between 50 and 100 million people worldwide. This flu was peculiar in that healthy young adults were its primary victims, unlike other flu events that generally target juveniles, elderly, and weakened patients.
The plot of this film revolves around a couple of young men...a 17-year-old young man who is anxious to enlist, and his brother-in-law, who does not want to enlist, but prefers to stay home with his wife and child. The 17-year-old keeps getting in trouble, and his father wants him to enlist. The brother-in-law manages to dodge enlistment when he gets the flu.
This drama reminds me of a stage play, with its limited sets, no background music, etc. It's a pretty good period piece, and we enjoyed it.
Funny: one of the women at the pool related a story about a friend from her church. The friend's children threw a big birthday party for her. Part of the big meal was a platter of fried chicken backs.
"Why did you fry chicken backs," the woman asked.
"Because we know how much you like them. They were always the pieces you chose when we were kids."
"I chose chicken backs because that was all that was left after you kids got what you wanted. I hate chicken backs!"
Some of us moms who struggled through lean times during early motherhood can relate to that story.
Back home, Mother came over once I was ready for the day. We spent the rest of the morning planning a menu for next week, as well as planning meals for an upcoming trip. Meal planning is getting to be more and more of a chore each week.
After lunch, Hubbie and I went grocery shopping. Back home, we each engaged in our own activities...Hubbie went outdoors, Mother worked on her jigsaw puzzle, and I played on my laptop.
Later, we had omelets and biscuits for supper. Mother went home afterward, and Hubbie and I settled in front of TV. We watched the 1985 movie, "1918," with Matthew Broderick. The story takes place in a Texas community, during the height of World War I, and during the height of a flu pandemic that killed between 50 and 100 million people worldwide. This flu was peculiar in that healthy young adults were its primary victims, unlike other flu events that generally target juveniles, elderly, and weakened patients.
The plot of this film revolves around a couple of young men...a 17-year-old young man who is anxious to enlist, and his brother-in-law, who does not want to enlist, but prefers to stay home with his wife and child. The 17-year-old keeps getting in trouble, and his father wants him to enlist. The brother-in-law manages to dodge enlistment when he gets the flu.
This drama reminds me of a stage play, with its limited sets, no background music, etc. It's a pretty good period piece, and we enjoyed it.
Thursday, September 8, 2011
Thursday, Sept. 8
On a morning when I could have slept late, I naturally woke up at 6:30. I waited until 7:30, though, when Hubbie was ready to get up. I would have liked to go bike riding this morning after breakfast, but Hubbie had a 10 a.m. Master Gardener meeting, and I don't like riding these country roads by myself. So I settled for a treadmill session and weights exercises.
Once I was ready for the day, I spent a few minutes searching my greeting card collection for a sympathy card, and a birthday card. I have a nice selection of sympathy cards, and soon found one appropriate for one of the water aerobics members and her husband, who recently lost their daughter in a murder-suicide. This awful crime happened in another state, and though we are sure there will be a memorial here, we don't know when it will be. In the meantime, I want this special lady and her husband to know we are thinking about them.
For a birthday card, I chose one I had made using a rubber stamp and colored pencils. It was a blue ribbon winner at the fair. I think our friend from another town, whom we saw at lunch last week, will enjoy it, since she's a crafter, too. I sent a scherenschnitte card to our other friend last month, and she enjoyed it so much that she said she's going to frame it. It was also a blue ribbon winner at the fair.
After that, I made reservations for the two shows we'll see at Branson, making sure we are seated on an aisle, so that Mother will not suffer claustrophobia.
I didn't have time to do much else before lunch. I noticed that Mother had not yet completed the word search puzzle in the newspaper, so I took it to her (she stayed home all day today).
When she had finished it, Hubbie and I took it to the newspaper office on our way to do a couple of other errands...to a grocery store to pick up bananas and 24 more cans of on-sale low-sodium chicken broth, and to a pharmacy store to get bottles of on-sale shampoo and conditioner.
Back home, as Hubbie and I were reading yesterday's and today's local newspapers, I happened to think about that puzzle...I realized that I had not put Mother's name and phone number on it. So off to the newspaper office we went again, where Hubbie rummaged through the entries until he found Mother's. I felt so stupid.
Back home again, we lazed the rest of the afternoon away, until it was time to heat the rest of the country ribs, potatoes, and squash, for supper.
After supper, we did the usual...watched TV, including a rediculous and convoluted SciFi movie called, "Triangle." Several couples go on a yachting trip and get caught in the Bermuda Triangle, where the boat capsizes, and they are eventually picked up by a ghost ship.
Once I was ready for the day, I spent a few minutes searching my greeting card collection for a sympathy card, and a birthday card. I have a nice selection of sympathy cards, and soon found one appropriate for one of the water aerobics members and her husband, who recently lost their daughter in a murder-suicide. This awful crime happened in another state, and though we are sure there will be a memorial here, we don't know when it will be. In the meantime, I want this special lady and her husband to know we are thinking about them.
For a birthday card, I chose one I had made using a rubber stamp and colored pencils. It was a blue ribbon winner at the fair. I think our friend from another town, whom we saw at lunch last week, will enjoy it, since she's a crafter, too. I sent a scherenschnitte card to our other friend last month, and she enjoyed it so much that she said she's going to frame it. It was also a blue ribbon winner at the fair.
After that, I made reservations for the two shows we'll see at Branson, making sure we are seated on an aisle, so that Mother will not suffer claustrophobia.
I didn't have time to do much else before lunch. I noticed that Mother had not yet completed the word search puzzle in the newspaper, so I took it to her (she stayed home all day today).
When she had finished it, Hubbie and I took it to the newspaper office on our way to do a couple of other errands...to a grocery store to pick up bananas and 24 more cans of on-sale low-sodium chicken broth, and to a pharmacy store to get bottles of on-sale shampoo and conditioner.
Back home, as Hubbie and I were reading yesterday's and today's local newspapers, I happened to think about that puzzle...I realized that I had not put Mother's name and phone number on it. So off to the newspaper office we went again, where Hubbie rummaged through the entries until he found Mother's. I felt so stupid.
Back home again, we lazed the rest of the afternoon away, until it was time to heat the rest of the country ribs, potatoes, and squash, for supper.
After supper, we did the usual...watched TV, including a rediculous and convoluted SciFi movie called, "Triangle." Several couples go on a yachting trip and get caught in the Bermuda Triangle, where the boat capsizes, and they are eventually picked up by a ghost ship.
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
Wednesday, Sept. 7
Had trouble going to sleep last night, but I got up at 6:30, anyway, to get ready to go to water aerobics. I wasn't sure I'd feel up to it, but Hubbie convinced me I should go.
The pool was very chilly today. We're convinced the temp in it is dropping every day. We're told a part for the boiler has been ordered. It can't come fast enough.
Up til today, I've been able to tolerate the water once I was in it for a while, but today my chin began trembling and I thought my teeth would chatter before the session was over.
Twenty-one of us braved the pool. And we had to squeeze into a smaller area, because a swim group failed to take down ropes on two lanes after they were done with their session, and we couldn't find the tool necessary for releasing them.
I was glad I wore my fleece outfit again this morning. It felt really good for walking back to the van after the session. But I was still chilled when I got home, so I downed two steaming cups of coffee, before I hit the shower. After I stood in the hot shower for several minutes, I finally warmed up.
Once I was ready for the day, Hubbie and I ran errands...to a grocery store to pick up a loaf of bread for Mother, to a pharmacy/grocery store to pick up prescriptions and on-sale low-sodium chicken broth, and to the radio station to exchange tickets to a Branson show.
The show for the original tickets we picked up isn't playing on any of the days we will be there. So we exchanged them for a 50s music show. The receptionist said those were the last two tickets for that show. Usually, each ticket admits two people, but as we were driving down the road, I noticed that these admitted only one per ticket.
So we turned around and went back to the station and exchanged the tickets for another show that does admit two per ticket. This show is a noon lunch performance of a ventriloquist that includes trained dogs, puppets, and singing and dancing.
In the "Say What?" department: while at the station, I asked the receptionist what the business would do about mailing its weekly advertising supplement/newspaper if the post office is forced to shut down.
"The post office is going to shut down?" she asked.
"Well, according to the news, if Congress doesn't help bail it out, it will supposedly only be able to operate until the end of September," I said.
"Oh," she said, "I didn't know that. I don't listen to the news."
This from an employee of a radio/tv/newspaper business!
From the radio station, we went to a gas station, and then, since it was nearly noon, to a fast food restaurant to pick up cups of chili. Mother was making her way across the yard when we returned, and she joined us for lunch.
After lunch, we resumed our errands...to a farm supply store to take several cans of dog food back, in hopes we could exchange them
for a bag of bird seed. The store clerk was happy to oblige us.
Then it was on to the WDCS to shop for ourselves and Mother. Here, Hubbie got a refund on a dozen small containers of specialty dog food.
At the store, I also picked up a paperback copy of "The Help." The last time I paid full price for a novel was when I ordered a couple for Hubbie last Christmas. The price of this novel wasn't exorbitant, but I'd still prefer to borrow books or buy them on the cheap at book and yard sales. After seeing the movie, though, I was anxious to read the book, and I began it as soon as we got back home.
Reading a book was a good thing to do today, since I'd run out of steam by mid-afternoon. Mother started a jigsaw puzzle, and Hubbie spent time at the office computer upstairs.
Supper tonight was leftover soup from yesterday, served this time with bread and peanut butter. Mother went home afterward, Hubbie went out in the yard, and I played on my laptop.
Later, we watched a 2002 movie..."Below," starring Matthew Davis and Bruce Greenwood. Strange things happen on a WWII submarine.
Well, phooey: on the way to the pool this morning, I noticed a small animal had been hit. It had been run over so much, that nothing much was left, but I thought I detected a gray fuzzy tail. I feared it was the newest addition to our outdoor cat family...a stray that wandered to our yard and decided to make it his home.
He had taken up residence on Mother's porch, and she had been leaving food and water there for him. She'd grown fond of him in the short time he was here, but she said our other male cat did not love this new male intruder, and kept threatening him.
This morning, she noticed the gray cat ambling down the driveway, and she went out and tried to call him back, but he just kept going. Fortunately, she didn't see him get hit. Hubbie checked the animal later and thought it must be that cat, though, because of the gray fur and because we haven't seen him around today.
A little farther down the road, I noticed that a fawn, still in spots, lay dead in the ditch on the other side of the road...another victim of the dangerous highway in front of our house.
On a light note: at supper tonight, Hubbie looked at my hair and smiled. I thought he was admiring the shine of my coif. But what he was really looking at was the fly that had landed there.
The pool was very chilly today. We're convinced the temp in it is dropping every day. We're told a part for the boiler has been ordered. It can't come fast enough.
Up til today, I've been able to tolerate the water once I was in it for a while, but today my chin began trembling and I thought my teeth would chatter before the session was over.
Twenty-one of us braved the pool. And we had to squeeze into a smaller area, because a swim group failed to take down ropes on two lanes after they were done with their session, and we couldn't find the tool necessary for releasing them.
I was glad I wore my fleece outfit again this morning. It felt really good for walking back to the van after the session. But I was still chilled when I got home, so I downed two steaming cups of coffee, before I hit the shower. After I stood in the hot shower for several minutes, I finally warmed up.
Once I was ready for the day, Hubbie and I ran errands...to a grocery store to pick up a loaf of bread for Mother, to a pharmacy/grocery store to pick up prescriptions and on-sale low-sodium chicken broth, and to the radio station to exchange tickets to a Branson show.
The show for the original tickets we picked up isn't playing on any of the days we will be there. So we exchanged them for a 50s music show. The receptionist said those were the last two tickets for that show. Usually, each ticket admits two people, but as we were driving down the road, I noticed that these admitted only one per ticket.
So we turned around and went back to the station and exchanged the tickets for another show that does admit two per ticket. This show is a noon lunch performance of a ventriloquist that includes trained dogs, puppets, and singing and dancing.
In the "Say What?" department: while at the station, I asked the receptionist what the business would do about mailing its weekly advertising supplement/newspaper if the post office is forced to shut down.
"The post office is going to shut down?" she asked.
"Well, according to the news, if Congress doesn't help bail it out, it will supposedly only be able to operate until the end of September," I said.
"Oh," she said, "I didn't know that. I don't listen to the news."
This from an employee of a radio/tv/newspaper business!
From the radio station, we went to a gas station, and then, since it was nearly noon, to a fast food restaurant to pick up cups of chili. Mother was making her way across the yard when we returned, and she joined us for lunch.
After lunch, we resumed our errands...to a farm supply store to take several cans of dog food back, in hopes we could exchange them
for a bag of bird seed. The store clerk was happy to oblige us.
Then it was on to the WDCS to shop for ourselves and Mother. Here, Hubbie got a refund on a dozen small containers of specialty dog food.
At the store, I also picked up a paperback copy of "The Help." The last time I paid full price for a novel was when I ordered a couple for Hubbie last Christmas. The price of this novel wasn't exorbitant, but I'd still prefer to borrow books or buy them on the cheap at book and yard sales. After seeing the movie, though, I was anxious to read the book, and I began it as soon as we got back home.
Reading a book was a good thing to do today, since I'd run out of steam by mid-afternoon. Mother started a jigsaw puzzle, and Hubbie spent time at the office computer upstairs.
Supper tonight was leftover soup from yesterday, served this time with bread and peanut butter. Mother went home afterward, Hubbie went out in the yard, and I played on my laptop.
Later, we watched a 2002 movie..."Below," starring Matthew Davis and Bruce Greenwood. Strange things happen on a WWII submarine.
Well, phooey: on the way to the pool this morning, I noticed a small animal had been hit. It had been run over so much, that nothing much was left, but I thought I detected a gray fuzzy tail. I feared it was the newest addition to our outdoor cat family...a stray that wandered to our yard and decided to make it his home.
He had taken up residence on Mother's porch, and she had been leaving food and water there for him. She'd grown fond of him in the short time he was here, but she said our other male cat did not love this new male intruder, and kept threatening him.
This morning, she noticed the gray cat ambling down the driveway, and she went out and tried to call him back, but he just kept going. Fortunately, she didn't see him get hit. Hubbie checked the animal later and thought it must be that cat, though, because of the gray fur and because we haven't seen him around today.
A little farther down the road, I noticed that a fawn, still in spots, lay dead in the ditch on the other side of the road...another victim of the dangerous highway in front of our house.
On a light note: at supper tonight, Hubbie looked at my hair and smiled. I thought he was admiring the shine of my coif. But what he was really looking at was the fly that had landed there.
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
Tuesday, Sept. 5
I meant to sleep late this morning, but the alarm went off. Hubbie was already downstairs, and the clock is on his side of the bed, so I had to crawl out and turn the alarm off. I tried to snooze again, but five minutes later, the thing went off again. I hit everything on the clock to silence it, and tried again to snooze. The alarm didn't go off again, but by this time, I was wide awake.
Since it was such a nice cool morning, I decided on a bike ride for my exercise. Hubbie joined me, and we rode for about 30 minutes. Then, Hubbie ran errands while I got ready for the day.
Mother came over and started carrots, onions, and tomatoes cooking for Dragon Soup for supper (this soup is made from accumulated leftover veggies from the freezer).
At 11 a.m., we went to the beauty shop for haircuts.
Hubbie returned shortly after we got back. He took our 17-year-old Shih Tzu out for a walk, but she was unable to stand up. He brought her in and put her near her water bowl. She just stumbled and fell backward. After that, she was simply unable to stand up again. She flailed around and whined. We knew she was in pain, and was never going to be able to get up again.
We also knew we had to help her out of her misery. Hubbie called the vet, but it would be 3 p.m. before would be available. In the meantime, I held her for a long time and rocked her in the rocking chair. That seemed to sooth her for a while, but finally she began flailing again, and we had to lay a blanket out on the floor for her. Hubbie had to keep track of her, because from time to time she would flail and drag herself under the chair.
It was a long and emotional afternoon. When we finally went to the vet's office, we found that our regular vet, who has treated Shih Tzu for all of her seventeen and a half years, was delayed in a meeting in town. So the other vet, a young woman who has been at the clinic for only a few months, convinced us to let her help our dog.
I thought I could stay in the room while the procedure was done, but when the vet couldn't find a viable vein and decided she would have to administer the drug to Shih Tzu's heart, I completely lost it. The vet and assistants gently insisted that Hubbie and I wait outside.
We spent a tearful and distraught few minutes in another room. Soon, we were given Shih Tzu, wrapped in a blue exam blanket, as well as in the afghan we had wrapped around her for the trip to the vet's office.
At home, Hubbie buried Shih Tzu in a flowerbed near the fence in the back yard. He had dug her grave earlier. Now, I want to find an appropriate grave marker for her. She deserves a well-marked grave, because there never was a dog as absolutely loving and wonderful as her.
I'd skipped lunch today, but I still had no appetite at supper. I forced myself to eat a bowl of soup and an oatmeal muffin, anyway. I'm sure both were delicious, but I had trouble enjoying them.
Mother went home after supper, and Hubbie and I spent the evening trying to let the TV distract us.
Since it was such a nice cool morning, I decided on a bike ride for my exercise. Hubbie joined me, and we rode for about 30 minutes. Then, Hubbie ran errands while I got ready for the day.
Mother came over and started carrots, onions, and tomatoes cooking for Dragon Soup for supper (this soup is made from accumulated leftover veggies from the freezer).
At 11 a.m., we went to the beauty shop for haircuts.
Hubbie returned shortly after we got back. He took our 17-year-old Shih Tzu out for a walk, but she was unable to stand up. He brought her in and put her near her water bowl. She just stumbled and fell backward. After that, she was simply unable to stand up again. She flailed around and whined. We knew she was in pain, and was never going to be able to get up again.
We also knew we had to help her out of her misery. Hubbie called the vet, but it would be 3 p.m. before would be available. In the meantime, I held her for a long time and rocked her in the rocking chair. That seemed to sooth her for a while, but finally she began flailing again, and we had to lay a blanket out on the floor for her. Hubbie had to keep track of her, because from time to time she would flail and drag herself under the chair.
It was a long and emotional afternoon. When we finally went to the vet's office, we found that our regular vet, who has treated Shih Tzu for all of her seventeen and a half years, was delayed in a meeting in town. So the other vet, a young woman who has been at the clinic for only a few months, convinced us to let her help our dog.
I thought I could stay in the room while the procedure was done, but when the vet couldn't find a viable vein and decided she would have to administer the drug to Shih Tzu's heart, I completely lost it. The vet and assistants gently insisted that Hubbie and I wait outside.
We spent a tearful and distraught few minutes in another room. Soon, we were given Shih Tzu, wrapped in a blue exam blanket, as well as in the afghan we had wrapped around her for the trip to the vet's office.
At home, Hubbie buried Shih Tzu in a flowerbed near the fence in the back yard. He had dug her grave earlier. Now, I want to find an appropriate grave marker for her. She deserves a well-marked grave, because there never was a dog as absolutely loving and wonderful as her.
I'd skipped lunch today, but I still had no appetite at supper. I forced myself to eat a bowl of soup and an oatmeal muffin, anyway. I'm sure both were delicious, but I had trouble enjoying them.
Mother went home after supper, and Hubbie and I spent the evening trying to let the TV distract us.
Monday, September 5, 2011
Monday, Sept. 5
Happy Labor Day! The official last day of summer. The days are getting shorter, now, and it's dark around 8 p.m. I'm not a real fan of short days and long, cold winters.
Got up at 6:30 on this very windy, fall-like day to go to water aerobics. I'm glad I decided to dig a fleece outfit out of storage. It felt really good on the hike to and from the pool.
The water was as chilly as ever, and felt chillier because we were all already chilly from our windy walks. About 15 of us showed up this morning. Our leader wore a blue swimsuit and a bright red glittered ball cap. She said the ball cap was the closest thing to a worker's headgear that she could find in her wardrobe.
The session ended a little early...because we were all a bit shivery, and because we were still dispirited about our friend who lost her daughter to a murder-suicide crime last week.
I don't feel so bad about my own forgetfulness after talking with one of the members as we swam in the deep end of the pool before aerobics began. She said as she was cleaning her car Saturday for an anticipated trip to Branson this week, she found two envelopes in the side pocket of a back door. They were addressed to two great-grandchildren. So she delivered the envelopes right away. They were Christmas cards from her daughter that included gift checks. We both wondered why her daughter had not called after she balanced her checkbook every month for eight months and found that the checks had not been cashed yet!
Back home, once I was ready for the day, Mother and I prepared a lunch of leftovers from yesterday's country ribs dinner. Then, around 12:30, we headed to a town about an hour south to see the movie, "The Help." This movie from the bestselling book by the same name, is set in the 1960s at the dawn of the Civil Rights movement, and was another film appropriate to Labor Day.
A society girl wants to be a writer, and she decides to interview black women who have spent their lives working for and raising the children of white families. Along the way, unlikely friendships (for the times) are forged, as a book emerges and is published. Not everything goes smoothly during the interviews, or after the book is published, of course. This is a must-see movie that will no doubt be a contender for an Oscar. Too bad our local theater was too shortsighted to offer the film. It would have drawn decent-sized audiences, I think.
We left Shih Tzu home while we were gone, of course. Hubbie blocked her in the kitchen, since we figured she would have an accident while we were gone (and she did), but she couldn't hurt the tile floor. We didn't want her wandering onto the carpets in the den and dining rooms.
I accompanied Mother to her house as soon as we got back. For supper, Hubbie and I had grilled cheese sandwiches, and then watched TV, including a 2009 movie called, "The Beacon." A woman photographer and her husband lose their son, and when they move to a new apartment, she begins seeing the ghost of a little boy who died in the building. With the help a professor and a tough cop, she investigates how the boy died, and hopes to free his spirit to take a message to her own son. Another entity doesn't want the boy to leave, though.
Got up at 6:30 on this very windy, fall-like day to go to water aerobics. I'm glad I decided to dig a fleece outfit out of storage. It felt really good on the hike to and from the pool.
The water was as chilly as ever, and felt chillier because we were all already chilly from our windy walks. About 15 of us showed up this morning. Our leader wore a blue swimsuit and a bright red glittered ball cap. She said the ball cap was the closest thing to a worker's headgear that she could find in her wardrobe.
The session ended a little early...because we were all a bit shivery, and because we were still dispirited about our friend who lost her daughter to a murder-suicide crime last week.
I don't feel so bad about my own forgetfulness after talking with one of the members as we swam in the deep end of the pool before aerobics began. She said as she was cleaning her car Saturday for an anticipated trip to Branson this week, she found two envelopes in the side pocket of a back door. They were addressed to two great-grandchildren. So she delivered the envelopes right away. They were Christmas cards from her daughter that included gift checks. We both wondered why her daughter had not called after she balanced her checkbook every month for eight months and found that the checks had not been cashed yet!
Back home, once I was ready for the day, Mother and I prepared a lunch of leftovers from yesterday's country ribs dinner. Then, around 12:30, we headed to a town about an hour south to see the movie, "The Help." This movie from the bestselling book by the same name, is set in the 1960s at the dawn of the Civil Rights movement, and was another film appropriate to Labor Day.
A society girl wants to be a writer, and she decides to interview black women who have spent their lives working for and raising the children of white families. Along the way, unlikely friendships (for the times) are forged, as a book emerges and is published. Not everything goes smoothly during the interviews, or after the book is published, of course. This is a must-see movie that will no doubt be a contender for an Oscar. Too bad our local theater was too shortsighted to offer the film. It would have drawn decent-sized audiences, I think.
We left Shih Tzu home while we were gone, of course. Hubbie blocked her in the kitchen, since we figured she would have an accident while we were gone (and she did), but she couldn't hurt the tile floor. We didn't want her wandering onto the carpets in the den and dining rooms.
I accompanied Mother to her house as soon as we got back. For supper, Hubbie and I had grilled cheese sandwiches, and then watched TV, including a 2009 movie called, "The Beacon." A woman photographer and her husband lose their son, and when they move to a new apartment, she begins seeing the ghost of a little boy who died in the building. With the help a professor and a tough cop, she investigates how the boy died, and hopes to free his spirit to take a message to her own son. Another entity doesn't want the boy to leave, though.
Sunday, September 4, 2011
Sunday, Sept. 4
Slept late this morning, until around 8 a.m. Skipped my exercises after breakfast. Mother came over around 9 a.m. and cut up squash and potatoes for the steamer. Hubbie put color in my hair in anticipation of a haircut appointment Tuesday.
Once I was ready for the day, I went to the kitchen to help Mother with lunch preparations. Found that she was feeling woozy and needed to sit down. I finished the task of getting the country ribs ready for the oven.
Also sat on the floor and comforted our old Shih Tzu. Hubbie had to bandage one of her front legs, because a lump had opened and bled all over his pants legs when he took her out to the yard. Shih Tzu was very uncomfortable after she was bandaged, and so I stroked her head as she finally lay down to sleep.
Otherwise, it was Sunday as usual. The barbecued country ribs, steamed squash and potatoes, and coleslaw for lunch were very tasty. Mother opted to eat the veggies only, though, and skip the ribs. She wasn't sure her stomach would tolerate them today.
Afterward, we watched a DVD movie musical..."Newsies," (1992) starring Christian Bale, Ann Margaret, Robert DuVall, and Bill Pullman. Based on the true story of the 1899 strike by newspaper boys ("newsies") against publishers Joseph Pulitzer and William Randolph Hearst, when the publishers raised the distribution price one-tenth of a cent per paper.
The movie failed at the box office, and though it's a Walt Disney production, it didn't meet with parental approval, because the newsies are a bunch of street toughs, who smoke and fight, and because the event upon which the film is based has been long-forgotten.
But having been associated with newspapers for many years, the movie has relevance for me. And I'm a big fan of movie musicals. The movie seems particularly appropriate for a Labor Day weekend.
We followed that with a chiller movie called, "Nine Dead." A masked kidnapper captures nine people and handcuffs them to poles in a bunker. They are told they have something in common, and until they figure it out, one of them will be killed every ten minutes.
After the movies, I accompanied Mother to her house, and then Hubbie and I continued to waste time in front of TV.
Once I was ready for the day, I went to the kitchen to help Mother with lunch preparations. Found that she was feeling woozy and needed to sit down. I finished the task of getting the country ribs ready for the oven.
Also sat on the floor and comforted our old Shih Tzu. Hubbie had to bandage one of her front legs, because a lump had opened and bled all over his pants legs when he took her out to the yard. Shih Tzu was very uncomfortable after she was bandaged, and so I stroked her head as she finally lay down to sleep.
Otherwise, it was Sunday as usual. The barbecued country ribs, steamed squash and potatoes, and coleslaw for lunch were very tasty. Mother opted to eat the veggies only, though, and skip the ribs. She wasn't sure her stomach would tolerate them today.
Afterward, we watched a DVD movie musical..."Newsies," (1992) starring Christian Bale, Ann Margaret, Robert DuVall, and Bill Pullman. Based on the true story of the 1899 strike by newspaper boys ("newsies") against publishers Joseph Pulitzer and William Randolph Hearst, when the publishers raised the distribution price one-tenth of a cent per paper.
The movie failed at the box office, and though it's a Walt Disney production, it didn't meet with parental approval, because the newsies are a bunch of street toughs, who smoke and fight, and because the event upon which the film is based has been long-forgotten.
But having been associated with newspapers for many years, the movie has relevance for me. And I'm a big fan of movie musicals. The movie seems particularly appropriate for a Labor Day weekend.
We followed that with a chiller movie called, "Nine Dead." A masked kidnapper captures nine people and handcuffs them to poles in a bunker. They are told they have something in common, and until they figure it out, one of them will be killed every ten minutes.
After the movies, I accompanied Mother to her house, and then Hubbie and I continued to waste time in front of TV.
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