Last night, a TV meteorologist in the capital city predicted "Clear skies with a low in the 50s. Very slight chance for an isolated satellite." Scientists think the thing landed somewhere in the Pacific ocean early this morning. Thankfully, it didn't land on anyone's head. The chance that anyone would be hit by debris from the satellite was so remote that I lost no sleep worrying about it.
Slept late, until around 8 a.m. Then after breakfast, Hubbie and I went bike riding. Nice day for a ride, though there was just enough wind to create resistance going uphill. I wore my goggles today, but nothing blew into my face this time.
The calves in the cow pasture were far afield, so they were unconcerned about us, and the cows grazing near the fence barely took notice. Horses...a palomino, a pinto, and an Appaloosa, seemed interested, though.
The last couple of times we've ridden, we've admired a sizable turnip patch. Hubbie mentioned wanting to talk to the folks raising it, and today the owners were out in their yard, so Hubbie rode up their driveway to chat with them.
I rode back and forth in front of the home while he talked to the folks. Soon, he returned to say he'd asked if we can buy turnips from the couple. The old gentleman said no, but we can have all we want when they are ready in a few weeks, and he'll let us know when that is. He raises the turnips to give away anyway, he said. I guess he just grows them for the pleasure of growing them.
Hubbie has tried numerous times to grow turnips, to no avail, and this lowly vegetable is expensive to buy in stores. So we'll be glad to have enough of them to put in the freezer.
Back home, once I was showered and dressed, we did this and that for the rest of the morning. After lunch, Hubbie and I ran errands...first to the store that has a sale every weekend to use a $10 coupon. I thought I'd lucked out in finding a long-sleeved shirt for Mother in a petite size. But when I brought it home later, and she tried it on, it didn't fit right. So I took it back for a refund.
The only refund they would agree to make was to our store credit card, and by doing that I could not get the $10 coupon refunded. The only way I could get that $10 was to buy something of equal value to the shirt I returned. So I picked up a couple of on-sale long-sleeve tee shirts for myself.
In the dressing room, as I tried on the tee shirts, I overheard a mother with her young son in the adjoining room. The boy was trying on blue jeans, all of which were apparently too small.
"I hate the way I look," the boy said. "I'm so fat. I'm never going to eat again."
"We need to go to the men's shop downtown," his mother said, "so we can buy husky jeans for you. They don't have husky sizes here"
"I don't want husky jeans. I want to wear normal jeans. I hate myself."
I felt so sorry for this boy. I didn't see him, so I don't know how overweight he is. But I wonder if he's dissatisfied enough with himself to curb his appetite. I doubt it. He'd need a lot of self control, and his mother would have to help him by preparing healthier meals. For all I know, she might be obese, as well, and not willing to change.
I'd used the remainder of a gift card given to Mother for the shirt I picked up for her, and with that and the $10 coupon the shirt was free. The same deal applied to the shirts I got for myself, so the whole transaction still resulted in no money out- of-pocket.
Mother refused to let me give her the $8 remaining on her gift card, since she insisted she owed for our outing to the coffee shop this week. Oh well, I'll figure out some other way to pay her what I owe, because the coffee shop outing was my treat.
From the store, Hubbie and I went to the greeting card shop, where we picked up four 99-cent birthday cards for Hubbie's great-grandkids, using buy-one-get-one-free coupons. Then we stopped by a pharmacy store to check on gallon jugs of water for which I had a coupon, but the price was too high. We also checked the price of hair color for which I had a $2 off coupon on one carton, and a $3 off coupon on another carton. The cost of the color at this store was too high.
So we went to a bank, and then on to the WDCS, where I picked up the cartons of hair color and several other items for ourselves and for Mother.
In the checkout line of this store, an older woman ahead of us exited the motorized wheelchair she was using and asked the clerk to have someone drive it back to the door greeter. Well, no one was available to do that, so I drove it to the greeter.
"Just go ahead and drive it out to the foyer," she said.
"This isn't my chair," I said, "I'm only moving it out of the way of the checkout line. But I'll go ahead and drive it out, if you'd like."
"No, no, I can do that," she said.
Back at the checkout line, I was about to load our purchases into our cart, when I saw a bag with a jar of preserves and a jar of honey in it. "Whose are these?" I asked the clerk.
"Oh! Those belong to that lady in the white shirt going that way," she pointed. "Can you take them to her?"
The lady was already nearly to the door at the other end of the store, but yes, I'd take her purchase to her. She was walking slowly, but I practically had to sprint to catch up with her.
After delivering the bag, I quickly walked back to the register. On the way out of the store, Hubbie commented that the clerk had tried to give the guy in line right in front of us change for $20, when all he'd handed her was a $5 bill. Fortunately, he was an honest man, and he corrected her. I'm thinking this clerk is a real ditz who won't keep her job long.
After my return trip to the store with the blouse, I decided I wanted to visit the farmer's market, and I asked if Mother would like to ride along. She did. At the market, I bought tomatoes grown in a town near us, and locally grown new potatoes, as well as a jar of homemade pepper jelly.
It was 4 p.m. by the time Mother and I got back from the market, so Hubbie and I began watching our favorite college football team as they played to a very disappointing loss. I'd recorded the game on DVR.
Mother had prepared a pot of split pea soup while Hubbie and I were running errands, and we set up TV tables for a supper that included the remaining three yeast rolls.
I accompanied Mother to her house afterward (she seemed a little wobbly tonight), and then Hubbie and I continued watching the game.
When the game ended, we watched a couple of one-hour shows I'd recorded, while we waited for another football game to record, between Hubbie's Alma mater and the college I attended in another town many years ago. Naturally, Hubbie and I rooted for opposite teams, but his won by a wide, wide margin.
Saturday, September 24, 2011
Friday, September 23, 2011
Friday, Sept. 23
We shot a satellite in the air...it'll fall to earth, we know not where. "The sky is falling! The sky is falling!" cried Chicken Little. Hope no one is hit on the head by the falling debris. Could hurt worse than an acorn.
Up at 6:30 to get ready to go to water aerobics after breakfast. It was a very foggy morning again, and quite chilly. But the pool was gloriously warm. It won't stay that way, of course, because the lap swimmers don't like it. So I fully expect the temperature to drop by Monday. But it sure felt good today. Only fifteen of us showed up for aerobics this morning, though. Too bad the others didn't come...they sure would have enjoyed it.
Back home afterward, once I was ready for the day, I downloaded photos from our outing to the coffee house yesterday, as well as snapshots of the pumpkin Sis painted for me, and then uploaded them to my social network site.
In the meantime, Mother and Sis came over and began working on greeting cards. I joined them as soon as I'd finished with the photos. While we worked on cards, Hubbie ran errands to a couple of grocery stores to pick up sweet potatoes and a dozen yeast rolls I'd ordered from a downtown restaurant.
When he got back, though, I noticed that he'd forgotten the rolls. Seems he'd gotten distracted searching for sweet potatoes. At the first store he tried, he said the potatoes were 49 cents a pound, but they were the size of footballs. So he went to another grocery store, which had none at all. So he went to the WDCS, which did have sweet potatoes. He told the clerk at the register that one of the grocery stores had them for 49 cents a pound, so the store matched the price.
So he turned right around and went back to town. He drove the truck, because Sis and I needed the van to go to a graphics store to buy a variety of colors of paper to use as inserts in greeting cards. Sis was particularly interested in getting a gray to use in the pink and silver wedding card she had made.
When we got back, we got busy making more greeting cards for Caring Hands Hospice. We did this until around 3 p.m. Hubbie put the sweet potatoes in the oven, and later we had them with salmon fillet, canned whole kernel corn, and yeast rolls.
Afterward, Sis got ready to go home. She left around 6 p.m. Mother went to her house, and Hubbie and I relaxed in front of TV for the evening.
Up at 6:30 to get ready to go to water aerobics after breakfast. It was a very foggy morning again, and quite chilly. But the pool was gloriously warm. It won't stay that way, of course, because the lap swimmers don't like it. So I fully expect the temperature to drop by Monday. But it sure felt good today. Only fifteen of us showed up for aerobics this morning, though. Too bad the others didn't come...they sure would have enjoyed it.
Back home afterward, once I was ready for the day, I downloaded photos from our outing to the coffee house yesterday, as well as snapshots of the pumpkin Sis painted for me, and then uploaded them to my social network site.
In the meantime, Mother and Sis came over and began working on greeting cards. I joined them as soon as I'd finished with the photos. While we worked on cards, Hubbie ran errands to a couple of grocery stores to pick up sweet potatoes and a dozen yeast rolls I'd ordered from a downtown restaurant.
When he got back, though, I noticed that he'd forgotten the rolls. Seems he'd gotten distracted searching for sweet potatoes. At the first store he tried, he said the potatoes were 49 cents a pound, but they were the size of footballs. So he went to another grocery store, which had none at all. So he went to the WDCS, which did have sweet potatoes. He told the clerk at the register that one of the grocery stores had them for 49 cents a pound, so the store matched the price.
So he turned right around and went back to town. He drove the truck, because Sis and I needed the van to go to a graphics store to buy a variety of colors of paper to use as inserts in greeting cards. Sis was particularly interested in getting a gray to use in the pink and silver wedding card she had made.
When we got back, we got busy making more greeting cards for Caring Hands Hospice. We did this until around 3 p.m. Hubbie put the sweet potatoes in the oven, and later we had them with salmon fillet, canned whole kernel corn, and yeast rolls.
Afterward, Sis got ready to go home. She left around 6 p.m. Mother went to her house, and Hubbie and I relaxed in front of TV for the evening.
Thursday, Sept. 23
Up around 7 a.m., but skipped my exercises after breakfast, in order to have more time to visit with Sis and Mother.
Once I was ready for the day, the four of us went to a recently opened coffee house. Our main reason for going was to see an unusual feature...a table, complete with place settings, and chairs, suspended from the ceiling. The table includes a working lamp, and a $20 bill laying beside one of the place settings.
I took several snapshots of the table and chair feature, as well as a cute neon sign that says, "Give me coffee, and no one gets hurt," and bud vases filled with coffee beans to hold flowers. Coffee bean sacks from various countries are mounted on the walls, and an old tabletop jukebox stands on a counter.
Antique tables in a variety of styles, with unmatched chairs,
provide seating. The shop offers specialty coffees and teas, as well as regular varieties, and an array of pastries. It also offers sandwiches and soup-of-the-day.
Mother and I shared a chocolate chip scone (they are huge), and Sis had one of her own, but asked that it be cut in half, so she could take part of it home. She and Mother had latte coffee, and I had mocha coffee. Hubbie settled for plain coffee. Since this served as a second breakfast, we skipped lunch later.
Back home, Mother, Sis, and I made greeting cards. We spent the entire afternoon on this project. Our goal was to make several birthday cards for Caring Hands Hospice, as requested by the Caring Hands volunteer coordinator recently. Sis also made a wedding card for a friend.
Later, we had a supper of leftover autumn stew, with biscuits and honey on the side. A little earlier, Mother was reviewing the calendar and saw a notation I'd made about a surprise 60th birthday party for the home medical services director at a local golf course club house. It was scheduled for 6 p.m., and I'd forgotten all about it.
Hubbie and I hurried to change clothes, so we could leave for the party right after supper. We arrived at the party right at 6 p.m., along with several other guests. Black balloons festooned the room, and a long table was laden with various foods, plus a birthday cake. Each table in the room had plastic bags of confetti at each place.
Because we were scheduled to go to a lecture at the college at 7:30, we were anxious to leave the party as soon as possible. But it was after 6:30 before the honoree arrived. As soon as he stepped into the room, several people tossed confetti at him. It was obvious he was completely surprised.
His wife had told him she needed to go to a meeting at this hour, so he wondered why her car was parked at the clubhouse. But that didn't alert him to the party. Apparently,none of us breathed a word of the party to him.
Hubbie and I talked with him for few minutes, wished him a happy birthday, and then quietly left. Several people were right behind us, headed to a high school football game going on at around 7 p.m. Another man, also a member of the advisory board, had to leave too, since he had an engagement somewhere else. This was a drop-in event, so hopefully lots of folks dropped in between 6:30 and 8:30.
Back home, Hubbie put the wheelchair in the van, and we headed to the college, where a quadriplegic man gave an excellent program about canine companions. He brought along his own companion, a Labrador/golden retriever mix named Auggie. These animals are remarkable in what they are able to do, after intensive training, to help people with disabilities lead independent lives.
The young man who spoke to us was paralyzed after breaking his neck falling on a rock in a river not many miles from our town. This river has claimed the lives of or critically injured many folks over the years. This past summer, a young mother lost her life when she got out of a canoe to help dislodge it, fell and got her head, face down, stuck between rocks. She could not be pulled out in time.
The speaker exited his canoe to retrieve a cap when the accident happened. He said he had to hold his breath a long time, hoping someone would rescue him...and fortunately, someone did.
He showed us a slide show and a couple of very moving videos of dogs at work with their owners, and he demonstrated how Auggie responded to commands. He even responded to the command to bark, which at one point might have been a life saver. During a cold March day, the speaker got his wheelchair stuck in the mud, and he could not move it. So he commanded his dog to bark, which alerted a neighbor that he was in trouble.
Someone asked if the dog is ever allowed to play, and the speaker demonstrated how he tosses a large stuffed squeak ball to the dog, and then commanded him to bring it back. He let the dog chew on the toy for a few minutes while he talked, but soon the dog was really giving the ball a workout that caused constant squeaking. The audience laughed at this, but the speaker decided it was time to take the ball away from Auggie and commanded him to bring it to him and drop it in his lap.
Back home afterward, we enjoyed the remainder of the peach cobbler, with ice cream, and cups of hot coffee. Mother and Sis went to Mother's house after that, and Hubbie and I headed to bed.
It was a busy but good day.
Once I was ready for the day, the four of us went to a recently opened coffee house. Our main reason for going was to see an unusual feature...a table, complete with place settings, and chairs, suspended from the ceiling. The table includes a working lamp, and a $20 bill laying beside one of the place settings.
I took several snapshots of the table and chair feature, as well as a cute neon sign that says, "Give me coffee, and no one gets hurt," and bud vases filled with coffee beans to hold flowers. Coffee bean sacks from various countries are mounted on the walls, and an old tabletop jukebox stands on a counter.
Antique tables in a variety of styles, with unmatched chairs,
provide seating. The shop offers specialty coffees and teas, as well as regular varieties, and an array of pastries. It also offers sandwiches and soup-of-the-day.
Mother and I shared a chocolate chip scone (they are huge), and Sis had one of her own, but asked that it be cut in half, so she could take part of it home. She and Mother had latte coffee, and I had mocha coffee. Hubbie settled for plain coffee. Since this served as a second breakfast, we skipped lunch later.
Back home, Mother, Sis, and I made greeting cards. We spent the entire afternoon on this project. Our goal was to make several birthday cards for Caring Hands Hospice, as requested by the Caring Hands volunteer coordinator recently. Sis also made a wedding card for a friend.
Later, we had a supper of leftover autumn stew, with biscuits and honey on the side. A little earlier, Mother was reviewing the calendar and saw a notation I'd made about a surprise 60th birthday party for the home medical services director at a local golf course club house. It was scheduled for 6 p.m., and I'd forgotten all about it.
Hubbie and I hurried to change clothes, so we could leave for the party right after supper. We arrived at the party right at 6 p.m., along with several other guests. Black balloons festooned the room, and a long table was laden with various foods, plus a birthday cake. Each table in the room had plastic bags of confetti at each place.
Because we were scheduled to go to a lecture at the college at 7:30, we were anxious to leave the party as soon as possible. But it was after 6:30 before the honoree arrived. As soon as he stepped into the room, several people tossed confetti at him. It was obvious he was completely surprised.
His wife had told him she needed to go to a meeting at this hour, so he wondered why her car was parked at the clubhouse. But that didn't alert him to the party. Apparently,none of us breathed a word of the party to him.
Hubbie and I talked with him for few minutes, wished him a happy birthday, and then quietly left. Several people were right behind us, headed to a high school football game going on at around 7 p.m. Another man, also a member of the advisory board, had to leave too, since he had an engagement somewhere else. This was a drop-in event, so hopefully lots of folks dropped in between 6:30 and 8:30.
Back home, Hubbie put the wheelchair in the van, and we headed to the college, where a quadriplegic man gave an excellent program about canine companions. He brought along his own companion, a Labrador/golden retriever mix named Auggie. These animals are remarkable in what they are able to do, after intensive training, to help people with disabilities lead independent lives.
The young man who spoke to us was paralyzed after breaking his neck falling on a rock in a river not many miles from our town. This river has claimed the lives of or critically injured many folks over the years. This past summer, a young mother lost her life when she got out of a canoe to help dislodge it, fell and got her head, face down, stuck between rocks. She could not be pulled out in time.
The speaker exited his canoe to retrieve a cap when the accident happened. He said he had to hold his breath a long time, hoping someone would rescue him...and fortunately, someone did.
He showed us a slide show and a couple of very moving videos of dogs at work with their owners, and he demonstrated how Auggie responded to commands. He even responded to the command to bark, which at one point might have been a life saver. During a cold March day, the speaker got his wheelchair stuck in the mud, and he could not move it. So he commanded his dog to bark, which alerted a neighbor that he was in trouble.
Someone asked if the dog is ever allowed to play, and the speaker demonstrated how he tosses a large stuffed squeak ball to the dog, and then commanded him to bring it back. He let the dog chew on the toy for a few minutes while he talked, but soon the dog was really giving the ball a workout that caused constant squeaking. The audience laughed at this, but the speaker decided it was time to take the ball away from Auggie and commanded him to bring it to him and drop it in his lap.
Back home afterward, we enjoyed the remainder of the peach cobbler, with ice cream, and cups of hot coffee. Mother and Sis went to Mother's house after that, and Hubbie and I headed to bed.
It was a busy but good day.
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Wednesday, Sept. 21
A new great-granddaughter has joined the family...born around 3 p.m. today. Welcome to the world and to the family, little one!
Up at 6:30 this morning to get ready to go to water aerobics. There was a heavy fog again on the drive to the college. I turned my headlights on, of course, but many that passed me did not. Some who did not were within feet of my van before I could see them. I had no trouble seeing dark cars and white cars, but those mid-toned ones...gray, silver, gold...were invisible, since they were so close to the color of the fog.
Yay! The water in the pool was pleasant this morning. I don't know what the temperature was, but it was so much better than it has been that we all rejoiced. A dozen of us showed up today, and we were told to spread the word to any members we see.
Back home after the session, I got a phone call from Daughter-in-Law letting me know that Granddaughter-in-Law was in the hospital about to have her baby. Getting a new great-grandbaby was the highlight of our day, of course. We now have a total of 27 great-grandchildren.
Mother and Sis came over later in the morning, and for lunch we had leftovers from last night's chicken dinner. Afterward, I ran errands to a
grocery store and to the WDCS, while Sis and Mother prepared meat and vegetables for a stew for supper. Hubbie spent his afternoon in the yard repotting plants to bring inside before cold weather.
At the WDCS, I picked up a couple of bunches of decorative Mexican corn to add to a basket. The clerk commented that I must be doing some fall decorating. I agreed, saying I usually do fall arrangements that include items for both Halloween and Thanksgiving. The clerk expressed her distaste for the evil aspects of Halloween. I think it's meant to be fun, and I'm not bothered by witches, Jack O'lanterns, bats, black cats, and such, and I said so.
Back home from my errands, I made a peach cobbler. The kitchen smelled very good with the stew simmering and the cobbler baking.
Later, I gathered paints, brushes, etc., for Sis to use in creating an image of a raven against a moon and the word "nevermore" on a pumpkin. She created one of these for me last year, and I liked it so much that I wanted another one this year. The pumpkin will be added to my outdoor fall arrangement.
While Sis worked on the pumpkin, I finished supper preparations. The stew...called Autumn Stew, with cubed pork roast, onions, carrots, apples, tomatoes, and chicken broth, with added spices...was delicious served over noodles. A choice of corn muffins of applesauce muffins completed the meal.
After supper, Mother and Sis worked on a jigsaw puzzle, and I played on my laptop computer, while Hubbie and I watched a 2009 Australian movie, "In the Rain." A fifteen-year-old girl goes missing. The movie is based on the true story of Rachel Barber, a fifteen-year-old girl who goes missing in 1999. When she doesn't return home after school, her parents know immediately that something is wrong, since it's out of character for their daughter to leave without informing them. Very disturbing movie showing extreme self-loathing in a neighbor woman, who despises the girl. Rated "R" for nudity, violence, and language.
When Mother and Sis had finished the jigsaw puzzle, we enjoyed a dessert of peach cobbler and ice cream. Part of the reason for my errands this afternoon was to find low-fat, sugar-free ice cream for Mother and me, and a lactose-free variety for Sis. Hubbie has no dietary restrictions, so he eats regular ice cream.
After dessert, Mother and Sis joined Hubbie and me in watching the movie, followed by a couple of one-hour show premieres.
Up at 6:30 this morning to get ready to go to water aerobics. There was a heavy fog again on the drive to the college. I turned my headlights on, of course, but many that passed me did not. Some who did not were within feet of my van before I could see them. I had no trouble seeing dark cars and white cars, but those mid-toned ones...gray, silver, gold...were invisible, since they were so close to the color of the fog.
Yay! The water in the pool was pleasant this morning. I don't know what the temperature was, but it was so much better than it has been that we all rejoiced. A dozen of us showed up today, and we were told to spread the word to any members we see.
Back home after the session, I got a phone call from Daughter-in-Law letting me know that Granddaughter-in-Law was in the hospital about to have her baby. Getting a new great-grandbaby was the highlight of our day, of course. We now have a total of 27 great-grandchildren.
Mother and Sis came over later in the morning, and for lunch we had leftovers from last night's chicken dinner. Afterward, I ran errands to a
grocery store and to the WDCS, while Sis and Mother prepared meat and vegetables for a stew for supper. Hubbie spent his afternoon in the yard repotting plants to bring inside before cold weather.
At the WDCS, I picked up a couple of bunches of decorative Mexican corn to add to a basket. The clerk commented that I must be doing some fall decorating. I agreed, saying I usually do fall arrangements that include items for both Halloween and Thanksgiving. The clerk expressed her distaste for the evil aspects of Halloween. I think it's meant to be fun, and I'm not bothered by witches, Jack O'lanterns, bats, black cats, and such, and I said so.
Back home from my errands, I made a peach cobbler. The kitchen smelled very good with the stew simmering and the cobbler baking.
Later, I gathered paints, brushes, etc., for Sis to use in creating an image of a raven against a moon and the word "nevermore" on a pumpkin. She created one of these for me last year, and I liked it so much that I wanted another one this year. The pumpkin will be added to my outdoor fall arrangement.
While Sis worked on the pumpkin, I finished supper preparations. The stew...called Autumn Stew, with cubed pork roast, onions, carrots, apples, tomatoes, and chicken broth, with added spices...was delicious served over noodles. A choice of corn muffins of applesauce muffins completed the meal.
After supper, Mother and Sis worked on a jigsaw puzzle, and I played on my laptop computer, while Hubbie and I watched a 2009 Australian movie, "In the Rain." A fifteen-year-old girl goes missing. The movie is based on the true story of Rachel Barber, a fifteen-year-old girl who goes missing in 1999. When she doesn't return home after school, her parents know immediately that something is wrong, since it's out of character for their daughter to leave without informing them. Very disturbing movie showing extreme self-loathing in a neighbor woman, who despises the girl. Rated "R" for nudity, violence, and language.
When Mother and Sis had finished the jigsaw puzzle, we enjoyed a dessert of peach cobbler and ice cream. Part of the reason for my errands this afternoon was to find low-fat, sugar-free ice cream for Mother and me, and a lactose-free variety for Sis. Hubbie has no dietary restrictions, so he eats regular ice cream.
After dessert, Mother and Sis joined Hubbie and me in watching the movie, followed by a couple of one-hour show premieres.
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
Tuesday, Sept. 20
Up late this morning, around 8 a.m. Shortly after breakfast, Hubbie and I went bike riding...very nice day for this. Calves grazing near the fence of the cow pasture were startled by us, though, and fled to their mother's sides. Guess this was the first time they'd seen people on bicycles, and it didn't look natural to them. Another pasture held beautiful palomino and pinto horses that were obvously curious about the strange sight of people on bicycles. Thankfully, no dogs barked at us today. Maybe after seeing us a couple of times, they've grown bored.
Back home, once I was ready for the day, Mother came over. We didn't do anything very productive before lunch. After lunch, Hubbie and I ran errands...to the WDCS to pick up photos of Hubbie's new great-granddaughters, because family members have asked for copies, and to select a couple of pumpkins for an outdoor arrangement. Then we went to a home improvement store to buy potted mums for the arrangement.
I usually buy large pots of mums, but they were so high priced this year, that I opted for several small pots in various colors that Hubbie transferred to large pots once we returned home.
We spent the afternoon in our own activities...Hubbie in the yard, Mother mostly napping while she waited for Sis to arrive, and I reading my novel. Around 4 p.m., Mother and I started a supper of fried chicken breasts, fried okra, and mashed potatoes and gravy, with sliced tomatoes on the side.
When Sis hadn't arrived by suppertime, I checked my social network site and found that she had been delayed and would not arrive until some time after supper.
Once the kitchen was cleaned up after our meal, we went outdoors so I could arrange the fall yard decorations of a bale of straw, three large pots of mums, a couple of pumpkins, and a scarecrow.
Since it was a cool evening, we decided to fetch lawn chairs and enjoy the evening. It was pleasant, except for the mosquitoes. Sis arrived around 7 p.m., and we came indoors so she could heat helpings of the chicken dinner for her supper.
While Mother, Sis, and I visited, Hubbie watched a movie on DVR called, "The Great Northfield Minnesota Raid." This very old (1972) movie, starring Cliff Robertson and Robert Duvall, is about the gangs of Jesse James and Cole Younger, who join forces to rob a Minnesota bank, but they bungle the job.
Before the movie was over, Hubbie said he'd grown bored with it, so we watched the elimation round of "Dancing With the Stars." I correctly predicted who would be the first to go.
After watching the season premieres of "NCIS," and "Body of Proof," Mother and Sis went to Mother's house, and Hubbie and I headed to bed.
Back home, once I was ready for the day, Mother came over. We didn't do anything very productive before lunch. After lunch, Hubbie and I ran errands...to the WDCS to pick up photos of Hubbie's new great-granddaughters, because family members have asked for copies, and to select a couple of pumpkins for an outdoor arrangement. Then we went to a home improvement store to buy potted mums for the arrangement.
I usually buy large pots of mums, but they were so high priced this year, that I opted for several small pots in various colors that Hubbie transferred to large pots once we returned home.
We spent the afternoon in our own activities...Hubbie in the yard, Mother mostly napping while she waited for Sis to arrive, and I reading my novel. Around 4 p.m., Mother and I started a supper of fried chicken breasts, fried okra, and mashed potatoes and gravy, with sliced tomatoes on the side.
When Sis hadn't arrived by suppertime, I checked my social network site and found that she had been delayed and would not arrive until some time after supper.
Once the kitchen was cleaned up after our meal, we went outdoors so I could arrange the fall yard decorations of a bale of straw, three large pots of mums, a couple of pumpkins, and a scarecrow.
Since it was a cool evening, we decided to fetch lawn chairs and enjoy the evening. It was pleasant, except for the mosquitoes. Sis arrived around 7 p.m., and we came indoors so she could heat helpings of the chicken dinner for her supper.
While Mother, Sis, and I visited, Hubbie watched a movie on DVR called, "The Great Northfield Minnesota Raid." This very old (1972) movie, starring Cliff Robertson and Robert Duvall, is about the gangs of Jesse James and Cole Younger, who join forces to rob a Minnesota bank, but they bungle the job.
Before the movie was over, Hubbie said he'd grown bored with it, so we watched the elimation round of "Dancing With the Stars." I correctly predicted who would be the first to go.
After watching the season premieres of "NCIS," and "Body of Proof," Mother and Sis went to Mother's house, and Hubbie and I headed to bed.
Monday, September 19, 2011
Monday, Sept. 19
Up at 6:30 this morning, so I could get ready to go to water aerobics. After a stormy night, there was a dense fog this morning. It was just cool enough to need a fleece outfit, which I fully appreciated after swimming in that frigid pool.
When I arrived at the dressing room, only two women were present. I asked if we were going ahead with aerobics, and our leader said we would if enough members showed up. So I proceeded to the pool. By aerobics time, only eight of us had braved the water, but we went on with the session anyway.
I was plenty chilly after swimming in the deep end for thirty minutes and then doing aerobics for another thirty minutes. The showers in the dressing room have hot water now, so we think the boiler has been repaired, though that large pool will take days to heat up.
Back home, I warmed up with a couple of cups of steaming coffee, and then enjoyed a hot shower that further helped thaw me out. After that, I did this and that around the house for the rest of the morning. Mother came over around 11:30 and joined us for lunch.
After lunch, Hubbie ran errands, Mother worked on her jigsaw puzzle, and I reviewed the lesson plan for a tutoring session this afternoon.
The first thing I had my student do was to register for a libary card. Since I didn't have one at this library, I registered for one, too. Once the student had a card, I asked her to check out a book, CD, or DVD. She chose two DVDs, one a movie, and one a Spanish to English tutorial.
Registering for a library card was a request of the Literacy Council director. By getting a card and borrowing a book or other material, the student will be entered in a drawing to win $50 to a gas station, a grocery store, or the WDCS.
Today, the student read a couple of simple stories, and then answered questions about them. She had a little trouble with correctly answering who, what, why questions, but after going over the stories a couple of times, she caught on.
She also learned beginning consonant blends: cl-, dr-, and sp-, as in clash, drug, spot, as well as pronouncing contrasting short vowels, "a," and "o," as in tap, top, cat, cot, and rack, rock.
We ended the session with the student choosing the correct words for sentences, as in "Ann is (stand/stands/standing) in the the kitchen," or "Kim and Jill (stop/stops/stopping) at the gift shop.
Back home, Mother had prepared a supper of leftover barbecued pork chops in a carrot/onion/celery sauce, and baked potatoes. We spooned the sauce mixture over the baked potatoes, and had these with sides of leftover Lima beans and coleslaw.
Mother went home afterward, and Hubbie and I vegged in front of TV. We started with an episode of Inspector Lewis, a British cop show from PBS, followed by the season premieres of "Dancing With the Stars," and "Castle."
When I arrived at the dressing room, only two women were present. I asked if we were going ahead with aerobics, and our leader said we would if enough members showed up. So I proceeded to the pool. By aerobics time, only eight of us had braved the water, but we went on with the session anyway.
I was plenty chilly after swimming in the deep end for thirty minutes and then doing aerobics for another thirty minutes. The showers in the dressing room have hot water now, so we think the boiler has been repaired, though that large pool will take days to heat up.
Back home, I warmed up with a couple of cups of steaming coffee, and then enjoyed a hot shower that further helped thaw me out. After that, I did this and that around the house for the rest of the morning. Mother came over around 11:30 and joined us for lunch.
After lunch, Hubbie ran errands, Mother worked on her jigsaw puzzle, and I reviewed the lesson plan for a tutoring session this afternoon.
The first thing I had my student do was to register for a libary card. Since I didn't have one at this library, I registered for one, too. Once the student had a card, I asked her to check out a book, CD, or DVD. She chose two DVDs, one a movie, and one a Spanish to English tutorial.
Registering for a library card was a request of the Literacy Council director. By getting a card and borrowing a book or other material, the student will be entered in a drawing to win $50 to a gas station, a grocery store, or the WDCS.
Today, the student read a couple of simple stories, and then answered questions about them. She had a little trouble with correctly answering who, what, why questions, but after going over the stories a couple of times, she caught on.
She also learned beginning consonant blends: cl-, dr-, and sp-, as in clash, drug, spot, as well as pronouncing contrasting short vowels, "a," and "o," as in tap, top, cat, cot, and rack, rock.
We ended the session with the student choosing the correct words for sentences, as in "Ann is (stand/stands/standing) in the the kitchen," or "Kim and Jill (stop/stops/stopping) at the gift shop.
Back home, Mother had prepared a supper of leftover barbecued pork chops in a carrot/onion/celery sauce, and baked potatoes. We spooned the sauce mixture over the baked potatoes, and had these with sides of leftover Lima beans and coleslaw.
Mother went home afterward, and Hubbie and I vegged in front of TV. We started with an episode of Inspector Lewis, a British cop show from PBS, followed by the season premieres of "Dancing With the Stars," and "Castle."
Sunday, September 18, 2011
Sunday, Sept. 18
Slept late this morning, until around 8 a.m. Skipped my exercises, as I frequently do on Sundays. Mother came over around 9 a.m.
I asked Hubbie to go out to the shed and bring in a tote of fall decorations before it started raining. He declared that he didn't think rain was forecast for today, whereupon it immediately started raining. He hurried to the shed and brought in the tote.
When I came downstairs after getting ready for the day, I found that Hubbie had already cleared the mantel of birdhouses and other bird decorations and had dusted it. I'd planned to wait until after lunch to put up the fall decorations, but since the mantel was already cleared, I went ahead and decorated it.
In the meantime, Mother had prepared barbecued pork chops and baked sweet potatoes for our lunch. After lunch, I continued with my usual Sunday routine of washing a few loads of clothes, programming the DVR for the week's shows and movies, reading the Sunday newspaper, etc.
Mother stayed for a while after lunch, and the three of us enjoyed visiting over cups of coffee. Around 1:30, Mother went home, and Hubbie and I relaxed for the rest of the afternoon.
We watched a movie on DVD that I picked up for $3 a couple of years ago, but just never got around to viewing. It's called, "Evening," a 2007 film starring Vanessa Redgrave, Glenn Close, and Meryl Streep (in a cameo role). A dying woman (Redgrave) reviews with her two daughters her romantic past, when she and her best friend were in love with the same man in the 1950s. It's a very touching and emotional movie.
We followed that with a Lifetime Movie Network feature, "Nora Roberts Blue Smoke," about a youngster who witnessed the burning of her family's business, and then as an adult becomes a police arson detective, who is stalked by a guy who kills by fire the men she falls in love with.
I asked Hubbie to go out to the shed and bring in a tote of fall decorations before it started raining. He declared that he didn't think rain was forecast for today, whereupon it immediately started raining. He hurried to the shed and brought in the tote.
When I came downstairs after getting ready for the day, I found that Hubbie had already cleared the mantel of birdhouses and other bird decorations and had dusted it. I'd planned to wait until after lunch to put up the fall decorations, but since the mantel was already cleared, I went ahead and decorated it.
In the meantime, Mother had prepared barbecued pork chops and baked sweet potatoes for our lunch. After lunch, I continued with my usual Sunday routine of washing a few loads of clothes, programming the DVR for the week's shows and movies, reading the Sunday newspaper, etc.
Mother stayed for a while after lunch, and the three of us enjoyed visiting over cups of coffee. Around 1:30, Mother went home, and Hubbie and I relaxed for the rest of the afternoon.
We watched a movie on DVD that I picked up for $3 a couple of years ago, but just never got around to viewing. It's called, "Evening," a 2007 film starring Vanessa Redgrave, Glenn Close, and Meryl Streep (in a cameo role). A dying woman (Redgrave) reviews with her two daughters her romantic past, when she and her best friend were in love with the same man in the 1950s. It's a very touching and emotional movie.
We followed that with a Lifetime Movie Network feature, "Nora Roberts Blue Smoke," about a youngster who witnessed the burning of her family's business, and then as an adult becomes a police arson detective, who is stalked by a guy who kills by fire the men she falls in love with.
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