Up at 7 a.m. Once I got Mother settled in her rocking chair in the den, Hubbie served breakfast...toast and jelly for Mother; cereal, juice, toast, and coffee for Hubbie and me.
After breakfast, I did a treadmill session and resistance exercises, since I've missed my exercise sessions and water aerobics all week.
After that, I helped Mother go to the table and chair in the kitchen, where she chopped veggies for chicken salad, while I got ready for the day. Back downstairs, I put the chicken salad together, making a batch with only chicken, boiled egg, spices, and salad dressing for Mother, and one batch for Hubbie and me with onion, celery, pickle, apple, pecans, Crasins, spices, and salad dressing. Later, I added fresh pineapple.
Then, we watched TV for awhile, including a new series called, "Grimm," which is a fantasy/mystery/crime drama, in which a detective can see folks change from ordinary people to spooky people, like The Big Bad Wolf. He learns from his dying aunt that he is a Grimm, from a family of monster hunters, who can see ordinary people for the monsters they are. Thinly disguised Fairy Tales are woven into the stories.
For lunch, Mother opted for the last of the mashed potatoes and gravy, with English peas, while Hubbie and I had chicken noodle soup.
Afterward, I got into my swimsuit and helped Mother take a shower. Once she was bathed and dressed, I got her comfortably settled in bed for an afternoon nap, while Hubbie and I watched our favorite college football team squeak by to a win. The game started at 11 a.m., but I'd recorded it on DVR.
Mother woke up around 3 p.m. for a bathroom visit. She complained that her back hurt...not the lower back where the compression fracture is, but the middle of her back, which she's complained about for quite a while. I gave her a couple of Tylenol capsules, and after awhile, she said the pain had eased. She went back to sleep.
When the ball game was over, I made a pan of macaroni and cheese to go with our chicken salad sandwiches for supper. I thought mac and cheese might be easy on Mother's stomach.
She slept until around 6:30, and woke up hungry. So she was plenty ready to eat, and enjoyed her supper. While she was eating, I started a movie from the DVR, the PG, 2001, movie, "Madison," starring Jim Caviezel. The plot revolves around a backwater Indiana town that decides to take on the challenge of hosting the hydroplane regatta in 1971, and a man's personal struggle to victory in that race. Based on a true story, the only city-owned hydroplane in the world, the Miss Madison, won the Gold Cup at that regatta.
Note: I was pleased to receive a report in the mail today advising that my mammograms showed normal.
Saturday, October 29, 2011
Friday, October 28, 2011
Friday, Oct. 28
Up around 7 a.m., because Mother was stirring in her room. After I helped her with bathroom duties, I helped her to the den and her favorite rocking chair.
Sis came over shortly afterward, bringing Mother's medications and her pill carriers with her. Once Hubbie ran errands that included buying a couple of new pill carriers, I loaded her pills. I've decided that I need to administer medications to Mother, because we learned at the hospital that she had not been taking one of her BP meds.
It seems that she lost one of her pill bottles and forgot about it, so she hadn't been taking the med for the past six months. The nurse learned this when she contacted the pharmacy to get a list of her meds and dosage amounts, and the pharmacist commented that she had quit ordering that particular med. It's unfortunate that pharmacies don't contact elderly patients or their doctors when they see that prescriptions aren't being filled.
Of course, I feel derelict in my duty for not keeping better track of her meds up until now. She has always been so on top of things, that I'm finding it difficult to realize she's not as capable anymore.
Nephew arrived later in the morning, and he and Sis traveled back to their town, because Sis was due to go to work at 3 p.m.
Around 11 a.m., I made chicken noodle soup for our lunch. When Mother visited the bathroom later, we found that she is still having black stools. She was upset, so once I had her comfortably tucked into bed for a nap, I called and left a message for her doctor.
Mother slept all afternoon. Later, a nurse called from the doctor's office to ask more questions about Mother. And after she consulted with the doctor, I was advised to keep monitoring Mother for the weekend. If her stools continue to be black, I'm to take her to the clinic for a blood test Monday. If she becomes dizzy, sees fresh bleeding, is weak, has pain, or vomits, I'm to take her to the ER.
Mother woke up around 5 p.m. After a visit to the bathroom, she said she wasn't hungry and wanted to return to bed. After a while, I asked if she was afraid to eat, for fear it would process through as black stools. She admitted that this was her problem. I told her that if the ulcer is bleeding, it'll process through as black stool anyway. Not eating won't help. It'll just keep her from getting her strength back.
So she admitted she was hungry. I was fixing bagel pizzas for Hubbie's and my supper, but I knew this wasn't the kind of meal that Mother should have right now, so I heated some mashed potatoes and gravy, and English peas for her. She ate all that and asked for an individual cup of cinnamon applesauce, and a cup of coffee.
Then she joined us in the den to watch the movie, "The Last Song," based on a story by Nicholas Sparks, and starring Myley Cyrus. Cyrus plays a rebellious teenager, who stays the summer with her father. They both have a love for music, but it turns out that that the father is seriously ill. Lessons are learned.
After that, we watched an old Alfred Hitchcock 1964 movie, "Marnie," about a woman thief with psychological problems. The movie stars a very young Sean Connery.
Sis came over shortly afterward, bringing Mother's medications and her pill carriers with her. Once Hubbie ran errands that included buying a couple of new pill carriers, I loaded her pills. I've decided that I need to administer medications to Mother, because we learned at the hospital that she had not been taking one of her BP meds.
It seems that she lost one of her pill bottles and forgot about it, so she hadn't been taking the med for the past six months. The nurse learned this when she contacted the pharmacy to get a list of her meds and dosage amounts, and the pharmacist commented that she had quit ordering that particular med. It's unfortunate that pharmacies don't contact elderly patients or their doctors when they see that prescriptions aren't being filled.
Of course, I feel derelict in my duty for not keeping better track of her meds up until now. She has always been so on top of things, that I'm finding it difficult to realize she's not as capable anymore.
Nephew arrived later in the morning, and he and Sis traveled back to their town, because Sis was due to go to work at 3 p.m.
Around 11 a.m., I made chicken noodle soup for our lunch. When Mother visited the bathroom later, we found that she is still having black stools. She was upset, so once I had her comfortably tucked into bed for a nap, I called and left a message for her doctor.
Mother slept all afternoon. Later, a nurse called from the doctor's office to ask more questions about Mother. And after she consulted with the doctor, I was advised to keep monitoring Mother for the weekend. If her stools continue to be black, I'm to take her to the clinic for a blood test Monday. If she becomes dizzy, sees fresh bleeding, is weak, has pain, or vomits, I'm to take her to the ER.
Mother woke up around 5 p.m. After a visit to the bathroom, she said she wasn't hungry and wanted to return to bed. After a while, I asked if she was afraid to eat, for fear it would process through as black stools. She admitted that this was her problem. I told her that if the ulcer is bleeding, it'll process through as black stool anyway. Not eating won't help. It'll just keep her from getting her strength back.
So she admitted she was hungry. I was fixing bagel pizzas for Hubbie's and my supper, but I knew this wasn't the kind of meal that Mother should have right now, so I heated some mashed potatoes and gravy, and English peas for her. She ate all that and asked for an individual cup of cinnamon applesauce, and a cup of coffee.
Then she joined us in the den to watch the movie, "The Last Song," based on a story by Nicholas Sparks, and starring Myley Cyrus. Cyrus plays a rebellious teenager, who stays the summer with her father. They both have a love for music, but it turns out that that the father is seriously ill. Lessons are learned.
After that, we watched an old Alfred Hitchcock 1964 movie, "Marnie," about a woman thief with psychological problems. The movie stars a very young Sean Connery.
Thursday, Oct. 27
Hubbie and Sis arrived in time to hear the doctor announce that Mother would be discharged today. After the doctor left, Hubbie and I visited the snack nook to get free juices, milk, and coffee. And then we went to the cafeteria to get pastries.
A nurse gave us a sort of puzzled look when we stepped into the elevator. "You know that we had power outage last night, don't you?" We did, but we were told the elevators were working now, so we decided to dare it, even though there were no lights in there except for a small strip over the floor indicator.
Made it down the three floors and back up again without incident. I'm thinking I should get a t-shirt that says, "I rode the WRMC elevator and survived."
After breakfast, I came back home to gather what Mother would need for dressing to come home. At the hospital, I found that breakfast...finally...had been served to Mother. Her appetite is still small, so she only ate about half of her food.
Once Mother was dressed, I pulled the van around to a curb to make it easier for her to get into the seat. I had to wait a few minutes before Sis and a nurse wheeled Mother to the van in a wheelchair.
Mother was much cheered to get home. She ate a half a deli turkey sandwich with us, and for supper enjoyed boiled chicken (that Sis had prepared), with mashed potatoes and gravy and English peas.
After supper, Sis and I worked together to help Mother take a shower, since she'd had nothing but bird baths for several days. Hubbie took the doors off the shower stall, and installed a flexible shower head, and with the shower stool and assistance getting into the tub, Mother did fine taking a shower. She felt so much better afterward.
Sis went home later, and Hubbie went to bed upstairs, but I stayed on the couch so I could be close by if Mother needed me in the middle of the night. She slept in the spare bedroom just off the den.
A nurse gave us a sort of puzzled look when we stepped into the elevator. "You know that we had power outage last night, don't you?" We did, but we were told the elevators were working now, so we decided to dare it, even though there were no lights in there except for a small strip over the floor indicator.
Made it down the three floors and back up again without incident. I'm thinking I should get a t-shirt that says, "I rode the WRMC elevator and survived."
After breakfast, I came back home to gather what Mother would need for dressing to come home. At the hospital, I found that breakfast...finally...had been served to Mother. Her appetite is still small, so she only ate about half of her food.
Once Mother was dressed, I pulled the van around to a curb to make it easier for her to get into the seat. I had to wait a few minutes before Sis and a nurse wheeled Mother to the van in a wheelchair.
Mother was much cheered to get home. She ate a half a deli turkey sandwich with us, and for supper enjoyed boiled chicken (that Sis had prepared), with mashed potatoes and gravy and English peas.
After supper, Sis and I worked together to help Mother take a shower, since she'd had nothing but bird baths for several days. Hubbie took the doors off the shower stall, and installed a flexible shower head, and with the shower stool and assistance getting into the tub, Mother did fine taking a shower. She felt so much better afterward.
Sis went home later, and Hubbie went to bed upstairs, but I stayed on the couch so I could be close by if Mother needed me in the middle of the night. She slept in the spare bedroom just off the den.
Wednesday, Oct. 26
Up at 6:30 to get ready to go to the hospital. Sis and I went, while Hubbie stayed home to run errands and take care of the cats, etc.
We arrived around 8 a.m. Mother had eaten a meal of hamburger on a bun, with French fries, and pudding. She was still out of it enough to wonder why she was being served a hamburger and fries for breakfast.
We stayed until lunch, when we came home for deli turkey sandwiches, relax, and do a few chores. We returned to the hospital around 2 p.m. It was obvious to me that Mother wasn't enjoying being by herself now. A new crew had come on that she described as "cranky." And one of the three was male. She wasn't about to let a male help her to the bathroom. So when he came in to take her vitals, I told him we'd need female help when Mother went to the bathroom, and he said it would be no problem.
I decided, though, that I would stay the night with Mother this time. She seemed relieved about this. So Sis and I returned home, where Hubbie had baked potatoes and bought a deli chicken for our supper (Nephew had returned to his and Sis's town last night after supper).
I gathered what I'd need for the night, and Hubbie, Sis, and I went back to the hospital. Hubbie and Sis visited until around 9 p.m., and then returned to our house.
There was a chair that made out into a bed in Mother's room, and the nurses brought me pillows and a blanket. It was adequate, but I wouldn't want to make a habit of sleeping on it...not that I did much sleeping anyway, since the nurses came in frequently to do their thing, the blood pressure monitor nosily inflated every 45 minutes (waking both Mother and me), and a thunderstorm raged outside.
Around 2 a.m., the storm caused a power outage that knocked out the electricity to half the hospital. Fortunately, monitors hooked to patients are switched to a generator in power outages. But the room lights, and some of the elevators were out. In fact, one of the nurses was trapped in one of the elevators for quite a while.
Tonight, the hospital experienced short staff on our floor, thanks to a number of emergency cases coming in (one nurse explained that they had more emergencies on rainy night...like tonight...and during full moons than any other time).
So it was hard to round anybody up when Mother needed to go to the bathroom. At one point, I decided that we'd just do it ourselves, and I unhooked all her stuff, got her out of bed, held onto her, and wheeled the pole of monitors to the bathroom, where I helped her get on and off the potty, walk her and the pole of monitors back to the bed, get her into bed, and hook her back up.
One of the plugs came loose though, alerting the person at the nurse's station, and a nurse soon came in to properly hook it back up. I told her what I'd done, and she sort of frowned and told me to be careful.
Around 3 a.m., the nursing assistant came in to take vitals. The bed has a scale on it for weighing folks, but since the power was out, it wasn't working. So Mother had to get out of bed and step on a scale. After she was lying back down, it was necessary to move her farther up toward the headboard. To do this, there is a square pad under the patient, and nursing staff get on either side of the bed and on the count of three lift the patient upward. Nobody else was available to help the nursing assistant do this, so I did it.
It was a very long night, and Mother and I were both glad when it was finally daylight. All Mother could think about was wanting to go home.
We arrived around 8 a.m. Mother had eaten a meal of hamburger on a bun, with French fries, and pudding. She was still out of it enough to wonder why she was being served a hamburger and fries for breakfast.
We stayed until lunch, when we came home for deli turkey sandwiches, relax, and do a few chores. We returned to the hospital around 2 p.m. It was obvious to me that Mother wasn't enjoying being by herself now. A new crew had come on that she described as "cranky." And one of the three was male. She wasn't about to let a male help her to the bathroom. So when he came in to take her vitals, I told him we'd need female help when Mother went to the bathroom, and he said it would be no problem.
I decided, though, that I would stay the night with Mother this time. She seemed relieved about this. So Sis and I returned home, where Hubbie had baked potatoes and bought a deli chicken for our supper (Nephew had returned to his and Sis's town last night after supper).
I gathered what I'd need for the night, and Hubbie, Sis, and I went back to the hospital. Hubbie and Sis visited until around 9 p.m., and then returned to our house.
There was a chair that made out into a bed in Mother's room, and the nurses brought me pillows and a blanket. It was adequate, but I wouldn't want to make a habit of sleeping on it...not that I did much sleeping anyway, since the nurses came in frequently to do their thing, the blood pressure monitor nosily inflated every 45 minutes (waking both Mother and me), and a thunderstorm raged outside.
Around 2 a.m., the storm caused a power outage that knocked out the electricity to half the hospital. Fortunately, monitors hooked to patients are switched to a generator in power outages. But the room lights, and some of the elevators were out. In fact, one of the nurses was trapped in one of the elevators for quite a while.
Tonight, the hospital experienced short staff on our floor, thanks to a number of emergency cases coming in (one nurse explained that they had more emergencies on rainy night...like tonight...and during full moons than any other time).
So it was hard to round anybody up when Mother needed to go to the bathroom. At one point, I decided that we'd just do it ourselves, and I unhooked all her stuff, got her out of bed, held onto her, and wheeled the pole of monitors to the bathroom, where I helped her get on and off the potty, walk her and the pole of monitors back to the bed, get her into bed, and hook her back up.
One of the plugs came loose though, alerting the person at the nurse's station, and a nurse soon came in to properly hook it back up. I told her what I'd done, and she sort of frowned and told me to be careful.
Around 3 a.m., the nursing assistant came in to take vitals. The bed has a scale on it for weighing folks, but since the power was out, it wasn't working. So Mother had to get out of bed and step on a scale. After she was lying back down, it was necessary to move her farther up toward the headboard. To do this, there is a square pad under the patient, and nursing staff get on either side of the bed and on the count of three lift the patient upward. Nobody else was available to help the nursing assistant do this, so I did it.
It was a very long night, and Mother and I were both glad when it was finally daylight. All Mother could think about was wanting to go home.
Tuesday, Oct. 25
Up at 6:30 to get ready to go to the hospital. We arrived around 8 a.m., just before the doctor came in. The doctor ordered a blood transfusion, since Mother was anemic. She wanted the transfusion to begin immediately, but it around 10 a.m. before the blood finally arrived at Mother's room.
Mother was also given a drip that stopped the bleeding, as well as other meds.
The doctor had ordered a gastrointestinal endoscopy, so Mother could not have food or drink until after that procedure. They didn't get around to it until after 4 p.m., and Mother was pretty hungry and thirsty by then. all they could give her were little sponge suckers dipped in water to swab out her mouth and help alleviate dryness.
In the meantime, I called Sis, who returned the call at 10 a.m. she and Nephew arrived after lunch. I was out of the room when she called, because I had an appointment to get mammograms downstairs.
Hubbie and I visited the hospital cafeteria for lunch, because I didn't want to be away from Mother's room very long.
We all waited until after Mother had her procedure before we left the hospital. Mother was under sedation, and would be for most of the night, so we came home as soon as we got the report on her procedure.
The report showed that Mother has a very large ulcer. A CT scan showed she has a compression fracture (which caused her back pain, although after she arrived at the hospital, that pain seemed to abate). Later, it occurred to me that when the paramedics lefted Mother onto the gurney, the bulging disk in her lower spine probably slipped back into place.
At home, for supper, we had leftover New England stew, with cornbread and biscuits. Then Sis spent time downloading a free anti-virus on my office computer and on my laptop.
Around 8 p.m., Sis and I returned to the hospital and spent a couple of hours with Mother. She was in and out a fugue from her meds, and kept repeating her experience with the procedure. They'd given her a thick, awful tasting drink, I guess to coat, deaden her esophagus, and make her sleep, for the tube that would be inserted. She was out of it before the tube was inserted.
When she came back to the room, she was coughing and hoarse (to be expected), but she seemed fine otherwise. She insisted we go home and rest, and we did, since we were pretty tired.
Funny: at one point in the evening, Sis borrowed my van to run an errand. When she tried to exit the van, though, she kept pulling and pulling on a handle without being able to open the door. She became concerned that she'd broken the handle...until she discovered that she'd been pulling on the handle of the lint roller tucked in car door pocket.
Mother was also given a drip that stopped the bleeding, as well as other meds.
The doctor had ordered a gastrointestinal endoscopy, so Mother could not have food or drink until after that procedure. They didn't get around to it until after 4 p.m., and Mother was pretty hungry and thirsty by then. all they could give her were little sponge suckers dipped in water to swab out her mouth and help alleviate dryness.
In the meantime, I called Sis, who returned the call at 10 a.m. she and Nephew arrived after lunch. I was out of the room when she called, because I had an appointment to get mammograms downstairs.
Hubbie and I visited the hospital cafeteria for lunch, because I didn't want to be away from Mother's room very long.
We all waited until after Mother had her procedure before we left the hospital. Mother was under sedation, and would be for most of the night, so we came home as soon as we got the report on her procedure.
The report showed that Mother has a very large ulcer. A CT scan showed she has a compression fracture (which caused her back pain, although after she arrived at the hospital, that pain seemed to abate). Later, it occurred to me that when the paramedics lefted Mother onto the gurney, the bulging disk in her lower spine probably slipped back into place.
At home, for supper, we had leftover New England stew, with cornbread and biscuits. Then Sis spent time downloading a free anti-virus on my office computer and on my laptop.
Around 8 p.m., Sis and I returned to the hospital and spent a couple of hours with Mother. She was in and out a fugue from her meds, and kept repeating her experience with the procedure. They'd given her a thick, awful tasting drink, I guess to coat, deaden her esophagus, and make her sleep, for the tube that would be inserted. She was out of it before the tube was inserted.
When she came back to the room, she was coughing and hoarse (to be expected), but she seemed fine otherwise. She insisted we go home and rest, and we did, since we were pretty tired.
Funny: at one point in the evening, Sis borrowed my van to run an errand. When she tried to exit the van, though, she kept pulling and pulling on a handle without being able to open the door. She became concerned that she'd broken the handle...until she discovered that she'd been pulling on the handle of the lint roller tucked in car door pocket.
Monday, Oct. 24
Last night around 10 p.m., Mother buzzed me on the intercom. She had been to the bathroom and found she was bleeding from the bowel. I hurried over there and checked the bathroom. She had made a mess trying to clean herself up, but I left the bathroom undisturbed, since I knew the paramedics would want to look at it.
Hubbie called an ambulance, while I got Mother ready to go. We didn't get her fully dressed, but only made sure she had a warm robe on for the chilly evening.
It was a painful experience for Mother getting her off the porch and onto the gurney, because she was weak and barely able to walk and go down steps. A couple of women paramedics lifted her onto the gurney, which was painful because of her lower back problem.
At the emergency room, hospital staff were pretty quick in ordering blood and other tests for Mother. Still we spent a lot of time in the ER area. Finally, though, it was determined that Mother needed a room upstairs. They didn't get Mother settled until around 3 a.m.
Once I knew she was comfortable, Hubbie and I came home to sleep for a little while, so we could be at the hospital before 8 a.m., when tests would be run on Mother.
Hubbie called an ambulance, while I got Mother ready to go. We didn't get her fully dressed, but only made sure she had a warm robe on for the chilly evening.
It was a painful experience for Mother getting her off the porch and onto the gurney, because she was weak and barely able to walk and go down steps. A couple of women paramedics lifted her onto the gurney, which was painful because of her lower back problem.
At the emergency room, hospital staff were pretty quick in ordering blood and other tests for Mother. Still we spent a lot of time in the ER area. Finally, though, it was determined that Mother needed a room upstairs. They didn't get Mother settled until around 3 a.m.
Once I knew she was comfortable, Hubbie and I came home to sleep for a little while, so we could be at the hospital before 8 a.m., when tests would be run on Mother.
Monday, October 24, 2011
Monday, Oct. 24
Up at 6:30 to get ready to go to water aerobics. A light fog lent a dreamy quality to the autumn trees on the drive to the college.
I was a bit aggravated when I arrived at the dressing room to find that I hadn't packed my shorts into my swim bag. The suit I'm currently using is pretty thin and exposes too much of my backside. The ladies assured me they didn't care. And I wouldn't have cared either if there weren't a couple of men at the pool...one a water aerobics member, and the other the lifeguard.
So I had two choices...return home, or call Hubbie to bring my shorts. I chose the latter, and he arrived (amused) with them in a few minutes.
The water in the pool was gloriously warm, and twenty-five of us reveled in it. The talk today was about the restaurant that recently closed. The closing has left many lunch-meeting groups in the lurch. Some had paid the restaurant upfront for their meals, which, it seems, is not going to be refunded.
This is one of the only restaurants with a meeting room for large gatherings. The others serve alcohol, which is frowned upon by several groups. The whole thing has created a scandal, apparently, since the husband/wife owners, members of a fundamentalist church, lost their restaurant franchise because of unsanitary kitchen conditions, failure to pay the restaurant electric bill, and (rumor has it) the husband's dalliance with the kitchen help.
Back home after aerobics, I reviewed the lesson plan for today's meeting with my ESL student, while I enjoyed a couple of cups of hot coffee. Meanwhile, Hubbie went to a grocery store to get a gallon of milk, because when I talked to Mother earlier, she thought her stomach might be able to tolerate a bowl of oatmeal.
Hubbie prepared the oatmeal for Mother, while I got ready for the day. As soon as I was dressed, I visited Mother. Her stomach was queasy all morning, she said, but it felt better after she ate. She doesn't have much of an appetite, so it's difficult for me to come up with ideas for meals for her.
After lunch, I went to the greeting card shop to spend a $2 coupon on birthday cards for great-grandkids. I anticipated getting 99-cent ones, but I only found one at that price. It appears the company is raising the price of the economy cards to $1.99.
From the card shop, I went to a bank to try and pick up a free ticket for Sis for an upcoming performance of "A Christmas Carol," but the girl at the reception desk was new to her job, and couldn't find the tickets. She called a co-worker, who said the tickets had arrived, but only one other employee knew anything about distributing them, and she wasn't on the job today.
So I stopped by the college that is sponsoring the play. The receptionist said she didn't have the tickets, and I should go down the hall to the last glass door on the right, and the lady in that office could help me. But unfortunately, the glass door was locked.
So I gave up trying to get a ticket. I'll try again some other day this week. Back home, I gathered my ESL materials and headed to the college.
Today, the student learned to answer questions beginning with "What time...," as in "What time does the class start?" "What time does the bank open?" etc. Then she learned responses using the verb "find out": "What time does the bank open?" "I don't know. I'll find out for you."
Then we reviewed the frequency adverbs of always, usually, often, sometimes, hardly ever, and never. "I always drink coffee for breakfast." "I sometimes drink soda in the afternoon." "I never drink beer in the morning."
Then we dealt with the position of frequency adverbs: "I am always cold." "He is usually cold." "She never opens the window at night."
We ended with the use of ever and never: "Do you ever drink beer?" "No, I never drink beer," etc.
Around 4 p.m., I asked the student to follow me downtown to the county library, where she obtained a library card. The library has recently acquired a sizable collection of books, CDs, and DVDs in Spanish. When I left, the student was excitedly browsing the collection. The librarian laughed and commented, "That should keep her happy for a while."
Back home, Hubbie came in from the yard to shower and change so that we could go back to the college to attend a free dinner sponsored by our insurance agency. We've never seen so many people at this annual event. We arrived very early, and were among the first in line at the self-serve table, but folks were still lined up all the way out the door when we'd finished our meals. I'd be interested to learn how many attended tonight, but it must have been 500 or more. Guess nobody wanted to cook tonight. Or the economy is so poor that everyone is looking for a free meal.
There was to be door prize drawings after the business meeting, but we decided to give our seats to some friends and come on home. We left our door prize ticket stubs with our friends. Hope they won something.
The meal served was the same as every year...fried catfish and chicken strips, with French fries, hush puppies, and coleslaw. I painstakingly peeled the coating off my fish and chicken before I ate it, contented myself with four French fries and a couple of hush puppies, and some coleslaw. I had a giant pile of coating left on my plate, proving that fried catfish is mainly deep fried batter.
I offered to go to a fish house and buy a meal for Mother, but she didn't think she was up to it tonight. Anytime Mother turns down her favorite meal, it's a sure bet her stomach isn't right.
Back home, we did the usual...watched TV.
I was a bit aggravated when I arrived at the dressing room to find that I hadn't packed my shorts into my swim bag. The suit I'm currently using is pretty thin and exposes too much of my backside. The ladies assured me they didn't care. And I wouldn't have cared either if there weren't a couple of men at the pool...one a water aerobics member, and the other the lifeguard.
So I had two choices...return home, or call Hubbie to bring my shorts. I chose the latter, and he arrived (amused) with them in a few minutes.
The water in the pool was gloriously warm, and twenty-five of us reveled in it. The talk today was about the restaurant that recently closed. The closing has left many lunch-meeting groups in the lurch. Some had paid the restaurant upfront for their meals, which, it seems, is not going to be refunded.
This is one of the only restaurants with a meeting room for large gatherings. The others serve alcohol, which is frowned upon by several groups. The whole thing has created a scandal, apparently, since the husband/wife owners, members of a fundamentalist church, lost their restaurant franchise because of unsanitary kitchen conditions, failure to pay the restaurant electric bill, and (rumor has it) the husband's dalliance with the kitchen help.
Back home after aerobics, I reviewed the lesson plan for today's meeting with my ESL student, while I enjoyed a couple of cups of hot coffee. Meanwhile, Hubbie went to a grocery store to get a gallon of milk, because when I talked to Mother earlier, she thought her stomach might be able to tolerate a bowl of oatmeal.
Hubbie prepared the oatmeal for Mother, while I got ready for the day. As soon as I was dressed, I visited Mother. Her stomach was queasy all morning, she said, but it felt better after she ate. She doesn't have much of an appetite, so it's difficult for me to come up with ideas for meals for her.
After lunch, I went to the greeting card shop to spend a $2 coupon on birthday cards for great-grandkids. I anticipated getting 99-cent ones, but I only found one at that price. It appears the company is raising the price of the economy cards to $1.99.
From the card shop, I went to a bank to try and pick up a free ticket for Sis for an upcoming performance of "A Christmas Carol," but the girl at the reception desk was new to her job, and couldn't find the tickets. She called a co-worker, who said the tickets had arrived, but only one other employee knew anything about distributing them, and she wasn't on the job today.
So I stopped by the college that is sponsoring the play. The receptionist said she didn't have the tickets, and I should go down the hall to the last glass door on the right, and the lady in that office could help me. But unfortunately, the glass door was locked.
So I gave up trying to get a ticket. I'll try again some other day this week. Back home, I gathered my ESL materials and headed to the college.
Today, the student learned to answer questions beginning with "What time...," as in "What time does the class start?" "What time does the bank open?" etc. Then she learned responses using the verb "find out": "What time does the bank open?" "I don't know. I'll find out for you."
Then we reviewed the frequency adverbs of always, usually, often, sometimes, hardly ever, and never. "I always drink coffee for breakfast." "I sometimes drink soda in the afternoon." "I never drink beer in the morning."
Then we dealt with the position of frequency adverbs: "I am always cold." "He is usually cold." "She never opens the window at night."
We ended with the use of ever and never: "Do you ever drink beer?" "No, I never drink beer," etc.
Around 4 p.m., I asked the student to follow me downtown to the county library, where she obtained a library card. The library has recently acquired a sizable collection of books, CDs, and DVDs in Spanish. When I left, the student was excitedly browsing the collection. The librarian laughed and commented, "That should keep her happy for a while."
Back home, Hubbie came in from the yard to shower and change so that we could go back to the college to attend a free dinner sponsored by our insurance agency. We've never seen so many people at this annual event. We arrived very early, and were among the first in line at the self-serve table, but folks were still lined up all the way out the door when we'd finished our meals. I'd be interested to learn how many attended tonight, but it must have been 500 or more. Guess nobody wanted to cook tonight. Or the economy is so poor that everyone is looking for a free meal.
There was to be door prize drawings after the business meeting, but we decided to give our seats to some friends and come on home. We left our door prize ticket stubs with our friends. Hope they won something.
The meal served was the same as every year...fried catfish and chicken strips, with French fries, hush puppies, and coleslaw. I painstakingly peeled the coating off my fish and chicken before I ate it, contented myself with four French fries and a couple of hush puppies, and some coleslaw. I had a giant pile of coating left on my plate, proving that fried catfish is mainly deep fried batter.
I offered to go to a fish house and buy a meal for Mother, but she didn't think she was up to it tonight. Anytime Mother turns down her favorite meal, it's a sure bet her stomach isn't right.
Back home, we did the usual...watched TV.
Sunday, October 23, 2011
Sunday, Oct. 23
Slept late, until around 8 a.m. Hubbie was already downstairs when I came down. Skipped my exercises, and as soon as I was ready for the day, I checked on Mother at her house. She seemed fine, except that her back is still really bothering her. She's not doing much beyond sitting in her rocking chair.
Back home, I started a pot of New England stew simmering. Hubbie helped with the task by cutting up vegetables for me. While the stew cooked, I did the usual Sunday things of programming the DVR and reading the Sunday newspaper.
Just before noon, I fixed a pan of cornbread and a package of biscuits. Then I took a serving of the stew and some cornbread to Mother for her lunch. I thought she might not be interested in this meal today, but she said she wanted to try it.
After lunch, I fixed a batch of instant chocolate pudding, and then around 2 p.m., Hubbie and I went to a college to see the drama department's
production of "The Sweetest Swing in Baseball." A famous female painter's work declines, and she tries to commit suicide. She is sent to a psychiatric hospital and becomes so fond of the facility that she doesn't want to leave. But her insurance is running out, so she decides to pretend she thinks she's Darryl Strawberry, the famous black baseball player, in hopes of fooling the hospital staff into extending her stay.
I don't think this was one of the college's better productions. It was okay, but just not outstanding. Hubbie kept nodding off, and some guy behind us went so far as to snore.
Back home, I checked on Mother, who seemed fine. She thought that all she wanted for supper was a bowl of Cherrios, so I fetched the box from the top of her freezer so she wouldn't have to reach for them or use a step stool.
For our supper, Hubbie and I had whole wheat pancakes. Afterward, we watched TV, including the 2000 movie, "Autumn in New York," starring Richard Gere and Winona Rider. This is a romance about a handsome older man, who falls for a young woman, whom he finds out later is terminally ill.
On a lighter note: at the scrapbook club meeting last Thursday, the other member and I discussed the book, "The Help," and the movie based on it. Then she mentioned that she hosted a birthday party for her daughter recently. Without thinking, she baked a chocolate pie for it. Upon seeing it, her daughter said, "Mama, I really appreciate your thoughtfulness, but I don't think I can eat that pie." (Anyone who doesn't see the humor in this needs to read the book or see the movie).
Back home, I started a pot of New England stew simmering. Hubbie helped with the task by cutting up vegetables for me. While the stew cooked, I did the usual Sunday things of programming the DVR and reading the Sunday newspaper.
Just before noon, I fixed a pan of cornbread and a package of biscuits. Then I took a serving of the stew and some cornbread to Mother for her lunch. I thought she might not be interested in this meal today, but she said she wanted to try it.
After lunch, I fixed a batch of instant chocolate pudding, and then around 2 p.m., Hubbie and I went to a college to see the drama department's
production of "The Sweetest Swing in Baseball." A famous female painter's work declines, and she tries to commit suicide. She is sent to a psychiatric hospital and becomes so fond of the facility that she doesn't want to leave. But her insurance is running out, so she decides to pretend she thinks she's Darryl Strawberry, the famous black baseball player, in hopes of fooling the hospital staff into extending her stay.
I don't think this was one of the college's better productions. It was okay, but just not outstanding. Hubbie kept nodding off, and some guy behind us went so far as to snore.
Back home, I checked on Mother, who seemed fine. She thought that all she wanted for supper was a bowl of Cherrios, so I fetched the box from the top of her freezer so she wouldn't have to reach for them or use a step stool.
For our supper, Hubbie and I had whole wheat pancakes. Afterward, we watched TV, including the 2000 movie, "Autumn in New York," starring Richard Gere and Winona Rider. This is a romance about a handsome older man, who falls for a young woman, whom he finds out later is terminally ill.
On a lighter note: at the scrapbook club meeting last Thursday, the other member and I discussed the book, "The Help," and the movie based on it. Then she mentioned that she hosted a birthday party for her daughter recently. Without thinking, she baked a chocolate pie for it. Upon seeing it, her daughter said, "Mama, I really appreciate your thoughtfulness, but I don't think I can eat that pie." (Anyone who doesn't see the humor in this needs to read the book or see the movie).
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