Up at 7 a.m. to get ready for a visit from Niece and Daughter. Niece arrived close to 10 a.m., but daughter didn't get here until noon. Along the route she'd chosen to take, an 18-wheeler turned over, so emergency personnel had halted traffic. Daughter decided to take an alternate route that was a long way around to our house.
Since the two women were longer than expected in arriving, Hubbie and I went ahead to a boys ranch craft fair around 9 a.m. to pick up cinnamon rolls. I'm usually not a real fan of cinnamon rolls, but these large yeast confections are too mouth-watering to pass up. The rolls are snapped up early, so folks who want them have to get to the craft fair soon after it opens. We bought a dozen of them.
I served the rolls with the soup/chili/deli sandwich lunch. Just as we were finishing lunch, there was knock on the door. A neighbor man alerted us that a young woman in a pickup truck, driving erratically, missed her turn onto the road that runs along the west side of our property and instead drove onto our lawn and into a tree.
The man said she'd been swerving on the highway and nearly took out a fence near the curve, before driving onto our lawn. He parked in our driveway and rushed down to see if the woman was hurt. She was not, but he said she was acting crazy. He told her to put the truck in park, and as soon as she did, he snatched the keys out of the ignition and told her to stay in the truck until police arrived.
He said she was acting "out of her head crazy." The police arrived in a few minutes and gave her a drug and sobriety test, which she passed. It was determined that she was having a bad reaction to an anti-psychotic drug.
I snapped pictures of the mishap. There was quite a bit of damage to the front end of her truck. There was headlight debris on the ground in front of the tree she hit, and the bark was scraped off the lower part of the tree trunk, but otherwise there was no damage to our yard.
Once the police had completed a report, and the truck was taken away by a member of the woman's family, Niece, Daughter, Hubbie, and I went to the boys ranch craft fair. It was a nice day for an outing...crisp, but sunny. We were disappointed that there were no horse and carriage rides today, but we enjoyed touring the crafts booths. Neither Niece nor Daughter bought anything. But I bought a cute cardinal bird Christmas tree ornament, and a pine cone ornament fashioned into a penguin. I also bought a small bucket of turtles candy.
The crowd wasn't as large this year as in past years, and I didn't see a lot of folks buying stuff. I guess that's why I picked up a few items...if the vendors don't sell their wares, they'll quit renting spaces at the craft fair. I think we need to support our local crafters. But in this down economy, I can understand why folks are careful with their dollars. Hubbie bought a package of peanut brittle. Like me, he felt sorry for the vendor, who offered samples of the candy, but who didn't seem to be selling much of it.
On the way back home, Daughter commented of how comfortable the mesh back support in her seat was. Niece tried it, and was impressed with it, too. She said the chiropractor's office sells them for $35. She was excited when she learned we paid only a dollar apiece for the three we bought. She and Daughter wanted to go by the everything's a dollar store and buy some for themselves.
Back home, we visited for the rest of the afternoon. Niece left around 4:30 p.m., and Daughter stayed until after supper. She headed home about 6:30.
After she left, I helped mother take a shower. Mother went to bed around 7 p.m. While I was helping Mother, Hubbie watched our favorite college basketball team play to a disappointing loss. Since I was busy, I caught only snippets of the game.
After that, we watched one-hour shows until bedtime.
Saturday, December 10, 2011
Friday, December 9, 2011
Friday, Dec. 9
Birthdays so far this month: two daughters, two granddaughters, two great-granddaughters, and a grandson. Happy Birthday to all! More coming up throughout the month.
Up at 6:30 on this crisp late fall day, so I could get ready to go to water aerobics. Only nine of us showed up today, though. The water was a little cooler than the last time I attended a couple of weeks ago, but it was okay once I got used to it. I was just so glad to be back in the pool that I didn't care what the temperature was.
The last I'd heard, today was to be the last day of aerobics until after winter break at the college, but the athletic department has granted us one more week of aerobics. Yay!
Back home at 9:30, I learned that the head nurse was to visit Mother at 10 a.m., so I had to hurry to shower and be dressed before that time. Fortunately, the nurse was ten minutes late, and she arrived just as I got back downstairs again.
The nurse put Mother through her paces, including observing all of her exercise routine, and then checking to see if her balance has improved. It has, but she still tires after only a little exertion, like walking around our house a few times.
Both the nurse and Mother's therapist are pleased with the way our house is laid out, which allows Mother to walk about 65 steps in a loop through the den, the living room, the dining room, and the kitchen. They are also glad to see the stairway, which the therapist will soon be using to help Mother strengthen her leg muscles, so she can get in and out of our van more easily.
The nurse's assessment is that Mother should continue physical therapy until at least the end of December. She also recommends assistive devices to help Mother put on her pants and socks without needing help from me. For this, she will need to be visited by someone to show her how to best use the devices.
We will need to purchase the devices next week. We don't know yet if Medicare will cover the expense of the devices with a prescription from her doctor.
Just before 11 a.m., I went to the "Water Babes" Christmas party at a local Italian restaurant. About twenty of us attended. The event included a "Dirty Santa" gift exchange that seemed to drag on forever. Maybe it seemed particularly long, because I'd agreed to get to-go slices of quiche for Mother's and Hubbie's lunches, and I'd hoped to be home by noon.
No such luck. It was nearly 1 p.m. before the event ended. I called to alert Hubbie that I'd be later than I thought, and he said neither he nor Mother were starving, and would have no trouble waiting a while for lunch.
"Dirty Santa" gift exchange: I chose a gift that included a quart jar of local honey, and I wanted to keep it, but drats, someone stole it from me. The next gift I chose was a sparkly Elvis Christmas tree ornament.
Fortunately, one of the ladies asked if I'd be willing to exchange the ornament for what she'd drawn, because her grandson is an Elvis impersonator, and she thought he'd love the ornament. I agreed, and in exchange I got a stuffed snowman meant to sit on a shelf, and two pretty Christmas kitchen towels.
I gave the snowman to Mother to display in her bedroom. The kitchen towels are a welcome gift, since I needed new ones to use when guests visit over the holidays.
Our aerobics leader always gives each of us a Christmas tree ornament. This year, we could choose from sparkly red poinsettias, red birds, or reindeer. I chose a red bird for myself, and a poinsettia for Mother.
The leader related a Christmas story today: a teacher had a student in her class, whose mother had died, and whose father ran off. The boy was being raised by his aunt, his mother's sister, who found the boy to be a burden and never let him forget it.
The teacher was very kind and motherly to the boy, so that the boy was willing to do anything to help the teacher with chores around the school.
Near Christmas, though, he quit staying after school to help the teacher, and the teacher asked why. The boy said he was spending his time making a Christmas gift for the teacher.
A few days before Christmas, the boy presented the teacher with a crudely built box, made of various scraps of wood. The teacher heaped praise on the boy, but said it felt pretty light. Was there anything in it? "Yes," the boy said, "It's filled with love."
For many years, the teacher displayed the humble box on her piano. When folks asked why she didn't discard it, she said, "I can't. It's filled with the most precious of all gifts...love."
Back home, Mother and Hubbie were grateful to at last get their lunches. The quiche the snowman, and the poinsettia ornament cheered Mother and made her feel she was participating a little bit in the festivities.
Later, at 3 p.m., Hubbie and I went to an office downtown for a by-invitation-only drop-in event that included a buffet of food. Neither of us was hungry, but at the host's urging, we filled a paper plate with brisket, a few dips, and grape salad to bring home.
Before we left for the event, Hubbie asked if I had something we could give as a gift to the office assistant. We give her something every year, but this year, my scrambled brain didn't remember to find something.
I did remember, though, that I had put a baggie of homemade chocolate/peppermint bark in the freezer a few months ago. I retrieved it, then went through my Christmas totes and found a new-looking tin with a red lid to put the candy in. It made a very attractive gift. The assistant said she was going to hide the candy so her teen kids couldn't find it, since they'd eaten a batch of fudge that someone else had recently given her.
Back home, we relaxed for a while, and I answered a newsy e-mail from a friend. Like us, she and her husband have family members with medical problems. I realized when I got the e-mail that I hadn't alerted her about Mother's problems. She will definitely want to know about them.
Today, I got Christmas photo postcards from two other friends...one was a friend posing with her Shih Tzu dog (this one made me both happy and sad), and the other was of a friend and her husband. Usually, picture postcards are of friend's children. It's refreshing to get photos of the adults.
Around 5:30, I fixed Mother the other half of her quiche for supper, and then Hubbie and I went to a local church fellowship hall for the home medical services Christmas party.
This year, it was a family event, so there were a lot of folks there. The event included games for both adults and children, as well as a photo portrait session. A staff member insisted that Hubbie and I take advantage of the photo session, so we did. But I feel like I shut my eyes as soon as the shutter snapped. We'll see.
We didn't take part in the adult game, which was a take-off of the popular TV show, "A Minute to Win it." Sixteen people volunteered to participate. The game began with all sixteen putting cookies on their foreheads and then trying to work the cookies down to their mouths without using their hands.
Next, the eight remaining contestants had to pull facial tissue out of two boxes as fast as they could. The four remaining had to keep balloons in the air with just their hands. The two remaining had to bounce pencils by their erasers into glasses.
The next group had to do the cookie thing, then pull crepe paper out of rolls, then use open pizza boxes to fan Christmas tree balls in attempt to guide them inside a circle on the floor. The last two had to race back and forth hanging candy canes on a stretched string. Each round of the games happened in just one minute.
The buffet meal included deli meat sandwiches, hot wings, chicken fingers, barbecue chicken, ham and chicken roll-ups, veggies and chips with cold and hot dips, meatballs, bruschettas, pigs-in-a-blanket, and an array of desserts.
Again, once everyone had eaten, staff members insisted that we take plates of the food home, since there was so much left. So we did. Looks like I won't have to worry about Sunday lunch...we'll have a potluck of foods from today.
We were back home around 7:30. Mother was already in bed. She said her back was bothering her. Maybe she exercised too much today. I gave her a couple of Tylonol capsules for the pain. Hopefully, she'll feel better in the morning.
Hubbie and I spent the rest of the evening watching TV. We understood that Niece was to come sometime this evening to spend the night and visit tomorrow, but she never did arrive. Nor did she alert us that she wouldn't be coming after all. Maybe she'll be here tomorrow.
Up at 6:30 on this crisp late fall day, so I could get ready to go to water aerobics. Only nine of us showed up today, though. The water was a little cooler than the last time I attended a couple of weeks ago, but it was okay once I got used to it. I was just so glad to be back in the pool that I didn't care what the temperature was.
The last I'd heard, today was to be the last day of aerobics until after winter break at the college, but the athletic department has granted us one more week of aerobics. Yay!
Back home at 9:30, I learned that the head nurse was to visit Mother at 10 a.m., so I had to hurry to shower and be dressed before that time. Fortunately, the nurse was ten minutes late, and she arrived just as I got back downstairs again.
The nurse put Mother through her paces, including observing all of her exercise routine, and then checking to see if her balance has improved. It has, but she still tires after only a little exertion, like walking around our house a few times.
Both the nurse and Mother's therapist are pleased with the way our house is laid out, which allows Mother to walk about 65 steps in a loop through the den, the living room, the dining room, and the kitchen. They are also glad to see the stairway, which the therapist will soon be using to help Mother strengthen her leg muscles, so she can get in and out of our van more easily.
The nurse's assessment is that Mother should continue physical therapy until at least the end of December. She also recommends assistive devices to help Mother put on her pants and socks without needing help from me. For this, she will need to be visited by someone to show her how to best use the devices.
We will need to purchase the devices next week. We don't know yet if Medicare will cover the expense of the devices with a prescription from her doctor.
Just before 11 a.m., I went to the "Water Babes" Christmas party at a local Italian restaurant. About twenty of us attended. The event included a "Dirty Santa" gift exchange that seemed to drag on forever. Maybe it seemed particularly long, because I'd agreed to get to-go slices of quiche for Mother's and Hubbie's lunches, and I'd hoped to be home by noon.
No such luck. It was nearly 1 p.m. before the event ended. I called to alert Hubbie that I'd be later than I thought, and he said neither he nor Mother were starving, and would have no trouble waiting a while for lunch.
"Dirty Santa" gift exchange: I chose a gift that included a quart jar of local honey, and I wanted to keep it, but drats, someone stole it from me. The next gift I chose was a sparkly Elvis Christmas tree ornament.
Fortunately, one of the ladies asked if I'd be willing to exchange the ornament for what she'd drawn, because her grandson is an Elvis impersonator, and she thought he'd love the ornament. I agreed, and in exchange I got a stuffed snowman meant to sit on a shelf, and two pretty Christmas kitchen towels.
I gave the snowman to Mother to display in her bedroom. The kitchen towels are a welcome gift, since I needed new ones to use when guests visit over the holidays.
Our aerobics leader always gives each of us a Christmas tree ornament. This year, we could choose from sparkly red poinsettias, red birds, or reindeer. I chose a red bird for myself, and a poinsettia for Mother.
The leader related a Christmas story today: a teacher had a student in her class, whose mother had died, and whose father ran off. The boy was being raised by his aunt, his mother's sister, who found the boy to be a burden and never let him forget it.
The teacher was very kind and motherly to the boy, so that the boy was willing to do anything to help the teacher with chores around the school.
Near Christmas, though, he quit staying after school to help the teacher, and the teacher asked why. The boy said he was spending his time making a Christmas gift for the teacher.
A few days before Christmas, the boy presented the teacher with a crudely built box, made of various scraps of wood. The teacher heaped praise on the boy, but said it felt pretty light. Was there anything in it? "Yes," the boy said, "It's filled with love."
For many years, the teacher displayed the humble box on her piano. When folks asked why she didn't discard it, she said, "I can't. It's filled with the most precious of all gifts...love."
Back home, Mother and Hubbie were grateful to at last get their lunches. The quiche the snowman, and the poinsettia ornament cheered Mother and made her feel she was participating a little bit in the festivities.
Later, at 3 p.m., Hubbie and I went to an office downtown for a by-invitation-only drop-in event that included a buffet of food. Neither of us was hungry, but at the host's urging, we filled a paper plate with brisket, a few dips, and grape salad to bring home.
Before we left for the event, Hubbie asked if I had something we could give as a gift to the office assistant. We give her something every year, but this year, my scrambled brain didn't remember to find something.
I did remember, though, that I had put a baggie of homemade chocolate/peppermint bark in the freezer a few months ago. I retrieved it, then went through my Christmas totes and found a new-looking tin with a red lid to put the candy in. It made a very attractive gift. The assistant said she was going to hide the candy so her teen kids couldn't find it, since they'd eaten a batch of fudge that someone else had recently given her.
Back home, we relaxed for a while, and I answered a newsy e-mail from a friend. Like us, she and her husband have family members with medical problems. I realized when I got the e-mail that I hadn't alerted her about Mother's problems. She will definitely want to know about them.
Today, I got Christmas photo postcards from two other friends...one was a friend posing with her Shih Tzu dog (this one made me both happy and sad), and the other was of a friend and her husband. Usually, picture postcards are of friend's children. It's refreshing to get photos of the adults.
Around 5:30, I fixed Mother the other half of her quiche for supper, and then Hubbie and I went to a local church fellowship hall for the home medical services Christmas party.
This year, it was a family event, so there were a lot of folks there. The event included games for both adults and children, as well as a photo portrait session. A staff member insisted that Hubbie and I take advantage of the photo session, so we did. But I feel like I shut my eyes as soon as the shutter snapped. We'll see.
We didn't take part in the adult game, which was a take-off of the popular TV show, "A Minute to Win it." Sixteen people volunteered to participate. The game began with all sixteen putting cookies on their foreheads and then trying to work the cookies down to their mouths without using their hands.
Next, the eight remaining contestants had to pull facial tissue out of two boxes as fast as they could. The four remaining had to keep balloons in the air with just their hands. The two remaining had to bounce pencils by their erasers into glasses.
The next group had to do the cookie thing, then pull crepe paper out of rolls, then use open pizza boxes to fan Christmas tree balls in attempt to guide them inside a circle on the floor. The last two had to race back and forth hanging candy canes on a stretched string. Each round of the games happened in just one minute.
The buffet meal included deli meat sandwiches, hot wings, chicken fingers, barbecue chicken, ham and chicken roll-ups, veggies and chips with cold and hot dips, meatballs, bruschettas, pigs-in-a-blanket, and an array of desserts.
Again, once everyone had eaten, staff members insisted that we take plates of the food home, since there was so much left. So we did. Looks like I won't have to worry about Sunday lunch...we'll have a potluck of foods from today.
We were back home around 7:30. Mother was already in bed. She said her back was bothering her. Maybe she exercised too much today. I gave her a couple of Tylonol capsules for the pain. Hopefully, she'll feel better in the morning.
Hubbie and I spent the rest of the evening watching TV. We understood that Niece was to come sometime this evening to spend the night and visit tomorrow, but she never did arrive. Nor did she alert us that she wouldn't be coming after all. Maybe she'll be here tomorrow.
Thursday, December 8, 2011
Thursday, Dec. 8
Up around 7 a.m., and after breakfast, I did a treadmill session, then helped Mother take a shower, before I got ready for the day.
Today, I dressed in holiday wear to go with Hubbie to the Master Gardener Christmas party. Hubbie opted out of taking a gift for a "Dirty Santa," exchange, which was the right thing to do, since only four people brought gifts. Apparently, the group never came to an agreement on whether to have the exchange or not, so most folks just didn't bring anything.
It was a brief party...once we'd all eaten, we left. The tables were set attractively with alternating red and white plastic table clothes, and centerpieces of potted live poinsettias, and various kinds of little Christmas trees (wood, metal, etc.).
The meal was good...a potluck of foods, with lots of the dishes being fruit or vegetable salads. There was also roasted turkey and cornbread dressing, and an array of desserts. There were lots of leftovers, so we brought home a plate of food for Mother, which she enjoyed for her supper tonight.
At past parties, besides a "Dirty Santa" gift exchange, someone presented a short Christmas-themed program, and each member received inexpensive gifts. One year, the gifts were little green teapots shaped like artichokes. And there was always Christmas music. No Christmas music this year. Wonder if all this is a reaction to the downed economy?
The party began at noon, and we were back home by 1 p.m. This afternoon, I stayed very busy...changed Mother's bed, and cleared and dusted all the surfaces so Mother could put a few Christmas decorations out, especially her small nativity scene, which Hubbie fetched from her house.
I finished decorating the big tree in the sunroom...at least I put all the special ornaments on it. I also decorated the top of the China cabinet, put an assortment of Christmas-themed mugs on a lazy Susan on top of the fridge, brought Christmas books downstairs to put on an end table, ironed a tablecloth for the dining room table, fashioned a centerpiece for the table, and put other touches of Christmas around the house.
Then I put together two gift baskets...one for the Water Babes Christmas party tomorrow, and one for Daughter, who will be here for a visit on Saturday. I also gathered items for a gift bag for Niece, who will also be here Saturday.
All the decorating today was not only for our family visitors Saturday, but also for a couple of friends, who will visit Sunday afternoon. Our friend from a town about two hours away is visiting for a couple of days with our other friend here in town, so the friend here in town called today to ask if we'd be free Sunday. They are anxious to see Mother after her recent illness.
Finally, around 5:30 p.m., I was ready to relax. Except for submitting a monthly report to the Literacy Council, I was done for the day. I'd prepared Mother's supper around 4:30, since she'd had an early lunch. Hubbie and I waited until around 6:30 before we had a supper of leftovers.
Then we watched a TNT mystery movie, "Silent Witness." A teacher is accused of killing a student, and he calls upon his defense attorney friend to defend him.
Mother watched the whole movie, and then went to bed around 8:30. Hubbie and I continued watching TV until bedtime.
Note: tonight we were invited to a formal dance party at the local dance studio, but since I don't own a formal or semi-formal dress (in fact, I don't own a dress of any kind), I opted out of the event.
Today, I dressed in holiday wear to go with Hubbie to the Master Gardener Christmas party. Hubbie opted out of taking a gift for a "Dirty Santa," exchange, which was the right thing to do, since only four people brought gifts. Apparently, the group never came to an agreement on whether to have the exchange or not, so most folks just didn't bring anything.
It was a brief party...once we'd all eaten, we left. The tables were set attractively with alternating red and white plastic table clothes, and centerpieces of potted live poinsettias, and various kinds of little Christmas trees (wood, metal, etc.).
The meal was good...a potluck of foods, with lots of the dishes being fruit or vegetable salads. There was also roasted turkey and cornbread dressing, and an array of desserts. There were lots of leftovers, so we brought home a plate of food for Mother, which she enjoyed for her supper tonight.
At past parties, besides a "Dirty Santa" gift exchange, someone presented a short Christmas-themed program, and each member received inexpensive gifts. One year, the gifts were little green teapots shaped like artichokes. And there was always Christmas music. No Christmas music this year. Wonder if all this is a reaction to the downed economy?
The party began at noon, and we were back home by 1 p.m. This afternoon, I stayed very busy...changed Mother's bed, and cleared and dusted all the surfaces so Mother could put a few Christmas decorations out, especially her small nativity scene, which Hubbie fetched from her house.
I finished decorating the big tree in the sunroom...at least I put all the special ornaments on it. I also decorated the top of the China cabinet, put an assortment of Christmas-themed mugs on a lazy Susan on top of the fridge, brought Christmas books downstairs to put on an end table, ironed a tablecloth for the dining room table, fashioned a centerpiece for the table, and put other touches of Christmas around the house.
Then I put together two gift baskets...one for the Water Babes Christmas party tomorrow, and one for Daughter, who will be here for a visit on Saturday. I also gathered items for a gift bag for Niece, who will also be here Saturday.
All the decorating today was not only for our family visitors Saturday, but also for a couple of friends, who will visit Sunday afternoon. Our friend from a town about two hours away is visiting for a couple of days with our other friend here in town, so the friend here in town called today to ask if we'd be free Sunday. They are anxious to see Mother after her recent illness.
Finally, around 5:30 p.m., I was ready to relax. Except for submitting a monthly report to the Literacy Council, I was done for the day. I'd prepared Mother's supper around 4:30, since she'd had an early lunch. Hubbie and I waited until around 6:30 before we had a supper of leftovers.
Then we watched a TNT mystery movie, "Silent Witness." A teacher is accused of killing a student, and he calls upon his defense attorney friend to defend him.
Mother watched the whole movie, and then went to bed around 8:30. Hubbie and I continued watching TV until bedtime.
Note: tonight we were invited to a formal dance party at the local dance studio, but since I don't own a formal or semi-formal dress (in fact, I don't own a dress of any kind), I opted out of the event.
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
Wednesday, Dec. 7
December 7...Pearl Harbor Day. Seventy years ago, Mother, now age 89, was working in the Rochester, N.Y. Eastman Kodak Company darkroom rolling film for cameras, when she, along with most other Americans, hear a radio news report about the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.
She was pregnant with me at the time...I was born nearly a month later in January. Today, it occurred to me for the first time what a coincidence it is that many years after Mother worked rolling film in a darkroom, I became a photographer.
We were surprised to be greeted by a layer of snow on the ground when we got up at 5:30 this morning. We were up extra early, because we needed to take Mother to an outpatient clinic for an endoscopy exam to check her stomach ulcer.
I had a little time before we left to snap several photos of the snow, which was predicted to melt soon after daylight.
Hubbie and I grabbed a quick breakfast of cereal (Mother could have nothing to eat this morning), and then helped Mother into the van. She was dreading the procedure, but she enjoyed the ride to the clinic, anyway, since the snow was so fluffy-pretty.
Soon after we arrived at the clinic, Hubbie decided to take the van to the shop for an oil change, rather than spend his time in the waiting room.
I was allowed to accompany Mother back to the prep room, but had to go back to the waiting room while the procedure was going on. It only lasted about twenty minutes, and then I was allowed to go back and stay with her during recovery.
When the doctor came to tell me that Mother's ulcer was 99% cured, he said he wished he had talked to her before she went to sleep, because he was interested in knowing if she remembered what she was doing when she heard the news that Pearl Harbor had been attacked.
Mother roused about then, and he asked her. She said she remembered she was working in the school lunchroom. I hastened to tell the doctor that she was confused, because she didn't work in a school lunchroom until many years later, when I was in high school. She was actually working at Eastman Kodak at the time of the Pearl Harbor attack.
Mother was awake in about thirty minutes, and ready to go home. She'd used her walker to go to the van for the ride to the clinic, but a nurse pushed her out to the van in a wheelchair. It was a bit of a challenge getting Mother into the van, since she was still a bit woozy and wobbly from the medication.
At home, we used the wheelchair to help Mother get back into the house. She was very hungry by this time, so I fixed her scrambled eggs and toast...eggs from Sis's chickens.
Although it was nearly 11 a.m., we decided to hang the flag on the well house, in honor of Pearl Harbor Day.
After Hubbie and I had bowls of chili for lunch, he ran errands, while Mother and I worked in the kitchen. Mother cut up pineapple chunks which she added to carrot salad, and then chopped bell pepper for macaroni and cheese. While she did that, I made a glaze for the rum cake. This time, it worked just fine.
Then I called the doctor who did Mother's procedure today, because I was confused about an ulcer medication he prescribed. It was different from the one she's been taking, so I wondered if I was supposed to give her both medications, or replace the old one with the new one.
I couldn't reach anyone when I called, so I left a message. Soon, a nurse called back to say she was confused about the meds, too, and needed to consult the doctor. Later, she called back to say both are good ulcer meds, but that Mother should just finish the old prescription, and then begin taking the new one. She doesn't need both, though. No wonder elderly people become confused and end up taking meds inappropriately. If anyone at the clinic had asked, I'd have provided them with a list of Mother's medications.
The call from Mother's doctor was followed by one from my cardiologist's office, where I am to have a treadmill stress test later this month. We set it for 9:30 a.m., Dec. 27. I can't have breakfast that morning, so I'll be pretty hungry by the time I get home.
I spent the afternoon putting some more touches of Christmas around the house. Just a few more things, and I'll be done...maybe I can finish up tomorrow. I was sorely tempted to cut way back this year, but Mother wanted it all out. Very tiring effort, but I guess it's worth it if it pleases her.
Later, I decided rotisserie chicken, with macaroni and cheese, and carrot salad were in order for supper, because I was too pooped to do anything else. Hubbie went to the WDCS to get the chicken, as well as some white American cheese for the macaroni and cheese. I boiled the macaroni, with the chopped bell peppers, while he was gone, and then made a sauce from the cheese and a little milk, plus spices, to add to the macaroni.
After supper, Mother watched TV for a little while, but was ready for bed by around 7:30. She'd had a trying day following a sleepless night dreading the procedure this morning.
Hubbie and I continued watching TV until bedtime, including a TNT channel Mystery Movie Night presentation called, "Hide," based on a novel by Lisa Gardner. Six mummified remains of women, missing for years, are found in an abandoned mental hospital.
She was pregnant with me at the time...I was born nearly a month later in January. Today, it occurred to me for the first time what a coincidence it is that many years after Mother worked rolling film in a darkroom, I became a photographer.
We were surprised to be greeted by a layer of snow on the ground when we got up at 5:30 this morning. We were up extra early, because we needed to take Mother to an outpatient clinic for an endoscopy exam to check her stomach ulcer.
I had a little time before we left to snap several photos of the snow, which was predicted to melt soon after daylight.
Hubbie and I grabbed a quick breakfast of cereal (Mother could have nothing to eat this morning), and then helped Mother into the van. She was dreading the procedure, but she enjoyed the ride to the clinic, anyway, since the snow was so fluffy-pretty.
Soon after we arrived at the clinic, Hubbie decided to take the van to the shop for an oil change, rather than spend his time in the waiting room.
I was allowed to accompany Mother back to the prep room, but had to go back to the waiting room while the procedure was going on. It only lasted about twenty minutes, and then I was allowed to go back and stay with her during recovery.
When the doctor came to tell me that Mother's ulcer was 99% cured, he said he wished he had talked to her before she went to sleep, because he was interested in knowing if she remembered what she was doing when she heard the news that Pearl Harbor had been attacked.
Mother roused about then, and he asked her. She said she remembered she was working in the school lunchroom. I hastened to tell the doctor that she was confused, because she didn't work in a school lunchroom until many years later, when I was in high school. She was actually working at Eastman Kodak at the time of the Pearl Harbor attack.
Mother was awake in about thirty minutes, and ready to go home. She'd used her walker to go to the van for the ride to the clinic, but a nurse pushed her out to the van in a wheelchair. It was a bit of a challenge getting Mother into the van, since she was still a bit woozy and wobbly from the medication.
At home, we used the wheelchair to help Mother get back into the house. She was very hungry by this time, so I fixed her scrambled eggs and toast...eggs from Sis's chickens.
Although it was nearly 11 a.m., we decided to hang the flag on the well house, in honor of Pearl Harbor Day.
After Hubbie and I had bowls of chili for lunch, he ran errands, while Mother and I worked in the kitchen. Mother cut up pineapple chunks which she added to carrot salad, and then chopped bell pepper for macaroni and cheese. While she did that, I made a glaze for the rum cake. This time, it worked just fine.
Then I called the doctor who did Mother's procedure today, because I was confused about an ulcer medication he prescribed. It was different from the one she's been taking, so I wondered if I was supposed to give her both medications, or replace the old one with the new one.
I couldn't reach anyone when I called, so I left a message. Soon, a nurse called back to say she was confused about the meds, too, and needed to consult the doctor. Later, she called back to say both are good ulcer meds, but that Mother should just finish the old prescription, and then begin taking the new one. She doesn't need both, though. No wonder elderly people become confused and end up taking meds inappropriately. If anyone at the clinic had asked, I'd have provided them with a list of Mother's medications.
The call from Mother's doctor was followed by one from my cardiologist's office, where I am to have a treadmill stress test later this month. We set it for 9:30 a.m., Dec. 27. I can't have breakfast that morning, so I'll be pretty hungry by the time I get home.
I spent the afternoon putting some more touches of Christmas around the house. Just a few more things, and I'll be done...maybe I can finish up tomorrow. I was sorely tempted to cut way back this year, but Mother wanted it all out. Very tiring effort, but I guess it's worth it if it pleases her.
Later, I decided rotisserie chicken, with macaroni and cheese, and carrot salad were in order for supper, because I was too pooped to do anything else. Hubbie went to the WDCS to get the chicken, as well as some white American cheese for the macaroni and cheese. I boiled the macaroni, with the chopped bell peppers, while he was gone, and then made a sauce from the cheese and a little milk, plus spices, to add to the macaroni.
After supper, Mother watched TV for a little while, but was ready for bed by around 7:30. She'd had a trying day following a sleepless night dreading the procedure this morning.
Hubbie and I continued watching TV until bedtime, including a TNT channel Mystery Movie Night presentation called, "Hide," based on a novel by Lisa Gardner. Six mummified remains of women, missing for years, are found in an abandoned mental hospital.
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
Tuesday, Dec. 6
Up around 7 a.m. and, finally, did a treadmill session and resistance exercises. While I was on the treadmill, Mother's nurse came by. I didn't know she was here until I walked into the den in my lovely old t-shirt and shorts.
I'd had the foresight to print a picture of her ten-year-old daughter and friend that I'd taken at the Christmas cookie house workshop, which Mother gave to her while I was exercising. The nurse commented on how much the two girls enjoyed the workshop. Her daughter's creation graces their kitchen table, she said, and the friend has decided to eat one piece of candy off her own house each day.
The nurse said that she won't be back until Dec. 20, at which time she'll assess if Mother will need her to continue her visits or not.
Six degrees of separation: this nurse was a cousin to a young man who was killed in a car accident on the highway in front of our house several years ago. Also, she once ran out of gasoline near our house and had to borrow a can of our lawnmower fuel.
After the nurse left, and I was ready for the day, Mother, Hubbie, and I worked together to make a pot of potato soup, and a pot of chili. Hubbie peeled potatoes and sliced them in the food processor. Mother chopped onions, celery, carrots, and bell peppers. Then I completed the recipes and started both simmering.
Hubbie also washed and shredded carrots for carrot salad that I'll put together as our contribution to the Master Gardener Christmas potluck party Thursday. Each Master Gardener is assigned to a food category, and Hubbie was assigned to salads.
Got a call from the water aerobics leader, advising me that the Christmas party will be Friday at 11 a.m. I hope to go to the pool Friday morning, since beginning next week, it will be closed for several weeks for winter break.
Niece e-mailed on my social network page today that she would like to come for a visit Friday night and Saturday. She was checking to make sure we will be available then, and we will. Daughter will be here Saturday, as well.
After lunch, Mother went to her room for a nap, and Hubbie and I ran errands. First stop, the newspaper office to drop off the word search puzzle contest, and pick up a few copies of Monday's edition, which features Great-Granddaughter and Great-Grandson on the front page.
Then we stopped by the art gallery to leave a bill for the materials we bought for the cookie Christmas house workshop. From there, we went to the greeting card shop, where I bought a musical Christmas card for Mother.
The store that has a sale every weekend was our next stop, where I used a $10 coupon toward the purchase of an undershirt for Mother, which will become a 12-days-of-Christmas gift. The pharmacy/grocery store was next, to pick up prescriptions and return three cans of cake icing for a refund (we'd bought too many for the workshop).
Then we went to the Extension Services office to leave five Christmas stockings, which are the scrapbook club's contribution to the County Extension Club's project...the stockings will be donated to a local bank that will fill them for needy children. In the past, the county EH gathered up to 400 stockings from the various clubs, but there are far fewer clubs now, so I don't know what the count is anymore.
Re: home extension agent...the young woman who has served as our agent for the past few years is moving on to a position in another state. It's an advancement for her, but I will be sad to see her go. I really like her. I hope the one who replaces her will be as sweet and accommodating.
From the ES office, we went to a medical supply store to get sliders for Mother's walker, which will make it easier for Mother for move the walker across both floors and carpet.
An appliance store was next to pick up a bottle of stove top cleaner. Then we went to the WDCS for a couple of items, and stopped last at a gas station to buy a few scratch-off tickets for Mother as a 12-days-of-Christmas gift.
Back home, Mother was still in bed, but she got up as I was preparing supper. Tonight, we had baked sweet potatoes, corn-on-the-cob, and fried okra.
After supper, I baked a rum cake. While the cake cooled, we watched a Hallmark Channel Christmas movie. Once the cake cooled, I attempted to make a glaze for it, but for some reason it just turned to sugar. That's never happened before, so I wonder if it had something to do with the wet weather we've been having.
Gave up the project for tonight, and helped Mother take a shower, after which she went straight to bed. I'll try to make a glaze for the cake another better weather day.
I'd had the foresight to print a picture of her ten-year-old daughter and friend that I'd taken at the Christmas cookie house workshop, which Mother gave to her while I was exercising. The nurse commented on how much the two girls enjoyed the workshop. Her daughter's creation graces their kitchen table, she said, and the friend has decided to eat one piece of candy off her own house each day.
The nurse said that she won't be back until Dec. 20, at which time she'll assess if Mother will need her to continue her visits or not.
Six degrees of separation: this nurse was a cousin to a young man who was killed in a car accident on the highway in front of our house several years ago. Also, she once ran out of gasoline near our house and had to borrow a can of our lawnmower fuel.
After the nurse left, and I was ready for the day, Mother, Hubbie, and I worked together to make a pot of potato soup, and a pot of chili. Hubbie peeled potatoes and sliced them in the food processor. Mother chopped onions, celery, carrots, and bell peppers. Then I completed the recipes and started both simmering.
Hubbie also washed and shredded carrots for carrot salad that I'll put together as our contribution to the Master Gardener Christmas potluck party Thursday. Each Master Gardener is assigned to a food category, and Hubbie was assigned to salads.
Got a call from the water aerobics leader, advising me that the Christmas party will be Friday at 11 a.m. I hope to go to the pool Friday morning, since beginning next week, it will be closed for several weeks for winter break.
Niece e-mailed on my social network page today that she would like to come for a visit Friday night and Saturday. She was checking to make sure we will be available then, and we will. Daughter will be here Saturday, as well.
After lunch, Mother went to her room for a nap, and Hubbie and I ran errands. First stop, the newspaper office to drop off the word search puzzle contest, and pick up a few copies of Monday's edition, which features Great-Granddaughter and Great-Grandson on the front page.
Then we stopped by the art gallery to leave a bill for the materials we bought for the cookie Christmas house workshop. From there, we went to the greeting card shop, where I bought a musical Christmas card for Mother.
The store that has a sale every weekend was our next stop, where I used a $10 coupon toward the purchase of an undershirt for Mother, which will become a 12-days-of-Christmas gift. The pharmacy/grocery store was next, to pick up prescriptions and return three cans of cake icing for a refund (we'd bought too many for the workshop).
Then we went to the Extension Services office to leave five Christmas stockings, which are the scrapbook club's contribution to the County Extension Club's project...the stockings will be donated to a local bank that will fill them for needy children. In the past, the county EH gathered up to 400 stockings from the various clubs, but there are far fewer clubs now, so I don't know what the count is anymore.
Re: home extension agent...the young woman who has served as our agent for the past few years is moving on to a position in another state. It's an advancement for her, but I will be sad to see her go. I really like her. I hope the one who replaces her will be as sweet and accommodating.
From the ES office, we went to a medical supply store to get sliders for Mother's walker, which will make it easier for Mother for move the walker across both floors and carpet.
An appliance store was next to pick up a bottle of stove top cleaner. Then we went to the WDCS for a couple of items, and stopped last at a gas station to buy a few scratch-off tickets for Mother as a 12-days-of-Christmas gift.
Back home, Mother was still in bed, but she got up as I was preparing supper. Tonight, we had baked sweet potatoes, corn-on-the-cob, and fried okra.
After supper, I baked a rum cake. While the cake cooled, we watched a Hallmark Channel Christmas movie. Once the cake cooled, I attempted to make a glaze for it, but for some reason it just turned to sugar. That's never happened before, so I wonder if it had something to do with the wet weather we've been having.
Gave up the project for tonight, and helped Mother take a shower, after which she went straight to bed. I'll try to make a glaze for the cake another better weather day.
Monday, December 5, 2011
Monday, Dec. 5
Up around 7 a.m., but I opted out of going to water aerobics, since it was such a cold, rainy day. I am only a couple of days past my recent illness, and didn't want to risk a relapse by getting chilled.
I meant to do a session on the treadmill, but skipped it, because we got a call that the plumber would be here to install the new dishwasher around 9:30. We also expected Mother's physical therapist before lunch.
The plumber and his assistant arrived as I was getting ready for the day (after seeing to Mother's needs). They finished the job just as the therapist arrived around 11:30.
The new dishwasher is so quiet when it runs that we have to be right next to it to hear it all...such a difference from the old one that sounded like a jet plane taking off. Hubbie loved running the old one after supper, just as we sat down to watch a movie. It was pretty annoying, since the den and the kitchen are so close together.
The therapist gave Mother a pretty good workout today, since he won't be back until next Monday. That's because Mother will undergo an outpatient procedure Wednesday to determine if her stomach ulcer is healing properly.
The therapist advised that he will not be here Friday, because it is time for the head nurse to come and assess Mother's progress. She'll put Mother through all the tests she did on the first visit, to determine if Mother needs further physical therapy. Her therapist would like to continue the program for a while longer to make sure Mother can get back and forth from our house to hers (with assistance), and be able to stay in her home alone for a few hours at a time.
When the therapist left, it was time to prepare lunch. Afterward, Mother went to the kitchen, where I gathered the necessary items for her to slice potatoes and onions and put together a dish for the oven. I peeled the potatoes, and Mother did the rest.
This morning, we discovered that Mother hadn't paid her health insurance premiums for the past several months. So Hubbie called the insurer and explained her medical difficulties and her short-term memory problems, and was able to arrange to catch up the payments with no lapse in her coverage. We'll be keeping track of this for her from now on.
Later, I reviewed the lesson for my Spanish student, who I met at 2:30 at the nearby college library. While I was gone, Hubbie put the potato dish, a dish of ham and beans, and a dish of smothered steak in the oven to cook and/or heat for supper.
Today, the student came minus makeup...she's as frazzled as I am during this very busy season. Besides her mother, she is expecting a sister and her family, a daughter, and her husband's daughter during the holidays, which will require lots of cleaning, cooking, and baking. She commented, though, that her husband has engaged a housekeeper to help out a few days a week.
Things are made more difficult for her because her mother has a broken arm and needs help bathing. And she's responsible for her elderly mother-in-law, who also needs assistance bathing. I can relate, even though I only have Mother to help.
For today's lesson, she learned the difference between active and passive sentences: "The nurse helps the girl (active)," and "The girl is helped (passive)."
She also learned to use "but" to connect two thoughts..."I like Ann, but I don't like her sister." "Ed closed the door, but he didn't close the window."
Then she learned to use the adjectives "fill," "empty," and "full as in, "The glass is empty. I fill it with water. The glass is full."
We ended the session with expressions of "be + having," as in "The men are laughing. They're having fun." "The men and women are dancing. They're having a good time."
The student is very much enjoying the cold weather. Apparently Venezuela is broiling hot, so cold weather is a wonderful change for her. Personally, I'm no fan of cold weather.
Back home, I checked on our supper in the oven and found that it was ready, thanks to Hubbie. Mother was still in bed, but she was ready to get up and have supper. It was a very good meal.
Following supper, Hubbie and I went to the WDCS for a few grocery items, particularly ingredients for making a pot of chili and a pot of potato soup tomorrow.
Spent the rest of the evening watching TV.
Two pieces of good news today: a large color photo of Great-Granddaugther, and Great-Grandson at the graham cracker cookie Christmas house workshop appeared on the front page of our local newspaper this evening.
AND, Granddaughter's boyfriend proposed marriage and presented her with an engagement ring.
I meant to do a session on the treadmill, but skipped it, because we got a call that the plumber would be here to install the new dishwasher around 9:30. We also expected Mother's physical therapist before lunch.
The plumber and his assistant arrived as I was getting ready for the day (after seeing to Mother's needs). They finished the job just as the therapist arrived around 11:30.
The new dishwasher is so quiet when it runs that we have to be right next to it to hear it all...such a difference from the old one that sounded like a jet plane taking off. Hubbie loved running the old one after supper, just as we sat down to watch a movie. It was pretty annoying, since the den and the kitchen are so close together.
The therapist gave Mother a pretty good workout today, since he won't be back until next Monday. That's because Mother will undergo an outpatient procedure Wednesday to determine if her stomach ulcer is healing properly.
The therapist advised that he will not be here Friday, because it is time for the head nurse to come and assess Mother's progress. She'll put Mother through all the tests she did on the first visit, to determine if Mother needs further physical therapy. Her therapist would like to continue the program for a while longer to make sure Mother can get back and forth from our house to hers (with assistance), and be able to stay in her home alone for a few hours at a time.
When the therapist left, it was time to prepare lunch. Afterward, Mother went to the kitchen, where I gathered the necessary items for her to slice potatoes and onions and put together a dish for the oven. I peeled the potatoes, and Mother did the rest.
This morning, we discovered that Mother hadn't paid her health insurance premiums for the past several months. So Hubbie called the insurer and explained her medical difficulties and her short-term memory problems, and was able to arrange to catch up the payments with no lapse in her coverage. We'll be keeping track of this for her from now on.
Later, I reviewed the lesson for my Spanish student, who I met at 2:30 at the nearby college library. While I was gone, Hubbie put the potato dish, a dish of ham and beans, and a dish of smothered steak in the oven to cook and/or heat for supper.
Today, the student came minus makeup...she's as frazzled as I am during this very busy season. Besides her mother, she is expecting a sister and her family, a daughter, and her husband's daughter during the holidays, which will require lots of cleaning, cooking, and baking. She commented, though, that her husband has engaged a housekeeper to help out a few days a week.
Things are made more difficult for her because her mother has a broken arm and needs help bathing. And she's responsible for her elderly mother-in-law, who also needs assistance bathing. I can relate, even though I only have Mother to help.
For today's lesson, she learned the difference between active and passive sentences: "The nurse helps the girl (active)," and "The girl is helped (passive)."
She also learned to use "but" to connect two thoughts..."I like Ann, but I don't like her sister." "Ed closed the door, but he didn't close the window."
Then she learned to use the adjectives "fill," "empty," and "full as in, "The glass is empty. I fill it with water. The glass is full."
We ended the session with expressions of "be + having," as in "The men are laughing. They're having fun." "The men and women are dancing. They're having a good time."
The student is very much enjoying the cold weather. Apparently Venezuela is broiling hot, so cold weather is a wonderful change for her. Personally, I'm no fan of cold weather.
Back home, I checked on our supper in the oven and found that it was ready, thanks to Hubbie. Mother was still in bed, but she was ready to get up and have supper. It was a very good meal.
Following supper, Hubbie and I went to the WDCS for a few grocery items, particularly ingredients for making a pot of chili and a pot of potato soup tomorrow.
Spent the rest of the evening watching TV.
Two pieces of good news today: a large color photo of Great-Granddaugther, and Great-Grandson at the graham cracker cookie Christmas house workshop appeared on the front page of our local newspaper this evening.
AND, Granddaughter's boyfriend proposed marriage and presented her with an engagement ring.
Sunday, December 4, 2011
Sunday, Dec. 4
Around 3 a.m. this morning, Mother heard a crash and came to the den to fetch me. We explored the storage room and discovered that a stack of plastic totes, with a metal file on top had toppled over. Not sure how that happened...whether the stack was just unbalanced, or if a critter, like a mouse, was up there and jumped from the table to the stack, toppling it.
Up around 7 a.m. After breakfast, I helped Mother take a shower, and then got ready for the day myself.
After that, Mother went into the kitchen to cut up round steak and slice onions for smothered steak. I seared the beef, added onions, garlic, salt-free seasoning, pepper, paprika, a can of mushrooms, and a can of low-sodium beef, and let the meat simmer for a couple of hours.
While the meat cooked, I downloaded photos from yesterday's graham cracker Christmas house workshop, and uploaded pics of Great-Grandson and Great-Daughter to my social network page.
After that, I gathered laundry for the washer, and then read the Sunday newspaper. By then, it was time to finish getting lunch ready. Hubbie had scrubbed potatoes for the oven, so I heated a can of spinach, and cooked a few ears of corn-on-the- cob. The meal was good and very satisfying.
While we enjoyed our meal, we watched a Christmas movie from the Lifetime channel. I debated whether or not I wanted to go on a tour of historic homes this afternoon, but the weather was so dismally rainy and cool, that I abandoned the idea. I feel sorry for the four families who spent hours getting their homes ready and decorated for the tour, only to have the floors and carpets trod upon by groups of wet or muddy-footed guests. Hopefully, they laid some sort of material down to serve as paths through their homes.
After the movie, Mother went to her room for a nap, and Hubbie and I got ready to go to a local church for the annual Festival of Lessons and Carols." This is always a wonderful service, and today was no exception.
The service included the local flute choir. This year, the choir featured a mezzo-soprano (student of the nearby college), who sang "Sweet Little Jesus Boy." Another member of the choir whistled "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen," and then played a tambourine as the flutists performed the song.
One of the professors at the college sang selections from "Messiah," in his deep bass voice. A mezzo-soprano also sang selections from "Messiah." Very moving.
Something different this year was a bagpiper who performed "Good King Wencelas." We wondered if the bagpipe would be overpowering in this very small church, but it was fine.
Also included in the service were nine Biblical lessons, interspersed with traditional carols sung by the congregation.
Back home afterward, Mother was awake and ready for supper. I heated the rest of vegetable soup for her, and Hubbie and I settled for chicken salad sandwiches. Then we watched another Christmas movie on Lifetime channel. Mother went back to bed afterward, and Hubbie and I continued watching TV for a while longer.
Up around 7 a.m. After breakfast, I helped Mother take a shower, and then got ready for the day myself.
After that, Mother went into the kitchen to cut up round steak and slice onions for smothered steak. I seared the beef, added onions, garlic, salt-free seasoning, pepper, paprika, a can of mushrooms, and a can of low-sodium beef, and let the meat simmer for a couple of hours.
While the meat cooked, I downloaded photos from yesterday's graham cracker Christmas house workshop, and uploaded pics of Great-Grandson and Great-Daughter to my social network page.
After that, I gathered laundry for the washer, and then read the Sunday newspaper. By then, it was time to finish getting lunch ready. Hubbie had scrubbed potatoes for the oven, so I heated a can of spinach, and cooked a few ears of corn-on-the- cob. The meal was good and very satisfying.
While we enjoyed our meal, we watched a Christmas movie from the Lifetime channel. I debated whether or not I wanted to go on a tour of historic homes this afternoon, but the weather was so dismally rainy and cool, that I abandoned the idea. I feel sorry for the four families who spent hours getting their homes ready and decorated for the tour, only to have the floors and carpets trod upon by groups of wet or muddy-footed guests. Hopefully, they laid some sort of material down to serve as paths through their homes.
After the movie, Mother went to her room for a nap, and Hubbie and I got ready to go to a local church for the annual Festival of Lessons and Carols." This is always a wonderful service, and today was no exception.
The service included the local flute choir. This year, the choir featured a mezzo-soprano (student of the nearby college), who sang "Sweet Little Jesus Boy." Another member of the choir whistled "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen," and then played a tambourine as the flutists performed the song.
One of the professors at the college sang selections from "Messiah," in his deep bass voice. A mezzo-soprano also sang selections from "Messiah." Very moving.
Something different this year was a bagpiper who performed "Good King Wencelas." We wondered if the bagpipe would be overpowering in this very small church, but it was fine.
Also included in the service were nine Biblical lessons, interspersed with traditional carols sung by the congregation.
Back home afterward, Mother was awake and ready for supper. I heated the rest of vegetable soup for her, and Hubbie and I settled for chicken salad sandwiches. Then we watched another Christmas movie on Lifetime channel. Mother went back to bed afterward, and Hubbie and I continued watching TV for a while longer.
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