Monday, Jan. 23

Twisters cut a path of destruction through some parts of our state, mainly to the south, and thousands were without power, but we were lucky to receive nothing more than a lot of rain. Over two inches was in our rain gauge this morning.

We were up at 6:30 on this sunny, but crisp Monday morning, so I could get ready to go to water aerobics. The water was a bit on the cool side today, but tolerable, once I got used to it.

Story from the pool: a couple of months ago, I was told that the young woman who was a custodial at the college had reported that her husband, stationed in Iraq, had been involved in an accident, when the military truck he was riding in was hit by an IED (improvised explosive device). The truck rolled twelve times, she said, and her husband had suffered a broken back. He had been flown back to the States and was in an Atlanta hospital. The young woman, who said she had seven children, also said she could not afford to go to Atlanta to visit her husband.

Today, then, I was told that the woman had mentioned to some of the ladies that she wouldn't be able to afford Christmas gifts for her children this year. So at least three of the ladies gave her money...a total of $88. Turns out none of what the young woman said was true. She had successfully scammed the ladies. She has since been fired from her job, of course.

All this happened sometime during the weeks I was unable to attend aerobics for a variety of reasons. Good thing, I guess, because if I'd heard this young woman's sob story, I probably would have given her some money, too.

Twenty-one of us attended aerobics today, the most in a long time. I was very glad to get back to it, and hope nothing more crops up to keep me from going.

Back home, as soon as I was ready for the day, I went to Mother's house to help her take a shower. She was already in the bathroom getting dressed. I guess that since it was 11 a.m., she thought I'd changed my mind about helping her this morning. I explained to her again that on water aerobics days, I will be a little later getting to her house. But she'll probably forget this again by Wednesday.

After Mother was showered and dressed, I gathered her laundry and put it in the washer. Then I fixed a package of Ramen noodle soup for her lunch.

At home, after lunch, I reviewed the lessons for my Literacy Council student, who I was due to meet at 2:30 p.m.

While I was doing this, Hubbie accompanied Mother to our house, and then he took a load of area rugs to the laundromat to wash (at my request...I don't like washing area rugs in my home machine).

Since Hubbie and I would be away for a while this afternoon, I started the movie, "Mona Lisa Smile," playing. I'd saved the movie on DVR, because I thought Mother might enjoy seeing it.

It was good to see my student after so many weeks away from lessons. She was equally glad to see me.

Today, the lesson was about making lists and planning events, borrowing and giving back, ways of expressing time (half past ten/ten-thirty; a quarter to five/four forty-five).

The student also learned how to use "leave/left": "I leave my house at 8 o'clock every morning. Then I go to work." "I left my house at 8 o'clock yesterday. Then I went to work."

The lesson included time clauses with "when." "When it's cold, Ann wears a coat." "When Bob was sick, he went to the doctor."

The student learned to use "but" to combine parallel sentences: "She has a headache. I don't have a headache: "She has a headache, but I don't." "She isn't tired. Bob is tired: "She isn't tired, but Bob is."

We also used the question, "What happened?": "What happened?" " A truck hit Dan's car." "What happened?" "Dan went to the hospital."

We finished the lesson with reading a couple of simple stories, with the student answering questions about what she'd read.

We are nearly finished with this book of lessons, so I have requested the next level from the Literacy Council. The next session with the student will include a review evaluation.

Back home, per my request, Hubbie had put a dish of leftover lasagna in the oven to heat. I'd sliced, buttered, and wrapped French bread for the oven, as well. We had the lasagna and bread with bowls of pre-packaged salad topped with grape tomatoes, baby corn, and Chinese beets.

Hubbie accompanied Mother home afterward, and then after Hubbie and I had watched the evening news, I turned off the TV, and we spent an hour reading. We decided last week that we'd try this schedule for a while.

Later, back to TV, we watched another installment of "Downton Abbey," from the public channel. We followed that one with a movie from the Lifetime Channel, "Still, Small Voices." A woman with an brain aneurysm refuses surgery until she resolves visions she's having about a little girl who died in a fire years ago.