Monday, Jan. 30

Up at 6:30 to get ready to go to water aerobics. Chilly this morning, but I noticed I couldn't see my breath...a good sign that the day would warm later. And it did, into the 60s, though not as warm as in the central and southern parts of the state.

The pool was chillier than we ladies like, but I got used to it pretty quickly. Around 19 of us showed up. There was no real news today, except we might not have a session Friday, if a substitute can't be found for our regular lifeguard, who has to be away that day.

Back home after the session, and once I was ready, and once I was ready for the day, I spent the rest of the morning reviewing the lesson for today's session with my student.

Hubbie accompanied Mother to our house after lunch, and she, Hubbie, and I worked to put a pork loin in the slow cooker...Mother prepared the onions and carrots, Hubbie peeled and quartered the potatoes, and I browned the meat and seasoned it, and put everything in the slow cooker with a can of chicken broth and a can of beef broth.

At 2:30, I met my student. While I was gone, Mother clipped coupons from Sunday newspaper inserts to be sent to a granddaughter, who is diligently using them to save money on groceries and incidentals.

Today, the student finished the last lesson of the book, which included learning the use of "early, late, and on time," the expressions "I'm in a hurry," and "Hurry up!"

She read the last story, and answered questions about the story. Then we began a comprehensive evaluation to learn where her strengths and weaknesses are. She is doing extremely well, but her weakness is in not quite comprehending the use of "what, where, who, when, how, and which." So she has difficulty transforming statements into questions.

I assigned review work for her to do at home, and will re-test her on the material at our next session. I'm hoping we can complete the evaluation next week, because she's due to be traveling to Venezuela soon, and will be gone for a month.

Back home, the pork roast was done, and Hubbie and Mother were plenty ready to eat it, since they'd been smelling it cooking all afternoon. I hurried to make gravy, while Hubbie and Mother set the table. The roast with veggies was delicious, served with individual cups of applesauce, and leftover jellied cranberry sauce, and Chinese beets.

Hubbie accompanied Mother home afterward. Then I turned off the TV, and Hubbie and I engaged in our own activities...he read his novel, and I worked the word search puzzle contest, got some snail mail ready to go out tomorrow, paid bills, etc.

At 7 p.m., we turned the TV back on and watched the evening news and "Wheel of Fortune," that I'd recorded on DVR, followed by a 1979 movie western, "The Legend of the Golden Gun." A young farmer, whose farm is burned down, and whose family is killed, meets a runaway slave, and they join forces to fight the legendary guerrilla, William Quantrill. They go in search of a legendary gunfighter, who can teach the farmer how to shoot a special gun that fires seven rounds. He's to use the seventh round to battle evil.