Monday, Nov. 26

Woke up to the alarm at 6:30, but decided not to go to water aerobics, because I thought I might have a mild UTI. Snoozed until around 7:30, and then the phone rang. It was our water aerobics leader calling to let me know that the boiler is down at the pool, so the water is cold. She doesn't know when we can go back, but will let me know.

If I'd gotten up and around at my usual time, I would have been already at the college parking lot by the time she called. So I'm glad I wimped out. The last time I wimped was on a stormy morning, and that time the ones who'd braved the weather were asked to leave the pool because of lightning.

I skipped exercising again, because I just didn't feel like it. But after I'd hydrated with lots of water, I felt a lot better. I tend to forget to drink water when I'm busy with holidays, or on a trip, or anything else that interrupts my usual routine.

Spent the morning doing Cyber Monday shopping. Got some good deals, one of which was four towels and two washclothes for $3.12 after I applied a cyber bucks coupon. One item I ordered was a Squirrel-a-Whirl for Mother for Christmas, since she was so fascinated with the one she saw at the folk center recently.

While I did this, Hubbie ran errands, and when he got back, he accompanied Mother to our house. We didn't accomplish anything else before lunch. After lunch, Mother retired to the couch for a nap, as usual, and I reviewed the lesson plan for my student.

Met the student at 2:30. We had to laugh when we saw each other...we both wore black, with green turtlneck shirts.

Today's lesson included structure focus lessons on: "wonder" plus "if" clauses: "Jason wonders if he will be a good teacher." "I wonder if it will rain this afternoon." And we really did wonder if it would rain this afternoon. It did, just as we left.

Then she practiced conversation skills involving migrant workers, followed by learning adjective opposites: "Carlos is hard-working. He works very hard." "Ed is lazy. He doesn't work very hard." "That woman is lovely. She looks pretty." "That man is handsome. He looks good, too."

We ended the lesson with the verb "train." "Fran wants to win the mile race. She has to train for the race." "Joan wants to be a nurse. She has to train to become a nurse."

Otherwise, we spent a lot of time in conversation, about children, about grandchildren, about ex-husbands. Apparently, her ex-husband, the pediatrician, was a task master, and emotionally abusive. At the point he became physically abusive, she left him.

He was the sort who, when he came home in the evening, gave the house the white-glove treatment, and then verbally abused her if things were not up to his standards. I can't imagine anything she did being less than up to standard, since she's such a hard working, compulsive, perfectionist.

Once she'd divorced him, he married again, to a woman the student describes as being a cammando type...a woman who isn't about to take any guff off of him, unlike my student, who abhors confrontation.

Back home, Hubbie had heated the chili, and baked a potato for Mother. Hubbie and I had big bowls of the chili, which was welcome on this cold, rainy day, and I served a half of the baked potato topped with chili, cheese, and sour cream. We all had slices of the remainder of the pumpkin pie for dessert.

Hubbie accompanied Mother home after that, and then we spent a while putting the village on the mantel. This is always a challenge, but we eventually managed it. All it lacks now are the finishing touches, including the pine trees. I saved those until Mother can help tomorrow, so she can feel she's had a part in the decorating.

Watched TV, including a made-for-TV movie called "Liz and Dick." For those of us who grew up watching their films, this movie is pretty bad. Lindsay Lohan just isn't Elizabeth Taylor, but then no one can be. Grant Bowler was somewhat more believable as Richard Burton.