Saturday, March 31

It's the last day of March, already. Very warm, lovely day.

We were up around 7:30. The first thing that happened this morning was that the upstairs toilet overflowed. Not a great start to the day.

But once the bathroom was cleaned, I did a treadmill session and resistance exercises. Hubbie called a plumbing service to get on the list for a plumber to come early next week.

Once I was ready for the day, I fried turkey burgers for our supper, which Hubbie heated in the oven later. Then I went to Mother's house to accompany her to our house, where she made coleslaw dressing, and sliced tomatoes for supper.

Later, after a sandwich lunch, Hubbie went out to work in the yard, while I attended the Film Festival. The first film, made on a zero budget, has two men looking for dates. The two are friends. One is not looking for a permanent relationship, but finds one in the end. The other is looking for a permanent relationship, but ends up still searching at the end of the film.

The second feature was animated. A pair of skeletonized birds try in vain to produce an offspring. A long time later, they finally produce, but the offspring is a fully fleshed, fully feathered bird, an embarrassment to his parents. They finally lock him in the attic, where he eventually perishes and becomes skeletonized like themselves, so that they can love him.

The third film was a documentary about a couple who bought land in a remote area of the Ozarks, where there are no utilities, and where they lived in a small shack. They bought the land (around 140 acres) for about $3 an acre. The couple spent 20 years as teachers, before deciding to live off the land. The man writes poetry. The woman, sixteen years the man's senior, suffered Alzheimer's Disease and eventually had to be placed in a nursing home, where she died about a year ago at age 96.

The man's granddaughter filmed the documentary, which is very well done. The man, now 81 years old, attended the showing today, and read several of his poems, which are enchanting.

This was followed by four really powerful short features, directed by a young African-American activist filmmaker.

The first was about a single mom who in desperation resorts to shoplifting at a grocery store to feed her two young children. The second was about a young black man, who, after returning from war, has extreme flashbacks that cause him to lose his family. He later visits a store, run by his Middle Eastern friend, and threatens to kill him and his wife. Instead, he turns the gun on himself.

The third film revolves around a father just released from prison, who visits his drug dealing son on a a street corner. The son is assailed by a bad guy, and in a scuffle he kills the guy. The father, in an act of fatherly love, convinces the son to run, so that he, the father, can take the blame for the shooting.

The fourth film features an 11-year-old boy watching his grandmother die after Katrina. He finds his way to San Antonio to search for his mother. He finds her entertaining a man in an alley. The mother makes it clear she doesn't want him. The man threatens the woman with a gun; the boy tries to protect her; the boy's dog attacks and is shot to death. The mother chooses to go off with the man, leaving the boy to find his own way in the world.

I skipped the 5 p.m. film, so I could come home and join Hubbie and Mother for a supper of hamburgers/turkey burgers, leftover Parmesan potatoes, and coleslaw. Afterward, I accompanied Mother to her house.

Around 7 p.m., Hubbie and I went to the film festival to see a film about a young man who brings his newest boyfriend home for a week-long vacation with his family. Everyone in the family is fine with the situation, except the young man's brother, a minister, who struggles mightily with acceptance. This family drama has its share of awkward/comedic moments, but the whole film is tastefully done.

Back home, we watched the Final Four NCAA basketball game between Louisville and Kentucky.

Friday, March 30

Up at 6:30, but had to skip water aerobics, so I could attend a home medical services advisory board meeting at 8 a.m. I arrived at the meeting, held in a conference room of the hospital, exactly on time.

As usual, pastries and coffee were offered, which is why I had breakfast before I went to the meeting. I did snag a couple of the huge pre-packaged blueberry muffins, however, to bring home to Hubbie. Each muffin has 340 calories, plus a load of fat and sodium. But Hubbie is unconcerned about these things.

It was a very informative meeting, with much of the talk revolving around the current Supreme Court hearings related to Obamacare. The home medical services director didn't overtly fall on either side of the issue, but he did hint that if the entire plan is scrapped, the medical service and its clients will suffer.

Back home around 9 a.m., I went to Mother's house to help her shower, and then throw a load of laundry in the washer. Mother came back home with me afterward, where I washed strawberries for her to slice and bag for the freezer.

After I washed the strawberries, I sauteed a leftover baked potato with onions and bell pepper, which I put in a baking dish with egg substitute, Monterey Jack cheese, and cooked turkey bacon. Hubbie put the dish in the oven later for our supper, while I was at the Film Festival at the college down the road.

The afternoon session began at 1:30, and included a documentary about a young man who returns to his childhood home of Juneau, Alaska, and struggles to make a living mass producing and importing Tlingit artwork from china and then wholesaling it to the tourism industry. The man is half native and half Caucasian. The film dealt quite a bit about catching and processing salmon, which is the man's favorite food.

His grandmother imparts the information that when the Russians arrived in Alaska, they brought along diseases that decimated the native population of the area, reducing it from 10,000 to 700. She also contended that the Russians had been given a small island upon which to build a fort, and that when the Russian government sold Alaska to the U.S., it had no claim on any land aside from that island.

One of the films was, besides being really weird, not well done. It featured a half beast/half man character that wore an obviously bad pair of vampire teeth, and loped along the ground on all fours, visiting park campsites and kicking over full trash cans. I'm not sure what the message of the film was.

Another feature involved a young woman picking up a hitchhiker, who, once she dropped him off, gets in a truck, follows her home, forces his way into the house, backs her into a wall, and hands her a burlap-wrapped package. It's a Bible.

The last short film was a documentary about the impact of cultural changes on churches. When one church interviewed local college students regarding the reasons for the decline in church attendance, the theme kept being repeated that church leaders are hypocritical.

I returned home after this to do whatever was needed to get ready for supper. Since the egg dish had not yet been put in the oven, I did that, and heated the biscuits. Afterward, I accompanied Mother to her house.

At 6 p.m., Hubbie and I went to the Film Festival. Tonight's films included a variety showcase of films-in-progress. One was about four sisters whose lives were changed after the murder of their father, and how the incident was buried and not spoken about until recently. The murdered man was the grandfather of the filmmaker.

There were also three short films by a hometown filmmaker that were very creative. One was inspired by a Tennyson poem...a woman's lover or husband is killed in a plane crash, and then he visits her to bring solace. This clip was only one and a half minutes long, but it had real impact.

Another one documented how important a teacher is in a student's life by profiling an elementary teacher.

The last film, about an hour long, was my favorite. It was a music video featuring a folk duo who interview Ozark legends, and create songs about them. A woman from our town, known as "The Mug Lady," was one of the legends. This lady lost her son to AIDS many years ago, and since then has been collecting and attaching mugs to a tree in her front yard, as her way of promoting AIDs awareness.

This duo is absolutely enchanting, so Hubbie and I were inspired to buy their CD and DVD, which were very inexpensive. The proceeds from these are used to buy instruments for children, as the couple's way of keeping Ozark music going.

The last film, at 8 p.m. was a subtitled French offering. It revolved around a group of children determined to help keep their Chechen playmate from being deported. They go to great lengths to hide her in the cellar of a store, but of course they are eventually caught. But the girl is not deported.

Thursday, March 29

Up at 7 a.m., so Hubbie could get ready to go to a Master Gardener training. While he was gone, I did stair stepping, resistance, and weights exercises. Once I was ready for the day, I went to Mother's house to accompany her to our house, where we worked to put several quarts of strawberries in the freezer.

Then I seasoned and browned pork chops, and put them in a baking dish with barbecue sauce. Later, Mother prepared a dish of Parmesan potatoes. Both dishes were to be put into the oven around 4 p.m.

Hubbie returned home around noon, and after a sandwich lunch, I went downtown to open the art gallery for the afternoon, at the request of the director, who needed to take care of family matters in another state.

To do this, I first needed to get the door key from the shoe store next door (the woman who owns the shoe store also owns the art gallery space). Unfortunately, I couldn't make the key work. So I returned to the shoe store and told the lady that I supposed I was key challenged, because it wouldn't work for me. "Oh!" she exclaimed, "I gave you the key to the shoe store, instead of the one to the gallery!"

At the gallery, I explored every wall and tried every light switch without result, until I found a switch tucked behind something on the wall near the computer.

Just as I got settled in, the phone rang. Where the heck was the function for answering it? "Hello, hello, hello?" I punched everything, and finally put the thing on speaker. Later, I determined that the function was under a strip of masking tape. I thought the tape was holding the phone together, or something.

There were only two calls during the three hours I was there, and both were arts council members. Good thing, because when I answered, I failed to identify the gallery, so they had to ask who I was.

One of the members dropped in later, and I apologized for my inadequate phone skills. "I hope I didn't confuse you," I said. "Oh, no, you didn't...much," she laughed.

The other member who called asked if there were special instructions for keeping the gallery open tomorrow. I told her I wasn't given any instructions, so I was just bumbling through this afternoon. She said she guessed she'd just wing it, too, then.

Only a few others, besides the member, dropped by. One was the former director of the arts council, who just wanted to visit. Another was the Film Festival director. Two ladies came in to browse the art collection. A politician running for state representative stopped by to leave literature and a flyer to be posted in the window, and ask if we would donate something to a silent auction for a fundraising event for the political party. Our organization is non-partisan, so I'm not sure we can post the flyer. And I doubt we'll donate anything to the auction. But I left the literature, along with a note, on the director's desk, anyway.

The man brought along his baby granddaughter in a stroller. She was very cute, and I enjoyed her, even if I don't agree with her grandfather's politics. I didn't voice my opinions, though...just nodded and smiled and told him I'd pass the literature along to the gallery director.

It was pretty quiet after he left, so I spent my time exploring my smart phone, reading the new tourism magazine for our area (there are several places I'd like to visit), reviewing the Film Festival movies I'll want to see during the next three days, and reading my John Grisham novel.

Out of boredom, I decided to snap a photo with my smart phone of the little marker on the back of one of the folding chairs that identifies me as the donor for purchasing the chair. I then uploaded the pic to my social network page.

Earlier, I posted snapshots I'd taken at the Red Hot Luncheon Monday. This was the first time I'd tried sending pics via my smartphone, so it was a good experience.
I'm always last to catch up with new technology.

Promptly at 4 p.m., I closed the gallery, returned the key, and came back home. Supper was already in the oven, so I boiled corn on the cob to add to the meal. It was a very good meal.

Later, around 6:30, the three of us went down to the college to attend a program by the Watoto Children's Choir, from Uganda, Africa. The choir was sponsored by one of the local churches, as a way of raising money for the Watoto holistic care program, which provides for physical, educational, and spiritual needs of orphaned babies and children, as well as abandoned or widowed women, vulnerable through HIV/AIDS and rebel oppression.

The choir, dressed in colorful native garb, was high-energy and absolutely infectious with their music and dance. There was a near capacity crowd in the 500-seat auditorium. Following the performance, buckets were passed around to collect donations. All the proceeds were given to the Watoto organization.

We were back home around 8:30, and I accompanied Mother to her house. Hubbie and I finished the evening watching TV.

Wednesday, March 28

Hubbie failed to set the alarm last night, and I forgot to remind him, so it was well after 7 a.m. before we woke up. I had to scramble to get ready to go to water aerobics, but I managed to leave the house only a few minutes later than usual.

On the way to the gym, I noticed that the trees are so fresh and new looking right now, though they are not in full leaf yet. As with everything else, they are greening too early, though. If summer is as early arriving as spring has been, the leaves will become parched and dusty by June.

On the road leading to the gym, a recycling truck was stopped in front of someone's house. As the line of cars grew longer behind it, a man leisurely picked up six bags, one by one, and put them in the recycle trailer. He was just in no hurry to get on with this business. I've been behind the trash guys before, and they work as though they're paid per trash can. But this guy must be paid by the hour.

It seems as though the more in a hurry I am at any given time, the more the world operates at a snail's pace. Still, I arrived at the parking lot in time to snag a good space.

The pool this morning was a touch cool, though it was okay once I got used to it. Our leader commented that she will have cataract surgery Friday, so a substitute will lead the group. I have an 8 a.m. meeting that day, so I won't be able to attend aerobics, anyway.

Back home, once I was ready for the day, I accompanied Mother to our house, where we packed a "brown bag" lunch to take to the free showing of several Film Festival features at the museum.

We arrived at the museum early, so I could get one of the two handicapped parking spaces. About 20 folks showed up for the event that including four short features done by independent film makers.

The first one was about a teen boy, who agrees to become baptized in a church other than his own so that he can impress a girl he wants to date. He is submerged, where he imagines he's swimming with the girl, who is bikini-clad. When called upon to release his demons, he fakes speaking in tongues, and is elated when the girl seductively smiles at him.

His motive, obviously, is not to get religion; it's to get that girl. But he doesn't. Because when he takes her to a movie (with the approval of her parents, who think she is safe with this nice, Christian boy who has been saved). She raises his hopes when she kisses him, but then she excuses herself to go to the ladies room, where she puts on fire red lipstick and leaves the theater to drive away with another boy.

The second film was about a man who makes contact with an alien, and sets a time for a meeting. But as he stands out in a field, he is unable to see the alien, who tells him he is right there, by a lake. Turns out, the space ship is very tiny. The "lake" is probably a puddle. The man decides it won't work to meet the alien. The alien says it's okay, because he's having a great time communicating with other "beings"...the fireflies.

The third film shows a man working in some sort of shop, while presidential speeches play in the background. One is the speech by Bush about the U.S. preemptive strike in Iraq, and the other is the speech by Obama about withdrawal of troops. My take on the film was that even in the face of extraordinary world events, we ordinary folks just go about our ordinary lives.

The fourth film was a fantasy about a man who lives in a steam-powered world and is writing an almanac on life ("Life is like a hot bath...it feels good in the beginning, but the longer you stay in, the more wrinkled you become). His life depends on routine order, so when his wife announces she is leaving to go visit her father, his life and even his home falls into chaos. He must decide whether to cling to his old ways, or move on. He moves on.

Back home, we rested for a while, and then I put leftover lasagna, and a dish of green beans in the oven for our supper. Hubbie, who worked in the yard all day, accompanied Mother home afterward.

Later, Hubbie and I went downtown to to a movie theater that has been converted into a church to see two films. One was a 28 minute pilot of a 1958 TV show about a boy and his dog. The episode was filmed in a small mountain town that is now a tourist attraction. This pilot revolved around a little girl getting lost in the woods, and the boy and his white shepherd who helped save her from a mountain lion.

The only showing of the pilot was at our other downtown movie theater in 1958. After seeing this film, it became apparent why the proposed series didn't fly. It was nowhere near the caliber of "Lassie," and "Rin Tin Tin," of the same era.

The main film was a documentary about the importance of the Library of Congress National Film Registry, which catalogs and archives "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" film treasures like Casablanca, Blazing Saddles, and West Side Story.

Watching this made us want to revisit some older films, and check out some that we haven't seen before. It's disturbing to realize so much film has been lost due to neglect, because folks didn't realize the importance of preserving it for future generations.

Tuesday, March 27

Up at 7:30, but had to skip my exercises again, so I could make sure the house was ready for a card making session with the scrapbook club ladies this afternoon.

Also, Mother and I worked together to make egg salad and tuna salad for today's lunch, as well as to take with us tomorrow for a "brown bag" lunch at the museum, where the first of the Film Festival offerings will be shown.

Hubbie and I saw to it that the house was made presentable before lunch. We finished the task around 10:30, after which I gathered supplies needed for the afternoon project. I spread out rubber stamps, punches, stickers, pre-made cards in both white and buff, and colored card stock, so the ladies could choose whatever they needed to make cards. These are supplies that I purchased with grant money from the Extension Homemakers Council, to be used for the express purpose of making greeting cards for Caring Hands Hospice.

The ladies arrived sharply at 1 p.m., and we worked for two hours making Easter cards. Including the ones that Mother, Sis and I made a few days ago, we now have 33 cards to give to Caring Hands.

Around 2 p.m., we took a break, and I served dishes of sweetened strawberries (the first of the season) along with Girl Scout cookies. The ladies opted for water over tea or coffee.

Re: strawberries: I was surprised when a local roadside produce vendor called yesterday to let me know that strawberries are ready. It's usually May before the fruit comes into season. But everything...flowers and fruits...are maturing early this year, due to the uncommonly warm winter and early spring.

Since the berries are in, we will need to hurry and get some of them into the freezer, despite a busy upcoming couple of weeks. Mother, always anxious to be of use, wants to help work on the berries. So we'll get a flat of them and let her do as much as she feels like doing.

After the ladies left, Mother and I cleared away the card making mess, and then relaxed until suppertime. Supper tonight was another round of Dragon Soup, served with cornbread and canned biscuits...and honey for combating pollen allergies.

Following supper, I accompanied Mother to her house, where I helped her take a shower, and then threw a load of laundry in the washer.

Hubbie and I spent the rest of the evening watching TV, including the first elimination round of this season's "Dancing With the Stars."

Monday, March 26

Up at 6:30 on this gorgeous day, so I could get ready to go to water aerobics. It was cool enough this morning to wear my fleece outfit. The drive to the college was quite pleasant. A low-lying silvery mist blanketed emerald green fields. The sun still glared on the road leading to the college entrance, but it wasn't as glaring as when it was wet last week.

Traffic was stopped, though, as a tractor-trailer idled, while the driver got out and assessed the narrow right-hand turn he needed to navigate. The trailer was loaded with what looked like heat/air units bound for the new student union/cafeteria now under construction.

I was directly behind the rig, and two other vehicles were behind me. The rig driver directed traffic, in an attempt to get everyone out of the way before he made the turn. But the pickup driver behind me, was in too much of a hurry to wait, so he bolted past me and sped around the truck. Thankfully, he didn't hit the rig driver. The rest of us waited until the driver successfully navigated the turn.

Fifteen of us showed up for aerobics today. The water was lovely, and I enjoyed my time in it. Last week, I bought a pretty swim cap from one of the members, which allows me to get my head wet without damaging my color-treated hair. Several of us ordered the caps, which were ordered through one of those little novelty catalogs received in the mail. The cap is white with molded roses all over it. It works really well, and only cost $7.

Another member gave me three Sudoku puzzle books today. She orders value packs of the puzzles from the backs of books. She's an avid fan of Sudoku, but doesn't like some of the books that also feature puzzles other than Sudoku, like Cross Sums and Secret Squares. I don't know how to play some of them, either, but it'll be fun (and a good workout for my brain) figuring them out.

Back home, I hurried to get ready to go to the college down the road for the Red Hot Luncheon. Mother went with me. Hubbie took us down there, so he could assist in getting Mother out of the van and into her wheelchair.

The event started at 11 a.m. The hall that it was held in was so cold that I wondered if they'd had it cooled by the local ice plant. Upon arrival, we were escorted to our table by a "Heartthrob," a local businessman dressed in tuxedo with a red bow tie. There were several Heartthrobs, one of whom is my dentist.

The area was beautifully decorated...round tables with white tablecloths, and chairs fashioned with white or red pillow cases knotted in back or held by red ribbons. Before the event was over, I felt like ripping one of the pillow cases off and using it as a shawl!

Some tables held centerpieces of huge glass vases filled with red hots, or large vases filled with fresh lemons and strawberries, or towering crystal candle holders.

A giant red and sparkling Styrofoam high heel shoe was suspended from the ceiling. A cross of tables in the center of the room held silent auction items. I perused these, but the starting bids ($40 or $50) was a little rich for my blood, so I didn't bid on anything.

A jazz quintet, comprised of local talent, entertained on the stage. The young woman singer only hit sour notes a few times.

Each place at the tables included a red plastic tote containing gift items...a candle from our state's leading candle and potpourri maker, a sparkling, berry-flavored, lip gloss, discount coupons, a copy our local slick magazine, votive candles, breath mints, etc.

Lunch in this frigid venue was chicken salad, garden salad, and fresh fruit, with rolls, and a choice of ice water or iced tea. Dessert was a choice of either chocolate or strawberry cupcakes.

The program included a nurse, who spoke about lifestyle changes, and demonstrated by showing us how much sugar is in a Mountain Dew drink (a quarter cup), and how much sugar and fat is in a honey bun (I forget the totals, but it was shocking).

The second speaker gave what was at first a rambling talk, but ended by telling us of her personal medical experience that very nearly killed her, because she was not eligible for insurance, or Medicaid. She was saved by a free clinic, much like the one in our town, which currently works in the cramped space of one of the local churches. The proceeds of today's luncheon will go to help build an actual clinic.

Unfortunately, not as many attended as the sponsoring bank had hoped for, however. There were several unoccupied tables, and several tables with only a few seated at them...only Mother and I were at our table.

Hubbie returned to pick us up after the event. Before we came home, we stopped by the art mobile, on tour from the capital city. We couldn't believe that it was even colder in there than it had been at the luncheon. So we didn't dawdle, but we saw a couple of interesting exhibits.

Back home, I freshened up, and then went back to the college to meet with my ESL student. Today's lesson involved the present perfect tense with "already." "Is she going to sing the song?" "She has already sung the song."

Then the student learned the difference between "already," and "yet." "She has already sung the song." "She hasn't sung the song yet."

Then we moved to the use of "may" for permission. "May I have some cake?" "Yes, you may."

We also touched on reflexive pronouns as objects. "I look at myself in the mirror." "You look at yourself...He looks at himself...She looks at herself, etc."

We ended with the use of "still," and "any more." "They are still in church." "They aren't in church any more."

I felt really sorry for my student today. She is suffering horribly from pollen allergy. Today, she arrived in a lightweight rain coat, in an attempt to keep the pollen off her clothing. She laughed at herself about it.

I recommended that she eat locally produced honey as a preventative to pollen allergies. She'd heard of this remedy, since her husband and in-laws eat a little honey every day, and they are not bothered by allergies. I am not bothered, either, since I frequently eat local honey.

Back home, we had the Dragon Soup we made yesterday, with rolls I confiscated from our luncheon table. Mother had the foresight to bring along a tote with a couple of Ziplock bags in anticipation of bringing something home for Hubbie. But we made a haul today with a half a dozen rolls and a half a dozen cupcakes. Our waitress had suggested we take the food, and even offered to bring a box for it, but she forgot, so it was good we had the Ziplocks.

We also commandeered two extra goodie bags for Sis and Daughter.

After supper, Hubbie accompanied Mother back to her house. I think she was especially tired tonight. She likes going on outings, but she easily tires from them.

Hubbie and I spent the rest of the evening watching TV. Whew! It was a busy day!

Sunday, March 25

Slept late again this morning, and skipped my exercises. Mother and Sis came over after breakfast. Sis commented that she and Mother had a unique experience this morning. They saw a roadrunner cross Mother's yard and sprint across the highway to the field on the other side.

Roadrunners are common to our state, but are rarely seen. It's said that they arrived around the same time as the popular cartoon about the fictionalized bird was created, around 1948. Of course, the real ones don't go beep-beep! But they do scoot right along, maybe in fear of being caught by a real-life counterpart of Wile E. Coyote.

Sis didn't linger long this morning, since she was ready to get on the road to her home. She left around 9 a.m.

I decided lunch would be easy today...rotisserie chicken from the deli, baked potatoes, and cream style corn. Before lunch, Mother chopped onions and carrots, while i gathered ingredients to make Dragon Soup. We didn't have enough carrots, however, so Hubbie went to the store to get more, plus a list of other groceries.

He returned just before noon. The potatoes were not yet ready, so it was around 12:30 before I put lunch on the table. Afterward, Mother chopped more carrots, and I finished the soup. The soup is for tomorrow night's supper. Because Mondays are so busy for me, I have to see that we have something prepared for supper that is easy for Hubbie to just heat on the stove or in the oven.

Tomorrow will be particularly busy, since I will go to water aerobics in the morning, and then Mother and I will go to the Red Hot Luncheon at the college at 11 a.m., and then I will finish the day with a tutoring session from 2:30 to 4:30.

Lunch was very satisfying today. Afterward, Mother broke apart and boxed the five jigsaw puzzles she and Sis worked these past few days. Then I accompanied her to her house.

Back home, I grabbed my camera and went out to snap photos of the dogwood tree, which is in full white bloom right now. Later I uploaded a few of them to my social network page. Speaking of dogwood, as I was driving to the clinic for a blood test last Friday morning, I noticed a dogwood tree in someone's yard that is white on one side and pink on the other.

Hubbie continued watching March Madness basketball games through the afternoon, while I did this and that, including reviewing the lesson plan for my ESL student tomorrow.

Later, Hubbie and I had a supper of hoagie sandwiches. Afterward, I went to Mother's house to help her take a shower, and then throw a load of clothes in the washer.

Spent the rest of the evening watching TV, including a 2010 movie called, "Endure." A woman is bound, gagged, kidnapped, and taken into the woods, where she is shackled to a tree. The kidnapper then snaps a Polaroid picture of her, and drives away. A deer runs in front of the kidnapper's car, and he is killed. The photo is found in the wreckage. A detective must find the woman before it is too late.

Saturday, March 24

Slept late and skipped my exercises. Spent the morning after breakfast making sure my clothes were ready for tonight and Monday. Sis and Mother came over mid-morning and worked on a jigsaw puzzle.

They continued the puzzle after lunch, while Hubbie watched a March Madness basketball game, and I gave myself a manicure and then read my John Grisham novel.

Around 2 p.m., Hubbie and I dressed to go to another town about an hour and a half away to attend a dinner theater performance, for which we had free tickets given to us by the area arts council.

Sis and Mother entertained themselves with another jigsaw puzzle, and later prepared a supper of leftovers.

Hubbie and I headed to the other town around 4:30, and arrived around 6 p.m. The theater doors opened at 6:15, and we were seated down on the first row of tables, just below the stage. It was prime spot for hearing all the actors, which was good for Hubbie, who has a hearing problem.

The wait staff are all teenagers, who rely on tips to pay for their time. They are rehearsed for their jobs the same as the actors are for the production, so they approach patrons with prepared speeches.

We've attended several performances at this theater...this was our fifth visit..and we've always enjoyed them. Unfortunately, last year the theater was flooded, along with many other businesses during unrelenting rains. Water rose to the level of the fourth tier of seats, and completely covered the stage. It also destroyed all the computers and paper files, along with costumes and other things.

The city despaired of the theater ever coming back, but generous business and private donors, plus a large contingent of volunteers, put everything back in order. The theater also received grant monies, and a promise from FEMA for aid, which has not materialized yet. The theater is operating in the red right now, and is asking for donations for operating expenses.

The meal tonight was really good...a vast improvement over meals we've had there in the past. We were served grilled chicken fillets, scalloped potatoes, glazed carrots, and a roll, with a fresh strawberry for garnish. As we finished, a young woman came around with a basket of oregano scones, which we sampled. Dessert was a choice of lemon/sesame seed squares, or brownie/whipped cream parfaits. We opted for the parfaits, which were very pretty servedi n sundae glasses.

The play was called, "It Runs in the Family," a hilarious adult comedy. The synopsis reads: "Set in a hospital, "It Runs in the Family," contains the usual assortment of farcical nuts running in and out of doors mistaking everybody for someone else, as Dr. Mortimore tries to fend off a paternity suit, an ex wife, a punkish daughter (in this case it was a son, with different colored Mohawk spikes atop his head, and black eye makeup) and various other lunatics so that he may, at last, deliver the Ponsonby Lecture in an international conference."

About 15 folks from our town attended the play. A group of four widowed women traveled together, and for some reason took a route that traveled them through some scenic country, but was far out of the way of the theater. So they asked if they could follow us home.

The route we take is quicker, though it involves using a bypass that is easy to navigate in the daytime, but is tricky at night. We managed it fine, though, and I'm sure the ladies were grateful to arrive in familiar territory. It was 11:30 p.m. before we got back home.