Up around 7:30, and did a treadmill session and weights exercises after breakfast., Hubbie accompanied Mother to our house around 10 a.m., where she made a get-well greeting card for Granddaughter. Once I was ready for the day, I made a thank-you card to send to the community theater for allowing us to borrow costumes for the Confederate Ball. I used one of the photos for the front of the card, and enclosed a couple of others.
Then I washed laundry, finished making a grocery list, and prepared lunch. After lunch, Mother worked on her jigsaw puzzle, while Hubbie and I ran errands...to the bank; to the post office; and to the WDCS.
Relaxed for the rest of the afternoon, until time to prepare supper, which was leftover fajitas and macaroni and cheese. Mother had a hot dog with her mac and cheese, rather than a fajita.
Accompanied Mother to her house afterward, where we found the cookbook that has a recipe for Hawaiian banana bread that we like. I have three bananas in the freezer that need to be used, so we'll make a couple of loaves of the bread tomorrow.
I also located the color of thread I needed to use in hemming Mother's new jeans, which was my project for the evening, while we watched TV.
Tonight we watched the 2011 movie "Certain Prey," based on a novel by John Sandford, and starring Mark Harmon. Harmon plays Police Chief Lucas Davenport on the trail of a hit woman and a female lawyer, also a killer.
Following that, we watched a couple of one-hour shows before heading to bed.
Saturday, May 19, 2012
Friday, May 18, 2012
Friday, May 18
Had one of those nights when I couldn't go to sleep. Finally drifted off around 2 a.m. Slept late, until around 8 a.m., but did stair stepping, resistance bands, and weights exercises after breakfast. Once I was ready for the day, I did this and that around the house. Hubbie accompanied Mother to our house around 10 a.m., and she worked on her jigsaw puzzle.
After lunch, I went shopping in search of a new pair of jeans for Mother, and denim crop pants for me. At the store that used to have a sale every weekend, I found a pair of crop pants in my size, but no jeans for Mother. Seems the store has quit carrying the brand and style of petite ones that she likes.
So I went to the other store that still has a sale every weekend, where I found another brand of petite jeans in her size and style (stone washed with elastic waistband) that I hoped would suit her. I also found a really pretty pale tangerine colored three-quarter sleeve blouse in a white tropical flower print, with white braid trim. The summer-weight blouse skims the hips nicely, and will look great over either white slacks or white crop pants.
This is the blouse I'll wear to the upcoming Summer Celebration. Since the store had a 40% off sale today, I was able to buy the blouse with the money that younger son and daughter-in-law gave me for Mother's Day and still have cash left to buy something else.
After picking up snapshots at the WDCS, I was back home around 3:30, where I finished journaling and decorating a scrapbook page, and gathered materials to make a thank you greeting card. I postponed making the card, though, until I cleared away scrapbooking materials. Mother helped by separating scrap card stock into clear sleeves, an activity she could work on while seated.
Around 4:30, Hubbie went to meet a haircut appointment. Since we planned to have pancakes and turkey bacon for supper, we had to wait until he came back home, because it takes only a few minutes to heat the frozen pancakes. I discovered, however, that we were out of turkey bacon, so I called Hubbie to stop by a grocery store and pick up a package. In the meantime, I heated both raspberry and sugar free syrups, as well as plates, in the microwave, because I think breakfast type meals should be served on hot plates.
After supper, I read a social network post from Granddaughter, describing her very scary day yesterday, when she was hospitalized for hemorrahaging and complications following a miscarriage a few weeks ago. She stated that she lost over half of her blood in a matter of hours. Because she is type RH negative, blood had to be medivaced from another hospital, and it took a while to arrive. After it arrived, emergency surgery was performed to stop the bleeding. Her obstetrician said she had been very near death, and it was good that she hadn't delayed in getting to the hospital. She'a back home now, on medications and bed rest. We're all breathing a sigh of relef that's she's okay, now.
Later, I accompanied Mother to her house, where she tried on the new jeans, before she took a shower. The jeans fit, but will have to be hemmed, since she is so short. I'll try to get around to that this weekend. Once she was showered and dressed for bed, I threw a load of laundry in the washer for her, before coming back home.
Hubbie and I watched TV for the evening, including another updated version of a Sherlock Holmes story..."The Hound of the Baskervilles," from PBS channel.
After lunch, I went shopping in search of a new pair of jeans for Mother, and denim crop pants for me. At the store that used to have a sale every weekend, I found a pair of crop pants in my size, but no jeans for Mother. Seems the store has quit carrying the brand and style of petite ones that she likes.
So I went to the other store that still has a sale every weekend, where I found another brand of petite jeans in her size and style (stone washed with elastic waistband) that I hoped would suit her. I also found a really pretty pale tangerine colored three-quarter sleeve blouse in a white tropical flower print, with white braid trim. The summer-weight blouse skims the hips nicely, and will look great over either white slacks or white crop pants.
This is the blouse I'll wear to the upcoming Summer Celebration. Since the store had a 40% off sale today, I was able to buy the blouse with the money that younger son and daughter-in-law gave me for Mother's Day and still have cash left to buy something else.
After picking up snapshots at the WDCS, I was back home around 3:30, where I finished journaling and decorating a scrapbook page, and gathered materials to make a thank you greeting card. I postponed making the card, though, until I cleared away scrapbooking materials. Mother helped by separating scrap card stock into clear sleeves, an activity she could work on while seated.
Around 4:30, Hubbie went to meet a haircut appointment. Since we planned to have pancakes and turkey bacon for supper, we had to wait until he came back home, because it takes only a few minutes to heat the frozen pancakes. I discovered, however, that we were out of turkey bacon, so I called Hubbie to stop by a grocery store and pick up a package. In the meantime, I heated both raspberry and sugar free syrups, as well as plates, in the microwave, because I think breakfast type meals should be served on hot plates.
After supper, I read a social network post from Granddaughter, describing her very scary day yesterday, when she was hospitalized for hemorrahaging and complications following a miscarriage a few weeks ago. She stated that she lost over half of her blood in a matter of hours. Because she is type RH negative, blood had to be medivaced from another hospital, and it took a while to arrive. After it arrived, emergency surgery was performed to stop the bleeding. Her obstetrician said she had been very near death, and it was good that she hadn't delayed in getting to the hospital. She'a back home now, on medications and bed rest. We're all breathing a sigh of relef that's she's okay, now.
Later, I accompanied Mother to her house, where she tried on the new jeans, before she took a shower. The jeans fit, but will have to be hemmed, since she is so short. I'll try to get around to that this weekend. Once she was showered and dressed for bed, I threw a load of laundry in the washer for her, before coming back home.
Hubbie and I watched TV for the evening, including another updated version of a Sherlock Holmes story..."The Hound of the Baskervilles," from PBS channel.
Thursday, May 17, 2012
Thursday, May 17
Up around 7:30, but skipped my exercses after breakfast, so I could finish sprucing the house for company, and do things related to scrapbooking, like typing and printing journal information for the pages.
After a lunch of grilled cheese sandwiches, the ladies arrived around 1 p.m. We learned today that one of the ladies is personally acquainted with a young mother who was critcally injured in a seven car pile-up yesterday, when a tanker truck failed to stop fast enough in a work zone, fish-tailed, and slammed into a compact car driven by the young woman. She was on her way to work in a local bank.
We had a good time at the meeting, and the two hours just flew by. Around 2 p.m., I served the ladies a choice of coffee or chai tea (one lady preferred water), and homemade sugar cookies. The cookies were a hit with the ladies, and one wanted the recipe (the other doesn't bake anymore). I knew they'd like the cookies, because I've never served them to anyone who didn't love them.
The ladies left at 3 p.m., and afterward, Mother and I began preparations for supper, which was my version of fajitas, macaroni and cheese, and a hot dog for Mother, who isn't fond of Mexican food. I made a filling of cubed pork chop leftover from last night's meal, onions, bell peppers, mushrooms, black beans, green chilies, and salsa, sauteed in olive oil. Mother loaded the mixture into tortilla shells, which she topped with shredded Monterey Jack cheese, and rolled them into foil.
While she did that, I made macaroni and cheese...chopped bell pepper to add to the water for boiling the macaroni, and a sauce of milk and American cheese, along with spices...salt free seasoning, pepper, and paprika.
Shortly after supper, I learned that one of my granddaughters has been hospitalized because of hemorrahaging following a recent miscarriage. This is worrisome, and I won't rest easy until I know she's okay.
Accompanied Mother home later, and then Hubbie and I wached TV, including the first of three episodes of "Sherlock Holmes," a Masterpiece Theater presentation on PBS. These are modern tech-savvy versions of the classic tales. Interesting and amusing, featuring a young Sherlock Holmes.
Watched a couple of other one-hour shows after that, and talked from time-to-time with Daughter, who kept me up-to-date on Granddaughter's progress. She'd been in the hospital since noon without food or water, and was getting cranky by 9 p.m. But crankiness indicated to me that she is getting better. Hopefully, she'll be allowed food and drink after they test her blood count tonight.
After a lunch of grilled cheese sandwiches, the ladies arrived around 1 p.m. We learned today that one of the ladies is personally acquainted with a young mother who was critcally injured in a seven car pile-up yesterday, when a tanker truck failed to stop fast enough in a work zone, fish-tailed, and slammed into a compact car driven by the young woman. She was on her way to work in a local bank.
We had a good time at the meeting, and the two hours just flew by. Around 2 p.m., I served the ladies a choice of coffee or chai tea (one lady preferred water), and homemade sugar cookies. The cookies were a hit with the ladies, and one wanted the recipe (the other doesn't bake anymore). I knew they'd like the cookies, because I've never served them to anyone who didn't love them.
The ladies left at 3 p.m., and afterward, Mother and I began preparations for supper, which was my version of fajitas, macaroni and cheese, and a hot dog for Mother, who isn't fond of Mexican food. I made a filling of cubed pork chop leftover from last night's meal, onions, bell peppers, mushrooms, black beans, green chilies, and salsa, sauteed in olive oil. Mother loaded the mixture into tortilla shells, which she topped with shredded Monterey Jack cheese, and rolled them into foil.
While she did that, I made macaroni and cheese...chopped bell pepper to add to the water for boiling the macaroni, and a sauce of milk and American cheese, along with spices...salt free seasoning, pepper, and paprika.
Shortly after supper, I learned that one of my granddaughters has been hospitalized because of hemorrahaging following a recent miscarriage. This is worrisome, and I won't rest easy until I know she's okay.
Accompanied Mother home later, and then Hubbie and I wached TV, including the first of three episodes of "Sherlock Holmes," a Masterpiece Theater presentation on PBS. These are modern tech-savvy versions of the classic tales. Interesting and amusing, featuring a young Sherlock Holmes.
Watched a couple of other one-hour shows after that, and talked from time-to-time with Daughter, who kept me up-to-date on Granddaughter's progress. She'd been in the hospital since noon without food or water, and was getting cranky by 9 p.m. But crankiness indicated to me that she is getting better. Hopefully, she'll be allowed food and drink after they test her blood count tonight.
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
Wednesday, May 16
Slept late again, until around 8 a.m., but did a treadmill session and resistance exercises after breakfast. Hubbie accompanied Mother to our house around 10 a.m., and she washed and sorted blueberries, while I got ready for the day.
Before lunch, we made a double batch of blueberry muffins, and packaged the rest of the berries for the freezer. Hubbie and I enjoyed a couple of the muffins for lunch with scrambled eggs, but Mother just wanted Ramen Noodle soup, as usual.
After lunch, Hubbie ran errands...to take the costumes we wore to the Confederate Ball back to a member of the community theater, who said she could deliver them to the wardrobe room of the theater building, since she was going to be there tomorrow evening, anyway. She asked us to hang the costumes on a hook on the front porch, where she hangs items to be picked up by dry cleaners, but not to be startled by a rubber snake hanging there, intended to scare birds. She said she would not be home until later this afternoon, because she was going horseback riding.
Hubbie also went to the newspaper office to deliver the word search puzzle contest, and to a grocery store, which has the brand of fat-free ice cream that I like (he picked up four cartons of it...enough to last well into the summer).
While he ran errands, Mother and I selected card stock to use in designing scrapbook pages of Great-Granddaughter's recent second place win in a foot race; and of Hubbie and me in our Confederate Ball regalia. The scrapbook club is scheduled to meet tomorrow afternoon. After that, Mother resumed working on her jigsaw puzzle, and I began sprucing the house a little for tomorrow's meeting.
I thought there was a visual arts committee meeting tonight, but when I contacted the director to confirm this, she said that the meeting was last Wednesday evening, and she'd stayed at the gallery, but no one showed up. I went back and checked her May agenda info in an April e-mail, and found that she had actually scheduled the meeting for tonight...that's why no one showed up last week! I advised her of this, and she apologized. She's just got too many irons in the fire right now.
Anyway, she set tonight as a meeting of the juried art show committee, and I was welcome to attend, she said. I declined, since I don't think I can contribute anything of value to the discussion.
I thought we had set last Monday night as the date to meet to discuss the upcoming Summer Celebration, although I opted out of going. Mother needed me to attend to her while she showered right after supper...she was weary that evening, and I didn't want to delay in helping her.
Turned out folks didn't meet Monday, after all, because everyone was busy. I got no notice that the meeting had been postponed, so it was just as well that I didn't try to attend. The director set a new date of May 23. I'll be otherwise engaged that day, so I won't be attending then, either. It's hard to get everyone together during the summer months...we all have heavy schedules.
Also got an e-mail notice of a Monday board meeting of the Literacy Council. As far as I know, I'm not on that board! The director e-mailed later to apologize...seems she'd sent that notice to the wrong list.
Later, I fixed a supper of braised pork chops to have with the leftover potatoes, squash, and cabbage from last night. Afterwards, I accompanied Mother to her house and helped her take a shower. Threw a load of clothes in the washer before coming back home.
Hubbie and I watched TV for the evening, including a Hallmark movie, "Love Finds a Home," a Christian drama set in the late 1800s, about a couple of female doctors, one of whom is pregnant, and her friend, also a doctor, who is trying to get pregnant. The mother-in-law (Patty Duke) of the pregnant one is at odds with the non-pregnant doctor about the proper care of her daughter-in-law. Meanwhile, the teenage stepdaughter of the non-pregnant one is in love with the blacksmith, but her father is overprotective. Lessons are learned by all.
Before lunch, we made a double batch of blueberry muffins, and packaged the rest of the berries for the freezer. Hubbie and I enjoyed a couple of the muffins for lunch with scrambled eggs, but Mother just wanted Ramen Noodle soup, as usual.
After lunch, Hubbie ran errands...to take the costumes we wore to the Confederate Ball back to a member of the community theater, who said she could deliver them to the wardrobe room of the theater building, since she was going to be there tomorrow evening, anyway. She asked us to hang the costumes on a hook on the front porch, where she hangs items to be picked up by dry cleaners, but not to be startled by a rubber snake hanging there, intended to scare birds. She said she would not be home until later this afternoon, because she was going horseback riding.
Hubbie also went to the newspaper office to deliver the word search puzzle contest, and to a grocery store, which has the brand of fat-free ice cream that I like (he picked up four cartons of it...enough to last well into the summer).
While he ran errands, Mother and I selected card stock to use in designing scrapbook pages of Great-Granddaughter's recent second place win in a foot race; and of Hubbie and me in our Confederate Ball regalia. The scrapbook club is scheduled to meet tomorrow afternoon. After that, Mother resumed working on her jigsaw puzzle, and I began sprucing the house a little for tomorrow's meeting.
I thought there was a visual arts committee meeting tonight, but when I contacted the director to confirm this, she said that the meeting was last Wednesday evening, and she'd stayed at the gallery, but no one showed up. I went back and checked her May agenda info in an April e-mail, and found that she had actually scheduled the meeting for tonight...that's why no one showed up last week! I advised her of this, and she apologized. She's just got too many irons in the fire right now.
Anyway, she set tonight as a meeting of the juried art show committee, and I was welcome to attend, she said. I declined, since I don't think I can contribute anything of value to the discussion.
I thought we had set last Monday night as the date to meet to discuss the upcoming Summer Celebration, although I opted out of going. Mother needed me to attend to her while she showered right after supper...she was weary that evening, and I didn't want to delay in helping her.
Turned out folks didn't meet Monday, after all, because everyone was busy. I got no notice that the meeting had been postponed, so it was just as well that I didn't try to attend. The director set a new date of May 23. I'll be otherwise engaged that day, so I won't be attending then, either. It's hard to get everyone together during the summer months...we all have heavy schedules.
Also got an e-mail notice of a Monday board meeting of the Literacy Council. As far as I know, I'm not on that board! The director e-mailed later to apologize...seems she'd sent that notice to the wrong list.
Later, I fixed a supper of braised pork chops to have with the leftover potatoes, squash, and cabbage from last night. Afterwards, I accompanied Mother to her house and helped her take a shower. Threw a load of clothes in the washer before coming back home.
Hubbie and I watched TV for the evening, including a Hallmark movie, "Love Finds a Home," a Christian drama set in the late 1800s, about a couple of female doctors, one of whom is pregnant, and her friend, also a doctor, who is trying to get pregnant. The mother-in-law (Patty Duke) of the pregnant one is at odds with the non-pregnant doctor about the proper care of her daughter-in-law. Meanwhile, the teenage stepdaughter of the non-pregnant one is in love with the blacksmith, but her father is overprotective. Lessons are learned by all.
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
Tuesday, May 15
Halfway through May already! Time just keeps speeding up.
Slept late, until 8 a.m., and then did stair stepping, resistance bands, and weights exercises after breakfast. Fixed Mother a package of Ramen Noodle soup, and then got ready for the day.
Didn't accomplish much else before noon. At 11:30, Hubbie and I went to the hospital to attend a luncheon and lecture on osteoporosis. I was afraid there wouldn't be many men in the audience, but there were several. In fact, when we arrived, we sat at an empty table, and before we knew it four men joined us. So I was at a table with five men!
Guess the topic was of interest to the male population, too...or maybe it was the free lunch. Today, we had chicken salad, broccoli salad, and fruit salad, and a choice of water, tea, or soft drink.
The doctor who spoke was interesting. Of course, I already know I have all the risk factors for osterporosis...a relative (Mother) who has it, being over the age of 65, post menopausal, female, and caucasian, and having smoked in the past. But my last bone density scan, at age 65, showed that my bones are normal, so my next scan won't be until I'm 80.
On the plus side, I take adequate calcium and vitamin D, drink milk and orange juice, eat a low-sodium diet, skip the caffeine, watch the amount of meat I eat, and exercise. That's all I can do, so unless I show symptoms, I'm not going to worry about it.
After the luncheon, we ran errands...to the bank, to a vet's office, to a farm store, and to the WDCS (to pick up another batch of photos, after Hubbie lost the others yesterday). Back home, I accompanied Mother to our house, where she sliced veggies for supper...yellow and zuchinni squash, green onions, and bell pepper, and cubed baked potatoes from last night's meal.
At 3 p.m., we went to the beauty shop for haircuts. We were back home by 3:30, and around 4 p.m., I began supper preparations...sauteed the cabbage, squashes, and potatoes, which I served with biscuits and a choice of peach preserves for Mother and honey for Hubbie and me.
Afterward, I accompanied Mother to her house, and then Hubbie and I watched TV, including the elimation episode of "Dancing With the Stars." The one who was eliminated is the one I wanted to see make it to the finals. Phoey.
We also watched a 2006 movie called, "Apocalypto," a subtitled film directed by Mel Gibson about the decline of the Mayan civilization. A peaceful tribe is overrun and slaughtered by a violent rival tribe. Whoever is not killed is rounded up and marched into slavery. The members of the ruling tribe decide that building more temples and offering human sacrifices will bring prosperity...the sacrifices being chosen from among the male captives. A total eclipse of the sun ends the scrifices, but the tribe isn't done. They turn the remaining men loose to try to flee to the jungle before they are killed by arrows and spears. Only one young man manages to escape in an attempt to avoid his fate. But the pursuing tribe still isn't done. Intense surprises continue. Violent, tense movie.
Slept late, until 8 a.m., and then did stair stepping, resistance bands, and weights exercises after breakfast. Fixed Mother a package of Ramen Noodle soup, and then got ready for the day.
Didn't accomplish much else before noon. At 11:30, Hubbie and I went to the hospital to attend a luncheon and lecture on osteoporosis. I was afraid there wouldn't be many men in the audience, but there were several. In fact, when we arrived, we sat at an empty table, and before we knew it four men joined us. So I was at a table with five men!
Guess the topic was of interest to the male population, too...or maybe it was the free lunch. Today, we had chicken salad, broccoli salad, and fruit salad, and a choice of water, tea, or soft drink.
The doctor who spoke was interesting. Of course, I already know I have all the risk factors for osterporosis...a relative (Mother) who has it, being over the age of 65, post menopausal, female, and caucasian, and having smoked in the past. But my last bone density scan, at age 65, showed that my bones are normal, so my next scan won't be until I'm 80.
On the plus side, I take adequate calcium and vitamin D, drink milk and orange juice, eat a low-sodium diet, skip the caffeine, watch the amount of meat I eat, and exercise. That's all I can do, so unless I show symptoms, I'm not going to worry about it.
After the luncheon, we ran errands...to the bank, to a vet's office, to a farm store, and to the WDCS (to pick up another batch of photos, after Hubbie lost the others yesterday). Back home, I accompanied Mother to our house, where she sliced veggies for supper...yellow and zuchinni squash, green onions, and bell pepper, and cubed baked potatoes from last night's meal.
At 3 p.m., we went to the beauty shop for haircuts. We were back home by 3:30, and around 4 p.m., I began supper preparations...sauteed the cabbage, squashes, and potatoes, which I served with biscuits and a choice of peach preserves for Mother and honey for Hubbie and me.
Afterward, I accompanied Mother to her house, and then Hubbie and I watched TV, including the elimation episode of "Dancing With the Stars." The one who was eliminated is the one I wanted to see make it to the finals. Phoey.
We also watched a 2006 movie called, "Apocalypto," a subtitled film directed by Mel Gibson about the decline of the Mayan civilization. A peaceful tribe is overrun and slaughtered by a violent rival tribe. Whoever is not killed is rounded up and marched into slavery. The members of the ruling tribe decide that building more temples and offering human sacrifices will bring prosperity...the sacrifices being chosen from among the male captives. A total eclipse of the sun ends the scrifices, but the tribe isn't done. They turn the remaining men loose to try to flee to the jungle before they are killed by arrows and spears. Only one young man manages to escape in an attempt to avoid his fate. But the pursuing tribe still isn't done. Intense surprises continue. Violent, tense movie.
Monday, May 14, 2012
Monday, May 14
Up late, around 8 a.m. again, since I didn't have to go to water aerobics this morning. After breakfast, I did a treadmill session and weights exercises.
Didn't accomplish much before lunch, except getting ready for the day, and talking on the phone for a while with Daughter. After lunch, I reviewed the lesson plan for my tutoring class, but at 1 p.m., my student called to say that she was sick with that abcessed tooth. She sounded terrible, and I could tell she was in pain.
I can't imagine why her family doesn't insist she see a dentist, instead of letting her suffer for the next ten days until she can see her dentist in Venezuela. Abcesses are very serious and can poison the bloodstream. She at least needs a prescription for an antibiotic to take the abcess down. Her dentist in Venezuela will have to get rid of the infection before he can treat that tooth, anyway. She might as well get a head start here.
Since I couldn't meet with my student, I went ahead and did the April report for the Literacy Council, and then went to check on Mother. She stayed home this morning and had lunch there, but I accompanied her to my house for the afternoon, where she made dressing for coleslaw, and then worked on her new jigsaw puzzle.
Mother is complaining again today of a headache. She insists she's fine, but if she continues to have this problem, we are off to the doctor, whether she likes it or not!
Hubbie ran errands this morning, including picking up barbecue for supper. He also went to the pharmacy, and to the WDCS for a few items, including picking up snapshots of the Confederate Ball, which I want to use in making scrapbook pages later this week. Unfortunately, he somehow lost the snapshots somewhere between the store and home (he might have left them in the shopping cart), so I had to place another order.
Spent the rest of the afternoon doing laundry, planning an upcoming trip, deciding on a menu for the week, calling the members of the scrapbook club to remind them of a Thursday meeting, reading the Sunday newspaper, working this week's word search puzzle contest, etc.
For supper, we had baked potatoes, topped with barbecue, green onions from the garden, and sour cream, with a side of coleslaw. Hubbie bolstered his meal with barbecue on a bun.
The visual arts committee was scheduled to meet at 5:30 to further discuss plans for an upcoming Summer Celebration, but I opted out of going, because I felt I needed to help Mother. She seemed tired this evening, so I didn't want to delay in helping her take a shower after supper.
I threw a load of laundry in Mother's washer, before coming home to make a recipe of instant chocolate pudding. Took a helping of it to Mother. Hubbie and I spent the rest of the evening watching TV, including this week's episode of "Dancing with the Stars."
Didn't accomplish much before lunch, except getting ready for the day, and talking on the phone for a while with Daughter. After lunch, I reviewed the lesson plan for my tutoring class, but at 1 p.m., my student called to say that she was sick with that abcessed tooth. She sounded terrible, and I could tell she was in pain.
I can't imagine why her family doesn't insist she see a dentist, instead of letting her suffer for the next ten days until she can see her dentist in Venezuela. Abcesses are very serious and can poison the bloodstream. She at least needs a prescription for an antibiotic to take the abcess down. Her dentist in Venezuela will have to get rid of the infection before he can treat that tooth, anyway. She might as well get a head start here.
Since I couldn't meet with my student, I went ahead and did the April report for the Literacy Council, and then went to check on Mother. She stayed home this morning and had lunch there, but I accompanied her to my house for the afternoon, where she made dressing for coleslaw, and then worked on her new jigsaw puzzle.
Mother is complaining again today of a headache. She insists she's fine, but if she continues to have this problem, we are off to the doctor, whether she likes it or not!
Hubbie ran errands this morning, including picking up barbecue for supper. He also went to the pharmacy, and to the WDCS for a few items, including picking up snapshots of the Confederate Ball, which I want to use in making scrapbook pages later this week. Unfortunately, he somehow lost the snapshots somewhere between the store and home (he might have left them in the shopping cart), so I had to place another order.
Spent the rest of the afternoon doing laundry, planning an upcoming trip, deciding on a menu for the week, calling the members of the scrapbook club to remind them of a Thursday meeting, reading the Sunday newspaper, working this week's word search puzzle contest, etc.
For supper, we had baked potatoes, topped with barbecue, green onions from the garden, and sour cream, with a side of coleslaw. Hubbie bolstered his meal with barbecue on a bun.
The visual arts committee was scheduled to meet at 5:30 to further discuss plans for an upcoming Summer Celebration, but I opted out of going, because I felt I needed to help Mother. She seemed tired this evening, so I didn't want to delay in helping her take a shower after supper.
I threw a load of laundry in Mother's washer, before coming home to make a recipe of instant chocolate pudding. Took a helping of it to Mother. Hubbie and I spent the rest of the evening watching TV, including this week's episode of "Dancing with the Stars."
Sunday, May 13, 2012
Sunday, May 13
Today is Mother's Day. Happy Mother's Day to all the ladies in my family.
Up late, around 8 a.m., and skipped my exercises again, since it's Sunday and Mother's Day. Hubbie and I had a light breakfast, because we planned to go to a local restaurant for lunch at noon. The first thing Hubbie did was present me with a beautiful card and a pair of stud earrings. They are so pretty that they will become my new everyday earrings.
Hubbie accompanied Mother to our house around 10:30. She was a bit unhappy, because she'd forgotten to either make me a Mother's Day card or have Hubbie buy one for me. I assured her that it was unimportant, and she should not worry herself about it.
My gift to her included a homemade card, along with a new jigsaw puzzle featuring cats, a bottle of her favorite body wash/shampoo, and some intimate apparel.
Around 11:30, we went to the restuarant, where lunch was a buffet. It was a beautiful sunny day, and we were seated at a table for four overlooking the river and dam.
For Mother, I fixed a plate of her favorites...fried chicken, fried okra, and macaroni and cheese. I learned later that fried okra and macaroni and cheese are Son's favorites, too, and now we know how he acquired his preference! I chose roast beef, mashed potatoes and gravy, some of the okra, green beans, corn, and salad. Hubbie went for ham, dressing, and veggies.
Afterward, our waiter brought a strawberry pie dessert. Mother and I shared a single serving. Between the two of us, we were not able to eat the whole dessert, so I passed it to Hubbie. The waiter said the cook, a woman, only prepares this once a year, on Mother's Day. It was good, but I mainly ate the strawberries and let Hubbie have the pie crust and filling.
Back home, we changed clothes, and then went back to the river for today's Civil War battle. Mother, who declined to go yesterday, decided she wanted to go today. We took the wheelchair and found a shady spot under a tree that was close to the action. The cannons and guns were loud again. Today was different from yesterday in that some of the Confederate soldiers sneaked through the crowd and hid behind trees in their advance toward the Union side of the battlefield. Today, too, a woman, in Civil War era regalia, ran onto the battleground, brandishing a repeater pistol. Single-handedly, she mowed down several of the Union soldiers. The Confederate soldiers finished off the rest by rifle, and in hand-to-hand combat. The victory went to the Confederates today, as I suspected it would, since the Union side won yesterday.
The battle wasn't as long today, either, which was good, since Mother would have been exhausted by more. At home, we relaxed a while, and then Mother clipped coupons for Granddaughter, before she opened her new jigsaw puzzle to sort and complete the border. By this time, she complained of a slight headache and was ready to go home, so I accompanied her. Ordinarily, this would be shower night for her, but she preferred to wait until tomorrow evening.
Hubbie and I spent the rest of the evening watching one-hour shows on TV.
Note: Mother and I were both pleased to get Mother's Day phone calls from my two sons. We really enjoyed talking to them, which helped make for a wonderful day.
Up late, around 8 a.m., and skipped my exercises again, since it's Sunday and Mother's Day. Hubbie and I had a light breakfast, because we planned to go to a local restaurant for lunch at noon. The first thing Hubbie did was present me with a beautiful card and a pair of stud earrings. They are so pretty that they will become my new everyday earrings.
Hubbie accompanied Mother to our house around 10:30. She was a bit unhappy, because she'd forgotten to either make me a Mother's Day card or have Hubbie buy one for me. I assured her that it was unimportant, and she should not worry herself about it.
My gift to her included a homemade card, along with a new jigsaw puzzle featuring cats, a bottle of her favorite body wash/shampoo, and some intimate apparel.
Around 11:30, we went to the restuarant, where lunch was a buffet. It was a beautiful sunny day, and we were seated at a table for four overlooking the river and dam.
For Mother, I fixed a plate of her favorites...fried chicken, fried okra, and macaroni and cheese. I learned later that fried okra and macaroni and cheese are Son's favorites, too, and now we know how he acquired his preference! I chose roast beef, mashed potatoes and gravy, some of the okra, green beans, corn, and salad. Hubbie went for ham, dressing, and veggies.
Afterward, our waiter brought a strawberry pie dessert. Mother and I shared a single serving. Between the two of us, we were not able to eat the whole dessert, so I passed it to Hubbie. The waiter said the cook, a woman, only prepares this once a year, on Mother's Day. It was good, but I mainly ate the strawberries and let Hubbie have the pie crust and filling.
Back home, we changed clothes, and then went back to the river for today's Civil War battle. Mother, who declined to go yesterday, decided she wanted to go today. We took the wheelchair and found a shady spot under a tree that was close to the action. The cannons and guns were loud again. Today was different from yesterday in that some of the Confederate soldiers sneaked through the crowd and hid behind trees in their advance toward the Union side of the battlefield. Today, too, a woman, in Civil War era regalia, ran onto the battleground, brandishing a repeater pistol. Single-handedly, she mowed down several of the Union soldiers. The Confederate soldiers finished off the rest by rifle, and in hand-to-hand combat. The victory went to the Confederates today, as I suspected it would, since the Union side won yesterday.
The battle wasn't as long today, either, which was good, since Mother would have been exhausted by more. At home, we relaxed a while, and then Mother clipped coupons for Granddaughter, before she opened her new jigsaw puzzle to sort and complete the border. By this time, she complained of a slight headache and was ready to go home, so I accompanied her. Ordinarily, this would be shower night for her, but she preferred to wait until tomorrow evening.
Hubbie and I spent the rest of the evening watching one-hour shows on TV.
Note: Mother and I were both pleased to get Mother's Day phone calls from my two sons. We really enjoyed talking to them, which helped make for a wonderful day.
Saturday, May 12
Slept late, until nearly 8 a.m. Skipped my exercises, because I knew I'd get enough with walking around down by the river during the Civil War battle, and at the Confederate Ball tonight.
As soon as we'd had breakfast and gotten ready for the day, we went to the river park and toured the Civil War encampment, where I took lots of pictures. Here, we learned how crude the surgery was...wounded soldiers were given a cocktail of laudanum and opium, which was applied by placing an ordinary kitchen funnel over the patient's face. It was a mixture that could kill if not applied judiciously, so the surgeon would place the funnel over the face, and say something like "Mary had a little lamb," take the funnel away, then reapply it and say, "It's fleece was white as snow." The effects lasted only ten minutes, so the surgeon had to hurry to cut a flap of flesh back from the leg or arm, and then saw the affected limb away.
Our "surgeon" goes to schools to demonstrate this, and after a "surgery," he tosses a hand or foot into the audience. At one school, a cheerleader upchucked when it was tossed to her, and at another, a boy fainted. I'm thinking this might not be good practice on the part of the "surgeon."
Back home, I uploaded several snapshots to my social network page, and then I saw that Mother had lunch. After Hubbie and I had ours, we returned to the river to watch the battle. It was a noisy affair, with cannon and muzzle loader shots...boom! Crack! Today, the Union side advanced and flanked the Confederate soldiers, winning the battle. The ground was littered with "casualties" afterward. At one point, I heard one of the soldiers say, "Shoot him again! He's not dead, yet!" As in the real battles, these soldiers confiscated ammo from their fallen comrades.
There was a large crowd to watch the battle, somewhat like what would have happened in the real war, when folks gathered near the battlefield to picnic and watch the action. I don't think I could enjoy a picnic while watching young men being shot dead. But then, in those days, a hanging was cause for celebration.
At the encampment reception tent, a lady we know was selling copies of a book about the Civil War, written by the father-in-law of the Spanish student I tutor in English. Many years ago, I was cast in a Civil War play written by this man. So we bought the book, which was already signed.
Back home again, I uploaded snapshots to my social network page, and then Hubbie and I showered and got ready for the Confederate Ball. It was a trick getting into the van in my hoop, but I managed it. The ball was held at a local restuarant on the river, where dinner was served at 6 p.m. We were among the first to arrive, and my gown caused quite an admiring sensation. I wondored what sort of reception my dress would get (I was afraid I might look like a saloon girl), but I needn't have worried.
Dinner tonight was salad bar, followed by baked chicken fillet, baked potato, green beans, and roll, with hot bread pudding for dessert.
After dinner, the tables were pushed back, and participants danced to Civil War era music, provided by a young trio...one on dulcimer, one on violin, and a girl who sang. I joined in for one of the group dances, and Hubbie and I danced several waltzes. This was a perfect time to use the waltz skills we learned during ballroom dancing lessons a few years ago.
Funny: two young women tripped on their gowns during a group dance and fell flat on the floor. They hopped right up, though, and laughed along with the rest of us. I noticed that one older woman's gown was made to fall only to her ankles, rather than to the floor, so that she would not trip during dancing.
I was really glad to see my student at the event (her husband organized the weekend's events). She didn't arrive until after dinner, and I was afraid she would not come. In speaking with her, I learned that she has an abcessed tooth, and she wasn't sure she was going to feel well enough to come. But someone gave her pain medication so that she could function.
Because dental work is so expensive, she said she is not able to see a dentist here, and will have to wait until she goes back to Venezuela next week. She already has an appointment with her dentist there, but it will be ten days before she sees him. I hope she is okay until then. I told her that if she was ill tomorrow, she would be excused from class, but I haven't heard from her yet that she will not attend.
The student was beautifully dressed in a shade of green similar to my gown. A seamstress had fashioned a skirt with hoop to add to a sparkly top of the same color. The seamstress had also made a pair of fingerless long gloves. The student, whose hair is short and black, found a long-curl fall to add, to which was attached a black and green flower, also made by the seamstress.
During the event, the student and I talked with another lady, who wore two stunning dresses for the weekend events...a day dress with straw bonnet, and a ball gown. She said she obtained the day dress from a friend, who sold it to her for $20. With the help of her Mother, she made the ball gown, which, because of its intricacy, took about two years to complete.
She seemed interested in my gown, however, and snapped a picture of it, planning, I suspect to imitate it in some way. Her pale blue dresses with white trim, along with her blonde hair, to which she'd added a long-curl fall, made her a real stand-out in the crowd. I think the two of us managed to win the ball gown competition.
The muscians ended their performance with a rousing rendition of "Dixie," which we all sang. The dance lasted until around 9 p.m., after which we were asked to go onto the deck for the firing of the cannons in remembrance of the fallen soldiers of the Civil War, in which it is said at least 618,000 died.
It was a fun evening, but we were ready to hit the sack by the time we got home around 10 p.m.
As soon as we'd had breakfast and gotten ready for the day, we went to the river park and toured the Civil War encampment, where I took lots of pictures. Here, we learned how crude the surgery was...wounded soldiers were given a cocktail of laudanum and opium, which was applied by placing an ordinary kitchen funnel over the patient's face. It was a mixture that could kill if not applied judiciously, so the surgeon would place the funnel over the face, and say something like "Mary had a little lamb," take the funnel away, then reapply it and say, "It's fleece was white as snow." The effects lasted only ten minutes, so the surgeon had to hurry to cut a flap of flesh back from the leg or arm, and then saw the affected limb away.
Our "surgeon" goes to schools to demonstrate this, and after a "surgery," he tosses a hand or foot into the audience. At one school, a cheerleader upchucked when it was tossed to her, and at another, a boy fainted. I'm thinking this might not be good practice on the part of the "surgeon."
Back home, I uploaded several snapshots to my social network page, and then I saw that Mother had lunch. After Hubbie and I had ours, we returned to the river to watch the battle. It was a noisy affair, with cannon and muzzle loader shots...boom! Crack! Today, the Union side advanced and flanked the Confederate soldiers, winning the battle. The ground was littered with "casualties" afterward. At one point, I heard one of the soldiers say, "Shoot him again! He's not dead, yet!" As in the real battles, these soldiers confiscated ammo from their fallen comrades.
There was a large crowd to watch the battle, somewhat like what would have happened in the real war, when folks gathered near the battlefield to picnic and watch the action. I don't think I could enjoy a picnic while watching young men being shot dead. But then, in those days, a hanging was cause for celebration.
At the encampment reception tent, a lady we know was selling copies of a book about the Civil War, written by the father-in-law of the Spanish student I tutor in English. Many years ago, I was cast in a Civil War play written by this man. So we bought the book, which was already signed.
Back home again, I uploaded snapshots to my social network page, and then Hubbie and I showered and got ready for the Confederate Ball. It was a trick getting into the van in my hoop, but I managed it. The ball was held at a local restuarant on the river, where dinner was served at 6 p.m. We were among the first to arrive, and my gown caused quite an admiring sensation. I wondored what sort of reception my dress would get (I was afraid I might look like a saloon girl), but I needn't have worried.
Dinner tonight was salad bar, followed by baked chicken fillet, baked potato, green beans, and roll, with hot bread pudding for dessert.
After dinner, the tables were pushed back, and participants danced to Civil War era music, provided by a young trio...one on dulcimer, one on violin, and a girl who sang. I joined in for one of the group dances, and Hubbie and I danced several waltzes. This was a perfect time to use the waltz skills we learned during ballroom dancing lessons a few years ago.
Funny: two young women tripped on their gowns during a group dance and fell flat on the floor. They hopped right up, though, and laughed along with the rest of us. I noticed that one older woman's gown was made to fall only to her ankles, rather than to the floor, so that she would not trip during dancing.
I was really glad to see my student at the event (her husband organized the weekend's events). She didn't arrive until after dinner, and I was afraid she would not come. In speaking with her, I learned that she has an abcessed tooth, and she wasn't sure she was going to feel well enough to come. But someone gave her pain medication so that she could function.
Because dental work is so expensive, she said she is not able to see a dentist here, and will have to wait until she goes back to Venezuela next week. She already has an appointment with her dentist there, but it will be ten days before she sees him. I hope she is okay until then. I told her that if she was ill tomorrow, she would be excused from class, but I haven't heard from her yet that she will not attend.
The student was beautifully dressed in a shade of green similar to my gown. A seamstress had fashioned a skirt with hoop to add to a sparkly top of the same color. The seamstress had also made a pair of fingerless long gloves. The student, whose hair is short and black, found a long-curl fall to add, to which was attached a black and green flower, also made by the seamstress.
During the event, the student and I talked with another lady, who wore two stunning dresses for the weekend events...a day dress with straw bonnet, and a ball gown. She said she obtained the day dress from a friend, who sold it to her for $20. With the help of her Mother, she made the ball gown, which, because of its intricacy, took about two years to complete.
She seemed interested in my gown, however, and snapped a picture of it, planning, I suspect to imitate it in some way. Her pale blue dresses with white trim, along with her blonde hair, to which she'd added a long-curl fall, made her a real stand-out in the crowd. I think the two of us managed to win the ball gown competition.
The muscians ended their performance with a rousing rendition of "Dixie," which we all sang. The dance lasted until around 9 p.m., after which we were asked to go onto the deck for the firing of the cannons in remembrance of the fallen soldiers of the Civil War, in which it is said at least 618,000 died.
It was a fun evening, but we were ready to hit the sack by the time we got home around 10 p.m.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)