Up at 7:30, and after breakfast, Hubbie and I went for a bike ride, gathering dogs along the way...seven altogether. It was a cool morning, with a brisk wind that provided resistance enough that we had to pedal hard against it. Made it feel like the road was uphill both ways.
Before we left, Hubbie accompanied Mother to our house, and she diced onions, carrots, celery, and banana peppers for Drogon Soup. When we returned from our ride, I sauteed the veggies in olive oil, then added a can of sodium-free diced tomatoes, a couple of cans of low-sodium beef broth, and a couple of cans of low-sodium chicken broth, along with spices, and let the mixture simmer for a couple of hours. Then I added a collection of leftover veggies, macaroni, and meats from the freezer.
While the soup cooked, Mother and I worked on sympathy greeting cards for Caring Hands Hospice. Before and after lunch, we made two sympathy cards, and one get well card. Took us a while to make one of the cards, because I ruined it at the last minute. I'd put a rubber stamp greeting on the front, then washed the rubber stamp to use in doing a greeting inside the card. But my hands weren't completely dry, I guess, when I picked up the card, so I smudged the greeting.
I covered the card in green paper, rubber stamped a rose design on white cardstock to put on top, and then Mother used sticker borders to outline the card. This time, I successfully rubber stamped the greeting on the front.
Our lunch of Dragon Soup, with crackers and peanut butter was very good. It promises to be cool the next few days, so this soup and the salmon chowder will be welcome.
After we finished the greeting cards, Mother went to the couch for a nap, Hubbie watched a football game on TV, and I went upstairs for a shower and to get dressed for the day. It was already 2 p.m. by this time.
Later, I accompanied Mother back to her house, taking a serving of salmon chowder along, so she could have supper while we went down to the river around 5 p.m. to watch the Rubber Ducky Regatta, since I'd bought a "Duckument" (ticket0 in hopes of winning the grand prize of a Bad Boy lawnmower.
The ducks were launched by dropping them from the highway bridge into the river, where they floated down to the dam. The first one to cross over the dam and float down to a yellow rope near a sand bar was the winner.
We arrived at Riverside Park around 5 p.m. Parking was at a premium, but we found a space in a restaurant parking lot, and walked to park...good exercise for me. In the festival area, we stopped to watch a group of women doing Zumba dancing exercises. I was surprised to see that my doctor was among the large group of women gyrating to the music. Took several snapshots of her.
Then we moved on to the lawnmower races. Various city officials competed on Bad Boy mowers, with the mayor and a judge coming in first and second. The "race course" was constructed of hay bales fashioned into a sort of obstacle course. Hubbie thoroughly enjoyed this event.
Following that, we strolled down to the river to watch the Rubber Ducky Regatta. The ducks had already been tossed into the water by the time we got down there, but it was fun watching the 3,000 duckies float basically enmasse down the river. But there were a few that escaped the huddle and raced far out ahead.
When they'd gone about halfway to the dam, we walked down to the finish area to watch them cross under the yellow rope finish line, and then we left the festival.
Before returning home, we drove out to the airport to snap a few photos of damage to a hangar...high winds from the thunderstorm last night blew the hangar out onto the highway. The first that I knew of this damage was around 10:30 last night, when Daughter-in-Law, who saw a story about it on TV news, called to make sure we were all right. We were watching a mini-series movie that ran into TV news time, so we missed the story.
At home, we had a supper of salmon chowder, with cheese and crackers, and then watched a one-hour show before watching our favorite college football team play to a stunning loss. We were expected to win by a wide margin, and instead lost by only three points. The game started at 6 p.m., but we waited until 7 p.m. to watch it on DVR, so we could fast-forward through commercials.
Saturday, September 8, 2012
Friday, September 7, 2012
Friday, Sept. 7
The biggest and best news today: we have a new great-granddaughter...Autumn Leanne...born at 3:51 this morning, weighing 9 lb. 5 oz.! Beautiful, chubby chipmunk cheeks, and a shock of dark hair. Can't wait to get my hands on her.
Up at 6:30 to get ready to go to water aerobics. About 25 of us showed up today, which is unusual for a Friday, since folks often have weekend things to do that keep them away.
The pool was cool this morning, but pleasant once I dipped down into it. Enjoyed the session. Some of the ladies seem to be experiencing physical problems, though. One, who is younger than I am, has rheumatoid arthritis for which she is taking multiple medicines. She visited her doctor recently, because of extreme pain in her legs. Her doctor discovered she has no pulse in her feet. RA often causes problems with the feet, including deformities.
A couple of other ladies are experiencing bursitis, either of the hip or shoulder. So they won't return to the pool until the pain of the ailment goes away.
One lady, who like me, has heart disease that required a stent, has been having pains in her stomach. Last week, she underwent a catheter procedure that revealed polyps in her stomach. She's awaiting news of biopsy results.
In other news, one of the ladies said a storm that passed through the county on Wednesday lifted the roof off the barn at her property. The barn had recently been fitted with a new roof and rafters, so her husband was sick almost to tears about the destruction. I can see why, after a prolonged drought that decimated pasture land for their cattle, forced them to sell part of the herd. They also lost cattle to a disease this summer. So I imagine the barn roof was the last straw (no pun intended).
Back home, by the time I was ready for the day, it was 11 a.m. I busied myself doing this and that until lunchtime. In the meantime, Hubbie accompanied Mother to our house. After lunch, she retired to the couch for a nap, as usual.
While she napped, Hubbie worked in the yard, and I went to the upstairs computer to try to fix the printer, first by uninstalling the printer, and then using the CD that came with it to re-install it, which didn't work, and second by contacting a support website for the printer model to download a new driver, which also didn't work. So I see no other solution except to buy a new printer. I'm tired of fooling with this one.
Around 3:30, Mother finished her nap, and the two of us went to the kitchen to put together salmon chowder for supper. Mother's contribution was chopping onions and fresh garlic, and grating Monterey Jack cheese. Otherwise, the chowder is very simple to put together...cooking the onions and garlic in margarine or butter, adding flour and milk, then adding all the other ingredients...canned diced tomatoes, canned salmon, frozen whole kernel corn, and spices...then bring to a boil and add the shredded cheese.
The chowder was very good, served with oyster crackers, and slices of rye bread and margarine. Afterward, I accompanied Mother to her house, and waited until she took a shower.
Back home, Hubbie and I watched a two-part, min-series movie from the A&E channel: "Coma," based on a novel by Robin Cook. A young medical student suspects foul play when more than the average number of patients go into comas following routine surgeries.
Thunderstorm cropped up around 8 a.m., bringing rain, thunder, and lightning that caused a couple of brief power outages...just enough to turn the TV off. We were three-quarters of the way through the first episode of "Coma," but each time the power went off, the DVR zipped the movie back to the beginning, and I had to fast-forward to the point where we left off.
Up at 6:30 to get ready to go to water aerobics. About 25 of us showed up today, which is unusual for a Friday, since folks often have weekend things to do that keep them away.
The pool was cool this morning, but pleasant once I dipped down into it. Enjoyed the session. Some of the ladies seem to be experiencing physical problems, though. One, who is younger than I am, has rheumatoid arthritis for which she is taking multiple medicines. She visited her doctor recently, because of extreme pain in her legs. Her doctor discovered she has no pulse in her feet. RA often causes problems with the feet, including deformities.
A couple of other ladies are experiencing bursitis, either of the hip or shoulder. So they won't return to the pool until the pain of the ailment goes away.
One lady, who like me, has heart disease that required a stent, has been having pains in her stomach. Last week, she underwent a catheter procedure that revealed polyps in her stomach. She's awaiting news of biopsy results.
In other news, one of the ladies said a storm that passed through the county on Wednesday lifted the roof off the barn at her property. The barn had recently been fitted with a new roof and rafters, so her husband was sick almost to tears about the destruction. I can see why, after a prolonged drought that decimated pasture land for their cattle, forced them to sell part of the herd. They also lost cattle to a disease this summer. So I imagine the barn roof was the last straw (no pun intended).
Back home, by the time I was ready for the day, it was 11 a.m. I busied myself doing this and that until lunchtime. In the meantime, Hubbie accompanied Mother to our house. After lunch, she retired to the couch for a nap, as usual.
While she napped, Hubbie worked in the yard, and I went to the upstairs computer to try to fix the printer, first by uninstalling the printer, and then using the CD that came with it to re-install it, which didn't work, and second by contacting a support website for the printer model to download a new driver, which also didn't work. So I see no other solution except to buy a new printer. I'm tired of fooling with this one.
Around 3:30, Mother finished her nap, and the two of us went to the kitchen to put together salmon chowder for supper. Mother's contribution was chopping onions and fresh garlic, and grating Monterey Jack cheese. Otherwise, the chowder is very simple to put together...cooking the onions and garlic in margarine or butter, adding flour and milk, then adding all the other ingredients...canned diced tomatoes, canned salmon, frozen whole kernel corn, and spices...then bring to a boil and add the shredded cheese.
The chowder was very good, served with oyster crackers, and slices of rye bread and margarine. Afterward, I accompanied Mother to her house, and waited until she took a shower.
Back home, Hubbie and I watched a two-part, min-series movie from the A&E channel: "Coma," based on a novel by Robin Cook. A young medical student suspects foul play when more than the average number of patients go into comas following routine surgeries.
Thunderstorm cropped up around 8 a.m., bringing rain, thunder, and lightning that caused a couple of brief power outages...just enough to turn the TV off. We were three-quarters of the way through the first episode of "Coma," but each time the power went off, the DVR zipped the movie back to the beginning, and I had to fast-forward to the point where we left off.
Thursday, September 6, 2012
Thursday, Sept. 6
Up around 8 a.m. this morning. After breakfast, Hubbie accompanied Mother to our house. I was dressed in my exercise clothes, but didn't get around to doing a session until long after lunch.
Instead, I gathered materials for Mother to make sympathy cards for Caring Hands Hospice. Kept me busy all morning doing rubber stamp sympathy greetings and other designs, looking for appropriate stickers, and suggesting card designs, because Mother has lost a great deal of her creative capabilities. But once I give her a suggestion and see that she has the things necessary for a design, she's able to put cards together. Together, we managed to create six cards.
We stopped for lunch at noon, then resumed card making afterward, working until around 1:30, when Mother tired of the project and was ready to go to the couch for a nap.
While she napped, I did an exercise session. While I cooled down afterward, I wrote a short essay nominating my ESL student for student of the year. Did other computer stuff, as well, and before I knew it, it was already 3:30.
Mother finished her nap, and relaxed until suppertime. After I took care of a computer problem on the PC upstairs (at Hubbie's request), it was time to prepare supper. So I never did shower or get dressed. Holy cow, that has never happened before!
My day was just all turned around, mainly because if Mother is to pursue a project, it has to be in the morning. while she still has energy enough to do it. And she can't do things on her own anymore, so it's necessary for me to assist her. I don't mind this, of course, because I want her to stay active and feel useful.
Around 4 p.m., I put a couple of sweet potatoes in the oven for supper, and then prepared a pan of leftovers, separated into foil packets, which I put in the oven around 4:30.
Tonight's meal pretty much cleaned the fridge out, so I'll need to think of other meals for the next several days.
Since I wasn't dressed to go outside, Hubbie accompanied Mother to her house after supper. In the meantime, I showered and donned a housecoat for evening TV.
Instead, I gathered materials for Mother to make sympathy cards for Caring Hands Hospice. Kept me busy all morning doing rubber stamp sympathy greetings and other designs, looking for appropriate stickers, and suggesting card designs, because Mother has lost a great deal of her creative capabilities. But once I give her a suggestion and see that she has the things necessary for a design, she's able to put cards together. Together, we managed to create six cards.
We stopped for lunch at noon, then resumed card making afterward, working until around 1:30, when Mother tired of the project and was ready to go to the couch for a nap.
While she napped, I did an exercise session. While I cooled down afterward, I wrote a short essay nominating my ESL student for student of the year. Did other computer stuff, as well, and before I knew it, it was already 3:30.
Mother finished her nap, and relaxed until suppertime. After I took care of a computer problem on the PC upstairs (at Hubbie's request), it was time to prepare supper. So I never did shower or get dressed. Holy cow, that has never happened before!
My day was just all turned around, mainly because if Mother is to pursue a project, it has to be in the morning. while she still has energy enough to do it. And she can't do things on her own anymore, so it's necessary for me to assist her. I don't mind this, of course, because I want her to stay active and feel useful.
Around 4 p.m., I put a couple of sweet potatoes in the oven for supper, and then prepared a pan of leftovers, separated into foil packets, which I put in the oven around 4:30.
Tonight's meal pretty much cleaned the fridge out, so I'll need to think of other meals for the next several days.
Since I wasn't dressed to go outside, Hubbie accompanied Mother to her house after supper. In the meantime, I showered and donned a housecoat for evening TV.
Wednesday, September 5, 2012
Wednesday, Sept. 5
Up at 6:30 to get ready to go to water aerobics. Whew! What a muggy morning for the walk to the pool. The water was cool, however. Twenty-seven of us showed up today, including several new ladies. If the group grows anymore, we won't be able to stir them with a stick.
The parking lot was almost empty when I arrived, but completely full by the time the session was over. I definitely need to continue to arrive early to secure a parking space. Everyone is anticipating that by the end of the semester, attrition will free up spaces, as freshmen students begin dropping out of school.
Back home, I found that Hubbie was gone with the truck, but he returned minutes after I came home. He'd been to the farm store to pick up turnip seeds and some sort of seeds for greens.
Meanwhile, I got a call from the volunteer coordinator at Caring Hands Hospice. She would like us to make some more sympathy cards. These are not our favorite cards to make, since it means folks are passing on. We supplied about 20 cards a couple of months ago, but she said they are running low.
She also said she's to go in for surgery tomorrow...a hysterectomy and bladder lift. It'll be laparoscopic surgery, which is supposed to be less invasive and easier to recuperate from. If she does well, she'll be dimissed to go home Friday, and hopefully be back at work in two weeks.
Following that phone call, I called my doctor's office to schedule my six-month checkup, and inquire about flu shots. All three of us can get our shots the same day of my appointment.
I also asked about the clinic's new online website, where we should be able to receive test results, make appointments, etc. To do that, I needed user names and passwords, which were issued by the clinic. I got the necessary information for all of us.
Once I was ready for the day, I fixed Mother an early lunch of her usual Ramen Noodle soup and delivered to her house, because Hubbie and I decided to go to the hospital conference room for a box lunch and lecture about dementia and Alzheimer's disease.
This was a very popular program, because at least a hundred people showed up for it. Some of the attendees were health providers from other towns, as well as providers from the hospital and local home health care agencies.
Most of us, though were older folks like Hubbie and me, interested in learning if we have symptoms of the disease, and how to detect symptoms if they arise in the future.
From what we gleaned, our forgetfulness is simply absent-mindedness.
I was interested to learn, too, that just because a family member had the disease, does not mean we will get it. In fact, genetics plays a role in Alzheimer's mainly in folks under the age of 60, who have had family members that also had the disease at that age. The rest of the population becomes more at risk as we age, because our brains shrink, because we may suffer strokes, because we have diabetes, and other physical reasons.
Naturally, the recommendation is that we watch our diets, exercise, get enough rest, and exercise our brains with word games, or other activities that stimulate the brain.
The box lunch consisted of chicken salad, macaroni salad, and fruit salad, with a choice of water, tea, or a soft drink. We brought an extra box home with us for Mother.
Following the program, we visited the hall that features an art exhibit from our local art gallery. I wanted to see if a hand tinted photo I loaned the art gallery to display at the hospital was included, and it is.
I also briefly visited the new gift shop that's a part of the new hospital wing. The shop is very, very nice. I'll want to visit it again, when I have more time to browse. I understand the new wing also has a new cafeteria that's supposed to have very good food. So I'll want to go for lunch there at some point.
After we'd dropped the box off, we went to another town about 20 minutes away to check on printers at our favorite computer store. A staff member suggested I try to uninstall and reinstall my current printer to see if I can get it to work before buying another one.
We'd bought multi-packs of ink cartridges at a warehouse store a few months ago, and Hubbie wanted to find a printer that would use them. Naturally this store didn't have one and couldn't find one online. So our printer may be obsolete.
If I can't get it to work, we'll have no choice but to buy a new one, and then see if the warehouse store will let us return the cartridges. Phooey, why does everything have to be so complicated?
On the way home, we stopped to check on sweet potatoes being sold by a lady I know from Extension Homemakers. She was selling the potatoes by the sack or box. A 40-lb. box was $12, so we bought one. We'll keep them in the storeroom, which is the coolest room in the house, and they should be good for several months. If they start to wilt, we'll bake them for the freezer.
At home, Hubbie accompanied Mother to our house, where she chopped veggies...bell pepper, onions, and mushrooms...to be added to browned eye of round steak strips, seasonings, and beef broth. We had this with baked potatoes and salad.
Afterward, I accompanied Mother to her house, and wited until she'd taken a shower before returning home. Then Hubbie and I settled in to watch a 2011 movie called, "Martha, Marcy, May, Marlene." A young woman runs away from an abusive cult that has damaged her to the point that she has trouble meshing with her family again. Stars Elizabeth Olsen, younger sister of Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen.
The parking lot was almost empty when I arrived, but completely full by the time the session was over. I definitely need to continue to arrive early to secure a parking space. Everyone is anticipating that by the end of the semester, attrition will free up spaces, as freshmen students begin dropping out of school.
Back home, I found that Hubbie was gone with the truck, but he returned minutes after I came home. He'd been to the farm store to pick up turnip seeds and some sort of seeds for greens.
Meanwhile, I got a call from the volunteer coordinator at Caring Hands Hospice. She would like us to make some more sympathy cards. These are not our favorite cards to make, since it means folks are passing on. We supplied about 20 cards a couple of months ago, but she said they are running low.
She also said she's to go in for surgery tomorrow...a hysterectomy and bladder lift. It'll be laparoscopic surgery, which is supposed to be less invasive and easier to recuperate from. If she does well, she'll be dimissed to go home Friday, and hopefully be back at work in two weeks.
Following that phone call, I called my doctor's office to schedule my six-month checkup, and inquire about flu shots. All three of us can get our shots the same day of my appointment.
I also asked about the clinic's new online website, where we should be able to receive test results, make appointments, etc. To do that, I needed user names and passwords, which were issued by the clinic. I got the necessary information for all of us.
Once I was ready for the day, I fixed Mother an early lunch of her usual Ramen Noodle soup and delivered to her house, because Hubbie and I decided to go to the hospital conference room for a box lunch and lecture about dementia and Alzheimer's disease.
This was a very popular program, because at least a hundred people showed up for it. Some of the attendees were health providers from other towns, as well as providers from the hospital and local home health care agencies.
Most of us, though were older folks like Hubbie and me, interested in learning if we have symptoms of the disease, and how to detect symptoms if they arise in the future.
From what we gleaned, our forgetfulness is simply absent-mindedness.
I was interested to learn, too, that just because a family member had the disease, does not mean we will get it. In fact, genetics plays a role in Alzheimer's mainly in folks under the age of 60, who have had family members that also had the disease at that age. The rest of the population becomes more at risk as we age, because our brains shrink, because we may suffer strokes, because we have diabetes, and other physical reasons.
Naturally, the recommendation is that we watch our diets, exercise, get enough rest, and exercise our brains with word games, or other activities that stimulate the brain.
The box lunch consisted of chicken salad, macaroni salad, and fruit salad, with a choice of water, tea, or a soft drink. We brought an extra box home with us for Mother.
Following the program, we visited the hall that features an art exhibit from our local art gallery. I wanted to see if a hand tinted photo I loaned the art gallery to display at the hospital was included, and it is.
I also briefly visited the new gift shop that's a part of the new hospital wing. The shop is very, very nice. I'll want to visit it again, when I have more time to browse. I understand the new wing also has a new cafeteria that's supposed to have very good food. So I'll want to go for lunch there at some point.
After we'd dropped the box off, we went to another town about 20 minutes away to check on printers at our favorite computer store. A staff member suggested I try to uninstall and reinstall my current printer to see if I can get it to work before buying another one.
We'd bought multi-packs of ink cartridges at a warehouse store a few months ago, and Hubbie wanted to find a printer that would use them. Naturally this store didn't have one and couldn't find one online. So our printer may be obsolete.
If I can't get it to work, we'll have no choice but to buy a new one, and then see if the warehouse store will let us return the cartridges. Phooey, why does everything have to be so complicated?
On the way home, we stopped to check on sweet potatoes being sold by a lady I know from Extension Homemakers. She was selling the potatoes by the sack or box. A 40-lb. box was $12, so we bought one. We'll keep them in the storeroom, which is the coolest room in the house, and they should be good for several months. If they start to wilt, we'll bake them for the freezer.
At home, Hubbie accompanied Mother to our house, where she chopped veggies...bell pepper, onions, and mushrooms...to be added to browned eye of round steak strips, seasonings, and beef broth. We had this with baked potatoes and salad.
Afterward, I accompanied Mother to her house, and wited until she'd taken a shower before returning home. Then Hubbie and I settled in to watch a 2011 movie called, "Martha, Marcy, May, Marlene." A young woman runs away from an abusive cult that has damaged her to the point that she has trouble meshing with her family again. Stars Elizabeth Olsen, younger sister of Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen.
Tuesday, September 4, 2012
Tuesday, Sept. 4
Up around 8 a.m. this morning, and did stair stepping, resistance bands, and weights exercises after breakfast. While I exercised, Hubbie accompanied Mother to our house.
Funny: after exercising, I sat on the couch and cooled down by vigorously fanning myself with a handheld fan.
"Would you like a fly swatter?" Hubbie asked.
Fly swatter? Why would I need a fly swatter? Was this one of Hubbie's lame jokes, (the punch line of which eluded me) that involved exchanging the fan for a fly swatter?
Then it dawned on me. Hubbie had actually asked: "Would you like a glass of water?"
Once I was ready for the day, Hubbie and I went through the house doing some sprucing, because we expected the termite inspector sometime this afternoon to do his annual check of the house.
Later, after a sandwich lunch (Ramen Noodle for Mother), Mother headed to the couch for a nap, while Hubbie and I waited for the termite guy to arrive. He was to be here sometime between noon and 2 p.m. Naturally, it was right at 2 p.m. when he arrived.
Apparently, he'd driven up and down the road several times looking for our address on the side of the mailbox or on our house. He finally discovered it was attached to the mailbox post. These county-issued blue metal attachments with large, bright white, numbers are easy to see, but since he was from another town about an hour away, he wasn't used to looking for them. He admitted, though, that the signs are much easier to see than numbers attached to the sides of mailboxes.
His delay in arriving delayed our being able to run errands, and we had a lot of ground to cover today. We didn't have time to do all that was on our list, so we settled for going to the library to select four more movies; to the newspaper office to drop off this week's word search puzzle contest; to the bank; to a pharmacy store in hopes of picking up two jars of popcorn (which they no longer carry, drat it); to an auto dealer to check on a recall letter we received (seems this work has already been done on the van); and to the WDCS for a few items.
Funny: on our way home from running errands, Hubbie accidentally hit the button that activates the caution lights, which no doubt confused folks following behind us. We were on the same stretch of road where Hubbie was stopped for speeding the other day.
"This road's a hazard for you, isn't it?" I laughed.
"I think I'm the hazard," he joked in reply.
Mother, who had slept through the termite inspector's visit, got up shortly after we got home from running errands, around 3:30 p.m. She busied herself putting leftovers in foil partitions in a baking pan, and then relaxed until suppertime, around 5 p.m.
Accompanied Mother home after supper, and then Hubbie and I watched TV, as usual, including a subtitled movie called, "Outside the Law." After WWII, young Algerians organize a resistance against France, in a struggle to gain independence for their country.
Funny: after exercising, I sat on the couch and cooled down by vigorously fanning myself with a handheld fan.
"Would you like a fly swatter?" Hubbie asked.
Fly swatter? Why would I need a fly swatter? Was this one of Hubbie's lame jokes, (the punch line of which eluded me) that involved exchanging the fan for a fly swatter?
Then it dawned on me. Hubbie had actually asked: "Would you like a glass of water?"
Once I was ready for the day, Hubbie and I went through the house doing some sprucing, because we expected the termite inspector sometime this afternoon to do his annual check of the house.
Later, after a sandwich lunch (Ramen Noodle for Mother), Mother headed to the couch for a nap, while Hubbie and I waited for the termite guy to arrive. He was to be here sometime between noon and 2 p.m. Naturally, it was right at 2 p.m. when he arrived.
Apparently, he'd driven up and down the road several times looking for our address on the side of the mailbox or on our house. He finally discovered it was attached to the mailbox post. These county-issued blue metal attachments with large, bright white, numbers are easy to see, but since he was from another town about an hour away, he wasn't used to looking for them. He admitted, though, that the signs are much easier to see than numbers attached to the sides of mailboxes.
His delay in arriving delayed our being able to run errands, and we had a lot of ground to cover today. We didn't have time to do all that was on our list, so we settled for going to the library to select four more movies; to the newspaper office to drop off this week's word search puzzle contest; to the bank; to a pharmacy store in hopes of picking up two jars of popcorn (which they no longer carry, drat it); to an auto dealer to check on a recall letter we received (seems this work has already been done on the van); and to the WDCS for a few items.
Funny: on our way home from running errands, Hubbie accidentally hit the button that activates the caution lights, which no doubt confused folks following behind us. We were on the same stretch of road where Hubbie was stopped for speeding the other day.
"This road's a hazard for you, isn't it?" I laughed.
"I think I'm the hazard," he joked in reply.
Mother, who had slept through the termite inspector's visit, got up shortly after we got home from running errands, around 3:30 p.m. She busied herself putting leftovers in foil partitions in a baking pan, and then relaxed until suppertime, around 5 p.m.
Accompanied Mother home after supper, and then Hubbie and I watched TV, as usual, including a subtitled movie called, "Outside the Law." After WWII, young Algerians organize a resistance against France, in a struggle to gain independence for their country.
Monday, September 3, 2012
Monday, Sept. 3
Hope everyone had a relaxing Labor Day, the last unofficial day of summer. But since temps have risen back into the 100s, it certainly doesn't seem that summer is quite ready to relinquish its hold.
Labor Day, of course, celebrates the economic and social contributions of workers. It became a federal holiday in 1894. Federal offices, state offices, schools, some colleges, and some businesses close for the day, and folks hang American flags (as we did), and fire up the grills (which we didn't).
As for our day, we were up at 6:30, so I could get ready to go to water aerobics, since the private college pool was open. I was surprised that 20 members showed up. I guess like me, they had no big plans for the day.
The community college was closed, however, so I did not meet my ESL student this afternoon.
At home, while I got ready for the day, Hubbie accompanied Mother to our house. We accomplished nothing today beyond finishing the movie, "Mansfield Park." We're now ready to return the four DVDs we borrowed from the library, and select four more. Until the new season of TV shows comes on later this month, we'll enjoy what the library has to offer.
Following the movie and lunch, Mother retired to couch for a nap, as usual. I spent the rest of the afternoon playing on my laptop, basically exploring the Ancestry.com site.
Mother finished her nap around 3 p.m., and relaxed for about an hour reading the local paper (which published today), and the parts of the Sunday newspaper that she enjoys...the comics, magazine, style section, and the regional edition. World and state news no longer interest her, since she gets all she wants of that on the nightly TV news.
I was interested in an article in the opinion section that puts forth the idea that not every child should have to suffer algebra in school. I tend to agree, since it was the subject I hated most in high school (made the only "D" of my school career in that class, and it just about undid me from embarrassment. I went on to get an "A" in college algebra, however, though I still hated the subject). I'm sure my niece, who is a math genius, would not agree with this writer.
Later this afternoon, Mother mixed coleslaw dressing into angel hair slaw, and I heated leftovers from yesterday in the oven...country ribs, sweet potatoes, and canned corn from another meal, along with slices of Sis's homemade honey wheat bread.
After supper, I accompanied Mother to her house, and waited until she took a shower before returning home. Hubbie and I watched TV for the evening, including a murder mystery from the PBS channel.
***********************************************************************************
Funny: I decided to add a niece's birth announcement, and a thank you note, to a scrapbook album. Found the album on the shelf, backed up, sat down on a nice warm cushon on the couch, added the materials to the album, got up, and returned the album to the shelf. Turned around and glanced at the couch...I hadn't sat on a nice warm cushion. I'd sat on one of the cats! I can't believe she never moved or made a sound!
Labor Day, of course, celebrates the economic and social contributions of workers. It became a federal holiday in 1894. Federal offices, state offices, schools, some colleges, and some businesses close for the day, and folks hang American flags (as we did), and fire up the grills (which we didn't).
As for our day, we were up at 6:30, so I could get ready to go to water aerobics, since the private college pool was open. I was surprised that 20 members showed up. I guess like me, they had no big plans for the day.
The community college was closed, however, so I did not meet my ESL student this afternoon.
At home, while I got ready for the day, Hubbie accompanied Mother to our house. We accomplished nothing today beyond finishing the movie, "Mansfield Park." We're now ready to return the four DVDs we borrowed from the library, and select four more. Until the new season of TV shows comes on later this month, we'll enjoy what the library has to offer.
Following the movie and lunch, Mother retired to couch for a nap, as usual. I spent the rest of the afternoon playing on my laptop, basically exploring the Ancestry.com site.
Mother finished her nap around 3 p.m., and relaxed for about an hour reading the local paper (which published today), and the parts of the Sunday newspaper that she enjoys...the comics, magazine, style section, and the regional edition. World and state news no longer interest her, since she gets all she wants of that on the nightly TV news.
I was interested in an article in the opinion section that puts forth the idea that not every child should have to suffer algebra in school. I tend to agree, since it was the subject I hated most in high school (made the only "D" of my school career in that class, and it just about undid me from embarrassment. I went on to get an "A" in college algebra, however, though I still hated the subject). I'm sure my niece, who is a math genius, would not agree with this writer.
Later this afternoon, Mother mixed coleslaw dressing into angel hair slaw, and I heated leftovers from yesterday in the oven...country ribs, sweet potatoes, and canned corn from another meal, along with slices of Sis's homemade honey wheat bread.
After supper, I accompanied Mother to her house, and waited until she took a shower before returning home. Hubbie and I watched TV for the evening, including a murder mystery from the PBS channel.
***********************************************************************************
Funny: I decided to add a niece's birth announcement, and a thank you note, to a scrapbook album. Found the album on the shelf, backed up, sat down on a nice warm cushon on the couch, added the materials to the album, got up, and returned the album to the shelf. Turned around and glanced at the couch...I hadn't sat on a nice warm cushion. I'd sat on one of the cats! I can't believe she never moved or made a sound!
Sunday, September 2, 2012
Sunday, Sept. 2
Up at 7:30, but skipped my exercises, as I usually do on Sundays. Hubbie accompanied Mother to our house mid-morning, and we prepared country ribs and sweet potatoes for the oven. This is our Labor Day meal, but we'll just have it leftover tomorrow, so we won't have to cook on the holiday.
While the meal cooked, we watched two more episodes of "Mansfield Park." We commented that apparently upper-crust 18th century folks in England had absolutely nothing better to do than sit around plotting romances. And then it occurred to us that we apparently had nothing better to do than sit around doing nothing, watching a movie about people sitting around doing nothing.
Lunch was ready after the first episode, and we enjoyed the meal while watching the second episode. There are two more episodes remaining, which we'll watch tomorrow. Our goal this weekend was to sit around doing nothing, and I think we're going to achieve it. Well, I do plan to go to water aerobics in the morning, but that's the most productive thing I'll do all day, probably.
Mother headed to the couch for a nap after lunch. When she got up around 3 p.m., she was ready to go home, so Hubbie accompanied her.
Hubbie and I spent the rest of the afternoon and evening reading the Sunday paper, watching TV, and just generally goofing off. We take this holiday weekend stuff seriously.
A 1996 Hallmark movie we saw was "The Witch's Daughter." In Scotland, a 12-year-old girl's father is lost at sea, and her heartbroken mother commits suicide by drowning herself in the sea.
The mother is thought to have been a witch, who put a spell on the sea for taking her husband, and when lobster fishing dries up, the islanders are convinced of her powers.
The daughter, now living with her aunt, is labled the "witch's daughter," and becomes an outcast in the community. She is befriended by a young man her age, though, and they solve a mystery of stolen diamonds and art work.
While the meal cooked, we watched two more episodes of "Mansfield Park." We commented that apparently upper-crust 18th century folks in England had absolutely nothing better to do than sit around plotting romances. And then it occurred to us that we apparently had nothing better to do than sit around doing nothing, watching a movie about people sitting around doing nothing.
Lunch was ready after the first episode, and we enjoyed the meal while watching the second episode. There are two more episodes remaining, which we'll watch tomorrow. Our goal this weekend was to sit around doing nothing, and I think we're going to achieve it. Well, I do plan to go to water aerobics in the morning, but that's the most productive thing I'll do all day, probably.
Mother headed to the couch for a nap after lunch. When she got up around 3 p.m., she was ready to go home, so Hubbie accompanied her.
Hubbie and I spent the rest of the afternoon and evening reading the Sunday paper, watching TV, and just generally goofing off. We take this holiday weekend stuff seriously.
A 1996 Hallmark movie we saw was "The Witch's Daughter." In Scotland, a 12-year-old girl's father is lost at sea, and her heartbroken mother commits suicide by drowning herself in the sea.
The mother is thought to have been a witch, who put a spell on the sea for taking her husband, and when lobster fishing dries up, the islanders are convinced of her powers.
The daughter, now living with her aunt, is labled the "witch's daughter," and becomes an outcast in the community. She is befriended by a young man her age, though, and they solve a mystery of stolen diamonds and art work.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)