Monday, Feb. 18

Today is Granddaughter's birthday. Happy Birthday, Granddaughter!

Today is also President's Day, so the first thing Hubbie did was hang the flag on the well house. It is a holiday for state and federal offices, banks, and some schools, but not for either of the colleges here in town, so it was business as usual for me.

We were up at 6:30, so I could get ready for water aerobics. Daughter got up around 7 a.m. She hurried to get dressed, and then she had a glass of orange juice before heading home.

At 7:30, I went to the college gym. It was a cool morning, but not bad, until I began walking from my van to the gym. That's when a cold wind cropped up.

The pool was pleasant, and sixteen of us showed up. But the leader is still unable to come. She is just having an awful time shaking her sinus infection. She is weak, dehydrated, and feverish, and is suffering oral thrush from taking so many antibiotics.

One of the substitute leaders is also out. She had a case of flu before Thanksgiving, which turned into congestion that traveled to her lungs, so she is having difficulty recovering, too.

I'm anxious for our regular leader to get well and return to the pool, but I'm enjoying our sessions using water noodles. It's different and fun, and it's giving me a stronger workout.

I left the session a few minutes early, as I usually do, so I could get to the restroom (which has only two stalls), and get dressed, before the rest of the ladies throng the dressing room. Today, a younger woman (in her 40s) came to the dressing room shortly after me. She was blue with cold, and shivering. She rushed to the showers and stood under the hot water. I asked if she was okay, and she said she was...she'd just gotten chilled in the pool. I'm not sure why, because I thought the water was warm. Hope she isn't getting sick, which might expose the rest of us.

By the time I walked in the cold wind back to the van and came home, I was chilled too, so I was grateful for a hot cup of coffee. As soon as I was home, Hubbie accompanied Mother to our house.

While I got ready for the day, Hubbie went to the WDCS for a few grocery items for us and for Mother. It was lunchtime by the time I was back downstairs, so I fixed Ramen noodle soup for Mother, and heated a small helping of chili from the fast food restaurant for Hubbie, and the remainder of the Autumn Stew for me.

Afterward, Mother went to her jigsaw puzzle, and I did this and that, including calling the other two scrapbook club members, because Thursday is meeting day. However, weather predictions are for rain at best, and wintry weather at worst, so I figured one member would say she probably would not come, and she confrmed this when I called. The other one said she can come, and won't let the weather hinder her, unless it is extreme.

At 2:30, I went to the college down the road to meet my ESL student. Today, I asked her to read stories from a correlated reader, and point out the prepositions. We spent the entire session doing this.

Since she successfully identified all the prepositions, and was able to complete a quiz on them, I gave her a certificate of achievement. Next week, we will continue to read, and then begin Level 4 instruction.

Back home, Hubbie had put potatoes in the oven to bake, along with a dish of aspargus, and then he'd gone to the WDCS to pick up a rotisserie chicken. This was the only idea I could come up with, since we'd eaten the Autumn Stew last night.

During the meal, a thunderstorm with strong winds cropped up. It was pretty scary for a few minutes, as it blew things around in the yard, rained hard, and knocked the power out temporarily. Fortunately, it was short-lived.

After the storm had passed, and we'd finished supper, Hubbie accompanied Mother to her house...she had opted out of going to the college down the road to attend a "Masters of Motown" concert at 7 p.m. It was just too windy and cold for her.

But Hubbie and I enjoyed the performance..I more so than Hubbie, of course. The show included music of The Temptations, The Supremes, The Four Tops, Martha Reeves and the Vandellas, Marvin Gaye, Mary Wells, Smokey Robinson and the Miracles, Thelma Houston, Gladys Knight and the Pips, and the Jackson 5. The five-piece band, and the six singers...three men and three women...performed to a very appreciative packed-house audience.

We were back home by 9 p.m., and ready to thaw out with hot drinks. We watched TV for a while, and then headed to bed. It was a long and busy day.