Saturday, Feb. 9

Slept late this morning, until nearly 8:30, but did stair stepping, resistance bands, and weights exercises after breakfast. Hubbie accompanied Mother to our house around 10 a.m. She and I worked in the kitchen for the rest of the morning...she sorted pinto beans, to later be soaked overnight.

Then I put together a recipe of tomato soup to simmer. Besides the usual ingredients of packaged frozen bell peppers and onions, canned diced tomatoes, canned white beans, and chicken broth, plus spices, I added the leftover sweet potatoes from last night's supper. The sweet potatoes helped counteract the tartness and acidity of the tomatoes.

Shortly before lunch, Daughter called to let me talk with Great-Grandddaughter. They had attended a childrens' play at a local college this morning. The play was based on the fairy tale, "The Emperor's New Clothes." She wanted to tell me all about the story: a weaver fools the emperor into thinking he is wearing a wonderful new outfit by telling him that it is invisible to those who are unfit for their positions, or who are incompetent or stupid. When he parades in his "outfit," no ond except a child (in this case, the children in the audience) dares tell him he is wearing nothing but his underwear (in this case, a pair of long handles).

By now, it was lunchtime. Mother had a cold salmon loaf sandwich, and Hubbie and I opted for PB&J sandwiches. Finally, after lunch, I got ready for the day.

We had nothing scheduled for the afternoon, so Mother worked on her jigsaw puzzle, and Hubbie and I read our novels until time to watch our favorite college basketball team as they played to another disappointing loss on the road. I'd recorded the game, and the one after it, so Hubbie became absorbed in that one until suppertime. I finished my novel during that time, and started a new one...John Grisham's "The Summons."

The soup was good, served with grilled cheese sandwiches. Afterward, Hubbie accompanied Mother back to her house, and then we watched a 2003 movie..."Maximum Velocity," about a comet that passes so close to earth that it causes cataclysmic storms. A disbanded government agency seems to have the only weapon that can save the earth.