Tuesday, March 12

Had another one of those nights...thanks to Hubbie's head-cold-induced sleep-apnea snoring, I woke up at 4 a.m., and couldn't go back to sleep, so I was awake to hear the first chirping birds shortly after 7:30. Drifted off again for a while, since Hubbie was still snoring. Woke up again at 8:30.

Even though it was pretty late by the time we had breakfast, I went ahead and did stair stepping, resistance bands, and weights exercises after breakfast. Got ready for the day after that, while Hubbie accompanied Mother to our house.

She and I went to the hospital conference room at noon for lunch and a talk about the importance of exercise. Hubbie opted out. He was feeling much better this morning, but thought it wouldn't be right to be among people at the hospital today.

I was lucky to find a parking space at the hospital that was relatively close to the hospital, so it wasn't as far to push Mother in the wheelchair. Hubbie had volunteered to take us to the hospital and help wrangle the wheelchair out of the back of the van, and then return later to pick us up, but I decided I could do it on my own.

The lunch today was pretty good...barbecued chicken breast, oven-fried potatoes, and green beans, with a side of fresh fruits as dessert. One of the doctors from the hospital gave a talk on exercise that included a slide show. At the point where he mentioned the places in town exercise, like a couple of gyms (one of which is open twenty four hours a day), and a zumba dance studio, he said that there is also water aerobics at one of the colleges, but he didn't know the days, times, or fee. I spoke up and provided that information.

Of course, he emphasized that folks don't have to attend gyms, etc., to get exercise, and pointed out the value of simply walking, riding a bicycle, or using resistance bands and weights at home.

Nothing about this program was new to me, but I enjoyed the doctor's humorous way of presenting it, and it was a way to get Mother out of the house for a while. She enjoys these outings.

Back home, Mother and I got busy making a pot of chicken noodle soup and a recipe of blueberry muffins for supper. After that, we relaxed until suppertime. I finished my novel, and Mother nearly finished her jigsaw puzzle. In the meantime, Hubbie showered and dressed to go with us to a program at the college down the road later.

We arrived by 6:30 p.m., and found a convenient parking space. Because we were early, we were also able to snag the wheechair space in the auditorium, where Mother had a great view of the stage.

Tonight's entertainment was a tap dancing troupe. The auditorium was nearly full for this performance, which was very high-energy and lively. A couple of local schools had bused in kids, even though this was a school night.

The set was minimal, but effective. It consisted of rolling flats, and a high-rise metal platform with steps on either side leading up to it. Colorful, sparkly costumes, and lots of colorful lighting added to the performace.

This exciting show includes recreations of favorite dancers of the past like Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly, Broadway showstoppers, flamenco, tribal (this one was really neat), Irish step, etc. There were absolutely no dead spaces in the show. During costume changes, there were solo singers, or a couple of dancers, to keep the show rolling along.

It was a two-hour show, with a brief intermission, in which the dancers never slowed down. I marveled at their energy. By the end, Hubbie said that he'd OD'd on tap dancing. Mother enjoyed it, because she took tap dancing lessons when she was young.

We were back home shortly after 9 p.m., and Mother was, of course, ready to head home, so I accompanied her.

I noticed late this afternoon that I was feeling a tickle in my throat and hoped it didn't signal the beginnings of a cold, but by the time I went to bed, I knew that one was coming on. I don't think Hubbie passed his to me, since I contracted it so fast. We must have both encountered the virus a the same time somewhere.