Monday, May 6

Up at 6:30 on this rainy and chilly morning to get ready to go to water aerobics. Fleece wear and a jacket felt good for walking to the gym. The pool was quite a bit cooler this morning, too, but pleasant once I was in it for a few minutes.

Seventeen of us attended for this last session until after the college break. We will return on June 3. We had hoped to be able to continue sessions until Friday, but since the baseball team drew a wild card to the invitational games, our lifeguard/coach will be away for the rest of the week.

I would have had to miss Wednesday, anyway, since I'm scheduled to attend an 8 a.m. meeting of the home medical services/Caring Hands Hospice advisory committee. But I would have liked to enjoy the pool on Friday.

Before we left the pool, several of us agreed to contact folks who weren't there today to let them know the pool will be closed for several weeks. I agreed to contact two. And I did that as soon as I got home (I'm prone to forgetting things if I don't do them immediately). I was able to reach one by e-mail, and the other through my social network page.

Back home, I welcomed a couple of cups of coffee to warm up. Hubbie accompanied Mother to our house around 9:30, and then he ran errands...to the post office; to the pharmacy; to the WDCS for a few groceries, including round steak and baking potatoes for tonight's supper; and finally to the barber shop.

Meanwhile, I got ready for the day. Then I did this and that, including washing a load of clothes, until time to prepare lunch. I heated the remainder of the chicken noodle soup for Mother, and leftover Dragon Soup for Hubbie and me. At noon, Mother and I went ahead and ate. Around 12:30, Hubbie returned and had his lunch.

I was hoping to take my office computer to the tech this afternoon, but he was out on a job, and we were told to call back. We did...a couple of times...but he was not available. So we gave it up for today. Hubbie went out to plant tomato and pepper plants, and Mother and I made greeting cards. We completed six cards...four masculine birthday, and two sympathy.

These are the hardest cards to design. It's easy to do birthday cards for women, but not as simple to make appropriate ones for males. And of course, sympathy cards are difficult by their very nature. But we now have about two dozen cards ready to go to Caring Hands, which I'll deliver when I go to the meeting Wednesday. First, though, I want to photograph them, and I'll do that tomorrow.

Later, for supper, I made Swiss steak...seasoned the beef with pepper, no-sodium seasoning, paprika, and garlic, then browned it and added onions, mushrooms, and bell pepper. Then I added canned diced tomatoes, and a little beef broth. I let the beef simmer for an hour and a half.

While the beef cooked, I washed and baked potatoes, and put a dish of green beans in the oven. About ten minutes before the meal was ready, I heated buttered French bread. Mother helped with this meal by slicing the onions and mushrooms, and buttering and wrapping the bread.

The meal was very satisfying, and afterward, Hubbie accompanied Mother to her house. Then he and I watched TV, including an episode of "The Bletchley Circle," and "Mr. Selfridge,"  both from the PBS channel.