Slept late this morning, until around 8 a.m. I delayed my exercise routine until later in the morning. Hubbie accompanied Mother to our house shortly after we'd had breakfast, and we got to work putting pots of chili and potato soup on to simmer. Hubbie peeled and sliced potatoes, and Mother diced onions, carrots, celery, and bell pepper. I did the rest of it.
Once the chili and soup were on the stove, I did stair stepping, resistance bands, and weights exercises, and then got ready for the day. It was noon by this time, so we each had a different lunch, and then Mother went to her jigsaw puzzle, and Hubbie and I ran errands.
We went first to the library to return movies we'd borrowed last week, and choose four more. Then we went to the greeting card shop, where I used a $5 off of $25 purchase to buy Valentines, a birthday card for Mother, a few 99-cent birthday cards, and a jigsaw puzzle to give to Mother on her birthday. The $5 coupon was a birthday discount from the shop.
After that, we went to the WDCS for a few groceries, and ended our trip with a stop at the local aromatherapy shop. Spent several minutes sniffing the lotions, most of which I didn't like. But I did find one in a lavendar and camomile scent that I like. It's supposed to improve sleep quality. That's for me.
A lady standing near us sniffed it and liked it, but said she still preferred her favorite...orange and ginger. I took a whiff, and it was okay, but it reminded me too much of the kitchen. I don't really want to smell like a muffin.
Back home, we watched our favorite college basketball team as they played to a disappointing loss. They got off to a great start, but soon fizzled, as they usually do in out-of-town games. I'd recorded the game on DVR.
Later, for supper, we had leftover New England stew, with leftovers biscuits for me, and a fresh batch of cornbread for Hubbie and Mother.
Hubbie accompanied Mother home afterward, and then he and I watched TV, including a DVD borrowed from the library..."Mystery! Cadfael," a 1994-1998 series from the PBS channel.
The character Cadfael is a fictional character...a monk with botanical knowledge, as well as worldy knowlege, since he entered the cloister at around 40 years old, after roaming the world as a soldier and sailor. He solves mysteries in Shrewsbury, England around 1135 to 1145. The mysteries are based on historically accurate stories. There are three episodes in this set, and we wish we could find the other sets, because we really enjoyed these.
Saturday, January 26, 2013
Friday, January 25, 2013
Friday, Jan. 25
Today is Great-Grandson's birthday. Happy Birthday, Great-Grandson.
Decided against going to water aerobics this morning, since the leader is sick and couldn't be there, and at least one other member would not be present. I figured there would be few if any of the remaining four or five of us there, since the weather was iffy.
So I slept late, until 8 a.m., and then did stair stepping, resistance bands, and weights exercises after breakfast. Hubbie accompanied Mother to our house around 9:30, and she proceeded to her jigsaw puzzle, while I got ready for the day.
We didn't have anything important planned for today, so Hubbie and I just did this and that for the morning.
As we were having lunch, the mailman delivered our mail and a package to the door. The package was addressed to me, though I didn't remember ordering anything. After Hubbie opened it, I was surprised and pleased to see that there was a 350-piece jigsaw puzzle enclosed.
This was in response to my letter to the company complaining that the puzzle I had purchased as a Christmas gift for Mother was missing a border piece. I asked that either a replacement piece, or another puzzle of the same design, or another design, be provided.
The puzzle we received is of another design, but that's fine. Mother will enjoy working it. And she still has the other puzzle that is usable, if we circle the place where the piece is missing on the picture on the box, so she won't frustrate herself trying to find it next time.
Now Mother has a puzzle featuring colorful watering cans (the one I gave her for Christmas), and another that features cupcakes with colorful icing. She's saving the new one until next week, when Sis will be here to help her work it.
Also in the mail was a letter for Mother from Daughter-in-Law. She really enjoys receiving these newsy letters, since she isn't computer literate and has to rely on me to pass along any family information I learn from my social network page. The puzzle and the letter provided a bright spot to her day.
After lunch, Mother went back to her puzzle, and Hubbie did this and that, like hauling the boxed Christmas tree from the living room out to the garage, where it will remain until family visit and one of the guys can help him hoist it over the rafters. He also cleaned the chaotic kitchen junk drawer.
I spent a couple of hours organizing a 2013 calendar. This is a calendar that Hubbie got from the Extension Services office this week that has nice big spaces for recording birthdays, as well as ongoing meetings, and any appointments as they arise. It's the central calendar for keeping track of activities for all three of us.
Once I finished the 2013 calendar, I went back through the 2012 calendar and recorded the top ten events. I've been doing this for about the past fifteen years. I keep all of the lists in the back of the calendar. They are very interesting to review from time-to-time. Lots of ups and downs, tragedies and triumphs, over the years.
Later, I heated dishes of the leftovers we brought home from the Japanese restaurant last night, along with a dish of whole kernel corn, and slices of French bread, for our supper.
Mother really enjoyed the meal, and after I told her about our experience at the restaurant, she expressed interest in going there sometime, maybe for her birthday in March.
After supper, Hubbie accompanied Mother to her house, and then we watched TV, including a 1987 movie we borrowed from the library..."Moonstruck," starring cher, and Nicholas Cage. A woman agrees to marry the friend of her late husband, but then when she meets his estranged brother (cage), she falls for him.
Decided against going to water aerobics this morning, since the leader is sick and couldn't be there, and at least one other member would not be present. I figured there would be few if any of the remaining four or five of us there, since the weather was iffy.
So I slept late, until 8 a.m., and then did stair stepping, resistance bands, and weights exercises after breakfast. Hubbie accompanied Mother to our house around 9:30, and she proceeded to her jigsaw puzzle, while I got ready for the day.
We didn't have anything important planned for today, so Hubbie and I just did this and that for the morning.
As we were having lunch, the mailman delivered our mail and a package to the door. The package was addressed to me, though I didn't remember ordering anything. After Hubbie opened it, I was surprised and pleased to see that there was a 350-piece jigsaw puzzle enclosed.
This was in response to my letter to the company complaining that the puzzle I had purchased as a Christmas gift for Mother was missing a border piece. I asked that either a replacement piece, or another puzzle of the same design, or another design, be provided.
The puzzle we received is of another design, but that's fine. Mother will enjoy working it. And she still has the other puzzle that is usable, if we circle the place where the piece is missing on the picture on the box, so she won't frustrate herself trying to find it next time.
Now Mother has a puzzle featuring colorful watering cans (the one I gave her for Christmas), and another that features cupcakes with colorful icing. She's saving the new one until next week, when Sis will be here to help her work it.
Also in the mail was a letter for Mother from Daughter-in-Law. She really enjoys receiving these newsy letters, since she isn't computer literate and has to rely on me to pass along any family information I learn from my social network page. The puzzle and the letter provided a bright spot to her day.
After lunch, Mother went back to her puzzle, and Hubbie did this and that, like hauling the boxed Christmas tree from the living room out to the garage, where it will remain until family visit and one of the guys can help him hoist it over the rafters. He also cleaned the chaotic kitchen junk drawer.
I spent a couple of hours organizing a 2013 calendar. This is a calendar that Hubbie got from the Extension Services office this week that has nice big spaces for recording birthdays, as well as ongoing meetings, and any appointments as they arise. It's the central calendar for keeping track of activities for all three of us.
Once I finished the 2013 calendar, I went back through the 2012 calendar and recorded the top ten events. I've been doing this for about the past fifteen years. I keep all of the lists in the back of the calendar. They are very interesting to review from time-to-time. Lots of ups and downs, tragedies and triumphs, over the years.
Later, I heated dishes of the leftovers we brought home from the Japanese restaurant last night, along with a dish of whole kernel corn, and slices of French bread, for our supper.
Mother really enjoyed the meal, and after I told her about our experience at the restaurant, she expressed interest in going there sometime, maybe for her birthday in March.
After supper, Hubbie accompanied Mother to her house, and then we watched TV, including a 1987 movie we borrowed from the library..."Moonstruck," starring cher, and Nicholas Cage. A woman agrees to marry the friend of her late husband, but then when she meets his estranged brother (cage), she falls for him.
Thursday, January 24, 2013
Thursday, Jan. 24
Today is Hubbie's and my thirty-second wedding anniversary. Happy Anniversary to us.
Hubbie was up first this morning, but I followed a few minutes later. He met me at the foot of the stairs with a big hug and kiss, and the greeting..."Happy twenty-four wonderful years!"
"Huh?" I said. "What happened to the other eight years? Was there something wrong with those?"
"Oh!" He laughed, "I meant happy thirty-second...on today, January twenty-four!"
I skipped my exercises this morning in favor of just relaxing for the day. Mother hesitated to come over, thinking she would disturb us on our anniversary day. We assured her we had nothing special planned. So Hubbie accompanied her, and after she presented us with a greeting card, she set to work on a new jigsaw puzzle.
Got a call later in the morning from the water aerobics leader, who said she was sick with a sinus infection. She had a fever and a sick stomach after getting home from aerobics Monday, and went to the doctor. She's on antibiotics now, and of course can't go to the pool tomorrow.
Also, another member is unable to attend tomorrow. That means two of the six or eight of us who have been showing up will not be there tomorrow. And since there is the possibility of slick roads in the morning, due to light freezing rain, I don't think I'll go, either.
After lunch, around 2 p.m., though, Mother insisted on going back home, so I put a helping of New England stew in a container, and wrapped a couple of biscuits for her supper, and Hubbie accompanied her back to her house.
Hubbie and I spent the rest of the afternoon reading our novels on e-readers, and then we changed clothes to go to supper at the local Japanese restaurant. This restaurant is fairly new to our town, but it has been here about a year. We just never got around to visiting it until tonight.
It was fun. We opted for the hibachi dinners, which are prepared at the table...a table that seats eight. We arrived just before 5 p.m., and then had to wait until there were six others seated, four folks...a man, his wife, their child, and another girl...and a middle-aged couple seated to our left, who had come from a town about 45 minutes away.
The meal started with clear soup and a salad. And then a young Japanese man fired up the grill. And I do mean fired up...he lit a flame that reached up to the hood, creating cries of "wow!" from all of us.
We all laughed when the first thing our cook said was, "How y'all tonight?" in a Japanese drawl.
Since there was a young boy at the table, the cook spent a lot of time entertaining him by pretending to squirt things on him, etc. When he'd created a small flame, he brought out a plastic "boy" that appeared to pee on the flame.
When he'd finished scrambling some eggs to be added to rice, he used his spatula to try to fling small pieces of it into each person's mouth. Mine landed on my cheek, while others caught theirs on their shirt fronts or in their hair. Some of it simply missed folks altogether and landed on the floor behind them.
Besides the flames, part of the entertainment was the clinking and tossing of the spatulas. Clinking the spatulas against each other or on the grill created a sort of Japanese musical sound.
Other folks seem to eat a lot faster than we do, because in no time everyone departed, leaving us still sitting there. No sooner had the others gone than a guy came to bus the table. We felt like we needed to hurry, so we quickly put our leftovers into the styrofoam containers provided and got up to leave, too. Hubbie wasn't too happy about this. I don't really think we had to leave right then, but he felt uncomfortable lingering.
Gad, it was cold outside tonight! I was glad to get back to our warm house, where we watched TV for the evening, including a year 2000 movie called "Partners in Crime," starring Rutger Hauer. A twice-divorced police officer lives with his daughter. When a wealthy man is kidnapped, his first ex-wife, who is with the FBI, is called in to help. The police officer botched a kidnapping case earlier, so his reputation is on the line.
Hubbie was up first this morning, but I followed a few minutes later. He met me at the foot of the stairs with a big hug and kiss, and the greeting..."Happy twenty-four wonderful years!"
"Huh?" I said. "What happened to the other eight years? Was there something wrong with those?"
"Oh!" He laughed, "I meant happy thirty-second...on today, January twenty-four!"
I skipped my exercises this morning in favor of just relaxing for the day. Mother hesitated to come over, thinking she would disturb us on our anniversary day. We assured her we had nothing special planned. So Hubbie accompanied her, and after she presented us with a greeting card, she set to work on a new jigsaw puzzle.
Got a call later in the morning from the water aerobics leader, who said she was sick with a sinus infection. She had a fever and a sick stomach after getting home from aerobics Monday, and went to the doctor. She's on antibiotics now, and of course can't go to the pool tomorrow.
Also, another member is unable to attend tomorrow. That means two of the six or eight of us who have been showing up will not be there tomorrow. And since there is the possibility of slick roads in the morning, due to light freezing rain, I don't think I'll go, either.
After lunch, around 2 p.m., though, Mother insisted on going back home, so I put a helping of New England stew in a container, and wrapped a couple of biscuits for her supper, and Hubbie accompanied her back to her house.
Hubbie and I spent the rest of the afternoon reading our novels on e-readers, and then we changed clothes to go to supper at the local Japanese restaurant. This restaurant is fairly new to our town, but it has been here about a year. We just never got around to visiting it until tonight.
It was fun. We opted for the hibachi dinners, which are prepared at the table...a table that seats eight. We arrived just before 5 p.m., and then had to wait until there were six others seated, four folks...a man, his wife, their child, and another girl...and a middle-aged couple seated to our left, who had come from a town about 45 minutes away.
The meal started with clear soup and a salad. And then a young Japanese man fired up the grill. And I do mean fired up...he lit a flame that reached up to the hood, creating cries of "wow!" from all of us.
We all laughed when the first thing our cook said was, "How y'all tonight?" in a Japanese drawl.
Since there was a young boy at the table, the cook spent a lot of time entertaining him by pretending to squirt things on him, etc. When he'd created a small flame, he brought out a plastic "boy" that appeared to pee on the flame.
When he'd finished scrambling some eggs to be added to rice, he used his spatula to try to fling small pieces of it into each person's mouth. Mine landed on my cheek, while others caught theirs on their shirt fronts or in their hair. Some of it simply missed folks altogether and landed on the floor behind them.
Besides the flames, part of the entertainment was the clinking and tossing of the spatulas. Clinking the spatulas against each other or on the grill created a sort of Japanese musical sound.
Other folks seem to eat a lot faster than we do, because in no time everyone departed, leaving us still sitting there. No sooner had the others gone than a guy came to bus the table. We felt like we needed to hurry, so we quickly put our leftovers into the styrofoam containers provided and got up to leave, too. Hubbie wasn't too happy about this. I don't really think we had to leave right then, but he felt uncomfortable lingering.
Gad, it was cold outside tonight! I was glad to get back to our warm house, where we watched TV for the evening, including a year 2000 movie called "Partners in Crime," starring Rutger Hauer. A twice-divorced police officer lives with his daughter. When a wealthy man is kidnapped, his first ex-wife, who is with the FBI, is called in to help. The police officer botched a kidnapping case earlier, so his reputation is on the line.
Wednesday, January 23, 2013
Wednesday, Jan. 23
Up at 6:30 this morning to get ready for water aerobics. Pretty chilly this morning. In fact, our county has been one of the coolest ones in the state for the past few days. It was cold enough this morning that smatterings of last week's snow persist on the shady hill leading to the college.
Eight of us showed up for aerobics. The pool is still quite cool, so we opted to keep moving in an aerobic mode this morning, rather than doing 30 minutes of aerobics and 15 minutes of cool-down.
I was surprised this morning when one of the members said she'd gotten a flu shot a couple of days ago. She has been insisting that she didn't want one, because after the last one she had several years ago, she came down with the worst case of flu she'd ever experienced.
No one could convince her that it was not possible to get flu from a killed virus vaccination. But her son is a doctor, and he pressured her and her husband to get the shot, because of the near epidemic of flu this year. Of course, it takes two to three weeks for the vaccine to become effective, so if she gets the flu before then, she definitely will never get a shot again. Her son did warn her that the vaccine is not 100% effective, but it's the best tool available right now.
Back home, I was glad to get a couple of cups of hot coffee into me, since I was pretty chilled. While I relaxed, Hubbie ran errands. Before he went to town, he accompanied Mother to our house.
Our aim was to start a slow cooker of New England stew simmering, but we needed a few items for it...like onions and celery...before we could start it. But in the meantime, Mother cut up the onions we had on hand, and cubed the beef, while I got ready for the day.
When Hubbie got back, we finished preparing the meat and veggies, and Hubbie peeled and quartered potatoes, and cut the cabbage into chunks. Once the stew was started, I fixed lunch for us, since it was nearly noon by now.
After lunch, Mother worked on a jigsaw puzzle, and Hubbie and I ran a few errands. First, we attended a business expo at the college down the road. Most of the event today was aimed at business people, but it was opened to the public at 1 p.m.
I wasn't expecting much, but it turned out to be a really nice affair. There was lots of food available, but since we'd already had lunch, we passed on it. But we did accept hot wrapped hamburgers, which we brought home to use for supper tomorrow night.
We were given a nice tote at one booth, which we took around to the exhibits and filled with various goodies. We also registered for all the prizes. We picked up enough stuff to share with Mother...wrapped snack cakes, mini chocolate bars, notepads, pencils, and pens, etc.
We also got a sample bottle of carpet spot cleaner, a miniature sewing kit, a couple of foam train engine toys, stickers, and recipe card holders that rock but won't fall down (like Weebles).
We visited with lots of folks while we were there, including the coordinator of the Caring Hands Hospice volunteers. I was sad to learn from her that her nephew was murdered in Florida early in December. She said he had been stabbed to death by his girlfriend. He had no defensive wounds, so it is speculated that she attacked him in his sleep. He was 32 years old.
His mother, the coordinator's sister, lives in our town. So the coordinator has been trying to help her cope. The sister works as a housekeeper, and doesn't have insurance, so she can't afford regular medical services. Fortunately, though one of the local churches sponsors a weekly clinic that she can attend. And the coordinator has seen that she enrolled in a support group for parents who have lost children.
As if this were not enough, the coordinator's husband ended up in the hospital right after New Year's for an obstructed bowl. Sometimes, I wonder how people bear up under all that is thrown at them.
Hubbie ran into a young woman he'd known as a child when he lived in another small town years ago. And I visited with a young woman who was one of the therapists when I attended cardiac rehab. I also visited with the Literacy Council director, and some folks from the library.
All-in-all, we enjoyed the whole thing. Promptly at 2 p.m., though, even as we were getting ready to leave, the exhibitors began tearing down their booths, and packing up to vacate. I guess the college has some sort of policy about this sort of thing. And of course, since the exhibitors had been there all day, they were ready to be done with it, I'm sure.
From there, we went to a grocery store to exchange three blocks of cheese that Hubbie bought this morning. I wanted Monterey Jack, but he got Colby Jack, instead, which has yellow cheese in it. He insisted that this was the only kind he could find. But I was sure there was the regular kind, and when we looked hard enough, we found it.
Then we went to the WDCS to pick up a couple of bags of veggie chips, because Hubbie brought home a bag of apple cinnamon, which are not my favorite, but which he said were the only ones on the shelf. I guess the shelves were restocked since he'd been there yesterday, because I found the ones I wanted.
I also bought a new water resistant wristwatch to replace the one that died recently. These little watches, which used to be pretty cheap are three times the price now. To be expected, I guess.
Back home, Mother was napping on the couch, but she awakened when we came in, so she got up. I gave her a little bag, and she chose the things she wanted from the loot we brought home.
Later, we made a batch of biscuits to have with the stew. The meal was very comforting for a cool day. Hubbie accompanied Mother to her house afterward, and then he and I watched TV, including an unremarkable 2011 movie called, "Harley's Hill," about a horse that, because his owner is cruel, escapes his stall and runs wild for a while, before happening onto a ranch, where a young girl falls in love with him and wants to keep him. Of course, the owner comes to claim the horse. But things turn out well. Not an award winner, but it's fit for family viewing.
Then we watched our favorite college basketball team as they played to a wide-margin win.
Eight of us showed up for aerobics. The pool is still quite cool, so we opted to keep moving in an aerobic mode this morning, rather than doing 30 minutes of aerobics and 15 minutes of cool-down.
I was surprised this morning when one of the members said she'd gotten a flu shot a couple of days ago. She has been insisting that she didn't want one, because after the last one she had several years ago, she came down with the worst case of flu she'd ever experienced.
No one could convince her that it was not possible to get flu from a killed virus vaccination. But her son is a doctor, and he pressured her and her husband to get the shot, because of the near epidemic of flu this year. Of course, it takes two to three weeks for the vaccine to become effective, so if she gets the flu before then, she definitely will never get a shot again. Her son did warn her that the vaccine is not 100% effective, but it's the best tool available right now.
Back home, I was glad to get a couple of cups of hot coffee into me, since I was pretty chilled. While I relaxed, Hubbie ran errands. Before he went to town, he accompanied Mother to our house.
Our aim was to start a slow cooker of New England stew simmering, but we needed a few items for it...like onions and celery...before we could start it. But in the meantime, Mother cut up the onions we had on hand, and cubed the beef, while I got ready for the day.
When Hubbie got back, we finished preparing the meat and veggies, and Hubbie peeled and quartered potatoes, and cut the cabbage into chunks. Once the stew was started, I fixed lunch for us, since it was nearly noon by now.
After lunch, Mother worked on a jigsaw puzzle, and Hubbie and I ran a few errands. First, we attended a business expo at the college down the road. Most of the event today was aimed at business people, but it was opened to the public at 1 p.m.
I wasn't expecting much, but it turned out to be a really nice affair. There was lots of food available, but since we'd already had lunch, we passed on it. But we did accept hot wrapped hamburgers, which we brought home to use for supper tomorrow night.
We were given a nice tote at one booth, which we took around to the exhibits and filled with various goodies. We also registered for all the prizes. We picked up enough stuff to share with Mother...wrapped snack cakes, mini chocolate bars, notepads, pencils, and pens, etc.
We also got a sample bottle of carpet spot cleaner, a miniature sewing kit, a couple of foam train engine toys, stickers, and recipe card holders that rock but won't fall down (like Weebles).
We visited with lots of folks while we were there, including the coordinator of the Caring Hands Hospice volunteers. I was sad to learn from her that her nephew was murdered in Florida early in December. She said he had been stabbed to death by his girlfriend. He had no defensive wounds, so it is speculated that she attacked him in his sleep. He was 32 years old.
His mother, the coordinator's sister, lives in our town. So the coordinator has been trying to help her cope. The sister works as a housekeeper, and doesn't have insurance, so she can't afford regular medical services. Fortunately, though one of the local churches sponsors a weekly clinic that she can attend. And the coordinator has seen that she enrolled in a support group for parents who have lost children.
As if this were not enough, the coordinator's husband ended up in the hospital right after New Year's for an obstructed bowl. Sometimes, I wonder how people bear up under all that is thrown at them.
Hubbie ran into a young woman he'd known as a child when he lived in another small town years ago. And I visited with a young woman who was one of the therapists when I attended cardiac rehab. I also visited with the Literacy Council director, and some folks from the library.
All-in-all, we enjoyed the whole thing. Promptly at 2 p.m., though, even as we were getting ready to leave, the exhibitors began tearing down their booths, and packing up to vacate. I guess the college has some sort of policy about this sort of thing. And of course, since the exhibitors had been there all day, they were ready to be done with it, I'm sure.
From there, we went to a grocery store to exchange three blocks of cheese that Hubbie bought this morning. I wanted Monterey Jack, but he got Colby Jack, instead, which has yellow cheese in it. He insisted that this was the only kind he could find. But I was sure there was the regular kind, and when we looked hard enough, we found it.
Then we went to the WDCS to pick up a couple of bags of veggie chips, because Hubbie brought home a bag of apple cinnamon, which are not my favorite, but which he said were the only ones on the shelf. I guess the shelves were restocked since he'd been there yesterday, because I found the ones I wanted.
I also bought a new water resistant wristwatch to replace the one that died recently. These little watches, which used to be pretty cheap are three times the price now. To be expected, I guess.
Back home, Mother was napping on the couch, but she awakened when we came in, so she got up. I gave her a little bag, and she chose the things she wanted from the loot we brought home.
Later, we made a batch of biscuits to have with the stew. The meal was very comforting for a cool day. Hubbie accompanied Mother to her house afterward, and then he and I watched TV, including an unremarkable 2011 movie called, "Harley's Hill," about a horse that, because his owner is cruel, escapes his stall and runs wild for a while, before happening onto a ranch, where a young girl falls in love with him and wants to keep him. Of course, the owner comes to claim the horse. But things turn out well. Not an award winner, but it's fit for family viewing.
Then we watched our favorite college basketball team as they played to a wide-margin win.
Tuesday, January 22, 2013
Tuesday, Jan. 22
Before I went to bed last night, I made it a point to look outside to see Jupiter, bright in the sky near the moon. It's the closest to the earth that it has been since 1951 (if you can call 368 million miles away close). The next time it will be this close is 2022.
Slept late, until around 8 a.m., but didn't immediately exercise after breakfast. Instead, I checked my e-mail and found there was a note from the director of the upcoming readers' theater saying he could meet this afternoon with a reporter from the local newspaper.
For a week now, I've been running interference, like an author's agent, or something, between the play's director and the reporter, because the director wanted an article written about the book he has written about the Civil War, and he wanted this particular reporter to do it (since the reporter is extremely interested in history). But the director, being very modest, didn't want to seem to be tooting his own horn, so he asked me to schedule the reporter for an interview.
Anyway, since it was already late morning, I decided that rather than e-mailing the reporter, I'd just call him and arrange the interview time. That done, I then e-mailed the director, and waited for a response to be sure he got the message.
All of this could have been a lot easier, if they'd just got on the phone to each other. But, oh well. It's done now, thank goodness.
The director has already been interviewed by a reporter from the regional paper, and a photographer has snapped pictures at a play rehearsal. A few weeks ago I'd contacted the editor of that paper, but didn't get a response, so I feared they just ignored my request. I'm glad they got on it.
While I was dealing with this, Hubbie made a haircut appointment, showered, and got ready to go the barber shop and do other errands. Since he was going to town, I got a birthday card ready for Great-Grandson, and made sure he took an envelope of coupons to be mailed to Granddaughter. He also took this week's word search puzzle contest to the newspaper, and went to the bank, and the grocery store.
Before he left, he called the heat/air unit repairman, because the heater quit working sometime during the night. The repairman arrived around 9 a.m. and flipped on some sort of computer switch at the unit, which keeps going off for some reason. He showed Hubbie how to switch it on, in case it goes off again before our new unit comes in next week.
After that, Hubbie accompanied Mother to our house, and then went on his errands. By now, it was around 10:30, so I got into my exercise clothes and did stair stepping, resistance bands, and weights exercises.
Once I was ready for the day, I fixed a Ramen Noodle soup lunch for Mother, who was working on her jigsaw puzzle. For myself, I heated a leftover bagel pizza, which I had with cottage cheese.
I'd called Hubbie earlier to ask when I could expect him to return home, and he didn't know, but suggested I go ahead and eat. I put a helping of 11-bean soup on the stove for him to heat when he got here.
He arrived about 30 minutes later. By then it was time for Mother and me to meet our 1 p.m. haircut appointments. Br-r-r, it was cold out there, but at least it was sunny, and there was no wind.
Today's story from the beauty shop: some man harrassed Mother's hairdresser by phone this morning, twice calling her and claiming she had left trash on the road near his home. He gave the location of the supposed trash, but didn't leave his name.
However, local police were able to triangulate the number, which appeared to have come from a cell phone belonging to a guy living in another area of town, who had no clue what was going on. It'll be interesting finding out how this all plays out.
It's scary getting this kind of call, though. We wonder if someone was just trying to lure the hairdresser to an isolated part of town to rob her, or otherwise do harm to her.
After hearing this story, I mentioned seeing an article in the local newspaper last night about a man with the peculiar name of Sir (middle name, last name), who was going around town knocking on doors and asking women if their husbands were home. My hairdresser is familiar with this homeless guy, who (not surprisingly) has a mental problem, and has been arrested before. He may seem harmless to folks who know him, but I definitely don't want him knocking on my door!
Back home, Mother resumed her jigsaw puzzle, and I went upstairs to my office to write the final draft of the readers' theater article to send to various newspapers. It was after 4 p.m. before I completed the task.
While I was doing this, the pest control guy came and treated the house both outdoors and indoors. I was not expecting him to come indoors, so the house was a lived-in mess. I don't like it when I'm not given an opportunity to spruce up before people come.
The guy hasn't been coming in lately, telling us that he didn't need to unless we saw bugs that needed to be treated. The outdoor treatment is supposed to provide a block to pests. But today, he said that once in a while he likes to come in, so Hubbie agreed. I let Hubbie know, though, that from now on, I want advance notice before the guy comes in.
Downstairs, I put dishes of leftovers in the oven for our supper...stirfry, rice, gravy, and sweet potatoes. An odd combination, but it worked to satisfy us.
Hubbie accompanied Mother to her house afterward, and Hubbie and I settled in to watch TV, including the 2004 movie, "The Clearing." Stars Robert Redford, and Helen Mirren. A well-to-do executive is kidnapped by an employee, and his wife must ransom him.
Slept late, until around 8 a.m., but didn't immediately exercise after breakfast. Instead, I checked my e-mail and found there was a note from the director of the upcoming readers' theater saying he could meet this afternoon with a reporter from the local newspaper.
For a week now, I've been running interference, like an author's agent, or something, between the play's director and the reporter, because the director wanted an article written about the book he has written about the Civil War, and he wanted this particular reporter to do it (since the reporter is extremely interested in history). But the director, being very modest, didn't want to seem to be tooting his own horn, so he asked me to schedule the reporter for an interview.
Anyway, since it was already late morning, I decided that rather than e-mailing the reporter, I'd just call him and arrange the interview time. That done, I then e-mailed the director, and waited for a response to be sure he got the message.
All of this could have been a lot easier, if they'd just got on the phone to each other. But, oh well. It's done now, thank goodness.
The director has already been interviewed by a reporter from the regional paper, and a photographer has snapped pictures at a play rehearsal. A few weeks ago I'd contacted the editor of that paper, but didn't get a response, so I feared they just ignored my request. I'm glad they got on it.
While I was dealing with this, Hubbie made a haircut appointment, showered, and got ready to go the barber shop and do other errands. Since he was going to town, I got a birthday card ready for Great-Grandson, and made sure he took an envelope of coupons to be mailed to Granddaughter. He also took this week's word search puzzle contest to the newspaper, and went to the bank, and the grocery store.
Before he left, he called the heat/air unit repairman, because the heater quit working sometime during the night. The repairman arrived around 9 a.m. and flipped on some sort of computer switch at the unit, which keeps going off for some reason. He showed Hubbie how to switch it on, in case it goes off again before our new unit comes in next week.
After that, Hubbie accompanied Mother to our house, and then went on his errands. By now, it was around 10:30, so I got into my exercise clothes and did stair stepping, resistance bands, and weights exercises.
Once I was ready for the day, I fixed a Ramen Noodle soup lunch for Mother, who was working on her jigsaw puzzle. For myself, I heated a leftover bagel pizza, which I had with cottage cheese.
I'd called Hubbie earlier to ask when I could expect him to return home, and he didn't know, but suggested I go ahead and eat. I put a helping of 11-bean soup on the stove for him to heat when he got here.
He arrived about 30 minutes later. By then it was time for Mother and me to meet our 1 p.m. haircut appointments. Br-r-r, it was cold out there, but at least it was sunny, and there was no wind.
Today's story from the beauty shop: some man harrassed Mother's hairdresser by phone this morning, twice calling her and claiming she had left trash on the road near his home. He gave the location of the supposed trash, but didn't leave his name.
However, local police were able to triangulate the number, which appeared to have come from a cell phone belonging to a guy living in another area of town, who had no clue what was going on. It'll be interesting finding out how this all plays out.
It's scary getting this kind of call, though. We wonder if someone was just trying to lure the hairdresser to an isolated part of town to rob her, or otherwise do harm to her.
After hearing this story, I mentioned seeing an article in the local newspaper last night about a man with the peculiar name of Sir (middle name, last name), who was going around town knocking on doors and asking women if their husbands were home. My hairdresser is familiar with this homeless guy, who (not surprisingly) has a mental problem, and has been arrested before. He may seem harmless to folks who know him, but I definitely don't want him knocking on my door!
Back home, Mother resumed her jigsaw puzzle, and I went upstairs to my office to write the final draft of the readers' theater article to send to various newspapers. It was after 4 p.m. before I completed the task.
While I was doing this, the pest control guy came and treated the house both outdoors and indoors. I was not expecting him to come indoors, so the house was a lived-in mess. I don't like it when I'm not given an opportunity to spruce up before people come.
The guy hasn't been coming in lately, telling us that he didn't need to unless we saw bugs that needed to be treated. The outdoor treatment is supposed to provide a block to pests. But today, he said that once in a while he likes to come in, so Hubbie agreed. I let Hubbie know, though, that from now on, I want advance notice before the guy comes in.
Downstairs, I put dishes of leftovers in the oven for our supper...stirfry, rice, gravy, and sweet potatoes. An odd combination, but it worked to satisfy us.
Hubbie accompanied Mother to her house afterward, and Hubbie and I settled in to watch TV, including the 2004 movie, "The Clearing." Stars Robert Redford, and Helen Mirren. A well-to-do executive is kidnapped by an employee, and his wife must ransom him.
Monday, January 21, 2013
Monday, Jan. 21
Today was an historic day...the celebration of President Obama's second inauguration, and the anniversary of Martin Luther King, Jr.'s birthday. So the first thing Hubbie did was hang the flag on the well house.
We were up at 6:30, so I could get ready to go to the cardiologist clinic to finish the tests that were postponed last week. I couldn't have breakfast this morning, but juice was allowed, so I had a glass of orange juice.
I arrived at the clinic around 8:15 for an 8:30 appointment, but when I tried the door, it was locked. So I went back to my van to wait. It was amusing to see others arrive, try the door, and return to their vehicles.
The door was unlocked at exactly 8:30. Fortunately, I was called back pretty quickly, and the nurse immediately put a port in my arm (ouch), and injected the small amount of radioactive material necessary for the heart scanner to measure blood flow to my heart. After that, I had to wait for a while for injection to work.
Then I went to the treadmill, where I was injected again, and two nurses monitored me while I walked on the treadmill. This session took about ten minutes, with me walking fairly slowly, then faster, until my heart rate rose. Then the treadmill was adjusted to a pretty good incline and speeded up, so that my heart rate rose quickly. I walked at that rate for about a minute, and then at a slow speed again.
My blood pressure was measured before I began (130/70, even though I hadn't taken my bp meds last night or this morning), and then after I walked. I wasn't told what my bp was after that, but I guess it was okay, or the male nurse probably would have commented.
Instead, he continued to engage me in conversation about his struggle to decide whether to sell his motorcycle to help pay for an older model pontoon boat (he chatted about this all through the test). I personally hate motorcycles, so I thought a pontoon boat was a great idea.
I asked him what made him decide he might want to give up his motorcycle, and he gave a couple of reasons. One was that he recently bought a new car, which was damaged to the tune of $5,000 when a deer ran out in front of him. He figured that if he'd hit the deer on his motorcycle, he might have been killed, or paying doctor bills that would exceed any money he might have saved in gas by riding the cycle. Another reason was that his family could enjoy the pontoon boat.
Later, while I was in the waiting room, before going to the heart scanner, I overheard him in his office talking on the phone with the person selling the pontoon. He was ready to make a deal. I think he had his mind made up when he talked to me, but he just needed someone else to give him the nod about it.
This nurse is exactly the same age as Older Son (and no, telling this story is in no way meant to encourage him to sell his motorcycle).
I asked the other nurse if she got to the motel safely last Tuesday after the snowstorm. She said she did, and even got a non-smoking room, since others had cancelled their reservations. Last week, she the only room available when she called was for smokers, so she was going to go armed with a can of Febreze.
She commented, though, that her mother had been hospitalized that day. I asked if she was all right, and she told me she was okay considering she had COPD and emphysema, and that it was discovered she also had a bad urinary tract infection that she'd had quite a while, but was unaware of, because of the low-dose antibiotic she was taking that had masked her symptoms.
When you're at a clinic for hours, you learn all sorts of things. Last week, while the tech was doing an ultrasound of my heart, I asked her what had inspired her to pursue this career. She said that she had formerly been an elementary school history teacher, but when her mother had been diagnosed with breast cancer, she had watched nurses conduct ultrasounds, and became interested enough go back to school to study to be a tech.
Seems that even though breast cancer runs in her family...her mother, her grandmother, and her aunt...she reasons that heart disease is the number one killer of women, and she is more afraid of that than cancer. I think I'd feel just the opposite.
I was at the clinic until around 11 a.m., during which time I caught snatches of the inaugural ceremonies for President Obama. Back home, I joined Hubbie and Mother in watching more of it.
For lunch, Hubbie did the honors of making French toast for us. Mother had a headache, which we thought might be caused by hunger, since she'd eaten breakfast early this morning, but I suggested that as soon as she'd eaten, she take a nap, and she didn't object. I also gave her a couple of Tylonol.
She slept most of the afternoon. When she got up, she said her headache was gone, but she just felt tired.
Later, I heated stirfry leftovers from last night, and soon after we'd eaten, Hubbie accompanied her to her house. I sent a couple more Tylonol with her to take before bedtime. Hopefully, she'll feel better tomorrow.
Hubbie and I spent the evening watching TV, including a disaster movie..."Avalanche," starring nobody we know, followed by another episode of "Downton Abbey," from PBS.
We were up at 6:30, so I could get ready to go to the cardiologist clinic to finish the tests that were postponed last week. I couldn't have breakfast this morning, but juice was allowed, so I had a glass of orange juice.
I arrived at the clinic around 8:15 for an 8:30 appointment, but when I tried the door, it was locked. So I went back to my van to wait. It was amusing to see others arrive, try the door, and return to their vehicles.
The door was unlocked at exactly 8:30. Fortunately, I was called back pretty quickly, and the nurse immediately put a port in my arm (ouch), and injected the small amount of radioactive material necessary for the heart scanner to measure blood flow to my heart. After that, I had to wait for a while for injection to work.
Then I went to the treadmill, where I was injected again, and two nurses monitored me while I walked on the treadmill. This session took about ten minutes, with me walking fairly slowly, then faster, until my heart rate rose. Then the treadmill was adjusted to a pretty good incline and speeded up, so that my heart rate rose quickly. I walked at that rate for about a minute, and then at a slow speed again.
My blood pressure was measured before I began (130/70, even though I hadn't taken my bp meds last night or this morning), and then after I walked. I wasn't told what my bp was after that, but I guess it was okay, or the male nurse probably would have commented.
Instead, he continued to engage me in conversation about his struggle to decide whether to sell his motorcycle to help pay for an older model pontoon boat (he chatted about this all through the test). I personally hate motorcycles, so I thought a pontoon boat was a great idea.
I asked him what made him decide he might want to give up his motorcycle, and he gave a couple of reasons. One was that he recently bought a new car, which was damaged to the tune of $5,000 when a deer ran out in front of him. He figured that if he'd hit the deer on his motorcycle, he might have been killed, or paying doctor bills that would exceed any money he might have saved in gas by riding the cycle. Another reason was that his family could enjoy the pontoon boat.
Later, while I was in the waiting room, before going to the heart scanner, I overheard him in his office talking on the phone with the person selling the pontoon. He was ready to make a deal. I think he had his mind made up when he talked to me, but he just needed someone else to give him the nod about it.
This nurse is exactly the same age as Older Son (and no, telling this story is in no way meant to encourage him to sell his motorcycle).
I asked the other nurse if she got to the motel safely last Tuesday after the snowstorm. She said she did, and even got a non-smoking room, since others had cancelled their reservations. Last week, she the only room available when she called was for smokers, so she was going to go armed with a can of Febreze.
She commented, though, that her mother had been hospitalized that day. I asked if she was all right, and she told me she was okay considering she had COPD and emphysema, and that it was discovered she also had a bad urinary tract infection that she'd had quite a while, but was unaware of, because of the low-dose antibiotic she was taking that had masked her symptoms.
When you're at a clinic for hours, you learn all sorts of things. Last week, while the tech was doing an ultrasound of my heart, I asked her what had inspired her to pursue this career. She said that she had formerly been an elementary school history teacher, but when her mother had been diagnosed with breast cancer, she had watched nurses conduct ultrasounds, and became interested enough go back to school to study to be a tech.
Seems that even though breast cancer runs in her family...her mother, her grandmother, and her aunt...she reasons that heart disease is the number one killer of women, and she is more afraid of that than cancer. I think I'd feel just the opposite.
I was at the clinic until around 11 a.m., during which time I caught snatches of the inaugural ceremonies for President Obama. Back home, I joined Hubbie and Mother in watching more of it.
For lunch, Hubbie did the honors of making French toast for us. Mother had a headache, which we thought might be caused by hunger, since she'd eaten breakfast early this morning, but I suggested that as soon as she'd eaten, she take a nap, and she didn't object. I also gave her a couple of Tylonol.
She slept most of the afternoon. When she got up, she said her headache was gone, but she just felt tired.
Later, I heated stirfry leftovers from last night, and soon after we'd eaten, Hubbie accompanied her to her house. I sent a couple more Tylonol with her to take before bedtime. Hopefully, she'll feel better tomorrow.
Hubbie and I spent the evening watching TV, including a disaster movie..."Avalanche," starring nobody we know, followed by another episode of "Downton Abbey," from PBS.
Sunday, January 20, 2013
Sunday, Jan. 20
Today is Sis's birthday. Happy Birthday, Sis.
Slept late, until after 8 a.m. Skipped my exercises, as I usually do on Sundays. Hubbie accompanied Mother to our house around 9:30, and she clipped coupons for Granddaughter, while Hubbie put color in my hair, in anticipation of a haircut appointment Tuesday afternoon.
A little while later, I went upstairs to get ready for the day. While I did that, Mother julienned veggies for a stirfy.
Spent the rest of the morning doing the usual Sunday things...laundry, reading the Sunday newspaper, programming the DVR, etc. Around 11 a.m., I began lunch preparations. By noon, the stirfry and rice were ready. It wasn't a traditional Sunday meal, but we enjoyed it.
Afterward, Mother and I returned to the kitchen...this time to prepare 11-bean soup for the "Souper Saturday" fundraiser on behalf of the arts council. Mother diced veggies, and cubed the ham, and I put the two pots of soup together and set them to simmering.
Afterward, Mother worked on a jigsaw puzzle. She abandoned the one she started yesterday, because the pieces were too small, and the outdoor scene was too difficult. I suggested that rather than frustrating herself on it, she give it up and start a new one. I found a couple of more puzzles that are among her favorites.
Hubbie and I whiled the afternoon away in our own pursuits. I chose to play with my new e-reader/tablet, which included reading a John Grisham novel on it.
Around 4 p.m., Mother was ready to go home, and Hubbie accompanied her. Hubbie and I spent the rest of the afternoon reading. We were ready for a light supper by 6:30, and opted for bowls of cereal, and toasted thin bagels.
I was to have nothing to eat after 8 p.m., since I'm scheduled to complete my tests at the cardiologist clinic tomorrow at 8:30 a.m. I hope they don't keep me waiting around too long. I don't want to get uncomfortably hungry before I get something to eat, like I did last Tuesday.
Later, Hubbie and I watched a movie we borrowed from the library..."A Certain Justice," a 1998 British mystery from the Public Television channel.
Slept late, until after 8 a.m. Skipped my exercises, as I usually do on Sundays. Hubbie accompanied Mother to our house around 9:30, and she clipped coupons for Granddaughter, while Hubbie put color in my hair, in anticipation of a haircut appointment Tuesday afternoon.
A little while later, I went upstairs to get ready for the day. While I did that, Mother julienned veggies for a stirfy.
Spent the rest of the morning doing the usual Sunday things...laundry, reading the Sunday newspaper, programming the DVR, etc. Around 11 a.m., I began lunch preparations. By noon, the stirfry and rice were ready. It wasn't a traditional Sunday meal, but we enjoyed it.
Afterward, Mother and I returned to the kitchen...this time to prepare 11-bean soup for the "Souper Saturday" fundraiser on behalf of the arts council. Mother diced veggies, and cubed the ham, and I put the two pots of soup together and set them to simmering.
Afterward, Mother worked on a jigsaw puzzle. She abandoned the one she started yesterday, because the pieces were too small, and the outdoor scene was too difficult. I suggested that rather than frustrating herself on it, she give it up and start a new one. I found a couple of more puzzles that are among her favorites.
Hubbie and I whiled the afternoon away in our own pursuits. I chose to play with my new e-reader/tablet, which included reading a John Grisham novel on it.
Around 4 p.m., Mother was ready to go home, and Hubbie accompanied her. Hubbie and I spent the rest of the afternoon reading. We were ready for a light supper by 6:30, and opted for bowls of cereal, and toasted thin bagels.
I was to have nothing to eat after 8 p.m., since I'm scheduled to complete my tests at the cardiologist clinic tomorrow at 8:30 a.m. I hope they don't keep me waiting around too long. I don't want to get uncomfortably hungry before I get something to eat, like I did last Tuesday.
Later, Hubbie and I watched a movie we borrowed from the library..."A Certain Justice," a 1998 British mystery from the Public Television channel.
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