Saturday, Feb. 2

Groundhog Day. Punxsutawney Phil did not see his shadow, predicting an early spring. The groundhog usually sees his shadow, and has only not seen it sixteen times since 1886. Hope he's right this year, because I'm ready to be done with winter.

Slept well last night, and didn't get up until 8:30. Postponed my exercises for a while this morning. Instead, I gathered ingredients for making onion/chive dip, which Mother put together when she came over around 9:30. I also prepared a couple of birthday cards for the mail. Needed to get those out to the mailbox before the mailman came around 10:30.

Finally, I did stair stepping, resistance bands, and weights exercises. While I did this, Hubbie took the winter village off the mantel and stored it. Mother helped with this project by squeezing up the branches of the plastic evergreen trees so they'd fit tightly in a tote, and unfolding cardboard "bricks" to be stored flat in another tote.

By now, it was time for lunch, so I fixed Ramen noodle soup for Mother, served with crackers and cheese, and slices of cold chicken, and chicken salad sandwiches and veggie chips for Hubbie and me. Little Cuties for dessert.

Mother started a new jigsaw puzzle after lunch, while I got ready for the day. Once I was dressed, Hubbie and I ran errands...first to the bank to deposit a check I received from the Extension Homemakers Council. The money is our scrapbook club's portion of a grant, to be used for our community project, which is making greeting cards for Caring Hands Hospice. It's not a great deal of money, but it'll help buy supplies for making cards. From there, we went to the WDCS for grocery items, and a dozen half-pint jars for making jellies.

Back home, we vegged and read novels on our e-readers, until time to watch our favorite college basketball team as they played to a win on their home turf. Just wish they could do this on the road.

I'd recorded the game on DVR. It began at 3 p.m., but we didn't start watching it until 4 p.m. At that time, I began supper preparations. Made a recipe of macaroni and cheese, and then later fixed turkey burgers.

Later, I changed clothes so Hubbie and I could attend a performance of the Civil War readers' theater at 7:30. Following the performance, we returned home to pick up the onion/chive dip and chips to take to a cast party at the home of one of the actors. She lives just a few miles from our house.

Friday, Feb. 1

First day of February. For some reason, when I recorded birthdays and events on the new calendar, I put April Fool's Day on today's date (Friday).

So I used correction fluid to blot it out and move it. No sooner had I recorded it, though, than I realized I'd put it on Friday, March 1. Drat! More correction fluid.

Flipped the calendar page to April and jotted the event on the first Friday...which is not April 1, but April 5. Double Drat!! Still more correction fluid.

By now, Hubbie was laughing uproariously. But I finally got it right. Not sure why I was determined to get it right...it's not exactly an important holiday.

Maybe my brain was dulled from lack of sleep. The outdoor cats squalled until around 2 a.m., keeping me awake. Hubbie woke up, too, got dressed, and went out to find out what the problem was. He found one of the cats up on the roof, so he fetched a ladder to rescue her. But she didn't want to be rescued, and ran away from him. He came back inside, still not knowing what was disturbing the cats. But they finally settled down, and we eventually drifted off to sleep.

But we were still sleepy when the alarm went off at 6:30. I halfway wished that predictions for possible snow flurries and cold winds would have materialized, so I could have stayed in my warm bed for a while longer. But it was sunny and calm outside, though very cold, so I dragged myself out and got ready to go.

It was a really chilly walk to and from the gym, but the water in the pool was heavenly warm, so I was glad I made the effort to go swim this morning. Only five of us showed up. Our leader was still absent, so another lady led the group. She helped us get a good workout, using water noodles to create resistance. I wouldn't mind doing this more often.

Back home, I couldn't wait to down a couple of cups of hot coffee to thaw out. Soon, Sis accompanied Mother to our house, where they started another jigsaw puzzle. While they worked, I got ready for the day, and Hubbie ran errands.

I spent the rest of the morning playing with my new tablet and reading my novel. For lunch, we had leftovers...sliced cold chicken, warmed mashed potatoes, gravy, and green beans, for Mother and Sis, chili for Hubbie, and chicken salad sandwich, with veggie chips for me.

Mother and Sis continued with the jigsaw puzzle afterward, and I returned to my novel. Hubbie ran more errands, including delivering four styrofoam quarts of frozen 11-bean soup to the church, where the "Souper Saturday" fundraising event is to take place tomorrow.

Around 2:30, Sis decided she wanted to get on the road home, before the school buses ran. It was a good few days visit, and we'll look forward to her visiting again at the end of this month.

Later, I heated leftover lasagna for our supper, served with canned whole kernel corn, cottage cheese, and homemade bread. Soon after supper, the man who is to repair the ceiling in the den dropped by to assess the job. He stayed only a few minutes, and then set next Wednesday, around 3 p.m., to begin the task. That means I need to plan a meal Tuesday that can be heated as leftovers at Mother's house on Wednesday...probably soup.

After the man left, Hubbie accompanied Mother to her house, and then we watched TV, including a DVD we borrowed from the library...the 2007 PBS mini-series, "Cranford," about 1840s ladies who rule this rural town. The older of the women find it difficult to change their antiquated ways in a world being encroached upon by the Industrial Revolution.

Thursday, Jan. 31

Last day of a month of dicey weather and extra expenses (thanks to the washer and dryer, and central heat and air unit, biting the dust). Good times, too, though, including my birthday, and Hubbie's and my anniversary. And good fortune that we've all so far been spared the flu and other viruses that have raged through the state, and through several members of our family.

One of Hubbie's sisters said yesterday that she saw a patch of jonquils in bloom on a hill. Hoping that's a sign of warmer weather on the way soon...maybe even in February.

Up just after 7 a.m. this morning. Right after breakfast, Hubbie peeeled and sliced apples, so I could make an apple pie as part of Sis's birthday gifts. I used a small foil pan for the pie, which meant there were apples and some pie crust dough left over. I put those in a pie dish to bake for our lunch.

While the pies baked, I gathered supplies necessary for making candy apple jelly. Mother and Sis came over mid-morning, and once the pies were baked, Sis made the jelly, while I exercised and then got ready for the day.

Six pretty jars of the jelly were cooling on a table when I got back downstairs. Sis will take three of them, and we'll keep three.

Sis and Mother spent the rest of the morning working a new jigsaw puzzle...the one I received in the mail a few days ago as a replacement for the one I'd given Mother for Christmas that had a border piece missing.

Lunch was leftover chili for Sis, Hubbie, and me, and the remainder of the potato soup for Mother, followed by the apple pie, with ice cream for me, fat-free whipped topping for Mother and Sis, and just plain pie for Hubbie.

After lunch, I basically goofed off for the afternoon and read my John Grisham novel on my new tablet. Hubbie ran a couple of errands, and then spent the afternoon reading a mystery novel on his e-reader.

Later, Hubbie peeled and quartered potatoes to be boiled, Mother dredged chicken breasts to be fried, and I did the rest of the preparations. The chicken, mashed potatoes, white gravy, and green beans, with slices of homemade bread that Sis provided, were delicious.

After supper, we played several games of Duo, with everyone but Sis winning. Phooey. We wanted this to be her night, since these past few days have been a belated birthday celebration for her.

At 9 p.m., Mother and Sis were ready to head to Mother's house. Hubbie and I spent the rest of the evening watching our favorite college basketball team as they played to a loss on the road, after a very hard-fought game.

Wednesday, Jan. 30

January is winding down...only one day left.

We were up at 6:30 this morning, but I skipped my exercises, because we needed to get ready to go to a town about an hour and a half east to shop, and have lunch with Hubbie's sisters.

We left home around 9 p.m., and arrived in the other town by 10:30. Our first stop was at a hobby shop, where I bought blank cards in white and ivory, glue squares, stickers, and a couple of on-sale rubber stamps. I'd printed two 40% off coupons...one for Hubbie, and one for me...to use on the highest priced items.

From there, we went to an intimate apparel shop, so I could use a $10 birthday gift certificate from the store to buy five tubes of on-sale hand cream.

By this time, it was 11:30, so we headed to the restaurant to meet Hubbie's sisters for lunch at a popular Italian restaurant. Hubbie and I opted for our favorite meal...soup, salad, and bread sticks...for which I used a birthday gift card given to me by one of Hubbie's sisters.

Funny: one of Hubbie's sisters discovered that her silverware was not clean and asked the waiter to bring another set. He disappeared for quite a while, so in the meantime she went to another table, where an elderly man and woman were seated, and grabbed what she thought was an extra set of napkin-wrapped silverware.

"Is it okay if I take these?" she asked.

"NO!" the old man said, snatching the silverware from her. "Those are mine!"

Sis, embarrassed, hurried back to our table, deciding it would be best to wait for the waiter to bring her another set.

Following lunch, Hubbie and I went to the warehouse club store for grocery and other items. Headed home after that, around 2 p.m.

We were surprised to see Mother and Sis here, since it was raining when we left this morning, and turned cold and windy this afternoon. But they were comfortable in the living room working on a jigsaw puzzle.

Later, we fixed a supper of potato soup, with chicken salad sandwiches, made with homemade white bread that Sis brought with her yesterday. After supper, we played six games of Skipbo, with Mother, Hubbie, and I winning two games each. None for Sis this time, though she has challenged us to a rematch tomorrow night.

Around 9 p.m., Sis and Mother went to Mother's house, and Hubbie and I watched TV for a while, including an episode of the second season of "Dallas."

Note: I was glad to see that the article I'd written about the upcoming readers' theater production was in the newspaper tonight. If it hadn't been, I would have had to call the editor to make sure it had arrived in her e-mail. The article appeared on the front page, above an article by one of the reporters about the book that the play's director has written. The two articles occupied half of the front page, and all of page two.

The book author and and play director called me this evening to thank me for writing one article and setting up the interview for the other. He was elated with both, and hopes they will inspire folks to attend the performance. If audience attendance is low, it won't be because we haven't put forth our best effort in promoting it.

Also got an e-mail from one of the actors in the play inviting Hubbie and me to a cast party after the performance Saturday night. The hostess will provide drinks for the party, but she asks that the rest of us bring food. I think I'll take onion/chive dip, and veggie chips.

Tuesday, Jan. 29

Another warm day that promised storms later, and indeed tornado warnings were issued in the evening, our county included, and some damage occurred south of us, but other than a little wind, rain, lightning and thunder, nothing adverse happened at our house.

We were up at 6:30 this morning, but I skipped my exercises because we expected the central heat/air guys to come at 7:30 to begin work on replacing our unit. We hurried to get dressed and have breakfast before they arrived. They were very prompt in getting here shortly after 7:30, and they spent the day until around 4:30 doing the job.

I didn't accomplish anything for the morning, except for baking a red velvet cake for Sis's birthday. Spent the rest of the morning at Mother's house. At lunchtime, I came back to the house and gathered lunch makings...chicken salad, bread rounds, veggie chips, and fresh apples. Sis arrived in time to join us for lunch.

We spent the afternoon visiting, and then for supper, Hubbie helped me take chili and potato soup, along with crackers and cheese, and the cake, to Mother's house, where Sis and I prepared the meal. After we'd eaten, we celebrated Sis's birthday (belatedly, since her special day was on Jan. 20), with servings of the cake, and a presentation of gifts.

She got gift cards to her favorite farm store, a knitted lace scarf in pink tones, a bag of specialty coffee, and a package of six grinder-top jars of red pepper/garlic spices.

I came home after supper, and Hubbie and I watched TV, including a strange 2010 movie..."In My Sleep"...about a man who sleepwalks and doesn't remember what he does during his fugue states. Murders are committed. He wakes up with blood on his hands. Is he the killer? Turns, twists, and surprises.

We paused the movie several times to check with TV stations that issued severe thunderstorm and tornado warnings throughout the evening. Not fond of these dicey weather nights.

Monday, Jan. 28

Something is not right...too warm today.

We were up at 6:30, so I could get ready for water aerobics. Certainly didn't need a coat for my walk to the gym. It was nearly 60 degrees outside, and soon would be in the low 70s.

Eight of us showed up for aerobics today, though our leader was not one of them. She is still running a fever with her sinus infection. So one of the other ladies decided to lead the exercises, but soon, three others were calling out instructions too.

Hm-m-m...too many chiefs and not enough indians, but we muddled through, anyway. One of the ladies, who goes to water aerobics at the city pool in the summer, showed us how to use water noodles to do leg exercises, which I enjoyed, because the noodle provided resistance. She also showed us how to use it to exercise arm muscles.

Back home, once I was ready for the day, I spent quite a bit of time reviewing today's ESL lesson on adjectives and abstract nouns. I printed lists of these for the student, and mulled over in my mind the best way to explain the difference to my student.

Hubbie accompanied Mother to our house mid-morning, and then ran a couple of errands. Mother set up another jigsaw puzzle.

After lunch, I did this and that until time to meet my student. Besides working with adjectives and abstract nouns, we also covered vocabulary centered on Civil Rights, protests, boycott, Nobel Prize, and cities and capitals. All of this, of course, relates to the Martin Luther King, Jr., story.

We ended the lesson with a workbook lesson, which included appropriately using prepositions in sentences. I discovered that she had some difficulty with this, so we'll need more practice.

Next week, we'll begin an evaluation session, to assess where more work is needed.

Back home, Hubbie had heated leftover lasagna, and Mother had prepared salad and garlic bread for our supper.

After supper, Hubbie accompanied Mother back to her house, and then we watched TV, including an episode of "Downton Abbey," from the PBS channel. While I watched, I sent a list of prepositions, as practice exercises, to my student.

Later, we watched a 1979 movie we borrowed from the library..."The China Syndrome," starring Jane Fonda, Jack Lemmon, and Michael Douglas. A reporter (Fonda) visits a nuclear power plant to do a story when an accident occurs that could cause a reactor meltdown. I'm surprised by how many people (including actors) mispronounce nuclear as "nucular."

Sunday, Jan. 27

Dreary, drizzly Sunday morning, with a mild temp.

We were up around 7:30, but I skipped my exercises, and just went on and got dressed. Hubbie accompanied Mother to our house about 9:30, and I gathered the ingredients for lasagna, which she layered in a baking dish. I put the lasagna in the oven at 10:30, and then we prepared individual salads, and I sliced French bread, which Mother slathered with garlic butter.

After that, we did the usual Sunday things...she clipped coupons for Granddaughter, and I programmed the DVR for the week's programs and shows, and read the Sunday newspaper.

Lunch was ready at noon, and afterward, Mother went to her jigsaw puzzle, while Hubbie and I changed clothes and went to the museum for a program about a local photographer, who died a couple of years ago. I was not personally acquainted with him, which is unusual, since I am familiar with most of the journalists and photographers in the area.

But it was a very interesting program about a very unusual man, who led a colorful life as a realtor, a hobo, and wide traveler, among other things, and who had an innate sense of what makes a good photograph. His work appeared not only in local newspapers, but in popular magazines, and even in movies.

Several folks who knew him told stories of their ezperiences with him. Later, Hubbie commented that the program reminded him of a memorial service, which is exactly what I was thinking while it was going on.

As usual, this was a time to get to visit with folks we know, some of whom we hadn't seen for a while.

There was a bigger turnout for the event than the museum planners expected, so the museum director apologized, saying she didn't think they'd prepared enough refreshments for everyone to get a snack item, but she was sure there was enough coffee and hot apple cider to go around.

Naturally when we arrived at the refreshment table, we saw there were lots of the snacks on the trays because, we supposed, everyone did what we did and settled only for the drinks so as not to deprive others of the goodies.

Back home, I dished up sugar-free instant chocolate pudding that I'd made last night, topped with fat-free whipped topping, and served it with fresh coffee. This was a much healthier dessert than what was offered at the museum, and Mother could join us

Hubbie accompanied Mother home afterward, and then he and I spent the evening watching two more episodes of the Cadfael mysteries from PBS channel.