Another gorgeous day, with lots of sunshine, and a temp in the high 70s.
We slept late, until around 8 a.m. I skipped my exercises again. I just can't seem to stop coughing and blowing. Hubbie is doing the same, but I think his cold is abating now, so there's hope for me. After breakfast, he accompanied Mother to our house, where she resumed her jigsaw puzzle.
Once I was ready for the day, I did this and that around the house, and then Hubbie and I went to the library to take back the two DVDs I borrowed last week, and pick up some more. But since my brain has gone to Silly Putty, I forgot to take my library card, so we could only check out two on Hubbie's card. After the library, we went to the grocery store to pick up a package of slaw mix for tomorrow.
Back home, I fixed lunch...homemade chicken noodle soup for Mother, and chicken sandwiches for Hubbie and me. Afterward, we went to the college where I attend water aerobics to walk a couple of times around the lake.
Others had the same idea...a couple of young women were sunning on a blanket; three other young women (students, we assumed) were in a boat out on the lake with an older gentleman (an instructor, we assumed), and they were checking water samples, dredging the bottom for other samples, and recording their findings; a boy and a man were fishing; a young family with a young daughter, and a baby in a stroller, as well as two pug dogs, were strolling; and three people were playing disc golf.
The path around the lake is only a quarter of a mile, but twice around while pushing Mother up and down inclines was a bit of exercise for me.
At home, Mother diced three bell peppers that were in the refrigerator, which we bagged for the freezer. Then she went back to her puzzle, and I read my novel for a while, then went to my office to research a couple of things. Since I was there anyway, I spent a half hour cleaning a space and tossing stuff. I need to do a whole lot more of this.
Later, I prepared a supper of beef hash topped with fried eggs, served with toast and jelly. Afterward, Hubbie accompanied Mother to her house, and then he and I watched TV, including the two-part 2011 mini-series, "Hindenburg: The Last Flight."
Saturday, March 16, 2013
Friday, March 15, 2013
Friday, March 15
What a glorious day! Bright sunshine and a temp that eventually rose to about 80. Slept well last night, and didn't get up until nearly 8:30. I am still coughing and blowing, so I didn't go to water aerobics, but instead just headed for the shower, and got dressed. As I told Hubbie, all the fun has gone out of this cold. I'm ready for it to go away now.
Hubbie had awakened earlier and was ready for breakfast by the time I got downstairs. He accompanied Mother to our house soon after breakfast, and she started a new jigsaw puzzle. At this rate, I think she's going to complete all the ones she got for her birthday before the end of March.
I decided this morning that we should bake the remaining sweet potatoes that we bought last fall to keep them from going bad. There weren't many left...just enough for us to enjoy a few very small ones for lunch, and put the rest in the freezer.
After lunch, I grabbed my camera and went outdoors to snap a few photos of the beautiful daffodils. I suggested to Hubbie that he cut some for the house, which he did. I put them in a pretty, white teapot, and they make a wonderful bright spot in the dining room. It makes me feel better just looking at them...sort of like my own little get-well bouquet.
Since we had nothing important going on this afternoon, we watched the remaining movie from the public library..."Rob Roy." We'd seen this 1995 movie before, but didn't remember most of it. It stars Liam Neeson as a 1700s highland Scotsman, who borrows money from the nobility to buy cattle to herd to market, but when the money is stolen, he's forced to defend his honor and his family.
The movie was pretty long, and ran until around 5 p.m. At that time Hubbie did the honors of preparing supper...French toast and scrambled egg substitute. I did all the incidental things needed for the meal.
After supper, we decided to take advantage of this nice evening and go to the river for a walk. It was a good way to get Mother out of the house and into the fresh air. She enjoyed it. It was a small bit of exercise for me, too, pushing her in her wheelchair along the riverwalk.
Back home, I accompanied Mother to her house and took her blood pressure, which was good tonight. The last couple of days, it has settled into a pattern of somewhat over 130/70. I think the reason might be because I've been giving her lunches other than Ramen noodle soup.
Also, when I took Mother home tonight, I checked to see what she had in her fridge and pantry. I saw that she has already eaten a huge bag of veggie chips. She has only had them for a few weeks, so I think she has been eating them mindlessly in front of TV. These are pretty high in sodium, so those combined with Ramen noodle soup nearly every day might be what spiked her blood pressure. I'll continue to monitor her food intake to see if I'm right.
At home, Hubbie and I watched TV, including a 2011 one called, "Take Shelter." A man begins having bad dreams that are so real that he actually awakens with wounds and pains from them...like his dog biting his arm makes his arm hurt the next day, and an attack with an ax makes his nose bleed. He experiences horrible storms, so he builds a storm shelter...is it to protect his family from something that might become reality, or is it to shelter them from him?
Hubbie had awakened earlier and was ready for breakfast by the time I got downstairs. He accompanied Mother to our house soon after breakfast, and she started a new jigsaw puzzle. At this rate, I think she's going to complete all the ones she got for her birthday before the end of March.
I decided this morning that we should bake the remaining sweet potatoes that we bought last fall to keep them from going bad. There weren't many left...just enough for us to enjoy a few very small ones for lunch, and put the rest in the freezer.
After lunch, I grabbed my camera and went outdoors to snap a few photos of the beautiful daffodils. I suggested to Hubbie that he cut some for the house, which he did. I put them in a pretty, white teapot, and they make a wonderful bright spot in the dining room. It makes me feel better just looking at them...sort of like my own little get-well bouquet.
Since we had nothing important going on this afternoon, we watched the remaining movie from the public library..."Rob Roy." We'd seen this 1995 movie before, but didn't remember most of it. It stars Liam Neeson as a 1700s highland Scotsman, who borrows money from the nobility to buy cattle to herd to market, but when the money is stolen, he's forced to defend his honor and his family.
The movie was pretty long, and ran until around 5 p.m. At that time Hubbie did the honors of preparing supper...French toast and scrambled egg substitute. I did all the incidental things needed for the meal.
After supper, we decided to take advantage of this nice evening and go to the river for a walk. It was a good way to get Mother out of the house and into the fresh air. She enjoyed it. It was a small bit of exercise for me, too, pushing her in her wheelchair along the riverwalk.
Back home, I accompanied Mother to her house and took her blood pressure, which was good tonight. The last couple of days, it has settled into a pattern of somewhat over 130/70. I think the reason might be because I've been giving her lunches other than Ramen noodle soup.
Also, when I took Mother home tonight, I checked to see what she had in her fridge and pantry. I saw that she has already eaten a huge bag of veggie chips. She has only had them for a few weeks, so I think she has been eating them mindlessly in front of TV. These are pretty high in sodium, so those combined with Ramen noodle soup nearly every day might be what spiked her blood pressure. I'll continue to monitor her food intake to see if I'm right.
At home, Hubbie and I watched TV, including a 2011 one called, "Take Shelter." A man begins having bad dreams that are so real that he actually awakens with wounds and pains from them...like his dog biting his arm makes his arm hurt the next day, and an attack with an ax makes his nose bleed. He experiences horrible storms, so he builds a storm shelter...is it to protect his family from something that might become reality, or is it to shelter them from him?
Thursday, March 14, 2013
Thursday, March 14
Woke up around 5:30 again this morning, but drifted back to sleep about 30 minutes later, and then slept until after 8 a.m. Hubbie was undecided last night if he wanted to get up and go to an all-day master gardener training session. But since we slept so late, he opted out of that and decided instead to go to the regular MG monthly meeting at a local bank instead. The meeting started at 10 a.m.
Before he left for the meeting, he accompanied Mother to our house, where she worked on her jigsaw puzzle. She finished it later today.
I didn't accomplish much once I was ready for the day. I'm coughing and sneezing more today than yesterday, so of course I didn't exercise. I'll have to wait until the symptoms have passed before I get back to my routine. I don't like missing a lot of days, because it means I have to start slowly and build up again. I won't be going to water aerobics tomorrow, but I'm hoping by Monday, this cold will be nothing but a memory.
At lunch, I fixed homemade chicken noodle soup and blueberry muffins, along with an orange for dessert, for Mother and me. The master gardeners provided lunch after their meeting, so Hubbie stayed for that, and arrived back home around 1 p.m.
Didn't accomplish much during the afternoon, either. Around 3:30 p.m., Mother and I adjoured to the kitchen to begin supper preparatons. She diced onions, and cubed the potatoes that I'd cooked last night, as well as the rest of the beef roast, and then she fixed a recipe of slaw. I used the onions, beef, and potatoes to make beef hash, and I put dishes of Lima beans and butter beans in the oven to heat. It was a good meal.
Hubbie accompanied Mother to her house after supper, and then he and I watched TV, including an episode of "Vikings," and an episode of "The Bible," both recorded from the history channel. Then we watched our favorite college basketball team as they played to a disappointing loss in the SEC tournament, which ends their run this year.
Before he left for the meeting, he accompanied Mother to our house, where she worked on her jigsaw puzzle. She finished it later today.
I didn't accomplish much once I was ready for the day. I'm coughing and sneezing more today than yesterday, so of course I didn't exercise. I'll have to wait until the symptoms have passed before I get back to my routine. I don't like missing a lot of days, because it means I have to start slowly and build up again. I won't be going to water aerobics tomorrow, but I'm hoping by Monday, this cold will be nothing but a memory.
At lunch, I fixed homemade chicken noodle soup and blueberry muffins, along with an orange for dessert, for Mother and me. The master gardeners provided lunch after their meeting, so Hubbie stayed for that, and arrived back home around 1 p.m.
Didn't accomplish much during the afternoon, either. Around 3:30 p.m., Mother and I adjoured to the kitchen to begin supper preparatons. She diced onions, and cubed the potatoes that I'd cooked last night, as well as the rest of the beef roast, and then she fixed a recipe of slaw. I used the onions, beef, and potatoes to make beef hash, and I put dishes of Lima beans and butter beans in the oven to heat. It was a good meal.
Hubbie accompanied Mother to her house after supper, and then he and I watched TV, including an episode of "Vikings," and an episode of "The Bible," both recorded from the history channel. Then we watched our favorite college basketball team as they played to a disappointing loss in the SEC tournament, which ends their run this year.
Wednesday, March 13, 2013
Wednesday, March 13
Today is Great-Granddaughter's birthday...3-13-13. If she was turning 13 years old, it would really be remarkable, but this is her eleventh birthday. Still, it's pretty interesting.
Once again, I woke up early, around 5:30, but this time my sleep was disturbed by my own snoring from a cold. I drifted off again later, but was startled awake by the alarm clock at 6:30. Since I was coughing and hoarse, I knew it would not be prudent to go to water aerobics. So, I dozed for a few minutes, and then woke up to again hear the first chirping birds, at precisely 7:45 a.m. The birds' internal clocks no doubt told them it was actually 6:45 a.m. They obviously didn't get the Daylight Savings Time memo.
Skipped my exercises after breakfast, of course, but I did head to the shower and got dressed, which made me feel immedately better. My throat is sore, and my voice is hoarse, but so far, my cold has not hit me as hard as Hubbie's did.
It'd be great if Mother dodges it altogether.
While I got ready for the day, Hubbie accompanied Mother to our house, and then ran errands. One thing he did was return the three movies on DVD to the college library down the road. He also inquired whether the library will be open next Monday, since the college will be on spring break. He learned that it will be, so if my student and I are both well, we can meet for a session that day.
Hubbie returned near lunchtime. For lunch, Mother had her usual Ramen noodle soup. Hubbie and I had a bowl of the homemade chicken noodle soup. Hubbie had a roast beef sandwich with his. I meant to have a boiled chicken sandwich instead of soup for lunch, but I discovered we were out of salad dressing, so I abandoned that idea.
After lunch, Hubbie headed out on errands again, because he'd forgotten to pick up a few things. Mother began a new jigsaw puzzle, and I played on my laptop. On my social network page, I saw that a new Pope of the Catholic Church had been elected, so I tuned the TV to a my favorite news channel, where we watched in anticipation for the announcement that Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Argentina, now Pope Francis I, is the new leader of the Church. I like this humble, unassuming, and likeable man, and I look forward to seeing in what direction he takes the Church.
Spent the afternoon being lazy. Nothing accomplished today. Later, for supper, we had more homemade chicken noodle soup, with blueberry muffins. Hubbie accompanied Mother home afterward, and then we watched TV. Tonight, Hubbie was interested in watching an SEC tournament game. I'm lukewarm about other teams...I'm more interested in watching our favorite college team, which will play tomorrow night.
Once again, I woke up early, around 5:30, but this time my sleep was disturbed by my own snoring from a cold. I drifted off again later, but was startled awake by the alarm clock at 6:30. Since I was coughing and hoarse, I knew it would not be prudent to go to water aerobics. So, I dozed for a few minutes, and then woke up to again hear the first chirping birds, at precisely 7:45 a.m. The birds' internal clocks no doubt told them it was actually 6:45 a.m. They obviously didn't get the Daylight Savings Time memo.
Skipped my exercises after breakfast, of course, but I did head to the shower and got dressed, which made me feel immedately better. My throat is sore, and my voice is hoarse, but so far, my cold has not hit me as hard as Hubbie's did.
It'd be great if Mother dodges it altogether.
While I got ready for the day, Hubbie accompanied Mother to our house, and then ran errands. One thing he did was return the three movies on DVD to the college library down the road. He also inquired whether the library will be open next Monday, since the college will be on spring break. He learned that it will be, so if my student and I are both well, we can meet for a session that day.
Hubbie returned near lunchtime. For lunch, Mother had her usual Ramen noodle soup. Hubbie and I had a bowl of the homemade chicken noodle soup. Hubbie had a roast beef sandwich with his. I meant to have a boiled chicken sandwich instead of soup for lunch, but I discovered we were out of salad dressing, so I abandoned that idea.
After lunch, Hubbie headed out on errands again, because he'd forgotten to pick up a few things. Mother began a new jigsaw puzzle, and I played on my laptop. On my social network page, I saw that a new Pope of the Catholic Church had been elected, so I tuned the TV to a my favorite news channel, where we watched in anticipation for the announcement that Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Argentina, now Pope Francis I, is the new leader of the Church. I like this humble, unassuming, and likeable man, and I look forward to seeing in what direction he takes the Church.
Spent the afternoon being lazy. Nothing accomplished today. Later, for supper, we had more homemade chicken noodle soup, with blueberry muffins. Hubbie accompanied Mother home afterward, and then we watched TV. Tonight, Hubbie was interested in watching an SEC tournament game. I'm lukewarm about other teams...I'm more interested in watching our favorite college team, which will play tomorrow night.
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.
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.
Monday, March 11, 2013
Monday, March 11
Thanks to the time change, I woke up at 3 a.m., and tossed for an hour and a half. Then got up with the alarm at 6:30 to get ready to go to water aerobics. Br-r-r, a cold morning for March, but thank goodness the pool was wonderfully warm.
About fifteen of us showed up today, though the regular leader was not one of them. She told the substitute leader that she hopes to come back on Wednesday.
A couple of regular attendees returned after a long absence. One has been suffering from pleurisy. The other had been on a trip, and then fell ill with a cold or allergies or something.
Humans are subject to so many ailments...today, one of the women told us she recently learned she has arthritis in one of her eyes. I have never heard of this, but apparently, it's a condition associated with rheumatoid arthritis.
Back home, I warmed up with a couple of cups of coffee. Hubbie accompanied Mother to our house while I relaxed. She went to her jigsaw puzzle right away, and I got ready for the day.
It was nearly noon by the time I got back downstairs, so I fixed lunches for us. For Mother, it was a cold salmon sandwich, with veggie chips, and for Hubbie and me, it was leftover barbecued chicken, sweet potato fries, and a white potato dish leftover from last Friday's salmon supper.
After lunch, Mother returned to her puzzle, and I reviewed today's ESL lesson plan. Hubbie spent his day nursing a cold that I hope he doesn't pass to Mother and me...especially Mother.
Around 1:30, my student called. She sounded absolutely horrible. She's sick with some malady that has nearly robbed her of her voice, so she begged off of today's lesson, of course. It might be two weeks before I see her again, because I think the college in on spring break next week.
So, since I wasn't scheduled for anything this afternoon, I lazed and read my novel. I'm almost finished with it.
Later, I heated leftovers from yesterday's beef pot roast for our supper tonight. After I checked Mother's blood pressure, Hubbie accompanied her home. Her BP has varied from 140/67 to 167/84. I'm not sure what causes the variance, but I wonder if it could depend on the amount of salt she consumes from one day to the next.
Ramen noodle soup is laden with salt, and she eats this for lunch nearly every day. Of course, she gets about four servings from a package, but at 1600mgs a package, this is still 400mg for a meal. Add to that a slice of cheese (240mg), and salted crackers (128mg), and she's still getting too much, I think. But this is her favorite lunch, so I doubt we could talk her out of it.
TV fare tonight included a 1990 movie borrowed from the public library..."Quigley Down Under," starring Tom Selleck. An American sharpshooter is hired by an Australian rancher, but when he gets there, he finds that instead of being hired to kill wild dogs, the rancher wants him to kill aborigines. Instead, he defends them. We've seen this movie before, of course, but it has been a long time.
About fifteen of us showed up today, though the regular leader was not one of them. She told the substitute leader that she hopes to come back on Wednesday.
A couple of regular attendees returned after a long absence. One has been suffering from pleurisy. The other had been on a trip, and then fell ill with a cold or allergies or something.
Humans are subject to so many ailments...today, one of the women told us she recently learned she has arthritis in one of her eyes. I have never heard of this, but apparently, it's a condition associated with rheumatoid arthritis.
Back home, I warmed up with a couple of cups of coffee. Hubbie accompanied Mother to our house while I relaxed. She went to her jigsaw puzzle right away, and I got ready for the day.
It was nearly noon by the time I got back downstairs, so I fixed lunches for us. For Mother, it was a cold salmon sandwich, with veggie chips, and for Hubbie and me, it was leftover barbecued chicken, sweet potato fries, and a white potato dish leftover from last Friday's salmon supper.
After lunch, Mother returned to her puzzle, and I reviewed today's ESL lesson plan. Hubbie spent his day nursing a cold that I hope he doesn't pass to Mother and me...especially Mother.
Around 1:30, my student called. She sounded absolutely horrible. She's sick with some malady that has nearly robbed her of her voice, so she begged off of today's lesson, of course. It might be two weeks before I see her again, because I think the college in on spring break next week.
So, since I wasn't scheduled for anything this afternoon, I lazed and read my novel. I'm almost finished with it.
Later, I heated leftovers from yesterday's beef pot roast for our supper tonight. After I checked Mother's blood pressure, Hubbie accompanied her home. Her BP has varied from 140/67 to 167/84. I'm not sure what causes the variance, but I wonder if it could depend on the amount of salt she consumes from one day to the next.
Ramen noodle soup is laden with salt, and she eats this for lunch nearly every day. Of course, she gets about four servings from a package, but at 1600mgs a package, this is still 400mg for a meal. Add to that a slice of cheese (240mg), and salted crackers (128mg), and she's still getting too much, I think. But this is her favorite lunch, so I doubt we could talk her out of it.
TV fare tonight included a 1990 movie borrowed from the public library..."Quigley Down Under," starring Tom Selleck. An American sharpshooter is hired by an Australian rancher, but when he gets there, he finds that instead of being hired to kill wild dogs, the rancher wants him to kill aborigines. Instead, he defends them. We've seen this movie before, of course, but it has been a long time.
Sunday, March 10, 2013
Sunday, March 10
Overslept this morning, until nearly 9 a.m., thanks to the time change. Skipped my exercises, as usual on Sunday. Hubbie accompanied Mother to our house after breakfast. She, of course, had risen at her usual 7 a.m. hour this morning, so it was apparent she would be ready for something to eat by noon. But since Hubbie and I didn't eat breakfast until 9:30, we wouldn't be ready for lunch so soon.
There was a thunderstorm warning for our county, so I postponed starting the lunch meal for a while until I was sure it had passed, because I don't work in the kitchen if there is lightning. As it happened, all we got was a lot of rain, but no severe storms.
So we prepared a beef roast for the slow cooker that would be ready around 2 p.m. Mother cut the onions for it, Hubbie peeled the potatoes, and I did the rest...browned the meat, and added garlic, paprika, no-salt seasoning, pepper, oregano, thyme, and rosemary (dried herbs from the garden), and both beef and chicken broths. Today, I tried a suggestion I found in a periodical and also added a banana peel to the roast to help tenderize it.
After that, Mother started a new jigsaw puzzle. Because it was noon by now, I gave her a cup of coffee and a couple of fig bars as a snack to tide her over until the roast was done.
Hubbie (who is battling a head cold) and I spent the time until the roast cooked reading the Sunday newspaper and our novels. The novel I'm reading right now could be catagorized as a romance, but not in the sense of the typical women's romantic fiction...this one has a more fully developed plot and characters, as well as a lot of emotional insight. I'm enjoying it, and I think Granddaughter would enjoy it, too.
The roast was done at 2 p.m., and it was very tasty. The meat, while not falling apart tender, was certainly more tender than roasts we've had in the past, so I guess the banana peel worked.
After lunch, we watched a movie I borrowed from the college..."The Artist." We'd seen this 2011 Academy Award winning film before, but it was fun to watch a second time. A silent film star meets a young dancer, and then the "talkies" come along and kill the silent film star's career. Adding to that blow, the stock market crashes. This subtitled movie is presented in black and white, with only background music for sound. It's a really great movie.
Following the movie, Hubbie accompanied Mother to her house, and then we watched the 2006, "Gridiron Gang," a DVD borrowed from the public library. Based on the true story of Sean Porter and the Camp Kilpatrick Mustangs, juveniles in a detention center learn to redirect their lives under the leadership of a counselor, who turns them into a formidable football team. We're fans of sports dramas, and this is a good one.
There was a thunderstorm warning for our county, so I postponed starting the lunch meal for a while until I was sure it had passed, because I don't work in the kitchen if there is lightning. As it happened, all we got was a lot of rain, but no severe storms.
So we prepared a beef roast for the slow cooker that would be ready around 2 p.m. Mother cut the onions for it, Hubbie peeled the potatoes, and I did the rest...browned the meat, and added garlic, paprika, no-salt seasoning, pepper, oregano, thyme, and rosemary (dried herbs from the garden), and both beef and chicken broths. Today, I tried a suggestion I found in a periodical and also added a banana peel to the roast to help tenderize it.
After that, Mother started a new jigsaw puzzle. Because it was noon by now, I gave her a cup of coffee and a couple of fig bars as a snack to tide her over until the roast was done.
Hubbie (who is battling a head cold) and I spent the time until the roast cooked reading the Sunday newspaper and our novels. The novel I'm reading right now could be catagorized as a romance, but not in the sense of the typical women's romantic fiction...this one has a more fully developed plot and characters, as well as a lot of emotional insight. I'm enjoying it, and I think Granddaughter would enjoy it, too.
The roast was done at 2 p.m., and it was very tasty. The meat, while not falling apart tender, was certainly more tender than roasts we've had in the past, so I guess the banana peel worked.
After lunch, we watched a movie I borrowed from the college..."The Artist." We'd seen this 2011 Academy Award winning film before, but it was fun to watch a second time. A silent film star meets a young dancer, and then the "talkies" come along and kill the silent film star's career. Adding to that blow, the stock market crashes. This subtitled movie is presented in black and white, with only background music for sound. It's a really great movie.
Following the movie, Hubbie accompanied Mother to her house, and then we watched the 2006, "Gridiron Gang," a DVD borrowed from the public library. Based on the true story of Sean Porter and the Camp Kilpatrick Mustangs, juveniles in a detention center learn to redirect their lives under the leadership of a counselor, who turns them into a formidable football team. We're fans of sports dramas, and this is a good one.
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