Up at 6:30 to get ready to go to the Scottish Festival. We wanted to be there around 9 a.m., so we'd have plenty of time for judging the clans.
We arrived at the college shortly after 9 a.m., and were allowed to drive the van close to the festival site, which is handicap accessible. She and I began touring the festival, while Hubbie parked the van in the patron parking lot, which is also close to the festival site, but has steps, and no wheelchair ramp, up to the grounds.
Hubbie's and my job was to observe and judge the eighteen exhibit booths and vendors for attire, decorations, hospitality, participation, passport (how they related to children), handouts, creativity, and sign-up sheets. We gave the top award to a vendor who made it a point to come out of his booth to talk to us. He had a pair of friendly cairn terriers, and he knelt down beside Mother's wheelchair, so she could pet them. For this kind act, we gave him bonus points. The booth received other high marks for authentic attire, how well the booth was decorated, etc.
Another high-point booth scored for how well they related to children. Everytime we passed the booth, there was a group of children happily involved in an activity the vendors provided. The booth was also well decorated, and was creative in using large framed clan list, maps, flags, etc.
We took our time judging the booths, and when we were done, we went to the library to tally the points, and relax for a few minutes, since we'd been on our feet for a couple of hours.
Once we'd discharged our duty, we were free to enjoy the festival that included a quintathlon, a part of which involved a foot race...teams of three (two males and a female, or two females and a male) had to race with one hand on the shoulder of the person in front of them. I had to laugh when the judge for this event said that a young girl, the lead for her team, complained that their team lost because the two boys behind her held her back.
There were also Highland dance demonstrations, a dog show (which we missed), a dance team from a local school, a parade of bands and clans, and bagpipe competitions (missed this, too). There was also sheepdog demonstrations earlier this morning that we missed, but it's scheduled again for tomorrow morning at 10 a.m. Maybe we can go to that one.
A local school dance team performed, and they were cute. There were lots of exhibit booths offering everything from Scottish baked goods (we bought a couple of cakes here...one dark chocolate, and one rum and lemon (neither containing food dyes), to Scottish weaponry, to kilts and other attire, to t-shirts, and other clothing. At one booth, a Peruvian woman sold Alpaca wool garments, including beautiful capes. Hubbie bought one for me.
There was also a British car show, and musical performances, as well as a children's area with bounce houses and activities tables. Naturally, there was no shortage of food booths, and since we were still there at noon, we went in search of a bite.
Hubbie decided that we should forgo the high price food vendors in favor of visiting the student union cafeteria across campus. Turned out, it was closed, so we went downstairs to the bistro. Didn't see anything we wanted there, so after availing ourselves of the restrooms, we trekked back to the food vendors.
Hubbie stayed with Mother, while I purused the available food. We thought we might sample the Scottish pot pies, but when I saw the $7 price, I passed on those and returned to where Hubbie and Mother were. We decided that Mother, who was getting really hungry by now, would like a corn dog, and Hubbie went to fetch it. He had to stand in line endlessly, and when he returned, he had a regular hot dog on a dry bun...no condiments. I asked why he had bought that, when we specifically ordered a corn dog? Well, the corn dogs were huge, and he figured she'd rather have the small hot dog. No, that's not what she wanted. So he had to go stand in line again.
While Mother enjoyed her corn dog, Hubbie went to another vendor to buy hamburgers for us. While he was gone, I went to the baked goods booth and bought a small apple pie for him, and a large shortbread cookie with fudge center for Mother and me.
If we attend the festival again next year, I'm going to pack a picnic lunch for us. It'd not only save money, but it'd also save a lot of time.
After lunch, we toured the grounds again, visiting booths we hadn't seen this morning, and I snapped photos of whatever appealed to me...folks in colorful attire, signs, dogs, etc. There were a number of Scottish dog breeds at the show (some of which wore clan tartans), including Skye Terriers, Cairn Terriers, and Scottish Terriers, as well as a couple of beautiful Irish Wolfhounds.
We were plenty tuckered out by 3 p.m., and ready to come home. Except for the few minutes we spent in the library, Hubbie and I had been on our feet for six hours. At home, we relaxed, of course, until time for me to put supper on the table. Supper was potato soup, and a choice of egg salad/tuna salad sandwiches. Mother, who hadn't been able to eat all of her corndog at lunch, decided to finish that for supper.
Hubbie accompanied Mother home afterward, and then he and I watched TV for the rest of the evening.
Re: weather today...it changed several times in the course of a few hours. Started out quite chilly, but then the sun came out and it warmed nicely. Then it got cloudy, windy, and chilly again, and it began sprinkling rain. Then the sun came out again, and the temperature rose rapidly. Obviously, we are not only having spring, then winter, then spring, then winter in a single month, but we're having it in a single day, now!
Saturday, April 13, 2013
Friday, April 12, 2013
Friday, April 12
Up at 6:30 to get ready for water aerobics. There was a chill in the air this morning, so I wore my fleece outfit and fleece hoodie. The pool, though, was bath-water warm. Everyone except the lap swimmers enjoyed it. Twenty-five attended today...I guess word is spreading about how warm the pool is.
We won't have a session Monday, however, because our lifeguard, a baseball coach, will be away with his team at a tournament game. We'll be able to meet again on Wednesday, but if the team wins their game, the coach will not be available to lifeguard on Friday.
Naturally, weather forecasters are already predicting severe storms for next Wednesday, and into Thursday. So we might not be able to swim on Wednesday, either. And, drat it, if the storms continue into Thursday, the ladies of our scrapbook club also won't want to meet.
This past Wednesday, a home medical service/Caring Hands meeting was scheduled for 8 a.m., but was cancelled upon the threat of severe storms and possible tornadoes. As it turned out, the storms didn't arrive until later in the day.
Last month, we cancelled our scrapbook club meeting under the threat of wintry weather that ended up not arriving until after dark that evening.
We're a skittish bunch of scaredy cats, I guess. At the WDCS last Tuesday, Hubbie and I wondered why the store was so packed on a weekday. Someone commented that folks were preparing for the storm...picking up bread and milk. Gad.
Fortunately, our town was spared the worst of the storms that rolled through. All we got was thunder and lightning, and a whole lot of rain. Other communities were hit pretty hard, though. A story in our local newspaper reported the weird incidence of a storm sucking up a lake, spinning it around and, I suppose, dropping it back into the lake bed.
Back home after aerobics, I enjoyed a cup of coffee, while Hubbie accompanied Mother to our house, where Hubbie set up necessary gardening stuff for her to plant impatiens for her porch. She thoroughly enjoyed this activity.
Afterward, she was ready for kitchen duty. I would have preferred to wait until after I'd showered and dressed, but she was on a roll and wanted to get at it. So I gathered and washed veggies for her to dice for making potato soup (Hubbie peeled and sliced the potatoes). While she did that, I gathered and measured all the rest of the ingredients. I also set a pan of eggs on to boil.
Then, she diced onion, celery, pickles, and apple for tuna salad. She added pecans, Craisins, and salad dressing to the fish. She also peeled and diced the boiled eggs, added chopped black olives, spices, and salad dressing, for egg salad.
By this time, it was nearly noon, so I prepared her Ramen Noodle lunch, and heated the remaining goulash for Hubbie and me. After lunch, I was finally ready to head to the shower. Mother went to her jigsaw puzzle, which she finished today. She discovered that (phooey) this puzzle is also missing a border piece, so I guess I'll be writing the company about it.
Back downstairs, I finished making the potato soup, then relaxed and played on my laptop and e-reader tablet. Before I did this, I searched for another jigsaw puzzle for Mother. This one is a teddy bear motif. Already, we know there are two missing pieces in the puzzle, because we have circled on the box cover where the pieces would go.
This is a puzzle I probably bought at a yard sale, so I'm not surprised there are missing pieces. But, I am surprised that once again, there is a missing border piece on a puzzle I recently bought for Mother as an Easter gift. The last time this happened, I wrote the company to complain, and we received a new puzzle of another design. I'm going to write them again. This is a well-known company, so I'm surprised we've encountered this problem twice in such a short time. But to their credit, they stand by their satisfaction-guaranteed policy.
Later, we enjoyed bowls of the potato soup, with a choice of egg salad or tuna salad sandwiches, which was very satisfying on this cool evening. There's enough of it for meals tomorrow, too...which was my plan, since I knew we'd be occupied most of the day at the Scottish Festival.
Hubbie accompanied Mother to her house after supper, and then around 7 p.m., we went to the college for a Celtic concert. This was a concert of bagpipes, bagpipes, and more bagpipes, of course, presented in the college's fine arts auditorium. The acoustics are awful in this space, so the music reverberated off the walls. Nevertheless, they played to an enthusiatic audience that filled the auditorium to near capacity.
This is a program that is produced by the students, and it included Highland dancers that performed a couple of numbers, including the Sword Dance. The program also included the Scottish Festival poetry contest winner, who read his poem about the newly knighted Gawain, of King Arthur's court.
The audience particularly enjoyed a comic song about a Scotsman who wears a kilt instead of trousers, performed by a group consisting of three men and one woman, who played guitar, banjo, fiddle, and bass, while they sang "Donald, Where's Your Trousers?" This the song:
I just down from the Isle of Skye
I'm no very big but I'm awful shy
All the lassies shout as I walk by,
"Donald, Where's Your Trousers?"
Let the wind blow high and the wind blow low
Through the streets in my kilt I go
All the lassies cry, "Hello!
Donald, where's your trousers?"
I went to a fancy ball
It was slippery in the hall
I was afeared that I may fall
Because I nay had on trousers
I went down to London town
To have a little fun in the underground
All the Ladies turned their heads around, saying,
"Donald, where's your trousers?"
The lassies love me every one
But they must catch me if they can
You canna put the breeks on a highland man, saying,
"Donald, where's your trousers?"
From the rediculous to the sublime, the concert ended with the most requested bagpipe number, "Amazing Grace."
We were back home just after 9 p.m. Watched TV for a little while, then headed to bed.
We won't have a session Monday, however, because our lifeguard, a baseball coach, will be away with his team at a tournament game. We'll be able to meet again on Wednesday, but if the team wins their game, the coach will not be available to lifeguard on Friday.
Naturally, weather forecasters are already predicting severe storms for next Wednesday, and into Thursday. So we might not be able to swim on Wednesday, either. And, drat it, if the storms continue into Thursday, the ladies of our scrapbook club also won't want to meet.
This past Wednesday, a home medical service/Caring Hands meeting was scheduled for 8 a.m., but was cancelled upon the threat of severe storms and possible tornadoes. As it turned out, the storms didn't arrive until later in the day.
Last month, we cancelled our scrapbook club meeting under the threat of wintry weather that ended up not arriving until after dark that evening.
We're a skittish bunch of scaredy cats, I guess. At the WDCS last Tuesday, Hubbie and I wondered why the store was so packed on a weekday. Someone commented that folks were preparing for the storm...picking up bread and milk. Gad.
Fortunately, our town was spared the worst of the storms that rolled through. All we got was thunder and lightning, and a whole lot of rain. Other communities were hit pretty hard, though. A story in our local newspaper reported the weird incidence of a storm sucking up a lake, spinning it around and, I suppose, dropping it back into the lake bed.
Back home after aerobics, I enjoyed a cup of coffee, while Hubbie accompanied Mother to our house, where Hubbie set up necessary gardening stuff for her to plant impatiens for her porch. She thoroughly enjoyed this activity.
Afterward, she was ready for kitchen duty. I would have preferred to wait until after I'd showered and dressed, but she was on a roll and wanted to get at it. So I gathered and washed veggies for her to dice for making potato soup (Hubbie peeled and sliced the potatoes). While she did that, I gathered and measured all the rest of the ingredients. I also set a pan of eggs on to boil.
Then, she diced onion, celery, pickles, and apple for tuna salad. She added pecans, Craisins, and salad dressing to the fish. She also peeled and diced the boiled eggs, added chopped black olives, spices, and salad dressing, for egg salad.
By this time, it was nearly noon, so I prepared her Ramen Noodle lunch, and heated the remaining goulash for Hubbie and me. After lunch, I was finally ready to head to the shower. Mother went to her jigsaw puzzle, which she finished today. She discovered that (phooey) this puzzle is also missing a border piece, so I guess I'll be writing the company about it.
Back downstairs, I finished making the potato soup, then relaxed and played on my laptop and e-reader tablet. Before I did this, I searched for another jigsaw puzzle for Mother. This one is a teddy bear motif. Already, we know there are two missing pieces in the puzzle, because we have circled on the box cover where the pieces would go.
This is a puzzle I probably bought at a yard sale, so I'm not surprised there are missing pieces. But, I am surprised that once again, there is a missing border piece on a puzzle I recently bought for Mother as an Easter gift. The last time this happened, I wrote the company to complain, and we received a new puzzle of another design. I'm going to write them again. This is a well-known company, so I'm surprised we've encountered this problem twice in such a short time. But to their credit, they stand by their satisfaction-guaranteed policy.
Later, we enjoyed bowls of the potato soup, with a choice of egg salad or tuna salad sandwiches, which was very satisfying on this cool evening. There's enough of it for meals tomorrow, too...which was my plan, since I knew we'd be occupied most of the day at the Scottish Festival.
Hubbie accompanied Mother to her house after supper, and then around 7 p.m., we went to the college for a Celtic concert. This was a concert of bagpipes, bagpipes, and more bagpipes, of course, presented in the college's fine arts auditorium. The acoustics are awful in this space, so the music reverberated off the walls. Nevertheless, they played to an enthusiatic audience that filled the auditorium to near capacity.
This is a program that is produced by the students, and it included Highland dancers that performed a couple of numbers, including the Sword Dance. The program also included the Scottish Festival poetry contest winner, who read his poem about the newly knighted Gawain, of King Arthur's court.
The audience particularly enjoyed a comic song about a Scotsman who wears a kilt instead of trousers, performed by a group consisting of three men and one woman, who played guitar, banjo, fiddle, and bass, while they sang "Donald, Where's Your Trousers?" This the song:
I just down from the Isle of Skye
I'm no very big but I'm awful shy
All the lassies shout as I walk by,
"Donald, Where's Your Trousers?"
Let the wind blow high and the wind blow low
Through the streets in my kilt I go
All the lassies cry, "Hello!
Donald, where's your trousers?"
I went to a fancy ball
It was slippery in the hall
I was afeared that I may fall
Because I nay had on trousers
I went down to London town
To have a little fun in the underground
All the Ladies turned their heads around, saying,
"Donald, where's your trousers?"
The lassies love me every one
But they must catch me if they can
You canna put the breeks on a highland man, saying,
"Donald, where's your trousers?"
From the rediculous to the sublime, the concert ended with the most requested bagpipe number, "Amazing Grace."
We were back home just after 9 p.m. Watched TV for a little while, then headed to bed.
Thursday, April 11
Slept really late, until nearly 8:30 on this overcast and nippy-cold morning. Where did spring go?
Had breakfast, and then around 9:30, I asked Hubbie if he remembered he had a 10 a.m. Master Gardener meeting today. Oops, yes, but he had forgotten. I reminded him last night before we went to bed, but he still forgot this morning. So he hurried to get ready to go.
Since I was in exercise clothes (just a t-shirt and shorts), he accompanied Mother to our house before he left. She went to her puzzle, while I did stair stepping, resistance bands, and weights exercises. Didn't do much else for the rest of the morning.
Hubbie returned at noon. I was at a loss for lunch ideas, so we decided on grilled cheese sandwhiches, which Hubbie prepared. Mother had her usual Ramen Noodle soup. She has always liked grilled cheese sandwiches, but lately she has been having trouble swallowing bread, which sort of balls up in her throat and won't go down, she says. So she favors soups and other soft foods that are easily swallowed.
She returned to her puzzle after lunch, and I showered and got into around-the-house clothes, with a plan to change into dress clothes later for several evening events at the college where I go for water aerobics. The events are part of the Scottish Festival celebration.
Two of the events coincided...a by-invitation-only-sneak-peek book sale at the library, sponsored by the Friends of the Library, of which Hubbie and I are members, and a Business After Hours gathering (not sure why we were invited to this). We planned to attend the book sale first, and then go to the after-hours event, then at 7 p.m., attend a program presented by the college concert chorale and the town's choral society.
We expected there would be food at the after-hours event, so I didn't plan supper at home. For Mother's supper, I dished up leftover goulash, cottage cheese, and coleslaw, that she could have at her home. The goulash was in a glass dish that she could heat in her microwave.
Hubbie accompanied Mother home around 3 p.m., and shortly afterward, we dressed for the evening. We figured that the Business After Hours event would call for business attire, so he wore a dress suit, and I wore a dressy jacket and slacks. If the weather had been as warm as it was the past couple of days, I'd have had trouble figuring out what to wear. I guess I need to shop for a dressy spring/summer jacket and top. So few events in our small town call for dressy clothes, that my wardrobe is lacking in that area.
Even though I wore a lined jacket, it was cool enough that I was forced to throw on a shawl to be warm enough to walk between buildings on campus.
We started the evening at the college library. I had vowed before we went that I would not load up on books, but of course broke that vow once we were there. The several tables of books were irresistable, and I picked up seven volumes, while Hubbie picked up five John Grisham novels. Four of the books I bought are mysteries, and three are "relationship" novels. A couple of the mysteries were recommended by a lady friend and former instructor at the college, and two, set in a covent and monastery in the 1300s, just looked interesting.
Lately, I've been drawn to relationship novels, like the one I'm currently reading that revolves around the lives of a group of women who've belonged to a book club for twenty-five years. I recently finished a similar book about a group of women in a knitting club.
Usually at this annual book sale, the Friends of the Library are treated to champagne and nibbles, but since there were two other venues offering food, the library served only cookies and coffee. We declined the treats and went on to the student union around 5:30, where the Business After Hours was held.
Light hors d'oeuvres and punch were served, including ham roll-ups, two types of humus dip (one spicy orange), along with veggies, various chips and crackers, as well as two types of scones from a local popular coffee house..spiced mixed berry, and chocolate chip.
A young man at the refreshment table suggested I try the mixed berry scone, commenting that I would thank him later. The scone was good, but I preferred the chocolate chip one, thank you.
I wondered why we had been invited to this event, since both Hubbie and I are retired, but it later became clear, when a college rep welcomed us and spoke about the many things the college has to offer to the public, like an exercise room, mountain biking trails, and a cafeteria, where anyone can enjoy lunch for just $6.50. The new student union rooms are available for community meetings, too. Folks are welcome to enjoy the library and the swimming pool, as well.
People from all walks of life were invited to the event for the purpose of spreading the word that the college is not elitist, as many in town believe, but strives to be community-friendly.
At this event, I talked with a member of the arts council visual arts committee. She wondered why I have not been attending meetings, and I told her I just didn't think I was contributing enough to remain on the committee. She insisted that I return, because only she and one other older member have been the buffer to a young bunch whose enthusiasm threatens to run off the established artists. So I agreed to attend meetings again.
From this event, we went back to the library, since it was too early to attend the concert. Here, we were encouraged to tour the art exhibit in another building, so we did. We should have visited this gallery earlier, since they were offering hoagie sandwiches, which would have been more satisfying than what we had at the after hours event.
The exhibit was mounted by one student as her senior thesis. It included a lot of creative ideas, like a huge piece that covered one whole wall. It featured hundreds of black spiders crawling on a white surface. Attached to the piece was a shelf with a can of Raid sitting on it. The theme of her thesis was "fear," so a lot of her work featured creepy-crawly things.
A couple of folks encouraged us to get to the concert chorale venue early, because this year it was being held in a small room off the fine arts auditorium, since the acoustics are better there. So we hurried to the room and arrived around 7 p.m., though the concert was scheduled for 7:30.
A couple we visited with at the library saved seats for us, thankfully, because the room was soon packed wall to wall. The concert was titled "Fly Me a Dream," and included poems, a guitar player, and solo singers, one of which was a little girl about four years old, with long blond hair. She sang "Castle On a Cloud," from Les Miserables, and she brought down the house. She had a beautiful sweet voice, and she sang right out, completely unafraid of such a crowd of people.
One of the professors gave a powerful rendition of an excerpt from Martin Luther King's "I Had a Dream" speech. He is caucasian, but his intonations were reminiscent of King. Before he read the speech, an African-American young man sang "MLK," which was the tenth and final song from U2's 1984 album, "The Unforgettable Fire." The young man mesmerized the audience.
The speech was followed by a soprano singing "He Had a Dream." Then one of the college professors, a woman, read "A Girl Born in Afghanistan," by Greg Batholomew. The chorale then sang the reading.
One interesting piece was called "Leonardo Dreams of His Flying Machine," in which the composer imagines what might happen in Leonardo DiVinci's mind as he attempts to unravel the mysteries of flying...whoosing noises with this one, as he tries to take off and fly, then rising and falling voices, as if the plane is dipping and leveling in the air currents, bells and whistles as he lands.
The concert ended with two currently popular numbers..."I Dreamed a Dream," from Les Miserable, and "Fly Me to the Moon."
Afterward, we hurried back across campus to our van, which was in the library parking lot. I was glad for the comfort of my shawl. Fun evening, and we were home by 9:30.
Had breakfast, and then around 9:30, I asked Hubbie if he remembered he had a 10 a.m. Master Gardener meeting today. Oops, yes, but he had forgotten. I reminded him last night before we went to bed, but he still forgot this morning. So he hurried to get ready to go.
Since I was in exercise clothes (just a t-shirt and shorts), he accompanied Mother to our house before he left. She went to her puzzle, while I did stair stepping, resistance bands, and weights exercises. Didn't do much else for the rest of the morning.
Hubbie returned at noon. I was at a loss for lunch ideas, so we decided on grilled cheese sandwhiches, which Hubbie prepared. Mother had her usual Ramen Noodle soup. She has always liked grilled cheese sandwiches, but lately she has been having trouble swallowing bread, which sort of balls up in her throat and won't go down, she says. So she favors soups and other soft foods that are easily swallowed.
She returned to her puzzle after lunch, and I showered and got into around-the-house clothes, with a plan to change into dress clothes later for several evening events at the college where I go for water aerobics. The events are part of the Scottish Festival celebration.
Two of the events coincided...a by-invitation-only-sneak-peek book sale at the library, sponsored by the Friends of the Library, of which Hubbie and I are members, and a Business After Hours gathering (not sure why we were invited to this). We planned to attend the book sale first, and then go to the after-hours event, then at 7 p.m., attend a program presented by the college concert chorale and the town's choral society.
We expected there would be food at the after-hours event, so I didn't plan supper at home. For Mother's supper, I dished up leftover goulash, cottage cheese, and coleslaw, that she could have at her home. The goulash was in a glass dish that she could heat in her microwave.
Hubbie accompanied Mother home around 3 p.m., and shortly afterward, we dressed for the evening. We figured that the Business After Hours event would call for business attire, so he wore a dress suit, and I wore a dressy jacket and slacks. If the weather had been as warm as it was the past couple of days, I'd have had trouble figuring out what to wear. I guess I need to shop for a dressy spring/summer jacket and top. So few events in our small town call for dressy clothes, that my wardrobe is lacking in that area.
Even though I wore a lined jacket, it was cool enough that I was forced to throw on a shawl to be warm enough to walk between buildings on campus.
We started the evening at the college library. I had vowed before we went that I would not load up on books, but of course broke that vow once we were there. The several tables of books were irresistable, and I picked up seven volumes, while Hubbie picked up five John Grisham novels. Four of the books I bought are mysteries, and three are "relationship" novels. A couple of the mysteries were recommended by a lady friend and former instructor at the college, and two, set in a covent and monastery in the 1300s, just looked interesting.
Lately, I've been drawn to relationship novels, like the one I'm currently reading that revolves around the lives of a group of women who've belonged to a book club for twenty-five years. I recently finished a similar book about a group of women in a knitting club.
Usually at this annual book sale, the Friends of the Library are treated to champagne and nibbles, but since there were two other venues offering food, the library served only cookies and coffee. We declined the treats and went on to the student union around 5:30, where the Business After Hours was held.
Light hors d'oeuvres and punch were served, including ham roll-ups, two types of humus dip (one spicy orange), along with veggies, various chips and crackers, as well as two types of scones from a local popular coffee house..spiced mixed berry, and chocolate chip.
A young man at the refreshment table suggested I try the mixed berry scone, commenting that I would thank him later. The scone was good, but I preferred the chocolate chip one, thank you.
I wondered why we had been invited to this event, since both Hubbie and I are retired, but it later became clear, when a college rep welcomed us and spoke about the many things the college has to offer to the public, like an exercise room, mountain biking trails, and a cafeteria, where anyone can enjoy lunch for just $6.50. The new student union rooms are available for community meetings, too. Folks are welcome to enjoy the library and the swimming pool, as well.
People from all walks of life were invited to the event for the purpose of spreading the word that the college is not elitist, as many in town believe, but strives to be community-friendly.
At this event, I talked with a member of the arts council visual arts committee. She wondered why I have not been attending meetings, and I told her I just didn't think I was contributing enough to remain on the committee. She insisted that I return, because only she and one other older member have been the buffer to a young bunch whose enthusiasm threatens to run off the established artists. So I agreed to attend meetings again.
From this event, we went back to the library, since it was too early to attend the concert. Here, we were encouraged to tour the art exhibit in another building, so we did. We should have visited this gallery earlier, since they were offering hoagie sandwiches, which would have been more satisfying than what we had at the after hours event.
The exhibit was mounted by one student as her senior thesis. It included a lot of creative ideas, like a huge piece that covered one whole wall. It featured hundreds of black spiders crawling on a white surface. Attached to the piece was a shelf with a can of Raid sitting on it. The theme of her thesis was "fear," so a lot of her work featured creepy-crawly things.
A couple of folks encouraged us to get to the concert chorale venue early, because this year it was being held in a small room off the fine arts auditorium, since the acoustics are better there. So we hurried to the room and arrived around 7 p.m., though the concert was scheduled for 7:30.
A couple we visited with at the library saved seats for us, thankfully, because the room was soon packed wall to wall. The concert was titled "Fly Me a Dream," and included poems, a guitar player, and solo singers, one of which was a little girl about four years old, with long blond hair. She sang "Castle On a Cloud," from Les Miserables, and she brought down the house. She had a beautiful sweet voice, and she sang right out, completely unafraid of such a crowd of people.
One of the professors gave a powerful rendition of an excerpt from Martin Luther King's "I Had a Dream" speech. He is caucasian, but his intonations were reminiscent of King. Before he read the speech, an African-American young man sang "MLK," which was the tenth and final song from U2's 1984 album, "The Unforgettable Fire." The young man mesmerized the audience.
The speech was followed by a soprano singing "He Had a Dream." Then one of the college professors, a woman, read "A Girl Born in Afghanistan," by Greg Batholomew. The chorale then sang the reading.
One interesting piece was called "Leonardo Dreams of His Flying Machine," in which the composer imagines what might happen in Leonardo DiVinci's mind as he attempts to unravel the mysteries of flying...whoosing noises with this one, as he tries to take off and fly, then rising and falling voices, as if the plane is dipping and leveling in the air currents, bells and whistles as he lands.
The concert ended with two currently popular numbers..."I Dreamed a Dream," from Les Miserable, and "Fly Me to the Moon."
Afterward, we hurried back across campus to our van, which was in the library parking lot. I was glad for the comfort of my shawl. Fun evening, and we were home by 9:30.
Wednesday, April 10, 2013
Wednesday, April 10
Up at 6:30 to get ready for water aerobics. It was a cloudy-dark morning that treatened a downpour, and provided it just as I arrived at the college parking lot. Fortunately, I had an umbrella with me, but it didn't prevent my canvas shoes and the bottoms of my fleece pants from getting wet.
The pool was bath-water warm today. Twenty-one of us attended aerobics. Later in the session, the sun began to peek out, to the delight of some of the ladies. But a few of us said we did not want to see the sun today. Why, we were asked? Because, we explained, the sun coming out could cause heat that would clash with an oncoming cold front, which in turn could spawn tornadoes.
Back home, I enjoyed a cup of coffee and then got ready for the day. Hubbie accompanied Mother to our house, and we spent the morning and part of the afternoon catching up on "Dancing With the Stars" episodes. We watched one competition round, and two elimination rounds.
We were all glad that we didn't have anywhere to go, because as the day progressed, the weather became more and more dismal. Around 4 p.m., we began to hear thunder. Tornado warnings were issued for counties south and west of us, and eventually our region of the state experienced severe thunderstorms.
This kind of weather inspires us to cocoon and not much else. Did a couple of loads of laundry, planned a menu for the rest of the week, played on my e-reader tablet, and read today's newspapers, but otherwise did nothing constructive. Mother worked on her jigsaw puzzle, and Hubbie catnapped.
Later, I heated leftover goulash for supper, which I served with coleslaw and cottage cheese. Afterward, Hubbie accompanied Mother to her house, and then we vegged in front of TV for the evening.
The pool was bath-water warm today. Twenty-one of us attended aerobics. Later in the session, the sun began to peek out, to the delight of some of the ladies. But a few of us said we did not want to see the sun today. Why, we were asked? Because, we explained, the sun coming out could cause heat that would clash with an oncoming cold front, which in turn could spawn tornadoes.
Back home, I enjoyed a cup of coffee and then got ready for the day. Hubbie accompanied Mother to our house, and we spent the morning and part of the afternoon catching up on "Dancing With the Stars" episodes. We watched one competition round, and two elimination rounds.
We were all glad that we didn't have anywhere to go, because as the day progressed, the weather became more and more dismal. Around 4 p.m., we began to hear thunder. Tornado warnings were issued for counties south and west of us, and eventually our region of the state experienced severe thunderstorms.
This kind of weather inspires us to cocoon and not much else. Did a couple of loads of laundry, planned a menu for the rest of the week, played on my e-reader tablet, and read today's newspapers, but otherwise did nothing constructive. Mother worked on her jigsaw puzzle, and Hubbie catnapped.
Later, I heated leftover goulash for supper, which I served with coleslaw and cottage cheese. Afterward, Hubbie accompanied Mother to her house, and then we vegged in front of TV for the evening.
Tuesday, April 9, 2013
Tuesday, April 9
Slept late, until around 8 a.m. Did stair stepping, resistance bands, and weights exercises after breakfast. Hubbie accompanied Mother to our house around 9:30, and she worked on her puzzle for a while, until Hubbie brought some pansies, and a container of soil into the kitchen, so she could work at the small table to arrange the flowers in the pot. This made her happy because, as she said, it allowed her to get her hands into dirt.
Hubbie went outdoors, then, to work in the yard for a while. Before lunch, he decided to run a few errands, one of which was to find some impatiens for Mother to arrange in a planter. He had gone to several stores before, but could only find white ones. Today, he found some at a downtown nursery that came in a variety of colors. I guess Mother will work with those tomorrow. We'll also locate herbs soon for her to plant. This will help satisfy her need to garden.
When she'd finished planting her flowers, she returned to her puzzle, and I got ready for the day. Then I did this and that around the house before lunch. For lunch, I fixed something different for each of us...Ramen Noodle soup for Mother, of course, leftover chicken noodle soup for me, and a hot dog for Hubbie.
After lunch, Hubbie went back into the yard, and I ran errands. Went to the WDCS first to pick up some personal items and a few groceries; then went to a health food store for buy-one-get-one-half-price bottles of fish oil gels; to the card shop to get a birthday card and a Mother's Day card; and to the Literacy Council office to return ESL books, since my student has left to go live in Florida.
Note: after I left the WDCS to go to the health food store, I needed to cross a divided road of four lanes, which today had a layer of asphalt dug out both ways, causing high ridges on both sides that vehicles had to bumpity-bump across to get to the parking lot on the other side. Then by the time I left the store, that road was barricaded, and traffic was re-routed onto the highway. Naturally, I needed to turn left on that busy main artery, which would have been a breeze at the stoplight, but was considerably more difficult from the parking lot.
At the Literacy Council office, the director asked if I'd be willing to take on another student. She hastened to add that if I wanted to take some time to think about it, she'd understand. She has a student from Peru, whose tutor is moving out of state, and so will need another tutor. The student is at level 5 (my former student was at level 4). We agreed that it might be best for me to take a couple or three months off, and then decide if I'd like to take this student on. She said the student is as motivated as my previous one was. As with my previous student, this one is taking other classes at the local college, and since the college will soon close for summer vacation, it might be good for her to have a break, too, and begin tutoring sessions again later.
Came home after that, relaxed for a few minutes, and read today's newspapers. Then, while Mother diced veggies, cubed ham, and grated Monterey Jack cheese, I grabbed my camera to go out and snap pictures of the beautiful tulips. I wanted to get some snaps before a predicted storm arrives tomorrow that might flatten the flowers.
Around 4 p.m., I sauteed the veggies and ham, and put a dish of leftover potatoes in the oven. Mother filled Ziplock bags with egg substitute for her and me, and regular eggs for Hubbie, and then we added spices, the veggie-ham mixture, and the cheese. Cooked the eggs in a pan of boiling water. Just before 5 p.m., Hubbie fixed toast, and we were ready to eat.
Hubbie accompanied Mother home afterward, and then we watched TV, including a couple of one-hour shows, and the women's NCAA basketball championship game.
It was a beautiful sunny day today, though a bit windy, and a bit warm and humid for this early in spring, which forwarns coming storms.
Hubbie went outdoors, then, to work in the yard for a while. Before lunch, he decided to run a few errands, one of which was to find some impatiens for Mother to arrange in a planter. He had gone to several stores before, but could only find white ones. Today, he found some at a downtown nursery that came in a variety of colors. I guess Mother will work with those tomorrow. We'll also locate herbs soon for her to plant. This will help satisfy her need to garden.
When she'd finished planting her flowers, she returned to her puzzle, and I got ready for the day. Then I did this and that around the house before lunch. For lunch, I fixed something different for each of us...Ramen Noodle soup for Mother, of course, leftover chicken noodle soup for me, and a hot dog for Hubbie.
After lunch, Hubbie went back into the yard, and I ran errands. Went to the WDCS first to pick up some personal items and a few groceries; then went to a health food store for buy-one-get-one-half-price bottles of fish oil gels; to the card shop to get a birthday card and a Mother's Day card; and to the Literacy Council office to return ESL books, since my student has left to go live in Florida.
Note: after I left the WDCS to go to the health food store, I needed to cross a divided road of four lanes, which today had a layer of asphalt dug out both ways, causing high ridges on both sides that vehicles had to bumpity-bump across to get to the parking lot on the other side. Then by the time I left the store, that road was barricaded, and traffic was re-routed onto the highway. Naturally, I needed to turn left on that busy main artery, which would have been a breeze at the stoplight, but was considerably more difficult from the parking lot.
At the Literacy Council office, the director asked if I'd be willing to take on another student. She hastened to add that if I wanted to take some time to think about it, she'd understand. She has a student from Peru, whose tutor is moving out of state, and so will need another tutor. The student is at level 5 (my former student was at level 4). We agreed that it might be best for me to take a couple or three months off, and then decide if I'd like to take this student on. She said the student is as motivated as my previous one was. As with my previous student, this one is taking other classes at the local college, and since the college will soon close for summer vacation, it might be good for her to have a break, too, and begin tutoring sessions again later.
Came home after that, relaxed for a few minutes, and read today's newspapers. Then, while Mother diced veggies, cubed ham, and grated Monterey Jack cheese, I grabbed my camera to go out and snap pictures of the beautiful tulips. I wanted to get some snaps before a predicted storm arrives tomorrow that might flatten the flowers.
Around 4 p.m., I sauteed the veggies and ham, and put a dish of leftover potatoes in the oven. Mother filled Ziplock bags with egg substitute for her and me, and regular eggs for Hubbie, and then we added spices, the veggie-ham mixture, and the cheese. Cooked the eggs in a pan of boiling water. Just before 5 p.m., Hubbie fixed toast, and we were ready to eat.
Hubbie accompanied Mother home afterward, and then we watched TV, including a couple of one-hour shows, and the women's NCAA basketball championship game.
It was a beautiful sunny day today, though a bit windy, and a bit warm and humid for this early in spring, which forwarns coming storms.
Monday, April 8, 2013
Monday, April 8
Up at 6:30 on this balmy day to get ready for water aerobics. Spring! Flowering trees, trees greening, yellow forsythia bushes, azaleas bushes beginning to bloom, tulips in bright array. All the colors made for a pleasant drive to the college.
The pool was nice and warm, too, and twenty-one of us enjoyed it. There were no special stories today, but everyone was in a smiling good mood because of the warm weather. We're all a bit concerned, though, about predictions for stormy weather Wednesday and Thursday. At this time of the year in the south, strong storms and tornadoes come with the change from winter to spring.
Back home, I relaxed with a cup of coffee. Before I was able to go upstairs, the washing machine repairman came to see why the washer was leaking. What he discovered is that there is nothing wrong with the washer. The problem was with the plumbing, which was clogged. So we ended up paying the repairman for his trouble, and then calling a plumber.
Shortly, the plumber arrived and reamed the pipe out, cutting roots. But he said we need to use root killer in it. The frazzling roots in our yard are a plague to our plumbing and Mother's. For now, the pipe is clear, though, and we can resume washing a pile of laundry that has been collecting for two weeks. We did wash essentials at Mother's house, of course, but there's a lot more to do.
Finally, I got ready for the day, and then did this and that, like posting a blog for yesterday, programming the DVR for the week's shows, since I didn't have time yesterday, reading the Sunday newspaper, and checking and responding to e-mails. One e-mail was from my medical clinic, where I could access my records through a patient portal. The message from there was that my recent lab tests results show normal in all areas. Good news for the day.
After lunch, Mother went to her jigsaw puzzle (Hubbie had accompanied her to our house earlier), Hubbie ran errands, and I continued doing catching up on things after a busy weeek.
Later, when I decided to make goulash using leftover ham and beans, I discovered I didn't have any jars of spaghetti sauce, so Hubbie went shopping for that and several other grocery items. When he returned, I set the sauce simmering for a while, then added cooked macaroni to it. Served it with coleslaw and cottage cheese.
Hubbie accompanied Mother home afterward, and then we watched a couple of episodes of a new eight-part series on PBS..."Mr. Selfridge," based on the true story of an American, Harry Gordon Selfridge who, in 1908, has new ideas about building a department store in London. His idea is revolutionary, and changes the way retail stores are managed.
Following this, we watched the final NCAA basketball game between Louisville and Michigan. Louisville took the championship.
The pool was nice and warm, too, and twenty-one of us enjoyed it. There were no special stories today, but everyone was in a smiling good mood because of the warm weather. We're all a bit concerned, though, about predictions for stormy weather Wednesday and Thursday. At this time of the year in the south, strong storms and tornadoes come with the change from winter to spring.
Back home, I relaxed with a cup of coffee. Before I was able to go upstairs, the washing machine repairman came to see why the washer was leaking. What he discovered is that there is nothing wrong with the washer. The problem was with the plumbing, which was clogged. So we ended up paying the repairman for his trouble, and then calling a plumber.
Shortly, the plumber arrived and reamed the pipe out, cutting roots. But he said we need to use root killer in it. The frazzling roots in our yard are a plague to our plumbing and Mother's. For now, the pipe is clear, though, and we can resume washing a pile of laundry that has been collecting for two weeks. We did wash essentials at Mother's house, of course, but there's a lot more to do.
Finally, I got ready for the day, and then did this and that, like posting a blog for yesterday, programming the DVR for the week's shows, since I didn't have time yesterday, reading the Sunday newspaper, and checking and responding to e-mails. One e-mail was from my medical clinic, where I could access my records through a patient portal. The message from there was that my recent lab tests results show normal in all areas. Good news for the day.
After lunch, Mother went to her jigsaw puzzle (Hubbie had accompanied her to our house earlier), Hubbie ran errands, and I continued doing catching up on things after a busy weeek.
Later, when I decided to make goulash using leftover ham and beans, I discovered I didn't have any jars of spaghetti sauce, so Hubbie went shopping for that and several other grocery items. When he returned, I set the sauce simmering for a while, then added cooked macaroni to it. Served it with coleslaw and cottage cheese.
Hubbie accompanied Mother home afterward, and then we watched a couple of episodes of a new eight-part series on PBS..."Mr. Selfridge," based on the true story of an American, Harry Gordon Selfridge who, in 1908, has new ideas about building a department store in London. His idea is revolutionary, and changes the way retail stores are managed.
Following this, we watched the final NCAA basketball game between Louisville and Michigan. Louisville took the championship.
Sunday, April 7
Up around 7 a.m., and got ready for the day, since I planned to attend the FilmFest, which began at noon, and ended around 9:30 p.m. We had our usual light breakfast, and then Hubbie accompanied Mother to our house. We did our usual Sunday morning things, and then had an early sandwich lunch.
Before noon, I headed to the college down the road. Mother occupied herself today with a new jigsaw puzzle, and I don't know how Hubbie kept himself busy.
One thing he did was attend the first screening at the FilmFest. This was an eight-minute feature about a grandfather who gives his young grandson a lesson on cattle farming. This film was shown at the museum earlier in the week, so both Mother and I had seen it. I knew Hubbie would enjoy it. He was not charged at the door for watching this one feature.
This hilarious film revolves around a boy being instructed to take a cow's temperature. Since he is a city boy, he starts by trying to put the thermometer in the cow's mouth. Grandpa sends him to the other end, and back there all sorts of things happen.
The film was shot at a youth ranch near our town, where the cattle are friendly, since youngsters tend to them and make pets of them.
Hubbie left afterward, and I stayed to watch seven more short features, including a delightful four-minute one about a guy (who has never had luck with women) asking a woman's one-year-old for her mother's hand in marriage. While he is presenting his case about how much he loves the woman and the child, the woman silently approaches and hears his plea. Naturally, she accepts his proposal.
The plot of the next film, thirteen minutes long, revolves around a man who returns from the Civil War to find his wife murdered. After the sheriff refuses to do anything about it, he sets off to find the killers.
The fourth film is based on the true story of an avid outdoorsman who is striken with Lou Gehrig's disease, and ends by dying at a hunting lodge in a bed once slept in by John Wayne.
The next film was very well done, and featured a black private detective who tracks down missing persons in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Sadly, his own daughter was lost in the storm, and he has never found her. Should he continue his search, or resign himself that he will never find her? Very professionally done.
The next two films were nothing but gratuitous violence. I didn't like them, and neither did the FilmFest director. He even chided the filmmakers during the Q&A period, and asked if in the future they might find subject matter that does something other than glorify violence. I guess he hadn't previewed the films beforehand.
All of these films were produced by filmmakers in our state, and featured local actors and locations.
The next screening session, at 2:30 p.m., was a movie-length feature about a 17-year-old African-American boy who had for years been molested by the bishop of the family's church. He was silent, withdrawn, and anti-social at school, but he refused to do anything but defend the bishop. We were warned ahead of time that this was a difficult film, and any of us who were sensitive should leave. I feared that the film might be graphic, but it was not. It was gritty and tragic, but well-handled. Again the actors in this film were excellent, and the filmmaker, also from our state, is very skilled. I'd be surprised if he doesn't rise up in the film world.
After this showing, I came home. Hubbie had put potatoes in the oven, along with a dish of leftover ham and beans, as instructed. And he'd gone to the store to get a package of slaw mix, for which Mother made slaw dressing. We ate early, around 4:30, and then I returned to the college for an hour of international short films.
Among these subtitled films was an eleven-minute one from Germany. A young couple has an infant that they feel they cannot care for, so the husband takes the baby to a facility that has "hatches." These are glass-fronted incubator type areas that reminded me of vending machines. The baby is placed inside, and presently a nurse comes to take the baby for the state to raise or to be placed in foster care. This time, another young man watches while the father goes inside the building to leave the baby, and then he kidnaps the infant. He is gay, and his partner convinces him that they can't keep the baby, because they don't have papers on her...how will they explain the baby to doctors, or to school authorities when she gets bigger? So he takes the baby back to the hatch.
Mother said she remembered there being similar facilities in the northern state where she comes from...they were located in convents, and the nuns would take the out-of-wedlock babies and raise them.
Another unusual film, from India, featured an older man who, since the age of ten, makes a living piecing together cutting floor film to make a single movie that he shows in a cart that he wheels around town. The movie is projected onto a screen inside the cart. The cart has black drapes around it, and kids stick their heads under the drapes and watch the film.
The final film of this series was about a grandmother from Argentina who lost her pregnant daughter in the military dictatorship in 1976-83. Recently, she was able to find the granddaughter through DNA. DNA has helped reunite many families of that era, when 30,000 men, women, and children "disappeared."
After this, I came home to get Mother and Hubbie so we could return to the college for the last two screenings. The first was about a four-piece band from the central part of our state who cut a record in a town a few miles away from our town, and who played an opening song for James Brown in 1967. They were a very popular regional act. One of the four was on hand at the FilmFest.
The last screening was about the making and playing of mountain dulcimers. A couple from California produced this film that traced the instrument from the Southern Appalachian region to the California counterculture of the 1970s and 80s. Several people from a nearby mountain town attended the festival, bringing dulcimers with them. They gave an impromptu concert in the foyer beforehand, which delighted attendees.
It was 9:30 by the time we got home. By then my eyes could attest to the aptness of my ticket title..."Red Eye Pass." I got the absolute most out of it.
Before noon, I headed to the college down the road. Mother occupied herself today with a new jigsaw puzzle, and I don't know how Hubbie kept himself busy.
One thing he did was attend the first screening at the FilmFest. This was an eight-minute feature about a grandfather who gives his young grandson a lesson on cattle farming. This film was shown at the museum earlier in the week, so both Mother and I had seen it. I knew Hubbie would enjoy it. He was not charged at the door for watching this one feature.
This hilarious film revolves around a boy being instructed to take a cow's temperature. Since he is a city boy, he starts by trying to put the thermometer in the cow's mouth. Grandpa sends him to the other end, and back there all sorts of things happen.
The film was shot at a youth ranch near our town, where the cattle are friendly, since youngsters tend to them and make pets of them.
Hubbie left afterward, and I stayed to watch seven more short features, including a delightful four-minute one about a guy (who has never had luck with women) asking a woman's one-year-old for her mother's hand in marriage. While he is presenting his case about how much he loves the woman and the child, the woman silently approaches and hears his plea. Naturally, she accepts his proposal.
The plot of the next film, thirteen minutes long, revolves around a man who returns from the Civil War to find his wife murdered. After the sheriff refuses to do anything about it, he sets off to find the killers.
The fourth film is based on the true story of an avid outdoorsman who is striken with Lou Gehrig's disease, and ends by dying at a hunting lodge in a bed once slept in by John Wayne.
The next film was very well done, and featured a black private detective who tracks down missing persons in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Sadly, his own daughter was lost in the storm, and he has never found her. Should he continue his search, or resign himself that he will never find her? Very professionally done.
The next two films were nothing but gratuitous violence. I didn't like them, and neither did the FilmFest director. He even chided the filmmakers during the Q&A period, and asked if in the future they might find subject matter that does something other than glorify violence. I guess he hadn't previewed the films beforehand.
All of these films were produced by filmmakers in our state, and featured local actors and locations.
The next screening session, at 2:30 p.m., was a movie-length feature about a 17-year-old African-American boy who had for years been molested by the bishop of the family's church. He was silent, withdrawn, and anti-social at school, but he refused to do anything but defend the bishop. We were warned ahead of time that this was a difficult film, and any of us who were sensitive should leave. I feared that the film might be graphic, but it was not. It was gritty and tragic, but well-handled. Again the actors in this film were excellent, and the filmmaker, also from our state, is very skilled. I'd be surprised if he doesn't rise up in the film world.
After this showing, I came home. Hubbie had put potatoes in the oven, along with a dish of leftover ham and beans, as instructed. And he'd gone to the store to get a package of slaw mix, for which Mother made slaw dressing. We ate early, around 4:30, and then I returned to the college for an hour of international short films.
Among these subtitled films was an eleven-minute one from Germany. A young couple has an infant that they feel they cannot care for, so the husband takes the baby to a facility that has "hatches." These are glass-fronted incubator type areas that reminded me of vending machines. The baby is placed inside, and presently a nurse comes to take the baby for the state to raise or to be placed in foster care. This time, another young man watches while the father goes inside the building to leave the baby, and then he kidnaps the infant. He is gay, and his partner convinces him that they can't keep the baby, because they don't have papers on her...how will they explain the baby to doctors, or to school authorities when she gets bigger? So he takes the baby back to the hatch.
Mother said she remembered there being similar facilities in the northern state where she comes from...they were located in convents, and the nuns would take the out-of-wedlock babies and raise them.
Another unusual film, from India, featured an older man who, since the age of ten, makes a living piecing together cutting floor film to make a single movie that he shows in a cart that he wheels around town. The movie is projected onto a screen inside the cart. The cart has black drapes around it, and kids stick their heads under the drapes and watch the film.
The final film of this series was about a grandmother from Argentina who lost her pregnant daughter in the military dictatorship in 1976-83. Recently, she was able to find the granddaughter through DNA. DNA has helped reunite many families of that era, when 30,000 men, women, and children "disappeared."
After this, I came home to get Mother and Hubbie so we could return to the college for the last two screenings. The first was about a four-piece band from the central part of our state who cut a record in a town a few miles away from our town, and who played an opening song for James Brown in 1967. They were a very popular regional act. One of the four was on hand at the FilmFest.
The last screening was about the making and playing of mountain dulcimers. A couple from California produced this film that traced the instrument from the Southern Appalachian region to the California counterculture of the 1970s and 80s. Several people from a nearby mountain town attended the festival, bringing dulcimers with them. They gave an impromptu concert in the foyer beforehand, which delighted attendees.
It was 9:30 by the time we got home. By then my eyes could attest to the aptness of my ticket title..."Red Eye Pass." I got the absolute most out of it.
Sunday, April 7, 2013
Saturday, April 6
We were up at 7 a.m., so I could get ready to go to a wedding shower at 10 a.m. I opted to wear white slacks and an orange sherbet colored tunic. Hubbie accompanied Mother to our house around 9:30, and shortly afterward, I headed to the shower.
The home where the event was held looks very modest on the outside, but is quite spacious inside. The living room/dining room area overlooks a beautiful vista through floor to ceiling windows. The living room features a cathedral ceiling, and a huge fireplace.
There were only nine of us in attendance, which included the three hostesses, the honoree, and her Mother. But we had a great time. Had I known the hostesses intended to provide brunch, I wouldn't have eaten breakfast. Fortunately, I had my usual Cheerios breakfast, which is pretty light.
The brunch consisted of an egg/cheese/bacon quiche, topped with corn flakes, and baked in individual clear souffle' dishes, some sort of breakfast bread, chocolate chip scones, fresh fruit, and choices of orange juice, coffee, or water. The food was elegantly served on clear plates, with gold forks. Coffee was served in China cups. The water was in a clear crystal pitcher in which slices of lemons, limes, and strawberries floated. There was enough food to feed three times as many as showed up.
The honoree got several nice gifts, some of which were very creative. One person gave her the wedding invitation professionally framed. Very thoughtful. Another gave her several serving pieces engraved with inspirational quotes. One of the hostesses gave her jars of things that represented good wishes...sugar for sweetness of life, lemon seasoning for zest, etc. Very clever.
I was not very clever and opted to simply give a gift card. However, the honoree was very pleased with this. She's an extremely shy, unassuming young woman, who is not into fussiness. In fact, when I spoke with her after the shower, she bemoaned the fact that the simple wedding she requested has turned into a major production. She is so grateful that her outgoing mother and aunts have taken over the planning, because she said she didn't think she ever would have been able to carry it off alone. She is marrying a minister, so I can understand her feelings. I asked where and when the wedding is to take place, and she said she is sending an e-mail announcement about it soon. So I guess there will be no formal invitations.
Back home at noon, Mother and Hubbie were enjoying lunch. Obviously, I didn't want lunch. So I quickly changed clothes and headed to the college for the afternoon FilmFest features. There is a $4 charge for each screening session (four on Saturday, and four on Sunday), but I bought a $20 Red Eye pass, so I can see all of them for half the price. It's called a Red Eye pass for obvious reasons, since screenings go on all afternoon and evening on Saturday and Sunday, as well as a couple of noon sessions during the week, and two major screenings on Thursday and Friday nights.
Today, the first film revolved around a young woman who inherits a cabin in an isolated part of Montana. She leaves her husband for a week to go, with her baby, to the cabin, where a young man has been hired to do some repairs. She ends up being attracted to the man and has an affair with him. But when he becomes possessive, she becomes frightened. One morning, he takes the baby to the river without her permission, and when she wakes up to find him missing, she races to the river, snatches her baby, and rushes back to the cabin, where her husband has just arrived.
The second feature is about a man involved with a girlfriend who has just lost a baby. He decides to go on a two month hike. Along the way, he meets a woman he falls in bed with, a man and his son who have been abandoned by the wife, but who still loves her, etc. By the time he decides to go back to his girlfriend, she has given up on him.
Came back home after that, heated chicken noodle soup, and threw a can of biscuits in the oven, for our supper. Then hurried back to the college for a 6 p.m. screening. This one revolves around the wedding of a young woman. A cousin of the bride is trying to "find herself," which baffles her grandmother, who only wants her to hurry up and come drive her to the wedding. Why can't this granddaughter be more like the sweet one who is getting married? A surprise is in store for her when she discovers the sweet granddaughter is gay, and she has to adjust to it right there on the spot. All turns out well.
Hubbie joined me for the final two features, which were very heavy, because they dealt with drug dealing and addiction, poverty, abuse, and neglect. One was a portrayal of two boys and their drug-dealing father, which ends badly when the father, the younger son, and two police officers, are killed in a shoot-out.
The second film is a documentary that included poignant personal interviews with folks from the mountain part of our state and the adjoining one who are trapped in a cycle extreme poverty, causing neglect or abuse of children. The situation is perpetuated from generation to generation. The central theme of this film is "Can the cycle be broken?"
We were back home around 9:30. Hubbie wanted to finish watching the NCAA basketball games I'd recorded, so it was close to midnight before we were finally in bed.
The home where the event was held looks very modest on the outside, but is quite spacious inside. The living room/dining room area overlooks a beautiful vista through floor to ceiling windows. The living room features a cathedral ceiling, and a huge fireplace.
There were only nine of us in attendance, which included the three hostesses, the honoree, and her Mother. But we had a great time. Had I known the hostesses intended to provide brunch, I wouldn't have eaten breakfast. Fortunately, I had my usual Cheerios breakfast, which is pretty light.
The brunch consisted of an egg/cheese/bacon quiche, topped with corn flakes, and baked in individual clear souffle' dishes, some sort of breakfast bread, chocolate chip scones, fresh fruit, and choices of orange juice, coffee, or water. The food was elegantly served on clear plates, with gold forks. Coffee was served in China cups. The water was in a clear crystal pitcher in which slices of lemons, limes, and strawberries floated. There was enough food to feed three times as many as showed up.
The honoree got several nice gifts, some of which were very creative. One person gave her the wedding invitation professionally framed. Very thoughtful. Another gave her several serving pieces engraved with inspirational quotes. One of the hostesses gave her jars of things that represented good wishes...sugar for sweetness of life, lemon seasoning for zest, etc. Very clever.
I was not very clever and opted to simply give a gift card. However, the honoree was very pleased with this. She's an extremely shy, unassuming young woman, who is not into fussiness. In fact, when I spoke with her after the shower, she bemoaned the fact that the simple wedding she requested has turned into a major production. She is so grateful that her outgoing mother and aunts have taken over the planning, because she said she didn't think she ever would have been able to carry it off alone. She is marrying a minister, so I can understand her feelings. I asked where and when the wedding is to take place, and she said she is sending an e-mail announcement about it soon. So I guess there will be no formal invitations.
Back home at noon, Mother and Hubbie were enjoying lunch. Obviously, I didn't want lunch. So I quickly changed clothes and headed to the college for the afternoon FilmFest features. There is a $4 charge for each screening session (four on Saturday, and four on Sunday), but I bought a $20 Red Eye pass, so I can see all of them for half the price. It's called a Red Eye pass for obvious reasons, since screenings go on all afternoon and evening on Saturday and Sunday, as well as a couple of noon sessions during the week, and two major screenings on Thursday and Friday nights.
Today, the first film revolved around a young woman who inherits a cabin in an isolated part of Montana. She leaves her husband for a week to go, with her baby, to the cabin, where a young man has been hired to do some repairs. She ends up being attracted to the man and has an affair with him. But when he becomes possessive, she becomes frightened. One morning, he takes the baby to the river without her permission, and when she wakes up to find him missing, she races to the river, snatches her baby, and rushes back to the cabin, where her husband has just arrived.
The second feature is about a man involved with a girlfriend who has just lost a baby. He decides to go on a two month hike. Along the way, he meets a woman he falls in bed with, a man and his son who have been abandoned by the wife, but who still loves her, etc. By the time he decides to go back to his girlfriend, she has given up on him.
Came back home after that, heated chicken noodle soup, and threw a can of biscuits in the oven, for our supper. Then hurried back to the college for a 6 p.m. screening. This one revolves around the wedding of a young woman. A cousin of the bride is trying to "find herself," which baffles her grandmother, who only wants her to hurry up and come drive her to the wedding. Why can't this granddaughter be more like the sweet one who is getting married? A surprise is in store for her when she discovers the sweet granddaughter is gay, and she has to adjust to it right there on the spot. All turns out well.
Hubbie joined me for the final two features, which were very heavy, because they dealt with drug dealing and addiction, poverty, abuse, and neglect. One was a portrayal of two boys and their drug-dealing father, which ends badly when the father, the younger son, and two police officers, are killed in a shoot-out.
The second film is a documentary that included poignant personal interviews with folks from the mountain part of our state and the adjoining one who are trapped in a cycle extreme poverty, causing neglect or abuse of children. The situation is perpetuated from generation to generation. The central theme of this film is "Can the cycle be broken?"
We were back home around 9:30. Hubbie wanted to finish watching the NCAA basketball games I'd recorded, so it was close to midnight before we were finally in bed.
Friday, April 5
Hubbie and I both slept like logs last night, after a harrowing day (for more reasons than one). We were up at 6:30, so I could get ready to go to water aerobics, and so Hubbie could get ready to go to a Master Gardener dig (digging plants from a member's yard to be offered for sale at the organization's plant sale later this month).
Winter still prevailed this morning...could see my breath, and there was frost on the windshield...so I donned my coat and gloves for the trip to the pool. WHERE IS SPRING!
Over twenty of us showed up this morning, despite the cold, and despite the fact that it's Friday, when lots of ladies are busy with weekend plans. The water was quite a bit cooler. I'm not surprised. I'm just surprised it wasn't cooler on Wednesday after I saw steam rising from it on Monday.
Back home afterward, I found that Hubbie had already accompanied Mother to our house, because he needed to leave for his dig around 8:30. I warmed up with a couple of cups of coffee, and then got ready for the day. Spent some time this morning searching for a summery outfit to wear to a wedding shower tomorrow morning. I store out-of-season clothing in a barrel in the laundry room, so I had to dig deep to find what I needed...a pair of white slacks and a three-quarter-length sleeve blouse.
Got ready for the day, and didn't do much else before lunch. Hubbie returned from his dig right at noon, and we had chicken salad sandwiches. Then Mother went to her jigsaw puzzle, Hubbie went into the yard, and I gathered laundry to wash.
Checked on the clothes in about 30 minutes and discovered the machine is still leaking. So Hubbie will have to contact the store where we got it and have a repairman sent out. I had several piles of laundry on the laundry room floor, which are now wet and will need to be taken to the laundromat. What else is going to break down around here?
While the washer was leaking all over the floor, the hot tub repairman came and fixed the tub (I hope...we'll know in cold weather when we try to use it again).
In the meantime, I checked my social network page and found I'd won tickets to a Capital City Eggshibition event from a local TV station. The event is tonight, and I would have to pick up the tickets in the City and attend it at 7 p.m. We can't do that, since we have tickets to a FilmFest event tonight, so I tried to inbox the station, as suggested, but had no luck. So I called the station and was told the person I needed to talk to was in a meeting. I should call back in 30 minutes. I did, and asked that the tickets be given to someone else. I was assured they would be glad to do that.
After lunch, I relaxed for the afternoon, and caught up on a couple of days worth of newspapers. Earlier in the week, a representative from the state newspaper came by and talked Hubbie into taking the daily edition for six months at a discounted price that included a $20 gift card to the WDCS and a Betty Crocker cookbook. So delivery of the daily began yesterday, which meant I needed to read yesterday's and today's editions, along with the editions of our local newspaper.
Didn't do much else before suppertime. Tonight, we had Dragon soup with cornbread and biscuits. Then, at 6 p.m., I went to the local college down the road to see a screening of a documentary called "Black Marks on White Paper," about a black bishop of the United Methodist Church, who became a Liberian politician. He later came to America and touched the lives of many. The name of the film derives from when he was a child, who was fascinated with seeing someone apply black marks (writing) to white paper, and then be able to read the marks to someone. He wanted to learn how to do this "magic." So he was inspired to climb out of obscurity to become a highly educated man, a teacher, a minister, and a politician loved by all who came in contact with him.
Came home after the movie and relaxed until time to go back to the college for a screening of the silent film, "Underworld," accompanied by the Alloy Orchestra. Mother and Hubbie went, too. The theater was packed for this one. The film launched the American gangster movie genre. Even though the orchestra is in a lighted area down front, it wasn't long before the audience no longer noticed them as they played background accompaniment to the film.
The movie began at 8 p.m., so by the time we got back home, we were plenty ready for bed.
Winter still prevailed this morning...could see my breath, and there was frost on the windshield...so I donned my coat and gloves for the trip to the pool. WHERE IS SPRING!
Over twenty of us showed up this morning, despite the cold, and despite the fact that it's Friday, when lots of ladies are busy with weekend plans. The water was quite a bit cooler. I'm not surprised. I'm just surprised it wasn't cooler on Wednesday after I saw steam rising from it on Monday.
Back home afterward, I found that Hubbie had already accompanied Mother to our house, because he needed to leave for his dig around 8:30. I warmed up with a couple of cups of coffee, and then got ready for the day. Spent some time this morning searching for a summery outfit to wear to a wedding shower tomorrow morning. I store out-of-season clothing in a barrel in the laundry room, so I had to dig deep to find what I needed...a pair of white slacks and a three-quarter-length sleeve blouse.
Got ready for the day, and didn't do much else before lunch. Hubbie returned from his dig right at noon, and we had chicken salad sandwiches. Then Mother went to her jigsaw puzzle, Hubbie went into the yard, and I gathered laundry to wash.
Checked on the clothes in about 30 minutes and discovered the machine is still leaking. So Hubbie will have to contact the store where we got it and have a repairman sent out. I had several piles of laundry on the laundry room floor, which are now wet and will need to be taken to the laundromat. What else is going to break down around here?
While the washer was leaking all over the floor, the hot tub repairman came and fixed the tub (I hope...we'll know in cold weather when we try to use it again).
In the meantime, I checked my social network page and found I'd won tickets to a Capital City Eggshibition event from a local TV station. The event is tonight, and I would have to pick up the tickets in the City and attend it at 7 p.m. We can't do that, since we have tickets to a FilmFest event tonight, so I tried to inbox the station, as suggested, but had no luck. So I called the station and was told the person I needed to talk to was in a meeting. I should call back in 30 minutes. I did, and asked that the tickets be given to someone else. I was assured they would be glad to do that.
After lunch, I relaxed for the afternoon, and caught up on a couple of days worth of newspapers. Earlier in the week, a representative from the state newspaper came by and talked Hubbie into taking the daily edition for six months at a discounted price that included a $20 gift card to the WDCS and a Betty Crocker cookbook. So delivery of the daily began yesterday, which meant I needed to read yesterday's and today's editions, along with the editions of our local newspaper.
Didn't do much else before suppertime. Tonight, we had Dragon soup with cornbread and biscuits. Then, at 6 p.m., I went to the local college down the road to see a screening of a documentary called "Black Marks on White Paper," about a black bishop of the United Methodist Church, who became a Liberian politician. He later came to America and touched the lives of many. The name of the film derives from when he was a child, who was fascinated with seeing someone apply black marks (writing) to white paper, and then be able to read the marks to someone. He wanted to learn how to do this "magic." So he was inspired to climb out of obscurity to become a highly educated man, a teacher, a minister, and a politician loved by all who came in contact with him.
Came home after the movie and relaxed until time to go back to the college for a screening of the silent film, "Underworld," accompanied by the Alloy Orchestra. Mother and Hubbie went, too. The theater was packed for this one. The film launched the American gangster movie genre. Even though the orchestra is in a lighted area down front, it wasn't long before the audience no longer noticed them as they played background accompaniment to the film.
The movie began at 8 p.m., so by the time we got back home, we were plenty ready for bed.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)