Today is the anniversary of my father's birthday, b. May 4, 1896/d. November 26, 1983.
Here we go again...May 4th..."May the Fourth be with you." Same joke every year.
What isn't the same every year is this cold weather! It snowed again in the northwest corner of our state, and the rest of the state broke records for low temperatures. Snow this late in the season is unheard of in weather-recorded history.
Things should look up, though, in the coming days, when normal temps are predicted. I look forward to it, though I'm not crazy with predictions for possible stormy weather next weekend, and then the possibility of another cold front to follow.
This was one of those days when I couldn't seem to launch. We were up late, around 8 a.m., and then we sat around before breakfast waiting for my thyroid med to take effect...except that when Hubbie brought me a glass of orange juice, I remembered I hadn't taken my med and had to run back upstairs and take it. So it was another thirty minutes before we could eat.
As soon as breakfast was over, Hubbie accompanied Mother to our house. She was anxious to get started making greeting cards, so I helped her with that for a while, and then went upstairs to the office computer.
I wanted to download snapshots from a CD I burned on my laptop last night, but I couldn't get anything to work. First of all, the mouse quit, Hubbie located new batteries for it. Then, there was a warning from my anti-virus that it needed to be updated. Took quite a while for that to complete. Re-booted the computer afterward, and noticed that there hadn't been a scan since April 23, so started that process, which took too forevers.
Re-booted again, and finally was ready to download photos. Nope, the CD/DVD drive refused to work. Nothing I did helped. So I guess the computer will be going into the shop for repair.
I was hoping to be able to print photos for making greeting cards, because they make great backgrounds. But since I couldn't, we just used rubber stamps, stickers, and patterned papers.
Before I got started on cards, I did an abbreviated stair-stepping exercise session and then got dressed. After everything that happened this morning, I didn't have time for anything else.
By this time, it was noon, so we had lunch...soup for Mother, and sandwiches for Hubbie and me. Mother and I went back to work on greeting cards right afterward. Over the course of the past few days, we've made eleven birthday cards, and nine sympathy cards. We'll make more tomorrow and maybe Monday.
Later, we had a supper of leftover Dragon Soup, along with buttered and heated French bread. Hubbie bought the bread while on an errand-running excursion this afternoon. It went very well with the soup.
After supper, Hubbie accompanied Mother to her house, and then we watched TV. Tonight's fare was the second "Prime Suspect" DVD movies borrowed from the library.This one contains four episodes of the series, starring Helen Mirren.
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Funny: Today, a Master Gardener sent Hubbie an e-mail. It said: Let me know if you do NOT get this test.
Huh? If we had not gotten the message, how would we be able to let her know we had not?
Fortunately, immediately following that message was a new one: Disregard the previous e-mail. Let me know if you Do get this test.
And then there was an e-mail from another Master Gardener, the editor of their newsletter, to which a copy of April's newsletter was attached, followed immediately by another e-mail with the May edition attached..."Sorry," he said, "I got button happy and sent the April newsletter again, instead of the May edition."
I know just how they feel, after my adventures with my own computer today.
Saturday, May 4, 2013
Friday, May 3, 2013
Friday, April 3
Up at 6:30 to get ready to go to water aerobics. Since it was winter cold rainy outside, I suited up in coat, hat, and gloves, and made sure there was an umbrella handy. At least it wasn't windy for the walk to the gym. And the pool was nice and warm.
I was surprised that fourteen of us showed up for the session. I figured the weather would keep most of us home. I debated with myself whether or not I wanted to brave the day to go, but I was glad I did after I was in the pool. I didn't want to miss a day, since we might only have two more sessions left next week, before the college is on break for a few weeks before the summer session begins.
Back home, I warmed up with a couple of cups of coffee, and then went upstairs to get ready for the day. Hubbie accompanied Mother to our house, and she got started making greeting cards. By the time I was back downstairs, it was close to lunchtime.
After lunch, Hubbie and I ran errands...first to a bank to get documents shredded. The state shredding truck was on hand at the bank parking lot from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m., and there was a long line of cars waiting for the service.
Hubbie thought the shredding was to take place from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., so at 12:30, we hurried to get there on time. We arrived just as the truck was pulling into the parking lot. Naturally, since we were in a parking space close the bank, we were hemmed in by that line of cars. Hubbie had to convince folks to back up a little, so we could get out.
From there, we went to the public library to borrow several movies for the weekend, since the inclement weather will keep us indoors. I intended to visit the college libraries, too, but three of the DVDs we picked up at the public library are British mystery series, so there are several shows in each container.
Stopped by the grocery store after that to get a white cake mix. We were home around 2 p.m., and I immediately baked the cake, using a cup and a quarter of sugared strawberries in place of water. These were the berries we prepared Wednesday. Since we prepared two more quarts of fresh berries yesterday, I felt I needed to use the older ones in some way, and a cake seemed the ideal way.
When the cake was in the oven, I dried leftover hamburger buns in the microwave, and then crumbed them in the blender. Mother added Parmesan cheese, parsley flakes, oregano, basil, pepper, and paprika to the crumbs. Later, we used them to coat talapia fillets for supper.
When the cake was baked, Mother and I adjourned to the living room to resume card making. My creative juices didn't seem to be flowing very well, but I managed to get a couple of cards done...one birthday, and one sympathy. Mother made several birthday cards during the course of the day.
Later, I finished supper preparations. The talapia was very good, served with sweet potatoes, and English peas. Hubbie accompanied Mother home afterward, and then Hubbie and I watched one of the DVDs.
Helen Mirren stars in this one, called "Prime Suspect." Mirren plays a detective who investigates murders, while battling sexism in the workplace.
I was surprised that fourteen of us showed up for the session. I figured the weather would keep most of us home. I debated with myself whether or not I wanted to brave the day to go, but I was glad I did after I was in the pool. I didn't want to miss a day, since we might only have two more sessions left next week, before the college is on break for a few weeks before the summer session begins.
Back home, I warmed up with a couple of cups of coffee, and then went upstairs to get ready for the day. Hubbie accompanied Mother to our house, and she got started making greeting cards. By the time I was back downstairs, it was close to lunchtime.
After lunch, Hubbie and I ran errands...first to a bank to get documents shredded. The state shredding truck was on hand at the bank parking lot from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m., and there was a long line of cars waiting for the service.
Hubbie thought the shredding was to take place from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., so at 12:30, we hurried to get there on time. We arrived just as the truck was pulling into the parking lot. Naturally, since we were in a parking space close the bank, we were hemmed in by that line of cars. Hubbie had to convince folks to back up a little, so we could get out.
From there, we went to the public library to borrow several movies for the weekend, since the inclement weather will keep us indoors. I intended to visit the college libraries, too, but three of the DVDs we picked up at the public library are British mystery series, so there are several shows in each container.
Stopped by the grocery store after that to get a white cake mix. We were home around 2 p.m., and I immediately baked the cake, using a cup and a quarter of sugared strawberries in place of water. These were the berries we prepared Wednesday. Since we prepared two more quarts of fresh berries yesterday, I felt I needed to use the older ones in some way, and a cake seemed the ideal way.
When the cake was in the oven, I dried leftover hamburger buns in the microwave, and then crumbed them in the blender. Mother added Parmesan cheese, parsley flakes, oregano, basil, pepper, and paprika to the crumbs. Later, we used them to coat talapia fillets for supper.
When the cake was baked, Mother and I adjourned to the living room to resume card making. My creative juices didn't seem to be flowing very well, but I managed to get a couple of cards done...one birthday, and one sympathy. Mother made several birthday cards during the course of the day.
Later, I finished supper preparations. The talapia was very good, served with sweet potatoes, and English peas. Hubbie accompanied Mother home afterward, and then Hubbie and I watched one of the DVDs.
Helen Mirren stars in this one, called "Prime Suspect." Mirren plays a detective who investigates murders, while battling sexism in the workplace.
Thursday, May 2, 2013
Thursday, May 2
Woke up at 6:30 this morning, even though I could have slept later. But since Hubbie wasn't awake, I just dozed on an off until nearly 8 a.m., when he finally got up.
Did stair stepping, resistance bands, and weights exercises after breakfast. Hubbie accompanied Mother to our house while I was doing this. As usual, she was anxious to do something, so I gathered veggies...onions, carrots, celery, banana pepper, and bell pepper... for her to dice for soup. When she'd finished, I sauteed them in olive oil, and then added chicken broth, beef broth, and diced tomatoes, and let the mixture simmer for a while.
Next, I washed two quarts of strawberries for Mother to cap and slice. These may be the last of the fresh strawberries for this season. So sad. The season for this luscious fruit is way too short.
By now, it was lunchtime, so I heated chicken noodle soup for Mother, and Hubbie and I had sandwiches.
Then Hubbie ran errands, and I searched through our card-making supplies for things I thought Mother would want to use to make birthday cards. I intended to get dressed while she worked, but she needed my help, so I stayed close for a while.
As we were working, I heard a lawnmower in our yard. What was going on? Had Hubbie decided to mow a little before going to town? I went to a window to check it out, and saw that a stranger was mowing. Who was this guy? Was he supposed to be mowing someone else's yard, and mistakenly ended up doing ours?
I called Hubbie. "There's a stranger mowing our yard!" I exclaimed.
He laughed. "Yes, I know," he said. "He's a neighbor guy, and I asked him to mow the lawn this afternoon."
"He understands that we'll pay him, doesn't he?" I asked. I didn't want the guy to refuse pay like the tree service guy did when he rescued our cat from a tree.
"He does this for a living," Hubbie said, "so I'm sure he understands that he'll be paid."
Every spring, I've suggested that Hubbie hire someone to get the yard in shape the first time, so that it would be easier for him to maintain for the rest of the season, instead of breaking his back doing it all himself. But this was the first time he decided to do it. So I was a bit taken aback.
"Why didn't you tell me someone would be doing that?" I asked.
"Well, I talked to him in his yard to ask when he could do our yard, and he said he had time right now. I just didn't want to turn around and come back to tell you."
"You have a cell phone," I admonished. "You could have called me!"
"Oh, yeah," he said. "I forgot about that."
If there was going to be a stranger in the yard, I figured it was high time I went upstairs to get dressed...just in case he needed to come to the door for some reason.
Mother and I spent the afternoon, until around 4 p.m., making cards. We made six birthday cards, and I made two sympathy cards. Sympathy cards are not our favorite to make, so I will probably do most of those, and let Mother make birthday cards.
At 4 p.m., I finished the soup by cooking a little macaroni to add to it, as well as adding containers of leftover veggies from various meals that I had accumulated in the freezer. From the fridge, I also added leftover whole kernel corn from last night, the remainder of a bag of coleslaw mix, and even a little barbecue sauce left from last week's pulled pork supper.
We all agreed that the soup was especially good tonight, served with biscuits and honey. We often make this soup, dubbed "Dragon Soup," which is different each time, depending on the accumulation of leftovers.
This was a good night for soup, since it was rainy and dismal. It'll be even better on Saturday night, when we are expecting wintry weather.
Hubbie accompanied Mother home after supper, and then he and I watched TV for the evening.
Not looking forward to getting out in the cold weather in the morning to go to water aerobics. Guess I'll have to suit up in a winter coat, hat, and gloves. It's May, for heaven's sake. We here in the south just don't get this kind of weather this time of year. It's certainly one for the record books.
Did stair stepping, resistance bands, and weights exercises after breakfast. Hubbie accompanied Mother to our house while I was doing this. As usual, she was anxious to do something, so I gathered veggies...onions, carrots, celery, banana pepper, and bell pepper... for her to dice for soup. When she'd finished, I sauteed them in olive oil, and then added chicken broth, beef broth, and diced tomatoes, and let the mixture simmer for a while.
Next, I washed two quarts of strawberries for Mother to cap and slice. These may be the last of the fresh strawberries for this season. So sad. The season for this luscious fruit is way too short.
By now, it was lunchtime, so I heated chicken noodle soup for Mother, and Hubbie and I had sandwiches.
Then Hubbie ran errands, and I searched through our card-making supplies for things I thought Mother would want to use to make birthday cards. I intended to get dressed while she worked, but she needed my help, so I stayed close for a while.
As we were working, I heard a lawnmower in our yard. What was going on? Had Hubbie decided to mow a little before going to town? I went to a window to check it out, and saw that a stranger was mowing. Who was this guy? Was he supposed to be mowing someone else's yard, and mistakenly ended up doing ours?
I called Hubbie. "There's a stranger mowing our yard!" I exclaimed.
He laughed. "Yes, I know," he said. "He's a neighbor guy, and I asked him to mow the lawn this afternoon."
"He understands that we'll pay him, doesn't he?" I asked. I didn't want the guy to refuse pay like the tree service guy did when he rescued our cat from a tree.
"He does this for a living," Hubbie said, "so I'm sure he understands that he'll be paid."
Every spring, I've suggested that Hubbie hire someone to get the yard in shape the first time, so that it would be easier for him to maintain for the rest of the season, instead of breaking his back doing it all himself. But this was the first time he decided to do it. So I was a bit taken aback.
"Why didn't you tell me someone would be doing that?" I asked.
"Well, I talked to him in his yard to ask when he could do our yard, and he said he had time right now. I just didn't want to turn around and come back to tell you."
"You have a cell phone," I admonished. "You could have called me!"
"Oh, yeah," he said. "I forgot about that."
If there was going to be a stranger in the yard, I figured it was high time I went upstairs to get dressed...just in case he needed to come to the door for some reason.
Mother and I spent the afternoon, until around 4 p.m., making cards. We made six birthday cards, and I made two sympathy cards. Sympathy cards are not our favorite to make, so I will probably do most of those, and let Mother make birthday cards.
At 4 p.m., I finished the soup by cooking a little macaroni to add to it, as well as adding containers of leftover veggies from various meals that I had accumulated in the freezer. From the fridge, I also added leftover whole kernel corn from last night, the remainder of a bag of coleslaw mix, and even a little barbecue sauce left from last week's pulled pork supper.
We all agreed that the soup was especially good tonight, served with biscuits and honey. We often make this soup, dubbed "Dragon Soup," which is different each time, depending on the accumulation of leftovers.
This was a good night for soup, since it was rainy and dismal. It'll be even better on Saturday night, when we are expecting wintry weather.
Hubbie accompanied Mother home after supper, and then he and I watched TV for the evening.
Not looking forward to getting out in the cold weather in the morning to go to water aerobics. Guess I'll have to suit up in a winter coat, hat, and gloves. It's May, for heaven's sake. We here in the south just don't get this kind of weather this time of year. It's certainly one for the record books.
Wednesday, May 1, 2013
Wednesday, May 1
First day of May, and it was lovely, weather-wise. We were up at 6:30, so I could get ready to go to water aerobics. I could have used an hour or so more sleep, though, since we were awakened by the alarm at midnight, because Hubbie had somehow set it wrong after the recent power outage.
The water in the pool was heavenly warm this morning, and about fifteen of us reveled in it. We had a good workout, after being away from aerobics since last Wednesday.
Back home, I enjoyed only one cup of coffee before heading upstairs to get ready for the day, because we expected Hubbie's sister, niece, and great-niece to join us for lunch, and I needed to get things ready.
Niece and Sis-in-Law were in town so that Niece could meet with a real estate agent and tour houses. At noon, Sis-in-Law called to say the agent wanted to take them to lunch to discuss the houses they had toured. But they'd stop by for a visit sometime in the afternoon, when they'd finished touring homes.
Ok. So we'd plan to serve strawberry shortcake when they got here. Mother and I decided it wouldn't be a good idea to drag out card-making materials that could become tempting curiosities for a toddler baby.
I figured since we probably had an hour or so to waste, it would be a good time to watch Tuesday night's elimination episode of "Dancing With the Stars." I had set the program to record on DVR, but in checking the menu today, I discovered that it hadn't recorded. Phooey. So I went online with my e-reader tablet and played the video. Mother seemed to enjoy this novel way of watching it.
After that, we waited...and waited, all afternoon for Sis and Niece. Finally, Sis called to say it would be closer to suppertime before they could come, because the real estate agent wanted Niece to visit at her office to go over details.
At 4 p.m., I put leftover chicken spaghetti and a dish of whole kernel corn in the oven to heat. It was ready by 5 p.m. But Sis and Niece were still no-shows. So I turned the oven off so the food would stay hot until they arrived.
6 p.m., and still no Sis and Niece. I finally suggested that Mother go ahead and have supper. She didn't argue. She was hungry enough to eat two helpings. She was ready to go home afterward, and Hubbie accompanied her.
When he returned, we decided to eat, too, since our tummies were rumbling. Shortly after we finished, Sis-in-Law called to say they were on their way. It was close to 7 p.m. now.
They finished off the meal, and then I served strawberry shortcake. Hubbie and I joined them for dessert.
It was after 8 p.m. before Sis and Niece left to travel the two hours to Sis's home.
If I'd had any notion that we wouldn't see Sis and Niece all day, Mother and I could have gotten a good start on making cards. Oh well, it'll make a good rainy-day activity tomorrow.
And apparently, it is going to rain a lot tomorrow and for the next few days, as well as drop 20 or more degrees in temperature....miserable.
Hubbie and I spent the rest of the evening watching TV, including the 2001 movie, "After the Storm," starring Benjamin Bratt. The film is based on an Ernest Hemmingway story about scavengers racing to claim a fortune in jewelry from a luxury yacht sunk in a storm. The plot centers on two couples, who must cooperate if they are to succeed before the authorities find the yacht. But soon, greed takes over, and there is danger and betrayal. Good movie.
The water in the pool was heavenly warm this morning, and about fifteen of us reveled in it. We had a good workout, after being away from aerobics since last Wednesday.
Back home, I enjoyed only one cup of coffee before heading upstairs to get ready for the day, because we expected Hubbie's sister, niece, and great-niece to join us for lunch, and I needed to get things ready.
Niece and Sis-in-Law were in town so that Niece could meet with a real estate agent and tour houses. At noon, Sis-in-Law called to say the agent wanted to take them to lunch to discuss the houses they had toured. But they'd stop by for a visit sometime in the afternoon, when they'd finished touring homes.
Ok. So we'd plan to serve strawberry shortcake when they got here. Mother and I decided it wouldn't be a good idea to drag out card-making materials that could become tempting curiosities for a toddler baby.
I figured since we probably had an hour or so to waste, it would be a good time to watch Tuesday night's elimination episode of "Dancing With the Stars." I had set the program to record on DVR, but in checking the menu today, I discovered that it hadn't recorded. Phooey. So I went online with my e-reader tablet and played the video. Mother seemed to enjoy this novel way of watching it.
After that, we waited...and waited, all afternoon for Sis and Niece. Finally, Sis called to say it would be closer to suppertime before they could come, because the real estate agent wanted Niece to visit at her office to go over details.
At 4 p.m., I put leftover chicken spaghetti and a dish of whole kernel corn in the oven to heat. It was ready by 5 p.m. But Sis and Niece were still no-shows. So I turned the oven off so the food would stay hot until they arrived.
6 p.m., and still no Sis and Niece. I finally suggested that Mother go ahead and have supper. She didn't argue. She was hungry enough to eat two helpings. She was ready to go home afterward, and Hubbie accompanied her.
When he returned, we decided to eat, too, since our tummies were rumbling. Shortly after we finished, Sis-in-Law called to say they were on their way. It was close to 7 p.m. now.
They finished off the meal, and then I served strawberry shortcake. Hubbie and I joined them for dessert.
It was after 8 p.m. before Sis and Niece left to travel the two hours to Sis's home.
If I'd had any notion that we wouldn't see Sis and Niece all day, Mother and I could have gotten a good start on making cards. Oh well, it'll make a good rainy-day activity tomorrow.
And apparently, it is going to rain a lot tomorrow and for the next few days, as well as drop 20 or more degrees in temperature....miserable.
Hubbie and I spent the rest of the evening watching TV, including the 2001 movie, "After the Storm," starring Benjamin Bratt. The film is based on an Ernest Hemmingway story about scavengers racing to claim a fortune in jewelry from a luxury yacht sunk in a storm. The plot centers on two couples, who must cooperate if they are to succeed before the authorities find the yacht. But soon, greed takes over, and there is danger and betrayal. Good movie.
Tuesday, April 30, 2013
Tuesday, April 30
The last day of April, and except for yesterday and today, it hasn't seemed like spring. And now, as we enter May, weather predictions are that we could get winter-cold weather at the end of the week. One meteorologist even suggests there could be snowflakes in the northwest part of the state.
We were up at 7 a.m. this morning, though I postponed my exercises after breakfast, because Hubbie accompanied Mother to our house as I was enjoying a second cup of coffee, and she was antsy to get started doing something, so I gathered veggies for her to dice.
After that, I finally did stair stepping, resistance bands, and weights exercises. By now, it was 11 a.m., so I further postponed getting ready for the day, since I knew it would soon be time to fix lunch for Mother.
So we watched last night's episode of "Dancing With the Stars." I paused the show when it was time for lunch, and then after lunch, we finished watching it.
At 1:30, I finally went upstairs to shower and dress. Spent some time after that gathering materials we'll need for making greeting cards for Caring Hands Hospice, though we didn't have time to begin the project today.
At 3 p.m., Mother and I went to the kitchen to begin supper preparations. She made garlic butter to put on leftover hamburger buns, and I cooked spaghetti, and sauteed the veggies Mother diced this morning...onions (half a large one), bell pepper (one medium one), black and green olives (half cup of each).
Once the spaghetti (12 oz.) was cooked, I added the sauteed veggies, and the mushroom soup I made yesterday (to which I'd added a tablespoon of cooking sherry), and cubed chicken that was cooked yesterday. I poured the mixture into a sprayed 9x11 baking dish and topped it with a half a cup of Parmesan cheese. Baked the dish for about 20 minutes, until it was heated through, then put the butter/garlic buns in the oven to toast. Also served corn-on-the-cob leftover from Sunday.
This very tasty spaghetti dish makes enough for three meals for us. So there's plenty for tomorrow night, which is good, because we think Hubbie's sister and niece are to visit tomorrow, at least for lunch. They are to be in town to look at for-sale homes for Niece and her family.
We think Sis and Niece, and Niece's baby, will only be here during the lunch hour, but things could change. If they are here only an hour or so, Mother and I will plan to begin card making during the afternoon. Whatever happens, I'm glad the spaghetti is ready for tomorrow's supper.
Hubbie accompanied Mother home after supper, and then he and I watched TV, including a 2010 movie called, "All Good Things," based on the true story of a millionaire serial murderer. He was convicted of murdering an elderly man, and is suspected of killing a friend, as well as his first wife.
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Note: learned today that the husband of Hubbie's granddaughter, who lives in another state, injured his Achilles tendon playing basketball, which required surgery around 1 p.m. today. This is a particularly difficult surgery to recover from. At the very least, he'll be six weeks mending, and during that time, he won't be able to drive. Granddaughter and her husband both work, and they have three very young children, so there will be a lot of adjustments for a while.
From what I read, this is an injury common to "weekend warrior" men...guys who don't exercise much during the week, then play sports that require jumping, pivoting, etc., like basketball and tennis, on the weekends, which describes Grandson-in-Law.
We were up at 7 a.m. this morning, though I postponed my exercises after breakfast, because Hubbie accompanied Mother to our house as I was enjoying a second cup of coffee, and she was antsy to get started doing something, so I gathered veggies for her to dice.
After that, I finally did stair stepping, resistance bands, and weights exercises. By now, it was 11 a.m., so I further postponed getting ready for the day, since I knew it would soon be time to fix lunch for Mother.
So we watched last night's episode of "Dancing With the Stars." I paused the show when it was time for lunch, and then after lunch, we finished watching it.
At 1:30, I finally went upstairs to shower and dress. Spent some time after that gathering materials we'll need for making greeting cards for Caring Hands Hospice, though we didn't have time to begin the project today.
At 3 p.m., Mother and I went to the kitchen to begin supper preparations. She made garlic butter to put on leftover hamburger buns, and I cooked spaghetti, and sauteed the veggies Mother diced this morning...onions (half a large one), bell pepper (one medium one), black and green olives (half cup of each).
Once the spaghetti (12 oz.) was cooked, I added the sauteed veggies, and the mushroom soup I made yesterday (to which I'd added a tablespoon of cooking sherry), and cubed chicken that was cooked yesterday. I poured the mixture into a sprayed 9x11 baking dish and topped it with a half a cup of Parmesan cheese. Baked the dish for about 20 minutes, until it was heated through, then put the butter/garlic buns in the oven to toast. Also served corn-on-the-cob leftover from Sunday.
This very tasty spaghetti dish makes enough for three meals for us. So there's plenty for tomorrow night, which is good, because we think Hubbie's sister and niece are to visit tomorrow, at least for lunch. They are to be in town to look at for-sale homes for Niece and her family.
We think Sis and Niece, and Niece's baby, will only be here during the lunch hour, but things could change. If they are here only an hour or so, Mother and I will plan to begin card making during the afternoon. Whatever happens, I'm glad the spaghetti is ready for tomorrow's supper.
Hubbie accompanied Mother home after supper, and then he and I watched TV, including a 2010 movie called, "All Good Things," based on the true story of a millionaire serial murderer. He was convicted of murdering an elderly man, and is suspected of killing a friend, as well as his first wife.
******************************************************************
Note: learned today that the husband of Hubbie's granddaughter, who lives in another state, injured his Achilles tendon playing basketball, which required surgery around 1 p.m. today. This is a particularly difficult surgery to recover from. At the very least, he'll be six weeks mending, and during that time, he won't be able to drive. Granddaughter and her husband both work, and they have three very young children, so there will be a lot of adjustments for a while.
From what I read, this is an injury common to "weekend warrior" men...guys who don't exercise much during the week, then play sports that require jumping, pivoting, etc., like basketball and tennis, on the weekends, which describes Grandson-in-Law.
Monday, April 29, 2013
Monday, April 29
Up at 7:30 a.m., and did stair stepping, resistance bands, and weights exercises after breakfast. I needed this session, after not exercising since last Thursday. There was no water aerobics this morning, since the lifeguard/coach was out of town with the college's baseball team.
Hubbie accompanied Mother to our house around 9:30, and I got her started dicing veggies for chicken soup before I went upstairs to get ready for the day. As soon as I was dressed, I started the chicken simmering.
In the meantime, Hubbie made a trip to the WDCS for some items I needed, including mushrooms for making cream of mushroom soup. When he got back, and we'd had lunch, Mother sliced the mushrooms and diced more onions, and I made the soup.
I sauteed the mushrooms and onions in two tablespoons of margarine; then added pepper, no-salt seasoning, and paprika, and two tablespoons of flour mixed in a cup of fat-free evaporated milk; when that was thickened, I added two cups of chicken broth. It's a very tasty soup on its own, but I plan to add it to a recipe of chicken spaghetti tomorrow.
Later, I got a call from our favorite roadside vendor, who said she had strawberries today. So Hubbie ran out there and got four quarts for us. I washed two quarts, and Mother capped and sliced them. We sugared them to have tomorrow, if and when Hubbie's sister and niece come to our town to go house hunting for niece.
At 3:30, we went to the college down the road to attend a slide program about wolves. The speaker brought along male and female wolves and one of their pups. These wolves are ambassador animals used to educate people about the fragility of wolf populations in our nation.
The wolves are fascinating, and people (most people, anyway) like to interact with them. Mother petted the male, and I got to pet the pup and the female. It was a fun afternoon, and Mother thoroughly enjoyed it.
Following the program, we stopped by a grocery store to pick up a package of noodles. It was after 5 p.m. before we got back home. We are used to having supper by that hour, but tonight, it was 6 p.m. before I was able to get the chicken noodle soup ready, and heat the bread sticks Hubbie and I brought back from the Italian restaurant on Friday.
Hubbie accompanied Mother to her house after supper, and then he and I watched TV, including an episode of "Vikings," from the History Channel, and a couple of series from PBS..."Mr. Selfridge," and "The Bletchley Circle" (a mystery series about four seemingly ordinary women who investigate grisly murders in 1951).
Hubbie accompanied Mother to our house around 9:30, and I got her started dicing veggies for chicken soup before I went upstairs to get ready for the day. As soon as I was dressed, I started the chicken simmering.
In the meantime, Hubbie made a trip to the WDCS for some items I needed, including mushrooms for making cream of mushroom soup. When he got back, and we'd had lunch, Mother sliced the mushrooms and diced more onions, and I made the soup.
I sauteed the mushrooms and onions in two tablespoons of margarine; then added pepper, no-salt seasoning, and paprika, and two tablespoons of flour mixed in a cup of fat-free evaporated milk; when that was thickened, I added two cups of chicken broth. It's a very tasty soup on its own, but I plan to add it to a recipe of chicken spaghetti tomorrow.
Later, I got a call from our favorite roadside vendor, who said she had strawberries today. So Hubbie ran out there and got four quarts for us. I washed two quarts, and Mother capped and sliced them. We sugared them to have tomorrow, if and when Hubbie's sister and niece come to our town to go house hunting for niece.
At 3:30, we went to the college down the road to attend a slide program about wolves. The speaker brought along male and female wolves and one of their pups. These wolves are ambassador animals used to educate people about the fragility of wolf populations in our nation.
The wolves are fascinating, and people (most people, anyway) like to interact with them. Mother petted the male, and I got to pet the pup and the female. It was a fun afternoon, and Mother thoroughly enjoyed it.
Following the program, we stopped by a grocery store to pick up a package of noodles. It was after 5 p.m. before we got back home. We are used to having supper by that hour, but tonight, it was 6 p.m. before I was able to get the chicken noodle soup ready, and heat the bread sticks Hubbie and I brought back from the Italian restaurant on Friday.
Hubbie accompanied Mother to her house after supper, and then he and I watched TV, including an episode of "Vikings," from the History Channel, and a couple of series from PBS..."Mr. Selfridge," and "The Bletchley Circle" (a mystery series about four seemingly ordinary women who investigate grisly murders in 1951).
Sunday, April 28, 2013
Sunday, April 28
Up around 7 a.m. Got dressed and had breakfast, but skipped my exercises. Mother and Sis came over about nine. Daughter slept really late, until nearly 10:30. I think this is the usual hour she rises, because she works the 4 p.m. to midnight shift at her place of employment, so it's probably 2 a.m. before she winds down enough to sleep.
Since she was up so late, she opted for a glass of orange juice only for breakfast, because lunch was only a couple of hours away.
Didn't accomplish much for the morning beyond throwing a load of laundry in the washer, programming the DVR for upcoming movies and programs, and doing a couple of other regular Sunday things.
At 11 a.m., Hubbie went to the WDCS to pick up a couple of rotisserie chickens and a few groceries, while I put the baked beans in the oven to heat, and a pan of corn-on-the-cob on to boil.
Hubbie was home with the chickens right at noon, and we sat down to enjoy the meal that included the meat, the beans, the corn, and potato salad, with strawberries and whipped topping for dessert.
Sis was ready to head home shortly afterward, but Daughter spent the rest of the afternoon with us. While she was here, I planned the menu for the upcoming week. One meal I want to fix is chicken spaghetti, using a recipe I haven't made in several years.
I knew what cookbook the recipe was in, but I couldn't immediately find it. So I decided I needed to clean my cookbook bookshelves. I took everything off of them and discarded a few of the cookbooks that I knew I'd never use, and a bunch of recipes clipped from magazines, etc., that I never got around to trying. Daughter went through all the materials and set aside what she wanted. The rest went to the trash.
Then she accompanied Mother to her house, where she visited for a while. After a sandwich supper with Hubbie and me, she left for home around 6 p.m.
Later, I decided to take a look at the chicken spaghetti recipe to see what I need for it. One thing it calls for is a couple of cans of cream of mushroom soup, which I no longer use, because of the sodium content. So I searched online for a recipe for a homemade version, and found one.
So tomorrow, I guess I'll be making a pot of boiled chicken, and a recipe of cream of mushroom soup and then make the spaghetti on Tuesday.
Hubbie and I spent the rest of the evening watching TV.
Since she was up so late, she opted for a glass of orange juice only for breakfast, because lunch was only a couple of hours away.
Didn't accomplish much for the morning beyond throwing a load of laundry in the washer, programming the DVR for upcoming movies and programs, and doing a couple of other regular Sunday things.
At 11 a.m., Hubbie went to the WDCS to pick up a couple of rotisserie chickens and a few groceries, while I put the baked beans in the oven to heat, and a pan of corn-on-the-cob on to boil.
Hubbie was home with the chickens right at noon, and we sat down to enjoy the meal that included the meat, the beans, the corn, and potato salad, with strawberries and whipped topping for dessert.
Sis was ready to head home shortly afterward, but Daughter spent the rest of the afternoon with us. While she was here, I planned the menu for the upcoming week. One meal I want to fix is chicken spaghetti, using a recipe I haven't made in several years.
I knew what cookbook the recipe was in, but I couldn't immediately find it. So I decided I needed to clean my cookbook bookshelves. I took everything off of them and discarded a few of the cookbooks that I knew I'd never use, and a bunch of recipes clipped from magazines, etc., that I never got around to trying. Daughter went through all the materials and set aside what she wanted. The rest went to the trash.
Then she accompanied Mother to her house, where she visited for a while. After a sandwich supper with Hubbie and me, she left for home around 6 p.m.
Later, I decided to take a look at the chicken spaghetti recipe to see what I need for it. One thing it calls for is a couple of cans of cream of mushroom soup, which I no longer use, because of the sodium content. So I searched online for a recipe for a homemade version, and found one.
So tomorrow, I guess I'll be making a pot of boiled chicken, and a recipe of cream of mushroom soup and then make the spaghetti on Tuesday.
Hubbie and I spent the rest of the evening watching TV.
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