Thursday, Jan. 30

Up at 7:30, and did stair stepping, resistance bands, and weights exercises after breakfast. Got ready for the day, while Hubbie accompanied Mother to our house. We didn't accomplish anything for the rest of the morning until time to go to the hospital conference room for a luncheon program.

We arrived early, around 11:30, for the event, so that we could snare a good place for Mother at one of the tables that would afford her a good view of the speaker and the slide show.

Today's lunch was baked chicken, boiled new potatoes, and green beans/wax beans/carrots medley, as well as a roll, and fresh fruit.

The speaker, a urologist, presented a program on kidney stones. We were amused when at one point the doctor mentioned that dehydration is one of the causes of kidney stones, and that we should drink up to twelve glasses of water a day, prompting everyone at our table to grab our glasses of water and begin drinking.

Kidney stones are most prevelant in the hot weather states of the south and southeast, as well as in California, because residents of these states dehydrate more rapidy, and it is hard to drink enough water to stay hydrated.

No one at our table has had kidney stones, but just hearing about how they form, what pain they cause, and the procedures for breaking them up or removing them, made us cringe. The doctor passed around some stones for us to view. They appeared very small to cause such pain. The doctor said that the largest stone he has seen was as big as the palm of his hand. Yikes!

Back home, Mother went to her jigsaw puzzle, and Hubbie and I did this and that. Later, I heated leftover stir fry and rice in the oven for supper. While the food heated, I made a bread pudding to be put in the oven as soon as supper came out.

After supper, Mother stayed around to watch TV, including an episode of "Downton Abbey." Around 8 p.m., we sampled the bread pudding, which was especially delicious. It was made from a recipe I found online, and I'm sure I'll be making it again. I used skim milk, egg substitute, and sugar substitute, which didn't diminish the flavor of the dish at all.

Mother was finally ready to go home around 9:45, and Hubbie accompanied her. We watched a little more TV, and then headed to bed.