Tuesday, April 29

Up around 7:30 this morning, and did stair stepping exercises after breakfast. Hubbie accompanied Mother to our house mid-morning. Before I went upstairs to get ready for the day, Mother and I watched last night's episode of "Dancing With the Stars."

It was around 11:30 a.m. by the time the show ended, so I pulled out lunch stuff...Ramen noodle soup for Mother, leftover chicken noodle soup for me, and pepper jack grilled cheese for Hubbie.

After that, I finally showered and dressed. Didn't do much after that, since I was dressed to go to a retirement reception at 3 p.m. I did catch up on reading newspapers, and I completed the word search puzzle contest.

At 3 p.m., we left home to go to the Extension Service office for the retirement celebration. The ladies did a good job decorating for the event. They also provided a well-laden nibbles table that included finger sandwiches, cucumber sandwiches, veggies and dip, fruit and dip, ham roll-ups, chocolate covered strawberries, and clever red velvet cupcakes with chocolate or white icing that were topped with white or chocolate chess pieces. The chess pieces stood straight up on the cupcakes.

In fact, the table clothes used on the tables featured large black and white checks, representing a chess board. The chess theme was in recognition of the honoree's love of playing chess, and teaching it to children. One of the children he taught went on to win a state championship for junior players.

We left the reception after 4 p.m. and headed to a town about an hour away to have supper and then pick up Mother's eyeglasses at the movie theater. Before we left town, we stopped at a roadside market to pick up a flat of strawberries.

Tonight, Hubbie decided he wanted to eat at a Western Sizzlin' restaurant instead of our usual choice of buffet restaurants. It was a mistake, because the food at this restaurant was far inferior.

Mother wasn't very hungry after eating at the reception, so she only ate potato soup. What she didn't eat, a man weighing close to 500 pounds made up for by filling three plates sky high. He was so heavy that by the time he reached his table, he was gasping for breath. I feared he'd keel over right then and there, but presently he began gorging himself on the food. A friend came with him and loaded a couple of plates from which he ate a normal amount and then passed the plates to his morbidly obese friend.

We were ready to leave around 6:15...and it wasn't too soon for me. Dropped by the theater after that, and Hubbie went in to retrieve Mother's eyeglasses. Headed home then, and arrived around 7:30. Hubbie accompanied Mother to her house.

We watched episodes of "Bones" after that. Tonight, I forgot to administer the eye drops for Mother. By the time I remembered, it was 10:30, and the lights were out at her house. Hope it doesn't make a difference.