The last day of the month, already. The month, with its up-and-down temps, and rain enough to delay veggie gardening and lawn mowing, flew by. Today, we got a sampling of the hot and humid days to come as summer approaches.
We were up around 8 a.m., and I did stair stepping, resistance band, and leg weights exercises after breakfast. Hubbie accompanied Mother to our house mid-morning, and she worked on her jigsaw puzzle.
Once I was ready for the day, I didn't accomplish a lot before lunch. After lunch, Mother went back to her puzzle, and Hubbie and I went to town. He dropped me off at a department store, while he went to the roadside vendor to get a flat of blueberries for the freezer. The vendor called this morning to let us know the berries were in.
Wouldn't you know, I picked up a two-pound carton of blueberries at the big box store yesterday, priced quite a bit higher than the ones at the vendor. I hate when that happens.
After getting the blueberries, Hubbie went to the bank, and then came back to the department store. While he was gone, I tried on blouse after blouse. Nothing suited me, naturally. I had hoped to find something I could purchase with a scratch-off discount (up to 40% off). But Hubbie found a knit shirt he liked and decided to use the coupon on that. Only thing is, the coupon isn't effective until June 4.
From that store, we went to the WDCS for a few grocery items, and then came back home.
Other than playing on my laptop (Hubbie had my tablet occupied), and reading newspapers, I didn't accomplish much the rest of the afternoon until time to prepare supper.
Tonight, supper was leftover spaghetti and sauce, with a side of grape tomatoes topped with cottage cheese, and bread sticks we brought home from the Italian restaurant yesterday. Wow, the grape tomatoes, which we got at the big box store yesterday, are so sweet and delicious! Even Mother, who usually doesn't eat many fresh tomatoes, had a second handful of them with her supper.
Mother was ready to go home shortly after supper, so Hubbie accompanied her. Then he and I watched TV, as usual.
Tonight we watched the 2010 movie, "Winter's Bone," starring Jennifer Lawrence. A teenage girl in the Ozarks is responsible for her siblings, because her mother is mentally ill and unable to take care of the family. Her father is released from prison, and she must find him or risk losing the family's home in an eviction. This independent film launched Lawrence as a star. It's a dark and haunting story of poverty, extended family ties, and the dangerous world of meth labs.
Saturday, May 31, 2014
Friday, May 30, 2014
Friday, May 30
Today is Granddaughter's and Niece's birthday. Happy Birthday to both!
We were up around 7 a.m. this morning, so we could get ready to go on a shopping trip at a town about an hour and half east. We were on the road by 8:30, and arrived at Hubbie's daughter's house around 10 a.m.
Mother stayed at Daughter's house while we shopped. Our first stop was a department store, where I hoped to find something I could purchase with a gift card. Spent about an hour at the store, browsing and trying on lots of blouses, none of which suited me.
Around 11:15, Hubbie, who had been shopping at another store, found me and said that we needed to go back to his Daughter's house to get Mother and then go to a restaurant, where family would meet us for lunch.
We arrived at the restaurant before noon. Family was already there and had gotten a table big enough to accommodate the three of us, Daughter and her husband, and Great-Granddaughter, Hubbie's two sisters, and his niece and great-niece.
At the table behind us were seated a very large woman and her equally large husband. Naturally, I needed to get Mother's wheelchair in the space at our table directly behind the very large man. He apologized for being in the way, but he didn't get up and move his chair to make it easier for me to maneuver the wheelchair. But with a little "back-and-forthing", I finally got it in there.
Most of us ordered the restaurant's soup/salad/bread sticks specialty. One of Hubbie's sister and niece order pasta. A real oops happened when a waitress brought our drinks on a tray. She somehow tilted the tray and a tall glass of ice water tipped over, spilling the drink on two-year-old Great-Granddaughter's head. Naturally, the toddler screamed and cried. I would have, too. What a shock!
Once the child, her place at the table, and her chair had been mopped dry, we proceeded with lunch. We were a hungry bunch, so we ordered two more big bowls of salad, more bread sticks, and second helpings of soup, which we enjoyed while visiting for about an hour. We paid for lunch with a gift card that Son and Daughter-in-Law gave me.
After lunch, we took Mother back to Daughter's house, and then we continued shopping. We went to the mall, where I browsed another department store, where I found one blouse I can use. Bought it with another gift card.
While I was in the dressing room at the department store, it began raining really hard...I could hear it beating down on the mall roof. When I mentioned it to Hubbie, he said he hadn't heard it, because while he waited for me in a comfortable chair outside the store, he fell asleep. He roused at some point and searched out a cup of coffee, but that must have been after the rain storm.
From there, we went to the hobby store, where I used gift cards to purchase rubber stamps, glue tabs, and scrapbook paper.
Went to the big box store gas station to fill the van, then shopped the store for bulk items like toilet tissue and paper towels, as well as food. While we were there, Hubbie and I looked at at a particular brand of e-tablet that Daughter had suggested to us. It's smaller than my tablet, but seems to feature everything Hubbie would need. So he told Daughter that he likes it, and would be glad to have one for his birthday/Father's Day.
By 5 p.m., we were ready to head back to Daughter's house to pick up Mother for the trip home. She had spent a comfortable afternoon at Daughter's, where we were told she napped most of the time...despite rambunctious, talkative Great-Granddaughter. Mother said there had been a respite from her hyperactivity when the child was put down for a nap.
Back home, Mother was ready to go to her house right away, so I accompanied her. As soon as we unloaded the car, I took sandwich materials to Mother, and later in the evening, I went back to put drops in her eyes.
Hubbie and I settled for a sandwich supper, too, and then we played on the e-tablet (Hubbie) and laptop (me), while we watched TV.
It was a long day, but a good one.
We were up around 7 a.m. this morning, so we could get ready to go on a shopping trip at a town about an hour and half east. We were on the road by 8:30, and arrived at Hubbie's daughter's house around 10 a.m.
Mother stayed at Daughter's house while we shopped. Our first stop was a department store, where I hoped to find something I could purchase with a gift card. Spent about an hour at the store, browsing and trying on lots of blouses, none of which suited me.
Around 11:15, Hubbie, who had been shopping at another store, found me and said that we needed to go back to his Daughter's house to get Mother and then go to a restaurant, where family would meet us for lunch.
We arrived at the restaurant before noon. Family was already there and had gotten a table big enough to accommodate the three of us, Daughter and her husband, and Great-Granddaughter, Hubbie's two sisters, and his niece and great-niece.
At the table behind us were seated a very large woman and her equally large husband. Naturally, I needed to get Mother's wheelchair in the space at our table directly behind the very large man. He apologized for being in the way, but he didn't get up and move his chair to make it easier for me to maneuver the wheelchair. But with a little "back-and-forthing", I finally got it in there.
Most of us ordered the restaurant's soup/salad/bread sticks specialty. One of Hubbie's sister and niece order pasta. A real oops happened when a waitress brought our drinks on a tray. She somehow tilted the tray and a tall glass of ice water tipped over, spilling the drink on two-year-old Great-Granddaughter's head. Naturally, the toddler screamed and cried. I would have, too. What a shock!
Once the child, her place at the table, and her chair had been mopped dry, we proceeded with lunch. We were a hungry bunch, so we ordered two more big bowls of salad, more bread sticks, and second helpings of soup, which we enjoyed while visiting for about an hour. We paid for lunch with a gift card that Son and Daughter-in-Law gave me.
After lunch, we took Mother back to Daughter's house, and then we continued shopping. We went to the mall, where I browsed another department store, where I found one blouse I can use. Bought it with another gift card.
While I was in the dressing room at the department store, it began raining really hard...I could hear it beating down on the mall roof. When I mentioned it to Hubbie, he said he hadn't heard it, because while he waited for me in a comfortable chair outside the store, he fell asleep. He roused at some point and searched out a cup of coffee, but that must have been after the rain storm.
From there, we went to the hobby store, where I used gift cards to purchase rubber stamps, glue tabs, and scrapbook paper.
Went to the big box store gas station to fill the van, then shopped the store for bulk items like toilet tissue and paper towels, as well as food. While we were there, Hubbie and I looked at at a particular brand of e-tablet that Daughter had suggested to us. It's smaller than my tablet, but seems to feature everything Hubbie would need. So he told Daughter that he likes it, and would be glad to have one for his birthday/Father's Day.
By 5 p.m., we were ready to head back to Daughter's house to pick up Mother for the trip home. She had spent a comfortable afternoon at Daughter's, where we were told she napped most of the time...despite rambunctious, talkative Great-Granddaughter. Mother said there had been a respite from her hyperactivity when the child was put down for a nap.
Back home, Mother was ready to go to her house right away, so I accompanied her. As soon as we unloaded the car, I took sandwich materials to Mother, and later in the evening, I went back to put drops in her eyes.
Hubbie and I settled for a sandwich supper, too, and then we played on the e-tablet (Hubbie) and laptop (me), while we watched TV.
It was a long day, but a good one.
Thursday, May 29, 2014
Thursday, May 29
Up around 7:30, and did stair stepping, resistance band, and leg weights after breakfast.
This morning, we waited for the heat/air guy to come and install a new thermostat at Mother's house. When he didn't call to let us know he was coming by 9 a.m., Hubbie called the business. He was told the guy had already completed the order. So Hubbie went to Mother's house and discovered that, sure enough, a new digital thermostat was installed. Mother seems pleased with the new unit, so now we'll see how well she's able to use it.
Hubbie accompanied Mother to our house around 9:30, and she relaxed in a rocking chair, while I got ready for the day. She didn't feel up to doing much for the morning other than nap in the chair.
I spent my morning and part of the afternoon about like I did yesterday...doing this and that. Made a strawberry angel food cake, using the remainder of the fresh strawberries in the refrigerator; put a pot of spaghetti sauce on to simmer; called the beauty shop to make appointments for Mother and me for next week; checked our scrapbook/card making supplies to see what we need when we visit the hobby store; and caught up on reading this week's newspapers.
Meanwhile, Hubbie ran errands...to the library to take back the "Bones" DVD, to the newspaper office to drop off this week's word search puzzle contest, and to the pharmacy to pick up my prescription. When he got back home, he spent time practicing on my laptop and my tablet. I don't know which one he'll decide he wants his kids to get for him for his birthday and Father's Day.
For lunch, Mother had her usual soup, Hubbie had a ham sandwich with baked beans and macaroni salad, and I had a pimento cheese sandwich and chips.
Spent part of the afternoon watching "Bones" episodes from the On Demand channel on TV. These episodes are set to expire at the end of this month, so we will be binge watching them to catch up to date before the new season.
Later, for supper, we had spaghetti with sauce, salad, and cottage cheese, along with Sis's homemade dinner rolls.
A thunderstorm cropped up just as I finished supper preparations. I nearly jumped out my skin at a very loud clap of thunder overhead as I was standing at the stove. The storm continued while we were at the dining room table, with more deafening thunder that made us jump. There was lots of rain with the storm, too. It didn't last long, though.
.
This morning, we waited for the heat/air guy to come and install a new thermostat at Mother's house. When he didn't call to let us know he was coming by 9 a.m., Hubbie called the business. He was told the guy had already completed the order. So Hubbie went to Mother's house and discovered that, sure enough, a new digital thermostat was installed. Mother seems pleased with the new unit, so now we'll see how well she's able to use it.
Hubbie accompanied Mother to our house around 9:30, and she relaxed in a rocking chair, while I got ready for the day. She didn't feel up to doing much for the morning other than nap in the chair.
I spent my morning and part of the afternoon about like I did yesterday...doing this and that. Made a strawberry angel food cake, using the remainder of the fresh strawberries in the refrigerator; put a pot of spaghetti sauce on to simmer; called the beauty shop to make appointments for Mother and me for next week; checked our scrapbook/card making supplies to see what we need when we visit the hobby store; and caught up on reading this week's newspapers.
Meanwhile, Hubbie ran errands...to the library to take back the "Bones" DVD, to the newspaper office to drop off this week's word search puzzle contest, and to the pharmacy to pick up my prescription. When he got back home, he spent time practicing on my laptop and my tablet. I don't know which one he'll decide he wants his kids to get for him for his birthday and Father's Day.
For lunch, Mother had her usual soup, Hubbie had a ham sandwich with baked beans and macaroni salad, and I had a pimento cheese sandwich and chips.
Spent part of the afternoon watching "Bones" episodes from the On Demand channel on TV. These episodes are set to expire at the end of this month, so we will be binge watching them to catch up to date before the new season.
Later, for supper, we had spaghetti with sauce, salad, and cottage cheese, along with Sis's homemade dinner rolls.
A thunderstorm cropped up just as I finished supper preparations. I nearly jumped out my skin at a very loud clap of thunder overhead as I was standing at the stove. The storm continued while we were at the dining room table, with more deafening thunder that made us jump. There was lots of rain with the storm, too. It didn't last long, though.
.
Wednesday, May 28, 2014
Wednesday, May 28
Up around 7:30, and did stair stepping, resistance band, and weights exercises after breakfast. Hubbie accompanied Mother to our house mid-morning.
She has had a problem working her central heat/air controls. The thermostat is mounted on the wall too high for her to see the switch on top, which she likes to fiddle with it, even though Hubbie has set the unit for the season and showed her how to raise and lower the temperature with the switch on the side of the thermostat.
No matter how many times we have explained to her to just use that side switch and not try to mess with the one on top, she has ignored us and fiddled with the upper switch anyway, so that she ends up with the temperature in her house as hot as an oven, or as cold as a refrigerator.
I'm puzzled by this, since she seems able to raise and lower the temperature in the camper just fine by using the side switch and not trying to switch the thermostat from cool to heat or vice versa.
Anyway, we decided she needs a new, very simple, thermostat with the functions clearly marked, and she needs it mounted at her eye level. So Hubbie went to the heat/air shop to choose one. A guy is scheduled to come and mount it for her tomorrow morning. I hope this solves the problem.
While I got ready for the day, Mother went to her jigsaw puzzle. It was a this-and-that kind day for me today...just lots of little things that needed to be taken care of, like burning photos to a CD from my laptop, in an attempt to create more space, burning a CD of Great-Grandson's graduation, and boxing it, along with a package of photos and a 5x7 portrait to be sent to Granddaughter, printing coupons to a hobby store for a trip there later this week, completing this week's word search puzzle contest, etc.
Despite clearing out photos from my laptop, and doing a disk clean-up, the computer still indicates I'm low on space. Guess it gets to go to the computer shop.
Re: word search puzzle contest: this week's puzzle appeared in the Tuesday local newspaper edition, since the paper didn't publish Monday, due to the Memorial Day holiday. But when I tried to complete the puzzle, I couldn't find a single word for a while. When I did find a word, it had nothing to do with the puzzle list. So I checked today's paper, and sure enough, there was an apology and a puzzle correction.
Later, for lunch today, Mother had her usual Ramen noodle soup, and I made chef's salads for Hubbie and me.
Afterward, Hubbie called the number listed at the company website from which I bought an automatic jelly maker to ask how we could return the unit, since it is as defective as the one it replaced. He was told that since the unit was not returned within 60 days of purchase, their policy is to give store credit, rather than refund the purchase cost.
And to get that, I needed to go back to the website and access their contact page and give the reason for returning the unit. I'm supposed to get a response with one day, with instructions on how to return it.
At the contact page, I wrote a scathing memo, letting them know that this is the second defective unit I've received, and that I don't want another one. What I want is a refund, and if I don't get one, I will write a very unfavorable review of the product at the booksellers website from where I originally ordered the first jelly maker.
After all, a jelly maker is not something you use routinely, so it's not likely I would have discovered that the one I have was defective within 60 days. I used it once shortly after I first got it, and successfully made a batch of jelly. But when I tried again a couple of weeks ago, it didn't even heat. I ended up having to cook the strawberry jam on the stove.
Later, Hubbie did the honors of making French toast for our supper, so we could use the remainder of a loaf of white bread from Sunday's picnic at camp. With the French toast, we had a side of fried eggs, using fresh eggs from Sis's chickens. The syrup we used was some homemade jelly that didn't fully jell, mixed with sugar-free syrup and heated in the microwave.
Shortly after supper, Mother was ready to go home, so Hubbie accompanied her. Tonight I vowed to go put drops in Mother's eyes, since I forgot it last night.
Re: Mother: somehow, she has injured her left arm...she thinks she banged it against something. I discovered it was bothering her when I noticed she kept holding it with her right hand. She said it felt better when she applied pressure to it. She might have a hairline fracture. Anyway, Hubbie went to the store and got a self-adhesive bandage, which I put on her wrist. It makes her arm feel better.
While he was at the store, he checked the pharmacy to see if my prescription had been filled yet. It was called in before our camping trip. At that time, the pharmacy said they needed to contact the doctor, since the prescription fill date had expired. As of today, they had not heard from the doctor's office, they said.
So when Hubbie called to tell me this, I decided to call the doctor's office myself and light a fire, because I have only one pill left for tomorrow morning. I guess this worked, because in no time, the pharmacy called to say the prescription had been filled.
I have to wonder who is at fault for this, though, because it's not the first time I've had to call the doctor's office when the pharmacy claimed it hadn't received word to refill a prescription. But in the past, when I called, I learned the doctor's office had in fact contacted the pharmacy right away. This time, I left word with the nurse, but she didn't call back, so I don't know where the communication breakdown was.
Spent the evening watching "Bones" episodes.
She has had a problem working her central heat/air controls. The thermostat is mounted on the wall too high for her to see the switch on top, which she likes to fiddle with it, even though Hubbie has set the unit for the season and showed her how to raise and lower the temperature with the switch on the side of the thermostat.
No matter how many times we have explained to her to just use that side switch and not try to mess with the one on top, she has ignored us and fiddled with the upper switch anyway, so that she ends up with the temperature in her house as hot as an oven, or as cold as a refrigerator.
I'm puzzled by this, since she seems able to raise and lower the temperature in the camper just fine by using the side switch and not trying to switch the thermostat from cool to heat or vice versa.
Anyway, we decided she needs a new, very simple, thermostat with the functions clearly marked, and she needs it mounted at her eye level. So Hubbie went to the heat/air shop to choose one. A guy is scheduled to come and mount it for her tomorrow morning. I hope this solves the problem.
While I got ready for the day, Mother went to her jigsaw puzzle. It was a this-and-that kind day for me today...just lots of little things that needed to be taken care of, like burning photos to a CD from my laptop, in an attempt to create more space, burning a CD of Great-Grandson's graduation, and boxing it, along with a package of photos and a 5x7 portrait to be sent to Granddaughter, printing coupons to a hobby store for a trip there later this week, completing this week's word search puzzle contest, etc.
Despite clearing out photos from my laptop, and doing a disk clean-up, the computer still indicates I'm low on space. Guess it gets to go to the computer shop.
Re: word search puzzle contest: this week's puzzle appeared in the Tuesday local newspaper edition, since the paper didn't publish Monday, due to the Memorial Day holiday. But when I tried to complete the puzzle, I couldn't find a single word for a while. When I did find a word, it had nothing to do with the puzzle list. So I checked today's paper, and sure enough, there was an apology and a puzzle correction.
Later, for lunch today, Mother had her usual Ramen noodle soup, and I made chef's salads for Hubbie and me.
Afterward, Hubbie called the number listed at the company website from which I bought an automatic jelly maker to ask how we could return the unit, since it is as defective as the one it replaced. He was told that since the unit was not returned within 60 days of purchase, their policy is to give store credit, rather than refund the purchase cost.
And to get that, I needed to go back to the website and access their contact page and give the reason for returning the unit. I'm supposed to get a response with one day, with instructions on how to return it.
At the contact page, I wrote a scathing memo, letting them know that this is the second defective unit I've received, and that I don't want another one. What I want is a refund, and if I don't get one, I will write a very unfavorable review of the product at the booksellers website from where I originally ordered the first jelly maker.
After all, a jelly maker is not something you use routinely, so it's not likely I would have discovered that the one I have was defective within 60 days. I used it once shortly after I first got it, and successfully made a batch of jelly. But when I tried again a couple of weeks ago, it didn't even heat. I ended up having to cook the strawberry jam on the stove.
Later, Hubbie did the honors of making French toast for our supper, so we could use the remainder of a loaf of white bread from Sunday's picnic at camp. With the French toast, we had a side of fried eggs, using fresh eggs from Sis's chickens. The syrup we used was some homemade jelly that didn't fully jell, mixed with sugar-free syrup and heated in the microwave.
Shortly after supper, Mother was ready to go home, so Hubbie accompanied her. Tonight I vowed to go put drops in Mother's eyes, since I forgot it last night.
Re: Mother: somehow, she has injured her left arm...she thinks she banged it against something. I discovered it was bothering her when I noticed she kept holding it with her right hand. She said it felt better when she applied pressure to it. She might have a hairline fracture. Anyway, Hubbie went to the store and got a self-adhesive bandage, which I put on her wrist. It makes her arm feel better.
While he was at the store, he checked the pharmacy to see if my prescription had been filled yet. It was called in before our camping trip. At that time, the pharmacy said they needed to contact the doctor, since the prescription fill date had expired. As of today, they had not heard from the doctor's office, they said.
So when Hubbie called to tell me this, I decided to call the doctor's office myself and light a fire, because I have only one pill left for tomorrow morning. I guess this worked, because in no time, the pharmacy called to say the prescription had been filled.
I have to wonder who is at fault for this, though, because it's not the first time I've had to call the doctor's office when the pharmacy claimed it hadn't received word to refill a prescription. But in the past, when I called, I learned the doctor's office had in fact contacted the pharmacy right away. This time, I left word with the nurse, but she didn't call back, so I don't know where the communication breakdown was.
Spent the evening watching "Bones" episodes.
Tuesday, May 27, 2014
Tuesday, May 27
Up around 7:30 a.m., and did stair stepping, resistance band, and leg weights exercises after breakfast. Hubbie accompanied Mother to our house mid-morning, and she went to her jigsaw puzzle.
Once I was ready for the day, I did this and that around the house until lunchtime. Lunch today was Ramen noodle soup for Mother, and deli meat and cheese sandwiches for Hubbie and me.
Afterward, Mother went back to her puzzle, and Hubbie and I ran errands...just as it started raining. Went to the bank, to the pharmacy, and to the greeting card shop (to pick up a baptism card, since we are invited to the baptism of triplets born to the son and daughter-in-law of friends of ours). Then we went to a dollar store, to the WDCS, and a gas station.
Returned home after that, and relaxed until time to prepare supper. Tonight, we had leftovers...barbecued country ribs, sweet potatoes, baked beans, macaroni salad, corn-on-the-cob, with Sis's dinner rolls.
Mother was ready to go home shortly after supper, so Hubbie accompanied her. Then he and I watched episodes of "Bones."
It was a dark, rainy, not very exciting day, but a good one.
Once I was ready for the day, I did this and that around the house until lunchtime. Lunch today was Ramen noodle soup for Mother, and deli meat and cheese sandwiches for Hubbie and me.
Afterward, Mother went back to her puzzle, and Hubbie and I ran errands...just as it started raining. Went to the bank, to the pharmacy, and to the greeting card shop (to pick up a baptism card, since we are invited to the baptism of triplets born to the son and daughter-in-law of friends of ours). Then we went to a dollar store, to the WDCS, and a gas station.
Returned home after that, and relaxed until time to prepare supper. Tonight, we had leftovers...barbecued country ribs, sweet potatoes, baked beans, macaroni salad, corn-on-the-cob, with Sis's dinner rolls.
Mother was ready to go home shortly after supper, so Hubbie accompanied her. Then he and I watched episodes of "Bones."
It was a dark, rainy, not very exciting day, but a good one.
Monday, May 26, 2014
Monday, May 26
Today is Memorial Day, so the first thing Hubbie did this morning was hang the flag on the well house.
We slept late, until 8 a.m. this morning. After breakfast, I did stair stepping, resistance band,and weights exercises. While I exercised, Hubbie accompanied Mother to our house, and she went to her jigsaw puzzle.
This morning, Hubbie worked in the yard, while Mother and I watched the Memorial Day Concert from the PBS channel, which I recorded on DVR last night. This was a very moving program that featured award-winning actors narrating the thoughts of mothers who have lost sons, and men who have been seriously injured in service to our country. The program also featured singers and dancers, and a symphony orchestra.
I didn't leave the house today, but I still wore a blue shirt with a sparkly red, white, and blue "America" pin.
This afternoon, after a soup lunch, Mother went back to her puzzle, Hubbie went out to the yard, and I made two birthday cards for granddaughters.
Mid-afternoon, Mother and I began supper preparations...barbecued country ribs, baked beans, sweet potatoes, corn-on-the-cob, and Sis's homemade dinner rolls.
Mother was ready to go home shortly afterward, so I accompanied her. This was because I had insisted Hubbie plunk his hiney in his chair and practice using my laptop to access his social network page, because his daughter called tonight to suggest that she and his other children should to go in together to purchase him a laptop or tablet for his birthday, set up in the simplest way, so that he can communicate with them via his own social network page that I set up for him a year or so ago.
He has always had access to my laptop, if he wanted to use it, but he has not been inclined, because he gets frustrated with it. He still likes regular e-mail, which he was able to use on the office computer.
I'm not all that keen on acquiring another computer that will ultimately be my job to keep up with. I'm already responsible for all the electronics here. But I guess his kids think I've been derelict in my wifely duty to train him, so they need to take the situation in hand themselves. Good luck with that.
We ended tonight's lesson around 8:30, and spent the rest of the evening watching "Bones" episodes.
We slept late, until 8 a.m. this morning. After breakfast, I did stair stepping, resistance band,and weights exercises. While I exercised, Hubbie accompanied Mother to our house, and she went to her jigsaw puzzle.
This morning, Hubbie worked in the yard, while Mother and I watched the Memorial Day Concert from the PBS channel, which I recorded on DVR last night. This was a very moving program that featured award-winning actors narrating the thoughts of mothers who have lost sons, and men who have been seriously injured in service to our country. The program also featured singers and dancers, and a symphony orchestra.
I didn't leave the house today, but I still wore a blue shirt with a sparkly red, white, and blue "America" pin.
This afternoon, after a soup lunch, Mother went back to her puzzle, Hubbie went out to the yard, and I made two birthday cards for granddaughters.
Mid-afternoon, Mother and I began supper preparations...barbecued country ribs, baked beans, sweet potatoes, corn-on-the-cob, and Sis's homemade dinner rolls.
Mother was ready to go home shortly afterward, so I accompanied her. This was because I had insisted Hubbie plunk his hiney in his chair and practice using my laptop to access his social network page, because his daughter called tonight to suggest that she and his other children should to go in together to purchase him a laptop or tablet for his birthday, set up in the simplest way, so that he can communicate with them via his own social network page that I set up for him a year or so ago.
He has always had access to my laptop, if he wanted to use it, but he has not been inclined, because he gets frustrated with it. He still likes regular e-mail, which he was able to use on the office computer.
I'm not all that keen on acquiring another computer that will ultimately be my job to keep up with. I'm already responsible for all the electronics here. But I guess his kids think I've been derelict in my wifely duty to train him, so they need to take the situation in hand themselves. Good luck with that.
We ended tonight's lesson around 8:30, and spent the rest of the evening watching "Bones" episodes.
Sunday, May 25
We were in no hurry to get up this morning, so we lazed in bed until around 7:30. We settled for blueberry muffins and coffee (and a glass of orange juice for me) for breakfast, then got ready for the trip home.
By 9:30, we were on the road. It was a nice day for travel...overcast and not too hot. We arrived home around 11 a.m. Mother wanted to go straight to her house, so I accompanied her. Then Hubbie and I unloaded the camper. At noon, I fixed a sandwich plate and chips for Mother's lunch and took it to her. Hubbie and I also had sandwiches.
Time to shower, change clothes, and rest for a while after that and catch up on mail and newspapers. I also downloaded photos from Great-Grandson's graduation, and posted a lot of them on my social network page.
Later, for supper, I heated Dragon Soup and served it with crackers and pimento cheese. Hubbie took a serving of it to Mother, along with a wedge of angel food cake, strawberries, and whipped topping.
Then he and I watched episodes of "Bones" until bedtime. I kept one eye on the TV, while I ordered graduation photo prints to send to Granddaughter, and some for myself to use in creating scrapbook pages.
By 9:30, we were on the road. It was a nice day for travel...overcast and not too hot. We arrived home around 11 a.m. Mother wanted to go straight to her house, so I accompanied her. Then Hubbie and I unloaded the camper. At noon, I fixed a sandwich plate and chips for Mother's lunch and took it to her. Hubbie and I also had sandwiches.
Time to shower, change clothes, and rest for a while after that and catch up on mail and newspapers. I also downloaded photos from Great-Grandson's graduation, and posted a lot of them on my social network page.
Later, for supper, I heated Dragon Soup and served it with crackers and pimento cheese. Hubbie took a serving of it to Mother, along with a wedge of angel food cake, strawberries, and whipped topping.
Then he and I watched episodes of "Bones" until bedtime. I kept one eye on the TV, while I ordered graduation photo prints to send to Granddaughter, and some for myself to use in creating scrapbook pages.
Sunday, May 25, 2014
Saturday, May 24
Up around 7 a.m., dressed, and had a breakfast of blueberry muffins and fresh fruit...grapes, oranges, and pineapple.
Afterward, Hubbie and I went in search of strawberries again, and this time found them at the highway intersection, where vendors had set up. The strawberries were large and fully ripe...so ripe that the vendor warned that we should consume them today, or prepare them for the freezer. We bought four quarts, which I figured would be eaten at the noon picnic.
Son and Daughter-in-Law, and two great-grandsons arrived shortly after we returned to camp. i prevailed upon Son to take a look at the camper air conditioner, since he worked as a repairman years ago, and I knew he was knowledgeable.
It was not easy to access the inner workings of the air conditioner from on top of the camper, but Son managed to do it. He located the problem and took care of it. The unit didn't give us anymore trouble the rest of the time we were there, thank goodness.
The rest of the family, including the new graduate, arrived before lunch, and several of them helped take food, drink, and supplies to the recreation room. There was plenty of room for seating. A large round table and eight chairs were already there, so by adding a fold-out table and lawn chairs that we brought along, everyone could be seated comfortably.
The room also included a long table, and a bar, on which we laid out the lunch fare. We had a choice of deli turkey and ham, Havarti and American cheeses, homemade pimento cheese, a variety of sandwich breads, salad makings, chips, sliced tomatoes, sliced Vidalia onion, fresh fruits, angel food cake, and whipped topping for dessert, and a variety of drinks.
After we'd cleaned up and taken everything back to the camper, I grabbed my camera so I could take portrait shots of Grandson in his red graduation gown and cap. At the entrance to the campground, there is a decorative red water wheel (no water there, of course), which made a nice rugged-looking background for photos. The wheel is in a shaded area, so the lighting was good.
I took lots of shots in front of the wheel, then focused on taking shots of son standing near and seated in his red Mustang car. I think we got good results so that there are several shots appropriate for enlarging.
Because Son and Daughter-in-law were hosting a birthday swim party for a seven-year-old great-granddaughter, they left camp shortly after the photo session.
Daughter and Sis, along with a great-grandson, stayed on for the rest of the afternoon, though. While they were here, I decided that we should go visit a farm that is noted for their luscious strawberries. This required emptying the back of the van of all sorts of things...wheelchair, law chairs, stadium seats, and the like, so that the rear seat could be raised, because we needed room for five of us to ride. Mother opted to stay at the camper and rest, of course.
Somehow, I imagined the farm to be something other than it was...a large roadside shed, with crops in the fields on either side of the road. The farm had only strawberries, some cartons of squash and cucumbers (both overpriced), and Vidalia and purple onions. Sis was interested in the strawberries and bought a bucket of them.
Back at camp again, we visited for a while, and then after had a supper of sandwiches for some, and soup for others. Daughter, Sis, and Great-Grandson were ready to get on the road home afterward.
Later, Hubbie, Mother, and I played three games of Skipbo. We each won a game, and then we were ready for bed. It was another long day, but a satisfying one.
Homeward bound tomorrow.
Afterward, Hubbie and I went in search of strawberries again, and this time found them at the highway intersection, where vendors had set up. The strawberries were large and fully ripe...so ripe that the vendor warned that we should consume them today, or prepare them for the freezer. We bought four quarts, which I figured would be eaten at the noon picnic.
Son and Daughter-in-Law, and two great-grandsons arrived shortly after we returned to camp. i prevailed upon Son to take a look at the camper air conditioner, since he worked as a repairman years ago, and I knew he was knowledgeable.
It was not easy to access the inner workings of the air conditioner from on top of the camper, but Son managed to do it. He located the problem and took care of it. The unit didn't give us anymore trouble the rest of the time we were there, thank goodness.
The rest of the family, including the new graduate, arrived before lunch, and several of them helped take food, drink, and supplies to the recreation room. There was plenty of room for seating. A large round table and eight chairs were already there, so by adding a fold-out table and lawn chairs that we brought along, everyone could be seated comfortably.
The room also included a long table, and a bar, on which we laid out the lunch fare. We had a choice of deli turkey and ham, Havarti and American cheeses, homemade pimento cheese, a variety of sandwich breads, salad makings, chips, sliced tomatoes, sliced Vidalia onion, fresh fruits, angel food cake, and whipped topping for dessert, and a variety of drinks.
After we'd cleaned up and taken everything back to the camper, I grabbed my camera so I could take portrait shots of Grandson in his red graduation gown and cap. At the entrance to the campground, there is a decorative red water wheel (no water there, of course), which made a nice rugged-looking background for photos. The wheel is in a shaded area, so the lighting was good.
I took lots of shots in front of the wheel, then focused on taking shots of son standing near and seated in his red Mustang car. I think we got good results so that there are several shots appropriate for enlarging.
Because Son and Daughter-in-law were hosting a birthday swim party for a seven-year-old great-granddaughter, they left camp shortly after the photo session.
Daughter and Sis, along with a great-grandson, stayed on for the rest of the afternoon, though. While they were here, I decided that we should go visit a farm that is noted for their luscious strawberries. This required emptying the back of the van of all sorts of things...wheelchair, law chairs, stadium seats, and the like, so that the rear seat could be raised, because we needed room for five of us to ride. Mother opted to stay at the camper and rest, of course.
Somehow, I imagined the farm to be something other than it was...a large roadside shed, with crops in the fields on either side of the road. The farm had only strawberries, some cartons of squash and cucumbers (both overpriced), and Vidalia and purple onions. Sis was interested in the strawberries and bought a bucket of them.
Back at camp again, we visited for a while, and then after had a supper of sandwiches for some, and soup for others. Daughter, Sis, and Great-Grandson were ready to get on the road home afterward.
Later, Hubbie, Mother, and I played three games of Skipbo. We each won a game, and then we were ready for bed. It was another long day, but a satisfying one.
Homeward bound tomorrow.
Friday May 23
Up at 7 a.m. to get ready for a trip south to attend Great-Grandson's high school graduation tonight. We decided to take the camper and spend a couple of days at a campground about 15 minutes from the high school where the graduation ceremony would take place.
We were on the on the road by 9 a.m. Hubbie drove the truck/camper, while I drove the van, so Mother could be comfortable traveling.
As we approached the stop light at the intersection of the highway, I noticed the camper right hand brake light was not working. I'd forgotten to my cell phone on, so when we turned onto the four lane, I raced up beside him and waved to indicate we needed to pull off to our favorite auto shop, which was close by.
It didn't take long for one of the shop guys to discover the problem...a wire that wasn't making good contact...so we were back on the road by 9:30.
After that, it was an uneventful trip to the campground about an hour and a half away. We arrived around 11 a.m., and Hubbie began set-up in the reserved drive-through space. I wasn't all that happy with the space, which was the last one on the end of the drive-through spaces, located on the campground road, and right across from the now-defunct dump station.
I didn't see how we could entertain family in a no-yard space, and I feared having children there who might run into the road. But I needn't have worried, because once Hubbie had the the camper set up, he tried to let the slide out out. But there wasn't enough room between the slide out and the utility post.
Oh my gosh, was Hubbie frustrated! This meant he had to go all through the process again...getting the camper ready to hook up to the truck, moving the camper about a foot over, and setting it up again.
At this point, since it was close to noon, and Hubbie was pouring sweat, I suggested we have lunch before he began the take-down-set-up process again.
After lunch, a neighboring camper suggested that we look for a more accommodating site, rather than set up where we were. He said any space that was open would be fine to move to. So I made a swing around the campground and found one with a bit more real estate for setting up lawn chairs. There is really no great view anywhere in the campground, but at least this one looked out over a wooded area across the street, instead of an abandoned dump station.
This one was a back-in site, which is not Hubbie's favorite, but he had no trouble backing into it. We were finally set up around 2 p.m.
While he worked on setting up, Mother and I drove around the small campground. There was laughable playground....just a small square of gravel with a child-size basketball goal, a basketball, a metal truck, and a beach ball, along with a porch swing for parents to sit in. The sign near it warns that children should not run in the playground.
This campground is not known for its amenities. For instance, there is no office...it's operated on the honor system. Folks are expected to be honest and deposit campsite fees in a box situated in a building that houses the showers, bathrooms, laundry, and a sort of recreation room.
I found the recreation room to be quite adequate for a family-gathering picnic on Saturday. And it was air-conditioned...a definite plus.
The large sign on the front of the building was humorous, though: one rule states that fishing and swimming are not allowed in the campground. Nowhere at this facility is there a body of water, not even in the ditch, though later a family member saw a worm crawling there, undoubtedly blatantly unafraid of becoming bait.
No one was at the building, of course, to provide me with the campground wi-fi password. I tried calling the campground information phone number, but got no answer. So Hubbie visited that neighboring camper again, and he provided it.
Back at the campsite, Hubbie complained that there seemed to be no water hookup at the site. Every site had an above ground old-fashioned hand-operated pump that didn't work. Hubbie was pretty disgusted, but soon he discovered that there was a faucet under a lid on the ground. Finally, we were in business.
Except the air conditioner proceeded to drip water, which indicated it was freezing up. So we had to turn it off and on periodically to allow it to thaw
It had been a pretty frustrating day for Hubbie so far, so he was ready to crash. Mother was tired, too, just from the trip, so they were both ready for a nap. While they slept, I played on my tablet and read my novel, now that I had the password. The wi-fi signal was pretty weak, though...only two bars on my tablet.. so I couldn't get my e-mail. But I was able to access my social network page.
Hubbie woke up about an hour later. We decided to go see if we could find some fresh strawberries. Mother roused a little, enough for us to tell her we would be gone for a little while. We did not succeed in finding strawberries, though, so we were back at camp within the hour.
Mother was still asleep. In fact, she slept until suppertime, around 5 p.m. Tonight, I heated Dragon Soup, which we had with blueberry muffins.
Later, around 6:15 p.m., Hubbie and I went to a home improvement store parking lot to meet Son, Daughter-in-Law, and Great-Grandsons, so we could all travel to the high school parking lot. Since we were too early to meet with family, we looked around the store for a while.
We were all ready to head to the school by 7:50. We were early enough to get parking spaces fairly close to the football field, where the ceremony took place.
We brought along our stadium seats and three stadium cushions for seating, since sitting on bleachers for more than two hours would be very uncomfortable without them. Hubbie and I used the seats, and Son and Daughter-in-Law used the cushions.
We were seated about halfway down the bleachers, which was a good place for taking pictures of the ceremony with my long lens. Unfortunately, though, a family seated behind us talked, talked, talked all through the ceremony, so that we had difficulty hearing the speakers. They couldn't even bring themselves to hush during the prayer.
They were not the only rude folks present. Some others brought along air horns, which they blew vigorously when their graduate received his or her diploma. Then toward the end of the ceremony, folks began rushing the field. This was a very rude crowd. Have manners and decorum completely died?
We waited a few minutes after the ceremony and then went down to the field, too, where we took pictures and visited. Then we headed home. We got back to camp near 10 p.m.
Mother was awake and ready for a snack, after which she was ready to head to bed. I put drops in her eyes, and then she got into her jammies. We were all ready to hit the sack...it was a long day, and we were all tired.
We were on the on the road by 9 a.m. Hubbie drove the truck/camper, while I drove the van, so Mother could be comfortable traveling.
As we approached the stop light at the intersection of the highway, I noticed the camper right hand brake light was not working. I'd forgotten to my cell phone on, so when we turned onto the four lane, I raced up beside him and waved to indicate we needed to pull off to our favorite auto shop, which was close by.
It didn't take long for one of the shop guys to discover the problem...a wire that wasn't making good contact...so we were back on the road by 9:30.
After that, it was an uneventful trip to the campground about an hour and a half away. We arrived around 11 a.m., and Hubbie began set-up in the reserved drive-through space. I wasn't all that happy with the space, which was the last one on the end of the drive-through spaces, located on the campground road, and right across from the now-defunct dump station.
I didn't see how we could entertain family in a no-yard space, and I feared having children there who might run into the road. But I needn't have worried, because once Hubbie had the the camper set up, he tried to let the slide out out. But there wasn't enough room between the slide out and the utility post.
Oh my gosh, was Hubbie frustrated! This meant he had to go all through the process again...getting the camper ready to hook up to the truck, moving the camper about a foot over, and setting it up again.
At this point, since it was close to noon, and Hubbie was pouring sweat, I suggested we have lunch before he began the take-down-set-up process again.
After lunch, a neighboring camper suggested that we look for a more accommodating site, rather than set up where we were. He said any space that was open would be fine to move to. So I made a swing around the campground and found one with a bit more real estate for setting up lawn chairs. There is really no great view anywhere in the campground, but at least this one looked out over a wooded area across the street, instead of an abandoned dump station.
This one was a back-in site, which is not Hubbie's favorite, but he had no trouble backing into it. We were finally set up around 2 p.m.
While he worked on setting up, Mother and I drove around the small campground. There was laughable playground....just a small square of gravel with a child-size basketball goal, a basketball, a metal truck, and a beach ball, along with a porch swing for parents to sit in. The sign near it warns that children should not run in the playground.
This campground is not known for its amenities. For instance, there is no office...it's operated on the honor system. Folks are expected to be honest and deposit campsite fees in a box situated in a building that houses the showers, bathrooms, laundry, and a sort of recreation room.
I found the recreation room to be quite adequate for a family-gathering picnic on Saturday. And it was air-conditioned...a definite plus.
The large sign on the front of the building was humorous, though: one rule states that fishing and swimming are not allowed in the campground. Nowhere at this facility is there a body of water, not even in the ditch, though later a family member saw a worm crawling there, undoubtedly blatantly unafraid of becoming bait.
No one was at the building, of course, to provide me with the campground wi-fi password. I tried calling the campground information phone number, but got no answer. So Hubbie visited that neighboring camper again, and he provided it.
Back at the campsite, Hubbie complained that there seemed to be no water hookup at the site. Every site had an above ground old-fashioned hand-operated pump that didn't work. Hubbie was pretty disgusted, but soon he discovered that there was a faucet under a lid on the ground. Finally, we were in business.
Except the air conditioner proceeded to drip water, which indicated it was freezing up. So we had to turn it off and on periodically to allow it to thaw
It had been a pretty frustrating day for Hubbie so far, so he was ready to crash. Mother was tired, too, just from the trip, so they were both ready for a nap. While they slept, I played on my tablet and read my novel, now that I had the password. The wi-fi signal was pretty weak, though...only two bars on my tablet.. so I couldn't get my e-mail. But I was able to access my social network page.
Hubbie woke up about an hour later. We decided to go see if we could find some fresh strawberries. Mother roused a little, enough for us to tell her we would be gone for a little while. We did not succeed in finding strawberries, though, so we were back at camp within the hour.
Mother was still asleep. In fact, she slept until suppertime, around 5 p.m. Tonight, I heated Dragon Soup, which we had with blueberry muffins.
Later, around 6:15 p.m., Hubbie and I went to a home improvement store parking lot to meet Son, Daughter-in-Law, and Great-Grandsons, so we could all travel to the high school parking lot. Since we were too early to meet with family, we looked around the store for a while.
We were all ready to head to the school by 7:50. We were early enough to get parking spaces fairly close to the football field, where the ceremony took place.
We brought along our stadium seats and three stadium cushions for seating, since sitting on bleachers for more than two hours would be very uncomfortable without them. Hubbie and I used the seats, and Son and Daughter-in-Law used the cushions.
We were seated about halfway down the bleachers, which was a good place for taking pictures of the ceremony with my long lens. Unfortunately, though, a family seated behind us talked, talked, talked all through the ceremony, so that we had difficulty hearing the speakers. They couldn't even bring themselves to hush during the prayer.
They were not the only rude folks present. Some others brought along air horns, which they blew vigorously when their graduate received his or her diploma. Then toward the end of the ceremony, folks began rushing the field. This was a very rude crowd. Have manners and decorum completely died?
We waited a few minutes after the ceremony and then went down to the field, too, where we took pictures and visited. Then we headed home. We got back to camp near 10 p.m.
Mother was awake and ready for a snack, after which she was ready to head to bed. I put drops in her eyes, and then she got into her jammies. We were all ready to hit the sack...it was a long day, and we were all tired.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)