Saturday, June 14

Today is Flag Day, so the first thing Hubbie did was hang our flag on the well house. Flag Day is celebrated on June 14 to commemorate the adoption of the flag of the United States, which happened on that day in 1777 by resolution of the Second Continental Congress.

Skipped my exercises today after breakfast, so I could get right to work preparing food, and doing other things necessary for entertaining family tomorrow for Father's Day and Hubbie's birthday.

I began by boiling a couple of cups of macaroni for salad. I don't like the macaroni we bought at the big box store recently. It's very starchy and stuck to the bottom of the pan no matter how many times I stirred it. Hubbie doesn't like it either, since he had a difficult time getting the residue off the bottom of the pan when he tried to wash it.

While I cooked the macaroni and did a couple of other things, Hubbie vacuumed the carpets. Then he went to the lawn mower repair shop to pick up the mower. He's determined to mow the whole yard before tomorrow, I guess.

Before he went, he accompanied Mother to our house, and I set her up to cube potatoes, and chop veggies and boiled eggs for salad. When she was done, I put the salad together.

Hubbie returned from his errand about that time, and I informed him we didn't have enough salad dressing to make macaroni salad, so we all hopped in the van to go to town. I figured we could stop by the farmer's market downtown before we went to the store.

This is the first day that the market set up downtown. It's to be a one day a month event until fall, which doesn't seem like enough to me. It took place in the pocket park, and was scheduled to start at 8 a.m. So naturally, by the time we got there, nothing was left, even though it was only 10 a.m. One vendor said folks began arriving at 7 a.m. and cleaned them out in no time. Phooey, I had hoped to get some farm fresh veggies to serve tomorrow.

It was 11:00 by the time we returned home. Mother and I put together the macaroni salad, then decided to sample the salads, the baked beans, and the ham, for lunch.

After lunch, Mother and I made a couple of cakes. We started with the pineapple upside down cake. For this, I tired to open a can of pineapple rings, with no success. I simply could not pull the tab up on the can. So Hubbie tried. He couldn't do it, either, and finally managed to rip the tab off the top of the can.

He tried to open it with the electric can opener. No dice. The lid was too far down for it to catch on the opener. Likewise with a hand cranked opener. He was going to try using an ice pick, but I suggested he turn the can upside down to see if the rim was shallow enough to fit under the can opener. It was, so he finally succeeded in opening it.

I drained the pineapple, and Hubbie promptly drank the juice, which I was going to use in the topping and batter. This necessitated my opening another can of pineapple...crushed, this time. The tab worked fine on this can. I drained the fruit, used the juice in the cake, and put the pineapple in the freezer for later use.

Once the cake was baked, I successfully turned it out onto a cake keeper. My thumb protested a little, but I managed it, anyway. The only thing was, I couldn't figure out why there was no pineapple ring in the dead center of the cake. It wasn't in the pan, so where was it? Mother looked at the cake and surmised that one of the half rings she'd placed there moved somehow. Since there's a blank space in the middle, I'll put candles...the number 80...in there.

I washed the pan, and used it to bake a lemon cake. This cake will stay in the pan, and I'll make lemon pudding and meringue for it tomorrow morning.

After this cake came out of the oven, Mother and I were ready to relax for a while. Hubbie spent an hour mowing, then came in to relax, too. But he soon went back out, because he was determined to get that yard mowed.

I had planned to take Hubbie to a Mexican restaurant as part of his birthday, so I put together containers of macaroni salad, baked beans, and ham, for Mother to have for her supper. But when 5 p.m. rolled around, and Hubbie still hadn't come in from the yard, I plated the food, and served it to Mother in our dining room. She was ready to go home soon afterward.

Then I went outside to see if Hubbie ever intended to quit the yard. He was weed eating, but stopped to tell me he thought he'd ruined the lawn mower when he'd run over a tree root with it. He said he would no longer run forward or backward. But then he wiggled something at the back of the mower, and lo and behold, the thing was fixed. Thank goodness.

Hubbie was finally ready to shower and go to the restaurant. It was after 6 p.m. by now, and I feared the restaurant would be full, and we'd have to wait. But I needn't have worried. We were seated right away.

Back home, we watched episodes of  "As Time Goes By." Very funny British comedy series.

Friday, June 13

Friday the 13th, full "strawberry" moon, sun flares...bad omens, according to some folks. But nothing untoward happened today that I could tell. In fact, it was a nice, mild, sunny day. It was busy, but pleasant.

We were up at 6 a.m., so I could get ready for water aerobics. About 20 of us attended. The water was warm, and I enjoyed the session.

Back home, I had a couple of cups of coffee, then got ready for the day. Hubbie accompanied Mother to our house, before he went to the WDCS to pick up some groceries for the weekend.

Mother and I spent our morning, and part of the afternoon in the kitchen. I put a ham in the oven, then Mother diced onions and peppers for a recipe of baked beans. When the ham came out of the oven, I put the beans in. After Hubbie returned, he peeled potatoes, which I boiled for potato salad. I also boiled eggs to go in it. We won't make the salads until tomorrow, though. All this food preparation is for a family gathering in honor of Hubbie's birthday, and Father's Day.

This afternoon, Hubbie picked up two square tables and eight chairs from a business downtown. With the leaf in the dining room table, our card table and chairs, and those other two tables, we should have enough seating space for family.

Relaxed for a while this afternoon, until time to get ready to go to the art gallery's Summer Celebration. Hubbie accompanied Mother to her house before we left. She had a container of leftovers in the freezer that she microwaved for her supper.

We left for the event around 6:15, since it started at 6:30. It was well attended, but we didn't enjoy it as much this year as we have in the past. There weren't as many choices of items in the silent auction, and of those, I didn't win the bids on the things I tried for. I was interested in dinner/movie theater tickets, and tickets to a Chihully blown glass exhibit at the presidential library in our capital city.

As usual at these gatherings, folks dressed in all sorts of styles . By and large, it was casual, though some dressed up, and some came in jeans and tees. Most of us were somewhere in the middle. A couple of ladies...a mother and daughter....were in costume, though. The mother was clad in something resembling a frontiersman, while her daughter was in in a dance hall get-up.

I'm not sure why they chose to dress like that, but later, when Hubbie and I were ready to leave, we noticed they were sitting on the steps outside. I stopped and commented that they were dressed the most uniquely of all of us. the young woman said she took that as a compliment.

I responded that it was indeed a compliment..."You stood right out," I said. Later, I realized my comment could be taken more than one way, since the young woman's ample bosom was pretty prominent, having been lifted up and out by the bustier, off-the-shoulders, laced-in-the-back, dress she was wearing.

The event was held in a church fellowship hall, which was decorated adequately, but more sparsely than last year. Japanese lanterns were suspended from the ceiling near the buffet tables, and more were suspended from tree branches outdoors, where tables were set up for dining and listening to the music.

The tables indoors were laid with white table clothes, and centered with crisscrossed brightly colored cloth napkins. On the napkins were hand crafted lily-pad-like flowers, fashioned from colorful card stock folded to look like leaves and flowers. I inspected one of them, and they were held together in the middle by colored rubber bands. I think I can find directions for these online.

The food at the buffet was not as artfully displayed as it was last year, and there weren't as many choices. The entree item was barbecued pork tenderloin sliders, along with mini-quiches, vegetable pizza squares, dips and chips, raw veggies, and an array of desserts. Drinks included bottled water, coffee, white wine, wine punch, and the dreadful beer from our capital city. We tried the beer last year...it's very strong, so we don't like it. We tried the white wine this year. It was very dry, so one sip was all I wanted. I settled for water.

We stayed until around 8:30, then decided to come home. Others drifted out, too. The ones most interested in sticking around were folks who had won silent auction items, and young people who wanted to enjoy the live band and singer that were to entertain outside later. We've heard this group a number of times, so we weren't interested in fighting the mosquitoes to hear them again. We had eaten our meal out there earlier, and already the little pests were buzzing and landing.

As soon as we got back home, I went to Mother's house to put drops in her eyes. It was frigid in her house. I asked if she wanted it that cool. She said no, she had adjusted the thermostat, so the unit should go off soon.

I checked the thermostat to see what temperature she had it set on. It was set for 63 degrees. No wonder it was cold in there. I set it for 74 degrees, and the unit immediately shut off. Once again, I tried to explain to her that the arrow pointing up was the one she should push to increase the temperature, and the arrow pointing down was the one she should push to decrease the temperature. The temperature is prominently displayed on the front of the thermostat, and is at her eye level, so I can't understand why she continues to have problems setting the darn thing.

She indicated that she understood my instructions, of course, but I knew she didn't. So I told Hubbie that he is going to have to check the thermostat each morning before he accompanies her over here, and I will check it at night when I put drops in her eyes.

Back home, Hubbie and I watched TV for a while...a couple of one-hour shows recorded on DVR. We are disappointed with the new cable box. It does not allow us to access the premium channels, and in fact, a few of the basic channels aren't accessible, either. Hubbie called the cable guy today, but of course, he can't come until Monday.

Thursday, June 12

Up at 6 a.m. so Hubbie could get ready to go to a Master Gardener in a town about 30 minutes away. He was to meet a car pool at the Extension Services office around 8 a.m., so he left home shortly after we had breakfast.

I skipped my exercises this morning, because I wanted to get ready to go shopping before predicted rain storms rolled in. Before I went to town, I accompanied Mother to our house, where she went to her jigsaw puzzle.

By 9 a.m., I was ready to head to town. I went first to the farm supply store to pick up a gift card for Mother to give Hubbie for his birthday. At this store, there was only one other customer, and one clerk at the cash register. I stood forever "in line" behind the only customer, a man, while he and the clerk ironed out some problem or other that he was having with merchandise he'd bought previously. Finally, I leaned against a display case and heavily sighed. At this point, the man suggested the clerk wait on me. I must have been invisable before.

From there, I went to the WDCS to pick up a few items, including a birthday card for Mother to give to Hubbie. While I was here, I decided to look at the purses and shoes. I needed a new summer purse, and I found one that I like. I also found a pair of green flats that match the blouse I'll wear to the Summer Celebration tomorrow night.

Then I went to a home improvement store to buy a knockout rose bush for Hubbie's birthday. He's often said he'd like one. I hope I got a nice healthy one. I met a couple of the Master Gardeners...sisters...at this store, and asked their advice on the rose bush. They said it looked good.

While we talked, I said, "You're not at the Master Gardener event?"

One of them said, "Is that today?"

"Yes," I replied.

"Well, then," she said, sarcastically , "I guess we're not there."

The other one quickly added, "We have company coming today, so we couldn't go to the program."

Apparently, these ladies are not southern born, or they would have understood that the way I posed the question did not mean that I couldn't see they hadn't gone to the event, since they were standing right there in front of me. It was my way of saying, "I'm surprised you aren't at the Master Gardener event, since it's a big deal for the organization."

By the time I left this store it was getting close to 11:30, so I came back home to get lunch for Mother and me. It was the usual Ramen noodle soup for Mother, and I had leftovers.

Afterward, Mother went back to her puzzle, and I headed to town again. This time, I went first to the library to pick up a couple of movies. I took back three movies, but two of them were checked out on Hubbie's card, so I could only check out one of the movies I had selected. But the librarian set the other one aside for us to pick up later, when Hubbie returned.

When I left the library, I decided to swing back around and go to the art gallery to see the Small Works on Paper exhibit. Navigating the new street and parking system on two blocks downtown is a bit of a challenge, though, since no one is used to it yet.

The new system has drivers one one lane (used to be two one-way lanes) in a block that now has back in parking spaces, where horizontal ones used to be, then zags to the other lane, on which there is a block of head-in parking spaces.

Street lights are now flashing red...first to arrive, first to go. At the gallery, there are head-in spaces, and when I tried to leave the gallery, there was a large truck with tinted windows parked on my left. I could not see around the back of the truck, and I couldn't see through the windows.

Since there is only one lane on that street, now, my only option was to inch backward, hoping oncoming traffic would see that I was trying to get out of that space. Fortunately, there were no cars close by, so I got out safely. But I wonder how long it will be before there's a fender bender down there.

The art exhibit was interesting. I was struck by a thought-provoking one titled "The Brothers Tsarnaev," which depicted the  bloodied terrorists standing in front of an American flag, with buzzards perched on and pecking at their heads.

A painting of a very realistic looking pink peony in a clear vase was much more pleasing.

From the gallery, I went to the card shop to buy a Father's Day card for Hubbie. Then it was on to a grocery store to get scratch-off tickets as part of Hubbie's birthday gifts.

Arrived back home just as the sky darkened, and it began thundering. The storm passed, though, without dropping much rain...the rain happened later, after Hubbie got back home.

I wasn't in the mood to do much else for the rest of the afternoon other than read newspapers, play on my tablet, watch TV, and doze.

Hubbie returned just after 3 p.m. Later, we had a supper of leftovers, after which Mother was ready to go home. Hubbie accompanied her, and later I went over and put drops in her eyes.

Then Hubbie and I watched movies borrowed from the library. The first one was titled, "Hush," starring Gweneth Paltrow, and Jessica Lange. In this 1998 thriller, a woman tries to get rid of her daughter-in-law, so she can have her son and grandson all to herself.

Then we watched a couple of episodes of the British comedy, "As Time Goes By." The series follows the relationship of a couple of former lovers after not having seen each other in 38 years.

Wednesday, June 11

Up at 6 a.m. to get ready for water aerobics. Cool for the walk to the gym this morning, but it felt good. The pool was cooler than Monday, too, but it was nice.

Our regular leader was not present. She had gone to a town about two hours east yesterday and was there when a torrential rain cropped up. Her family didn't want her traveling home in it, so she stayed overnight. So a substitute led us today. She is not our favorite, because she doesn't follow a routine, but seems to just make stuff up as she goes along. We all bumbled our way through it, though.

I was back home by 9 a.m. Had a cup of coffee, and then headed upstairs to get ready for the day. I usually linger over a couple of cups of coffee after aerobics, but today I wanted to go ahead and shower and dress, so we could go to a town about 30 minutes away to shop for on-sale scrapbook supplies at the WDCS there.

The trip was prompted by a phone call last night from one of our scrapbook club members who had discovered the bargains when she shopped there yesterday. The store is closing out these items, so I wanted to go see what we could use before the items sold out.

Today was the only day I could take the time, because I need to spend the next several days preparing for a family gathering in honor of Hubbie's birthday and Father's Day Sunday.

While I got ready, Hubbie accompanied Mother to our house. Back downstairs, I noticed that Mother was sulking in the rocking chair. Seems she was put out that she hadn't been warned of a trip, so she could dress appropriately.

I asked what clothes she wanted, and then I went to her house to fetch them. While she was in the bathroom changing, Hubbie said that when he went to Mother's house, he told her we would be making the trip, and that I was in the shower and it would be a while before I was ready to go, so she had plenty of time to change if she wanted to. She decided she'd just come to our house without changing. I think she sometimes forgets from minute-to-minute what she wants to do.

Later, Hubbie also commented that when he went to Mother's house this morning, he noticed the heat was on, and the temperature was about 85 degrees. He asked if she wanted the heat on. She did not. So he set it for air, and programmed it for 74 degrees. I'm thinking she's going to have no better luck operating this new thermostat than she did the old one. I suggested to Hubbie that when he goes over there in the mornings, he should check the thermostat and adjust it, if needed.

We were ready to head to the other town around 10 a.m. It was a nice, partly sunny day for a drive. At the other town, we spent about 30 minutes shopping. Found a lot of neat things marked down to fifty cents or a dollar. Got rubber stamps, stickers, jewels, pads of patterned card stock, adhesive ribbon, blank cards, etc.

It was 11:30 by the time we were back in the van, so we went to a buffet pizza restaurant for lunch. It's been years since I've eaten at a pizza restaurant. Don't want to make a habit of that. But it was good today.

Macaroni and cheese was on the buffet, which delighted Mother. We were there in time for fresh, hot pizzas to be brought out, which was good. We enjoyed the bread sticks with marinara sauce, too, and the Caesar salad. Mother and I loved the chocolate covered sweet breads, too. Hubbie preferred the cinnamon ones.

We were back home around 1 p.m. Mother had enjoyed the trip immensely, so she was in good spirits, and in a mood to work on her jigsaw puzzle.

We expected the cable guy sometime between 2 p.m. and 4 p.m., and he arrived around 3 p.m. The reason we called him was because the menu on the TV kept saying "to be announced." Even when we unplugged the unit for a while to try to reset it, it kept giving us that message.

I figured we probably needed a new box, and I was right. I was hoping the old one could be fixed, because when a box is changed, all the shows on the DVR go away. But there was no other way.

The cable guy was a very young man, new to his job, so he had to call his supervisor a couple of times to get the job done. But he was a very nice guy. He's been married four years, he said, to a woman from Washington State. This will be her first time to experience our summer weather. She's in for a shock, I'm afraid.

She is a lady who is accustomed to enjoying the occasional glass of wine with her meals, and she was surprised to find that she cannot purchase it at our grocery stores, because we are a dry county.

This fact prompted a conversation about an attempt in our county to get a wet/dry issue on an upcoming ballot. There is a strong faction among the churches to discourage folks from signing the petition, but our feeling is that no matter which side of the issue you fall on, our country was founded on the belief that we all have a right to speak...and one of our ways of speaking is to vote.

While we waited to see if the new cable box was going to load correctly, the young man mentioned that his next visit was to collect on an overdue cable bill at a home, or turn off their service. We didn't know this was a responsibility of cable service guys.

Do people get testy when threatened with getting their service cut? Oh, yes, he said. There are some homes where he refuses to try to collect..he simply cuts the service to keep from getting into a conflict.

He was surprised when, at an elderly woman's home, he noticed "plants" growing in another room. The policy of his company is that if he sees drugs at a home, he is to promptly leave, and report what he sees to the authorities. He does promptly leave, but what he does about reporting I don't know.

There are certain neighborhoods that he simply refuses to visit after dark, and I don't blame him. We are a relatively safe town, but there are still one or two neighborhoods that are pretty rough.

After the cable guy left, Mother was ready to go home, so Hubbie accompanied her. Later, I went over there to put drops in her eyes. I got a postcard reminding me that Mother is to go back to the ophthamologist to be tested for glaucoma again. I'll make an appointment in the day or two to get her in maybe sometime next week.

Since there is nothing in the DVR now, Hubbie and I went in search of a couple of movies to watch tonight. We got "The Monument Men," and "Nebraska."

Based on a true story, "The Monument Men" is about a group of men who rescue masterpieces from Nazi thieves and return them to their owners. This is a really good movie, starring George Clooney, Matt Damon, Bill Murray, John Goodman, and Cate Blanchett.

"Nebraska" stars Bruce Dern as an elderly, befuddled, alcoholic man who thinks he has won a million dollars through a mega marketing sweepstakes. He is determined to go from Montana to Nebraska to claim his prize. His sons cannot dissuade him, so one of them agrees to take him.

Tuesday, June 10

Up around 8 a.m., and did stair stepping, resistance band, and leg weights exercises after breakfast. Got ready for the day, then did this and that for the rest of the morning.

Mother opted out of coming over this morning, since she wasn't interested in attending a noon luncheon at the hospital today, because the program was about accessing personal medical information through a computer portal.

This is a new program that the hospital is launching in July. I have already registered us for our primary care clinic portals, so I'm already familiar with the process. But the speaker today advised that we will need to visit the the hospital's medical records department to obtain codes for the portals, and also to sign documents that allow family members to access records. I need this so I can keep track of Hubbie's and Mother's information.

The speaker assured us that these records are in-house only, and not on the web. Only authorized people can access them. Still, one woman was not reassured by this and asked how she can keep her information safe. The speaker pointed out that her records are given to no one, not even her doctor, without her express written permission.

Lunch today was the usual baked chicken, with wild rice, and a medley of veggies...green beans, wax beans, and carrots...roll and butter, and fresh pineapple for dessert, as well as a choice of water or soft drinks.

There weren't as many in attendance today, thanks to an e-mail glitch. Folks were probably as confused as I was when I received a message about 4 p.m. yesterday reminding me of the luncheon, followed around 5 p.m. by a message recalling the first e-mail.

I responded to the second e-mail, asking if in fact the program had been canceled. Received a message this morning apologizing for the confusion and stating that the event was still on.

We were back home just after 1 p.m. Hubbie left again before 2 p.m. to meet a haircut appointment. Before he left, he accompanied Mother to our house. She went to her jigsaw puzzle.

After his haircut, Hubbie ran a few errands...to the post office, to the pharmacy to pick up another prescription of eye drops for Mother, and to the art gallery to buy tickets for the upcoming Summer Celebration.

I spent my afternoon doing this and that, including adjusting the blouse I bought to wear to the Summer Celebration. The button detail near the scoop neckline wasn't straight, so I tightened the gathering on one side of the elastic by stitching along it and drawing the thread up. That corrected the problem.

Hubbie had no sooner gotten back home than the sky opened up, and there was a downpour. I really wish that was the last of the rain for a while, but predictions are that after a relatively dry day tomorrow, there are chances for rain again later in the week.

Later, for supper, I boiled and mashed yellow potatoes (with the skins on), heated pork roast in the oven, made a recipe of brown gravy, and served the meal with salad tomatoes topped with cottage cheese, coleslaw, and individual cups of apple sauce.

Mother was ready to go home shortly after supper, so Hubbie accompanied her. Then he and I watched one-hour shows on TV.

Monday, June 9

Up at 6 a.m. to get ready for water aerobics. I was surprised at how cool it was this morning. I wore shorts and a tee shirt over my swimsuit, but something warmer would have felt good for the walk to the gym.

About 20 of us attended today. The water in the pool was very pleasantly warm, and I enjoyed the workout. The talk this morning, of course, was about the small tornado that hit our community last Friday.

During aerobics last Friday, one of the members commented that she and her husband were planning to go fishing at a lake about an hour from our town. I told her that there were storm warnings for the day, but she said her husband was convinced nothing would happen before 2 p.m.

The woman said that after they were on the lake, and it became cloudier and cloudier, she kept encouraging her husband to turn around and go back to dock, but he didn't want to. He didn't want to give up until he caught at least one fish. At last, he did catch one, and finally agreed to go back to dock. They had no sooner secured the boat and gotten in their truck when the storm hit.

The husband drove home in it, and as they approached our town they saw the black cloud that produced the funnel. But it wasn't until they were at home that they learned about the tornado.

Later, her husband apologized for not listening to her, because they could easily have been caught on that lake during the wind and lightning. So as not to entirely admit to being wrong, though, he rationalized that dying while fishing wouldn't be the worst way to go. The lady said that just because he was willing to go while fishing, didn't mean she was.

Following aerobics, I started to leave the gym when I saw that it was raining. Fortunately, I had an umbrella in my swim bag, but it was a chilly walk back to the van, I was plenty glad for a hot cup of coffee when I got home.

Hubbie accompanied Mother to our house shortly after I got home, and she went to her jigsaw puzzle. While I got ready for the day, Hubbie ran errands...one of them being to pick up a small container of chicken salad for lunch, she I was blank on what to have.

I spent the rest of the morning cleaning and decorating the upstairs bathroom.There's been nothing in there all this time, because I wanted a new look...but I haven't found anything I want.

So I gave up and put the old stuff back in there. The curtain is a new look...it's a valance I used in the bedroom years ago that I'd forgotten I had. Found it on the top shelf of a linen closet. It's floral in colors of pink, green, and lavender, so it looks nice with the pearl onion green walls in the bathroom.

It was close to noon by the time I finished upstairs, so I heated leftover macaroni and cheese for Mother's lunch. By that time, Hubbie had returned, and we had chicken salad sandwiches and chips.

After lunch, I spent time on my tablet talking with family...a great-grandson was scheduled for a tonsillectomy at 2 p.m., and a great-granddaughter was at a hospital with a sore that was red and feverish. So I was anxious until I learned that both children had been treated and are doing well.

Later, Mother and I prepared supper...she made dressing for coleslaw, and sliced pork roast to be heated in the oven. I put a dish of sweet potatoes, and a dish of leftover sauteed potatoes in the oven, too.

Mother was ready to go home shortly after supper, so Hubbie accompanied her. Later, I went over there to put drops in her eyes.

Tonight's movies: the first one was, "Secret Window," (2004) starring Johnny Depp. We'd seen this one before, but didn't remember the whole plot. An author, recently separated from his wife, gets writer's block. A mysterious man in a black hat, appears at his house and accuses him of plagiarizing his book. Pretty good suspense movie.

The second movie (2005) was, "Coach Carter," starring Samuel L. Jackson. This sports drama is based on the true story of Richmond High School coach Ken Carter. This coach valued education, and dared to bench his whole team for poor academic performance.

Sunday, June 8

Up around 8 a.m., but skipped my exercises as usual on Sunday. After breakfast, Hubbie accompanied Mother to our house. She wasn't in the mood for her jigsaw puzzle today, so she just relaxed in her rocking chair.

Meanwhile, Hubbie and I began doing things around the house to get ready for company next weekend. He helped me put away totes of card making supplies, and then he straightened up the sunroom, while I organized the office.

Later, Mother and I prepared lunch...today, it was leftover stuffed peppers, with a recipe of macaroni and cheese. Mother sliced the peppers in half and put them in a baking dish, and cubed cheese for making sauce. I cooked the macaroni and made the cheese sauce, then put both dishes in the oven for a while.

There was still a half a stuffed pepper, and some macaroni and cheese left after the meal, so I put those in a freezer container and Hubbie took them to Mother's house and put them in her refrigerator freezer. Mother will microwave these next Friday for her supper, while we attend the arts council Summer Celebration.

Then we watched a movie borrowed from the library..."Snow Falling on Cedars." This 1999 film is about a Japanese-American fisherman who is accused of killing his neighbor in the 1950s, after the man is found dead by another fisherman. This was a few years after Japanese-Americans were wrongfully rounded up and transported to camps, and racial tension still ran high.

After the movie, I decided to make a coffee cake. While it baked, I started another movie...this one on DVR. It's titled, "Margin Call." An investment bank downsizes. One of men who is let go warns the others to "be careful." Then one of the younger employees promptly discovers that a financial crisis is imminent, if the big guys don't find a way out. They spend the next 24 hours desperately seeking a solution.

Mother was ready to go home afterward, so Hubbie accompanied her. I went to her house later and put drops in her eyes.

Then Hubbie and I continued our movie marathon by watching a Lifetime film called, "The Family That Preys." A wealthy family's and working family's lives interconnect with unexpected results.