Saturday, July 13, 2013

Saturday, July 13

Slept late, until 8 a.m., then did stair stepping, resistance bands, and weights exercises after breakfast. Hubbie accompanied Mother to our house, and then he went out to mow the yard.

Once I was ready for the day, I did this and that around the house, including a few loads of laundry. So far, the filter at the well house seems to be working to keep rust out of the washing machine...no rust on my clothes this time.

Mother worked on a new jigsaw puzzle...she finished one yesterday, and I helped her set up another one this morning before I began my exercises.

After lunch, she went back to her puzzle, while Hubbie and I cleaned the kitchen refrigerator. Hubbie went back to the yard after that, and in a few minutes, he returned with a DVD in a beat up container. He'd found it in the ditch while he was mowing.

I decided to buff it and see if it worked. It's an animated feature, so it was pretty dirty from children handling it. It works, though it has some skips in it, one of which is right at the end of the show. It's a cute movie, though, so I think I'll try to clean it a little more with mild dish detergent (as recommended online). I'm not sure how the DVD ended up in our ditch...maybe a kid accidentally threw it out a car window.

Later, Mother and I prepared a supper of Parmesan potatoes, and turkey burgers on buns. Turkey burgers are not Hubbie's favorite, but he tolerates them. He loves Parmesan potatoes, though.

Hubbie accompanied Mother home afterward, and then he and I watched TV.





Friday, July 12, 2013

Friday, July 12

Up at 6 a.m. to get ready for water aerobics.  Such a nice, cool, low humidity day for walking to the gym. Very pleasant, despite raucous crows calling each other high in the pine trees on land adjacent to the gym. The land is used in the college's adventure program, and there is a zipline there.

The pool was cool, too, but fine once I got used to it. Only nine of us showed up today, probably because it's Friday, and folks want to get a jump on the weekend. We don't have a lot planned for the weekend, though, so a session at the pool was just the thing for me.

Back home afterward, I relaxed with cups of coffee, and then headed upstairs to get ready for the day. In the meantime, Hubbie accompanied Mother to our house, and then he met his appointment with his barber.

By the time I was ready for the day, it was around 11:30, so I fixed us a lunch of leftovers. Afterward, Mother went to her jigsaw puzzle, and Hubbie and I ran a couple of errands...to the farmer's market, where we picked up zucchini squash and peaches, and to the WDCS, where we bought a few grocery items, including a bag of sweet cherries that had been marked down to a dollar a pound from three dollars a pound. I'd been wanting some cherries, but refused to pay the higher price.

Back home, I asked Hubbie if he knew what had happened to a bottle of sunscreen I'd bought on our last trip to the WDCS. I'd searched for it everywhere this morning and couldn't find it. Hubbie didn't know what had happened to it, so he searched everywhere, too, including the van.

We decided the bottle never made it home with us, so I suggested we find the sales receipt and go back to the store for a replacement. Hubbie was convinced that since we'd bought it last week, the store probably wouldn't replace it. But I thought it was worth trying, because we paid about $7 for it, and I didn't want to shell out that amount again for another bottle.

So while I was busy doing other things, Hubbie went to the WDCS. He had no trouble getting a replacement, since a computer search at the returns counter showed that a bottle of sunscreen was left behind at the register we used on the date indicated on our sales receipt. I wonder what would have happened, though, if the item had not shown up on the computer?

At home later, Mother helped me put together and egg casserole for supper. She diced mushrooms and bell peppers, which I sauteed with onions, and then we layered leftover fried potatoes, the veggies, egg substitute, bread crumbs, and Monterey Jack cheese. Baked the dish for about 45 minutes. Served it with toast and jelly, and slices of cantaloupe.

Afterward, I changed clothes, while Hubbie accompanied Mother to her house. Then we went downtown to the art gallery for an artist's reception. We enjoyed the event, because it was an opportunity to talk with people we haven't seen for a while.

The artist is a woman who originally came from a nearby community in our state, but who moved to California, where she spent over 20 years. She has now returned to live in our state again. Her watercolor pastels depict California mountain landscapes, as well as river landscapes from our state.

Back home, we watched TV for a while, including a very strange movie called "Woman in the Fifth." This very strange subtitled movie from France at first seemed to be a drama about a man, estranged from his wife, returning to a town to be close to his daughter; but as the story unfolded, it seemed to take a weird turn into the realm of fantasy.









Thursday, July 11, 2013

Thursday, July 11

Slept late, until around 8 a.m., and did stair stepping, resistance bands, and weights exercises after breakfast. Hubbie accompanied Mother to our house around 9:30, and then he went to a Master Gardener meeting.

Once I was ready for the day, I did this and that around the house, while Mother worked on her jigsaw puzzle.

Hubbie returned from his meeting around 11:30, and after a lunch of leftovers, he went outside, and Mother and I made a batch of oatmeal/chocolate chip/nut cookies. We each tried one when they were done, and they are yummy. Hubbie declared them to be tasty, too, but not as good as the oatmeal-raisin ones. I put both batches of cookies in the freezer.

After that, Mother went back to her puzzle, and I relaxed with today's newspapers, and played on my e-tablet.

Mid-afternoon, Hubbie came in to tell me another large limb fell from that tree near Mother's house, bringing down a few smaller limbs with it. Fortunately, none of them hit Mother's house this time.

For supper, we had leftover goulash. I cooked a little more macaroni, since I felt there wasn't quite enough for the three of us. There was more sauce than was needed, so I put the rest of it in the freezer for a future goulash supper.

The goulash was as good tonight as it was last night. Served sliced garden tomatoes on the side. Hubbie brought home three really nice tomatoes from the Master Gardener meeting. A Master Gardener couple grow a huge veggie garden every year, and they share their bounty with folks.

Hubbie accompanied Mother to her house afterward, and then he and I watched TV.

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Mother is beginning to misplace things. We haven't located her Social Security card yet...discovered it wasn't in her purse when I took her to the hospital for a scan of her swollen leg.

Then yesterday, she couldn't find her checkbook. Fortunately, Hubbie located it today, under her toaster.

We'd like to keep her checkbook and important ID cards in a safe place at our house, but she fights the idea, since she doesn't want to relinquish this part of her independence.

Of course, this just makes it more difficult for us to see to her affairs, which she is unable to take care of on her own.


Wednesday, July 10, 2013

Wednesday, July 10

Up at 6 a.m. this morning to get ready for water aerobics. Gee whiz the dressing room at the gym is cold! Feels even colder when I'm wet from the shower or after I've been in the pool. The pool was chilly, too, today, though I got used to it pretty quickly.

A dozen of us attended this morning. One of the ladies mentioned that watermelons and cantaloupes are ready in the community where she lives. There are several growers in that town, but we are especially fond of the produce from one of them.

Back home, once I was ready for the day, we decided to go to the town (about twenty minutes away) to buy melons. Our favorite grower had cantaloupes, but no watermelons. No one was available to help us, but customers were invited to pick the melons we wanted, and place our money in a can provided. We got two melons.

Then we went to another grower that we noticed on our way to our favorite one. This person had not only cantaloupes and watermelons, but a large variety of vegetables. We bought a watermelon, new potatoes, tomatoes, yellow squash, and bell peppers. The peppers were listed at fifty cents apiece, but she gave us six for a dollar.

Back home, I set a pot of spaghetti sauce simmering, and then later, after a chicken soup lunch, I turned the sauce off, and Hubbie and I went to the WDCS for a few grocery items and incidentals for ourselves and Mother.

Back home, again, Mother and I baked a batch of oatmeal-raisin cookies, much to Hubbie's delight, since these are his favorite kind. They aren't my favorite, so tomorrow we will make a recipe of oatmeal/chocolate chip/pecan cookies, which are really yummy.

Mother went to her jigsaw puzzle after that, and I relaxed until time to prepare supper. Around 3 p.m., Hubbie cut the watermelon, and we enjoyed juicy slices of the wonderful fruit. We'd sampled the sweet cantaloupe for lunch. These local melons are far superior to any that can be obtained at grocery stores.

Around 4 p.m., I added the rest of the beans and ham to the spaghetti sauce, and cooked macaroni to make goulash. It was a tasty dish, with a side of fresh tomatoes topped with cottage cheese.

Hubbie accompanied Mother home afterward, and then he and I watched TV, including a movie called, "Lawless." Based on a true story, this 2012 movie takes place in Depression-era, Franklin County, Virginia, where bootleggers are threatened by a corrupt deputy, who wants a cut of the profits. Obviously "R" rated for violence.

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Learned from the local paper tonight that the cause of the power outage last night was a young woman slamming into a power pole, after she huffed air duster, passed out, and lost control of her car. She's in jail now, with several charges against her, including driving on a suspended license, and having no liability insurance.


Tuesday, July 9, 2013

Tuesday, July 9

Up around 8 a.m. this morning, and did stair stepping exercises after breakfast. Hubbie accompanied Mother to our house mid-morning. She was dressed to go to a luncheon/talk at the hospital conference room today.

Once I was ready for the day, I didn't accomplish much for the rest of the morning. Around 10 a.m., two plumbers came by to install a filering system at the well house. For this, of course, they had to shut off the water, so I was glad I'd already showered by this time.

Just before 11 a.m., we headed out to the hospital, first stopping by a pharmacy to pick up prescriptions.

We got to the hospital in time to find a table convenient to the buffet counter, so that it would be earsier to serve Mother. Today's lunch was baked chicken, corn medley, and mashed potatoes topped with (yes) yellow cheese and crumbled bacon, a roll with margarine, and fresh fruit medley. I dug under the cheese and bacon topping to get the mashed potatoes.

The featured speaker was a cardiologist, who talked about STEMI (ST segment elevation myocardial infarction)  heart attacks, which need immediate medical attention...they must be rushed to the cath lab for treatment. In non-STEMI cases (like mine), there is no rush to get catheterization. Instead, the patient is given clot dissolving drugs, beta blockers, and nitrates, and then are treated by inserting a stent in the blocked artery.

As with all talks about heart attacks, cardiologists stress the importance of not ignoring symptoms, and not delaying getting treatment. But under no circumstances should symptomatic patients try to drive themselves to the hospital, or be driven by someone else.

Call an ambulance, because perimedics can begin treatment as soon as they arrive, and symptoms can be relayed immediately to a physician,  who can call in cath lab technicians, and the cath lab can be prepared ahead of patient arrival to prevent any delays in treatment. This is extremely important, because in STEMI cases, stent treatment must take place within 90 minutes of the attack to prevent heart damage or death.

Signs of heart attack include:

  • Chest discomfort - pressure, squeezing, or pain
  • Shortness of breath
  • Discomfort in the upper body - arms, shoulder, neck, back
  • Nausea, vomiting, dizziness, lightheadedness, sweating

  • We were cautioned not to mistake these as symptoms of flu, or indigestion. The doctor said that autopsies of people who died of a heart attack many times reveal a stomach full of antacid tablets.

    He also advised us that a normal cholesterol test does not necessarily mean we cannot have a heart attack. I'm evidence of that, since my cholesterol levels always tested normal.

    If a heart attack is suspected, chew an aspirin and call 911.

    Back home, Mother went to her jigsaw puzzle, and I ran errands. Hubbie chose to stay home in case an electrician came by to repair the pole outlet that the camper plugs into. He discovered yesterday that the camper was getting no power.

    I began my errands at the library, where I dropped off four DVDs and chose two more. From there, I went to the bank, and then to the Chamber of Commerce to pick up new state and local maps and other literature. Went to a dollar store after that to get two-for-a-dollar greeting cards for kids. My last stop was to check and see if the farmer's market was operating yet. It isn't...or at least is wasn't today.

    Came home after that. A few minutes after I arrived, the electrician called to ask Hubbie if the camper had power now. Seems he had dropped by and fixed the outlet while we were gone to the hospital, and Hubbie didn't realize it. If he had, he would have run errands with me.

    Later, I heated leftover chicken spaghetti for supper, which we had with salad and French bread. Hubbie accompanied Mother home afterward, and then he and I watched TV.

    In the middle of the first show, there was a knock at the door. A young couple had stopped to ask for ice water. Seems they had walked several miles from the place where they were staying with some other folks, in an effort to get away from the noise of a family with small children.

    Their plan was to go swimming at a creek, but since they are here from some other county, they weren't sure where it was, and they ended up traipsing about ten miles on back roads on this hottest day of the season so far, until they circled around to our house. They were short of the creek by two or three miles.

    We gave them ice water, and then volunteered to take them back to the house where they were staying, which is about four miles from our house. There is something about our house that draws stray folks, folks with car trouble, and auto accidents.

    Back to watching TV...in the middle of the second program, the power went out. So Hubbie suggested we go to the WDCS to pick up a few groceries. But as I was shutting down my laptop, the power returned.

    Around 8:45, we got an automated call from the power company advising us that 1,641 homes were affected by the outage, and that it was due to be restored around 11 p.m. I guess they weren't aware that ours was already restored (thank goodness).  There was no mention of why the power went out.








    Monday, July 8, 2013

    Monday, July 8

    Up at 6 a.m. to get ready for water aerobics. Nice morning for the walk to the gym, but the water in the pool was a bit nippy. One member, a man, only dipped his toes in before deciding he couldn't stand it and left. His wife, a slender lady, braved it with the rest of us.

    The walk back to the van afterward was as pleasant as the walk to the gym.  The air was warm, with the promise of humidity later. Dew still sparkled on the green, well manicured lawn. Peeking above the trees, the white cross on the college chapel spire contrasted beautifully against a clear blue sky. Carillons chimed the half hour, adding to the peaceful feeling of the campus, quiet right now while the students are on summer break.

    Back home, I relaxed with a cup of coffee, while Hubbie accompanied Mother to our house. Once I was ready for the day, I didn't accomplish a lot for the rest of the day, other than planning menus for a couple weeks, and catching up on newspaper reading.

    Mother spent her time working a new jigsaw puzzle, and Hubbie was in the yard most of the day. I should have found something constructive to do, but the mood didn't strike me.

    Heated chicken noodle soup for lunch, and beans and ham, fried potatoes, and canned corn for supper. Hubbie accompanied her home afterward, and then he and I watched TV.

    Sunday, July 7, 2013

    Sunday, July 7

    Up at 7 a.m. and immediately showered and got ready for the day. Downstairs, Hubbie accompanied Mother to our house around 8:30, and we got busy preparing lunch.

    I started by cooking spaghetti, while Mother diced veggies. Hubbie had to make a dash to grocery store, of course, to pick up bell pepper, a jar of green olives, and French bread for the meal.

    Once the veggies were diced, I sauteed them, and added them, along with the mushroom soup I made yesterday, chicken broth, and diced cooked chicken to the cooked spaghetti. Put the recipe in a large baking dish, topped it with Parmesan cheese, and set it aside to be baked later.

    Mother also diced veggies for salad...cucumber, tomatoes, and bell pepper...and grated carrot. We put everything in separate bowls so family could choose what they wanted to top their salads. Mother also sliced and buttered French bread for the oven.

    Daughter, Granddaughter, and two great-grandchildren arrived around 10:30, and we visited until time to serve lunch at 11:30. We had lunch early, because Hubbie and I needed to be at the theater by 1:15 to man the ticket booth.

    About a quarter to one, we headed to the theater...all of us but Daughter and Great-Grandson. Daughter opted to stay home with Great-Grandson, because he is too young to be able to sit still though a play. And since we arrived about 45 minutes ahead of curtain time, he would really have gotten bored.

    At the theater, there were already a couple of people taking care of the tickets, and Hubbie and I were not needed. So we went ahead into the theater, where last-minute rehearsals were taking place.

    The play...the musical, "Oliver!" began at 2 p.m., and with an intermission, it lasted until around 4 p.m. For a local production, it was very well done, and we enjoyed it. Well, some of us enjoyed it more than others. Great-Granddaughter is fond of live theater, so it appeared she was pretty absorbed in it.  But both Hubbie and Mother nodded off from time-to-time. Mother quipped that she could have slept better if there hadn't been so much singing.

    The theater was pretty chilly, but I made sure Mother took along a sweater, and I took a fleece hoodie. But even with the sweater, Mother was cold, so I draped my hoodie over her. "Next time, you need to bring something for yourself," she joked. It frequently happens that wherever we go, I end up giving my jacket or sweater or whatever to her, because she gets so chilled. I really need to start taking an afghan for her.

    Both Granddaughter and Great-Granddaughter wore shorts and short-sleeved shirts, but they seemed perfectly comfortable in the air conditioning.

    There was quite a nice size audience for this last performance of the play, and as I understand it, they've had good attendance both weekends.

    We were back home about 4:15, and enjoyed helpings of the angel food/pineapple cake, with whipped topping.

    We visited a while longer, and then Daughter and family headed home. After that, Hubbie accompanied Mother to her house, and then he and I watched TV for the rest of the evening.