Dungeon and Dragons

Sunday

I woke up with daylight streaming into the room. That meant it was after 8 and I had slept well. I brushed and swished. I read e-mail. I put the sugar cane in water.

Chris gave me a coconut oil massage. I took a shower first. Then he took his. I put the shower head in vinegar to soak. Chris started the laundry. He showed me big oily spots on his white shirt, probably from a cleaning rag.

I made and ate breakfast. I decided not to go to church. I tried to watch it on Facebook but it wasn't being broadcast. I read e-mail and Telegram messages. I used the nebulizer. I cut open the jackfruit and ate half.

I had a bite of steak, then clicked on Discord to join the game at 5. I made tea and drank it hot, reheating as necessary. I had to make up answers about my character, which I hadn't fleshed out too well.

Once the game began, we ran into bad guys. I cast healing spells and diplomacy checks. We put the professor's coffin in the grave, then followed his daughter back to the house for the reading of the will. She opened the chest to look at the books. One of them needed a key that we didn't have. Our next move will probably be to go to the prison where his body was found.

When the game was over, I wrote my blog. We watched 2 episodes of The Librarians, something Chris had ordered through the mail. I nebulized again, then we made the bed. I , sewed Chris' pants. Afterward, I listened to a podcast and played Solitaire until time for bed.

Ladies day out

Saturday

I got up late, again by daylight. I rinsed my sinuses and made more rinse. I washed up and got dressed. I had a bite to eat. I packed snacks for lunch. I watered the house plants.

I drove to the school and parked. The ladies were sitting in Tonja's van and I joined them. We waited another 5 minutes in case anyone else was interested. Then we headed to Salt Lake City.

It took us nearly two hours, what with a bathroom stop along the way. We went to a place called Gardener's village. There was a witch theme going one and most ladies were dressed up in black. I didn't realized until then that I had been there before. It wasn't really the kind of stuff I am interested in. There was a quilt shop, but it was mostly pastel prints. Not my favorite. Tonja and Rebecca headed out on their own, leaving me with Jenni. We shopped at places at her pace. She bought stuff here and there. I only bought at two places. Finally we caught up with the others and got in the van. Rebecca let me sit up front with Tonja.

There was interest in the Chinatown Supermarket, so we went there. Tonja hadn't been there before so she went up and down every aisle. Rebecca and I each got a jackfruit. I got a tall piece of sugar cane, and some other stuff. It was a busy place and took a while to check out. Then I went to the little kimbap store for something to eat on the way home.

When we got back to the school, I gave Tonja gas money, then we each took our bags and went home. I stopped by the post office for mail. When I came in the front door, Chris put a steak in the oven. James was online and he helped us make appropriate choices for our new characters. It took hours. There was new

terminology to learn.

Afterward, I worked on my blog. We watched an episode of Librarians, which Chris got in the mail. I practiced my trombone, and we went to bed.

Cheese and numbers

Friday

I got up at almost 8. Chris was just leaving to work out with the colonel. I read e-mail and Telegram messages. I texted with Michelle. She's not going on the trip tomorrow.

I added stuff to a Swanson's order. Chris came home, showered and went to bed. He did not get up until almost 1.

About 11:30, I started heating goat milk to make cheese. In between stirrings, I made breakfast and ate it. Then I added vinegar and let the milk curdle. I read e-mail for a bit, then finished the cheese.

We went to Tooele for the usual groceries. We shopped, then came home. I read Telegram messages and videos. Chris put gaming stuff on my laptop. I listened to podcasts, and watered the tower garden. I picked spinach and made a salad. I scanned my blog posts for clues to how much time was spent cleaning each place. I added it all up, fiddled with the details to make everything come out to an even dollar amount, and wrote a summary. I made tea and we watched the last of Pickard. I practiced my trombone and then went to bed.

Trunk-or-Treat

Thursday

I got up late because I can't tell the time from the daylight anymore. I brushed and swished, then wrapped up in a blanket. I finished my book while sitting on the PEMF mat. I read e-mail, and Telegram messages. I scrubbed the 6 burner pans that had been soaking overnight in the oven.

Before noon I started making breakfast. I ate it while watching The Highwire. Then Chris came home for lunch. He made me stop it so he could comment. He brought in the tower garden, which had not frozen after all. We reassembled it in the den.

At 2, I went to the gym and walked with Diane and Tonja. We had a nice chat as always. Then I went to the library to drop off my book. I went to the apartment to put clean burner pans on the stove. Finally I went to Housing to schedule the inspection for Monday.

I went back to The Highwire. As soon as it was over, I put on garb and went to the Trunk-or-treat. It was cold and I soon wished I had brought a cloak. I walked the gamut of trunks, looking for Tonja. I stopped at the ACS table and got a whistle. I spoke to Kincie, who was handing out candy. I hoped it wasn't too cold for her.

Finally I found Tonja. I ended up sitting with her in her hatchback. We talked and gave out candy. She gave me some for Monday night in case I run out of toys. Chris came by in his outfit. Jenni came by in hers. She wandered around dressed like a white oompa loompa and handing out candy. Julie came up and asked me to attend one of their planning meetings in November.

After Trunk-or-treat, Chris went to the club and I went home. I had leftovers and read e-mail. Chris came home later and changed out of his costume. I changed out of mine. Then he got a call that there was no heat at the hotel so he left to check that out. I read e-mail until he got back. Jennie came over in a scary mask. She brought me a pomegranate from the commissary. I paid her. I made tea and we watched one episode of Jeannie and one of Pickard. Then I read more until time for bed.

Finishing the apartment

Wednesday

I woke up early, not sure what time it was. I stayed in bed for awhile, then got up. Turns out it was after 7 and Chris hadn't taken his shower yet. Gotta get an alarm clock with a red display.

I checked online for solutions to post-nasal drip. Chris came home, took a shower, got dressed and went to work. I prepared for coffee morning with exercises and such. I did several rounds of meditation and tapping. Then I started cleaning the bathrooms.

Chris came home for lunch. I cleaned in the kitchen. I was missing my hydrogen peroxide spray which was in the apartment we were cleaning. Sigh. I washed dishes, and vacuumed floors. Then I took a shower and got dressed.

I went to the apartment at 2 with a carpet shampooer. It looked like everything was done except for the floors. Oh and the burner bowls. I put bleach in the sink where it was yellow. I gathered up cleaning supplies and took them to the car in several trips. Michelle came at 2:20. We removed stuff, and did the walls and floors, finishing at 3. Yucky water from the carpet cleaner got in my car.

I took the burner bowls home to soak. I found a message on my phone from someone who wants a quote. I went to the gym to walk with Diane and Jenni. Jenni wants me to go shopping with them on Saturday.

When I got home, I called back. We set a time of 5:30 for a quote. Faye called about forms. I made a quote for Saronna's bass case. I brought in the cleaners, and soaked the burner bowls in ammonia in the oven.

I went to the quote, and read until the man showed up. I quoted him $200, which he thought was a lot. So I agreed to re-quote after his belongings were removed. I went home passing Chris on his way to Mass.

I trimmed the tower garden. I wanted to bring one or two rounds inside, but every layer had something alive on it, so I put on it's plastic cover and another plastic bag over that to protect it.

I read Telegram messages, and listened to Dr. Ruby. Chris came home late from Mass. He called Michelle. Since he had it on speakerphone, I listened in. It was about her letting the chaplain move into her city house.

I wrote my blog post. I made tea and practiced my trombone. We watched episodes of Jeannie. Then I read e-mail for awhile before going to bed.

The Real Anthony Fauci - the movie

Tuesday

In the middle of the night, I got up to pee, and RLS struck as soon as I laid down. It wouldn't go away. I got up several times to stretch, once to apply magnesium oil, something else, and then I drank a cup of tonic water. That seemed to work and finally I got some sleep.

I got up late. I put extra alarms on my phone to ensure I heard at least one. I got ready, and made up two weeks worth of supplements. I went cleaning at 11. Michelle showed up at noon. We talked and I went home for breakfast. Chris was home. I made and ate breakfast, then went to see Saronna. I brought my trombone and music, but we talked for so long that we ran out of time. I also looked at her bass case options for a new zipper.

I went home and had a bite to eat. I looked for leftover zipper tape, but didn't find any. I went walking with Michelle and Tonja. Michelle stayed late to talk. Then I went home to look up stuff for Faye.

Chris came home from work and went to the diner for supper with the guys. Faye called, just to talk I think. I dug some potato plants in the flower bed but only got a small handful of tiny potatoes. I watered a mound and killed a gopher. I watered the tower garden and realized it needed to come inside soon. I picked greens and made a salad, but did not feel well after eaating it.

I started listening to The Real Anthony Fauci. I put some citrus essential oils in the diffuser. I wrote my blog post. I made tea, and practiced trombone. We watched episodes where Barbara Eden was pregnant.

I resumed listening, and only then realized it was Part 1 and I wanted Part 2. Chris went to bed, later, halfway through Part 2, so did I.

Inspection

Monday

I woke up around 8 having slept well and feeling pretty good. I took a lozenge, rinsed my sinuses, got dressed, then brushed and swished. I took the seed crackers from the oven. They weren't crisp so I put them back in and turned it on for a few minutes. I contacted Michelle about cleaning, and I listened to part of a podcast.

I unlocked swap shop, then I cleaned with Michelle at an empty apartment. She worked in the bathroom and I worked in the kitchen. She was very fast, but missed a few things that we are required to do. I got a call for another house next week.

I went home for breakfast quarter of 1. Chris was home. He put stew beef in the oven for me tonight. He was going to colonel's house for dinner instead. I was so hungry that I grabbed leftovers for breakfast. I ate fruit, and went to an inspection at 2.

One of the inspectors told me he had a terrible reaction to a recent booster shot. I stayed as far from him as possible. The house passed with a few swipes in the bathroom and under the stove hood. I went to Housing to turn in the keys, then went home.

At 3:30, I went walking with Jenni. We stopped to talk to Mrs. Pace. Afterward, I went to the shopette to fill the gas tank. None of my pens worked so I used a pencil to record the transaction. On the way home, I stopped and locked the swap shop.

I resumed listening to a podcast., then checked Facebook and realized YW had responded and was home. I asked if now was a good time. While I waited, Chris came home to take the beef out of the oven and change clothes before going to dinner. He left. She responded and I went over there. She had a metal windmill for sale. I looked it over and we discussed its possible gopher-annoying qualities. I gave her $50 and took it home, I set it up near the wind chimes. I watered the gopher holes. I saw one gopher, but when he saw me he went back underground.

I ate supper, read e-mail and listened to something from the Fascia summit. I connected with Michelle to clean again tomorrow. I made more spice mix and green mix. I heated tea and wrote to my blog. Chris came back from the colonel's house. We watched several episodes of I Dream of Jeannie. We both retired to our laptops. He went to bed first.

Watching church online

Sunday

I woke up early because my intercostals were aching. I went to the bathroom, then back to bed. I realized the diffuser was not actually on. Pressing around the base, I located a button that made a stream of smoke flow from the top and I could smell the oils.

When I got up, I could see that it had snowed. I rinsed my sinuses, brushed and swished. I made ginger tea, and set up the diffuser near my laptop. I read e-mail for several hours. I did not go to church for fear of infecting other people. Chris did not game with the voices because his throat hurt.

Around 1:30, I got dressed and went to the company house to put the key back in the lock box and pick up the cleaning supplies left there. I also swept the floor and hung the towels. When I got back, I made and ate breakfast, though still not able to finish it. I watched two videos of the chaplain preaching: one from last week and then the one from this week.

I was reading articles again when Jamie came over with pumpkins that she had saved for me. We chatted for awhile and agreed to talk again tomorrow. After that, I whipped up a batch of seed crackers, then went to the garden to dig up the rest of the potatoes. I laid them out on a board in the garage, with boxes around to keep out the light. I also laid out the green tomatoes from yesterday.

I read Telegram messages while listening to Dr. Ruby and James Corbett. I wrote my blog post. I played my trombone while heating tea. We watched several episodes of I Dream of Jeannie. Then we played on our computers. Later Chris went to bed. I listened to an ASMR video, then realized how late it was and put myself to bed.

Still not 100%

Saturday

I woke up early, but stayed in bed until 7 ish. I got ready for the day. I read e-mail for a bit and got sleepy. So I napped all morning, waking about 11:30. I asked Chris for a massage and he gave me one. He said I felt hot. We both took a shower. I called Michelle to ask if she could clean the company house because I wasn't feeling up to it, and she said yes. I put the key in a bag and hung it on the screen door.

I did not feel like eating breakfast. I made some ginger tea and read e-mail. I also ate a pomegranate. It got windy and cold outside. Chris brought in the pot of peppers and the bag of sweet potatoes. I brought in the bag of carrots. Then I went to the garden to harvest the green tomatoes and potatoes. Some were sweet, some were purple. My hands froze digging in the dirt and I didn't get them all. When I got home, I brought the squash in so they wouldn't freeze.

I listened to an interview with Brother Bugnolo, talking about the newest pope. Then James and Becca, Michele and John, and Chris and I got on a Discord call to talk about characters in a campaign that John will run.

I listened to more interviews. I didn't cough often, but when I did, it was very productive. Michelle came over with an oil diffuser. She put several kinds of drops in. I plugged it in. I wrote my blog post about yesterday. I am now sorry I went to the wreath-making class because I don't want to infect any one.

We watched a handful of I Dream of Jeannie episodes. Chris brought in the two jars of goat milk from the front porch. I went back to reading e-mail. Later we dressed the bed in clean sheets. I plugged the diffuser in next to my bed, and we retired for the night.

Wreath-making class

Friday

It was a very long night. I had a bad headache, ached all over. I could not get comfortable. There were shooting pains in my limbs. Finally at 7 I asked Chris to get me something for the headache. Finally I was able to sleep.

I got up around 9. I brushed and swished. I washed all the sweat from my body and got dressed. I went to the company house, but there was a truck in the driveway and I didn't want to go in and infect anyone. So I went home. I contacted Jamie, intending to ask her to clean for me this week, but she wasn't home, and seemed to have her hands full with cleaning the apartment over the weekend.

I sat on my pemf mat and read my book. I drank a bottle of hydrogen water. I went by the company house to throw the sheets in the wash.

I made and ate breakfast. We filled out our mail-in ballots and put them in the mail. I was feeling better, but not 100% which I attributed to not getting much sleep, so I went along to Tooele. We shopped at the usual places, plus the dollar store for wreath stuff. We listened to a book on CD. I am not enjoying it.

When we got home, I put the company sheets in the dryer and towels in the washer. I came home, and made cheese squares. I ate a grapefruit, then hunted down wreath forms. I put supplies in my car. I put rooted cuttings in a plastic cup and took it all to the ACS center.

I joined the wreath class, already in progress. I gave the rooted cuttings to Charity. I tried following the directions for making the wreath, but at some point I had to wing it. I had a nice time chatting with the ladies. We cleaned up at 8 and went home.

Chris was talking to Michele and John. I worked on my blog, then went to the company house to put the towels in the dryer. We watched several episodes of I Dream of Jeannie. Then I read e-mail until late and went to bed.

Tying up loose ends

Thursday

I got up at 7:15. It was still dark outside :( I roamed the house doing small tasks. I washed up and got dressed. I tried to catch up on Telegram messages, but there were too many videos to watch. I jotted some thoughts for a note to John's mom. I separated root knot of cuttings so I could select some to give away. I went to the 2nd street house to meet Michelle. We finished cleaning the house. I raked in the back yard and mopped the kitchen floor while she worked in the bathroom. We packed the cleaners in boxes and took them out to our cars.

I went home, made breakfast, and started watching The Highwire. Chris came home for lunch and went back to work. Michelle came over and we separated the cleaners that were mine from the ones that were left by the resident. She had my white squash. She took the extra cleaning supplies to the swap shop.

I resumed watching The Highwire and finished it after 3. I went to the swap shop to get the chapel key from Tonja. I stayed and talked to her and Revonna about using the room next door.

Then I got a text from Diane, so I jumped in my car and headed to the school. She and I walked over a mile. After a little more chatting, she went back to her office. Faye called me wanting help to open a spreadsheet. I put her on speakerphone while I went to the gym to return the shirt from the 5K run. Apparently they did not have enough shirts for all the people who paid for one. And since I didn't care...

Then I talked to Faye as I went to the library and checked out some DVD's for the weekend. Finally I stopped by Housing to make an appointment for Monday for an inspection.

Faye got what she wanted and we concluded our call. I read articles and listened to short videos. Chris came home from work. Jenni stopped by with some coconut water. I changed clothes to go to luau but started feeling pressure in my head. So I stayed home and Chris went.

I picked greens for a salad. I watered gopher holes, but no gophers appeared. I finished making the salad and listened to something while I ate. Then I worked on my blog. We watched two episodes of Pickard. I developed chills and shivers and a headache, so I took some activated charcoal, put on vit C and glutathion patches, and went to bed.

Poor Faye

Wednesday

Over the last two weeks I had forgotten what it is like to be awakened at 6:30 by Reveille. It was nice while it lasted. But alas, the trumpeting woke me up and though I tried to go back to sleep, that didn't happen.

After Chris left, I got up to start coffee morning. I was glad to be home and going back to my regular schedule and conditions. Over the last two weeks, sleeping near Al's router, I have been developing chest pains. Hopefully now they will subside.

I put the coffee on and did some cleanup in the kitchen. I unpacked the supplement patches and organized them in the bathroom. I noted that most of the tomatoes left behind are ripe, but none of the ones the ones I brought to Virginia have ripened.

I did my special exercises, meditation and tapping. After coffee morning, I cleaned the bathrooms and kitchen, then vacuumed. I rearranged stuff to accommodate new stuff from the mail.

I watered the plants, and applied TLC as necessary. I watered multitudinous gopher holes. Only one gopher came up and he gave me quite the runaround. He did not live to tell about it. Then I went to the garden and picked green tomatoes. Inexplicably all the white squash were gone.

At 3:30, I went walking with Diane and Jenni. Faye called as we were doing the post-walk chat. Leaving my phone on speaker, I drove to the police station to find Charity, but a note on the desk said she was at home. So I went to her house. I paid her for the oil change, shocked that the oil and filter cost her $70. I chatted with her while Faye was still on the phone. I hope she found it interesting. I promised Charity some oregano sprouts and a few other things.

When I got home, I answered texts. One was from Michelle. So I went to the gym with my sauna bag. I worked out, then we sat in sauna and talked.

At 8 we went home. I changed clothes, then opened the mail: 6 requests for money. I looked through Telegram messages, then wrote my blog post about yesterday. I reset the mouse trap with peanut butter.

I made tea, and we watched two episodes of Pickard. Later I read e-mail for a bit, then went to bed.

Home to Utah

Tuesday

Chris' alarm went off at 6am, which was 4am Utah time. He took a shower while I tried to go back to sleep. He got me up at 7. I washed up and got dressed. As soon as daylight appeared, he got in the truck and I got in the Olds. I followed him to my Dad's house. There was traffic, but mostly not too bad.

I parked the Olds in the driveway and went inside to drop off the key. Chris put some stuff from the back seat in the truck. Patrick was not up. Chris came in to use the bathroom. Then we rode back in the truck. Although it is older than the Olds, it has a CD player vs the tape player in the car.

When we got back, I added the chimes and wool fabric to my suitcase. Chris gave me the tomatoes and pomegranates from the fridge. They did not fit so I had to rearrange. I also finalized my carry-on and took one last look around in case anything was forgotten. Then I jotted notes for my blog.

At 9:15, we packed up our laptops. The van pulled up in the driveway and we moved our luggage out there. I sat in the backseat while the men loaded the luggage. Then the man drove us to the airport. We got out and rolled our belongings inside to the check-in counter. We dropped off the suitcases and got tickets. Then we went through Security.

We found seats at the gate near an outlet, but the sun coming in the window whited out the screens. I walked to the restroom, and spotted a charging station. So I moved my laptop there and read e-mail. Chris alerted me when we were called to board. Being in first class, we boarded a little early. (it seems like boarding would go faster if they started with the last zone and worked forward.)

As we flew to Atlanta, I read, then watched Jurassic World because Chris was watching it. I wasn't able to finish it before we landed. When we got to Atlanta, we went straight to the boarding line. When we got on the plane, I pulled up Jurassic World and continued it from where I left off. I finished the movie and watched another one. Then we landed in SLC. We went to the carousel. It was kind of mesmerizing to watch all that luggage go round and round.

We picked up our luggage and walked out the door, through the covered garage to the open parking lot. Our car was at the back. Chris loaded the bags and we drove to the exit. He paid over $300 for long term parking. Yikes. Then he drove us to Dugway, listening to a book on CD. He had to refresh my memory since I had totally forgotten what came before. My mind wasn't really on it, however.

When we got home, we unpacked the car. I unpacked my suitcases. I watered some plants. I could see, even in the dark, that the gophers had a field day while I was gone. I hung the chimes on a shepherd's hook near the gopher holes. I moved the tower garden close to the house to protect it from the cold. I vacuumed the rust of the chimes from the suitcase, then put it away.

Michelle texted, and then came over. We went walking and I caught all the latest happenings, plus I got to vent. After an hour and a half, we stopped at her car, but kept chatting. It got cold so we called it quits at 10.

Then I worked on e-mail while Chris went to bed. Later I made my blog post, and went to bed, too.

* I take issue with this man's premise that if he lives or dies after vaccination, then its either safe or dangerous for everyone else. *

Her Excellency, Marie Damour, ambassador to Figi et al

Monday

I heard Chris taking a shower so I got up. It was quarter of nine. I got my stuff together so that when Chris got out, I could get in. We got dressed and went to the 8th floor for breakfast. Cecily, Al, James, Becca and William were already there. We got plates and partook of eggs, bacon, potatoes, oatmeal, etc. There was a lady behind Becca that looked amazingly like Michele from the side.

After eating and socializing, we said goodbye to James and Becca and William. They checked out while we went back to our room. I read e-mail for awhile and then we packed up to check out. Chris put our luggage in the car, but we took our laptops to Al and Cecily's room.

I played on my laptop while Chris played on his phone. Al had lunch. Cecily probably worried. Kelly came by, but we were really boring. Around 1:30 we got ready for the van. Marie met us downstairs and ushered us in.

The van took us into Washington to the main state department building. We had to show ID's to get in, and get our purses scanned. Mike brought a package of bottles of water, and Chris carried a load of champagne through the scanner. We followed Marie into a building where we were given badges that said 'must be accompanied by escort'. We went into the briefing room and put down the beverages. Marie took the women to the restroom and back. We unpacked plastic champagne flutes, then sat around talking while others arranged the drink table. Marie handed out her new business cards, then gave us a short tour of the floor of the building.

At 3 we all took our seats. After a brief introduction, the Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Daniel Kritenbrink made a speech, saying great things about Marie and about the U.S. Mission in Figi. He was standing in front of a row of 6 flags; America, Figi, Tonga, Kiribati, Nauru, and Tuvalu. They were not labled so I had asked Marie and she wasn't sure which was which. When he was done, Marie spoke, and quite eloquently. She addressed the ambassadors in the room. She thanked family and friends for coming. She thanked her brothers for bringing her sisters, which her mother never did (ha!). She also spoke about working together to further good relations etc with the islands.

Then the speeches wrapped up. She and the asst-sec signed some form and he shook her hand as the new ambassador. Somebody started pouring champagne and a nonalcoholic version. Chris quickly found people to talk to. I kind of stood in the back. I noticed a man standing alone, so I introduced myself and tried to start a conversation by asking if he knew the country of each flag. In a deep voice, he said “The second one is my country of Figi” and then he listed all the rest. Oops. I didn't realize I was talking to the ambassador from Figi! Nice guy, though. He was greeted and moved off while I found someone else to chat with.

Later, as I was conversing with two nice gentlemen from the state department, Marie rounded us up to go back to the van. On the way, we had to hand back our badges. Then we went outside and waited for a bit for the van to get to us. With Marie sitting up front, we were taken back to the hotel. We went to Al's room to get our laptops and coats. Then we said goodbye to everyone. They were taking the van to Marie's house.

We got in the Olds and he started the GPS. He pulled out into traffic and the GPS went kaput so he had to reboot, with a few choice words. However, he was able to wing it until the thing was back in service. We did run into traffic, but no rain. We could see that it had rained earlier as the streets were wet. John texted me a few times during the trip, which made the time go by faster.

We got into Chester around 7:15. Chris had trouble with the house key, but we finally got in. After bringing our stuff in, we ate some lunch stuff for supper. Then we retired to our laptops. It was kind of weird being in Cecily's house without the TV on, or her to tell us what to do. I wrote my blog post for today and posted the one for yesterday. I found a wikipedia page on Marie.

Chris sent me a weather report for Dugway. Looks like it will go down to 30 by tomorrow morning. Sigh. So close and yet the garden will freeze before I get to pick it. I read telegram messages for an hour or more. Chris packed his suitcase so I packed my mine. I finished my blog and posted a pic on Becca's page, then went to bed.

Going to DC

Sunday

I got up after 8:30. The ringing in my head was particularly loud, probably from going to bed so late. I brushed and swished. I packed my overnight bag. I washed up and got dressed. Then I talked to Cecily and Marie. Carole came over with Jasper.

At 10 they left for DC. I read e-mail while Chris took a shower. I asked if I could keep reading for awhile and he said yes. I worked on my blog, not certain how much time I would have later. Then I read e-mail for an hour.

At noon we left for DC in the Olds. It took just over three hours with traffic. We parked at the hotel. Check-in wasn't until 4, but they let us check in early. Then we walked to Marie's apartment. Al, Cecily, Mike and Kelly, James and Becca were already there. We sat and talked until 4. Then most of them went to the hotel. Al and Cecily hadn't checked in yet.

We visited with Marie for a bit, then walked to CVS to get wine for the evening. I was able to buy some toys to hand out for Halloween, but they weren't cheap. From there we went to the hotel to give the bottles to Al and Cecily. I went up to our room to drop off the toys. Then I went to the lobby, where several Damours were waiting for me. We walked to Marie's apartment using a different route. Marie gave me a tour of her 2-bedroom place. Then Jamie from Dugway called. We discussed cleaning houses, and saving pumpkins, and reporting speeders.

We walked to a German restaurant, bringing Carol and Jasper the dog. The others met us there, some driving and some walking from the hotel. We had a lovely dinner. Chris and I got the jambalaya and mahi-mahi to share. But as it turned out, meals were shared with many. And it was all good. Cecily ordered only Reuben balls, but then couldn't eat them so I got some of hers. Carol left early to take Jasper back to Marie's apartment. Later we left for the hotel, some walking and some driving.

Chris and I went to our room. Not having eaten breakfast or lunch, I was still hungry so I had some nuts and cranberries for a snack. Then we all met in James and Becka's suite to talk and drink. Later we gathered for a family pic. Then Marie went home. Cecily kissed and hugged James, Becca and William and went to their room to hit the hay.

The rest of us stayed to chat. The conversation is always good. John started texting me. I wished he and Michele could have come along. Then Becca got tired, so the group broke up and promised to meet again at breakfast.

Chris and I went to our room. I brushed my teeth, took evening supplements and worked on my blog. Then I caught up on e-mail and went to bed.

From disembodied voice to son-in-law

Saturday

I got up before 8:30. I brushed and swished and got dressed. I sprayed the inside of the car with oregano water. I went walking up and down the street until I had covered two miles. Michele and John got up. Becca and James came over. Then Mike and Kelly arrived. They had breakfast while I read some e-mail. Then we all sat in the den and talked.

Around 11:30 I ate some cheese squares. Then at noon Chris started cooking fried green tomatoes. (My tomatoes were not ripening even though there was an apple in the bag with them.) I got to eat some, then got in the Olds and headed to Midlothian.

It seemed to take a long time. It had been years since I drove through a traffic light, or on a highway. But I did ok. I arrived right at 1pm. Faye and Kurt were counting money from the yard sale. They kept trying to add it up in their heads. Then they gave me the number and I divided it by 4. They put that amount in each of 4 envelops, except that the last one came up short. We recounted and recounted, then added up what we had and divided again. And that's what everyone got. William came late. He forgot to bring some money, but I said Faye could have my share of that, and Kurt said that too, and then Faye said to give it all to Karen.

Then Faye laid out the coins and jewelry, William had some, too. Faye also put out some mix-matched china. So then we drew straws to get a picking order and divvied it all up. Kurt pulled out some silver-plated platters which we cleaned up so he could give them to Michele.

I ate my pomegranate. Faye brought out a ceramic parrot that might have belonged to Chris' grandmother, but which I thought was with our stuff in Utah. But the box was from the Delaware area. Kurt took down the windchimes and I put it in the box with the bird.

After more discussion, I got in the Olds and drove back. I tried to put on the radio and got nothing but static. I was back by 4:30 and Cecily was relieved. Chris got out the parrot, showed it around, and still was not able to say whether this was the bird he remembered. We chatted with Mike and Kelly, then got dressed and drove to the hotel.

We met Faye and Kevin in the parking lot. We went in the hotel and spotted the reserved room. People were already there. Michele was greeting them in her wedding gown as they arrived. I showed her the three masks and she picked the Christmas one for me to wear. I walked around taking pictures and chatting. I went out to the parking lot to find Kurt and Patrick.

When everyone had arrived, we were invited to sit down. Each table was marked with a list of names. Chris and I and Faye and Kevin were seated at the last table by ourselves. All other tables had 8 people and they all seemed to be having a great time.

Becca put on her stole and called the bride and groom to the front. She performed a lovely ceremony tailored to their interests. It didn't have the weight of law, but it was touching and meaningful. Then she introduced the new couple as Mr. and Mrs. Damour. It seemed like a slip of the tongue, but later I found out that he does intend to change his last name to Damour.

Then each table was excused to go to the buffet. Our table was last, of course. There was spaghetti, chicken, two sauces, unsavory-looking broccoli, and salad. I took off my mask to eat and made it last as long as possible. Kevin took off his mask and ate, then talked to the bartender. John and Michele cut the wedding cake. Kevin got some cake, several times, without a mask and it really upset Cecily. She thought he was putting everyone's health at risk. The sugar from the cake and several beers did not help his judgment or attitude. Faye took him home early.

Afterward, I talked to the bartender. She wasn't vaccinated either and not required to wear a mask. She said we have to stand strong. John's mother, almost 20 years older, came over to talk to me. It was odd to know we were both parents of the couple and yet so different in age. Am I old enough to have a son-in-law? It got close to 9. Ladies were coming in to clean. I gathered in the hall with Michele and Becca and Mark. Becca talked about holding Cecily back when Kevin threw his mask at her. I didn't see that.

Afterward, we went to John and Michele's room to chat in their suite. It was mostly gaming. Ssme had extra cake since it would not fit in the little fridge. We left around 10:30. When we got back, I worked on my blog, downloaded pics and cropped them. Then I read e-mail till after midnight.

Dinner with John's family

Friday

I got up around 8:30. I brushed and then swished while getting dressed. Al and I went walking for 2 miles. I took a shower. I gave Cecily my colored clothing for her wash. I got dressed nicely for later. Patrick texted that there was another squirrel in the trap.

Lunch: I made a lettuce and meat/cheese wrap, and ate a pomegranate. Later I sat out in the sun for a bit. When Al was ready, we went shopping for more sandwich stuff and I got more pomegranates, plus an apple to encourage the tomatoes to ripen.

I read articles online, ignored the TV as best I could. So many drug commercials! Then Michele and John arrived. We talked for awhile, then headed to Kanpai. We met John's family there: mother, her boyfriend, sister, brother-in-law and two kids. His mother sat with Cecily and they talked through the meal. Chris talked to her boyfriend. I tried to participate in conversation with Michele and John with his sister, but couldn't hear the talking.

After the meal, we shook hands all around and said how good it was to meet like this. Then we went home. We sat around in the den and conversed. Cecily went to bed, and later Al went. It was after midnight when the last of us went to bed.

* Kanpai brought John and Michele a little fruit boat for celebrating their impending marriage. *

Finding and filling out forms

Thursday

I got up at 8:30. I brushed my teeth and got dressed. Al said he could walk, but there wasn't time. Faye called on Chris' phone to say she was almost here. When she arrived, Chris asked her to go to the muffler place so he could drop off the Olds. So I got to read some e-mail before they got back. Then I grabbed a pomegranate and the remaining seed crackers. I got in her van and she drove us to Dad's house.

Patrick was there and I showed him how to plug the attic lights in. Faye and I worked on forms related to the property in Florida. We had to look up forms on the internet. When we had questions about them, I looked for samples, but there were none. Faye called Florida several times. We ate the food we had. I put some acorns in the cage for the squirrel.

Then we went to the bank for a cashiers check for the Florida filing fees. After that, we went to Family Jewelry and Coins to get some jewelry appraised. But nothing was of significant value. Then we went to Subway for a salad and a sub, my treat. When we got back to the house, we ate and shuffled forms, making copies, and getting ready to mail.

While we doing that, I got messages from the BBB man about info about William's car. So I called William to get the particulars and I typed them into a file, took a pic of it, and texted that to the man. Then he said the squirrel was pregnant. Which means he was here and didn't knock on the door. Faye went to check and the old trap was gone and a new, primed, one was in its place.

I took a pic of a hole in the soffit in back of the house. I texted with Michelle, who was updating me on my garden. Then we hit the road to Chester. Traffic was bad, but mostly we could bypass it. We got to Cecily's house a few minutes early and talked in the van. Then I got out and Faye went home.

We had leftovers for supper, so each one had something a little different. Afterward, I sat on the couch to enjoy the silence before the TV got turned on again. Then I put in my headphones and listened to The HighWire.

I posted to my blog, then got ready for bed. I did my stretches and laid down to hope for sleep.

Catching mice and squirrels

Wednesday

I got up late. I brushed and swished and got ready to walk, but Al said he needed a day off. I did some exercises in the kitchen, then went walking. I ran into Steve's wife and talked to her, then after another lap, I ran into Steve. He's quite a talker.

After walking, I took a shower, then Chris did. He swiped the water off of the walls of the shower while I got dressed. I texted Jenni. She let me know that there were dead mice in the bucket trap. Chris called Dugway to find someone to empty the trap.

I read e-mail, trying to tune out the Food channel, until lunch. For that meal, I ate a pomegranate, jicama and dip, and some cheese squares. Then I resumed reading on the internet. Finally I took a book outside to escape the TV. Later I sprayed the interior of the car with peppermint water and put up the windows. I held a flashlight for Al and Chris to drill a metal fitting. It made sparks, but was not effective.

Back inside, I listened to a QnA, and played Solitaire. Faye texted me that the trap caught a squirrel. I texted that to the BBB (bee, bat, and bird) man. Faye asked me to come over tomorrow to help her at Dad's house.

At 6:30 we had supper: beef stew. Cecily divided it into one bowl each of meat, potatoes, and then carrots and onions. I brought in the green tomatoes and a cookie sheet. After supper she would not let me help clean up. As she and Chris did it, I went back to my laptop. I listened to podcasts and interviews while playing solitaire. Cecily turned on the TV and promptly went to sleep, apparently not noticing that it wasn't the Food channel.

I listened to a bonus episode of some health series. Then I played some Wordle and posted to my blog, and went to bed.

Eating Mexican

. Tuesday

It was 8:30 when I got up this morning. I brushed and swished and got dressed. I walked two miles with Alfred. I put the green tomatoes out to get some sun and hopefully ripen a little.

I watched videos and played solitaire. I went with Alfred to go shopping for milk. I read more e-mail, trying to get the unread number down to 800.

At noon we had lunch. I had a lettuce wrap, jicama, and avocado dip, and the last soft-boiled egg. Afterward, I sat in the den to check e-mail. There were several sales going on so I placed some orders. I forgot my cc number and had to use the one in my purse.

The bite on my thumb was now discolored, probably because Chris dug at it last night with his pocketknife unsterilized. Chris brought me a needle and I sprayed sanitizer on it. Then I punctured the bite, hoping to squeeze something out of it, but nothing came out.

I put the mats back in car. I relaxed in the sunlight. I found some poke berries and saved the seeds to try in Utah. Someone called from Dugway to see how much cleaning a house costs. I read articles and listened to podcasts.

At 6 we went to a Mexican restaurant. It was nice not to have the TV on while we ate. Because it was Tuesday, we got a complimentary cheese dip with our chips. Because I don't eat chips, Cecily asked the man for a spoon. She encouraged me to eat the cheese dip even though it would get contaminated. When the food came, Al asked for the spoon so he could put some on his plate. I guess they don't consider me a superspreader after all.

When we got home, we put the leftovers in the fridge. I went back to my laptop. Cecily turned the Food channel on again. Sigh I read an article, then posted to my blog. Cecily went to bed, blessedly turning off the TV. I struggled to play Wordle for awhile, then went to bed.

The big disappointment

Monday

I got up at 8:30. I brushed and swished and checked e-mail. William called. He wanted the squirrel hole only temporarily repaired. I refused to promise that. Al and I went walking up and down the street. We did 2 miles worth.

I washed up and put on clean clothes. I gave the dirty ones to Cecily who was looking for colored wash. I read e-mail and listened to an interview. The exterminator texted a time of 2pm.

At noon we sat down for lunch. At 1, Chris and Al jumped the Olds to get it started. It smelled much better. We drove to Dad's house to meet the exterminator. I could hear something moving in the attic that sounded larger than a squirrel. I went up in the attic to look. It was dark so I had to plug in the lights. I still didn't see anything.

I waited in the living room until the man arrived. I went outside to meet him. We talked quite a bit. He said he didn't need to go in the attic, just to set a trap outside near the hole. I went up in the attic to unplug the lights. Myra texted me that she wasn't feeling well and had been with her granddaughter who had a respiratory infection. I was going to call her, but Faye came over. She added to the conversation. The man placed a trap near the hole in the porch roof. After he left, she and I looked through some pictures. I looked through the filing cabinet and got some staff paper. We talked about me staying for another hour, but didn't know how to make it count.

Chris drove us back to Chester. On the way, Myra called and we agreed it would be best if we didn't visit her tomorrow. Sigh. And I was so looking forward to seeing her again. When we got in, Cecily and Chris started making supper. Al and I were in the den reading e-mail.

At 6:30 we sat down to supper. There was chicken and salad. We decided on Mexican for tomorrow. After supper, Chris and Cecily cleaned up, then she sat in the den and fell asleep in front of the TV. I went in and jotted notes for my blog. As Al and Chris chatted in the kitchen, I listened to a podcast. Then Al went to bed and Chris came and gouged out my scab with his pocketknife. I finally got him to leave so I could finish my blog and get ready for bed.

Scrubbing the car mats

Sunday

I got up around 8. I brushed and swished. I checked e-mail. I listened to an interview examining a video that Dr. Paul Offit put out saying the aluminum in vaccines is benign. The other doctor pointed out that aluminum could not work as an adjuvant if it was benign.

After reading for awhile, I took a break to wash up and get dressed for church. Cecily and Al left early to prepare for giving communion. I texted with Michelle, then Chris and I left about 11.

We sat with Cecily and Al. Soon the service began. There was a lot of liturgy but it had been so long that I did not remember it. Anyway, near the end of the service, the priest asked for birthdays. Each person who raised their hand was asked for their name and age. And THEN, they asked about anniversaries. Cecily made Chris raise his hand. We had to stand and give our names and length of marriage. Then he had everyone face a hand toward us and he said a blessing. Then everyone clapped. I wanted to disappear.

After the service, we helped Al and Cecily wash the communion implements. Then we went home the long way to avoid traffic. Chris and Cecily made sausage, bacon, eggs, and bagels for brunch. After eating, I read e-mail for awhile, and approached Al. He helped me get a bucket, brush, soap, and hose. I pulled the floor covers from the car and placed them on the side walk. I scrubbed them and rinsed them and put them up to dry. Then we got out the wet/dry vac. I scrubbed three of the four the foot wells and sucked out the water. I left the doors open to dry.

Supper was ready, so we sat down to pray and eat. We had shrimp, coleslaw, asparagus and waffle fries. We continued to talk for some time afterward. Then the dishes were cleared away.

William and Karen called. They wanted me to call someone to get rid of the squirrels in Dad's attic. I looked up Bee,Bat and Bird on the internet. It said they were open 24 hours a day so I called. I talked to a very nice older man (about Al's age) and we had quite the conversation. I told him I looked forward to meeting him tomorrow. In fact, I would have liked to invite him to dinner, but Cecily said no.v I sat at the table and conversed with Al and Chris. I went out to check the car carpets. They were still wet and the battery was dead from leaving the doors open. Yikes. Then I worked on my blog and got ready for bed.

40th class reunion

Saturday

It was a long night trying to get to sleep. I got up around 8 EST, having been awake for some time. I brushed and swished. I watched a video on making a tiny stove with a paint can filled with alcohol-soaked toilet paper. I got dressed for walking and watched part of an interview with RFK jr.

I walked 2 miles with Al. I read e-mail, then showered and ate lunch with the others. I read e-mail for a bit. Then we went to Chris' 40th class reunion: class of '82.

It was held at the local art center. The room in the back was lightly decorated, with a small buffet. One wall was opened so we could socialize outside if we wished. There were drinks out there. We milled about, trying to make conversation. There was a slide show of pics from the yearbook. We got food and sat outside with others and chatted. Then we all went inside to listen to some announcement. After more chatting, the class of '82 gathered for a photo. I got some more cheese, and looked at pics in an adjoining room. There was a list of people they weren't able to contact. I wondered if they had looked the names up on Facebook. Then we headed out to the parking lot. We talked to some people getting ready to tour the new high school, but Chris didn't want to go.

On the way home, William called. He and Karen were a week early at the reception place for the wedding. When I got home, I texted Michele with Karen's address. But later she said she'd already sent one to that address.

Chris and Cecily made soft tacos for supper. I just ate innards, and rice and salad. We talked all through the meal and beyond. Then I went to the den to play a few rounds of Wordle. I gave up and read e-mail and watched short videos. Then I jotted some notes for today and posted for yesterday.

Fabric shopping

Friday

I got up about 9, having slept a little better than last night. I got dressed, then went walking with Al. We did 5 laps today.

Faye came over. We chatted, then we took the call about the land in Florida. They said their lawyer would get back to us on the next steps. She and I talked until lunch time. Then Faye left and I had a pomegranate for lunch, plus some jicama and avocado dip.

I sprayed the car again with peppermint spray. Then Cecily and I went fabric shopping. With a scrap of fabric from the newly covered couch, we searched for bolts of coordinating fabrics. Cecily chose a blue that I thought didn't match, and a beige that did. She also got 4 yards of trim. I bought some of the beige myself so I would have the option of making a set of pillows using MY choice of fabrics.

When we got back, I put the new fabrics on the couch. They looked different in that light. We unrolled the extra couch fabric. There was two yards, plus a vertical cut. I cut off some to make pillows with.

I read e-mail for quite a while. Kurt said he got an invitation to the wedding. He forwarded it to me. I still didn't have one and neither did Cecily. Then Cecily worked in the kitchen while Chris and Al grilled chicken.

We talked in the den. Cecily went to bed, then Al went to bed. Chris sat by me while I tried to play Wordle. Then he led me to bed, but by the time I finished my bedtime routine, he was asleep.

Our anniversary

Thursday

We got up after 9:30 EST which was about my normal time MST. I did not sleep well with the traffic rumbling down the highway all night. Finally as dawn crept in, I got drowsy but the hot flashes kicked in. Getting older sucks.

I got up to brush and swish and dress. Al and I went for a walk up and down Angarde 4 times. I did a quick check of e-mail. I put stuff from my suitcase in a drawer for easier access.

I called Faye and she said she'd come over to get me when she was done. I washed up and put on clean clothes. While Chris and Cecily were out, I hardboiled 6 eggs and read e-mail. I ate one of the eggs and it was pretty soft. I also had some jicama sticks. Chris and Cecily came home and soon Faye knocked on the door. After greetings and such, we went to her van. Then she saw Alfred picking up sticks and went to talk to him.

Then she drove me to Dad's house with me giving directions. We went inside and looked through books. She give me a stack of ones from Yvonne. I changed the outgoing message on my phone. She showed me pics from her mastectomy. They were pretty gorey.

Then we looked through Dad's Florida files. We talked about that and she called a lady who offered to buy the plot and Faye made a counteroffer. Then we searched all the piles of paper to find the deed, which we did. It had Mom's name still on it because apparently Dad wasn't able to find it.

We went through some jewelry and coins, not knowing if they were worth anything or not. Finally we went to my bank to deposit a check and to Dad's bank to do the same. Then we headed to the Damour's. Faye explained how to play Wordle. Due to traffic, we arrived just a few minutes late. Faye stayed to chat for a bit, then went home.

We got in Cecily's car and went to a steakhouse for our anniversary. Chris and I both got ribeye steaks, but one was large and flat and the other was smaller but thicker. The thicker one was still red inside. He pointed out that I did not fast yesterday, and it struck me that I totally forgot. Cecily just got a salad and could not finish it. However, she encouraged us to get a lava cake for dessert and ate her share of it. Then she went to the restroom and did not like what she saw, so we went out to the car to wait while she reported it to the manager.

When we got home, I started deleting e-mail. I texted with Michelle. Then I remembered my blog and wrote down some things about today. After posting to my blog, I watched The Highwire, then went to bed.

Peppermint water

Wednesday Chris woke me up when he got up several times in early morning. But each time he came back to bed, and we slept until after 9 (EST). I got up slowly because my back hurt.

Cecily did laundry. I sprayed peppermint water inside of the Oldsmobile and wiped the non-fabric parts. I opened the trunk and that looked immaculate. William had stuff in there. There were some paper towels in there so I used them to wipe the channels around the trunk, which were full of gunk. I left the windows open to air out the car.

I took a shower and got dressed. Cecily cut a piece of the fabric used to cover the old couch. We headed to the fabric store to get coordinating material, but halfway there, realized we didn't have the sample, so we went home again. Cecily said we didn't have time to go back.

She did another load of laundry. My shirt from last night had spots on it, and they were still there so I sprayed it, waited, then rinsed it out to get chicken drips out of it.

I ate one of the tomatoes I brought because it was getting soft. I texted to various family members the time of the reception, then started making lunch. William called to ask questions about the reception. I made two lettuce wraps for lunch. Chris sliced up part of the jicama. I ate it with avocado dip.

Chris and Al took the Oldsmobile to a shop to address the brake lights. I texted Myra about us going to visit her. Cecily watched the Food Channel while I tried to catch up on my blog. I read e-mail and Facebook notifications. I got a call from a company that sells a variety of products made in America and without toxic additives. She wanted me to become a member. I listened to the spiel, but said I wasn't ready to buy anything today. Later I looked up some products to see how they compared with the ones I buy already.

Then we gathered in the kitchen for supper. We had pork chops, apple crisp, salad, and baked potato. We chatted during supper and after. I read e-mail for awhile. Michele called, but then cut off quickly with “John needs me, I have to go.” I texted with Faye, then agreed to talk in the morning. I read a bunch of Telegram messages, trying to clear them out. Then I went to bed.

* This is an eagle in our back yard on Monday *

It needed a bath

Tuesday

Our plane was supposed to leave at 11:50pm, but it was delayed. First we waited in the airport, then boarded the plane and waited some more. Since our layover was listed as a hour, I thought we would miss our connecting flight. But somehow we landed in Atlanta on time and the gates were side by side. So we waited an hour to board our next flight. I pulled some stuff from my roll-on that I wished I had had during the last flight, a like sleep mask.

However, being in a new time zone, the daylight soon arrived and sleep would not come. So I read my book instead. The take-offs were fine but both landings were hard on my left ear. When we landed in Richmond, we headed to the nearest bathroom, but there was a line, so we walked to the next one for relief. Then we went to baggage claim and met Al and Cecily there. Chris claimed our suitcases and we walked out to the parking lot to find their car.

Al drove us back to his house. We brought our luggage in. We talked for a little while. Chris and Al went to get the Oldsmobile. Cecily had the food channel on and I tried to read my book, but got really sleepy. So I laid down.

I might have dozed off, but still felt 'out of it' when I got up. The others were eating lunch. Cecily washed some romaine lettuce. I used it to wrap lunchmeat and cheese, and ate two of those. Chris laid down and went to sleep. I called the place Al gets his hair cut and made an appointment.

It was so soon, that I had to wake Chris up to take me. Chris and I went to get a haircut, and shop for avocado dip and pomegranate. We did not find a pomegranate, but I got a jicama to go with the dip.

When we got back, they were home. The Oldsmobile looked like a derelict and smelled even worse. The inside was covered with baking soda that I had sprinkled last year. I vacuumed it out. It hadn't done it's job. Then Al and I washed the outside. A surprising amount of dirt came off, and the wash water was black.

Inside, Chris and Cecily were making supper. I laid down for a bit, then read my book until given the 5 minute warning. But it was more than 5 minutes until we sat down. We had chicken catchatori (sp?) and brussels sprouts, and salad. I got spots on my shirt. Cecily made rice noodles for me, and regular noodles for the others.

After supper, Cecily went to bed. The rest of us talked for awhile, and then Chris went to bed. Then Al and I chatted until 10, which was only 8 MST. I pulled the blinds and went to bed.

The never-ending night

Monday

I was already awake at 5 when Chris' alarm went off and he got up to work out with the colonel. I ruminated until he came back to shower, around 7:30. I got up after he left. I tried to parse supplements, but wasn't sure how: not wanting to take everything with me, and yet be prepared for when we get back. I dithered for awhile, then took only the essentials, but it ended up looking like more than that. I packed some vitamin patches.

I listened to Mike Adams, then went to Housing to drop off extra key to a house already inspected. I went to Chris' office to see Revonna, but she wasn't in. Chris gave me an envelop to mail, so I went to the post office, dropped it in, and picked up our mail. Then I filled out a vacation slip to hold the mail while we're gone. I went home and watered all the plants and a few gopher holes. No gophers came out. The thumb that got bit yesterday was warm and tight, but not discolored. Even though I washed it and put h2o2 on it at the time, it wasn't enough, so today I tried vitamin C and essential oil.

There were no mice in the trap, and, as I discovered, no peanutbutter either. I don't know where it went, so I got some more and spread it around. Later I found that it melted in the sun and dripped to the bottom.

Charity stopped by to pick up my car keys. She's going to change the oil next week. I made and ate breakfast. I read e-mail, then Faye called. We talked for more than an hour. After we hung up, I put on walking shoes and went to the school. I walked with Diane and Jenni. After our mile, we said our goodbyes and I went back to Chris' office to find Revonna. But she wasn't there, so I drove to her house. I didn't want to disturb her, but she was outside so I gave her the small dishes and we talked for a little bit. Then I went home.

I put some drops of peppermint oil in water and sprayed my engine, hoping to keep the mice out. The gopher stake was still squeeking every 30 seconds on the dash. I placed a suitcase on the bed and started packing. I used my packing list. I also added some small hot peppers for Patrick and some green tomatoes for Cecily. Chris came home from work. He made himself supper and put the rest in the freezer. I put stuff in the dishwasher and he ran it. I ate some pickled eggs from last year, and fruit. I also picked some greens from the tower garden and had a small salad.

I read e-mail. I texted with Michelle, who is on vacation. I took a milk jar to Michelle's house and left it by the door. I read a few articles from e-mail and made an order to PatchMD. We hard boiled all the eggs in the fridge. I put my laptop to sleep and packed it and all the cords. Chris moved our luggage to his car. Then we headed out, stopping once to make sure I had my ID.

I tried to sleep as the book on CD played. We arrived at the airport at 10. I was tired, but grateful that all I had to do was follow Chris. It was a long walk from parking to the terminal. We stopped at the bathrooms, then went to check-in. Being Pre-Check, it was a short line, and went quickly. I did not have to take off my shoes or unpack my laptop.

When we reached the gate, I got out my laptop to post to my blog, knowing this was going to be a very long night.

Where's the music coming from?

Sunday

I got up to check the new mouse trap. There were no mice. I brushed and swished. I got a text from Tonja that she was too sick to water the plants. I read e-mail, I went through the cosmetics bag to see if I had everything for the trip.

Chris gave me a coconut oil massage, He took a shower and then I did the same. He washed the sheets.

I made and ate breakfast, then I got dressed, took trombone and snack to the chapel. I talked to the chaplain until time for church. Only two others came. We had praise music played through the sound system. The chaplain gave his sermon, then I played three hymns on my trombone. Then we chatted a bit. I told them I would be gone for 2 weeks. And we went home.

I read articles all afternoon. A tab started playing and I could not find it to shut it off. I had to reboot. I skipped going to the gym because neither Diane nor Michelle was available to change out the weights for me. I washed my church dress and all the bathing suits and towels.

I watered the plants outside. While trying to wash the dirt back into a hole, a gopher came out. I grabbed him and hit him with a rock, but not before he bit me. I squeezed as much blood out as possible, and washed it with soap and water. I also squirted hydrogen peroxide on it. I texted Jenni to see if she could water my plants. Then I went to the garden. I couldn't resist sneaking potatoes out of the ground. It was like finding buried treasure. When I got home, Jenni came over. I showed her how to water the plants. We talked about this and that. She gave me some spice blends. I gave her the key to our house plus the keys to the swap shop. I knew she would like that.

After she left, I ate the rest of the steak. I sopped up some of the steak seasonings with cheese squares. I worked on my blog. I made tea and played my trombone. I asked Chris when we were leaving tomorrow and he said 8:30pm because our flight is at 11:50. Yikes! I'm going to be sleep-walking through the airport.

We watched two episodes of Firefly. We dressed the bed with clean sheets. I folded the swim towels and put them away. I listened to a podcast, then went to bed.

The 5K walk/run

Saturday

I did not sleep well due to hot flashes. At some point, I realized Chris was not in bed, so I must have been sleeping. I heard the 7:30 alarm go off. I got up, had some probiotic, filled the empty water jugs, got dressed, then brushed and swished.

When I went to look up today's project, I had no internet connection. I plugged my cable into the modem, but then it wanted to finish rebooting. I filled a water bottle with water and lemon juice. Chris called at 8:30 to see if I was coming.

I packed my fanny pack and drove to the site on Stark Road. There was a sign “Parking” and pointing to the left, but there was no road to the parking lot there and I didn't want to drive off-road, so I went up to the normal entrance and came back to the parking lot. Chris flagged me down and gave me a number to wear. At nine there was a short safety briefing and prayer. Then all the 5K'ers headed out. It was the same route as last year. Chris talked to John the whole way. Sometimes I was in front of them and sometimes behind, but we three crossed the finish line at the same time. We were dead last, but I consider it a public service since no one else wanted to be last.

I chatted with a few people and ate small oranges. I talked to the MWR director and she invited me to attend their next planning meeting. Chris had to stay, but I drove home.

I stopped at the post office and got the mail, which consisted of two boxes. One held the new mouse trap and the other held supplements. I took a shower, then made and ate breakfast. I watched a documentary. Chris came home for lunch.

I emptied my trunk and put together stuff for the class and we took it to the chapel. Chris left, and I started setting up. Tonja arrived. She needed an iron so I went home and got one. I gave her the key to the chapel so she can hold the next sewing class in two weeks. Diane showed up to make a pumpkin. She did a toilet paper roll one, and Tonja sewed a stuffed one. We discussed end times and Revelations. Diane left early and then Tonja and I packed up. I gave her one of the machines and a bag of fabric for the next class.

When I got home, Chris took the remaining machine out of my trunk. I read e-mail for awhile, then put on my bathing suit. I took the large clock and went to the pool. There were 3 lifeguards and two bathers. I got in the pool and warmed up, then swam for almost an hour. Heather got in and we talked about what improvements we want for next year.

I got out just before 6, toweled off and went home. I wanted meat and cooked vegetables, so we went to the commissary and got steak and a bag of frozen veggies. I cooked the veggies while Chris cooked the steak. I ate while watching more of the documentary, then worked on my blog. Sadly I ate most of a bag of pistachios while watching.

I made tea and we watched two episodes of Firefly. I continued the documentary, then went to bed.