Last sewing day of the year

I woke up several times during the night, but then overslept, getting up at 9:45. The recyclables that I stayed up late packaging, were still in the foyer and it was too late to put them out. I drank a quart of lemon water while deleting e-mail. I ate some seed crackers and then got dressed. I searched for some cotton batting for Maria. Nothing was big enough so I had to piece it together. I put my craft materials in a bag. Then I walked in a light rain to the Housing building. No one was there. I turned on the lights and heat and started getting out tables. Then other ladies came and helped get out machines and supplies. Some brought their kids, who ran around screaming. Dynee put a backing on her table mat, and Chong mostly finished her folded star ball, then helped Dynee sew the opening shut. Then Dynee started a Christmas one. Lacey brought her featherweight: it was a hit with the class. Chantal brought her sister who started a paper kusodama ball. When 1 o'clock came, several people were still working. I told them they could stay but I had to go do stuff. But I did not get out of there until 1:30. Kelly had texted me a pic of her white chocolate cookies. I asked if she needed baking sheets and she said yes. I went home and found three. Her girls came over to get them and I gave them the rice candy and coffee sticks as well. Then I made and ate breakfast. I cut another piece of anti-scorch fabric for Maria since the one at Housing wasn't big enough. But the first one I cut was 20” square so I had to cut again to get 20 by 25. I folded them up for class. I sent powerpoint slides of Sleigh Ride to the chaplain. I took a strip of blue snowflake fabric and fused a strip of heavy stabilizer down the middle. I folded over the edges and stitched them down. Then I sewed a piece of elastic to both ends to make a headband to hold my hair in place. But the hair at the back of my head is shorter than the rest and the elastic showed. So I cut a little more fabric to cover the elastic. It was a rush job but I figured no one really cares. It was wet out so I called Mrs. Kim to see if she needed a ride and she said she was already walking to the chapel. I packed up my trombone and jumped in the car. I picked her up on the way. When we got to the chapel, there was no parking, so I parked at the FFTC. We walked to the chapel and saw that there was a large group of Korean high school students. They seemed to be on their way out so we set up and started to play, but then they filed into the sanctuary for a photo shoot. So we sat by, waiting until they were finished. After that, we practiced two songs, Sleigh Ride and Santa Claus is Coming to Town. Then we talked about caroling on Christmas Eve and she said she would like to play for that. Then we went our separate ways. I went home to have supper. The chaplain had responded to my e-mail saying that he could not post to the community page but giving me the announcement. So I posted it. I ate some sweet potato casserole. I thought it needed something, so I tried lemon juice and it was good, but maybe cranberry was a better way to go. I could not find my fanny pack with my phone in it. I ran out to the car but did not see it. Then I walked to class. The light were already on in Housing. I was worried that someone left them on, but the building was open and three ladies were already there. Dynee showed me her finished table mat. She then started an ornament. I helped Maria work on the iron caddy she was making for her husband. Lacey was working on her own project and Evelin finished up her bordered table cloth. Then they helped pack up. I put aside the Christmas stuff to go home with me. After they left, I swept the floor, turned off the lights and heat, and locked the building. It was raining harder. I walked home. Chris was there. He had bought a bottle of Jack Daniels for someone at the office. He wanted help wrapping it. So I suggested a fabric bag and pulled out some burgundy velvet, also offering him a Christmas print. But he had the idea of wrapping it in a t-shirt. He came up with two, but one had never been worn. I figured out how to wrap it such that the emblem on the shirt was centered on the bottle. Then I tied it around the neck. He liked that, so we were ready to watch TV. We went through several episodes of 3rd Rock from the Sun. Then he looked up several of the characters. I typed up my blog, finishing after he went to bed.

Getting the little things done

I got up soon after my alarm went off at 7:30. Chris was long gone. I drank my quart of water and replenished the water jugs from the shower filter. I put on an audio and did my exercises. I also swept and picked up stuff lying around, and did some dusting. The audio was a presentation by John Gray, who is now in his 60's. I made breakfast and did yesterday's puzzle. I took a shower. I practiced for a few minutes until it was time to leave. Carrying yoga blocks in my bag, I walked to the bus stop. In 5 to 10 minutes the bus arrived and I was on my way to the acupuncturist. It was such a nice day that I stayed on the bus an extra stop so I could walk back. Still, I was early and they took me right away. I enjoyed the leg massage. I stretched my hip flexors until the doctor arrived. He had me sit in all four directions and felt my chi in each one. I don't know if there was a disturbance in the force, but he stuck needles in the back of my neck briefly, then had me lay down for the usual leg, stomach and neck points. I really felt something from the one in my calf. He asked questions about constipation, which I don't have. He told me to wait after the needles were taken out. So, when the nurse removed them, I stayed. She peeked in on me several times, as if she did not know I was supposed to stay. Later he came back and felt my chi again. He said next time he would give me a list of what I should be eating. He said no dairy or ginseng. Also, he asked about the seed cracker I gave him last week. He was not in favor of the spices. I paid him and made an appointment for January. Then I walked to the bus stop and waited. I rode the bus to the stop near the base, then went to the corner market and bought sprouts. I walked home, noting it was almost 2pm. Chelsea had texted that she would be home after 2, so I had a bite to eat, then took her gift over. But no one answered the door. I could see her car across the street so I thought I had the wrong house. I went home. Dynee asked me to ride with her to the antique store, so I did. She picked up something big. I told the man that the vase I bought last time did not get packed in the box. We looked around the store but did not see it. He kept telling me to check at home. Then we drove back to base. Dynee said her washer left spots on her whites. So we looked into cleaning the central core. Then I went home. Kelly sent her daughter to get some tubs to put cookie dough in. I grabbed some from the hutch, but was horrified to see that they were dirty. I guess we never washed them after unpacking them. I found another set before Kayle arrived. After she left with the other set, I put Christmas music on the desktop and turned it up. I put hot soapy water in the tub and washed it, plus a few other things in the kitchen. Chelsea came to pick up her gift. Dynee came over to buy some lip balm. I had two left so I gave them to her. I also gave her the reed diffuser that I made for her. She said she had been looking for something to make her closet smell better. I cleaned up in the cutting room. I flattened some boxes for recycling tomorrow. I glued the ornament from yesterday where the tape wasn't holding. I put bean soup in the toaster oven. Chris came home from work. I wrapped his gift and put it under the tree. Kelly had said she was going to buy herself a kitchen center like mine. I looked online to see what they cost now, but I guess Oster doesn't make that anymore. I read e-mail and ate the soup. I posted to the community page about the class tomorrow. I practiced again. Then we watched The Tudors on Netflix. I had trouble understanding what was going on, but Chris seemed to like it. Then he went back to his game and I cleared more e-mail before writing up my blog so I could go to bed.
* These fields near the doctor's office are growing. How do they survive the cold nights? *

Dirty Santa strikes again - but I got the wrapping paper

I woke up with a hot flash. I heard the fog horns in the distance. Chris got ready for work. I got up when he left. Sometimes sleeping is easier during the day, so I went out to the livingroom, donned earphones and listened to a BWE CD, hoping to sleep. No. I drank and swished and did my exercises. I boiled water for coffee. I tapped and listened to an interview on brain health. He recommended eating grains. After the coffee, I started cleaning but Chris came home. We talked. I contacted Amber about the party tonight. I noticed Chris had brought home packages, so I put the festive one under the tree and opened the Swanson boxes. I realized I hadn't taken any supplements lately because I had run out and not had time to make up more. After Chris went back to work, I started a batch of rolls. I forgot that I had an open can of coconut milk in the fridge and I opened another one. Grr. I tried the giant snowflake with origami paper and it turned out cute. I ordered ghee from Swansons. I got dressed and went to Housing to get my origami paper back and to check on supplies for a project Maria wanted to do. When I got home, I made the dough into rolls and started a loaf of bread for Chris. I made and ate breakfast. I baked the rolls, then rubbed half of them with butter. They looked really good with cranberries sticking out all over. I left them to cool. I selected some red and white fabrics to make stuffed ornaments. I used the cup from the Magic Bullet to draw circles. I cut around them and sewed on the line. But I was running out of time. I moved the sweet potato mash into a baking dish. I crumbled the topping over it. I covered it with plastic wrap. I threw the craft supplies into a bag, and put the rolls into a bag, grabbed the other rolls and the bread wreath. I put needle, thread and scissors in a baggie. I figured while the casserole heated up at the chapel, I could be practicing. So I grabbed my trombone, too. I put it all in the car, managing to keep it all dry with my umbrella. I prayed that there would be a parking space at the chapel. It did not seem possible since there are only 2 and I saw people driving down the hill ahead of me. But when I got there, there was a space. I parked there and carried my stuff in in several trips. Amber put my casserole in the oven. I put my trombone, coat and bag in the sanctuary. I reparked the car at the FFTC so others could use the space. Then I sat in the foyer and finished the ornaments: I turned them right side out, filled them with these dried red berries that I got at the market thinking they were goji berries, and sewed them shut. I wanted to practice, but there were too many people, so I pretended to practice as I sewed. Anna sat down to help me and I gave her the ornament that I mistakenly sewed shut before I stuffed it. She had just opened a hole in it when the admiral's wife arrived. Then she had to go. The admiral's wife brought a present for Chelsea but Chelsea wasn't there so it was given to me to give to Chelsea. I was almost finished with the last ornament when Anna came to get me and sat me with the group in the other room. We waited for a few more people to arrive, then Amber said a quick prayer. Diamond jumped in line for food and was a little taken aback when no one joined her. So I got up and made ushering movements until the ladies rose up to join her. My contributions were two kinds of rolls and sweet potato casserole. I took some of the casserole and it wasn't very good. Someone said it might be the Korean sweet potatoes, which are whitish inside and more starchy. I ate my plate of food, listening to the other ladies at my table converse. Kelly really liked my cranberry rolls and asked me to make her some for Christmas. Then I realized that the bread wreath wasn't out. So I found it in the kitchen and brought it out. But everyone had already filled their plates at that point. At 7 Amber asked for the tables to be cleared to start the dirty santa game. Some ladies were not done eating. But the plates went away and they brought small tables of gifts inside. Amber had us pick numbers from a jar. Mine was 3. I was contemplating the strategy of picking my own gift, thus avoiding disappointment for myself and another. But person 1 chose it, probably because it was the nicest wrapped gift. She wrapped the scarf around her neck, obviously enjoying it, so there went my strategy. When it was my turn, I chose a wrapped gift. Stealing isn't my style. It was a box of face masks from a Korean beauty shop. I hoped someone would steal it but no one did. Surprisingly, someone did steal the scarf from person 1. That made me feel good, but person 1 was disappointed. At the end of the game, the giver of the face masks took it back and gave me the gift she opened: a matching potholder, towel and dish cloth. She felt badly for me and then I felt badly for her. Great game, huh? Out of 22 gifts, only 3 were stolen. And then the party broke up. I told Kelly she could have the leftover cranberry rolls because I wasn't baking any more before Christmas. She took them all but then someone else showed up looking for a few extra and she shared. I hung behind, finishing the last ornament, waiting for a parking space so I could bring my car around. I had three loads to carry out. I gathered together my foods and the plate of cucumbers and tomatoes that Amber brought. I also got the used wrapping paper. Score! I took a load out to my car and drove it back to the chapel. Anna brought out the rest as she and Amber locked up and walked to her car. I drove home and brought one load in with me, then went back for the other two. I had Dynee's bread basket but decided not to return it until I washed the red liner. Chris helped me put the food away, then asked me how the party went. I had to admit that it went better than I expected, but that I felt like crying and did not know why. He suggested that I was just tired from being so busy and worrying. Probably right. We talked for some time. Then we heard the skype sound. Faye called me and we had a nice chat. Then I went to my new laptop to type up my blog post before going to bed.

Sweet potato day

Chris got up before I did, in fact I did not hear him go to church. I expected to see him sitting at his computer when I got up. But it was almost 10. So I washed up and got dressed. I put on a black skirt, white top, and long sleeved red shirt. I only got to drink a little water before Chris came home to get me. He drove me to the chapel where there were two parking spaces. We did not have to use the hazard blinkers:) I went in and sat in my usual spot. Chang came up and asked to practice with me after church. So I called Chris and asked him to bring my trombone and music stand. During the time when the choir usually sang, a Korean man and woman sang a duet. He looked like an average Korean, but when he sang, he sounded like Pavarotti. They were both marvelous. The service was about the fourth advent candle, the one of peace. He asked who needed peace and someone answered 'the oppressed'. But I think the oppressors need peace, then they wouldn't feel the need to control everyone. After church, Chris came in with my trombone. But Chang was still playing guitar for the kids in Sunday School. I talked to Chantal and Suzanne. Then the kids got out and I went in with my trombone. He and I worked out how to play Do You Hear What I Hear as a duet. He played first, I did the echo and then we played together. It worked well, especially considering the language barrier. Then I packed up and put my trombone in the car. Chris and I walked to the commissary. We spent more time talking to Kim than shopping. We came home with the groceries and put them away. I made and ate breakfast. Then we drove to the FFTC to watch a movie: Fantastic Beasts and where to find them. It was pretty good. Then we came back home. I looked for into on how to avoid the Dirty Santa games, but all I could find were alternate rule sets. The comments indicated that people who love the game think people who don't are scrooges. One person took flack for posting that the gift money would be better spent at a homeless shelter. I have to agree. After that, I looked at sweet potato casserole recipes. I made a list of ingredients culled from numerous recipes. I printed out one for a sweet potato souffle. I made a salad, then peeled sweet potatoes between bites. I put them in a big pot to boil. I finished my salad. I soaked cut up dates in coconut water, then pureed them with the Magic Bullet. I assembled ingredients for the topping. I picked the potatoes out of the water and put them in a dish. The recipe said I could mash the potatoes with an immersion blender. Well, sort of, but the hand masher worked better. The recipe called for 3 cups, so I took three out and put the rest in a jar. I added some of the other ingredients. I left out the eggs and substituted dates for honey. Actually the date/water mixture was a lot like apple butter. I used the immersion blender to stir in the spices. But the three cups looked paltry in the dish, so I added two more. Then I chopped the oats into flour with the other blade of the Magic Bullet. I put in the butter and cinnamon too. It did a good job with that, but for the nuts I had to mix by hand. I did not want the nuts chopped into powder. I took out the ham and ate some, wondering how I was going to fit more food in the fridge. Chris moved some things around. I put that mixture into the fridge, as well as the date/water mixture. Chris put the sweet potato mix away. The leftover potatoes went in a jar. I washed for a long time to clear up the utensils I used. I was surprised to see that the brand new metal cup measures were not hot water safe. The markings smeared off in the dishwater. ????! It seemed like the whole potato process took way longer and was way messier than it should have been. Finally Chris pulled up Netflix and we watched multiple episodes of Third Rock from the Sun. Then he went to bed and I stayed up to write up the day.
* These are the sticky window clings that I talked about yesterday. *

Caroling in the cold

I turned the bedroom temperature down from 21 to 20 Celcius. You wouldn't think it would make much of a difference. Well, instead of having hot flashes, I was cold all night. And Chris kept rolling in the opposite direction, taking the covers with him. I did not sleep well. So in the morning, he crept out of bed to let me sleep in. But I wasn't asleep. So I got up. I drank a quart of lemon water while reading e-mail. I listened to a interview with a man who survived cancer while doing my exercises and putting up window clings. They were stickier than I expected, and I wondered if they were going to be hard to peel off later. I sent messages to Myra and Faye. I looked up a recipe for cardamom bread. I found one that had to be reworked for bread machine usage. I proofed the yeast as it said, in milk with cardamom. That did not sound right to me and the yeast would not rise. I threw it in the bread machine with the other ingredients and put the machine on the dough cycle. I made and ate breakfast. I printed 6 more copies of the song sheet. I packed up my trombone and stand. I walked to Janelle's house. We practiced together. She played well. I chatted with her parents. She gave me a large piece of hicama. I came home and put it in the fridge. The bread dough had risen quite a bit. I rolled it into 4 ropes and braided them into a wreath shape. While it was rising, I played Christmas music on my laptop. I read e-mail, and read about Dirty Santa alternatives. Chris did laundry. I spread a mixture of yolk and coconut cream on the bread wreath, sprinkled slivered almonds on it, then baked it. I practiced some more. I looked for my sugarless sweet potato recipe on all the computers, and could not find it. I found a box to house the scarf that I bought for the dirty santa game. But there was not time to wrap it. Chris and I took a shower, and then it was time for caroling. I was kind of in a bad mood because I was getting somewhere with my to-do list and did not want to stop and lose momentum. But I had promised, so I collected my 6 copies of the song sheet and walked down to the chapel. Three ladies were standing there, reading a song sheet and looking for recordings of the music online. One lady had a blue tooth speaker that she could send the songs from her phone. They found links for each of the songs on the sheet. We sang some of them to the music. The lyrics did not always quite fit, but it was nice to have the music play while we sang. Anna came and then we hit the road. We walked all through lower housing, knocking on doors and singing to whoever seemed to be home. Some people did not open their doors. Some did, some offered us a donation (which we did not accept), and at one place, a young boy offered us a bowl of gluten-free oreos. Then Anna had to go to a dinner with her husband so she asked us to sing at her house before they had to leave. Anna gave us a ride to the last door of upper housing. Mandy joined us. We sang for Anna's family and for Janelle's family. Then we hit families on the way down that were home. When we got to Carolyn's house, we were done. And it was dark and freezing. I went home to have a bowl of bean soup. I wrapped the cooled bread wreath and put it in the fridge. I read e-mail for a bit, then we watched a movie with Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts. Then we watched 3 or 4 episodes of 3rd Rock from the Sun. We wanted to watch Big Bang Theory, but Netflix only had those on DVD. I continued my search on how to avoid Dirty Santa games. I don't like being required to spend money on a gift that has a high chance of going to someone who doesn't want it. But I still did not find any strategies for avoiding it or the disappointment that comes with seeing someone else not want the gift I brought. I wondered if the game was invented by the retail establishment to sell more gifts. Then I noticed it was almost midnight, so I posted to my blog and went to bed.
* Anna took this pic. The blue tooth speaker is on the step, just out of sight. *

Clue: Chris in the livingroom with Admiral Yi statue

I got up about 8, but sequestered myself on the couch with a quilt, waiting for my morning cortisol to kick in. Then I drank a quart of lemon water. I noticed that the plastic had blown off my tomatoes, so I put it back on and used a quilt frame clamp to secure it. I realized that it might be too late. I took the box off of the eggplant and it looked fine. I read e-mail and got dressed. I was counting down til my skype call with my tapping buddy when my sister called me to get my Christmas list. I hated to have to hang up with her, but the call came through as we were speaking. My buddy and I tried all three computers, then settled on the desktop. I had to move the monitor so I wouldn't look like I was highlighted in the dark. We tapped for an hour. After that call, I called my sister back. It was hard to make out what she was saying because of the Windows 10 sound problem. Why doesn't Microsoft send an update for that? Faye and I talked for some time. Chris came home for lunch while we were talking. After the call, he had some talking to do. I put dough ingredients in the bread machine. I made and ate breakfast. When the dough was risen, I formed it into rolls and put them on a cookie sheet. While they rose, I read e-mail. Amber contacted me, asked if I could bring the songs sheets to the party tonight. My understanding was that Carolyn was going to do it. But I did not mind. I set to work copying lyrics from the internet to a document. It was difficult making two columns. I figured there was probably a better word processor program for such things. But I was able to get 3 or 4 songs per page. Before I was finished, the shoemaker called me to say Chris' shoes were ready. It wasn't long before the party so I suggested I could pick them up tomorrow, but that did not please him so I agreed to come today. I called Chris and he said he would leave work in half an hour. I threw the rolls in the oven and baked them. I got another phone call and heard the timer ring while I was talking. The call got dropped just in time for me to pull the rolls out and start rubbing them with butter. Then she called back. We finished our conversation. I worked on the songsheet. I had to turn the text blue so it would print. Then Chris came home. I changed clothes and he drove me into town. He parked and waited while I quickly collected Chris' shoes and paid the man. Since his wife had taken my order, I wondered how the man knew which shoes I had come for. Anyway, I jumped in the car and Chris found his way back to base. I started printing copies of the songsheet. I put on a sparkly top and a red scarf. I got 4 double sided copies and decided it was a good start. Chris wanted to be at the party by 5 so we scrambled to get there. I did not even have time for a shower. But we were the first and the staff was not quite ready. We went to the bar and sat talking. People drifted in. I talked to Lacey until it was announced that we should all go into the main room and find a seat. Chris had found a table with Scott, Danielle, Ross and Ross' parents who just got in last night. After a bit, people were invited by tables to get in the food line. Most of the food offered was on my so-so list. My plate was not full when I went back to the table. The conversation continued until the MC announced prize drawings. They called ticket numbers to come get an ornament from the tree. Each ornament had a number which corresponded to a gift. Chris' number (1) got picked and he went up to pick an ornament and get the gift. I was a little surprised that he did not decline. But instead of a gift certificate or a nice electronic gift, he unwrapped a statue of Admiral Yi. I figured if anyone could appreciate such a gift, it was him. I thought he needed a turtle ship to go with it. Maybe I could make a stuffed one for his Christmas present? Someone else got the turtle ship, and several others got statues. The party broke up before 9, but we sat around talking with Anna and Terry. Anna really wanted lots of people to come caroling tomorrow. She said she knew of software which makes two columns. Where was she when I was struggling to make the song lists? Finally we put on our coats and went to the foyer. But Chris was still talking. The other people left, so we got to go home, too. Chris asked if I would hold Admiral Yi while he drove. I asked if that was what we were calling it now. Back at the house, I contacted Amber about posting about caroling and she asked if I would do it. So I did. Kurt e-mailed me too. I typed up my blog post for the day, hoping I hadn't missed anything. I practiced (finally) and probably went to bed.
* This is a reference to the game of Clue, just in case I go missing, you will know what happened to me *

Good day for a massage or two

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I got up at 8:30. I drank my quart of lemon water while reading e-mail. I got messages from Myra and Suyapa. I collected some filtered water from the shower. I ironed the rest of my fabrics from the market. I ate some seed cracker. I checked my to-do list. I worked today's puzzle. I downloaded powerpoint pages for the lyrics to Sleigh Ride. I saw Amber post an FRG meeting for this evening. I put on an audio and did my exercises. Then I took off my nightgown to drybrush my skin. That is when Chris came home for lunch. Upon seeing me, he declared today the best day ever. Then he made himself lunch and I made and ate breakfast. I took a shower and dressed warmly. I put two pairs of Chris' shoes in bags. I got ready, then walked out into town. I went past the Chinese massage place in order to get to the shoemaker's stand. She was talking to a customer, but the lady soon moved aside so I could hand over the shoes. Fortunately she could see that the heels were worn down unevenly. She wrote down my phone number, then went back to her conversation. I walked to the Foot Shop, arriving exactly on time. I changed, then soaked my feet. A lady came to dry my feet. The clerk told me that Mrs. Wong was sick so Mrs. Su would give me my massage. He spoke to her, presumably telling her to be gentle. And she was very good. After I changed back, and paid, he asked who I would like next time. And did I think Mrs. Su was better? Yes. I had 15 minutes to kill, so I walked to McDonalds to use their bathroom. They did not have their own, but there was one in the hallway between them and Paris Baguette. Then I went to the junk store to look for a party gift and for something to heat my garden at night. The only thing I found that used American electricity was a dual-voltage curling iron. Too much heat! Then I had to run to the Chinese massage place. I got the same back and shoulder massage there. He used a lot more pressure, but it did not last as long. Then I went back to the market. I was enjoying my scarf in the cold, so I looked for another one to be my party gift. I had only paid 10,000 won and that was the limit for the gift. So I went looking, but the nice one I found was 15000. She was willing to come down to 12,000 and I wanted to be done with the whole party gift thing, so I bought it. As I passed the everything store, I saw they had Christmas stuff. I hoped to find lights, but only with Korean plugs. But they did have Christmas cards so I bought a few. Then I went to Daiso. They did not have lights, but I got a few small ornaments for the tree and some snowflake window clings. On my way back, I passed a phone shop. I was able to find a short cord for charging my phone from a battery pack. Whoo-hoo! Then I walked quickly back to base. I just made it to the chapel in time for the FRG meeting. I was a little nervous about being chairperson, but as it turned out, the president led the meeting herself. The vice-president offered to take notes but she declined. They talked about caroling and decided to do it this Saturday because of so many things going on. I piped up about lyric sheets. Dynee agreed. I would have helped make them, but the pres and VP insisted on handling it themselves. They also talked about having a drawing for Valentines Day. Either by guessing how many hearts are in a jar, or at random, allowing people to enter by submitting suggestions: a brilliant idea by our next door neighbor. The pres announced our new treasurer. I wondered if the new lady knew the history of the FRG treasury. Then Amber asked for volunteers to be secretary. Anna suggested me, but Amber told her I was the chairman. Somehow, I don't think she knows what that is. She ended the meeting and people milled about or left. I talked to her and then Dynee and Ryan gave me a ride home from the FRG meeting. Dynee said she had some lights out in the shed and would drop them off. I went inside and smelled the bean soup cooking. The beans were soft, so I ladled some into a bowl. Then Dynee knocked, with two boxes of lights in her hand. I thanked her and took them. I plugged each string in to see how warm they got. One string was candy canes and the other were really big bulbs on sticks. I went around the front of the house with a flashlight, looking for an outdoor outlet. But the only one was around the side wall. I found an extension cord in the shed and ran it to the tomato plants covered in plastic. I put Dynee's lights under the plastic in hopes of keeping the tomatoes alive. I texted back and forth with Myra. I mixed up essential oils with vodka and water to fill the oil diffuser I made for Dynee. I realized my version of Sleigh Ride was missing the part about Farmer Gray. I was unable to pick it out on the keyboard, so I looked up images of music on Bing trying to find the notes.
We watched two episodes of Xena Warrior Princess. I spent half an hour re-creating my day for this blog post and wondering what pic would suffice.

* This is the scarf I bought for the gift exchange. *