The other set of parents

 

Friday

I had not slept well, so I got up about 8. After Sudoku, I went through the morning list. We put the bed back together. Chris laundered the sheets.

I ran through the newest e-mail. I cleaned and decluttered. I called Isadora and she said she could come after lunch. I made and ate breakfast. Isadora showed up and I had her clean the front porch, including the siding.

I vacuumed and picked up clutter in the main living areas. She finished and I paid her. She went home. I went back to cleaning and decluttering. Later Michelle came over to see what I had done. She looked around and said everything was fine. I didn't believe her.

After 4, I went to the garden to mend the hose, but then other leaks popped up. I took some stuff to the swap shop, then locked it up. It was just after 5 when I got home. Chris said Susan and Alan were going to stop at Michele and John's house first, then they would all come here. So I cleaned until they arrived. We greeted them. They were tired of riding the car, so we took a walk around the block.

John and Michele had brought a shepherd's pie casserole. Chris put out a dish of fresh snow peas. We sat around the table and had dinner. Michele and John left around 9. The rest of us kept talking. Alan went to bed. Then three of us were talking. When I realized it was after midnight, I pointed it out. Then Chris and Susan went to bed and I stayed up to blog.

Filming the alien scene

 

Thursday

I got up at 7:30. After Sudoku, I went through the morning list. I prepared a bottle of water and went to the chapel for Bible study. We read and discussed chapter 34 of Genesis. A really heavy read. Yikes. Then we closed in prayer. Some ladies left, but Eryne came up with the idea of having a Gopher Fun run in September.

I went home to grab tape and scissors and zip ties. I took them to the garden to fix the leak in the soaker hose. It took a lot of wrapping and tape, and I thought I had it fixed.

I went home to make up a week's worth of supplements and then eat breakfast and watch The Highwire.

Two men came to fix the toilet seat. All they had were the cheap plastic replacements. They said they could order a wooden one. So I asked them to exchange the seat in the hall bath with the one in the master bath since we are having company this weekend.

I cleaned up more clutter. I put together a working lamp in the guest room. I tried to filter out the small pieces of walnuts from the debris at the bottom of the bag. Using my salad spinner basket got the bigger pieces. But there was no good way to sort out the little chunks. I broke down boxes and threw out packing paper. I messaged with Faye and we brainstormed ideas for the swap shop movie.

At 4:30 I went to the swap shop to film the alien scene. Gary wasn't there yet so I moved things around to make the place look better as a background. He arrived with the alien costume, then went home for batteries. When he got back, I helped him get in the costume. We did three or 4 takes till it seemed right. He said to keep all the takes in case we have to patch the best parts together. A man came in just as we were leaving, so I let him look around and get what he wanted before I locked it up.

I went home and found Chris having supper. He said Michele was wanting to hang pics so I called her. She wanted nails. Then I was about to sit down to supper when I realized it was 6:30. I jumped in the car and went to Self-Help to give the clerk a gopher skull ball as a thank you gift for stopping by my house last week to get the mower running. He seemed to really like it. We talked till 7, then I left so he could close up. I went to Michele's house to drop off my picture-hanging kit. She didn't want to invite me in, saying it would be cleaner tomorrow.

So then I went to the garden to re-route the soaker hose and run water through it. But the patch leaked badly. I am not sure the water got to the end of the hose. Sigh. I ran the oscillating sprinkler too, and still not enough water pressure to hit the whole garden. So I had to water parts by hand.

When I got home, I ate supper and watched New World Next Week. Then I worked on my blog and made tea. We watched an episode of Criminal Minds. I read Telegram messages. Chris went to bed. I picked up a few things in the living room. Chris came back out for something and I asked him to plug in the lamp in the guest room since his arms are longer than mine. So he did. But for some reason he wanted to move the bed from the wall. He pulled on the footboard and the bed fell apart. He stood the mattress and boxspring on end, then fiddled with the side rail until the metal piece was in the right place. Then we left it for the next day.

The new hose doesn't work any better than the old one.

 

Wednesday

I got up at 7:30. I prepared for coffee morning. I did 4 rounds of tapping and meditation. I cleaned the bathrooms and kitchen. I did some vacuuming and I mopped the kitchen floor.

I went to the post office for mail and to open the swap shop. When I got home, I took a steam session in the sauna, then took a shower. I rested, then ate some yogurt. I dozed off in the recliner.

Then I looked at music memes for a bit before going to the library to get books. I ended up talking to Melissa for an hour.  Then I locked the swap shop.  When I got home, I cleaned some more clutter.

 I went to the garden with Chris to re-do my watering system. I needed him to loosen tight connections.  I hoped to find a time of better water pressure, but it was not to be. I brought a new soaker hose, but when I hooked it up, the water leaked out before it reached the end of the hose. I pondered how it could be patched.

When I got back, I made tea. We watched one episode of Criminal Minds. I looked up some of the actors and why they left. That went into other aspects of the show, like how unrealistic it was, how many rules were violated, etc. Finally I finished my blog post and went to bed.

Wasp nest

 

Tuesday

I got up before 7:30. After Sudoku, I started on the morning list. I watered the plants and reset the traps. I went to the garden at 9 to watch the sprinkler come on. It was not at full power. So after the sprinkler was done, I ran the water through the soaker hose. I pulled weeds and watered the edges of the garden. I tried the sprinkler again at 9:30 and it still wasn't full power.

When I got home, I looked at music memes online. I ate yogurt and read with the red light. I ate fiber gel and read outside, finishing the book. I made and ate breakfast. I walked to the post office to get the mail. I spent the afternoon clearing up clutter in the pantry and mud room.

Chris came home from work and put fish in the oven for me. He got rid of a wasp nest that seemed to have grown overnight in the door of the shed. He got caught by the sprinklers coming on just before 7. That's new.

I ate supper and read e-mail. I texted Michelle that I had a vacuum that needed throwing away. Chris talked to me about retirement and other things. I took coffee grounds and compost to the garden. After spreading them around, I tried the sprinkler. It was still not at full power.

When I got home, I worked on my blog, then made tea. We watched TV. I looked up some of the actors, then read through more e-mail. Finally I went to bed.

Sprinklers are now two hours early

 

Monday

I got up at 7:30. I did Sudoku and the morning list. I reset the traps, since none were caught. I picked hymns for next Sunday. I practiced them, then ate yogurt. I took two flats of jars to Jenni.

When I got back, I posted for band. I ate fiber gel, read online, then made and ate breakfast. I walked to the post office for the mail. There was a heavy box, so I walked home and drove back for the box of nuts. Then I went to library to make copies and do some filming. I went to Emily's office, too, but she was busy.

I went home and cleared some e-mail. I also cleared some clutter (not that you'd notice). I read for a bit, then went back to Emily. We discussed the movie and the swap shop. I saw Gary and asked him to be the alien. He agreed. I went to commissary to get milk. Dominic talked to me about the food donation bags.

I took the milk home and put it in the fridge. I jotted notes, then picked up some clutter. I cleared a wider path through the front hallway. I hung a wallhanging in the guest room.

I ate fiber gel, read for a bit, then ate cheese squares with avocado dip for supper. I was tired of the chili. Chris came home. I went to band at the chapel. We played through the hymns and prayed for the lady in the accident on Friday. I went home – noting that the sprinklers were on. 2 hours early.

We went to fill the jugs with water. I called Michele to find out what her m-i-l likes to eat, when to eat, etc. She didn't know, but said the lady isn't picky. I went to the garden to water the ends which the sprinkler isn't covering. Casey was there and I talked to him. He said he has a big squash already. Sigh. When I got home, I made tea and we watched TV. I looked up some of the actors. I went to bed around 11.

Armour of God

 

Sunday

I got up at 8 and did some Sudoku, then started the morning list. I watered the plants inside and out. I reset the gopher traps, with hope. I listened to the three praise songs that Keli sent. I ate yogurt and read a book for quite awhile. I ate fiber gel, then read online until noon. I made and ate breakfast, then got ready for church.

When I got to the chapel, I put the cheese squares in the back. I went up front to assemble my trombone. I warmed up. I noticed very low attendance, like last week. The chaplain gave his sermon about putting on the armour of God. He had actual pieces on a table up front and invited the kids (all 2 of them) to come up. After the sermon, the band played two hymns. We talked some, then I went home with all my cheese squares still in the container.

I finished breakfast, read e-mail, then changed clothes. I went to mop the swap shop and scrub marks off the floor. I came home just in time for the game. We took a walk with John and Michele. When we got back, I worked on blog, then went to the garden. Sadly the sprinkler was not covering the garden so that means someone is using water at the same time. Sigh.

When I got home, I made tea. We watched TV, then put laundry away. I read online till 11. Then we went to bed.

Sewing class

 

Saturday

I got up at 8:30. Chris left for Mass. I started the morning list. When Chris got home, he took my car out for a ride and decided it was running fine. I watered the grass and gopher tunnels and plants. I uninstalled and rebooted several times. But it kept downloading updates even though I told it to pause updates for a week. I decided the only solution was to stop my screen from going to sleep because that's when the green sparkles show up.

I put some yeast and sugar and water in a bowl to rise. Chris gave me a coconut oil massage. I took a shower. I looked up a hamburger bun recipe. But he found a beer bread recipe and Michele wanted beer buns. I converted my yeast mixture to the beer bread recipe, and used the leftovers for onion bread (to use up the onion juice).

I made and ate breakfast. I made flat rolls from the dough. By the time I got them in the oven, I had to leave. So I left instructions for Chris to take them out.

I went to the chapel for sewing class. The kids were already inside because the door hadn't shut properly after Mass. I showed them the owl and they picked their fabrics. They passed around the templates, traced and cut. I had to help Jedediah with sewing, both on machine and by hand. The others did pretty well. I forgot my phone so Saronna let me take pictures with her phone. Wilhelm hadn't finished by 4, so he decided to take his home and glue the bottom on. I cleaned up a little, we all walked out.

I went home to get my camera and the alien costumes, I went to the swap shop . It was quite a mess. The Clark's arrived and we cleaned up and took some footage. Moira got out one of the costumes, but it was too big. After they left, I vacuumed.

I went home at 6 to have a bite of supper. I talked to John and Michele. They decided not to attend Project Night. I brought in the doll that Michele had so long ago. As she looked it over, I had to leave for the chapel.

No one was there and I forgot to advertise it, so I started packing up the sewing machines from earlier. But then Jenni came with some mending to do. We talked while she sewed. Then we packed up. We rescued the table that has been left in the kitchen since VBS. There was a dead mouse in a trap under it. I threw it out. I texted Bryce about the blood left on the floor and a bad tile in the fellowship hall.

Michelle had called earlier about a tree that fell in her driveway. She wanted me to see it. So I stopped by the garden, then went to her house. It had been sawed into pieces by then. It would have damaged her car if it had hit. We talked.

I went home. I made tea and we watched TV. We dressed the bed. I looked for her lamb online and she sent me a place to order a doll like the one Michele had. I worked on my blog and went to bed.