Another day spent looking into healthier eating

I got up early to make Chris' sandwich. The bread was still in the breadmaker from last night. Not being refrigerated, it didn't cut well. But it will tomorrow. I took my pre-breakfast supplements and got on the computer. I continued my reading on fermenting foods, and on juicing too. I read that glutamic acid is a natural by-product of fermentation. That means the people who are sensitive to MSG can't eat a lot of it. Hopefully that is not me 'cause I love my fermented coconut milk, and sauerkraut. The thrift shop was supposed to be closed to volunteers today so that MaryAnn could do the end-of-the-month processing. But Ella talked her out of it, so I had to go in. I was late getting there because I took the time I needed to print up a nice placard to go with the wallhanging that I placed in ACS yesterday. Also, I had trouble with the flaxseed. I tried the nutchopper this morning. First, it was dirty and had to be thoroughly washed and dried. Secondly, it was better than the grinder, but still took way too much time and effort. I also had trouble with the chia seeds that I soaked since they turned gelatinous, like frog eggs.
Anyway, I got to the thrift shop about 11:30, arriving in the rain, but not soaked. I got all the books shelved, and DVD's, games, videos, etc. I even ate lunch there (which I brought myself). At 2:30 I left for the ACS building. I replaced the handwritten card with the printed one, which looked so much better. Then, as I was walking away, Lori stopped to ask me if I wanted a ride. Even better, she was going to the commissary. What a blesing! So I went along and got vegetables to juice. I just happened to see that they now sell raw young coconuts! Wow! I also got organic soy milk to ferment. When I got home, I put it in a box with a heating pad and a towel. I will let it sit over night. Everything else I put in the fridge. I tried to find a good juicing recipe on-line because I don't want to make too much. You should drink it all right after you make it. Chris came home and reheated the pork for supper. I ate it with rice and sauerkraut. They had some banana bread too. I sat down after supper to finish off the Ken-Ken puzzles. Then I found a stack from months ago, and did a few of them too, until my eyes complained. I ended my day with the computer. What would I do without Google?
*Here is a pair of pants I saw at the thrift shop. Someone put $15 on it.*

Christine and her new baby girl

Got up early to make Chris' sandwich, and used the last of the bread, so I left the breadmaker lid up to remind me to make more bread. I went back to bed. I got up an hour later to get ready for our weekly quilt meeting. I read through my e-mail, had breakfast, showered, cut up some cheese for lunch, added nuts to my small container that I keep on hand in case I get hungry. I also soaked some seeds for sprouting, and some for eating tomorrow. Finally I grabbed the wallhanging and cut some pieces of an old file folder to make a sign - later. I ran over to post to catch the bus to the South Post Chapel. Cathy had arrived just ahead of me, but I had the keys that she left on Thursday night. We started setting up and others came along to help. We worked on baby quilts today. But for some reason the tops were bigger than the batts and backings. That hasn't happened before. We solved the problem by cutting a strip off of the top and sewing it to the backing. Looks pretty good, not like we ran out of fabric. At 1 we broke for lunch. Several ladies had lunch dates with their husbands because today is a training holiday. So there weren't many of us for lunch, and only Shirley and I brought food. I brought cheese and she brought deviled eggs, so I added my emergency nuts to the table. After we ate, we put all our supplies away. Cathy dropped me off at the ACS building. Even though the director still wasn't in, the acting director let me hang my wallhanging. I wrote out a card to pin to it, promising myself that I would print up something nicer on my computer later. Then I walked to the theatre to get a new schedule, and then to the thrift shop. Poor Mrs. Chung was by herself at the register. I met Christine who came in with her new baby (and assorted adult family members). I even saw Jade's father in the electronics room. I did not find a nut chopper there as I had hoped. Sure I ordered one through the mail, but it is no better than a pepper mill. Would take all morning to grind a Tbl of flax seed. I did buy some shot glasses for sipping kefir. The thrift shop closed at 3, so I sat outside and went barefoot on the ground while reading a book. 50 minutes later Ella was leaving and offered me a ride to my gate. Perfect timing. At the apt, Michele was watching "Running Man" on DVD, so I sat to watch too. I had just retired to the computer when Chris came home. He put supper in the oven to cook and I read through more e-mail and looked up more articles on fermentation, tofu, mod 8 fractals, etc. Then Michele's friend from Finland came over. Now I can say I have met someone with bright pink hair. She had supper with us and stayed to chat with Michele. I went back to the computer room for awhile, coming out to have some fruit shared with the others. There were some fruit pieces left so I cut one up and put it in the kefir. I added stuff to the breadmaker for another loaf. I was back on the computer when Chris and Michele headed off to bed. I added a counter to my blog page so check it out to the left.

Eggs and rain

We got up at 8 (or a little afterwards) to make the deviled eggs. We peeled, and mashed, and re-filled two platters worth. Then we cut up the pumpkin bread before taking a shower. I ate breakfast and got dressed. We gathered all our food and headed out in the rain to the car. Neither of us had a hand free to hold an umbrella. We were 5 minutes late for church. After church Chris set out our food while Rick and I counted money. Then I found out that we were signed up to be greeters, not for refreshments. Our eggs were very popular. Luckily, there were some left for Michele. There was some bread left, too. We did not go to the commissary since Chris had gone yesterday to get eggs and stuff. We came straight home. We watched a movie called "Kelly's Heroes". Then I spent some time on the computer researching fermenting veggies, milk, buttermilk, etc. Chris watched a Harrison Ford movie. I took a break to do some sewing (an altered garment), but it didn't turn out as well as I had hoped. We had supper. I ate some more of my sauerkraut, and drank some kefir. I watched a few more Youtube videos and then took a long break to work out some Ken-Ken puzzles. They were easier than I remembered, and I did a whole stack. Now it is past time for bed.

More fun with my toys

None of us got up early this morning. But Chris and Michele had an on-line role-playing game at 8:30 so we couldn't sleep in too late. After breakfast, I started another batch of fermented coconut milk. I warmed it on the stove, added the probiotic, then wrapped it in a towel and put it in the computer room (believe me its hot in here). I spent the morning on e-mail and looking up how to use my new toys. I learned how to check an outlet with my multimeter. So I went around to the outlets, checking for groundedness. Only a few passed the test, but then I discovered that the rest are wired backwards. They are grounded too. Using the gauss meter, I found that the hot spots from last night are not registering at all. So whatever it was got turned off. Then I wanted to see if I was grounded. I had watched a video of a guy who had a voltmeter, and it showed his body getting 5 to 7 volts until he touched a grounding mat. Well, I tried to do the same thing, but I couldn't get a volt reading on myself no matter how close I stood to the TV or computer. Either I am already grounded, or I don't know what I'm doing. Then I listened to one of the omniliminals, and it put me to sleep. Chris started baking for the after-church refreshments tomorrow. He made pumpkin bread and hard-boiled eggs (which we will devil in the morning). Romaric came over to play a game. I went into my sewing room to cut some charm squares, and stayed to finish watching a movie with Korean subtitles. Everyone else went to bed. I checked my fermented milk and it looks like yogurt already.
* I didn't take any pics today, so here is one of Michele in the dress she bought on Wednesday*

My new toys

I got up early to make Chris a sandwich but he told me to go back to bed. I didn't argue. Later he and Michele met for lunch after paying her tuition, so I guess he didn't need a sandwich. I spent most of the day on my computer, first dealing with e-mail, and then researching fermentation procedures. The liquid that escaped the sauerkraut jar turned moldy, like someone's science project. And the fermented coconut milk hasn't done much since I added a can of coconut cream. Maybe the extra fat content slows the fermentation? I also stirred it with a metal spoon, but wooden spoons are preferred. After supper, I played with my new toys. I have a Gauss meter, a multi-meter and a circuit tester. I used the Gauss meter to detect EMF fields around the tv and computer. And apparently the entrance to Michele's bedroom is a hot spot. Either it is something in the apartment below, or there are wires under the floor. Most appliances were not hot until I got very close to them. The TV had the biggest field. Unfortunately, my headphones have a larger field than I would like, and I have to be very close to them to use them. I also determined that the EMF fabric I bought does nothing in the way of reducing the field strength. Now I want to know if it does anything for grounding. But I don't know which of my toys will tell me if my outlets are grounded. Any ideas?

Quilting class

I just realized that it is after midnight. This might be a short post.
Made Chris' sandwich early, then went back to bed. Got up an hour later to check e-mail and have breakfast. Started walking to thrift shop when Rick stopped to offer me a ride. He was driving my car because we lent it to them until they PCS in September. There weren't many books to be shelved, so I had time to check out two sewing machines and price them accordingly. Then Ella asked me to dress a bin full of naked dolls. Surely there must be a girl somewhere who would love such a job. The bag of doll clothing was torn, stretched out, mismatched, etc. They closed up at 2. Chris left me his car parked at the top of the hill behind the P.O. I drove it home to have lunch and prepare for my student. She had started several more handbags, and I helped her work on them and cut linings. After her dad came to pick her up, I went back to the computer for awhile, and ate some supper. Then I took Michele and headed out to pick Chris up, dropping Michele off at Gate 12 by her request. She met a friend to go out to eat. I delivered Chris to our gate, then drove to the SPC for class. I was early (as I intended) so I could work on QOV and baby quilts. I got some done, then people started showing up. Cathy brought everything I needed for class, but then Melanie showed up and taught the class after all. She also wanted to take something home to work on, so I gave her the QOV pieces that I started yesterday. She brought her mother who is staying for a week. I was able to sell a few rulers, but the people who wanted them the most didn't show up. I got two baby quilt tops ironed before class was over. I was going to sandwich one, but the batting and backing were too small. Yikes! Then we cleaned up and went home. I got back on the internet and was researching fermented cheeses and koumiss. I came across a book written in the 1800's with all kinds of 'wisdom', like curing baldness, preserving seeds, making cement, etc. That's what made me stay up so late. Pic tomorrow.

New ways of farming

I slept in this morning, which means poor Chris had to make his own sandwich. I woke about 8:30. Then the usual morning routine. Since it was cool this morning I decided to knock off the e-mail early to go into my AC-less sewing room. I sewed together the squares that I cut pieces to last night. The water dispenser man came over with his steam gun and cleaned out the innards. Then Chris picked us up at the gate and took us to his office to fill out paperwork for renewing our Sofa stamps. It's a visa thing. We drove ourselves home because he was busy. Actually we stopped off at the Chosun to see what came in the new Phillipines shipment. Michele found a dress and I bought curtains. Back at home, I was on e-mail when I noticed it was almost 5. I called Chris to see if he wanted a ride home, and he said yes. So I drove to his office, but he wasn't finished working. I ended up sitting outside, barefoot, reading a book until after 6. I wore my blue shoes so they'd get wet and loosen up. And they did. It was close to 7 when we got home because we stopped at the commissary for a head of cabbage and some coconut milk. I compared prices on the coconut milk vs organic milk, and may change over due to the difference in price. Anyway, we ate leftovers for supper, and I had some more of my fermenting cabbage. Tastes like I put in too much orange peel. I got back on the computer and read about how Seoul might start vertical farming. I had to look that up on Google. Seems like everything there is an artists rendition of futuristic farming. So I don't know if it is practical yet. But check out window farming with 1.5 liter bottles. It's catching on.

Singing in the 'pee'

Sleepily, I got up at 6 to make Chris' sandwich. I remembered that Tim put a bag of fabric in the trunk of Chris' car on Sunday, so I dressed and followed Chris down to the parking deck. I carried the fabric up the steps to our apartment. Then went back to bed. Later I got up, showered, ate breakfast and read through my e-mail. Helen wants me to go water skiing with her next week and recommended that I watch some videos to prepare for it. So I did. Like everything else, it's on Youtube. About 10:15 I walked over to the thrift shop with my umbrella, in the rain. I should have worn my blue shoes since they need to get a little wet and would fit better. But they didn't go with my outfit. When I got to the thrift shop, Ella, the manager, was glad to see me. She has been gone all summer. So I was glad she was back. There was a ton of videos to shelve. Far too many for our shelves. So I weeded out a laundry basket full, and filled in the space with new videos. Many of the donated ones were home-recorded, so they went to charity as well. Four big trash bags of videos! Then I could start on the books... Oh, and they have two sewing machines that they'd like me to test out and fix if necessary. Well, I stayed until 4 but didn't get all that done. Then Ella closed up the shop and we went home. I forgot to mention that Tracie, a journalist, came to take some pics and write a piece about the thrift shop. She used my camera so I figure I can post one of the pics she took. MaryAnn gave me a ride back to my gate. The talkative gate guard was there, and when I asked, he told me the Korean word for rain was 'pee'. It was hard not to laugh. By the time I got home, it was almost 5. I ate some cold bean soup for supper, then Chris called to say he'd be late coming home. No problem. After clearing out more e-mail, I sat in my sewing room to figure out a new quilt design that takes advantage of all the 14" squares I cut. When I had one I liked, I started the cutting and turned on the TV to a movie in English but with Korean subtitles. We had to look up the actors to find out what movie it was: Village of the Damned. By that time I was into the story, and Michele with me. Oh well, I got all the pieces cut and will sew them tomorrow.
Also want to mention that I ate some of my fermenting sauerkraut. It is good, but it doesn't taste all that fermented yet.

Got my license renewed.

Got up at 6 to make a sandwich, then got on the computer for awhile before going back to bed. I thought I might make a habit of not going back to bed, but it gets harder every day. I had breakfast and grabbed a jar of bean salad and a hard boiled egg for lunch. Then I caught the post-run bus to the chapel for quilting. I was the first person there. I started setting up and then Carla came, followed by Cathy and Shirley. Some of us worked on baby quilts, and I worked on QOV blocks. We broke for lunch. Then I went back to work to trim the blocks I'd made. Carina stopped by to see if we had any QOV to wash, and we didn't. So she helped pack up (even though I wanted to continue working). Cathy gave me a ride to the ACS building where I tried to renew my USFK driver's license. Luckily I did not have to re-take the test, but I did have to produce evidence that Chris extended his term of service. So I walked over to his office and he gave me the paper. I wanted to take the car back, but he did not want me to drive even that little way with an expired license. So he drove me over there, I re-newed my license (no one in line), then he drove me to our gate. I walked home. I had some fermented yogurt, which seems to get better all the time. I fed it another can of coconut milk. Also checked on my sprouts, and they are coming along. I read through some quilting magazines that were left behind at the meeting, and then went into my sewing room to do a baby quilt kit that I'd brought home. Chris came home and we had the bean stew for supper. He also brough me packages. My static-resistant fabric and grounding fabric came, along with a multimeter. (I just have to figure out how to use it). I got back on the computer and was listening to a 7.8 MH recording when Faye skyped me. We talked for some time before I had to sign off. It was morning for her, but I have to go to bed.
*While at the South Post chapel I walked into the sanctuary and saw the stained glass window. I had never noticed it before.*

Sunday

I woke up to the gentle swishing of the big feather. Then we had breakfast and washed up for church. We were actually 5 minutes early. Had time to talk to Rick before the service. During the service his wife Nancy played her cello with another woman. If only I had had my camera! After church we had refreshments. Hyon had a bag of fabric for me. It's in the back of the car. Maybe I'll get to go through it tomorrow. After refreshments, we went to Chris' office to get a stamp to mail a letter, which we did at the box in front of the commissary. We stopped in for some raisins and cilantro. Back at the apartment Michele did a load of towels. Chris left to go to Osan to pick up his two new suits. I found my NC driver's license. Luckily it does not need renewing, but my USFK one does, and I need the NC one to do that. I read e-mail, and went into my sewing room to make a pair of shorts. I only have one blue pair and I wish I could wear it more often, so I just made another one. This morning Chris put beans in the crock pot to cook, but at supper time they were not soft yet. So we had leftovers for supper. Then I took out the recyclables and stayed out to sit at the new picnic table and put my bare feet on the ground. The new playground is not officially open, but that did not stop the kids from playing on it. When I was getting bitten by bugs, I came in. Then back to the computer for e-mail and recreation. I want to listen to one of the omniliminals I got recently, but they put me to sleep so it has to be the last thing I do.

Yogurt and coconut milk

Chris woke me up this morning with the big feather. But at 8 he got up to play a mod. From the sound of it, it was RPG meets CSI. Michele played, too. I had breakfast and got on my computer to read e-mail and follow links. I took a break to taste my fermented yogurt. It was good, so I put it into a jar with a can of coconut milk, and stirred it up. I left it sitting on the table. We had to put the jar of fermenting sauerkraut in a bowl because the fermentation process kept forcing liquid out of the top and onto the table. After lunch Chris wanted to go to the commissary to get stuff for supper, so I went with him. But first we stopped at the gas station, and then at his office to pick someone else's tomatoes. There wasn't a lot to get at the commissary. We got pizza shells for supper. After putting the groceries away, I went into my sewing room to finish a set of QOV blocks. Chris fixed 2 vegetarian pizzas for supper since we were having a vegetarian over for dinner. But he was late, so we ate before he got here. When he came, he was wet from washing in the river after hiking up a mountain. So Chris gave him some of his clothes to wear, but they were much too large. Romaric ate some pizza and talked to me for awhile. I showed him my sauerkraut experiment and my fermented yogurt experiment. The coconut milk and yogurt had changed. It had expanded to fill the whole jar. The top was like feta cheese. I shook it really well, and tasted it. It tasted like coconut ginger ale. Hmmm. That was several hours ago and I still feel fine.

A good book can take up a whole day

I got up just before Chris did. While he was showering, I made his sandwich, and went back to bed. After an hour I got up, fixed the pricing gun that Geri gave me yesterday (luckily it had the same problem as the last one), then got on the computer. I found a tab on Blogger that shows me all the comments that people have posted since I started this blog. There were more than I remembered, and some I hadn't seen. Then as I read e-mail, I came across the Gospel of Thomas. I was able to google that, and read the whole thing. Like the 4 gospels in the Bible, some of it made sense and some didn't. Then I had breakfast and sat down to read a book. It's one of those books that you go on-line to say where you found it, and then you leave it lying around for someone else to find. I read all day, taking a short nap in the afternoon when my eyes got tired. I finished it around 9pm while Chris and Michele were at the movies. Then I went into the kitchen to make sauerkraut. I wasn't going to use the electric slicer so I wouldn't have to clean it, but the knife was too messy. I sliced up two cabbages (one green and one purple), a bag of radishes, an onion, and some orange peel. I salted it and mashed it, and stuffed it in a jar. The remaining space in the jar got filled with a zip baggie of water. I'll check it in three days to see if it worked. I also put in some yogurt that I have been culturing for several days, having added a probiotic to it to ensure that it has live cultures.
I mentioned sun-gazing yesterday. There is man who went 411 days without food by nourishing himself with the sun. Researchers studied him the whole time and couldn't figure it out.

Thrift and quilt

I awoke around 5, but tried to stay in bed. Finally I got up because there were mosquitoes in the room and it was too hot to cover up. Needless to say, I went to my computer. Chris got up at 6 to shower and dress for work. As I read through my e-mail, I was surprised to learn that your box spring mattress actually acts like an antenna; attracting and amplifying whatever radiation might be running through your bedroom. Yikes! Score one for waterbeds. I'm glad I ordered some shielding fabric. Anyway, after nine I took a break from the computer and turned my attention to a pricing gun. Geri had given it to me to fix before I went on vacation and I forgot all about it. I took the screws out, and found it had a piece of plastic jamming it. An easy fix. Then I packed lunch and walked to the thrift shop. I was there a little early. It was very hot and humid, so not a pleasant walk. I got all the books and Dvd's shelved, and even had time to straighten the shelves. Geri gave me another gun to fix. At 2 Chris picked me up at the shop and drove me to my gate. Bless him! I went home and prepared for my sewing student. She hadn't done a thing since before I left on vacation. But she brought some fabric that she wanted to make a purse out of. But no lining fabric. So I had her cut out the purse pattern, and then make a tube skirt out of the rest of the fabric. I planned on using 1" elastic, but then couldn't find any, so we used a strip of the fabric as a drawstring. It was supposed to be temporary, but she wanted to keep it that way. Her homework is to hem the skirt. After she left, I alternated between hard-boiling eggs on the stove, and listening to audios on the computer. Then Chris came home, with a box of supplements that came in the mail. He also told me that the mats from JoAnns had come in, too. But they were in the car which was waiting for me on post. I took the car to quilt class. All three mats sold immediately. Cathy demonstrated the Friendship star block. But not that many people showed up, so we had time to talk a little. After class I came home and got back on my computer and read about the practice of sun-gazing. And now it's time for bed. Will post a pic in the morning.

A day to catch up

Wednesday is my usual day at home and luckily no one interrupted it today. I vacuumed the apartment, scrubbed two sinks, washed some dishes, cleaned the stove, cleared some clutter, hung Chris' shirts and pants, and of course, deleted some e-mails. I also posted pictures for all the previous posts that didn't have one, about a month's worth. By far the most time-consuming thing was buying a gauss meter, voltmeter, multimeter, anti-static cord and EMF fabric on-line. Just deciding which ones to get took awhile, and then finding out that that company doesn't ship to APO's so have to find it someplace else. I am ready to live in the U. S. again, and not have that problem.
After supper Chris and Michele went to the movies again. I took that time to go into my sewing room and work on some QOV blocks. It rained again tonight, but the men building a new playground in the courtyard got in a little work today. I hope to see how far they've gotten tomorrow.

Finally got some nature time

So last time I posted was just after getting back from going to work with Chris. I then read e-mail and saw a video about grounding technology. After all, we can't spend the entire day outside and barefoot. Especially not in the winter. The video suggested buying a grounding mat that plugs into the ground of an electrical outlet. $60. Hmmm. So I looked around on the net and you can get an anti-static mat that plugs into the ground of an outlet. Same thing? Not sure. The guy used a voltmeter to show the difference. So I am going to order one of those.
I realized then that I was going to be late for the thrift shop. So I took a quick sponge bath, readied an order for kefir grains to go in the mail, and took off. I used Chris' car to drive to the thrift shop. The pile of books was as great as ever. And Geri asked me to drive her to the commissary to get a mop for the cleaning lady, so that took some of my time. I stayed until after 2:30, when I realized that the bank closes at 3 and I had two checks to deposit. So I drove over there and did that, then over to the post office to mail the order. Having finished my errands I drove to Chris' office to return the car. Now the grass in back was dry so I sat back there barefoot in the shade of the building and read a book. I was only going to be there for an hour, but I started after three, and so it seemed too close to quitting time for him to run me home and come back. I also took some time to weed the tomato plants. There is another tomato plot back there and the man who owns it gave me one of his tomatoes. He was apologetic because of a spot on it, but I was thrilled to have so fresh a tomato and I ate it right there. Eating local produce and going barefoot are supposed to ground one to the new time zone, canceling the effects of jet lag. Let's hope it works.
At 5 we drove home, parking inside the gate so Chris and Michele could go to a movie after supper. I could have gone too, but wanted to finish deciding what to order and from which company. They returned about 9. I had just completed my order and been told that they don't have shipping options to APO's. Groan! But I'd had enough and was really tired so I went to bed.
I got up with Chris in the morning, and made him a sandwich, and gave him a letter to put in the mail. folded his clothes and mine, throwing Michele's back inot the basket. I went back to e-mail. I watched a video from THE QUILT SHOW on piecing circles and curves. I cleaned my sprout bag and started a new batch, this time adding some chia and flax seeds to the mix. Now I really need to clean because this place is a mess. Michele signed up for her classes on-line this morning and showed me her schedule. I have never seen such an uneven schedule. When I went to college, classes were MWF, or TR, at the same time each day. Hers are scattered, different times on different days, an hour on Monday, two on Thursday, three on Friday. Why it is hardly worth her time to go in on Wednesday because she only had one class.

Quilting and other stuff

I woke up when Chris' alarm went off at 6. I made him a sandwich and got on my computer to manage e-mail. At 8 I took a shower and had breakfast. I also cut up three kinds of cheese for the shared lunch. I grabbed my stuff and was at the bus stop in time to catch the post-run bus. I figured I'd be a little late for our 9:30 start time, but the bus got me there exactly on time. And I was the first. Cathy came in 5 min later with the keys. For once the floors were clean. The military guys that work at the chapel had been scrubbing them. Yea! Cathy and another lady set up tables while I pulled equipment out of the storage room. A fourth lady came who wanted help learning to use her sewing machine. Cathy had stuff to discuss with me. So, other than ripping some of our bulky masses of fabric into 2 yard sections, I got nothing done. We broke for lunch. I brought cheese, others brought cookies, bagels, and tomatoes. When I asked where our salad people were, someone came up with a vegetable soup, and lettuce and cherries. And I had my backup container of nuts, so it all worked out. Mary brought the tomatoes and didn't want them back, so I was glad to have them. Cathy gave me a ride home. But first we went to the ACS center, but the lady we needed to see had just left for two weeks. Then we dropped off some baby quilts at the hospital. Then home. Needless to say, back to the computer. When Chris came home, he and Michele were planning to see a movie. So I got in the discussion and we went to see "Killers". It was actually a comedy romance with some car chases and bullets. Better than I expected. When we got home, I insisted on taking the stairs, (my only concession to exercise), but barely made it. Then flopped into bed fully dressed, light's out.
I woke up at 5 but stayed in bed until almost 6. I got up then to start with e-mail (which includes following interesting links). When Chris was ready for work, I went with him. I was able to see our tomato patch in back of the office. Those plants look so much better than the one at home, which almost died while we were gone. I drove Chris' car back to the parking lot nearest our apt so I could use it later. I wanted to take a nature break in some grassy area on post, but the grass was wet and there were groups of soldiers doing stretches and sit-ups in it. Yuck. Have I mentioned the cicadas this year? They are deafening. I can hear them from here and the windows are closed.
*Hi Mom, are you able to get e-mail?*

Adventure on the bus

I woke up at 4, and decided to process e-mail because it is a quiet activity. I crawled back in bed about 8, but couldn't sleep. We took showers, had breakfast and got dressed for church. You'd think I'd be on time since I got up at 4am, but the Thai food from yesterday hit at 9:30. So we were sneaking in behind the minister at the 10am service. There weren't many people and we got tagged to collect the offering. We had the usual snacks after church, and a box of doughnuts brought by the dentist! Is he trying to drum up some business? We then drove to gate 19. From there we walked to E-Mart for natto and eggs. I noticed that they carry organic eggs, and free-range eggs. 10 of those are the same price as 30 of the regular. Maybe next time I will get the organic ones. We also looked for kefir. It might be there, but we couldn't identify it. We came back to post and drove to the commissary. We did our weekly shopping. I noticed that they now have organic milk. We came home. After putting the groceries away, I got on the computer to order kefir grains to make my own kefir. Julia called and wanted to meet, so we set up a time to meet at 'Roofers'. I knew which bus to take because I had ridden it home from Itaewon one night. But it seems that the bus heading toward Itaewon is the wrong one. I should have caught the one heading away. I found myself going over the river, to Seoul Arts Center and then to the aTcenter and finally stranded in front of the bus yard. It was nice to know where the bus went since it is not on the bus website. BUT, I found out the hard way. Thankfully, ten minutes later, another bus of the same number left the yard with me on it. It retraced the route of the previous bus. I was tempted to get off at home. But I stayed on and it did finally turn around and go to Itaewon. Whew! I could have walked there much faster than taking that bus! I did meet Julia at 'Roofers'. Neither of us were impressed. So we left. We did some window shopping. She had been to Hongkong and had some clothes made. She wanted to compare prices with Seoul, and Seoul was higher. Then we sat in a coffee shop and talked for awhile. She was tired and not feeling well, so we said goodbye. This time I walked home. No bus for me. Chris had supper on the stove. It smelled so good that I ate some even though it was 9 and I wasn't that hungry. After the food was put away, I spent some more time reading e-mail and following links. I learned that fermented foods help you get more nutrition out of the foods you eat. For a discussion of making fermented foods, check out justmakingnoise.blogspot.com.
*Roofers wasn't impressive, but the view was.*

New adventures on the subway

When I posted yesterday, I had already spent 3 hours clearing out e-mail. I am getting quite close to getting it done. I tried to go back to bed, but sleeping wasn't an option, so I decided to continue reading the book that put me to sleep. This time it didn't work. But it kept me busy till 10, when I got up and had breakfast. Chris and Michele were playing a game with other people on-line. By noon they were finished. I wanted to go to the street market to get organic kimchi, so we drove to gate 17, walked to the market, got the kimchi and some tomatoes, and walked back. We put the items in our car, then walked back out the gate to the nearest subway and took a train to Geumjeong. But somewhere in the middle the train stopped and everybody got off, so we did too. I learned my lesson about that. We just waited on the platform for the next train. At one stop, the lights on that train went out for a few seconds, then came back on. Chris joked that they must be running it on Microsoft. At Geumjeong, we caught another train for Osan. It was not until we got off at the Osan station that I remembered that the stop that puts us where we want to be in Osan is called Songtan, two stops down. Chris called his coworker to confirm. So we waited for the next train. When we got there, Chris' coworker and his son were waiting for us to take us to the base there. Actually we got out right outside of base because the tailor shop was there. Chris is having 2 suits made and needed a fitting. After the fitting, we stopped at a Thai restaurant. This is when I discovered that the new organic tampons don't last as long as my usual ones. Fortunately I had a usual one with me. It took us almost two hours by train to get to Songtan because of all the waiting. But on the way back, we made it in under an hour and a half. At our one train change, the next train had just stopped and we hopped on. We could have taken a bus, but it was a lot cheaper by train. We went home from Gate 17. I put the tomatoes away, but was too tired to put the kimchi in glass jars. I sat down to watch a movie (Hudson Hawk) and started to fall asleep. After the movie, I went to bed, around 9. But then I awoke at 4. I rinsed my seed sprouts (just a few more days 'till they're ready) and looked out the window. I had seen flashes of light and thought about lightning. It has been raining a lot. But all I saw were people packing their cars and leaving. I decided to post. Guess I'd better get to that kimchi now.

Sleep schedule not improving

It's almost 5 in the morning and I have been up since 2am, what happened?

This morning I was supposed to meet Cathy at the gate. But when she wasn't there, I started walking. She met me about halfway. We went to the school cafeteria to set up for a newcomers barbecue. They had a barbecue for new families and several groups got to set up a table to introduce themselves. Because I have connections, we got in on that. So I brought my wallhanging and Cathy brought a QOV and her own wallhanging, and we signed up 18 people. I doubt they will all come, but it gets the word out. Cathy showed me how to take a picture with my phone and e-mail it to myself. But it never arrived, so you won't see our setup.
After that we went to the hospital to deliver baby quilts. Then she dropped me off at my gate. I walked home, and had some lunch. I typed the new names into my contact list and sent them a welcome message. I re-packed my suitcase with out-of-season clothing so I could put it away. Then I sat down to read a book. That's when I fell asleep, and woke up at 2am.

The joys of jet lag

After getting up so early, I eliminated lots of e-mail. I had deleted all the frivolous stuff while on vacation so what was left needed more time to peruse. My sister and parents Skyped me after 10. I intended to be at the thrift shop by 11, but that didn't work out. I was late getting to the parking lot and then my car was nowhere to be found. I called Chris but he wasn't answering his phone. Then I called Maryann. She was so happy to hear from me that she came and picked me up. Even though she had shelved books and stuff in my absence, there was plenty left. In fact I didn't know where to start. But with a little help from Joan, I sorted it out, and made a big dent, but didn't finish before I had to leave at 2. I called Chris and he drove me back to my gate. He also let me know that he had lent my car to Nancy. I can see that her need is greater than mine, but it would have been nice to know that before I thought I had gone crazy and parked my car in some odd, out-of-the-way place and forgotten all about it. In his defense, he thought I knew about it.
I half-expected that my student would show up and hoped she wouldn't and she didn't. I was tired and it was wet out and I can't remember where we were before I left. I ate some leftovers, and unpacked a little, read some more e-mail. Did you know that every cell in your body needs cholesterol to live? That high cholesterol is a body's response to inflammation (preparing to build new cells)? That cholesterol lowering drugs therefore inhibit your body's ability to fight inflammation which is the real cause of heart disease?
Chris came home after 5. I usually run out to prepare for quilting class, but since I gave away the keys before I left, there was no reason for me to show up early. We were able to sit and talk a bit before I drove off. I got there about 6:30. Only Cathy and Sue were there. But within 10 minutes everyone arrived. I brought a wall hanging to work on during class. I had to call Maryann for info and that call went longer than I expected. Guess she really did miss me. Then I stood and handsewed binding while class went on. We were able to pack up early. Cathy and I agreed to meet at 10:30 to try to set up for the newcomers luncheon at the school tomorrow. Since there will be no expo this fall, it might be our only chance to get new people for our group.
I drove home after class. I was tired and fell asleep on the couch. At some point Chris pulled me to bed. I awoke at 4 am, was trying to go back to sleep when I realized that I had made an order to Swanson Vitamins online but forgot to submit it. So off to the computer to enter my order. Once there, I continued to deal with e-mail that came in over vacation time. This time I learned that there are reusable menstrual products on the market. Some are absorbent, and one is a cup that you empty several times a day. Who knew? The regular products on the market are bleached and contain dioxin, unless you can find organic all-cotton ones. Some people sell crocheted cotton tampons. I never would have guessed.
*Random bird from the beach*

Getting back to Korea

We got up at 5:30am. I had clothes laid out so dressing took no time. I prepared breakfast with the last of my powdered cacao, nuts, and some oatmeal. Then my in-laws drove us to the Richmond airport. Michele and I checked in my suitcase, (which strangely weighed only 42 pounds), then went upstairs to pass through security. We were 'x-rayed'. The guard said it was only radiation like you might get with a cell phone. He doesn't know that I keep a piece of tinfoil between me and my cell phone when I am carrying it. Then we sat at our gate and waited for hours until boarding a small plane to Detroit. I had a piece of gum to help my ears equalize pressure. Not sure what flavor it was - maybe ginger? It was in Korean. Anyway, when we got there, we had less than an hour before boarding our flight to Korea. It took most of that time just to find our way to the new concourse. At one point Michele thought she'd left her passport on the small plane and she rushed back there. I found it in my purse (I did not put it there) and had to catch up with her carrying all her stuff and mine too. But we got to our gate with a few minutes to spare. I asked if any upgrades were available, but the plane was full in all classes. We boarded, and stowed Michele's big carry-on. Mine went beneath the seat. No problems on take-off. But I was almost an hour into a movie when it froze. Something happened to the entertainment system. Those of us affected could access games, but not movies, or TV clips, or some of the music selections. So they rebooted our computers several times, but it didn't work. Then they rebooted the entire system. I felt sorry for those who could watch movies and got interrupted. That didn't work either. So then they did a bigger reboot. The system was locked up for maybe an hour. That meant that I couldn't turn on the reading light, or call a stewardess. But when it finally came back on, it worked. For some reason however, it did not give me a chance to choose my language, but gave me German instead. Ha! So all the touch-screen buttons were in German. But I still got to watch the movies in English. Then I started noticing the in-flight computer showing later and later ETA's. As late as 9pm, when we were originally scheduled for 3pm. Thinking we were going to be 6 hours longer on that plane did not sit well with me. But that turned out to be a result of rebooting the system and we did land on time.
I'll bet that seat was as tired of my behind as I was of it.
We touched down at 3:08. Till we got off the plane, found customs (in another terminal, short line), got our suitcase (longer wait), went through immigration (handing a man a piece of paper which he didn't seem to look at), and walked to the USO desk, it was 4pm. It would have been an hour wait for that bus, and there were plenty of people waiting for it, so we took the more expensive hotel bus. We only had to wait 7 minutes, and it was about $13 each. On the way back I ate an apple I had saved from the plane. When we got to the Capitol hotel (took over an hour), we called Chris who had gotten home and started supper. He came to pick us up. About 6 I remember laying on the couch thinking supper would be ready imminently and I should stay up a little longer so I wouldn't be awake in the middle of the night. But there was no staying awake. I laid down and fell asleep. (Poor Chris - Michele didn't eat either) Chris came in later and undressed me. Maybe more. I awoke at 12:30am, then went back to sleep until 5. Chris awoke closer to 6. When the alarm went off, he showered while I made him a sandwich. Then he went to work while I spent some quality time with my computer.

Last Day in America

I had hard time sleeping on the cot. It was more comfortable than Michele's, but I had no wish to stay in bed longer than necessary. Kurt had left for work before six, I heard him leave. The others were slower in getting up. Faye and I were in a hurry to get back so we quickly ate and packed the cars, rushing my parents. Still, it was 9:30 before we left. Dad decided to take route 95 instead of all the back roads. Traffic was heavier than he expected, but not too bad. We stopped at a rest area for lunch. Dad asked me to drive the rest of the way, and then I realized that I didn't have my fanny pack with license and passport. Luckily Michele found it in Faye's car. Phew! Traffic was better and we got home about 2. We unpacked the cars and said goodbye. Faye drove us over to my in-laws house, stopping at Wal-Mart along the way. They did not have the coffee grinder I was looking for, but I got a couple of tops anyway. Once at my in-laws, we talked together for awhile then all went to a Mexican restaurant for supper. That was fun. Faye left from there, and we went back to the house. We watched Jeopardy, and put on 'Mama Mia'. During the movie I got an e-mail from Chris saying that due to an expected storm, the Korean airport might be closed when we get there, and we might be detoured to Japan for the night, so pack an overnight bag. Just so you know, Michele and I are flying back to Korea in the morning. I was hoping for a painless flight, so pray for us please. I do not know when I will be able to blog again or to check my e-mail. Hopefully my next post will be about how wonderful the flight was, and how I was worried for nothing.

Fox reunion

Our target leaving time was 9:30. We were pretty close. Dale and 2 boys drove the red van and the rest of us rode in the tan van. We met David at Rufus's house. Dale and one boy left, while Dave took the other with him. Dave and Gwenda drove to Tim's house. Between Gwenda's van and Tim's van we all were able to go to the reunion. We arrived about 12:15. We parked at the pavillion at the top of the hill. Everyone was setting out food and tablecloths. The president, Ken, welcomed everyone, and said a prayer. Then we ate. Donna joined us. I was able to give her the Korean sign language book I got at the thrift shop. She is an expert in ASL. After lunch, Gwenda took the kids aside for kids games, while we adults had a short business meeting where we voted for all officers to remain in office. Then the adults played bingo. When bingo was over, I got out my kite. I tried to fly it, then Kurt took over. Ken thought I played a dirty trick on Kurt, getting him to run on a hot day. After a while we got the idea to take a pic of all the cousins. And then one of cousins and spouses. We weren't a complete set, but more than have been there in years. The food was still out so we had a snack, then cleaned everything up and loaded the cars. We headed out to Kurt's place. We'd hoped to arrive before dark. But stopped along the way at a grocery store. Finally at Kurt's 14x21 little house, we had to arrange sleeping quarters for 5 people. Kurt had 4 cots and Dad elected to sleep in the back of the station wagon. We are currently trying to get everyone online so they can do whatever so we can all go to sleep. Kurt will be getting up 5 to be at work by six.

The Barbeque that Wasn't

I woke up just after 7, when my father got up. He forgot to set his alarm for 6. I am glad he got the extra hour of sleep. He had his list of things to pack. He spent the next few hours hunting down the remaining items on his list. I had breakfast, bathed, and dressed. I checked on Mom. Then vacuumed the livingroom. Or tried to. I had to change the bag. I think someone was going for the world's record for fullest bag. After that it was MUCH easier. Dad still wasn't ready, so I organized the pieces to the quilt top my mother is making. It's hard to tell what order the pieces are in because the fabrics are varigated. Faye came over to pack the car and her car. Michele and I didn't have much to bring, so we put our stuff in Faye's car. Finally at 10 we were ready to leave. I thought we'd be going up 95 to Kurt's place. But we headed more west, and took every back road north of Richmond. We passed lots of yardsales and vegetable stands. But my Dad wouldn't stop. Then we had tire trouble and had to stop to change it. Faye and Dad did that while I held a sunshade over my mother's head. That made us late. When we got to Kurt's place, I was surprised at how small it was. I had only seen it in pictures. But we did not have time to look, we had to get on the road to make the barbeque before it ended at 4. We were 2 minutes late and there wasn't a table in sight. Turns out the event is on the 21st. I had looked it up on Facebook and seen an earlier date, but that must have been for another year, or it was a different barbeque or something. So we ate in the Home's cafeteria. Dad insisted on paying for everyone's meal, but it was only $20 for the six of us. Then we visited Janet there. She has MS and couldn't move except for her head. But she is an excellent conversationalist. Then we went to visit her mother who had just come back to her room. She makes hangers covered in strips of tulle and sells them at the barbeque. Then it was time to meet Gwenda in the parking lot. She and her husband Dale, and Kenzie came to pick up Michele and I to spend the night. It was a half hour ride back to her house. She has 7 kids. We got a chance to talk for awhile before it was bedtime. Then everyone gathered in a circle, said a prayer, and went to bed. Michele slept downstairs and I slept upstairs. Very comfortable couches.
I awoke before 7 the next morning, and went into the downstairs bathroom to wash up and get dressed. I was waiting for Michele to wake up before I borrowed her computer to blog, but then came down to find her just close enough to awake to give me her password.

Running errands and shopping

After the usual morning activities, I decided to go to the post office to get a priority mail box to mail packages of nuts, cranberries, and chocolate home. I missed a turn and didn't see the post office, but found myself near Home Depot. So I stopped in for a drawer knob (to fix Mom's pot lid) and a screen door latch. Driving away I notced geese in the parking lot. Geese! They looked quite at home and I took their picture. I also stopped at Salvation Army. I was hoping to find a coffee grinder or pepper mill, but got a pot lid instead. The clerk at Home Depot gave me directions to the post office, so that was my next stop. The lady at the counter gave me three APO flat rate boxes. Same size as the large priority mail boxes, but at a slightly cheaper rate. She also gave me labels and custom forms. My next stop was at the Vitamin Shoppe. I was impressed with their selection. I was able to get three of the things on my list (which no one else has had). Then I went to Office Depot to drop off some used printer cartridges for Dad. The young man wanted to sign me up for some program where you get credit for recycling, but I told him I don't live here. He said it was good in any state. I replied that I live in South Korea. He had to admit they had no stores there.
I went home and it was almost lunch time. Michele helped me put the drawer pull on the pot lid. The screw it came with was too big, but I found a shorter one in Dad's collection. Then I worked on the latch for the screen door. It took me three tries but I got it installed. One of the pieces was machined incorrectly so the screw wouldn't go all the way in. But close enough. Time for lunch. I added broccoli sprouts, kefir, and kimchi to what was on the table. After lunch I packed for the reunion this weekend, and filled the APO box and took it to the P.O. Then I went to Michaels for one last thing, and also Goodwill. Still didn't find a coffee grinder, but saw a dress I liked. It was a medium, but was too small at the top. Bummer! I went home, and my mother and I worked on the quilt top kit. I pinned the pieces together and she sewed them. Then she fixed supper while I tried to change settings on Dad's computer so he can send out e-mail from Outlook express. I thought I was successful, but the messages still aren't getting sent. After supper, I did some more sewing on the quilt top, then quit because my seam allowances are different from my mother's. I washed the dishes, and the countertops and the window sill, killing lots of ants in the process. We can't figure out where they are coming in. They have now infested the sugar and the flour so we need better containers. It rained again. Fourth day in a row. Doesn't slow down the ants.
I heard my mom fall and ran back to see. But my Dad was with her. He showed me her bruises. I think she falls every day. Never breaks anything though. And she only falls backwards. Her sense of balance doesn't work in that direction.
Finally it was bedtime, at least for Michele and me. Dad stayed up as usual to get more done. I think he needs more sleep.

Finishing unfinished projects

I woke up as my parents were preparing to go grocery shopping. Apparently this is a long procedure. Inventory is taken of each item, and the list is prepared on the computer. I was helping my mom cut fabric pieces for a quilt kit that she bought. When they left to go shopping, I finished cutting the kit, then got on-line to send a few e-mails for my father. I also read through my messages. When they came home, the groceries got put away and we all had lunch. After lunch they went to the fitness center. While they were gone, I finished a casserole cover that my mom started years ago. It involved a little hand-sewing so I went outside to put my barefeet on the ground while I stitched. That didn't take long and I wanted more 'grounding' time, so I weeded the garden. I pulled the dry laundry off the line on my way in. Then I put a blue binding on a ragged-edge quilt that my mother almost finished. It got very dark then and Michele ran out to get the rest of the laundry as the heavens poured forth. The rain was so hard that my parents were sitting at the fitness center waiting for it to relent a little. I called to ask what I should start for supper. Chicken, rice, and mixed veggies. The fridge was full of leftovers, and I sorted through it to find bits that could be added to supper. I found half an onion and a cracked egg. I added that to the rice. I found some more chicken legs, and added them, too. I also found things that I would have thrown out, but won't mention them here. I had supper ready when they got home. After supper, I offered to wash the dishes, a job that takes my father hours. Well, he let me wash them, but stood there the whole time, making sure each piece was placed in the dishwasher to dry in just the right position. Then the counters and 'stuff' on them had to be meticulously cleaned for ants. We found them in the sugar, and behind the bread machine. My mother put out some bait. My father started processing the recyclables, one item at a time, choosing some to keep, and organizing the rest. I couldn't watch. I went to my mom, helped her with a breathing exercise, then planted myself in front of the computer to stem the tide of growing e-mail. I read an article on the dangers of electromegnetic fields, and the benefits of magnetic therapy.

Manual labor

This morning I arose around 8. My parents were already up and going through their morning routine. I had breakfast and a bath. At 10 my mom and I went to Hancocks again. This time they were open. We didn't have a lot of time before her speech therapy appointment so we stopped quickly for the three items on our list. At one point my mother fell backwards, landing on the floor and hitting her head on a display case. I helped her up and she insisted she was fine. We finished too early to go directly to the appt, so we went home for 20 minutes. My Dad came with us to the appointment, then walked home, leaving us there. I went in with my mom. The therapist had her vocalize for the computer which showed a representation of her voice. Then the therapist read from Psalm 119 and Mom repeated after her, as loudly as she could. When it was over, we drove home. My brother was home for lunch, but didn't have much to say. He left before the rest of us had lunch. After lunch my parents went to the fitness center. While they were gone, I scrubbed the kitchen floor, for what seemed hours. Just could not get it clean. Tried several cleaners and the Murphy's oil soap did the best. I had just finished rinsing the floor when they got home. On their way home they looked for a Korean restaurant that was listed as being on Midlothian tnpk, but it had closed. Then Dad and I spent some time on the deck prying little acorns and sticks out of the cracks. Finally Mom called us for supper. After supper I drove to Fresh Market to get some Kim chi and kefir. But all I could find was broccoli sprouts. So I went to Food Lion. No luck but they said to try the midlothian Kroger. There I found both of those items. Their international section is incredible! They have labeled sections for Asian, Japanese, Chinese, French, Italian, Brazilian, Mexican, Cajun, German, Polish, and maybe a few others. I should have taken a picture. But no natto.
Back home, I watered my broccoli sprouts and drank some kefir. Then I played the DVD of Michele acting in Doubt for my parents. They were impressed. Dad is washing the dishes and I have now finished blogging - for the day.

Quilting at church

Although I got to bed late, I slept well. Michele slept with me on the sleeper sofa. In the morning we managed to get her connected to the net. My parents have just upgraded from dial-up to broadband with wifi. They have finally come into the 21st century. My Dad still likes to work in DOS however, and I told him there must be a support group for DOS users. After breakfast I drove my mom to quilt at her church. We were late because we had to stop for gas, and we got lost trying to find the church. We worked for several hours, stitching and listening to the craft group ladies. They did not actually do any crafts. They are more of a 'current events discussion' group. At 12:30 we drove home for lunch. During the afternoon I vacuumed the livingroom, ironed fabric that came in a kit my mother bought to make a quilt. I spent some time outside barefoot. Then we made supper together. After supper, more ironing. We tried to go to Hancocks but they closed at 8 and we were too late. So she and I got on their computers. I helped my Dad get an alias for Verizon, and helped my Mom send a message to everyone in her address book announcing their new e-mail address. There are going to be some interesting times changing everything over from Mindspring to Verizon.

The Burial

When I last posted, we were settling down for the night in a cheap motel. We had to run the airconditioner to drown out the sounds of traffic rushing down the highway. We got up the next morning to shower. I ate the rest of my bean sprouts, drank the last of the kefir, and had some kimchi for breakfast. Chris and Michele went to a nearby restaurant for breakfast. My Dad and Faye came over and we all took a walk, east and west along the road in front of the motel. When Chris returned, we packed and went over to their motel. They packed up and checked out and we all followed the GPS to the church. The lot was mostly full of cars and we wondered if we missed the service. I got to see my cousins and their kids, all taller than I remembered. Some as grown as Michele. Then we walked up the hill to the graveyard. We gathered at the pavilion, and the pallbearers brought the casket in. The pastor passed out remembrance leaflets. The service wasn't long, and Dale played some of Rufus' favorite hymns on his violin. Then the funeral director said 'That concludes the service" but no one left. Eventually we all stayed to see the casket lowered, the vault lid put on, and the grand kids were photographed putting a shovelful of dirt into the grave. My cousin told me that today was her parents 51st wedding anniversary. Well, they are now together forever. Rufus' closest kin (my mother, John, their kids and grandkids) all proceeded to an all-you-can eat buffet near Reading. Apparently Rufus had provided for this in his will. We had a marvelous time talking with everyone, and I handed out Korean coins to the kids. Then they went home and we headed back to VA. Faye, Dad, and I took turns driving. I was afraid that I wouldn't do so well at interstate driving, but it went ok. We went to the church where Faye had left her car. She went to get Michele (who had gone home with Chris), and the rest of us unpacked at my parents house. After Faye delivered Michele, we prepared for bed.

Now in Pennsylvania

After supper I wanted to get a picture of my kite flying. It was my last chance. Becca came to the beach with me to take the picture. But the wind died out at that moment. So I had to run, and the kite didn't go high, but we got the pic. We noticed then that the water seemed clear of jellyfish, so we ran back to get our suits. However, it turned out to be a false alarm. The jellyfish that were tumbling in the surf became jellyfish soup. Chris came down to the beach and we took a walk north as the sun set. It was romantic until I realized that in the dark I could not avoid stepping on jellyfish. So we came back more quickly than we went. After that romantic walk, we went to bed early, setting the alarm for 5am for one last walk. But when the alarm went off, it was still dark out and we went back to sleep. Because Chris started snoring, I went out to the livingroom couch. Cecily got up at 7 to finish packing and clean the house. So I got up, had breakfast and a shower, and packed all my stuff. Then we all cleaned, vacuumed, packed the cars, and packed or threw out food. I had three hard-boiled eggs left and put them in my purse. We got on the road early and threaded our way through beach traffic. Two hours later we stopped at Burger King. I had a salad and one of the hard=boiled eggs. It was cold in there so I sat in the car while Chris filled up the tank. By then the others were ready and we proceeded to my in-laws house. We unpacked the cars, and then re=packed them. I talked to their neighbor for awhile, and then we got on the road for Pennsylvania. There was traffic going to DC, and the GPS took us on some goofy route through Washington. But we made good time after that. In fact, 5 minutes before we reached the exit for our hotel, we realized that we were driving behind my parents station wagon! So we followed them to their hotel. I jumped out to talk to them while Chris and Michele went to our hotel to check in. When he got back, we all decided to meet at McDonalds for soft serve ice cream. Then we retired to our respective hotels, where we discovered that we do have wi-fi, even though the website promised only dial-up. Now it's after 10 and time to go to bed.
*Michele liked this sunflower growing at the welcome center in PA*