Finding and filling out forms

Thursday

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Catching mice and squirrels

Wednesday

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

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

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

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

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

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

Eating Mexican

. Tuesday

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The big disappointment

Monday

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

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

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

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

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

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

Scrubbing the car mats

Sunday

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

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

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

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

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

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

40th class reunion

Saturday

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

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

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

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

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

Fabric shopping

Friday

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

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

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

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

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

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