erhaps I overdid a bit yesterday, as my cold may be worse this morning.

I took a quick walk, a quick bath, and was eating my breakfast of yogurt and toast when Mary Jean arrived. She was pleasant about waiting for me to finish, drinking coffee she had brought with her. It was a beautiful morning, and we drove to UUCA in Atlanta for a day of singing with about 100 other UU's from churches around the state (and Alabama). I love these annual events mostly because we read about 20 new pieces of music--and that is my very favorite part of choir, when we first learn a new piece. I don't like all of them, but a lot of them. Each director had five pieces, I believe, and they all had their own style. Cathy's pieces were all in other languages: Cantar (in Spanish), one in Japanese, one in Swahili. They were beautiful, and my favorites, but some of the members of our choir are a little resistant to singing in other languages. The young dynamic director of UUCA, Don, smiled all the time. He was so energetic and upbeat, it was fun. But I still like my director best. UUCA has a round sanctuary--pretty fun.

At lunch, I sat with and helped Denise, a new member of our congregation who is partially blind and has mobility issues as well. It must be very difficult to be in a new place. When we plan events, we don't think about people's needs. The sandwiches were in piles on the table, labeled tuna, turkey, etc. She couldn't begin to help herself and stood waiting until I offered. It's enlightening to put yourself in someone else's shoes. The lunch was wonderful, supposedly from a nearby Russian deli. Hmm, maybe there are advantages to living in Atlanta. They had recycling bins, but I was surprised the sandwiches came in styrofoam boxes and they offered canned Coke products. I did not have any, although I did take a little package of chips!

We drove home happily and I had only a little time before we left for dinner. We tried a new seafood restaurant. The menu had lots of great choices and was not extremely expensive. It seemed a little quiet for a Saturday night, but by the time we left, it was very crowded, with people standing waiting for a table. We met Becky & Kent there and enjoyed our dinner very much. My Dad said his swordfish was excellent. I thought the food was not great, not bad, but not really good either. My grouper was somewhat bland and came with macaroni and cheese and creamed spinach. Kind of unusual choices.

Then we went to see Romeo and Juliet at the Seney-Stovall Chapel. They had done interesting things to the stage, building it up with a large set of two-sided steps, painted to look like stone. Harry Valentine was Romeo, which is why we went. My mother and I had the same reaction. I have seen lots of different versions of this play, but I don't like it, because I know how it ends. I have this feeling of dread through the whole thing, and lots of people get killed. You want to say, "No, don't do it..." The costumes were peculiar, a sort of mix of periods. But my father really enjoyed it and Kent and Becky were delightful company.We were home by 11.

Yesterday was pretty hectic. Ray was getting ready to head out of town on a field trip to Cloudland Canyon with 15 students and 3 more professors. He had been trying all week to get eerything done, with teaching his other classes too. We were supposed to go in early, but left the house only about 5 minutes before we usually do. I had asked him to turn the solar water  heater on before we left. It wasn't quite warm enough, because the sun was just coming up. He couldn't get the faucet to close, because it was frozen. He thought it was broken. Then he decided to just open it again, and he couldn't get it open either. Water was spraying onto the porch. My Mom was getting up and we told her not to worry about it. Ray was it a state, not surprisingly. But on the way in, we talked about it and he calmed down. He told me what to do later in the day when I got home and it was warm. I took him to the store--he had to buy some groceries for the breakfast he was responsible for (French toast for Sunday morning). Then I took him to get the van and met him at his office to transfer everything out of the car. So I was about 30 minutes late for work. It didn't really matter because Meredith was there. She had urged me to stay home if I was too sick, so was not surprised not to see me. I finalized the newsletter and did a few minor things. About 11, Ray called and asked if I would go to Normal Hardware and pick up a rock hammer for  him (he couldn't find his, which must be in the garage somewhere, unless he left it on a previous trip). I said sure, I would do that (before  noon). I was trying to send a fax, but it wouldn't go through. 

 

Then I heard my father's voice in the hall. I couldn't imagine what he would be doing here. I went out and escorted him into my office. He said he just wanted to talk. I wanted to shake him--what do you think the phone is for?? "What am I supposed to do about the water?" he wanted to know. "Nothing," I said. "I'll take care of it when I get home. Is it still dripping?" "More than dripping," he said. He also said  he didn't know why Ray opened it, since it was going to freeze again that night. Then I had to explain it all to him and assure him that I would be home early in the afternoon to take care of it. As I drove to Ray's office with the rock hammer, I called him on the phone. "My father came to the office. He says the water is still spraying onto the porch. He really can't just show up at my office and get me all upset about something going on at home." Ray reassured me. When I asked him to call the plumber and see if he could come today, he said he would do it right then.

Back at the office, I worked for a few more hours, then headed home about 3. It was a beautiful sunny day, although not really warm--45 or so. When I got there, the faucet was not dripping any more--there was no sign of water. My father wanted to climb up on the railing and turn it off, but I insisted on doing it--with a stepladder. Ray said the railing was starting to break from him climbing on it to turn the thing on and off. Then we went down in the cellar and arranged the buckets to catch the drips. That's the part that shouldn't happen--apparently there is a faulty valve that the plumber was supposed to be replacing, but he never called Ray back. 

Later in the afternoon, the phone rang and the Captain answered it. I could hear his end of the conversation and it was the plumber. He never offered to let me talk to him, but took it on himself. Then he told me he was on his way here. When he got here, my Dad met him and escorted him around and he left. He said he had just gotten the new valve. He and the Captain agreed that there is nothing wrong with the faucet on the porch roof. And now we should not have to empty buckets any more. Yay!

After a delicious supper, I went to see a funny (and a little bit naughty) play called the Love List. Becky and Kent met me there and we enjoyed it greatly. Allen Rowell, Bryn Adamson, and Jeff Evans were the cast. Rick Rose directed. I would love to tell you the whole plot, but my fingers are already tired. I saw Harriet there and many others. They were turning people away--for a Second Stage production! I was in bed just after 11 and slept well.

I went to work in the morning, pretty much got the newsletter ready to go. I just need to hear from someone on the board about the Harvest article. They are not responding to my emails or phone calls. Meredith said we should go ahead and not put anything in. I left about 1 and came home to sit around. Vanessa was at two different doctors, one at 9:30 and one at 1. She didn't really know anything yet, but she was tired and sore. The captain built up a good fire to keep us warm and comfy. Ray didn't come home until almost 8, because he was at the Democratic Committee meeting. I read some and watched TV. The Captain took the squash out of the freezer, put it in a pan on the stove and turned it on. I was glad I had taken dinner out of the freezer the night before to thaw and just had to heat it up.

Ray is taking a field trip to Cloudland Canyon today. He has been getting ready all week. One of the things he has to do is buy groceries for one of the meals--French toast. He has to get gas in the vans and he still has to teach his other classes today. He did not sleep much last night and I don't think the lodge accommodations will be very comfortable. He is packing now. I will probably work part of the day again.

Yes, I have a head cold. I am stuffy and achy and all I want to do is read or watch TV and have people bring me things to eat and drink.

However, I did go to work yesterday. I even walked the dogs. Meredith was at a class on board development all day. And Kerri took her orals in the afternoon. I worked mainly on the newsletter, trying to decide where everything should go, keeping it to six pages. Of course, I am still waiting on the board to write something about the Harvest fund-raiser. And I need a picture of Meredith. And I did payroll. I left about 3:15. Ray and I went home, stopping by the grocery store, and he made mac & cheese for potluck. I would have stayed home, but we are working on a hard song for this Sunday. I left a little early since I will be away the next Sunday and didn't need to work on that music. I went right to bed. It's below freezing again, so Ray and the Captain drained the water heater.

This is supposed to be the morning we play racquetball, but I don't think I'm up to that.

I have a cold, maybe the Captain's, or maybe one from work. Everybody there has been sick, so I guess it's my turn. It is hopefully not very bad, but allowed me to do nothing yesterday except sit on the couch from the time I got home until I went to bed, drinking and snacking and dozing. I did go to the table long enough to eat dinner that my mother had made (Ray cooked the vegetable).

Yesterday morning was Tuesday, so we took Vanessa to yoga at the Council on Aging. We were a minute or two late--I always feel bad making her late too. Meredith and I went to the DCA workshop about the next grant, due in April. A lot of the usual suspects were there for her to meet and the workshop was not very informative. There will be a lot more requests for funding than there will be funding--surprise!

I worked on the newsletter formatting in Publisher. Man, I am rusty at that! Not my favorite way to spend time, and it takes lots of time.

My mother called on my cell phone to say we desperately needed dog food, so I went to the store to get some. Naturally, I bought lots of fruit and veggies, too, and cold medicine just in case.

Can't believe I slept until 6, after dozing all evening in front of the Olympics. Maybe that will help me not be too sick.

The damn dog bit me! I was waiting for Ray to leave for work, standing out on the porch, looking at the wet yard. The rain had stopped. Cameron was with me and he went after a peach pit on the railing. After all his digestive troubles the day before, I really didn't want  him to eat it. I told him "no" sternly and he spit it out. I told him how good he was and he picked it up again. The same thing over again. The third time I grabbed the peach pit from the porch--big mistake. He bit my finger enough for it to bleed--and it really hurt. This does not help you be on time for work. I grabbed a paper towel and tried to get it to stop before we got there.

More old files and routine stuff at work. Meeting with Meredith to talk about the week. Picked Ray up at 3:30. Went home and made lasagna with home-made tomato sauce Vanessa had frozen last spring. It was a little runny, so I put in a small can of tomato paste. I had some no-boil noodles and they worked great. It was in the oven in less than half an hour. Then we played cards in front of the wood stove. It was a gray cloudy day, even though the rain had stopped. It wasn't very cold--in the 50s, but the fire made it quite pleasant inside. We stopped for supper and the Captain found a few pieces of lettuce still growing--and a good-sized carrot. Everyone loved the lasagna too. I did not play very well and neither did Vanessa, but Ray had a high score and the Captain was right behind him, which made him cross.

Then we watched some more curling, which eventually put me to sleep. Ray had to wake me up to go upstairs at 11. I was pretty sound asleep on the couch.

Serious rain with thunder and lightning woke me up this morning. It's been a while since we've had that.

Yesterday was a good day, in spite of some not-so-good things.

Ray and I walked briefly, after whole wheat pancakes. The Captain's cold did not seem to be bothering him too much. We went off to church, Ray to be a greeter and I to work with the children (instead of singing). There was a group baby and child dedication, which was fun to watch, before we marched out. After the service was the Mystery Friend reception, so Ray had to stick around. I spent a little time with iPhone, but kept talking to people insteadWhen we got home, the Captain was in something of a state. A small aside here about living with my parents. They are very healthy and the situation is beneficial to both of us in many ways, small and large, but it is very difficult, like living with roommates. I tend to be naive and optimistic, but I knew this would be hard. I keep thinking it will get easier, and it has in some ways. At the end, we all know how this story will turn out. They will not be getting better, only worse, and that has an effect on our relationships. However, my father has something of a dramatic nature. He is not really the person to stay calm in a crisis.

Cameron had thrown up several times, including in his crate. My mother had apparently cleaned up one of the messes, which had made her shoulder and back hurt. She is taking one less medication because they found that her kidney function is decreased and think that medication is at least partly to blame. She was told she could take more hydrocodone (a strong pain reliever she takes once a day, about 3 in the morning). She doesn't like how groggy it makes her feel. Or she could take Tylenol, not aspirin or any other pain reliever. She went to the pharmacy Thursday or Friday, but they did not have Tylenol and sold her something else. Whether she did not explain well what she wanted, or did not hear them correctly, she came home with the wrong thing. I had some Extra-Strength Tylenol, just a few left in the bottle. While we were at church, she took two. Then she started to feel nauseous and was not very clear in her thinking. This put the Captain into a tizz, all of which he had to tell me when I got home, of course. Ray and I cleaned up the mess, we all ate lunch, my Mom started to feel better, and the Captain cheered up quite a bit. We all decided that maybe two extra-strength Tylenol on an empty stomach was not a good thing. It made me feel useful, which is sort of nice, but I began to think I should make them come to church with me and not leave them home alone. Of course, they are home alone most of  every weekday. Sigh.

The Captain had set out baby lettuces, cabbage and broccoli. Ray split wood and I put old manure around the strawberries, as well as gathering up pine needles for mulch. Meanwhile, I tried to keep a close eye on Cameron. This meant chasing after him two or three times, somewhat affecting my ability to get anything done. I think perhaps he has been eating things from the compost pile. The Captain thinks he has been eating plastic, so he tried to pick up any bits he had left around the yard. It was a lovely sunny and warm day. My Mom even sat on the deck for awhile. After a delicious diinner, we all watched more Olympics, and I cast off the top of the vest--not that it's done, I have to sew it together and make the edging bands. I managed to stay awake until about 10 and went to bed feeling pretty good.

Pilates class was excellent. I really like the teacher and the workouts. I am a little sore this morning in the shoulders and lower back. I walked the dogs with Vanessa before we went. It was cold but sunny.

We went to EarthFare and got some healthy expensive food. Went outside a little in the afternoon. Sunny and warm (in the 60s I think). Ray chopped wood and I unloaded the wood and stacked it on the porch. It is pretty green, so I don't know how well it will burn. Pulled up some grass. Watched Cameron. He comes when you whistle, every time, although he may be starting to get farther away. (It is hard to take pictures of him, because he is always moving).

We watched some more curling (and other Olympics) before, during, and after supper. That may be why no one commented on the dinner. Or they didn't really like it and were too polite to say so. The scallops were very good. I think maybe a different recipe would have done them justice. I am not a huge pesto fan myself.

Ray and I were planning to go contra dancing, but I kind of wimped out. He would have gone, but I was a little reluctant. I was about asleep by 8, when it would have started.

A little sunny--finally warm, up to 61, but not enough to really warm up the house. No wood fires, so the electric heat pump was doing its job. My boss is getting sick, maybe just a cold; she left before noon. I feel like the old wise woman. It seems to me very clear that she is stressed and not eating right, not getting any exercise, so naturally she is getting sick. I was working on the budget most of the day. I think perhaps the Board is supposed to set the budget. I gave them one earlier, but haven't heard back from them about it. Now that I know we are not getting the CDBG money, I can make it more accurate. Of course, having some grants run Jan-December and some run July-June makes it impossible to really do it right. But a budget is only an estimate anyway.

Ray and I came home and I made supper. We went to see Mame (we were volunteer ushers). It was quite good. I love musicals and had never seen that one. The person who acted as Mame had a great voice and acting ability. She was really big and at first that was hard for me. The costumes were awesome. The little boy was cute and personable. He said his lines so you could hear them. I was a little jealous I hadn't tried out. Then I would be at the theater every night instead of watching TV. I only fell asleep twice... Got home at 11, had ice cream, watched them interview Evan, the figure skater, and went to bed.

Thursday we play racquetball. It feels a little strange, not to get up and go to work. We try to keep to the same schedule, more or less. So I walked the dogs, but it was a little later, enough to be light out, and not quite so cold, around freezing. I ate some yogurt and took a muffin with me for later. The racquteball was fun. I managed to win the second game. It was slow getting going and I am thinking, "I am just doing this. It is not really fun or not fun." Then, I work reallly hard for one point. Ray returns a difficult shot. "Damn your eyes," I yell and return it in a way that it is impossible for him to hit. I feel a tiny bit the thrill of sports.

In the locker room after my shower, two young women are talking. They say, "it must be the scale." "Oh, good," I chime in. "Unless it was the pizza," one says. "Or the barbecue I ate last night." They are tall, thin, blond, but not unfriendly. One says, "are  you going to the Vagina Monologues tonight?" "I don't think so," says the other. "How much is it?" "I think it's fifteen dollars, but you know it's for charity. It's to help battered  women." "Yes, but you don't know how broke I am. My mother only gives me $600 a month." "You get an allowance?" says the first one. I ask  her if she has ever been. "You should see it." I say. They talk about it some more. As I am leaving, I give her ten dollars, folded up from being in my purse. "I can't take this," she says. "I want it to go to Project Safe. I want you to see it. Pretend I am your mother. " "Thank you," she says. I  am embarrassed. I don't want her to think I am some creepy old woman. But I remember not having money to do things. And I hope that my children could afford to go to a show they wanted to see. I hope it will protect her and educate her.

I am at work before 10. M. and I talk a little. I read my e-mail and do some bookkeeping. Before long, it is lunch time. I drive to Five Points Deli to meet Janna. We have a nice lunch and talk. Then I drive to ACTION. Meredith and I are being interviewed about our organization's needs and how the BCS grant can help. It is so much fun. We take turns. She has all the right jargon and kisses up really well. I fill in some details. We are a team with high hopes for the potential of our organization and we work well together. We are positive and enthusiastic. They will make a plan to help us and present it to us next month. They are also giving us $26,700 for new computers, a consultant, some of my time.

Unfortunately, I call HED and they are not recommending us for funding. The grants I wrote in December for child care and transitioning out of the shelter will not be funded. Meredith and I talk about it. We could stir up the board and our supporters and go to the commissioners and ask them to put some money for us back in--and they probably would. I know several of the commissioners and they are very supportive of what we do. But Meredith says no. We need to diversify our funding. More than 60% comes from government grants now and she thinks it is better to go to our donors and say, "we lost this funding and we need to make it up from somewhere." We think we can do it. There is a lot more that can be done in terms of fund raising. So I say goodbye to the work I put into writing those grants, calculating how much it would cost. I like having someone to listen to my thoughts and do the decision-making. At least so far.

At 5:00 I drive home. I have Janna's video camera, to videotape tonight's cooking class. I got it at lunch. I thought, "I better charge the battery." But I cannot find the cord. I think I may have seen it somewhere in my house. I look for it and change my clothes. My father tells me about my mother's visit to the doctor. Some of the medicine she has been taking has reduced her kidney function. It is not a huge concern, but aggravating. Good thing she had blood work done. She has to stop taking some of her pain medicine--and calcium of all things. They think it will be okay, that it can be stopped. They are going out to dinner. I have to go without finding the cord for the video camera. How frustrating! I am angry at myself for not keeping my house tidier and my life more organized. And I am worried about my mother's health.

I get to Hugh's house a few minutes early. I try the camera. I turn it on, but nothing happens. There is a spare battery, so I switch it out. It works! It looks like it's still fully charged, so I put the camera in my purse and go in. Mom and the two little girls are leaving for the science fair. One has her Brownie sash. The other tells me she is a Daisy. I tell M. I have two daughters too. She is the nicest person. I say hello to the people already there and take a front row seat. Another woman who was there last week says "age has its privileges." I ask generally about videotaping (again) and no one seems to mind. Another woman is taking lots of flash pictures. There is Angela again and a man nI know slightly, Ed L.

Peter Dale is the chef at the National. He looks even younger than Hugh. He came to the Five and Ten to learn to cook. Hugh says lots of people come and work for free so they can learn from him. Peter was put to work butchering ducks on his first day. After a while, Hugh started paying him and now they are partners at the National. He is even more unassuming than Hugh, cute in a different way, incredibly earnest and soft-spoken. His mother is from Ecuador and he talks about his aunt and grandmother there. He makes the sauce for seviche and cooks the shrimp. Also the shrimp shells and then purees them in a blender to make the cooking liquid. He makes hominy salad and reheats pork he has already braised. He makes plantains, green and ripe. Hugh pours wine, gets the pots out and helps cook. It is delightful, maybe a tiny bit less so than last week. But I think, "I could spend a lot of time sitting here, drinking Hugh's good wine and watching and listening and eating." Because I was videotaping, I don't have any photos to post. Sorry. The kitchen was the same as last week.

Then I drive to the Classic Center, where the Democratic Committee is having a fund-raiser. They are roasting Michael Thurmond. I didn't really want to pay $50 for that, so did not mind that the cooking class kept me from going. I get to hear a lot of the presenters. They are very funny. About 200 people are there listening, many that I know. There is a good feeling. Michael says we need to eleclt a Democratic governor to save the state of Georgia. We all agree. I talk to Jackie Guy. She is working for the caterer, Magnolia's, and going to cooking school at Athens Tech. She seems happy. Ray introduces me to Brian, who is running for state superintendent of schools. His wife is French. We speak briefly in Fench. I introduce Janna to him. I wave and say hello to Becky and Kent and many other people. A hug for Charlie Maddox, a chat with Nancy Denson. Bernadette Allard has lent some mirrored squares for decorating the tables. We help collect  them and carry them out to her car.

I am very sleepy in the car on the way home, but we are home by 10. Ray puts the Olympics on--men's figure skating. I am too tired to watch and quickly fall asleep.

Yesterday morning, we went to Patton Brothers and picked up our car, all fixed up. We only had to pay the $250 deductible, as we expected. When we returned the rental car, however, she asked, "do you want to put the balance on your Discover Card?" "There shouldn't be any balance," I said. "State Farm is paying for it." We went round and round, but State Farm only pays $16 a day and we had to pay the difference. Not a huge problem, but neither Budget nor State Farm ever said that to me or Ray. They said we had rental car coverage, they had negotiated with Budget for a special rate, it was all set...we could have gotten along without the rental car, but since we had the coverage. I especially hate that we paid for it to sit in our garage all weekend. Not to mention, $45 worth of gas. If I were renting a car myself, I would ask for a smaller one. Ah, I hate being naive. Sigh. Not what I wanted to spend my money on ($170).

I called Meredith to say I was running late. When I got there at 8:30, she told me about our grant. The one I had to drive over there because she was sick that first week. The one neither of us really felt was our best work by far. $25000! So that was kind of fun. And we talked a little about IHN. Doug G. called her up and harangued her after she turned down the job as their director, telling her she was making a mistake and she should rethink her decision and open her heart and mind. Or some such. Very inappropriate and just assuring her she had made the right choice. Then she spent most of the day over at Job TREC and took her sick cat to the vet. I spent most of the day looking at minutes from board meetings for the last 10 years. And 2 1/2 hours listening to a meeting in Atlanta--attending by phone. I hung up at 3:30 to leave. Kerri was sick--a virus I hope not to get.

As I was leaving, I had two phone calls--one from the newspaper, so I am quoted this morning, about losing some funding this year. And I hope Meredith is okay with it. Another about bringing some people to see our garden. I said he needed to look at it first, because there is nothing to see. So he is supposed to be there at 8 this morning--and I will be at racquetball, and she won't know anything about it.

Made spaghetti with zucchini for potluck. Went to choir. Decided to help in RE this weekend instead of singing. Watched Olympics--downhill skiing. Three women crashed. I remember skiing and racing (a little--not the Olympics). It's one of the few sports I can identify with and I cringe at every turn.

Read Rebecca's blog about climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro, if you haven't yet. It's the closest thing to being there I'll ever get--or want to get. Amazing stuff!

I also have been watching a lot of the Olympics on TV. Last night, I watched a lot of curling. I had never seen this sport before and it was really entertaining. It has its own vocabulary, like most sports, and seems really ridiculous, until you start to get into it. Sort of like bowling or bocce or shuffleboard, with special shoes for walking on the ice. It was a cliffhanger, with the Japanese women beating the Americans at the very last minute. You too could get to know Deb, Allison, Nadine and Anna Ohmiya. The team captain is the "skip" and ours is 35 years old and a Mom. The last "stone" is the "hammer" and that is what it all comes down to. You don't throw the stones as much as guide them, and your teammates sweep in front of them or to the side to get them to "curl" just right...or not. Of course, I love the figure skating. My Dad hates any sport involving judges and talks over the commentators most of the time. Snowboarding was pretty fun to watch too. So I didn't do much else but watch the Olympics.

It happens some times. I didn't get up in time to blog this morning. Yesterday was not noteworthy, good or bad. I was home in time to help with dinner prep. Cold. Still tiny remnants of snow in the woods, the crunchy kind that's left when it freezes before it is finished melting. Today I enjoyed lunch with Becky. Meredith was at meetings and off site most of the day and I continued throwing away old personnel and other files.

Valentine's Day

Walked a little, snow still in places. Made pancakes and bread. Went to the service at UUFA. On second Sundays, the choir does not sing, Ray does not greet or do sound, so we sit together (or we don't go at all). It's nice, espcially since the service was about love. Amber and Karen sang a duet in French and Thomas played some more awesome stuff. After the service, we drove to brunch at Porterhouse Grill. My parents treated us. I was a little cross, because they ran out of prime rib and a chicken dish with mushrooms that I was looking forward to. I was trying not to eat too many starches, and I didn't get an omelette, so I was pretty moderate. I also did not have anything to drink except water (and some of Ray's Mimosa). It was very busy, which is great for the restaurant. And my parents talked about all the waiters. My Dad said the only friends they had made in Athens worked at the restaurant. He said it was kind of sad. I said well, they are there a lot.

We watched some Olympics and I knit some more on Ray's vest. Now that it is to the hard part, I don't want to do it anymore. I made some soup for supper and we all had a little, but we didn't want too much to eat.

It is a little bit light, even before 7, so I hold out hope for spring and mornings I can take a walk not in the dark. There is still snow on the ground, but it has retreated a good bit, and the trees are not covered any more. Ray and I took another walk yesterday morning with the two dogs. It was certainly beautiful, cold but sunny. The sky was an incredible blue. There were other people out; we saw them across the meadow.

We decided it was not a good idea to drive yet, so did not go to Pilates class. There was ice on the roads, where snow had melted and frozen. Unfortunately, they canceled Ray's dinosaur day at Sandy Creek and rescheduled it for April, after a lot of phone calls. The Captain went out on his plow and cleared some. After lunch, they went off to the grocery store. I assured them we could get along fine, but he said twice they had nothing else to do. Ray was working hard most of the day. I vacuumed while they were gone and made some muffins. There was supposed to be a choir party last night, but they canceled it late in the day, for fear of freezing after dark. So we have muffins now. Watched some of the Olympics, knit some, went to bed.

(If you read the blog daily, you saw some angst and rage yesterday, but thanks to my sister Bonney, apparently the computer did save the entry for yesterday, so now you can read it all--yay!)

So yesterday did not start well. I did, however, drop off the report at the United Way first thing in the morning--there was someone there at 8:15. Then I took Ray to his office and went on to work. Most of the day, Meredith was involved in personnel issues and fighting with the Board. I am hoping that things will get a little less dramatic and she won't be spending quite so much time talking to me, although I appreciate the confidence and knowing what's going on. I worked on reimbursements and getting rid of old files. We were expecting snow about noon, and the school called to say they were letting kids out 2 hours early, always a problem for us. We were able to get in touch with all but one Mom, so those kids were set to come to the Shelter with no parental supervision. I tried to argue for not taking on the school's problem (what would they do if that parent were not staying at the Shelter?). In the end, she must have gotten the message, because they did not show up.

The snow started about 2, somewhat casually, with me saying, "this isn't going to amount to anything..." I left a little after 3:30. It was starting to stick on the trees and grass, but the roads were just wet. It was quite pretty and not a problem, although the traffic was really bad downtown, on my way to pick up Ray. We got home fine. I imagine the stores were a nightmare, but all was lovely at our house. We took a walk in the snow with the dogs, Ray making snowballs and throwing them at Cameron, who caught them and then looked confused when they disintegrated and tasted like water. We had a family discussion at Drink and Snack and decided to officially have Cameron stay and be part of our family. I have mixed feelings, as I think we all do. It is one  more responsibility, economically and otherwise, but he is fun to have around and quite well-behaved.

For supper, we had leftovers--the macaroni and cheese that Ray had made for potluck from a CHOW recipe that was delicious, as well as some lamb chops and a crab cake from Porterhouse Grill. There was also still cake and ice cream.

It is beautiful outside, what I could see when I got up, before I turned on the computer, white everywhere. It is cold now, but the heat is running. We don't have to go anywhere immediately and it is supposed to be about 40 at its warmest today, with sun, so it will probably melt before Ray has to drive to Sandy Creek with his dinosaur bones. I hope the weather doesn't keep people from coming.

My Mom has a cough and went to the doctor Thursday. I may be getting it too.

One of the high points of my life has got to be sitting in Hugh Acheson's kitchen, watching him cook. There were 17 other people, and I paid for the privilege, but I was happy as a clam. His wife was leaving as we arrived, cute and pleasant. They live in an old house on Boulevard, lovingly remodeled after sitting empty for 18 years (that must have cost a little something). But it is not a showplace. His kitchen has the best new appliances and generous counter space, but it is lived in and not intimidating.

Wine was poured more than once--good wine.

I knew some of the people there, although they were not my closest friends: Susan Ponsoldt and Susan Tate. I took a seat at the counter for a good look and watched hungrily the whole time. His two small daughters, Clementine and Beatrice, were right in his way the whole time, standing on stools. He would occasionally make little asides about them ("I don't usually do this with them here."), but seemed like a wonderful Dad. The older girl, in 2nd grade, got herself water in a wine glass, add some mint lieaves, and stirred it around. She also peeled a lot of garlic cloves...She helped set out the plates when he was dishing up. I took lots of photos with my iPhone, but will refrain from posting them here, as that seems a little too invasive. The food was incredible and yet he made it seem very simple. He was quite modest, talking about how much good press he had gotten. He's from Canada and never went to cooking school. He said, if your parents want to pay for you to go to cooking school, take half the money and travel around, working in different kitchens. I could go on and on...

Yesterday morning, I was feeling a little down. Ray and I went to play racquetball and I really did not want to. In fact, I managed to win the second game. I don't know how he was able to pull that off. The women's locker room was closed; they were working on the heating. So I had to shower in one of the family dressing rooms. It was somewhat aggravating, since I had to carry all my stuff a ways. I met a lovely woman who urged me to go on some of the GORP trips. Ray and I had often contemplated it (especially swimming with the manatees), but I was concerned about horning in on the students' experiences. She said it had not been her experience, that she thought it was fun for all. Jennifer Stewart. And we also met a woman from Cape Cod. At work, I continued clearing out things and worked some on the newsletter. When I went to lunch with Janna, we had a lovely time and great food. As I was leaving, Rubielen of the United Way, came up to me and asked if I got her message. "No, I didn't," I said. "I need that report. It was due Tuesday. We are sending it in tomorrow." "I'll bring it to you this afternoon," I said. "I've been working on it ever since I got it." So when I got back to the office, I finished it up. Not as easy as it sounds. Although Taylor had been working on it, I had to recopy some of it what he had done, and finish it up. One of the requirements is an adding machine tape with the totals. Fortunately, I have an adding machine, but I don't suppose everyone does. It was 4:30 by the time I was done, and the United Way closed at 4:30. So I will take it there first thing this morning on my way to work--but they don't open until 8:30.

So I stayed at work until 5:30 and went directly to Hugh's house. When I got home at 8:30, I had cake and ice cream (my Mom had made a delicious cake), watched a little TV and went to bed. What a treat!

I am feeling a little behind. I didn't clean at all this weekend. Haven't started the taxes. Didn't even blog yesterday. Haven't been able to keep up with the record-keeping I was trying to do for health and fitness. There might even be bills I should have paid. I'm tired. I think I've been working too much, which is kind of funny. Most people work a lot more than me, but I worked almost full time this last pay period (78.5 hours instead of 88). Some days I have been working 7 1/2 hours without a break. This is not good. Fortunately, the work is not very stressful, and I should be able to cut back a little. Since I get paid by the hour, the more I work, the more money I have to spend, so that's good.

Yesterday morning I was looking for good fares to the Northeast for next month's vacation. I wasn't really happy with what I found. I am kind of not enamored of flying. We have to get to Atlanta, deal with the airport, fly to NY, then figure out how to get to Cape Cod. Then reverse it all. I thought the train might be less of a rat race. The closest Amtrak station is Gainesville, Georgia--about as far as Atlanta, but a little easier to navigate. The once-a-day train leaves at 9:30 at night (if it's on time). We would get to NY at 2 the next afternoon. I am thinking I would not be refreshed by a night in the train. Coming back we would arrive at 7 am. Ray pointed out that we would have less time to spend with Amelia than if we just flew. So I guess we will. It just makes me stressed to even think about it. And I want to say, "you plan it then...find the cheapest and best flights and make all the arrangements." Sigh. I would probably not be happy with his choices.

Walked the dogs, even though it was cold and windy. It was almost light though, so that is a little exciting. I know I should be appreciative that we are not in the frozen snowy North with no power. But this is a lot of crazy cold weather for Athens. I honestly built too many windows if we are going to have this much cold weather. And the men did not cut enough firewood. We are burning green wood now and it is difficult. The heat is on all the time. My parents are cold being home most of the day.

Meredith spent the morning at Job TREC. A lot of people were upset when they were told they have already had their bus passes for the month. Some got them on Tuesday and were back for more on Wednesday. Since the computer records are now being updated on the spot, the case worker was able to tell them, "no, you got them yesterday." Then they said it was cold so they had given them to others. Anyway, things are changing and it will be better, but the transition will be difficult. Also, Meredith was pretty horrified by the building they are working out of. The ceiling is falling down in one place and it sends a message  to clients that they don't deserve better.

It was payroll and that went well, except that I forgot not to take out for insurance, since we do not have insurance any more. So, I'll have to write a check for the money I took out. There was a board meeting last night. I don't know yet how it went, but Meredith was nervous about it. Mary K. wanted to know if I was coming. To me, this is odd. Why would I be going to a board meeting? The assistant director would not normally go to a board meeting. And why wait to ask me until the morning of  the meeting? She said they wanted to thank me for my hard work. I said, "this is Meredith's show now; maybe some other time." About an hour later, a huge and beautiful flower arrangement arrived. I was really surprised when they said it was for me. I said, "it's certainly not from my husband...and I'm pretty sure I don't have any secret lovers." It was from the board. Of course, I had to fight my inclination to think about how much it cost and the working conditions of the people who grew them and how far they had travelled. They are really pretty: sunflowers, roses, tulips, azalea, forsythia... Most of the afternoon, I worked on clearing out old files.

At 3:30, I picked Ray up and we came home. He made some mac and cheese for potluck, even though he was going to a Darwin Day lecture. All week, there are speakers and activities. He has been busy, but enjoying it. Captain and Vanessa went out to dinner, dropping him off at the university first. I managed to be late for potluck, even though the food was ready. And I had called a meeting of the nominating committee for 6:30. Gobbled some food and had a good meeting, all in less than 30 minutes. Choir rehearsal, then to pick up Ray on campus. I was falling asleep on the way home (Ray was driving). We have a Mitusbishi Galant rental car while the Prius is in the body shop. It is bigger and faster than our car, which is kind of fun, but it makes me nervous. I am worrying about having an accident all the time now.

Worked. Spent half the time looking through old files and getting rid of some of them. The guy I fired filed a grievance with the Board. I don't think it's a serious problem, but it's too bad. He alleged that his race and marital status were factors (he's unmarried and a father), which is annoying, but I suppose not surprising. 

Came home and made supper. Vanessa had bought fish. I cooked the broccoli, put the fish and herbs in parchment paper and in the oven, and poured boiling water over the couscous. I chopped up herbs and scallions and peppers to put in it, but it didn't absorb teh water like it usually does. I put it in the microwave for a while--still crunchy We ate the fish and overcooked broccoli. Ray decided to go ahead and mix everything in the couscous anyway. He said, "it's not coucous...it's millet!" sure enough, no wonder it didn't cook in 5 minutes...I cooked it in the microwave some more with more water until it was edible, but it wasn't as good as the couscous would have been!

A little sun yesterday got it up to 70 in he house, with a fire at night.

Ray and I went to the forum. Jim Porter spoke about the Ecology of War. He made a persuasive case that the environmental damage caused by war is even greater than the human and financial costs. He studied Vieques (Puerto Rico). The first thing is he asked the Navy if it was safe to go there. "Oh, yes," they told him. "There is nothing there." In fact, they found very high concentrations of unexploded bombs on the sea floor: one for every area about the size of the Fellowship Hall. Cancer levels in people from Vieques are 50% higher than on mainland Puerto Rico, mostly due to childhood cancers. Coral and other sea life are suffering. They built a machine to safely pick up unexploded bombs from the sea floor, so they could be moved to deep ocean or detonated in a box. The US stopped doing tests there and declared it a Superfund site. But they refused to allocate clean-up funds...because Puerto Rico is not a state. Puerto Ricans enlist in the Army, die and receive medals of honor at greater rates than any state. He talked some about other war damage. For instance, there are still tire tracks in the desert where Patton first tested tanks during WWI. Vegetation has not yet grown back. One thing that worries me most about these government lies and inconsistencies...what have they lied about that we don't know about yet? What other bad decisions are they making right now that will affect the Earth for generations or maybe destroy it?

The service was quite interesting as well. Dave spoke about Confucianism, which he summarized as being kind and developing your second, more civil, nature--a compromise between freedom and the rule of law. I think perhaps when people ask me about my religion, I will describe myself as a follower of Confucius. He also talked about the play Copenhagen, a fictionalized account of the meeting between Neils Bohr and Heisenberg. Bohr was Danish (Swedish?) and won the Nobel Prize. Heisenberg worked for Hitler. The play is about the physics of morality and the uncertainty principle. In fact, Heisenberg failed to develop the bomb before the end of the war, while Bohr (the good guy) contributed to the bomb that was dropped on Japan.

After the service, we went to the Melting Point. The Friends of Advantage had a luncheon. For $25, we had low country boil and listened to jazz. Advantage is the agency that provides services to people with mental illness, mental retardation, and substance abuse. It has been underfunded for years, so they have started to raise money in other ways. The food was good (although I have had better low country boil) and the jazz was lively. I couldn't get Ray to dance, though, not even after a beer... the sad thing? There were only about 20 people there.

We went home and I made some bread and planned the meals for the week. The Captain planted peas. The dogs got to be outside a lot. Made supper, watched the Super Bowl, went to bed.

Well, it was not my favorite day in many ways. For one, it was really cold and gray, so not very warm inside, even with the heat on. There was no firewood left inside or even on the porch, so we couldn't start a fire. Art slept in and so did Ray. I had breakfast and thought about making some bread, but it wouldn't heat up the house until later... I woke Ray up at 9 and took the dogs out. I could hear the river roaring, so I took them through the woods to see it. It was awesome--pouring over the dam and crashing down below, brown and foamy. It was a good walk. When I got back, Ray was still eating. We were supposed to be at pilates in less than 30 minutes. I said, "I guess we're not going." He said he still had a headache and was going back to bed. I should have just gone by myself, but I didn't. I made some cookies while Captain and Vanessa went to the dump. Looked at some recipes. Art finally got up while we were eating lunch. Ray got up about 2. I had gotten some wood from the pile by the shed, so we had a fire and it was getting more comfortable, but it is almost gone. The sun peeked out once or twice. Art and I played Carcassonne. Ray worked on the gift cards. About 4, M. called to say she was in town and arrange for me to meet her with Art. We went to the mall and got there a little before her, so wandered a bit. I have to say, the mall was not appealing--quite crowded and I had really no interest in looking in the stores. If I had been alone, I might have looked at some clothes.

After we met up and I handed Art over, I was walking out to my car. There was a woman crying and a lot of policemen. I heard them say, "what was he wearing?" The answer was "a North Face jacket and a green shirt." As I drove around to the other side of the mall, I saw a man wearing that, with a black bag--a briefcase or laptop--going into the mall. I wasn't sure what to do, so I called 911 and told the dispatcher. I had to explain it twice. Like so many things, I will not know if they caught him--or even what he did.

I got home about 5. I had talked to Vanessa earlier about going to the movies. Fantastic Mr. Fox had been playing for a while at the discount movie theater ($2) and we had talked about going. The problem was it was showing at 5:15--always a challenge to eat dinner right afterwards if no one is home to cook it. Ray had gone back to bed. The Captain didn't want to go. He rarely does, which is okay, except my Mom loves going to the movies. She is not very assertive, so it was hard for me to judge whether she really wanted to go or not. After some dallying back and forth, we jumped in the car and headed back where I had just been. We missed the previews and the very beginning, but saw most of it. Kind of peculiar, but we had a good time.

When we got in the car, I called the house. "Daddy, is Ray still in bed?" "Yes," he said. "I need you to put dinner in the oven." He started protesting. "Just listen." I said. "Look in the cookbook next to the stove for the temperature and put the oven on. Dump what's in the pan into a casserole. They're in the drawer under the microwave." "But the topping isn't ready." "That's okay, I will do that part when I get home." "I'll have to preheat the oven, won't I?" "Oh, the oven. To turn it on, push the button that says Bake and then press the plus and minus buttons to ge to the right temperature." "I'll do my best. Hurry home." I can't convey the right tone of voice, that suggests this is a massive undertaking that he cannot possibly accomplish. When we got home, he shows me that the cookbook was in fact turned to the recipe for biscuits, not the casserole. So  he put the temperature to 350, not a bad choice. And he said, "it needed to be covered, didn't it? I put the cover on." I said, "no, but that's okay we'll take it off." He left the room and Vanessa and I opened the oven. He had put a plastic casserole with a plastic lid in the oven...too funny. We rescued it and tranfferred it to another container from the same drawer without saying anything. It was a sort of microwave casserole. The bottom is okay in a regular oven, but the clear plastic top is not. It had started to melt in one corner. It had printed on it, "not for use in conventional ovens." The moral of the story is...? when you think you have been very clear and detailed in your instructtions, you have not thought of everything. I still think it was worth doing. Next time, I will think of more specifics.

Ray got up in time for dinner and we all enjoyed it. I stayed awake until 10, then fell asleep during two episodes of the Vicar of Dibley, which Ray proceeded to tell me all about while we were going to bed. I thanked him for cutting up the strawberries, which we had with cake and ice cream. MMM. I said, "you used both pints?" "Yes," he said. "We can have them on our pancakes in the morning." "No," I said, we are having blueberries in our pancakes." "No," he said. "I ate them. I'm sorry." "I can't believe you did that, I was so looking forward to blueberry pancakes, you know how much I love them." "I wanted fruit and an apple didn't appeal." I won't go on, but I was very angry. Then I was awake for about an hour. This morning, he got up before me and went and got more blueberries...

Cold and overcast again, although 42 is not the coldest ever. Just wish it would be sunny on a Saturday for once. I can hear the puppy whining and will go done and let him out before too long.

Yesterday was a long and stressful one. M. fired someone and she was really stressed about it. The Board was a little hesitant, even though they have known it should be done for a year. I was supportive and she appreciated it, but it is sad too. I also finished up one of the reimbursements, still waiting on someone from the board to come sign the others. One family is moving out, so that's fun. Working on a report for a small grant we got. Now they want us to go back and make copies of every receipt and every check (front and back) that we used the money on. The bank will charge $5 for every copy they make. I tried to call and ask the agency about it, but the person I needed to talk to was not there.

It was pouring all day. I went to pick up Art in Colbert and bring him here for the night. Vanessa had made pot roast and it was so yummy! I made a very basic plain little cake to have for dessert. Fell asleep at 8:30 and slept 9 hours...wierd dreams at the end about going somewhere with some people I didn't recognize--they had kids. There was snow. Toward the end, it turned into Janna and Ron and Deb and John--there was a discussion about what food was okay to eat when. Glad it's Saturday!

It's pouring outside and windy. We certainly don't need the rain and I am sure some people are suffering. But it is still kind of cozy to be in my nice house, with people sleeping. Ray built up the fire last night, so it is not too cold here. I do wonder wistfully how many people are getting snow instead, but that would cause a lot of trouble for Athens.

I worked hard yesterday--on the lists for the newsletter and other things. We got a locksmith and changed the locks. One key to open any door. The health inspector came and we did much better. She is concerned about out-dated cans and other items, so we need to be able to prove we can use things after their sell by dates. I had to pay some people that didn't get paid, because M. didn't realize we had to pay them for the days they hadn't worked yet. A two-hour focus group about relationships with the university. Not that helpful, but networking with other organizations was good.

Left about 3:30. Went home, let the dogs out. No word from potential new owners of puppy Cu (who I prefer to call Cameron). I had one dog or the other in the house for much of the afternoon, just not both together. He wants to play with her and she does not like it. Working on supper, with computer and music. Captain and Vanessa called from the road, about 30 minutes away. They had gotten up very early (6) and driven home, stopping for breakfast and lunch. They were quite tired and just wanted me to sit and talk. Captain teased me about the dog, suggesting I was too soft-hearted and that he was here to stay. But he didn't really mind, I think. He is an appealing dog. Ray was at the Democratic committee executive meeting. We ate when he got home and it tasted good. Captain had leftover pasta instead. TV and bed.

I slept late again--it's almost 6:30.

Yesterday, I was interviewed by a journalism student, who is writing an article on homelessness. I often get emotional when talking to students. She asked me, "what can we do to help?" I said that we have lots of volunteers and that's great and money is always good. But a bigger thing is to change some of our societal values. If we realize what we are buying with our dollars--and shop at places that treat workers fairly, that will make a difference. If we change some of our expectations, and save money instead of feeling it necessary to buy everything that comes along, that would be a good start. We also talked some about what government can do. I wonder what this article will look like...She said it would be really good, because of me. We'll see.

I started trying to list donors for the last 6 months, for the newsletter. I found some discrepancies between Quickbooks, the accounting software I use, and the mailing list/database. This means that either I or Amanda, the intern who is entering the data, has done something wrong. In theory, there should be a copy of every check deposited that I can go back to and verify the information. when I tried to do that, I couldn't find some of them. It's not a major problem, I can thank people for donating without listing the amounts or the dates. Better to thank people who didn't give (who appear on one list), rather than not thank people who did. But now that I know, I can be more careful in the future and get it right.

We also found that several staff were not paid enough because Meredith didn't realize they get paid for some time that they have not yet worked and is not reflected on their time cards. Although she took responsibility for this, I should have thought of it and done a better job explaining to her.

Then there was an hour and a half webinar on executive compensation, which actually did have somr useful information, but was mainly about what an organization needs to do to justify paying its "key personnel" over $150,000. Not going to be a problem for us any time soon.

It seemed like a longish day where I got little accomplished.

Ray and I came home, let the dogs out, and I sat in the sun on the porch watching Cu while he made supper. With my laptop. Turns out there is someone who may be interested in adopting Cu, so that is great. Except it made me sad. And my parents are coming home today, probably driving straight through from Norma's. In the rain. I am concerned about the tone of my Dad's email that he is so anxious to get home, even though I am glad they like it here.

Potluck and choir and a long phone conversation with Molli.

Got to work a little late, but boss wasn't in yet. Worked on reimbursements. Staff meeting. Picked Ray up at 4, took him to volunteer at Democratic gubenatorial debate. Drove home, let dogs out, ate supper, made cookies, drove back to watch debate. Fun and inspiring. Any of the five candidates would be good.

Thurbert Baker, black attorney general for 12 years, was a little vague about specifics, and said he supports 2nd amendment rights. Maybe you need to say that to get elected in Ga., but I found it terrifying. The question was about licensed gun owners carrying their guns into church, the parks, etc.

Roy Barnes, former governor. Very knowledgeable and has plans. Experience is good. But he stands by his former opinion about teacher accountability.

Carl Coman, mayor of a small town. Black. Rhetoric about being in touch with people. Promise to teach a class in every county. OK, but who's going to be governing? My least favorite candidate.

DuBose Porter. Legislative leader for 28 years. Knowledgeable. Specific plans, good answers. Inspiring in one minute answers.

David Poythress. Head of National Guard. Other good experience. Not quite as specific and clear. Admirable promise not to draw a salary until Georgia's unemployment is below 7%. I wish a lot of public and private leaders would take voluntary temporary cuts to show they get it.

Came home, ate ice cream, watched TV, went to bed.

Sounds like it's raining. I slept about 9 hours.

Yesterday morning I took both dogs for a walk. Zoe still growling and attacking Cu when he wants to come up on the porch or in the breezeway. Especially around mealtimes. Not too surprising, but I hope it gets better. We were running late and Ray had to be there at 8;30 to give a makeup quiz (the student didn't get there until 9). When we got in the car, it would not start. Not sure how we ran the battery down--it's never happened before. We took the truck, the big white pickup truck. Took ray to his office, so I was about 15 minutes late. I called first.

Met with Meredith to talk about what we are working on now. the newsletter is next. She set deadlines, we talked about the mailing list and what I should do and what she should do. She likes newsletters and will take it on. We are going to do it quarterly. One annoying and slightly worrisome thing. I left the second key to the new filing cabinet on her desk Friday and it's gone. How safe is it to lock things up if someone potentially has a key? If it turns up, is it safe, or is possible someone made a copy? It seems unlikely that anyone cares enough to go to those lengths...She continues to have serious concerns about one of our staff members and the job that has been done. One of the least of her concerns is constant tardiness. She also showed her feet of clay a little...and how she is too much like me for her own good. A church in Monroe, some 45 minutes from here, will be volunteering this month to do a lot of helpful maintenance--cleaning gutters, repainting the moldy ceiling in one bathroom, replacing some light fixtures, and lots more. They want someone to come speak Sunday morning. They say we have done it other years. I passed this on to her the first week she was here, and yesterday got a reminder that they have not heard from her yet. she has already made arrangements to get appliances delivered then and doesn't want to go...I did not volunteer to do it for her, but I will if she asks me. I suggested she ask Beth. She sent an email to Kerri, asking her to ask the interns. Kerri asked me what to do. I said the board did not want us using interns to represent the shelter. She will probably go, but we'll see.

I worked on reimbursements and usual stuff. At 3:30, I drove the truck to Ray's office and we went home. We let Cu out to play some, even off the leash. He will chase a ball or a stick, but not bring it back. He doesn't really come when we call him, but he doesn't run off. Zoe continues to defend her territory, so it's not surprising he doesn't want to come be attacked. He doesn't love being in the crate either. He seems quite affectionate, but naturally nervous.

Ray made a fire and brought in the laundry, jump started the car, and restarted the water heater (I assured him it was not going to freeze again, at least this week). It had leaked in the basement and he called the installer and talked to him for awhile. He will come fix it, maybe next week. It is only a problem when the weather is cold and we turn it off.

I made supper and we ate quite early. I was watching TV by 7...and in bed asleep by 8:30. I had some back pain all day and couldn't do much except sit on the couch, so I guess I needed to sleep. ?

Monday morning--and it's February. January has seemed long. In fact, this is the coldest longest winter we've ever had here in Georgia. My house seems too big and not warm enough.

Yesterday while we were walking, I attempted to take pictures of the winter trees and landscape with my iPhone. Unfortunately, I didn't know what I was doing. So I have 8 videos, some including long stretches of the darkness inside my pocket, with the sound of feet crunching and the background murmur of voices, punctuated by a few pretty good shots and me saying what's this blinking red light? why won't it let me take any pictures? sort of like pocket dialing, but it's me. Somewhat amusing, if you like that kind of thing.

It was cold and overcast, below freezing almost all day. I got a lot done, though. I made special low-fat pancakes with egg white only, and fruit sauce instead of maple syrup. Also bean soup for lunch...and I started some cinnamon bread rising. All by 9:30. Then we took a walk with Zoe. It was cold, but okay when you got going. I had to take my gloves off to try to take the pictures. Then we showered and headed to the Fellowship. It's amazing how much you can get done with a few extra minutes. Since I wasn't singing in choir, we didn't have to be there early. Ray and I sat together for once. The service was lay-led and about "Ethical Eating." Geoff Lewis spoke about their farm. And Neal Priest talked about being a vegetarian. He has now been a vegan for a year and a half. It was enjoyable and inspiring. Olivia from Farm 255 spoke some after the service. They raise all their own meat and 75% of their veggies. When they slaughter an animal, they try to use all of it before slaughtering another. This involves educating patrons about eating things they might not otherwise.

After the service, we drove to Bishop to pick up a dog. Lisa had taken in this one-year-old over-active puppy to keep it from being killed at the shelter, when some friends of hers couldn't keep it any more. But her dog is sick and blind and the puppy kept wanting to play with him. We are keeping him for a little while. We are both looking for a permanent home for him. His name is Cu (which I don't get) and he is a beautiful and smart, but energetic dog. Maybe some retriever or shepherd... butterscotch colored. I walked him around her yard for about 15 minutes and he was playing tug-of-war with the leash the whole time. We had some trouble getting him in the crate. Lisa was sad to see him go, but whe is dealing with a lot right now. When we got him home, Zoe was not pleased. She growled and attacked him when we tried to bring him in the breezeway. Outside, they were okay. She has clearly established her dominance. Eventually, we let her in the house while we got him settled. He was very reluctant to come into the breezeway since she had attacked him. We put him in the crate in the breezeway, partly for his own safety. They settled down, but we had to go through it all again when we took them for a walk later in the day and fed them. I guess it will probably settle down. He is the kind of dog who chases sticks, unlike Zoe.

Finished the bread. Ray worked all day. Made supper. Watched a movie on TV. Thanks to DVR, I can just stop it when the phone rings. It's great. Went to bed a little later than usual and now I am tired.