There is nothing like being sick to make you appreciate being well. I had a bad headache for several days and took a lot of medicine. It makes no sense, unless it was the unusually cool dry weather we had. Low pressure? I felt generally achy and crappy too, but I don't think it was any sort of illness... I went in to work Wednesday, but I felt bad and thought about staying home. Plus I have spent most of the last 2 days at work recreating a lost QuickBooks file that disappeared. Even the IT guy couldn't find it. He did not find any corruption either that would explain it. But now it is done, not exactly the same as the original, but with the same totals. I had to deal with taxes and insurance on Wednesday too. Not much fun.

The weather has been sunny and warm, but not too warm. I have been weeding the garden and picking strawberries when I come home from work.

Yesterday was the last day for the interns we had since August. It will be sad to miss them. And I will need to do a lot of the work that they have been doing all year. Answering the phone and door, buying the groceries, etc.

Alison, the minister, was at potluck Wednesday night and seemed very comfortable and a good presence. I enjoyed singing.

Apparently, I can no longer post photos to this blog. What at pain in the neck! I wanted you to see the strawberries. They are beautiful.

I have a bad headache this morning.

Yesterday I was about 10 minutes late to work and I couldn't even blame it on Ray--he was home in bed! I spent most of the time working on taxes and insurance, not fun. but I left at 2 and came on home to work in the yard for a bit before Ray and I headed to Amber's to babysit her two little ones while she went to a meeting. It was less than 2 hours and we enjoyed it. Ray mostly played with Calvin, the older child, racing cars and being boys. I played with Lila, who took a while to warm up to me. First she cried when her Mom left. Then she sat and looked at me distrustfully, but eventually we had fun. I was reading stories loud while she was crying, holding out fruit snacks to bribe her. We played put the cars in the box of blocks, build towers and knock them down. After a while, she started asking "more," using words and sign language, wanting me to keep giving her fruit snacks. She fell down, stepping on a toy car, and started crying again. I picked her up and sat down with her and she calmed down. We sat and watched the boys a little, Ray giving her snacks. Somehow she managed to pee on my lap right through her diaper. I changed her, but not myself.

Ray and I drove downtown to have supper with Janna and Ron and Becky and Kent at an Italian restaurant we had never been to before. Really good! and we had a great time. Except I had this headache. I took two pain relievers (a lot for me) and it mostly went away long enough for me to eat a little lasagna and panna cotta. But it was back by the time we got home and I took an Advil migraine pill, which usually does the job for me.

It has been really cool here (43 this morning), which I like, but maybe there is some weird pressure thing going on. I am trying a little food and hoping it will go away. Maybe a walk will help.

A lovely breeze blowing in the windows--cool enough to huddle under the quilt, should have been a great night for sleeping, but I did not do much of it. My back was sore, maybe from being on my feet--or moving the furniture around. I had 12 people to dinner and it was a great success. They didn't leave until after 10, but it wasn't stressful or difficult--maybe just the adrenaline?

Yesterday, everybody seemed to be grumpy at the office. I guess no one wanted to come to work Monday morning. The electrician said he would be there by 9, but he wasn't. The computer guy was supposed to take my computer over the weekend, but he didn't. The budget is still not final. This is the interns' last week...Meredith and I worked on payroll some, but there were some time cards missing. And most of all, I could not find one of my QuickBooks files, fortunately the smaller one that keeps track of residents' savings accounts. It will not be too hard to recreate; we have copies of the receipts. The last backup I have is from September, which is too bad, but it's a relatively small account, with a lot fewer deposits and checks than the main account, which I made a backup of before I left yesterday. The question is, why would it completely disappear? Pretty nerve-wracking.

I took a long lunch break and went to Talbot's, because I had a coupon that expired yesterday for 20% off--everything I bought, even the stuff that was already marked down 25%. I was pretty moderate and bought some dress seersucker shorts and a zip-front casual jacket, but there was a lot I would have tried on if I had more time. I called my Mom and the Captain brought her down. Ray and I picked her up after work and she had found a dress she liked, so that was great. Then we went home and rushed around, cleaning and rearranging furniture. I put the casserole in the oven and took a quick shower and dressed. People started arriving and Ray and my parents left. We had two tables set with real plates and silverware and glasses for water and wine and real napkins and tablecloths, of course. And we had real chairs--only one of them broke during dinner! Alison, the new minister, sat for a while at one table and then switched. She seems very good and I will enjoy working with her and getting to know her.

I only made the chicken and rice casserole; other people brought salads and appetizers and desserts and drinks. Rich made the coffee. I showed off the garden before supper. After dessert, we moved back to the living room and had serious talks about things. People still won't consider that we need to buy a van and pick people up instead of building a bigger parking lot. And two members of the board said people need to just get over it and say we're a church. But I don't have to deal with it any more. Everyone was very appreciative of us hosting the dinner.

Now to face the day--I can sleep tonight.

Sigh, Monday already. Not that I'm complaining about having a job to go to. Especially one I can leave at 3 o'clock.

Yesterday morning, more rain. We ended up with almost 2 inches in 24 hours--good for the growing things!

Pancakes for breakfast, baked cookies that my Mom mixed up the day before--homemade slice and bake--nut chip cookies. She came with us to the UUFA, but the Captain stayed home. I had asked him to see if some of the chairs in the basement could be fixed. The sanctuary was full, many people I hadn't seen in awhile, like Alice H., all excited about Alison, our new minister. She is here for a week, doing two Sunday services and meeting with lots of different groups. Next Sunday afternoon, we vote on whether to hire her or not starting in August. I thought she was very good. I really like her down-to-earth direct style. She spent 25 years as a photo editor at National Geographic. My beliefs are almost exactly the same as hers, although of course she emphasize that other beliefs are welcome. She talked about "people curving the arc of the universe toward justice" (not an exact quote) and not believing in God or anything supernatural, while reserving the possibility that some things not yet proven by science may be true. Anyway, looks good so far. There was a reception afterward: punch and cookies, which is why I was baking cookies Sunday morning. Good attendance and "positive energy." She is coming to my house for dinner tonight, along with 13 other people, mostly board members. I am sending Ray and my parents away. I spent most of the afternoon making chicken and rice casserole. And a little time outside working on the yard with Ray. My Dad shredded the chicken, the worst part of making it, so that was very nice. Threw together some supper and the day was over.

The birds are singing; it's getting light. I slept until almost 7, which is a good thing. I have been pretty tired.

Yesterday it rained off and on all day, with thunder and lightning. At one point, there were one and a half inches in the rain gauge. But we wanted it to rain for the gardens' sake. I hope my strawberries are not too soggy to eat--the taste changes when there is a lot of rain. We didn't have a lot of time we would have spent outdoors anyway.

I took the dogs for a brief walk and got a little wet, which I don't mind that much. It wasn't cold.

We went to Pilates class, which was really good. After that, we spent a little time at Borders, looking at books about France (for my part). Ray bought a couple books about dinosaurs. We met Ron and Janna for lunch. Then we drove around and looked at chairs; thinking about buying a few extra for Monday night, when there will be at least 12 of us. I was happy to find acceptable used chairs at 2 different stores, starting at $35 each. They wouldn't exactly match my other chairs, but sturdy and nice enough. Surprisingly, our favorite was set of six, covered in black leather, not exactly what I was expecting. They were quite comfortable and sturdy--and $165 each. I don't think they would go that well in our house, but maybe. It would be nice to have comfortable matching chairs and they might be easier to keep clean and solid.

The reason we had stayed in town was the ground-breaking for a memorial garden at Town & Gown for Tom, Marie and Ben. I really can't say much more because I still cry when I think about it. In fact, I couldn't really say for the reception because I just kept crying. They planted 3 large maple trees and have plans for a beautiful outdoor space next to the theater, called Arcadia after the last play they were all involved in and a name for a beautiful natural area.

So we were home a little earlier than I expected. My Dad had almost finished the chicken tractor with my Mom's help. I really did not feel up to dealing with helping him, although I felt very guilty about my Mom doing it. I started making bread and soup for supper. Then she came in looking for some wire and I went out to help her and clear a space in the garage for the finished product. It is pretty cool. Captain said I had my revenge because he hit his thumb 4 or 5 times.

I vacuumed a little and made the soup, with chard and herbs from the garden, as well as zucchini and other things from the refrigerator. It was apparently the right therapy. Missed my kids, though. After two bowls, Ray and I headed to Cedar Shoals to see Stephanie, Kelly's granddaughter, as Adelaide in Guys and Dolls. It was fun. I had never seen that play before, although Amelia and Molli did with Janna one time. I think Ray and I went away for the weekend and left them with her... Very predictable plot. Better singing and dancing than I expected.

I think we were in bed by 10:30 and I was out like a light. No reading in bed last night!

Well, that was a pretty rough week. I am really glad it's over.

On Friday morning, I got in just a few minutes after 8. Meredith was not there. She had texted me, but it took me a while to think of checking my phone. She was getting her car registered and therefore had to renew her license, all of which took time.

In the meantime, our challenging board member, Maureen, had called. She wanted copies of statements from last year. She was going to take them to the bank and try to get copies of all the checks that were deposited and not properly entered in QuickBooks. So I got the statements and faxed them to her.

Then we got letters that some documentation we had submitted for a grant reimbursement was not acceptable. We sent the receipts and copies of bank statements showing the checks had cleared. But they want copies of the front and back of the cancelled checks, for which our bank charges $1 per copy. Taylor worked on that some and will hopefully finish it Monday.

Worked a little on policies. Slow hard work. Kerri was busy--she had 4 intakes, so she couldn't work with me on it.

I took a break at lunchtime and drove to the Mexican restaurant not far away. It was a warm sunny day and there was a long line, but it turns out if you want to sit at the counter, you don't have to wait. That was a nice surprise and I enjoyed my lunch: shrimp chowder, fish taco, salad, sweet tea.

When we got home, my Dad was working on building a "chicken tractor." This is a sort of large cage that you put in your garden and put chickens in, so they can eat the bugs and dig up the soil. We have been thinking that chickens are the only way to solve our grasshopper problem. My Mom was helping him nail pieces of wood together, but she was coughing. I changed my clothes and went out to take her place. Often projects turn out to be more trouble than you would think. This was going pretty well, until he hammered my thumb. I certainly did not see it coming and was shocked and it hurt like @**. I put ice on it and it is still a little painful this morning. I will probably lose that nail; there is a blue-green patch on it.

I picked 3 strawberries when I took my walk around last night--not quite ripe, but we will eat them today anyway. Enjoyed asparagus and lettuce, a few radishes.

There is a lovely steady rain out there this morning and I know the plants are really going to benefit from it.

Yesterday morning I beat Ray at racquetball, even though I didn't want to go. I was exhausted and depressed. During the day, I talked to Meredith some and one board member and did some work on the policies in the afternoon. Maybe words are easier than numbers...Ray and I had a quick supper before the Democratic Committee meeting. Michael Mills, a candidate for secretary of state, spoke. He was pretty impressive. We'll see.

Home before dark to look at the gardens. I put some remay over the strawberries, which have started turning pink. Looks like we should have some good ones within a few days! Watched TV, knitted, went to bed. Sore this morning, probably from racquetball, possibly compounded by stress. Getting better. How do you cast on cable style? I will be calling you, Amelia.

Board meetings are so frustrating! Maybe I can live the rest of my life without going to another one. I admire Meredith's ability to bite her tongue. I did pretty well, but people can be so stupid and aggravating!

When I got to work yesterday morning, it had already started. Apparently Maureen had emailed out a version of the budget that she worked on for hours, while ignoring the one I had sent her at 4:00 after spending all afternoon making changes that I thought she requested. Then she yelled at Meredith for making changes. I was so upset. The rest of the day I worked on some of the things I had not gotten to because of the time spent on the budget. At 3:30, picked up Ray and went home. I was exhausted. Spent a little time outside, changed my clothes and went back for the board meeting.

It started well enough, with people being friendly. They did say they could increase the amount made from Sponsorships. There was discussion of whether or not board members should be expected to personally contribute to the shelter...and a certain amount of whining. When Meredith said we didn't have good records from before I came, two board members attacked us and said that wasn't true. I said, "tell me where they are." Anyway, I left before the end of the meeting. But it is a pretty dysfunctional board and I don't see it getting better any time soon. Obviously, I can only control my own behavior...and I need to work on that.

I got to the Fellowship after everyone had finished eating and missed the first 20 minutes or so of choir rehearsal. Ray had saved me a plate and I was ravenous. That's probably part of why I was so angry at the board. Not a good time of day for me to meet before supper. In fact, I'm starving again this morning, after having a little trouble calming down and getting to sleep...and then waking up at 4:30 seething again. A little time reading about France and I think I can stand the world for a few hours.

Another intense work day--8 1/2 hours of budget...yuck. Good stuff, but heavy going and not enough hours in the day. Board meeting tonight, so probably more work on it today.

Ray was at a faculty Senate meeting and I had to wait in the car for more than 30 minutes. When we got home, dinner was almost ready, just had to finish things up and enjoy it. Then jumped in the car and drove to the Fellowship, where I attended my last board meeting as Past President. I am now "Board Free." It was relatively fun, but after 9:30 when I got home. Ate ice cream and strawberries that Ray had cut up and watched TV until too late. Then I slept really badly. Couldn't get comfortable, kept waking up...there were bears in one dream--could it be Ray's snoring?

I worked hard yesterday--7 hours straight with a break only long enough to go out and get my lunch from the car. The Finance Committee is meeting today and the budget had to be ready. We had a budget, based on other years', in a spreadsheet. The Board never approved it and no one but me has really studied it. I keep tweaking it, based on grants we get or don't get, but now it is going to be official. So Maureen, a board member, called me at 10 yesterday and asked when and where we were meeting. I said I am still waiting to hear back from the two places I called Friday. We don't have any conference room at the Shelter. All the offices are small and have one or two desks in them--one has a folding bed for the night staff. We do have some meetings here, but she wanted a place we could spread out. Then she asked me to email her a copy of the budget, which I had been entering in QuickBooks. I said I had just finished it and emailed it to her. Right away she responded that the numbers in this version did not match what we had sent her before. I was puzzled and studied it. Apparently, there were some items showing up (like a grant from DOL we had a few years ago) that I had not entered. I couldn't figure out how to get rid of them; she was a little puzzled too. After a few minutes she called me back. They were inactive items that had to be made active, then changed to zero, then made inactive. So, I did that and checked it all again, printed it out and went over it with Meredith. She was pretty happy. Most of our spending is about on target, with child care a little above where it should be, and personnel a little below. So we can hire a part-time volunteer coordinator starting when the interns leave (it will probably be one of the interns). So now we are ready for the Finance Committee meeting and have a place to hold it at 1 today. I am sure there will still be lots of questions--hopefully I can answer them.

On the other hand, Ray I were home a little before 4 and I spent an hour or so weeding with my Dad. My Mom worked some on supper; I made the rice pilaf. Captain brought in some lettuce and radishes and herbs. Ray washed them and made the salad. We also had mojitos with the mint from our yard. They were delicious.

Today Taylor brought in the yarn for a cat hoodie I am making for his cat, Darcy. It is very silly, but I don't mind. I started that last night, casting on and doing the first few rows.

Slept a little late, birds are singing and I have to choose between blogging and eating breakfast and walking the dogs and taking my bath...the people in my dream had British accents, probably from watching the vicar of Dibley, a really silly and crude show that made us laugh out loud. It is on Saturday at 10, but we recorded it and watched it last night.

Yesterday: a morning walk, singing at church, sitting on the porch in the sun to eat lunch and read a magazine (it was in the 70s yesterday and sunny), weeding the garden some and setting out my last plants: hellebore and woolly ragwort... couldn't find the ragwort in my garden book, so don't know how I'll like it. Ray mowed some for the first time this year. Captain and Vanessa were away playing bridge. I didn't get to the vacuuming or the laundry...did make supper, eating asparagus and bok choy and herbs from the garden. and strawberries from Earth Fare that were really good. We can go pick some soon.

Now I think every day, "will this be ready before our trip to France?" or after or during? the garden is doing well and rain is forecast this week.

7:00 A.M. A pretty reasonable time to get up. The sun is rising, the birds are singing. Our window is open because it was a little warm last night.

After a longish walk with the dogs and a leisurely breakfast, our busy day got started. About ten of ten, Ray and I drove off in the Captain's big white pickup truck. He dropped me off at Pilates--a little early--and went to UGA to pick up his dinosaur bones to take them to Sandy Creek Nature Center, unpack them and set them up and talk about them to over 100 children that came by. One child broke one skull "before his mother could stop him," but Ray was ready with his trust superglue. Then he had to pack them up again in the truck, drive back to the university and unload the boxes, not easy because he can't get very close to the room on the fifth floor and had to make two trips.

Meanwhile, the first thing that happened is Cathleen S. was at pilates for the class before mine! She says it is wonderful and she feels much better since she started about 6 months ago. Her daughter Lee is married and living on a farm in Rome and expecting a baby in July. Son is taking classes at Athens Tech. She thinks she can retire in 2 years...still living with our friend Debbie. One of Deb's daughter's, Allie, is hiking the Appalachian trail with her husband, who will be joining a law firm in NY this fall. It was wonderful to see her. She asked about my children, of course.

After Pilates, it was a beautiful morning and I enjoyed sitting outside with  my iPhone, listening to the birds. Janna and Ron picked me up in about 10 minutes. I had a delicious healthy lunch at their house: pork, spinach, oranges in a salad. I am always starving when I eat Janna's healthy food. Fortunately, I had brought a few cookies from home, which she resisted like a trooper.

Then we went to the garden tour. It was a lot of fun and a great day for  it. We started at John Knowlton's garden--very nice. He came out and invited us to see his kitchen, which he has redone. The man has great skill. It is beautiful--although I might have done some things differently. He lives on The Hill, off Jefferson Road, near Lee Epting, whose garden was also on the tour. He moved some old houses and put them together and has sort of enclave, with many beautiful garden spaces (or rooms as they call them). He rents it out for weddings and it would be fantastic. He left one guest room open so people could use the bathroom and it is very beautiful. There is a big vegetable garden and chickens, too. The other three houses were fun (one had 5 waterfalls), but the first two were best. We saw Andy L. briefly and Gwen O. (who is running for mayor again), as well as Sara and Dan and Rebecca and Elmer. It was a nice way to spend the day and neither of us was in a rush. I have to give Janna credit, because she was having company for dinner, but was not the least bit stressed.

We went back to her house for a little while. She made her shopping list and the three of us went to EarthFare. I went through the store very slowly and waited outside for Ray to come pick me up. It was after 5 when we got home. The Captain was working on his column. I was proud of myself. I used some leftover pasta to make a salad, chopping up cucumber and tomato and olives and adding oil and vinegar. It was yummy. I had already picked out a recipe for a fritatta, which doesn't take long. It was a great meal.

But our day was not over1 Ray and I got dressed and went out at 8:40, when I am often falling asleep. It was the 21st Annual Boybutante Ball at the 40 Watt Club. We had never been before. It is a fund-raiser for AIDS Athens, a drag show. It was pretty wild, kind of fun, but not really our thing...various "ladies" came out on the runway, danced, gyrated, some taking off some of their clothes, and people holding up money for them, with two emcees, also in drag. We watched a few of these and then left. It was after 11 and we had gotten the idea. Too bad it didn't start earlier...

Saturday morning, one of my favorite times of the week, reflecting on the fun things to do this weekend and thinking back over last week.

I was a minute or two early to work on Friday, beating Meredith. yay! worked on P&P some, don't really know what else. Lots of calls and people coming by. A young computer guy looked at what we have briefly and said he would call his connection at Dell to see if he can get us new computers within our budget. A petite man named Andy came to look at the dishwasher and see about connecting it. I could not find the specs/instructions that came with it. Of course it's been several months, but I was pretty annoyed. One of the board members who's a CPA called about the budget, now that tax season is over. So we will be having a meeting of the Finance Committee early next week.

At lunchtime, I walked to the Bottleworks, had lunch and walked back. It took a little over an hour, but I enjoyed it. The lunch was a little disappointing, though. The Pad Thai wasn't as good as I remembered.

After work, Ray and I went to the Ribbon Cutting for a house that ALT built in Forest Heights. To avoid having a lot of cars parking on the street, we parked at the church and they ran a shuttle bus. There were still a lot of people who parked on the street. It is a beautiful wonderful house, worthy of Dwell (magazine)! It is a "green" house with Earthcraft certification for a mother and 3 children. Lots of energy efficient features--2 x 6 wall framing, lots of insulation, downstairs floors cement, beautiful landscaping, but very small--3 bedrooms, 2 baths, small kitchen and open living-dining area...carport, deck. The Land Trust owns the land, she gets a mortgage for the house--under $100,000.

For supper, frozen tomato sauce that Vanessa made last summer with pasta. Ray took a nap. Captain was working outside until after Vanessa and I ate, setting out peppers and eggplants. Ray got up in time and ate. The three of us headed to Town & Gown to see Picasso at the Lapin Agile, but Captain said he didn't feel well, mostly from trying to hurry and be ready to go.

We enjoyed it, excellent acting, funny and a little peculiar. Vanessa said we should get the book and read it, because you have to really pay attention to catch everything. She and I both dozed a little. Just one act, but a little long. That's what happens when we sit down and relax. But we were home before 10, in time to watch a little TV before bed while we ate our ice cream.

Yiippee! Amelia is coming to France with us. That will be wonderful.

Yesterday Ray and I played racquetball--I won the second game 14-12, thanks to skillful playing on Ray's part. I was at work before 10, but really wasn't into it. Hard to concentrate on those policies and procedures. Went to the bank and HED. Thursday is the day that Ray has to stay until 4:30 (due to Journal Club), and it seemed like forever to me. We were home by 5. The Captain was in the garden, setting out peppers and eggplants and bemoaning their health. He watered thoroughly. No rain in sight. Supper was good. Amelia called before I went to bed to say she was looking at flights. She had been whining at work about how much she wanted to do this, but couldn't really afford it, and others had told her she should do it.

Now to find where to stay in Toulouse.

I had a good day at work. I was actually there before Meredith yesterday. Sunny and warm again. Starting to worry a little about the garden not getting enough rain, although the rivers are full now. M. has hired a new person to replace the one she fired and we are looking forward to her starting in 2 weeks. That gives us a little time to make sure we know exactly what we want the position to look like, what our personnel policies should be, and what kind of training/orientation she should have. That's a lot in 2 weeks. I continue to be grateful that she has to decide everything, and yet I very much appreciate being included in the conversation. Spent a little time talking with K. about the policies and procedures for the shelter.

I had a nice lunch with Becky and Janna. Becky is leaving today for a cruise in the Mediterranean with her aunt and uncle and their friends from England. Sounds great. I can't wait to hear about it. We realized we were old. We talked about our upcoming travels, our children, our doctors and dentists. I took Janna back to her office, so I was gone about an hour and a half. That's the beauty of being paid on an hourly basis. I don't have to feel bad being gone--on the other hand I don't get paid if I'm not in the office! (Of course, I'm the one who processes payroll...fortunately, I'm excruciatingly honest).

Ray and I were home by four. Cathie and Ryan were cleaning our bathrooms. She did the stairs, too. She will come every other Wednesday. It is wonderful!

Unfortunately, something I had for lunch did not agree with me and I was pretty uncomfortable for the rest of the afternoon and evening, keeping me from doing much. The garden looks good. We went to potluck but I didn't feel much like eating or socializing. I did enjoy choir rehearsal, though. And by the time I went to bed, I was pretty much over it.

Another sunny and warm day yesterday, high of 81.

On Tuesdays, my Mom goes to yoga at the Council on Aging, about 5 minutes from my office. I usually take her, drop Ray off and then go to work. She has to be there at 8, which is pretty early for her to get somewhere. I usually make oatmeal on Tuesday mornings for the two of us (or 3, leaving some for my Dad to have when he gets up). Ray doesn't like oatmeal and has yogurt almost every morning. Yesterday I made the oatmeal, took the dogs out, got the newspaper, came back and ate breakfast. My Mom eats really slowly. Usually at dinner, I stay at the table until she is done. But not at breakfast. I was upstairs, getting my clothes, when I heard some bizarre stomping--like my father was pretending to be an elephant--running. Then there was a crash and breaking dishes. I ran downstairs and found my mother sitting on the floor in the kitchen. "Are you okay? What happened?" "I'm fun, I just stumbled. I was coughing and got a little dizzy." She was carrying the dishes to the sink and almost made it. She sat there for a minute and we cleaned up the broken bowl and cup. Ray wiped the floor. She has a terrible bruise on the end of her finger, where it was holding onto the cup, we think. I was very frightened, but it is really nothing. I was trying to tell her that if something like that happens, she should not ignore it and try to soldier on, but just sit down and let the dishes go. Hard to tell yourself, though. She insisted she was fine and went to yoga as usual. We were a little late, though.  Ray and I actually went to the Ramsey Center after we dropped her off and played a couple short games of racquetball. I was at work about 9:40, a little later than I intended, since there is a staff meeting every Tuesday at 9:30. I worked for a while, then I went to lunch and met Ray at Cozy Yum Yum. It was in a basement downstairs and a little grungy. The food was good, but I like the Thai restaurant at the Bottleworks better. Then I went to a training from 2-4:30 about communication. It was pretty good. The most surprising thing I learned is that you don't need a brochure. It's too vague. You should have materials for various target audiences--consumers, donors, volunteers, but they might not be brochures.

I was at Ray's office at 4:45. I knew he was listening to a thesis defense. It was hot; I rolled the windows down and listened to the news on NPR. There was nothing  he could do; you can't get up and leave when you are on someone's thesis committee and they are defending, not even long enough to call and tell me they were running late. It was 5:40 when he came out and we drove home. We had drink and snack and started supper. Jaron, the Americorps volunteer at the Shelter, and his girlfriend Amanda, who is a law student, came to see the house and garden and meet the dogs. I showed them all around. They will stay here while we are in France. She was so grateful. She said, "you don't even know me." I said, "I know Jaron." She will be doing some writing for the law school (write on) after classes get out and thinks this will be a great place to do it. I am glad to have someone in the house. They will take care of the dogs, maybe water the garden some, and harvest some of the produce. My Dad showed them some of the same things I did, like how to feed the dogs, but they never said, "Patty already told us." She has been to France, speaks French, Spanish and Malagasy. I didn't even know what that was. It's the language of Madagascar, where she was a Peace Corps volunteer.

Then we ate, watched TV, and went to bed.

Beautiful day yesterday, good day at work. M. and I on same page re future employee benefits. CARE's leave policy is 20 days a year! They also allow you to take paid sick leave whenever you are sick. hmm. I didn't think that would work, because it seems like it would encourage abuse, but maybe it encourages honesty...I certainly like people staying home when they are sick and not calling in when they feel like they have to use all their sick leave. Did payroll, finished the reimbursement requests, bought stamps, worked on P&P. I also opened an IRA at the credit union. The CD gets 3% interest! and lowers the amount of taxes we have to pay.

Spent some time in the yard, planting things and checking everything out. We are going to have about 100 strawberries already! We froze a cup of asparagus, because we went out to dinner. Harry's Pig Shop has lots of different pork recipes, including pork wontons, that we had for appetizer. They weren't my favorite, basically just ground pork. I guess I like veggies in my egg rolls. Captain had pork barbecue ("pulled pork"), Vanessa had a BLT on a croissant (it was delicious), Ray had a chicken salad plate (with bacon), I had baked beans and potato salad, which also had bacon and was really good.

Captain and Vanessa went to play bridge. Ray and I were outside for a while until the sun set, then finished our taxes and watched some TV. We're all excited about going to France.

Yesterday was lovely. I need to do more outside work, because the least little amount of digging or whatever makes me tired and sore.

Ray and I had a nice walk with Cameron. Breakfast was pancakes made with sour milk--half whole wheat flour. They were great. I had a nice bath and we went to church. Second Sundays are the only ones that I am not singing in the choir and Ray does not have an assignment either (greeting, sound, RE), so we can sit together, which is kind of nice. People often comment about how romantic we are. In church?

For lunch, we met Captain and Vanessa at a restaurant downtown. I have a coupon book that expires 4/15, so am trying to use a few of the coupons before then. We decided on Cozy Yum Yum, a Thai restaurant we have never tried. On our way, my Dad called on the cell phone and said he had dropped Vanessa off and was looking for a parking spot. When we got there, she was standing on the sidewalk. They were closed for Thai New Year! We put her in the car and called the Captain to tell him. He had turned his cell phone off and left it in the car. Ray dropped us off and went to look for him. Naturally he was a little upset, but he got over it. We had lunch at Doc Chey's Noodle House instead. It was good and interesting, but really big and noisy. Then I went to the library and got some books about France! Ray picked up Janna and brought her back to our house. Usually at least once a year, in the spring, she comes to sit on our porch and admire the garden and the peace and quiet. Another good thing that happened at church--I asked J, our Americorps participant, if he and his girlfriend (a law student) would like to spend a couple weeks house-sitting. They seemed very interested, so that is a relief.

Janna and I had a lovely chat in the sun and then Ron came to get her. I planted a few things, but there is more to be done. Couldn't really decide what to have for supper--ate some leftover quiche, Ray mashed some potatoes, and that seemed to be enough. Watched a recording of the Vicar of Dibley--funny and quirky, sort of like Monty Python humor.

It's hard to believe it's only been a week since Easter. My memory apparently relegates anything that far away to history. It is definitely spring now.

Yesterday was Barbara Ruff's memorial service. She was a friend and colleague of Ray's who died in October after her ovarian cancer came back. Her three sons and many grandchildren were obviously devastated at her loss, even though she was 75. I did not think of her as old. She was beautiful and serene, with gray hair and a lovely smile; someone I liked but never got around to inviting for dinner or getting to know her better. The service was at the botanical garden in the spring, because she loved plants and animals, gardening and walking. There was not a minister or any singing, only reminiscences by friends and relatives, and I learned about her life.

Her brother, Moose--a nickname she gave him--said the defining event of their lives, which made them very close, was the sudden death of their father when she was 6 and he was 9. (heart attack?) He was a lawyer in New York. Their mother was not working and had never worked. Relatives decided they should go to a Catholic boarding school in Buffalo (?) while she became employable and employed, which apparently took about 6 years. They were free spirits and the discipline was very strict. He told about putting a frog in the holy water when a bishop was visiting, for instance. The education was excellent, apparently, and stood her in good stead all her life. She went to Bryn Mawr and was somewhat wild, smoking and being the belle of the ball at parties. She won a Charleston contest, for instance. Her marriage was not referred to, but apparently her husband was an alcoholic and she suffered greatly, finally getting divorced. She loved her children and grandchildren deeply and spent a lot of time with them, including summer visits to Blue Mountain Lake in upstate New York. There was a slide show and their life together seemed wonderful. She even had a trip to the Galapagos. They all mentioned her love of animals and gardening, including a favorite pet rabbit (as an adult), and even road kill in the freezer. She was a paleo-archeologist, but worked at the natural history museum on campus and teaching geology. Anyway, it made me cry a lot. I need people like that in my life--how will I find them?

On the way out, we saw a car with plants in it and realized today was the day of the Botanical Garden Plant Sale. So we turned around and bought some plants, a fitting tribute and antidote to the sadness. Dianthus, rudbeckia and several other flowering plants, mostly natives. Many of the plants I have in my yard came from the botanical garden. I don't feel bad spending too much money there because it goes to a good cause, even if I manage to kill the plants.

After lunch, Ray and I spent a couple hours outside. First, we planted the two fruit trees we bought Friday--a granny smith and an Elberta peach tree. The planting didn't take long, because Ray had already dug the holes. But we also had to fence them to keep the deer from eating them. Now we have 2 peach and 3 apple trees, as well as 3 pecans,  6 blueberries and 10 strawberry plants. The blueberries and strawberries look great, like we will actually harvest something this year. I am excited! The fruit trees were always a long shot. Apparently, it is very hard to raise tree fruits without pesticides. If I don't get any fruit from them, I will enjoy watching them grow. The pecans take about 10 years to produce, if then.

Then we wandered out back to look at the things we planted there last year. There is a dogwood that blooms this time of year. Maybe we should put a bench under it some time. It is beautiful. Yesterday was the kind of weather where it is warm in the sun and cool in the shade, so you can always find a place to be comfortable. We found all but one of the plants from last year, although the makeshift fences had mostly fallen down. They need work to protect them from the deer. Columbine, calla lily, redbud, viburnum, 3 hydrangeas. I have to look up the things I bought yesterday and decide where and how to plant them.

Then I did it! I booked our tickets to France. OMG, I can't believe it. We are going to France again, for almost 2 weeks. We will see Nathalie and spend a week on a canal boat. We are flying in and out of Toulouse, a city about which I know almost nothing. But we really like the south of France.

After making and eating a delicious spring supper including some asparagus from the garden and the first of the new  lettuce and radishes, I was pretty worn out from my day and couldn't stay awake long. 

My sleep patterns are getting all messed up--maybe it's spring. Or Ray's snoring. This morning I woke up at 3 and haven't been able to go back to sleep. It's Saturday, for goodness sake! Yesterday morning I woke up at 2 and finally got back to sleep at 4, only to have to get up again at 7. It was a beautiful day, sunny but not too hot. I worked 8 hours straight. M. wasn't in the office. I was working mainly on the policies and procedures. Lots of things that are written down and not happening.

The day before was rainy, but we were really glad to have it. It cleared the pollen and watered the plants. The garden is doing very well. We are eating asparagus and lettuce is coming along. Cathie cleaned most of the downstairs thoroughly, which was great, but I couldn't get in the kitchen until after 7, so we had a late supper.

My parents want the four of us to go to France and spend a week on a canal boat. I am always game for going to France, but now the arrangements are making me crazy. Oh, for the days when you could just ask a travel agent to do it for you. Air fares are so high. But it will probably work out to see some of our friends in France. And my parents are not getting any younger!

This morning I was having a bad dream. In my dream, I heard shots, but part of my brain was awake enough to say "I shouldn't be hearing shots--they must be coming to get us." I was trying to wake up Ray in my dream and I couldn't get him to wake up. So I woke up instead and got up.

It is finally starting to get light early enough for me to walk the dogs before breakfast and still get to work on time. It's 6:41 and I can hear the birds.

It's a little darker today because it is supposed to rain. Thank goodness. The pollen is bothering everyone. It gets in my contacts and makes my eyes hurt. And the garden needs it. It is a beautiful garden, with healthy little plants. Hopefully, we can harvest some things before the grasshoppers eat it all. I have baby strawberries and blueberries and the pecan and fruit trees are leafing out beautifully. My Dad has started lots of plants from seeds and set them into the garden: lettuces, cabbage, broccoli, tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, squashes, cucumbers, even pumpkins. Then he has to worry about them. Carrots, radishes, beets, spinach, onions are coming up. And the asparagus! It is a fun time to live in Georgia, although it is getting too hot too fast some days.

On Tuesday, my mother and I went to hear Andrew Young speak. A young man who works with me, J., asked me who that was. I guess it's not surprising; he hasn't been in the news much lately, but I was shocked. Martin Luther King's lieutenant in the Civil Rights movement, mayor of Atlanta, named ambassador to the UN by Jimmy Carter...preacher, statesman...We got there 30 minutes early because I was afraid we couldn't get a seat in the UGA Chapel, but sadly there were still empty seats when he spoke. I guess he is not that well known among college-age people. His talk was not the very best I have heard; he must be in his 70s. But we were glad we had gone. It was the 10th anniversary Mary Frances Early Lecture. She was the first African-American to graduate from UGA. Two others were the first to enroll--they were undergraduates. But she transferred from Michigan to finish her graduate program here in 1962. She was a delightful woman, who also spoke briefly. Very attractive and charming. Also we enjoyed the music by the Hodgson Hall string quartet.

Otherwise, life is going along. Work--still enjoying it, but hard, need to cut back a little; cooking...lunch with Becky yesterday, last night potluck and choir.

I am feeling a little down this morning. When I was just waking up, I was thinking Molli was still here. My Dad says you feel depressed and then you look for reasons. Maybe I haven't been eating right or getting enough exercise. Maybe I am let down after looking forward to the beach and Molli's visit for a while. Maybe I worked hard yesterday--I did, trying to make that blasted budget come out right for hours. It made the day go by quickly though. Then I didn't really have time to do all my regular work. I'll get caught up today. We had lots of good leftovers for lunch and supper. Ray is not completely well, either. He has been working so hard, getting up before me every morning. He only has a few more weeks before the end of the semester. We will do something fun in May or June, although I am not sure what yet. Maybe I am stressing a little bit over where to go that would be fun but not too expensive.

We had a great day with friends and good food. The weather was good--in fact, too hot for Easter. It was sad, there were no children to hide eggs. The service in the morning was interesting--a member played a koto and the women's choir sang Sakura. Dave preached about the road to Emmeus and remembering people you love. (short version). I thought about how I had such a nice visit with Molli, the happiness overshadowed the sadness that she was gone. But in the evening when I was home, with nothing I really had to do, I started to feel a little restless and sad. I had trouble falling asleep, because it was too hot. And then I woke up late and am behind schedule!

Friday was one of those days when joy crossed the line over into stress. I had a lot to do and think about and didn't sleep very well. Eventually I convinced myself that it was going to be fine and the reason I had so much going on was because I liked it that way.

Ray and I managed to get going early enough that he was able to take the bus and I got to work on time or even a little early--although I couldn't find my keys. Now that I think of it, I need to look in my purse because they may still be missing. In fact, I need a new purse with a safe and convenient place to keep my keys. M. was not planning to come in for long, because she had out of town company. I read over the grant proposal and made a few notes of minor things to fix. I found a discrepancy between the attached overall budget and the program budget in the grant, so spent most of the morning checking and revising all the numbers, that being the part I am really responsible for. If the words suck, that will be M.'s fault, but if the numbers don't add up, she can blame it on me. Numbers are very tedious, but concrete. They will add up, if you do it right. There is a definite right and wrong to them. Words are less clear. If our grant is not approved (which would be very surprising), we won't really know whether it was because we didn't put in enough detail or use enough emotion or any number of other things. When M. got there, she made all the changes and we talked a little. She left again. K. was there from 9-11. I left the interns in charge at noon and met Molli, my parents, Janna, her Mom, her aunt, Deb and Nathan at the National for lunch. It was lovely, delicious and fun. Maybe I should title this blog something about food, because that is what seems to define my life in many ways. Molli and I picked up Ray and drove to the bank. She had travelers' checks to deposit, money she is repaying us. We drove home, another beautiful warm sunny day.

I had promised boiled potatoes for the seder and was ready to peel enough for 35 people. When I looked at the ones Molli had bought, though, they were young red potatoes with very thin skins. So I just scrubbed them and she cut them up and we put them in a big pot of boiling water. At four, when we left to go help set up, Ray scooped out some of the water so it wouldn't spill and carried them out to the car. Molli carried them in. She tested them and said, "they're done." So we drained them in a giant colander they have at UUFA. Some people were there setting up tables and chairs, but no one was in charge. This is one of my least favorite things. If you need someone to be in charge, let me know. Different people had different ideas of how things should be set up. No one had checked to make sure we had enough silverware or wine glasses. We muddled along, though, and the dinner was very fun. My favorite part is dipping your pinky in the wine for the 10 plagues. Art's "relatives" dropped him off to join us. Debbie and John and Ron and Janna were there too. The matzo ball soup was excellent. Most of the food was good.

After supper, Ray and Molli and Art and I drove to the Melting Point where there was an REM birthday party. It was a benefit for the Shelter and the Food Bank--and I had two free tickets. Lots of different bands were playing REM songs. Unfortunately, Art couldn't go in because he was under 18. And the event was sold out, so Molli and I went in briefly and left them in the car. We saw Supercluster play 3 songs. Members included Vanessa and Bob Hay and a lot of people in interesting attire. They were pretty good and the audience was excited. Molli and I would definitely have stayed longer. I never found the organizers--Cathy and Maureen--to thank them and congratulate them. Cathy will probably come by Monday morning, but I didn't know what she looked like and she didn't know what I looked like. It was kind of dark and crowded and noisy--not good for finding people. We did bump into Richard F., Amelia's first boyfriend, who was apparently a photographer for Heap, one of the bands. He looked smaller and darker than I remembered. I probably wouldn't have recognized him, but he said something to Molli and they chatted a bit. Then we went outside and came home. Molli headed off to a party at Kevin's house (and didn't come home until 3 am). I kept waking up--I had left lights on for her--and trying to decide whether to worry or not. At 3, I called her and she was in our driveway, just coming home.

Then I woke up a couple more times. I had to take Art to the shuttle for Atlanta airport at 6:30. I had time to eat some breakfast, but not blog. The streets were deserted and we caught all the lights so were there in plenty of time. I was a little annoyed because he was not ready at 6, but it turned out not to be a problem. I found out his flight was not until noon, but Mitzi had wanted him to take the early shuttle to make sure he had plenty of time at the airport. His English is still not very good.

Back home, Ray had gotten some water bottles ready. Molli was up. We headed to the Run/Walk for Home, an event we used to go to every year, about 20 years ago. We were almost last, but one very large man finished about 15 minutes behind us. I had set a pretty slow pace--I wanted to be sure of finishing and not being too exhausted. We did it! It was pretty fun--the weather was not hot, but not cold. The route went along the river and the policemen kept the cars at bay. We were hungry and thirsty and my legs were tired, but I was not exhausted. We saw a couple people we knew (Kent S. for one), but it was not as well attended as in its heyday--about 400 people or less compared to over 1000. Very amusingly, Molli said to me, "Look who I found." I studied her face, she was tall and pretty thin. I said, "I don't know who she is." It was Andrea C., Molli's childhood friend. I hadn't seen her for more than 10 years. She is in law school at UGA. It was quite fun. I told her we still had the same phone number and she rattled it off. She is engaged to marry a black man and her father and she are estranged over it. She was surprised at their reaction. They have been dating quite awhile and she is "out of the will," she said. Sad and funny. Molli and I claim credit for our influence on her when she was little...although she was always strong willed.

Molli and I were looking up restaurants in Atlanta to eat at. It had to be open at 3 in the afternoon, so we could have a pleasant meal and still get her to the airport at least 2 hours before her 7:30 flight. My parents couldn't decide whether to go with us. It was a beautiful day for gardening and the Captain also had to write his column. I had to do some cooking for today--Happy Easter! My Mom had already made the lemon squares and was thinking about starting the brownies. I made the rolls and put them to rise in the refrigerator. We all ate a little bit of lunch, enough to keep us from feeling sick in the car on the way over. We got under way about quarter of two, heading for a French place in Buckhead we had not heard of before that had a great looking menu.

OMG it was so good! We had a wonderful time. The waiter was a middle-aged man with a French accent and excellent service. We just had a ball. We had seen gougeres on the on line menu and ordered them the minute we sat down. They are little balls of light pastry infused with cheese. Yummm. When we looked at the menu, they were not on it. Later he explained that they were on the dinner menu, but they went ahead and made some for us. We debated and got some white wine--Chateau Haux, if I remember. It was wonderful, with a hint of peaches. To keep it cold, they put it in a sort of heavy plastic bag of ice. It worked. They had "formules"--prix fixe menus that you could choose two or three plates for 22 or 28 dollars, not a bad price for outstanding French food. Molli had white bean soup with truffle oil--excellent. It was in an individual tureen and there was a good amount of it. Ray had an excellent mixed green salad with classic French dressing--a hint of mustard. Nobody asked what kind of dressing he wanted; that's what you get if you order that salad. The Captain had rabbit ravioli--we were all excited about it, but I think that was the least delicious thing we ate. Cute little individual raviolis--15 of them, with garnishes, but just a little bland.

For main course, I had shrimp, about 6 of them, in pastry. Sort of like fried shrimp, only really really good striped with a wonderful thick yellow sauce. Light and tasty. They were served on a celeriac salad, a cole slaw that I didn't really love and didn't finish. Molli and the Captain had the duck and it was fabulous. Ray had paillard--chicken pounded flat, served with asparagus. Vanessa had a sort of flatbread pizza with mushrooms. Good, but not my favorite. For dessert, Molli and I had pot de creme, Ray had baba au rhum and my mother had lemon tart. All outstanding and we enjoyed sharing them. Some people had coffee, which I understand was quite strong. We left very satisfied with an outstanding dining experience. The setting was great too--red leather (maybe) booth seating in an open area, with bottles of wine making a divider between us and the bar. Even the bathrooms were very cool.

We got Molli to the airport in plenty of time and sat around with her for awhile, letting the Captain play with my iPhone some. He liked the compass. As Ray drove home, we listened to Prairie Home Companion and dozed. It was quite pleasant. At home, the Captain set up to work on his column--in the living room. I would have watched some television, but went to bed instead, reading a little and falling asleep by 9. A wonderful day, although we were very sad to see my Molli go.

It's not even 5:30 yet, and I've been up for over an hour. Some idiot called here at 4 in the morning--a wrong number, I assume. He (or she) did not say anything--just static on the line. Then called back a couple minutes later--still nothing--jeez! Then I started thinking about everything I have to do in the next few days and how much nicer it was to be at the beach with not a care in the world!

Not that the things I have to do are unpleasant. I will be working this morning and then going to lunch with good friends and relatives. Seder dinner at UUFA tonight--but first I have to buy and prepare potatoes for 35 people and show up early to set up. and I have to figure out how Art is getting here. And make sure his room is ready.

We registered for the Run/Walk tomorrow morning--8 am. Not prepared--I was supposed to do a lot of walking this week to build up for it...Molli leaves tomorrow night--boo hoo! And by Sunday noon I have to do some cooking--rolls, dessert, quiche. I have lots of ideas, but not sure I want to spend all day Saturday cooking. Hmm, it doesn't sound so bad, now that I've written it all out...

Yesterday I worked some. M. and I have pretty much got the DCA grant ready. I spent probably an hour trying to find us on the floodplain map and print it out. And the Board president has to sign it today. She is notorious for not coming when she says she will. Then we have to number the pages and photocopy it. I might read it over one time this morning to see if there is anything that needs changing.

I met Ray and Molli for lunch and it was delicious. I went back to work and waited for Molli to come pick me up--and waited--and waited. Then we went to Borders and came on home. The Captain was in the garden--it was over 80 degrees, sunny and hot. He had been to the dump and gotten a load of manure. He had shoveled some of it out, I took a turn, and Molli finished it up. Good for the garden, but this time it's really fresh and stinky. And will have to sit a while before we can use it. Then I watered some.

Molli prepped the butternut squash and made daiquiris with frozen strawberries--delicious. Ray got home before 7:30 from Democratic Committee meeting and we ate. Watched some TV and knitted some and started falling asleep about 9:30.

Molli's home!

I worked hard 8-3:30 yesterday. M. is doing a report for one of our grants. We are looking forward to next year, when everything will be done right and we will have better data. It looks like only about 25% of the Job TREC clients got jobs, which doesn't look too good on paper.

When Ray and I got home, Molli and Vanessa and the Captain had just arrived. We unpacked boxes, took a walk with the dogs, and got ready for potluck. They had a safe and uneventful trip back from the coast, but were a little tired. Some of the little plants had died while the Captain was  gone and he was quite unhappy about it. The weather was gorgeous.

Everyone commented on how great Molli looked and it was nice to sing with her. We got home and had ice cream and watched a couple of episodes of Big Bang Theory that she hadn't seen and went to bed.