Early morning is pretty much my favorite time of day. It's quiet. I still have energy and hope that today will be special, something wonderful will happen. In the evening, I'm tired and usually disappointed that nothing significant happened and possibly I didn't get done as much as I thought I would. Now the birds are singing, it's cool from the rain a little while ago.

It's Memorial Day. We talked some about driving somewhere not too far away, but really it's almost more depressing to drive somewhere just for the sake of driving somewhere than staying home and pretending that's what you really want to do. Although I kind of like the idea of having somewhere to go, it sounds tiring as well.

Yesterday morning I weeded for a while in the strawberry patch. It was quite pleasant and quiet, although a little humid and buggy. I found at least 3 mosquito bites last night at bedtime. Ray went to church to sell gift cards, but I didn't go. He reported there were only about 60 people there and 3 children for RE. It was a Memorial Day service about veterans, and I couldn't seem to get excited about giving up the coolest part of the day for it. The choir didn't sing, needless to say.

We had Salad Nicoise for lunch, one of our favorite things to have, especially on Sunday. We cooked the potatoes and the eggs early. About 11:30 Captain went out and picked the beans. There were more than we needed, so I washed and cut them all up and cooked them and froze some. There was lovely baby Romaine lettuce to wash too. I spent more than an hour before Ray took over. Fresh garden produce is a lot more trouble than what you buy in the store. I believe in it and I know it's worth it. But sometimes...I started out quite happy and appreciative, but as I got hungry and lunch still wasn't ready, I began to resent it. Anyway, it was delicious but I was still hungry--not enough carbs??

After lunch, I called a family meeting, something we did a few times when the children were young. We start with compliments (the garden is wonderful, we made it through our trip in spite of everything) and progressed to concerns or issues. It went pretty well, all things considered. It is very hard to talk about the future, when it surely holds death and possibly infirmity.

I spent some time planning meals in a not very successful fashion, dozed a little, ate supper, and watched more TV than I have in a while. The Vicar of Dibley made me laugh out loud. Ray had to pause it so I could stop laughing. It is very crude and silly; my father doesn't like it.

Rain early made it pretty wet out for a walk. I was cross because I couldn't work in the garden. Ray got up really early and we got some things done before we went to pilates, including vacuuming. We got to class more than 15 minutes early and had a chance to say hi to Cathleen. The class was really full and Amanda made it the hardest workout yet. My abs are sore this morning! We went by Kroger on our way home to pick up the gift cards and I bought a Southern Living...tsk tsk. When we were almost home, we remembered that we had left the Prius to have some work done, so we called and it was ready. I don't know why they will never call you when it's done. So we turned around and went to get it. Ray stopped and got gas in the Corolla and I came on home. Captain and Vanessa were eating lunch. They thought maybe we had decided to eat lunch out. We tidied up a little because they had bridge people coming. I spent a few minutes looking at catalogs. The Captain wants some new "dress" shorts and he needs them in size 48. I found some in the Eddie Bauer catalog that look pretty good. He continues to lose weight or at least have it redistributed and looks very good for 82.

While they were playing bridge, Ray and I watched TV in our room and I worked some more on the photo albums on my computer. We put away some clean laundry too and the time passed pretty quickly. I was toying with the idea of going out and working in the yard some, but by the time I got around to it, they were leaving. Captain and I picked peas and I had a chance to really look at the garden for the first time since we got home. He picked some baby summer squash too and we had them with our peas. There are some lettuces and radishes that have bolted, but otherwise it looks great. The blueberry bushes are covered with green berries and I can't wait. I think we may have more than we can use this year! The strawberries are sadly gone by, but I need to do some work to keep them healthy for next year.

After supper, we played cards some and then watched our favorite Saturday night TV show, putting me to sleep before it was over. Oddly enough, they ran the same episode twice, so I didn't miss anything by going to bed.

Woke up to thunder and lightning around 5, followed by about an hour of heavy rain. Good for the garden, but I was hoping to do some weeding or other outside work before it got hot today.

I have been getting to work early most days, with no Ray to slow me down. My boss was back in the office yesterday. I don't know if she is just not as happy with her job as she was, or other personal things are dragging her down, or she's unhappy with something I've done or haven't done. It's causing me to be a little stressed and that makes my back hurt because I don't sit right apparently. I did some work with the new Giftworks software and arranged for some more repairs. The dishwashing liquid and rinse aid arrived from the Janitor Supply company--almost $100. So the dishwasher should be ready to run. I didn't test it, though.

Had a quick lunch at Janna's. They are heading to the beach with family and friends for almost a week. Although the beach sounds tempting, the idea of driving for 5 hours to get there makes it not appealing to me right now.

I think I am worn out from working all week on not quite enough sleep. I really feel down. Came home and worked some on deleting photos. My computer is getting full and there are some pictures that are duplicates or have the wrong dates...it made me sad to look at pictures from 5 or 6 years ago. In looking back, it seems that I was happier then, but I know that memory is misleading.

Ray made supper and I enjoyed watching part of a movie and then saying, "I'm ready for bed," instead of trying to stay up and falling asleep.

Sigh. My memories and thoughts of France are already receding, being replaced by current interests and activities. But that's not all bad.

Yesterday was the second day my boss was at a meeting in Atlanta. Got lots done at work, but it was a little too quiet. Treated myself to a little shopping spree at lunch. I had a Talbot's coupon that expires Monday, so I bought a casual dress and a nice skirt and several t-shirts for under $100...and enjoyed it. The sales people there know me and it is almost like shopping with friends--friends who wait on me!

Came home at 3 and headed out again at 5:30 to the Democratic Committee meeting and then dinner with other UUs, talking about starting a group at the Fellowship about environmental issues. Home and in bed by 10. It was too hot most of the day, including at night, for opening windows. sigh.

Good morning, just a quick note, because I slept late this morning, almost until 6:30. I was awake a few times in the night, but that was probably the full moon as much as the jet lag. There is a cool breeze this morning.

Last night, during choir rehearsal, I could not stay awake. We were singing in some other language, maybe Swahili, and I couldn't just follow along. At one point, I opened my eyes and everyone was standing. I would have slipped out, but I wasn't on the end and it seemed like more trouble to push past people..

Worked on the newsletter yesterday and played with a trial version of Giftworks, which I think we will buy. It is very wonderful in a lot of ways, but I am a little nervous about giving up my familiar ODB. And I hate the idea of spending $1000 or more for fund-raising software. I don't think most people that support us would be happy about that. Getting more and more comfortable with my new computer. Meredith was in Atlanta at a conference, so listened to music barefoot while I worked. Bought groceries, even though Kerri went Friday. apparently everyone is out of food stamps (end of the month) and there are some gaps in the volunteer dinner calendar, since it's summer.

I'm moving in the right direction--slept until 3:45 this morning. Lying awake, thinking about things, hearing a rooster nearby (couldn't figure out what it was at first), and then the train. Since I went to bed about 9, I am almost getting enough sleep. Should be caught up soon. Ray took a 3 hour nap yesterday afternoon, the Captain fell asleep in the tub, and Vanessa napped a lot too.

Work was okay, still something of a challenge to concentrate for long periods...The computer guy did come and we got the database working again. Recopied some things for the woman at HED who processes my reimbursement requests. Meredith declared June to be the month of cleaning the place up. I felt like she was particularly referring to the mess in my office, but maybe that's projecting...Got back some to the policies and procedures, although couldn't seem to stay with it for long. The computer guy also copied all my music back!

Had lunch with Janna and enjoyed hearing about her trips. Mark is graduated with a Master's in Public Health and has a one-year paid internship in Washington. Janna drove up with him and helped set up the apartment that he and Ana have, going to Ikea and buying some things for them, and then flying back from Washington by herself. They are all four going to Hilton Head this week, along with some of the kids' friends.

At home, I was able to upload all my photos to Facebook, from the iPhone as well as the camera. Now to spend some time deleting stuff from my computer--it is about full and I am sure that I have duplicates of some photos and other stuff that could come off. I was able to have a nice long talk with Molli. She was working but could talk to me some on Skype.

I finally woke Ray up after 5 and he got started on supper, but it was after 7 when we ate and the rice was still a little chewy. My Dad's comment (which he has made before): we don't have to always eat fancy meals...plain hot dogs and hamburgers would be fine. I said this is what we like to eat; I am not eating hot dogs and hamburgers.

We managed to watch all of Big Bang Theory together, recorded from Monday night when we did not stay up that late. I am about done knitting the first sleeve of Molli's sweater. I was untangling the yarn and thought I could do it lying down...silly me, made it halfway through the Daily Show. We have so many shows recorded, we'll never catch up.

Whew! I was so exhausted yesterday I was barely human. Oddly enough, I was able to do my job, but was really cross. I wonder how many times I have been in a bad mood and it was really just fatigue?

I walked the dogs; they seemed quite happy to see me, but Cameron has not improved his ability to walk calmly without pulling on the leash. The Captain was already up, studying the garden, and Zoe was reluctant to come with me, sensing that she might be fed if she stayed with him, I guess. Ray got up just before and walked with me to the road and back. We were somewhat mystified about the mail. It appeared that only one day's worth had been brought in; no newspapers. This morning there was a paper and I brought it back with me. There wasn't much to eat, although there was orange juice (horrible cheap variety). All the dishes had been put in the cupboard any which way, which was surprisingly annoying. I wondered if they had left them dirty and washed them all at the end, then stacked them in wherever they fit. There was skim milk and granola and a very old English muffin, so I had enough to eat, but there didn't look like anything for me to take for lunch.

I headed off for work and got there just at 8. The traffic was bad, and driving seemed challenging, perhaps in part because I had not driven for a couple weeks, but possibly because my brain was not working as well as it should have. I had not taken time to find my other purse, with the work keys I had deliberately not taken on the trip. So I had to have someone let me in the building and then wait for Kerri or Meredith to let me into my office. Shawn was there and she told me Meredith's grandmother in Venezuela had died, so she had been gone since Tuesday. I texted her to say I was sorry and was she going to be in today. Yes, she said, at 9 o'clock. Kerri arrived as I was texting her to ask about her schedule. I had forgotten that she had a meeting with all the residents every Monday morning. She has a key to my office.

The new computer and online mail seemed daunting to me. The computer was on and it was clear someone else had been using it. The old computer defaulted to a screen requiring a password every 5 minutes, which was annoying. I had not set up the new one that way. Since my office was supposedly kept locked when I was not there, I didn't think it necessary. There was a lot of mail piled up and I made a start on it. Meredith arrived and I expressed my condolences, perhaps too briefly. She did not seem responsive to my questions and comments and I don't know if she was just grieving and exhausted from her trip, or was for some reason unhappy with me. We eventually got payroll done and I paid the bills that had accumulated. I was hungry very early. I am intrigued by the relationship between hunger and fatigue. None of the restaurant options appealed to me; I didn't have a book or magazine to look at and didn't want to eat by myself. I went to lunch at 11 and drove home. Ray and my Mom had been to the grocery store. He and I ate some leftovers our house sitters had in the fridge, a mix of rice, beans and squash (from the garden?) and some leftover green beans as well (from the garden?). Ray had bought a baguette at Kroger and I had a little of that too. I felt much better afterward and headed back to work. Met with Meredith for our weekly meeting to talk about what we were both doing for the week. She will be gone a couple days at a meeting. I tried to find out about McKenzy's schedule. She is the new volunteer coordinator, formerly an intern, who started last week while I was gone. I have some ideas about her duties, etc., that Meredith does not agree with, so I make suggestions and she says no. It is okay, I can let it go. Meredith seems a little overwhelmed. Her husband left town to visit his family in Texas the same day she was coming back from the funeral. After we talked a little about her personal issues, she seemed a little better.

At 3, I left and made deposits at the bank before heading home. I was tired but not sleepy and didn't want to nap. I downloaded some photos from my camera (after deleting some old things) and posted them on FB. (A few of them are here; somehow I have regained the ability to add photos to the blog--yay!)

Ray did a load of wash and Vanessa did one too. He hung them both out and made supper. There were lots of peas and beans in the garden. Vanessa shelled and froze the peas and she and the Captain cut up, blanched and froze three batches of beans, while we ate some for supper. Our neighbor, Sky, called to say she had our mail and Vanessa and I dragged ourselves to their house, with the unruly Cameron on a leash. I brought a bag for the mail, but there was also a heavy plastic bag full of newspapers that I put over my back like Santa Claus. Vanessa had to rest a bit before we headed back. We were certainly glad to have our mail. Ray and I managed to stay awake until 8:30 before heading up to bed. I slept until almost 3, which is an improvement. Then I read some and dozed a little more until 5:45. I feel much more human now!

Wow! so much to tell, don't know where to start. Yesterday went quite well, all things considered. Although we were up for more than 20 hours straight, we were in bed by 10 pm local time. Unfortunately, I (of course) woke up about 1 and slept badly off and on the rest of the night. Lots of things on my mind, but my dreams were in French and English and I was exhausted even in my dreams. It will settle down in a few days.

We had our last breakfast of chocolate and French bread before leaving the great little hotel in Toulouse and catching the "Navette" to the airport. This meant schlepping our 8 bags to the bus stop, only a couple blocks. The bus nearly went by as we waved it down. And when I got on, he told me that wasn't the right stop...we had bought our tickets the day before. Ray piled up all the suitcases and we sat and watched our last views of Toulouse, with other people also going to the airport. We exclaimed at the amazing fruit and vegetable market we went by and saw the Airbus factory. At the airport, we found someone to help us get our boarding passes and checked our heavy luggage. There was no sign of anyone with a wheelchair and we made our way to the gate without incident. Since we were two hours early and there were no crowds, it was not hard. Bought some overpriced items in an attempt to use up Euros, but kept some for Paris.

At Paris, we did not see any sign of a wheelchair, or anyone to ask for a ways. We made our way toward Terminal E from Terminal F, following the signs. We had 90 minutes, so were not worried. After about 10 minutes of walking, my mother felt she must have a wheelchair. I waited in line at the Air France counter where I was directed. My father pushed to the front and tried to be more aggressive. Although that system does not work very well in France, the young man said he would order one, but that we should have stayed at the gate. We waited a long time, constantly arguing over whether we should go or stay. The staff said that we would save so much time with the chair that it was worth waiting. My father wanted to walk; he was afraid we would miss the flight; my mother said she could do it. We had to go back through security. Ray's pate (in cans) was confiscated...my mother and I beeped and had to take off our shoes and be wanded. We had to stand in lines, but when we got to the gate, my parents went right to the head of the line and got on board. Meanwhile, Ray and I were almost the last. They were announcing "last call" over and over. And he was selected for additional screening...of course...

I watched 3 movies in a row, a first for me, and did not feel sleepy all day. They offered water many times and I took it every time, no coffee or sodas, but I still think I am probably dehydrated. I knit most of a sleeve and read a little and played some Shanghai. Every seat has a little screen with choice of games, movies, etc. Ray played a lot of games and watched a couple movies. My parents dozed some and watched the plane's progress.

Atlanta international arrivals have a crazy system. We got through it in about 2 hours, as well as can be expected. First you go to immigration (where we got to go first because Mom was in a wheelchair. In Atlanta, they allowed my Dad to push it, while Ray carried most of my carryon luggage for me. Then we went to the first baggage claim. You have to pick up all your suitcases to go through customs. They had free carts and we got two. Finally, we had all the bags and filed through customs, then checked the bags again. Then went through security again. Then to the main terminal and baggage claim. Then all 8 bags and 4 people, including wheelchair, out to the shuttle bus to the car. It was hot in Atlanta, but the shuttle bus driver passed out cold water to drink--brilliant! We retrieved the car and Ray drove us home, dozing.

The house seems big and empty and clean. The people who stayed here clearly took good care of things. It's weird, though, to find all your stuff moved around. They left us with not much toilet paper. There appear to be squash and broccoli that they harvested! I'm looking forward to seeing the garden later today. It is just getting light and I will take the dogs for a walk soon. The house smells--maybe they left windows open during a rain storm?

Hello from France!

I think the air here is different; I wonder if there is a scientific basis for it. Outside our hotel room, there is a tiny courtyard with a little view of blue sky a few stories up. A bird just flew over. It is only a few steps across to the place where we ate breakfast. You tell the man what you want (he speaks more than enough English for that), as far as coffee, tea or chocolate and he brings a little pot to your table. Then you can choose pastries from the buffet--small pains au chocolat or raisins (even better than chocolate), plain croissants and rolls like individual baguettes. There is also cheese and two kinds of cold meat (charcuterie), as well as yogurt--French yogurt is delicious, a little more liquid than the typical American kind. There are many kinds of jelly and honey, but somehow the butter and bread is what I fall back on, the pastries finally being just too much, after eating them for a week, although still wonderful.

We are so happy to find this hotel; it has family rooms--ours has enough beds for six. I called yesterday on my French phone (thanks Anna!) and inquired--only 85 euros per night for two nights. When we got here, he directed us up three flights to a lovely two-story suite, a double bed upstairs with a bathroom, and one single bed and one bunk bed (room for 5) on the main floor. There was a little balcony and the bathroom had a tub. We left Vanessa in the lobby and took half the suitcases up. When we came down, the gentleman offered to show me another room on the main floor, which I happily did. He was concerned about madame...and rightly so. She could have made it upstairs--and down again when we left, but she might have stayed there the whole time rather than go up and down four flights of stairs. The new room, I figured out, was for people with disabilities. It has a shower that is sort of built into the bathroom and is all on one level. A little less privacy, sadly, but we sacrificed for the convenience of not having to go up and down the stairs--and having two double beds...Everything we do has to be explained and discussed with 3 other people, some of whom don't hear very well. My Dad was up in the first room, so we went back up and got the suitcases from there and told him the situation and said goodbye to our balcony...

It was only later we realized what a great location it has. The Captain was very tired and wanted nothing more than to write a column and catch up on his correspondence, now that we had internet access again. The three of us decided we needed to hurry if we wanted to get lunch, because we had learned that the restaurants will not serve after 2. The excellent man at the desk made several recommendations--there is a Hippopatamus (a French chain) not far away, a restaurant around the corner (L'Ane Qui Tousse), and a pizzeria the other direction. Man, have we seen pizza in the south of France! It is of course, quite different from American pizza (better, to my way of thinking). So we went to the restaurant down the street and sat at a table on the sidewalk.

Lovely cool night, managed to get a pretty good sleep even though I am really excited and stressed. Woke up twice, but went back to sleep.

Made cookies and bread for church--mother's day service involves communion with homemade bread...Clela's poetry about her mother and a reception for her afterward...thus the cookies.

Washed 3 loads of laundry (?), tried on shorts. Weather is going to be cold and rainy--high 61, mostly in the 50s during the day...so don't need the shorts after all. 3 pair of jeans, 6 pair of shoes??

Lots of garden produce: peas, broccoli, asparagus and 2 baby yellow squash.

It turned lovely and cool late yesterday and was really good for sleeping--under the quilt! We left our window open a crack, but it was too cool to leave them all open. Unfortunately, it was after 11 when I went to bed, I have a lot to do (I'm very excited) and I have a headache.

Ray and I took a long walk yesterday with the dogs, down by the river. We went to Pilates and there were only 3 of us. It was a great class; we got to use big balls... We stopped by FTX and bought Nathalie a baseball cap and were looking around at all the UGA-themed products to see if there was anything for my Mom for Mothers' Day. There were some books and I bought her The Blind Side. I must admit I am hoping she wants to take it on the trip and she will let me read it...and maybe leave it for Nathalie. Then we went to Earth Fare, so Ray could pick up the grocery store gift cards he had ordered for the Fellowship. I bought a few groceries, but mostly we didn't need much, because we're leaving tomorrow! I worked on my packing, but the suitcase is being fixed, so I can only strew things around. The Captain reported that it will be rainy and cool in Toulouse for the next week, so we will have to bring more heavy clothes than we thought. Other than that, it sounded kind of appealing when the temperature was over 90 on Friday. Now that it's cooler, less so...Washed clothes, decided about toiletries...don't know what I did all afternoon.

Jaron and Amanda came again to see the garden. I picked a few more strawberries; they will be gone when we come back. We took them down to Fire Ant Field, where there was a gathering in honor of Dan's semi-retirement. It was fun to introduce them. I came back and left the 3 of them there. I took a long bath and when I got out, they were downstairs looking at the maps. Ray was telling them the names of each of our neighbors. Then I mixed up the bread and cookies and put them in the fridge, watched a little TV, tucked in the loose ends on the hoodie and went to bed. It was after 11 though and I still woke up at 5:45, so am a little behind on sleep for now. 

From NPR:

Stressful Decision? Washing Hands Could Help Soothe

by Nell Greenfieldboyce

May 7, 2010

Listen to the Story

Morning Edition

[3 min 57 sec]

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iStockphoto.com In the study, people who washed their hands after making a tough choice seemed less worried about it.

May 7, 2010

Soaping up your hands may do more than just get rid of germs. It may scrub away the inner turmoil you feel right after being forced to make a choice between two appealing options.
That's according to a new study on the psychological effects of hand washing in the journal Science. The study builds on past research into a phenomenon known as "the Macbeth effect."
It turns out that Shakespeare was really onto something when he imagined Lady Macbeth trying to clean her conscience by rubbing invisible bloodstains from her hands. A few years ago, scientists asked people to describe a past unethical act. If people were then given a chance to clean their hands, they later expressed less guilt and shame than people who hadn't cleansed.
This finding fascinated Spike W. S. Lee, a psychology researcher at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. He wondered if hand washing could restore more than just a sense of moral purity. After all, "cleanliness is next to godliness," but people also often talk about "starting over with a clean slate."
"Maybe there is a broader phenomenon here," says Lee. "Anything from the past, any kind of negative emotional experiences, might be washed away."
Washing Away The Stress Of Decisions
He and a colleague named Norbert Schwarz decided to test hand washing's effect on one kind of bad feeling: the lingering tension we feel after being forced to choose between two attractive options, because picking one option makes us feel that we've lost the other.
Psychologists know that people usually try to soothe this inner conflict by later exaggerating the positive aspects of their choice. "In other words, after they make the choice, they will like the chosen option more than before the choice," Lee explains.
To see if hand washing could ease people's tension and do away with the need for this after-the-fact justification, the researchers gave some students some mock "consumer surveys."
They had students rank 10 different music CDs. Then, as a token of appreciation, the researchers offered students one CD as a take-home gift — they had to choose between their fifth- and sixth-ranked CDs.
Some students then lathered up with liquid soap, supposedly to evaluate this product. Others only looked at the soap or sniffed it.
Later, the students again had to rank all the music. People who didn't wash their hands had the normal response — they scored their take-home CD higher than they had the first time around, suggesting that they now saw it as even more attractive than before.
But this wasn't true for the hand washers. They ranked the music about the same.
"They feel no need at all to justify the choice," says Lee.
Does Washing Help In Long Run?
The researchers did another version of this experiment and found the exact same effect after people selected a jar of fruit jam and then rubbed their hands with an antiseptic wipe. "Apparently, you do not need water and soap," says Schwarz — any kind of hand cleaning will do the trick.
But the implications of all this just aren't clear. Schwarz says it's too soon to know whether people should head for a sink after making a tough choice.
He says washing may help decision-makers by scrubbing away mental turmoil. But perhaps if they don't go through the usual post-decision process of justifying their choice, they might feel more remorse in the long run.
"We may not do you a favor when you wash your hands and you're not doing that cognitive work to make your decisions appear in the best possible light," Schwarz explains, adding that this is something they want to investigate in future studies.

Slept about 7 hours, pretty soundly, so that's good. I'm excited about my trip and have lots to do. Worked hard at work, should have stayed later, but I couldn't focus after 3:30. Had lunch with Ray, bought groceries for the Shelter. Traffic was a nightmare--UGA Commencement is today and there are people everywhere. We went to the gym, which was not very crowded. Instead of racquetball, we walked, to get ready for France. I did a mile on the bike, too. The only thing wrong with that is it was almost 6 when we got home and I was hungry. I really like having time to make supper without feeling rushed and stressed. It was easy, though, and Vanessa helped a lot. The pasta was kind of weird and Ray complained. He's usually pretty agreeable, but it wasn't the best use for home-grown asparagus. Butter, green onion, lemon, milk and eggs, pasta and asparagus, dill, nutmeg, salt.

My map and guidebook from Borders came--yay! Captain was exhausted  from working in the heat. They moved the chickens to a different place, but we moved them back at night. Cameron would sure like to get at them. Zoe appears to be a lot more indifferent.

TV, knitting, bed. Finished the cat hoodie, just need to tidy up the loose ends.

Once again I suck at sleeping. Warm last night, couldn't fall asleep. Woke up at midnight, couldn't go back to sleep. Got up and started packing, read some, eventually fell asleep. Cold when I woke up.  Achy.  Only four days till we leave for France! I hope I can be sane. Today is the day to get everything done at work--and maybe do some more shopping. I need to get something for my mother for Mother's Day. She ordered herself shoes, shorts, shirts from L.L. Bean (or Lands End). I went to Masada Leather downtown, ostensibly to look for something for her (and also maybe purses for me). I ended up with two more pair of shoes--one sneakers, one kind of water shoe/sandally things for the boat. I tried on some TopSiders too, a sort of dressier boat shoes, but decided I would end up wearing the more comfortable ones most of the time, even though they are pretty ugly. I looked at purses; I wanted to buy a lightweight small waterproof one, or maybe a fanny pack, but Ray talked me out of it. They also had a waterproof tote bag with a sleeve for a laptop, but he said the boat bag is what we always use. They did have some nice leather purses that will probably work for my everyday purse, but I decided I didn't want to take them on the boat trip, so I will look again when I come back.

Yesterday morning I went to a training with Meredith and Nora and 40 other people about Program Evaluation--a good topic and a good presenter, a social work professor who is new since I graduated (I guess almost all of them are), Michelle. But nothing really new and inspiring. I had trouble sitting still for two hours, even with a break. I left early, at 11:15, to meet Becky and Janna for lunch at the Continuing Education Center. I was 5 minutes late, but they were about 30 minutes late. I should have stayed at the training. I went ahead and ordered and it was a good thing, because I was still there over an hour. It was a good l lunch though and I enjoyed seeing them. Mark and Lara are both graduating this weekend and we all had a lot to say.

When I got back to work, I was trying to get things done, but Danny called and the new computers are here. So he brought them over and was setting mine up--so I left a little early and went down to Masada, where Ray met me and I bought my shoes. We went home about 4 and there were chickens! Becky, Manita's daughter, had lent us 4 black pullets for our chicken tractor. Captain and I were excited, and Ray was even interested enough to go right out and look at them. Vanessa did not seem the least bit intrigued. It was very hot, so I didn't spend much time outside. Even Captain had stayed in mostly. It hit 90 in town.

Trevor, the shrimp man, called, and I went with the Captain to meet him at a gas station and pick up our shrimp, which was good, because there wasn't much for supper otherwise. He had gone to North Carolina for the shrimp, instead of his usual place, Louisiana (because of the oil spill). They were, as usual, wonderful looking--about 9 lbs for $60. I was trying to figure what he must pay for them to make it worth driving there and delivering them all over to make any money. He is on disability and his son helps him at this end with the deliveries.

Ray had to go out to the Democratic Committee, so he didn't get back til after 7. Vanessa did a lot of the work on supper, while the Captain packed the shrimp in 1 lb bags for freezing. We also gave the chickens some more water. They peep almost constantly in a kind of pleasant, low-key way. I picked the asparagus that was ready; we will save it for tomorrow and add some more. Only a few more strawberries today too. Then we had mojitos while I finished up supper and we waited for Ray.

After supper. some TV and knitting--the second leg on the cat hoodie. Taylor will probably show up for it today. I read some when we went to bed, a new light romance/mystery. But Ray got up just when I was falling asleep...and you know the rest.

Bonjour! I hope I am not getting sick. I am having weird dreams and feel a little odd--congestion, achy...

Yesterday, after I got up so early, I was at the computer for about 45 minutes, and I could not keep my head up or my eyes open. I went back to bed and slept for 2 hours! That is so unusual. I got up, showered and dressed, and Ray made my breakfast and lunch. I was hoping to be on time, but as I went past the school, I saw the policeman who is there every morning with his radar gun and I realized I was speeding. He came after me and gave me a ticket. "Can you tell me why you were going 54 in a 40 mile an hour school zone?" What a dumb question! Because I am a lawbreaker...? Because I was still half asleep? I told him I was later than usual and thought the time was past. "Did you see the flashing yellow lights?" he asked... Needless to say, I was even later. I don't know how much it will cost yet, but school zone tickets are higher, I believe. I have been by him a million times and always slow down, but not yesterday. I vowed to go a different way from now on. If you live near a school, and have to go by every morning, sooner or later, you will probably get caught speeding! So, when you are thinking about buying a house, buy one that is not near a school!

Even so, I was the first one to work and had to relieve the night staff. Nora and Shawn came in right after me. Meredith is starting to come in a little later, 9-5, so she can interact with the night staff more. I started working on the lists of donors and volunteers for the newsletter. I was a little discouraged because we don't have as good records as I would like, but hopeful that will change in a couple weeks, when our new Volunteer Coordinator starts. The printer/copy machine died and I called to have someone come fix it. I went to Lowe's to return a toilet repair part and get another wax seal. I went to the bank.

I went home. It was too hot to work outside. We brought the suitcases up from the basement. We seem to only have the big one, and the handle is broken. But I think we can manage without buying more.

I have not gotten any response from the cleaning lady this week--she likes texting, but has not responded to that. Yesterday I called her and she hasn't called me back yet. I hope she is not seriously ill or something.

Potluck, choir, TV, early bed.

Maybe it's the moon, but I woke up at 4:45 and feel very excited. I was having a dream involving some product that I was in charge of a new unit for. We had 3 milion dollard sand a lot of freedom. We were recruiting staff and figuring out logistics. The idea was to launch a whole new appraoach--sort of an uber-advertising campaign. Any7way, It all seems pretty vague now, except for the feeling of excitement.

Did I tell you about our new mail system? Meredith has set up the office using Google. We all have new email addresses (mine is pfreemanlynde@helpathenshomeless.org) and use a shared calendar and documents. I have not been able to export my contacts from Outlook in CSV format, so am still using both for now. So I spent some time messing with that. I had further adventures in plumbing and have to go return some pieces and get some more tomorrow. Kerri and I mostly finished up the policies. She is going to look them over one more time and then I will talk to Meredith about them. Started working on April reimbursements and it looks pretty straightforward. Next up? A newsletter.

Ray turned in the grades for two of his classes. Now he just has to read and grade a couple more essays. He went to the dentist and then came to get me. We were home about 3:30. Too hot for gardening. Drinks on the deck, supper, cards, TV, bed.

Serious rain all day yesterday--3 and a half inches in about 12 hours! It wasn't raining too hard when I started walking the dogs, but picked up when I was a ways from home. Even Cameron didn't really like being out in it. I guess he is not much Labrador Retriever!

Work was a mixed bag. We have a new employee, Nora, which is really fun and will be a big help. Meredith set up Google Groups, so we all share calendars and mail and stuff. I think this is probably going to be great, but I find myself more resistant to change than I would like. I prefer getting my mail in Outlook, not on line. I tried to set up Outlook to check it, but it keeps asking for my password. I know I changed it, but I am pretty sure I know what it is, and the program isn't buying it. It's the beginning of the month; bills are rolling in to be paid and it's time to turn in the reimbursement requests and reports for last month. I want to get started on a newsletter this week, too. And we have no interns! So I was starting to be a little panicked about getting everything done. There are some spaces in our volunteer dinner calendar, since the students are leaving town and student groups do not sign up for the summer. I was starting to contact our volunteers and remind them when they signed up for, and found that their information is not in the database like it should be. I asked Jaron to call the group for last night and sent an email to the one person who I had an email address for. Meredith said she would take over the volunteers for this week and next. It will give her an idea of what the system is like (what system?) and what changes she wants to make. An intern was handling it and not as thoroughly as we would have liked. We have hired someone who will be starting while I am gone. She suggested that I consider working full time, starting next year. I admit I would like having the benefits. And she says I can still take unpaid leave as much as I want, but she thinks I am working a lot and should be properly recompensed. She wants the Shelter to be an attractive place to work.

Tried to get someone to come look at the dishwasher, which should be under warranty. They have apparently had problems with doing the work and then being told it was the installation, not the machine, and the company wouldn't pay them. Before they drive out from Norcross, they want our guarantee to pay them if that's the case...hmm...what do I know? I begged and pleaded and he said he would call the company that makes the machine, with the serial number, and see if they would cover it. Also got a plumber to come look at a toilet that overflows somewhat sporadically. He showed how it is loose and needs a new wax seal. So that's on my list for today, as well as starting the reimbursements.

Ray gave his finals and was ready to go home by 3. It let up enough for the Captain to go out and pick some lettuce for dinner. After supper, he said, "now that you are done with your classes, the pressure is off and you can play cards, right?" And Ray said right....so we played cards, watched Big Bang Theory, and went to bed. I am fighting the tendency to get stressed because I am going away and have a lot to do before then and lots of arrangements still to make--hotel in Toulouse, phone? what to pack...

lovely steady rain this morning, already for several hours. a little warm and humid yesterday.

We had our second Alison service and enjoyed it. I like her style and content, but even better I like the full sanctuary and feeling of hope and excitement of the congregation. We voted 161 to 1 abstention to call her as our next minister! Why would you bother to abstain in writing anonymously? that seems so peculiar to me.

We weren't home long before heading out to the Democrats' Spring Fling, an opportunity to listen to candidates for the Democratic Primary. First, the Captain and Vanessa and I finished up the chicken tractor. We differ about what to do with it now. I thought we were putting it in the one remaining garden bed. He doesn't want the chickens to eat the earthworms--so he says we should put it on the lawn. Admittedly, the lawn is not much, but they will destroy it for sure! Leaving behind manure...hmm

Then we stopped by katherine's house to leave her an Amaryllis. She has MS and it is hard for her to talk any more. She didn't answer the door, but I left it on the porch and someone will bring it in for her next time they are there.

I can't tell you all the people I talked to at the Spring Fling. It was at Memorial Park and I wish there had been more people in the audience. Burgers and hot dogs, chips and Coke, not the sort of meal we eat much these days. Ray went ahead in the truck with two grills and he was cooking away. Before we left the house, he called to ask us to get ice on our way. We forgot it was Sunday and stopped at Five Points Bottle Shop, which was of course closed. Then the Captain went into Earth Fare, which is sometimes not as easy to navigate as other stores. Eventually we got there and enjoyed listening to the candidates and getting to talk to them afterwards one on one. A young lawyer, Russell, is running against Paul Broun. I told him I would host an event at my house after we get back from our trip. It would certainly be great if he won!

We were home again a little after 6 and played some more cards. 

Gray skies, although it is clearly light out, birds making a racket, windows open, fan on. Yesterday was rainy, at least in the morning, although not much accumulation of precipitation in the rain gauge. Vanessa and I zipped off to an early morning sale at Belk, a charity event, $5 for a ticket and really good sales. I bought two dresses for $38 each, and two pair of shoes. Missed Amelia, though. I hope she will approve. thinking about what to take on our trip to France...comfortable, easy to pack, looks nice...

Vanessa did not buy anything; trying stuff on is a challenge for her and she had recently bought a dress at Talbots. We then drove to Trumps, where we met the guys at the Democrats' breakfast. This was the event where our state legislators, Keith Heard and Doug McKillip, spoke about the just-ended legislative session. They talked about how they tried to keep extreme legislation from being passed, save as many education dollars as possible, try to increase income, but Georgia  is behind other states in a lot of ways. Many elected officials are worrying about the next election, instead of the next generation (according to Doug). A Democratic governor would help.

After that, Ray and I ran a couple errands and headed home. It was still morning and we had already done a lot! Spent a little time outside, made bread, played cards, drank mint juleps and watched the Kentucky Derby, ate supper and watched more TV.

Ah, Saturday morning. Warm enough so we had the window open in our room overnight, but not too hot to sleep. Spring in Georgia...

Yesterday, got to work on time. Ray was "furloughed" but he had to make up exams for Monday and get them copied, so went in to work. The good thing--the parking services people were also furloughed, so he could park at his building without a parking permit! The bad thing? He had to make the copies himself. Not a big deal.

I worked hard all day, more policies, more budget, getting keys for a new staff member starting Monday, mailing things, buying replacement parts for a toilet that keeps overflowing.

It was a little hot when we got home about 4. I tried weeding but came back inside where it was nice and cool for a while. Once the shade reached the bed I wanted to work on, I went back out. Weeding peppers and eggplants.

Drink on the porch, made supper with Ray's help. Enjoyed watching Up a lot. I am somewhat concerned  that good movies made with real people are becoming more scarce. What does it mean if we only watch "pretend" shows? Of course, it means lower budgets for the filmmakers, doesn't it? I guess they don't pay animators as much as actors.