I am running late this morning, slept in. I was awake at 5 and didn't realize I had gone back to sleep until Ray was getting up.

Monday a man came by the shelter from the water department to alert us that our meter reading was way up and we probably had an underground leak. I was pretty worried about it. Yesterday I had Taylor look around the outside for puddles (or frozen water) or soggy places. Nothing. Then he started checking the rooms and found a toilet running. When the Mom came home, I said, please let us know when there is a problem like this. and she said I didn't notice...I don't know if she is being defensive or what. Taylor went to the hardware store and got some waterproof glue and fixed it. Yay! It was a great relief. He is sort of the handyman intern and I feel a little guilty about it, but he has saved us so much trouble and money, it's great. There's still a lot that needs doing that is beyond his level, light fixtures and moldy ceilings.

It was the day to do payroll, but I couldn't start until afternoon, because Kerri was teaching. Then I had to wait for someone from the board to come and sign the time sheets. I had a backlog of things from the last month to sign. She was later than she thought she'd be.

Meanwhile I was worried about the grant due a week from tomorrow. It is for capacity-building and can't be used for direct services. So my plan to hire a job coach was nixed. And I hadn't been getting any help from the board. I finally talked to two board members today and they told me they are offering the job of director to a young woman who I will meet in a little over an hour. She has no experience with homelessness or running an organization, but she is supposedly smart, personable and hard-working. I am excited.

I had a nominating committee meeting at the Fellowship. It went well. Then dinner and choir and home.

Yesterday morning went fine. I walked to the Bottleworks to have lunch with Julie Knowlton, which I enjoyed very much. Then drove Ray to Aderhold for his class. I had a two hour lunch! but since i am paid hourly it is fine. I met with Tephra and Saskia and Paul about working together and it went well.

Ray and I came home and I had lots of energy, made supper and dessert and then went to UUFA Board meeting, which was good. Home a little after 9 (missing Molli's call). Went to bed and read for a while.

working on the budget and the reimbursement requests. The interns are back and it was a full house yesterday. I went to lunch with Andy and enjoyed it. She is finding Pre-K lots of work these days. Jan is supposedly retiring this spring.

Played racquetball with Ray at 4--we were both tired from working, but it was really good. I won the second game...ha.

Got home about 5:30, made supper, ate supper, played cards, watched TV. All is good.

Monday morning again. I am feeling a little bit like "where did the time go?" "What did I do with my weekend?" as well as "will it ever be warm?" It seems so cold and dark much of the day. Not that i have anything to complain about. It's colder and darker lots of places. We had sun again yesterday, and our stove and heat keep us warm. But there is a sort of permanent hunch that I get when it's cold and I am sure it is bad for my back. I think my mother has more pain when it is cold.

I made pancakes and finished the chocolate cookies I started the day before. Ray went walking, but it was only 18 degrees and I did not join him. I did a load of laundry...he and I went to the Fellowship. He played John the Baptist for the kids. He has been growing his beard. I was a merchant. We both remembered our lines pretty well. Dan E. was Jesus. He didn't have as many lines. There were maybe 20 or more kids and they seemed to enjoy it. Afterwards we discussed with the 5 and 6 year olds. They liked it, but didn't have much to say about the message. I missed being in the service. It was the annual "burning bowl" service, where you burn up the things from the old year that you want to get rid of (like greed or jealousy).

In the afternoon, I went to an open house at a pilates studio, Balance, which has a Saturday morning beginners class. It is on Tracy Street, near Canopy and the homeless shelter. It's a nice space and I liked her (Amanda). I felt silly, driving all the way there just to meet them and see the space, but maybe that will make me likely to take the class. Ray might join me. That would be good.

Vanessa made supper. I planned meals for the next couple days. Ray worked a lot, but decided he had time to play cards after supper.

Vanessa's birthday! (she's 82)

Yesterday was bitter cold. It was 13 when it started to get light and I went downstairs. No one else was up, smart them! I turned up the heat and threw some wood on the fire. (it was not very effective, as my father pointed out when he redid it, because I didn't put enough kindling on. I know this, but the kindling was outside and I was not about to open the door!) I ate a healthy breakfast, measuring the amounts. When my Mom got up, we heated up the treats I had gotten for her the day before at Big City Bread: 2 mini-coffeecakes and 2 muffins. For one thing, it allowed us to turn on the oven, adding a little more heat. Fortunately, it was a sunny day and between the sun, the rejuvenated fire and the heat, it got quite pleasant in the house. I got the gift certificate for a spa visit that my sisters and I had bought and gave it to my Mom with her breakfast. She seemed pleased.

Ray and I went to Trumps, where the Athens Area Democrats were having their monthly breakfast. He had to pay the bill (he's the Treasurer). I sat in the car and prepared some deposits, learned my lines for the play this morning, and read some. It got so warm in the car in the sun that I had to take off my heavy sweater. When he came back, we went to get my iPhone! The place in Beechwood that he called still didn't have any, so we had to drive to oconee County (I hate buying things there because the taxes go to them). It was even cold in the store. The salespeople had their coats on. A nice woman helped me. She seemed to think I should be more excited... We looked at cases too, but I decided to wait until I had it for a while to decide what case I wanted (they started at $25). she copied my contacts from my old phone and showed me how to use it. $30 more per month for the data plan! I haven't played with it a lot yet, I am trying to be moderate and just use it as I need it. We did play with the GPS on the way home--pretty cool!

After lunch, we played Oh Hell most of the afternoon--hard to get my mother to say what she wanted to do, but she seemed to like that idea, even though she lost pretty badly. The 3 of us were close, all over 200 at the end...and I won!

She had picked Five & Ten for dinner and we enjoyed it very much. It was cold even in there and began to get noisy by the time we left (7:30). We were there early for the Prix Fixe--Ray's the only one who chose to get it. Vanessa and I split an entree (flounder with polenta and greens--yummy), as well as lobster bisque and Caesar salad. We each got our own dessert--apple streudel tart with lemon verbena ice cream for me. Excellent creme brulee for her. Ray had something called Jameson Pudding as part of his dinner--very light and fluffy.

We finished our game when we got home and I dozed through two episodes of As Time Goes By, staying up until 10! I think my Mom enjoyed her birthday.

It was so cold yesterday, what little snow fell was still on the ground by nightfall. Now it is about 15 degrees. There were some icy places, but we didn't have any trouble. I think it was worse in Atlanta. Worked hard on reconciling the bank statements and the budget. Had lunch with Becky and enjoyed it, but apparently what I ate disagreed with me. I was home working on supper and getting ready for drink and snack when I had serious stomach cramps and diarrhea. Ray finished getting supper and I lay down and read for a while. Joined them at the table and the veggies were great. Couldn't get myself to eat much fish, although they seemed to like it. It had a balsamic thyme sauce.

We had snow yesterday, just flurries, but it was pretty to watch coming down. They have been predicting the possibility of 2-3 inches last night and people have been talking about it--who will cover the shelter if it snows, etc. The Captain was at Kroger yesterday afternoon, buying wine, and it was a madhouse. No parking, no carts. Vanessa is scheduled for a colonoscopy next week and had an appointment to meet with the doctor. She waited over an hour.

Yesterday I started working on the budget for the shelter for this year--not easy with no guidance, but you have to start somewhere. At noon, several of us attended the Homeless Coalition meeting. Good to network with others in the field.

At 2:30 I left and went to pick up Ray. When we got home, he called the satellite repair man, who said he would come that day if possible (even though it was snowing). Ray told him if we were going to be snowed in, we wanted our TV to work. I worked on supper and then took a break. Captain and Vanessa arrived after her doctor's appointment and Carl the repairman said he was on his way. Ray was supposed to leave for a Democratic Committee meeting, but he wanted to stay to talk to Carl. After he left, Carl got the TV going again. He checked out all three of the TV's to make sure they were all working and fixed the place in the living room where we could plug it in if we want to move it. We talked to him for quite a while, an interesting guy, retired from the marines, talked to the Captain about taking up sailing and the time he fell overboard from a destroyer. Someone saw him go and threw a rope down before he even came up. Otherwise, he would probably have been a goner. We had a lovely drink and snack in front of the stove and dinner when Ray got home. Then we could watch TV. I didn't make it through one show and crawled up to bed at 9.