Yesterday morning we left here around 9, earlier than usual for some reason. I had asked Caryl S. about volunteering for the GED classes. She told me to just show up and gave me the times. I said I would be there Thursday morning. When I got there, two students were waiting for the teacher. There were other people in the building. A couple young volunteers asked me if I was there to volunteer. I said yes. The classes were supposed to start at 9:30, but it was about 10 minutes late before the (young) instructor came in. She had been meeting with the director, Erin, who is pregnant again. Miranda is the instructor. She is a BSW student. She did not seem to know who Caryl is and said she generally met with volunteers ahead of time before they could volunteer. She had me fill out a form and talked to me some about my experience. Then she told me to come back next Thursday morning, if that was the best time for me.

Next I drove to the ACC Council on Aging, where they were having a Harvest Festival. This has been going on 37 years! The older people demonstrate crafts from 100 years ago or so and the schools bring classes to see. I was not demonstrating (I was told they had knitters, but didn't see them). I was assigned to the children's art table. There were two activities; coloring and making pasta necklaces. It seemed a little lame to me. They couldn't think of anything more old-timey and fun than that? However, there were wave after wave of kids, some in matching shirts, some who were well behaved, some with many adults, some with adults who were not very engaged...I spent most of two hours cutting pieces of yarn to make necklaces, and tying one piece of pasta onto them. Fortunately, we ran out of noodles about noon. Then I helped the lady at the next activity with the bean bag toss. This was much more physically demanding. We had to keep bending over and picking up the beanbags from behind the holes and handing them out again. We also handed out candy, from a giant assortment (300 pieces): Laffy Taffy, Sweet Tarts, and Nerds among others. Several children wanted to trade what they had for Nerds. Warning: do not start down that road. A few boys helped pick up the bean bags for us before they had to leave. Many children lined up more than once to play bean bag toss (and get more candy). It was hard to keep track of which ones had already been. They could have another turn, but they were only supposed to get candy once. They gave me a sandwich on a white roll with accompaniments in plastic: chips, cookies, nuts, mayonnaise. I appreciated it and it was tasty, but I was horrified that it was in a styrofoam box. They gave me water in a styrofoam cup, too. Opportunity for education there.

I picked Ray up and we drove home, stopping at the bank and Kroger. I was really tired and read for a while before making a delicious tabouli: home-grown cucumber, peppers, tomatoes, herbs...I mixed in the lentil salad from the day before and it was really tasty. We headed over to the Cedar Commons for KR potluck. Lots of excellent food and good company. After awhile, my young friend Ada asked me to teach her to play cards, which I did. Always fascinating to me that you could get to be 4 (or older) and have no experience of cards. We learned War and she delighted in beating me. I played some with her 6-year-old brother Solomon too. I started by trying to comfort baby Ruby who was crying and crying. At one point, I had her more or less happily bouncing on my knee, while playing cards with her sister. My idea of fun. Later, Ada wanted to be pushed (fast) in her sister's stroller. It had a very smooth ride. Almost everyone was gone and the cleanup had been done, so I raced her around the tables over and over. She always wanted just "one more time." But we finally left.

When we got home, I made the meringues I had been planning to make for days, with leftover egg whites and not much else. Low-fat and wheat-free. We'll see how they taste.

Fell asleep watching TV and went to bed. Ray had to turn the oven off for me.

I parked downtown and went to the Arch again for a couple of hours. I would have stayed longer but the meter had run out. There were only three of us at one point. It's a little discouraging. Dare I say college students have no stamina? There was another gray-haired woman, Carolyn, there, and a young black man. Then, just before I left, a couple more people showed up. I finished a scarf.

I drove to my Dad's and brought in his mail, took some things from his fridge that would be bad by the time he got back, and made his bed with clean sheets. The apartment needs vacuuming and general cleaning, but I am not going to do it. I should clean my own house first.

I went to the library and got some books. I went to Earth Fare and got some food. I waited in Ray's parking lot until he was ready to come home.

I made lentil salad for potluck and talked to my girls on Skype. We went to potluck, where liberal people I have known a long time disparaged the protestors for not having more specific demands. We practiced singing and came home. We watched TV and went to bed.

Wow! What a difference a day makes! We had 2 1/2 inches in our rain gauge the last time I checked, more than enough for the garden for a week, so no watering for a while! I know the reservoir is up some too, but we are probably still in drought. All the veggies and trees are so happy and green!

Yes, I went to stand at the Arch for a couple hours, in the pouring rain. I did not take my chair and I did not knit. At one point, we were down to three people with umbrellas. There were soggy signs and leftover food containers with rain in them, chairs with puddles of water...not a pleasant sight. Waterfalls dripping down the steps. It's hard to imagine what impact it had for me to be there. Certainly, the young people who were there appreciated me being with them. Perhaps it helps them know that older people care too.

A little after noon, I headed to my car. I was pretty cold and wet. I needed to use the bathroom. I was parked near my bank, SunTrust, and I needed to make a deposit. So I went in and headed for the back, where I thought there was a rest room. A young woman asked if she could help me, and when I explained, she said they did not have public rest rooms. I repeated that it was my bank, but she insisted that I could not use the bathroom. I told her I was closing my accounts. And I thought it was probably illegal. Man, that really frosted me!

My friend Becky met me for lunch at Sweet Peppers deli, where I got warm and dry (and used the bathroom). I had soup and quesadillas and it was pretty good. She brought me some pomegranates, too.

At 2, I went to my writing workshop and enjoyed it very much. We read one poem that made me cry. Ray met me there and we drove home, doing a couple errands on the way, and picking up the Captain's car. He arrived safely in Seattle, by the way, delayed about an hour, but with no major problems.

We made a stir-fry with the last of the pork and some peppers and carrots and onion. It was awfully tasty with brown rice.

I had wanted very much to go hear Janisse Ray, one of my heroes. But I opted to audition for Jesus Christ Superstar instead. I hate auditioning and I'm really bad at it. The man who is directing it has never picked me for anything else. The group was all younger than me, by a lot. Many talented young people. But I love to sing and I love Superstar. And they are having what they call a Pit Choir, so I could sing and not be on stage. I was number 34, and there were more the first night. And more after me. I did not dazzle with my singing. Ray helped me choose: Consider Yourself At Home...from Oliver. Something I could sing a cappella, but really not that well. Anyway, I did it. I did not get called back. sigh. I can sing Superstar to myself as much as I want..

Back home, I treated myself to ice cream and TV.

baby lettuce Captain set out

It's raining! A lot...steadily for at least a couple of hours. Yay! It was rainy and drizzly yesterday--nice, but not a lot of accumulation. This is the real deal now though!

I made some cookies and stuck the raw balls in the freezer for future baking. Ray and I are not keeping up with the cookie eating (which is good). Anything I bake will be saved for future events. We have delicious bread, banana bread and 3 kinds of cookies, more than enough for two people at risk of diabetes! 

last of the tomatoes

still have cucumbers

spinach, chard, bok choy

more zucchini

the broccoli plants

carrots and beets

lettuce and cabbage coming along

signs in the rain

I spent a couple of hours at the Arch, sitting in the rain, knitting and holding my umbrella. A gentleman named George was standing near me with a sign most of the time. The bulk of younger people (6-8) were on the other side of the Arch. They put up a tarp to sit under.

putting up a tarp

I took the bus to another bus to River's Crossing for my 1:00 class. I was damp, but dried off during the class. We talked about the book Ishmael that we had read and the current state of affairs. It was somewhat less discouraging than the last class. Lots of good people.

I took the River's Crossing bus back toward campus, but walked the last 20 minutes to my Dad's apartment. Visited with him for a half hour or so, then went to get Ray. Captain had wanted to get some cash for his trip, but of course banks and post office were closed for Columbus Day. Confusing, because otherwise not a holiday here--schools and businesses as usual. We stopped and got money for him from a cash machine and took it to him.

At home, I was happy to be able to make soup for the first time this fall. Lentil soup from the Romagnolis' cookbook, followed by the chard omelets we've had before. Maybe the best thing to do with chard, of which we have a virtually unlimited supply.

We finished our excellent supper just in time for me to pick up Ray M. and head to the Fellowship for the Green Sanctuary meeting. A good one, although progress is slow.

I needed a drink when I got home, and a couple TV shows before bed.

Weather is changing, hopefully rain! Overcast and cool. Yesterday there was some sun.

Ray and I went for a walk, then to the Fellowship. We weren't singing. He taught the childen. I sat in the service and knitted. Enjoyed talking to various people.

We went to lunch at the Chinese restaurant on Alps, then to Earth Fare to buy some things before heading home. Ray put fencing up around the deck so the chickens can't get under there.

Ate leftovers for supper. Watched TV, knitted. went to bed early, slept well until 2. read some. Went back to sleep about 5 for a couple hours.

Not feeling quite right again, don't know if it is lingering effects from the virus I had or something else. We went for a short walk, but I wasn't up to pilates. Ray split wood and then we ate lunch. My Dad came over briefly. Janna and Ron came and brought me some houseplants that they got when Bertha died. I won't kill them as quickly as Janna would...they came in Ron's new black BMW convertible.

I read some depressing stuff about how the US aid policy contributed to people starving in Haiti. I feel like I have done most of the things I could do to minimize my footprint, but I am not doing anything to help the world, so I am not in balance; I am in a deficit by not contributing to improving things. Ray gets mad when I say things like that. He made some nice pasta with veggies and cream sauce, but it was late when we ate. Then we watched a litttle TV and went to bed.

protest moved so bridal party can have photos at the Arch

bridesmaids wear black and carry red roses (GA colors)

That day did not start too well. Ray and I were finishing up a relaxed breakfast; we would have gone for a walk and eventually gone to town. But the phone rang at 8:30. It was my Dad wanting his car back (Ray had driven it home Thursday night after his meeting). Captain was supposed to walk Jean's dogs Friday morning. So we jumped in the shower and got there as soon as we could--in two cars to avoid the same problem again. For every solution, there's a new problem...and apparently left my phone at home. I hated being without it, but went ahead down to the Arch with my chair and my knitting, while Ray went to his office. I sat for over an hour; there weren't many people there--6 or 8? and I felt like I was getting chilled. It wasn't very cold, but just enough that sitting, without a warm sweater or hat or scarf made me a little uncomfortable. And the fact that I had no communication.

Ray being interveiwed by channel 5 about release of data

I took the bus back to the car (a fairly slow process, at least 30 minutes) and then drove home. I had some lunch and gathered my phone. I had missed one call--Becky inviting me to lunch, which I declined. After a couple hours, I headed back to town, with my phone. The hard part was getting the chickens to go back in the coop. They like being under the deck, out of the sun. In fact, I found an egg there, which I got out with a shovel. The chickens were much harder to reach. I wasn't willing to crawl under there, not that it would have done any good. They were not interested in being lured with corn. It took a good 30 minutes, I think. And another 5 to get Cameron to come in. I was hot and not happy by the time I left.

my dinner

Ray's steak frites

There were a few more people and it was warmer. Maureen McGinley sat with me for a bit--and Hannah Hay. Will didn't arrive until late in the day. Maureen said Erin is pregnant! In China...Charlotte Poss and her parents were there for a bit at the end. Ray headed to get a haircut, then picked up my Dad and we met for dinner. Except they left the cars and came on the bus. We walked over to Etienne, the new French restaurant Ray and I had eaten at when it opened in May. We had a very pleasant evening, toasting my Mom and thinking about what she would have liked about the restaurant and the menu. It was quite good, but not up to Bistro Niko standards. My fish was a little overcooked (or reheated) and the coq au vin was dry, with not enough vegetables. The frites with Ray's steak were amazing and the creme brulee awfully good too. It took us a long time to go back on the bus, the night route goes more places for one thing. But eventually we got to the apartment and left the Captain there. We drove home, watched TV and went to bed and slept well.

It's Saturday morning, with no obligations and I'm not sure what I'll do with my day. Water the garden for one thing.