It was warm enough in the house when I woke up, because Ray had built a fire the night before and gotten up before me to light it. After breakfast, we took a short walk. Ray headed to work. I spent some time on the computer and some time cooking. There is a job with the Council on Aging that I am interested in, so applied for that. The application was a PDF. I could fill it out on the computer, but had to print it before I emailed it, so I could sign everything. My printer needs ink and I have no paper. I managed to squeak out 4 pages, copied on the back of old letterhead. Then I used the old scanner (connected to Molli's old computer) to scan it, copied it from that computer to mine, and emailed it in, along with a cover letter and resume. Whew! I also printed, scanned and emailed the forms to reserve a place at the beach for 3 nights!

Leftover chicken and green beans with rice for lunch. I started a veggie stew for the Kenney Ridge potluck. Ray came home pretty early, not long after my Dad arrived. He was auditioning last night for a part in Shakespeare's Comedy of Errors, so he found the play on line and read it over. It is the silliest one, maybe, involving two sets of twins and lots of Shakespearean humor.

I made icebox cookies and put them in the fridge to cut and bake this morning. We fed the pigs, walking over and back. My Dad left. Ray and I drove to the community center for the potluck dinner. There were only about 8 of us, including Jeff, who is 2, I think, and his Dad, Dave. There was a barley dish and 3 veggie dishes and sushi (which I didn't sample). We had finished eating and were teaching Jeff to play cards when Heather rushed in, saying, "265, who's 265?" None of us could really understand what she meant, or remember which house it was when we figure out what she was asking. O.C. and Manita's house was burning down! The fire trucks had been called, the owners were out of the country, and we called the neighbors. Most people in the community rushed down there, but Ray and I went home and stayed out of the way. We were both upset and wandered around the house, aimlessly tidying. It's good that no one was hurt. I looked at all my "things"--furniture, cookbooks, clothes--and thought how sad I would be to lose them. But there is nothing I can do to protect them from something that happens when I am away. I am sure they have insurance. The other impulse I had was to get rid of stuff that I care about, so it would be safe. Someone told me their car exploded for no apparent reason. Bizarre. Their daughter came; she was thinking about not trying to get in touch with them, so they could enjoy the rest of their trip. I am not sure how I would feel about that.

Eventually, we calmed down enough to watch a couple TV shows and go to bed, and, surprisingly, to sleep. 

Yesterday I stayed home while Ray went to work. This causes problems because we don't pay for a UGA parking pass, so usually he parks at my Dad's and takes a campus bus, but sometimes he is running late and takes a chance on a ticket and then moves the car later. Anyway, it's a pain. The city buses don't run as far out as we live; they stop 5 miles from us. So I could drive him to the bus stop and drive home again, but that's not too convenient or good for the environment. Yesterday as he was driving in, a city bus was in the lane beside him, so he drove into a parking lot and caught it at the next stop.

I walked by myself, only about 15 minutes. I made lemon squares for potluck--there were not any left over, so I guess that is a "yes" for the dessert night. And I made a couple loaves of bread. The weather was gray and wet, but not very cold, in the low 60s. I spent a lot of time on the computer. There is a job that I really want that someone pointed out to me. It is a grant the Council on Aging recieved to start a program called the Village, providing supports to allow older people to stay in their homes and recieve some of the services (and social activities) that they would in a residential community like assisted living. Naturally I am excited about this and I think I would be an awesome candidate. Now to convince them.

Jean B. died about 3 in the afternoon. I was a bit sad, but there was not any reason for her to stay. She was in a lot of pain, and in and out of consciousness. Her sister and cousin were with her.

My Dad came by and worked outside a little in the afternoon. It had cleared some and gotten windy. He had lost power at his house.

Ray came home, my Dad left, and we went to potluck, stopping to feed the pigs on the way. Choir was good; we sang a Buddhist chant (Gate Gate) that I found very calming. A little TV and then bed.

This is where the pigs live.

This is us, arriving with food for them.

Mincemeat

Sigh. Showers outside this morning, with random flashes of light. Kind of interesting.

I was home in the morning, working on the End of Life workshop and spending quality time with my computer. Ray and I took a short walk before he drove to UGA. My Dad was here briefly to bring us some quality pig food. I had great leftovers for lunch.

I had a interview at 2 for a part-time temporary case manager position. It went okay; I know a lot more about the job than the guy who interviewed me. It only lasted 30 minutes, which can be a bad sign, but he already knows me and my qualifications. I was surprised at how unexcited I am about working for this organization--especially at $12.50/hour for 20 hrs for 6 months...but...

Then I went to the Fellowship and met with the lovely women who are working with me to present information on Preparing for the End of Life, a workshop on 1/28. I was a little concerned we wouldn't be ready, but I think it's in good shape. Hospice, Health Care Directives, wills and powers of attorney, a detailed checklist, donating your body to science and my topic (funeral homes), plus the minister talking a little about memorial services. A lot to cover in 2 hours--we will plan on revisiting some of the topics.

Almost dark when I got home. Time to feed the pigs and then make supper. It was after 7 by the time we ate and I was crabby and hungry. I try to avoid that, but sometimes it happens. Then TV and early to bed.

Yesterday was my Mom's birthday, but it turned out not to be as hard as I was afraid it would be. It was also the first day of classes for UGA's spring semester, so Ray had to spend most of it teaching. He headed off pretty early, about 8:30. I worked on preparing for the workshop at the end of the month. I am really excited about it.

My Dad arrived at 10:30 to work on the mincemeat. Let me tell you the saga of the mincemeat. He likes mincemeat pie, especially at Thanksgiving and Christmas. He and my Mom used to make this special mincement and can it, 7 jars at a time, which would make 7 pies. So they only had to do it every few years. We were all out, however, so talked about making some this holiday season. My kids don't like it all, so there was less motivation. I like it, but would probably let it go. It seemed important to my Dad, so I tried to make it happen. There were some green tomatoes at the farmers' market we talked about buying. But it requires citron, a specialized kind of candied fruit (like they use in fruit cakes). We couldn't find that in the stores. Then we found and bought that, but there weren't any more green tomatoes. Then my Dad bought some suet, which is basically beef fat and used to be given away and put out for the birds. He had to explain what it was and they said they would save him some at Earth Fare. Then we found green tomatoes at Kroger, right before Christmas. He was sick and I was sick and we had lots of people and lots going on, so we didn't get around to it. Yesterday when he went to get the green tomatoes from the basement, lots of them were rotten and all of them were red. What a complicated thing (and expensive). We decided even though they were red, they were still firm like the green tomatoes and he went ahead and cut them up. He suggested we use a few more apples to balance it out. We only had about 6 or 7 pounds of apples, though, so we used them all. I cored them.

Then I headed out to have lunch with Becky. We had a good lunch and then went to talk to Plain Jane Designs about invitations. That was pretty fun and successful. We had to leave a deposit and she will send a proof. I hope we like it--the designing is $50/hr. One of the challenges is making it bilingual.

During lunch, my Dad called and asked about the suet. I told him where it was in the fridge. He said, "I was afraid of that. It doesn't say suet on it, it says soup bones. And it's rotten." I think real suet would keep, but now I had to stop at Earth Fare and get some more. The butcher showed me the pieces of fat that he had trimmed from some beef (steaks?) and I said "yes, that's great." He only charged us 99 cents a pound, and, sure enough, it said soup bones on the label. The computer system must not have "suet" in it. I was going to attend a lecture at 2, but I went by Kroger first to get a couple things I needed. I called my Dad to tell him I had the suet. I said I was going to Kroger. He suggested I get him some bread and eggs so he didn't have to go by there. He urged me to go to the lecture, but I knew he couldn't finish making the mincemeat until I got there with the suet (and more oranges and lemons and brown sugar and cider vinegar that I bought for the mincemeat). It was 20 after 2, anyway, by the time I got out of the grocery store. The first day of classes at UGA is not a good time to go shopping, especially after lunch. So I went home instead and helped my Dad finish making and canning the mincemeat. By the time Ray got home, the jars were boiling in the kettle. And there were a lot of dishes to do and a sticky mess on all the counters. But my Dad was pretty pleased and we look forward to mince pie soon. I have a little that didn't fit in the jars. Maybe I'll make mincemeat cookies like my Mom used to do.

Ray and I went to feed the pigs. Captain left when we came back, after we took the jars out. They popped nicely as they sealed. Ray and I got a pizza out of the freezer and ate that for supper. We watched TV, knitted, and went to bed.

Yesterday I gave the sermon at a well-attended service at the Fellowship: Living and Dying. People were very appreciative and supportive. It's great to be part of a community. Ray and I went to lunch with Deb and John and my father joined us. Ray went back with him to try to fix the DVR remote again. They are both frustrated and in the end Captain told him not to bother fixing it. He will watch his DVD's at our house! Ray thinks he is messing it up. I think it is the remote that keeps losing its programming. My Dad feels stupid that he has so much trouble with it.

At 4, I went to the community meeting about whether or not we should allow fund-raising events at the community center for outside organizations. It was stressful. Evenutally we voted against them. I was in the minority, but I understand the concerns of others about traffic, etc. People are just passionate about things and they get their feelings hurt badly. Living in community is not easy.

Ray fed the pigs and started a fire in the woodstove. It was foggy when I walked home, which made for some pretty views. We had leftover chicken and rice casserole, watched TV and went to bed.

Committed: A Skeptic Makes Peace with Marriage by Elizabeth Gilbert

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I really enjoyed this non-fiction, sociological and historical study of marriage, mixed with her own experience. Travels in Bangkok and negotiating what her marriage will be like. Quite different from her other books that I've read.



View all my reviews

It was pretty overcast yesterday and it was supposed to rain. Ray took the giant Christmas tree to be recycled. Since we thought it would start raining soon, he touched off our "burn pile"--blackberry canes, an old pallet and a stump too big to burn in the woodstove that he couldn't split. Then he spent the next couple of hours tending it, because the rain did not come. There was no pilates class--the teacher is away getting training. I read cookbooks.

We ate leftovers for lunch and then went to UUFA for Ruth Koch's memorial service. She had cancer for 7 years, at the end of a life of amazing goodness, teaching special ed and suffering the loss of two of her children--one to AIDS and one to terrorists. She was a role model for me, embodying grace and strength of character. She was an anti-war activist who started the Women in Black protests in Athens.

We went by the Captain's afterward and Ray got his TV remote working properly. It was almost dark when we got home. Ray started a fire and cleaned up the dishes while I made supper. Then he went to feed the pigs in the dark before we ate.

He listened to my sermon and it was much shorter than 15 minutes! So I am ready for the service on dying today.

The rain came. We watched some TV and went to bed about 10.