Apparently, I walked three miles yesterday. That's good. We're both sore, but pleased.

We had pancakes for breakfast, our weekly treat, and the last of the bacon from our pigs. We picked up Elisa and went to UUFA to sing, just a few minutes late. I had to run the Leadership Council meeting after the service, and it went pretty well. Ray took Elisa home and picked up some lunch for us--salads from Loco's. He was working on his computer when I finished the meeting, and we changed our clothes.

We drove to Watkinsville for the Alzheimer's Memory Walk, but it had started by the time we got there. I was very upset, because it was my intention to have time to spend with my professors informally. I passed a lot of people, but did not see anyone I knew. I almost stopped after 2 rounds, but kept going. At the very end, I could hear Dr. Emerson talking--not sure how I got ahead of them. Maybe she paused at some point. She introduced us to her parents from Germany and her husband. She said Dr. Glass had stopped after one lap and had already left. It seems to me she had injured her foot and was wearing a boot earlier this fall.

We were pretty tired, but stopped at Earth Fare to buy a few things. At home, we worked on the chicken run some more. It was another gorgeous afternoon, a little on the cool side, but sunny with a bright blue sky. They had a roast on sale at the store for $3.99, so we made pot roast for the first time in ages! We both enjoyed it very much. We watched TV and I drifted off...except I had started some bread and had to wake up enough to bake it.

My favorite day in a while. Pilates was at 9 am, so we picked up Elisa about 8:45. After a good class, we went to the farmers' market and bought potatoes and said hello to some people. We took Elisa home and chatted awhile with her "parents." We went by my Dad's and picked up his mail. As we got close to home, we stopped to check on Nancy's chickens and picked up a couple eggs. This is good because our hens don't seem to be laying. I walked back from Nancy's.

We had some leftover pasta salad with ham for lunch and I set to work on my "big" assignment due this week, a paper about my Dad. I wrote quite a bit, although it is not quite the assignment. I will have to make it shorter and more in line with the outline in the syllabus, which is a little vague. One part of the assignment I have completed, which is to meet with an older person for at least 8 hours and make note of our activities. I probably have spent at least 10 times that much time with my Dad.

About 3, I stopped to go outside for a bit, since it was beautiful and Ray was out there splitting wood. We finally started work on the chicken run/fence that I have had in my head for a few months. Naturally, it was not as easy as I had hoped. He did most of the work, cutting the wood with the electric saw (I'm kind of afraid of it), pounding stakes into the ground, trying to nail boards together that split and break, possibly because we bought them at the salvage store. We didn't get very far, but it was still satisfying to work on the project, partly because of the weather.

Liz brought Cameron back from a walk to the river and we put the chickens away. We had some wine and I made supper: pork chops with peppers and onions, mashed potatoes, and yellow squash. (Liz went home). We really enjoyed it and felt very full, since we have not been eating that way for a while.

Then we bathed, dressed, and rushed off again. We picked up Elisa and headed to Memorial Park for their contra dance. It was really fun. As usual, Ray danced at least twice as much as I did, never taking a break. Saw some people we only see at square dances, like Charlie Jameson. Dr. Kimmich was there and so was Theresa Carson. She admired the photos from the wedding. She seemed pretty good and asked about Gerald.

Elisa wore out early on and we left about 10:15. Ray was in a lot of pain from his hip. He had been to pilates, split wood, built a chicken run, and then danced. But he still hated to miss any dancing.

More beautiful fall weather in Georgia--sunny and breezy, highs in the high 60s or low 70s, cool at night. Looks like it will continue this way at least all week...which means I need to water the garden. Baby spinach and lettuce, garlic, and a few older things I'm trying to keep alive. The funniest thing is some big healthy tomato plants, with not a single blossom on them. Guess they need longer, hotter days to set fruit. It is dark so late in the morning. This is when I can't wait for the time to change.

My Dad is in Seattle. I haven't spoken to him, but had an e-mail from him and one from Polly that suggest all is well. I have to write a paper about him this weekend and I need to do a good job on it.

Yesterday when I took Ray to work, I went to pick up a couple women from Nellie B and took them to vote. That is always a very interesting thing. One of these women talked a lot and the other barely spoke, except after she got back in the car, she kept saying over and over, "I'm not sure who I voted for." The other woman (her daughter) said, "stop saying that, you voted for Obama, I saw." It was quite amusing, but clearly there is some confusion and other mental health issues there.

Then I went to the library for a while. I didn't bring my iPad or my computer, just did some reading on my phone. I couldn't quite get comfortable in the chairs and came out to my car after a while. I  read there too. The sun was lovely, so the car was warm.

Eventually, I drove to Last Resort and met Heather K. and her friend Margaret from Chicago. Margaret is very involved in the Village and is trying to start one in Hyde Park. She is also the President of the Older Women's League and wants me to join. After a really nice lunch, which Heahter paid for, we had an appointment at the Council on Aging. We were a few minutes early, so I stopped at the Institute of Gerontology and introduced Margaret to Dr. Miles, to their mutual pleasure, I think.

At the Council on Aging, we met with Jill, who is the president of the Advisory Board for the Village. Heather ended up joining for herself and Scott and her daughter Catherine. Catherine has MS, but lives alone, except for a series of aides. She is 46, but they are making an exception and letting her join, even though she is not 50 yet. I mentioned that I would be needing an internship, and they told me to tell Anne (Dr. Glass). They could use the help, but I have to figure out the best way for me to eventually get a good job.

Afterward, I picked up Ray and Dan and we drove home. It was a nice afternoon, but I had trouble getting energized. I read a little and stood around outside, looking at the garden.

When it was dark, we watched a lot of tV and went to bed about 9.

Looks like I missed another day and I'm not really sure why...I guess I slept latish yesterday. I took Ray in to his office and then picked Janna up at the dentist. I sat in the car and read email on my phone for about an hour. Then I spent 15 mins or so at her house afterward, before she had to leave for a meeting.

I meant to go to the Ramsey Center after that, but somehow ended up going home instead. I didn't have any lunch plans, for one thing. I was able to hang up the laundry and do some reading for next week. I had a ham and cheese sandwich for lunch, maybe not ideal, but it was sufficient. It was a beautiful day and Cameron was glad to have me. The chickens really wanted out, but I was sure I wouldn't be able to get them back in. I sat on the porch in the sun some of the time.

Class was long and somewhat tedious. We were looking at statistical tests for significance, which are something of a mystery to me. We are halfway through the semester and some major projects are still to come. I have a B+ average in one of my classes and very few grades in the others. I am sure it will work out, but I am a little stressed about it. Also trying to figure out about next semester, which involves deciding what to do after that as well.

We picked up Elisa and went to the Fellowship for a pleasant dinner and challenging choir rehearsal. She seemed to enjoy it. We spent a few minutes at her house, chatting wtih Hunaid. So it was a little late before we got to bed, again.

Stayed home in the morning, worked on class work. Small walk. Met Becky for a really good lunch at Siri Thai, although they were busy and service wasn't good. Went to class, seemed long. Knit most of a hat.

Supper was a zucchini frittata and green beans. We headed off to pick up my Dad and were at the Performing Arts Center with 15 minutes to spare. Enjoyed very much the performance by Leahy, a group of 8 brothers and sisters from Canada, playing really fast fiddle, step dancing, singing some of their own compositions, with drums, guitar, and awesome piano. They also showcased a few of their children under twelve, mostly step-dancing, but Xavier played French Canadian accordion amazingly. We all enjoyed it very much. No bagpipes, though.

So, late to bed, but sadly woke up at 4:30 and couldn't go back to sleep. Sigh.

Overcast all day. Ate breakfast. Took a walk. Bathed and dressed. Organized knitting and started a new green hat. Picked up Elisa and took her to the Fellowship. It was a rare Sunday; we were not singing and did not have other obligations, so we all sat together. Introduced Elisa to lots of people. She is interested in joining us for choir rehearsal.

Took her home, went to the grocery store and bought over $100 worth of stuff, mostly because the coupons were expiring. Went home and had salad nicoise. Went to Southern Surplus to buy scrap wood for my chicken run project. Ate leftover sausage and ratatouille. Went to KR board meeting, which was painful and unpleasant, but we did set an agenda for the community meeting.

Ate some broccoli, watched TV, went to bed. 

That was a fun day! There was no home football game yesterday for the University of Georgia, nor an away game. That's why there were lots of activities scheduled.

It was cool in the morning and it's dark so late now, but we managed a walk to the mailbox and back, bringing in the newspaper and giving Cameron a little exercise. We thrashed around and drove off just as my Dad arrived. It was a beautiful sunny day.

We picked up Elisa at the home of her host family in Five Points. She was ready to go because I had called her, dressed in shorts and a t-shirt. We took her to pilates class with us, something she hadn't done before. She is 15 and quite thin, so I don't think it was hard for her. There was a full house at Balance. In the same complex, the Democrats were having a party. We stopped and listened to the music and said hi before heading to the farmers' market. We made one tour around and decided not to buy any $3/lb veggies. Ray talked to Richard Saunders, as he does most times.

Elisa is very sweet and agreeable and didn't talk much, although her English appears to be excellent. She seemed interested in everything, but not one thing more than another--not jewelry or soaps or any kind of food. Our next stop was the Lickskillet Market at the Lyndon House. There were many booths, with arts and crafts of all kinds. Our friends Le'Ann and Merdyth were there, selling crocheted items. We saw lots of other people we knew, mostly from the Fellowship. We even looked around the original Lyndon House, which is now a historical museum, restored as it might have been about 100 years ago. We managed to resist buying anything, atlhough there were some photographs that tempted me.

Our last stop was at Farm 255, where Slow Food was having a fund-raising event. For $10, we had lots of hummus and homemade crackers, hushpuppies with honey, and kale chips. We met my Dad there and he bought a bottle of good Pinot Noir to go with. Elisa had water, but she seemed to enjoy the food. There was music, too, and people we knew to talk to, although they were mainly older.

Although we enjoyed the appetizers, we decided we needed more. The restaurant was not open, so we walked up the street to the Last Resort Grill, where we had to wait about 10 minutes for a table. We all enjoyed our lunch. Elisa had my favorite, vegetable grill. I had a chicken and pasta dish, Ray had enchiladas, and I don't remember what Mudge ordered. I also had a piece of Bailey's chocolate cake, which I ate all by myself! It was delicious. We wandered around the block--Elisa had never been downtown or anywhere else in Athens or the area, except Clarke Central and a variety of Indian and Chinese restaurants that her host familly patronizes. We will change that!

We left her at her house and drove home to a beautiful fall afternoon--sunny and warm in my living room, cool outside, especially in the shade. Ray promptly took a long nap, while I worked on reading about long term care, Medicaid, and Medicare. It was very depressing, but I got a lot done.

When he got up, we had some salad and watched a little TV. We are trying to stay up later, as we have a couple events next week in the evening.