There is nothing like being sick to make you appreciate being well. I had a bad headache for several days and took a lot of medicine. It makes no sense, unless it was the unusually cool dry weather we had. Low pressure? I felt generally achy and crappy too, but I don't think it was any sort of illness... I went in to work Wednesday, but I felt bad and thought about staying home. Plus I have spent most of the last 2 days at work recreating a lost QuickBooks file that disappeared. Even the IT guy couldn't find it. He did not find any corruption either that would explain it. But now it is done, not exactly the same as the original, but with the same totals. I had to deal with taxes and insurance on Wednesday too. Not much fun.

The weather has been sunny and warm, but not too warm. I have been weeding the garden and picking strawberries when I come home from work.

Yesterday was the last day for the interns we had since August. It will be sad to miss them. And I will need to do a lot of the work that they have been doing all year. Answering the phone and door, buying the groceries, etc.

Alison, the minister, was at potluck Wednesday night and seemed very comfortable and a good presence. I enjoyed singing.

Apparently, I can no longer post photos to this blog. What at pain in the neck! I wanted you to see the strawberries. They are beautiful.

I have a bad headache this morning.

Yesterday I was about 10 minutes late to work and I couldn't even blame it on Ray--he was home in bed! I spent most of the time working on taxes and insurance, not fun. but I left at 2 and came on home to work in the yard for a bit before Ray and I headed to Amber's to babysit her two little ones while she went to a meeting. It was less than 2 hours and we enjoyed it. Ray mostly played with Calvin, the older child, racing cars and being boys. I played with Lila, who took a while to warm up to me. First she cried when her Mom left. Then she sat and looked at me distrustfully, but eventually we had fun. I was reading stories loud while she was crying, holding out fruit snacks to bribe her. We played put the cars in the box of blocks, build towers and knock them down. After a while, she started asking "more," using words and sign language, wanting me to keep giving her fruit snacks. She fell down, stepping on a toy car, and started crying again. I picked her up and sat down with her and she calmed down. We sat and watched the boys a little, Ray giving her snacks. Somehow she managed to pee on my lap right through her diaper. I changed her, but not myself.

Ray and I drove downtown to have supper with Janna and Ron and Becky and Kent at an Italian restaurant we had never been to before. Really good! and we had a great time. Except I had this headache. I took two pain relievers (a lot for me) and it mostly went away long enough for me to eat a little lasagna and panna cotta. But it was back by the time we got home and I took an Advil migraine pill, which usually does the job for me.

It has been really cool here (43 this morning), which I like, but maybe there is some weird pressure thing going on. I am trying a little food and hoping it will go away. Maybe a walk will help.

A lovely breeze blowing in the windows--cool enough to huddle under the quilt, should have been a great night for sleeping, but I did not do much of it. My back was sore, maybe from being on my feet--or moving the furniture around. I had 12 people to dinner and it was a great success. They didn't leave until after 10, but it wasn't stressful or difficult--maybe just the adrenaline?

Yesterday, everybody seemed to be grumpy at the office. I guess no one wanted to come to work Monday morning. The electrician said he would be there by 9, but he wasn't. The computer guy was supposed to take my computer over the weekend, but he didn't. The budget is still not final. This is the interns' last week...Meredith and I worked on payroll some, but there were some time cards missing. And most of all, I could not find one of my QuickBooks files, fortunately the smaller one that keeps track of residents' savings accounts. It will not be too hard to recreate; we have copies of the receipts. The last backup I have is from September, which is too bad, but it's a relatively small account, with a lot fewer deposits and checks than the main account, which I made a backup of before I left yesterday. The question is, why would it completely disappear? Pretty nerve-wracking.

I took a long lunch break and went to Talbot's, because I had a coupon that expired yesterday for 20% off--everything I bought, even the stuff that was already marked down 25%. I was pretty moderate and bought some dress seersucker shorts and a zip-front casual jacket, but there was a lot I would have tried on if I had more time. I called my Mom and the Captain brought her down. Ray and I picked her up after work and she had found a dress she liked, so that was great. Then we went home and rushed around, cleaning and rearranging furniture. I put the casserole in the oven and took a quick shower and dressed. People started arriving and Ray and my parents left. We had two tables set with real plates and silverware and glasses for water and wine and real napkins and tablecloths, of course. And we had real chairs--only one of them broke during dinner! Alison, the new minister, sat for a while at one table and then switched. She seems very good and I will enjoy working with her and getting to know her.

I only made the chicken and rice casserole; other people brought salads and appetizers and desserts and drinks. Rich made the coffee. I showed off the garden before supper. After dessert, we moved back to the living room and had serious talks about things. People still won't consider that we need to buy a van and pick people up instead of building a bigger parking lot. And two members of the board said people need to just get over it and say we're a church. But I don't have to deal with it any more. Everyone was very appreciative of us hosting the dinner.

Now to face the day--I can sleep tonight.

Sigh, Monday already. Not that I'm complaining about having a job to go to. Especially one I can leave at 3 o'clock.

Yesterday morning, more rain. We ended up with almost 2 inches in 24 hours--good for the growing things!

Pancakes for breakfast, baked cookies that my Mom mixed up the day before--homemade slice and bake--nut chip cookies. She came with us to the UUFA, but the Captain stayed home. I had asked him to see if some of the chairs in the basement could be fixed. The sanctuary was full, many people I hadn't seen in awhile, like Alice H., all excited about Alison, our new minister. She is here for a week, doing two Sunday services and meeting with lots of different groups. Next Sunday afternoon, we vote on whether to hire her or not starting in August. I thought she was very good. I really like her down-to-earth direct style. She spent 25 years as a photo editor at National Geographic. My beliefs are almost exactly the same as hers, although of course she emphasize that other beliefs are welcome. She talked about "people curving the arc of the universe toward justice" (not an exact quote) and not believing in God or anything supernatural, while reserving the possibility that some things not yet proven by science may be true. Anyway, looks good so far. There was a reception afterward: punch and cookies, which is why I was baking cookies Sunday morning. Good attendance and "positive energy." She is coming to my house for dinner tonight, along with 13 other people, mostly board members. I am sending Ray and my parents away. I spent most of the afternoon making chicken and rice casserole. And a little time outside working on the yard with Ray. My Dad shredded the chicken, the worst part of making it, so that was very nice. Threw together some supper and the day was over.

The birds are singing; it's getting light. I slept until almost 7, which is a good thing. I have been pretty tired.

Yesterday it rained off and on all day, with thunder and lightning. At one point, there were one and a half inches in the rain gauge. But we wanted it to rain for the gardens' sake. I hope my strawberries are not too soggy to eat--the taste changes when there is a lot of rain. We didn't have a lot of time we would have spent outdoors anyway.

I took the dogs for a brief walk and got a little wet, which I don't mind that much. It wasn't cold.

We went to Pilates class, which was really good. After that, we spent a little time at Borders, looking at books about France (for my part). Ray bought a couple books about dinosaurs. We met Ron and Janna for lunch. Then we drove around and looked at chairs; thinking about buying a few extra for Monday night, when there will be at least 12 of us. I was happy to find acceptable used chairs at 2 different stores, starting at $35 each. They wouldn't exactly match my other chairs, but sturdy and nice enough. Surprisingly, our favorite was set of six, covered in black leather, not exactly what I was expecting. They were quite comfortable and sturdy--and $165 each. I don't think they would go that well in our house, but maybe. It would be nice to have comfortable matching chairs and they might be easier to keep clean and solid.

The reason we had stayed in town was the ground-breaking for a memorial garden at Town & Gown for Tom, Marie and Ben. I really can't say much more because I still cry when I think about it. In fact, I couldn't really say for the reception because I just kept crying. They planted 3 large maple trees and have plans for a beautiful outdoor space next to the theater, called Arcadia after the last play they were all involved in and a name for a beautiful natural area.

So we were home a little earlier than I expected. My Dad had almost finished the chicken tractor with my Mom's help. I really did not feel up to dealing with helping him, although I felt very guilty about my Mom doing it. I started making bread and soup for supper. Then she came in looking for some wire and I went out to help her and clear a space in the garage for the finished product. It is pretty cool. Captain said I had my revenge because he hit his thumb 4 or 5 times.

I vacuumed a little and made the soup, with chard and herbs from the garden, as well as zucchini and other things from the refrigerator. It was apparently the right therapy. Missed my kids, though. After two bowls, Ray and I headed to Cedar Shoals to see Stephanie, Kelly's granddaughter, as Adelaide in Guys and Dolls. It was fun. I had never seen that play before, although Amelia and Molli did with Janna one time. I think Ray and I went away for the weekend and left them with her... Very predictable plot. Better singing and dancing than I expected.

I think we were in bed by 10:30 and I was out like a light. No reading in bed last night!

Well, that was a pretty rough week. I am really glad it's over.

On Friday morning, I got in just a few minutes after 8. Meredith was not there. She had texted me, but it took me a while to think of checking my phone. She was getting her car registered and therefore had to renew her license, all of which took time.

In the meantime, our challenging board member, Maureen, had called. She wanted copies of statements from last year. She was going to take them to the bank and try to get copies of all the checks that were deposited and not properly entered in QuickBooks. So I got the statements and faxed them to her.

Then we got letters that some documentation we had submitted for a grant reimbursement was not acceptable. We sent the receipts and copies of bank statements showing the checks had cleared. But they want copies of the front and back of the cancelled checks, for which our bank charges $1 per copy. Taylor worked on that some and will hopefully finish it Monday.

Worked a little on policies. Slow hard work. Kerri was busy--she had 4 intakes, so she couldn't work with me on it.

I took a break at lunchtime and drove to the Mexican restaurant not far away. It was a warm sunny day and there was a long line, but it turns out if you want to sit at the counter, you don't have to wait. That was a nice surprise and I enjoyed my lunch: shrimp chowder, fish taco, salad, sweet tea.

When we got home, my Dad was working on building a "chicken tractor." This is a sort of large cage that you put in your garden and put chickens in, so they can eat the bugs and dig up the soil. We have been thinking that chickens are the only way to solve our grasshopper problem. My Mom was helping him nail pieces of wood together, but she was coughing. I changed my clothes and went out to take her place. Often projects turn out to be more trouble than you would think. This was going pretty well, until he hammered my thumb. I certainly did not see it coming and was shocked and it hurt like @**. I put ice on it and it is still a little painful this morning. I will probably lose that nail; there is a blue-green patch on it.

I picked 3 strawberries when I took my walk around last night--not quite ripe, but we will eat them today anyway. Enjoyed asparagus and lettuce, a few radishes.

There is a lovely steady rain out there this morning and I know the plants are really going to benefit from it.

Yesterday morning I beat Ray at racquetball, even though I didn't want to go. I was exhausted and depressed. During the day, I talked to Meredith some and one board member and did some work on the policies in the afternoon. Maybe words are easier than numbers...Ray and I had a quick supper before the Democratic Committee meeting. Michael Mills, a candidate for secretary of state, spoke. He was pretty impressive. We'll see.

Home before dark to look at the gardens. I put some remay over the strawberries, which have started turning pink. Looks like we should have some good ones within a few days! Watched TV, knitted, went to bed. Sore this morning, probably from racquetball, possibly compounded by stress. Getting better. How do you cast on cable style? I will be calling you, Amelia.