Ray's hip seemed better and he drove himself in, but walking from where he parked to his office started it hurting again.

It was warm and rainy in the morning, but cleared in the afternoon and was at least 75. I spent some time tediously going through old financial records and throwing some away.

My Dad was here twice, working on his computer and planting potatoes.

I fed the pigs; Ray came home. We ate leftover rice and ground beef and went to see Albert Nobbs with Becky and Kent at Cine. It was an amazing movie, with excellent performances and supporting services, like makeup and settings. But I didn't like the actual story that well. I couldn't really identify well with the main character, who seemed real enough but not that interesting.

Dessert, bedtime. I was reading a bit before I fell asleep and my book took an unpleasant turn. I had to stay up late finishing it and it made me somewhat cross at the author.

It's light out! And looks like it will be sunny today. The high is supposed to be in the 70s. Yesterday was warm, but rainy and heavily overcast, so it was a little cool in the house during the morning.

Ray had severe pain in his hip and couldn't get comfortable. He took an Aleve, then I gave him one of my muscle relaxants, but he was miserable. Finally I gave him one of my pills for back pain and he went to sleep. Then I had to wake him up and see if he wanted to go to work or not. He did and he has felt much better since then. I drove him in, thinking it wasn't safe for him to drive with that in his system.

I was a little at loose ends most of the day. My Dad came in the afternoon and I went back to get Ray at 3:30. We went to Kroger and got home about 5:00. I made the Chocolate Eclipse for potluck and got it in the oven; then I walked over to feed the pigs and back. I enjoyed potluck and choir and we went to bed early.

Unfortunately, I had the runs about 2 in the morning and spent an hour or so sitting on the toilet. This was not good for my back or my disposition. Hopefully a walk will improve both.

4 more dozen mini-quiches to freeze

My Dad called me again this morning. He had another pain in the night and had made an appointment with Dr. Park. I took Ray to work and picked him up and took him to the doctor. He was there about an hour. I was sure he was going to be admitted to the hospital or something bad. But they found nothing wrong with him; his EKG was the same as it was the last time he had one. They are thinking it may be esophogeal spasm...

So we went home and ate some lunch and he worked in the garden in the afternoon in the warm light rain. I went to my writing workshop. Then I zipped home to pick him up, fed the pigs, and went to see Hugo at the movies. It was very good. Then we took him home and went home ourselves.

Leftover rice and ground beef and cabbage dish for supper. Watching TV until 10 or so. For someone with not much to do, I seem pretty busy.

Five weeks until Molli's wedding! I made the first batch of 48 mini-quiches to freeze. Only 9 more batches.

I was working on the guest list and Ray was getting ready to leave when my cell phone rang. I often get poor service at home on my cell phone, so I encourage people to call me at home if they call on the cell. It was my Dad and he said he didn't feel well, but it wasn't a very good connection. I called him back from the house phone right away. He wanted me to come get him and (I thought) take him to the emergency room. It was a little scary. I didn't ask him for details because I thought we should go as soon as possible. Ray grabbed some leftovers for lunch and we headed over. It takes a good 20 minutes and it was hard not to be nervous.

He came right out when we got there and Ray went to take a bus to his office. He said he just wanted to go to my house. He had felt strange while eating his breakfast and now he felt weak. Then he remembered that he had run out of blood pressure pills and hadn't taken them for a few days. So we went to the drug store and got the prescription filled and he took one as soon as we got to my house. He drank some green tea. He checked his email and looked at the garden and seemed fine to me. He decided to lie down for a while. At lunch, he wanted canned chicken soup and toast. He wondered aloud if the blood pressured medication could be taking effect already and I said maybe. He felt better.

I took him home after lunch and mailed an invitation to England. I bought a few things at Earth Fare, like yogurt and bananas. Then I went to pick Soli up from school. It was 2:45 and he said he had been waiting for me 15 minutes. I apologized and he said it was okay. He ate a cookie from the cookie jar in the car. We played War and Save the Whales and he ate a banana, a quarter of a melon, and 3 nut cookies. And he watched one half hour of TV: Arthur.

Cori picked Ray up at Hendershot's after she got Adah from school and Soli and I started for the pigs before she got home. I fed the pigs and then remembered my Dad had called to say we needed to pick up the scraps from Porterhouse. I really didn't want to do it--driving all the way into town after making Ray take the bus home, for one thing. When I went in, they asked me if I had any buckets. I guess they are in Captain's car. I will remind him to take them by today, assuming he is feeling fine. They gave us two heavy buckets of good-looking stuff. Andy, the owner, was there, and he said, "we're going to get some barbecue out of this, right?" I need to send some cookies to Mike, the cook.

Ray and I had frittata for supper, the first we have had with the new season's eggs. Delicious--with onion and red pepper and potato. And some broccoli from the freezer. Time to eat everything that is in there from last year. 

We watched more TV than usual--2 of our regular game shows, plus a lot of the Academy Awards we had recorded the night before. It was still too much for one night and we'll finish it some other time. Slept well.

I was feeling pretty down yesterday. At the Fellowship, Alison announced that Joy S. is dying, which made me cry and cry. This death is especially hard because Joy is about my age. She and Harry have been quiet helpful members of UUFA for many years, especially during special events. Harry is having to move as the USDA closes their office here. In some ways, it is better that she dies now, in Athens, instead of having to go to a new location and get new doctors and services. But he will have to start a new life alone. They have no children.

We had Fourth Sunday lunch and it was delicious. My Dad was at the service and stayed for lunch. He came in the afternoon and the three of us worked outside. That was really good--it is raining now. I was pretty tired and sore, but don't seem to be too bad this morning. Ray's hip has been bothering him a lot, but he dug up a bed for potatoes and Captain went along behind him and pulled out the weeds. I did some weeding in the asparagus bed--and then lay on my back in the sun for awhile. The chickens have been laying well and I gave my Dad a dozen eggs. I have a few left and I am confident that there will be more.

We fed the pigs and walked home. I borrowed a couple onions from Manita and made a big batch of Bounty Rice, which involves ground beef, cabbage, canned tomatoes and mozzarella cheese. Tasty, although not gourmet. We have a lot left, plus a lot of cauliflower pasta from Saturday night, so we will have enough leftovers for lunch all week.

I had been looking forward to the Academy Awards, but they didn't start until 8:30. By then, we had watched Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy and Big Bang Theory. Of course, the first part is less interesting and I fell asleep almost immediately. Going up to bed was really hard.

Yesterday was sunny and windy, but cold. We had a fire going most of the day and it was pleasant, but needed some baking...

Ray slept late. I ate breakfast and took a short walk and got three eggs. When I woke him to go to pilates, he said he wasn't going. So I didn't either, feeling like we needed to spend some time together. His hip was really hurting. He ate breakfast and took his own walk and I took a nice bath.

We left about noon to go downtown and pick up our tickets for the musical and go by the bank before arriving at the Fellowship. I had brought some leftovers to eat for lunch. Rosemary and Geneva had set everything up.

Most of the people who signed up were there to fill out their Health Care Directive, but not everyone. It was somewhat depressing work, but helpful to know what the choices mean. Then we had witnesses on hand to sign each other's forms. My Dad came too, so now all three of us have signed health care directives (living wills). We need to make copies and give them to people who might be asked to make decisions for us and take it on trips.

After that, we came home. I addressed some of the rehearsal dinner invitations and decided what to have for dinner. As usual, when I leave it too late, I get cranky and don't feel very good. It was about seven when we ate. Then we had to rush to the Classic Center. Fortunately, it didn't start right on time. It was funny, but not as funny as I had hoped. People around me were giggling and guffawing and I was entertained, but I think it was not quite the kind of thing I like as much as some people. Ray liked it more than I did. It was Menopause the Musical and they had written new words to a lot of old songs. Four middle-aged women sang them, in a set that was meant to be Bloomingdale's. It was cute, but I prefer a little more story or a little more originality. Becky and Mac were next to us.

Went to bed when I got home and had my mask on most of the night.

woman in hoop

I was home all day, doing some wedding stuff and some computer stuff (entering old expenditures and filing them) and even throwing away some old financial stuff. Becky came for lunch, thank goodness, and we had a lovely meal of chicken tagine and couscous, followed by cookies I had just made (butter-nut chip that I had waiting to slice and bake). We talked a lot and it made a good break. Nonetheless, I was a little brain-dead by the time it was 5 o'clock. It had been really rainy in the morning, although not at all cold, and began to clear late in the day.

Tanya brought Miles to the house, with money and a water bottle and instructions. We were supposed to leave at 5, but Ray and my Dad didn't pull up until a few minutes later. Ray was starving and made himself a quick sandwich. I ate cookies. We drove to the Gwinnett Center, where the circus was playing, and got there before 6:30, when the doors were supposed to open for the pre-show. We ate some expensive food (grilled chicken sandwich $6.75) and went down into the ring to see some of the performers up close, mainly jugglers. Miles seemed mesmerized. Then we went to our seats, buying popcorn and a big drink (for Ray).

The Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey circus is glitzy and exciting and a little bit old-fashioned. It is grandly billed as "The Greatest Show on Earth" and maybe it is. I did feel a little ashamed during the animal acts. Really, the best we can do to show our superiority is making elephants and tigers and even horses stand on their hind legs? Not to question the skill of the trainers, but isn't it kind of embarrassing to make beautiful intelligent creatures do things for our entertainment?

stilt walker

There were three rings, of course, so sometimes there were three different groups doing roughly the same kind of act, so everyone can get a good view, I guess. Like jugglers, for instance. The horses in one ring were miniature. But the performers were amazing. They did a lot of difficult things, as they have for generations. Tightrope wire? with bicycles and people on each other's shoulders? Check. An amazing family of tumblers in orange and red costumes. Check. People on ropes and in hoops hanging from the ceiling with no net? Check. This is similar to what they do here in town, at Trapeze, and we are lucky to have them. But this was a dozen people or more at the same time a long way off the ground. Two guys walking in spinning cages (like hamsters) and jumping back and forth between their cages. Just incredible stuff, one after the other. And a live orchestra or small band playing constantly. Dramatic announcements and clowns that did lots of acrobatics too. The children behind me were laughing a lot. A guy on really tall stilts and a lot of people on shorter, springy stilts, dancing.

elephants on the right

trying to take Miles' picture

Miles seemed to love it, but it was so new to him, he practically didn't know how to react. He had money to spend on something, but the stuff was crappy and ridiculously expensive. A plastic sword for $20! He didn't have that much money. The souvenir program was $12, so we didn't buy one, but now I wish I had, if it had the names of the acts in it. He finally settled on a snow-cone in a plastic cup that looked like a tiger--$12.

I marvelled at the logistics of putting something like this on, scheduling and the support staff.

We were home about 11. Miles had fallen asleep on the way home, by the time we were looking for "J" on the signs, playing the alphabet game. A very satisfying outing...And I woke up to daylight.