That Was The Weekend That Was
Thursday, October 9th -- I had put in for a training session which starts Monday. I was originally told that it was approved. Since I still hadn't heard anything about flights or room confirmations, I checked with my boss. There was a budget shortfall and since my training was literally the last item on the budget for the fiscal year, it got postponed. I would have started packing this weekend. It would have been nice of them to tell me sooner.
Friday, October 10th -- Picked up three take-out fish dinners from Sheridan VFW Post and off to a friend for a SF marathon TV session. I have to be up early weekday mornings, so I can't stay up to see late shows. She likes the same shows, so she records them and we watch them together on weekends. You can watch an hour TV show in 45 minutes when you fast forward thru commercials. We've caught up on Person of Interest, Agents of SHIELD and have Intelligence down to the last five episodes. (Literally, they cancelled the series.) While watching, I also got a chance to sit down and work on my puppets for the first time in weeks. Two years ago, I put on a shadow puppet play out of a children's puppet book. It was incredibly well received. Since it was a historical technique, I decided I would do another one and now that I know what I'm doing, the puppets would be a little more period in style. I was hoping to put on the play the following year. After over two years, I'm nearly finished carving the puppets. Next, I have to color them all. I just might be ready by next year.
Saturday, October 11th -- The usual errand running, except we made a trip out to the farm to pick up a pre-ordered turkey. Our freezer is now FULL! And we have a half pig to pick up later this week! We're going to have to eat up a lot of the frozen meats and veggies we brought home from mother's when we gave away the fridge! We drove into Buffalo to visit her for the first time in three weeks. Guilt. It was getting late so we dropped off all the stuff we brought for her and crashed at her house. It continues to be the Aegean stable as far as getting it ready for an estate sale.
There are times when both mother and myself compare the nursing home to prison. I brought her TUMS on request, the fruit flavored pastel colored ones. The nurses confiscated them as contraband drugs. They're calcium tablets! But, when patients complain of a tummy-ache, they get pastel colored tums. I'm not spending money to supply the rest home. They took away her plastic water bottle because plastic carries germs. I got her a metal sports bottle. She's had two offers on it. I told her we can supply them for $2@ I got it at a Salvation Army store for $1.
I've said before in this blog that I seem to acquire other people's stuff. I have somewhere between 4-5 dozen jigsaw puzzles. The ladies at the home do them every day. So, last time, I brought half a dozen 1,000 piece puzzles. The pieces are too small, they needed two card tables to spread all the pieces out and it took them four days just to do one puzzle. They don't like them. I didn't realize being in a nursing home left them so little time on their hands. This trip, I brought 500 piece puzzles and took the old ones back. We'll see.
I brought my mother personal supplies. Women supplies. I thought the women in the lobby were going to grab them out of my hands. I'm convinced that if I lose my job, I could make a living running errands for nursing home residents; pizza deliveries, booze runs, contraband vitamins, etc. The nurses are overworked just giving them the basics. They only get extras from family, some of whom never come. My mother's brother can't be bothered to water the plants in her house because being there without her makes him uncomfortable. He won't pick up the mail because he says the mail should have stopped by now. The box was crammed full on Saturday. He can't be bothered to visit her on Easter or her birthday. But when the home hired a professional entertainer to put on a free show, guess who was in the front row?
Sunday, October 12th -- Blacksmith Sunday! Whoo! The class has started on decorative napkin rings for their ladies for Christmas. I watched the technique for when I start making stuff to sell, but my wife and I already have at least three sets for our SCA feast gear, so I continued working on a set of hinges I promised for an SCA friend who's making a Viking chest. One of the senior blacksmiths volunteered to assist because I had a more interesting project. He made a number of suggestions, some of which I couldn't use because I was trying to copy a historical set. He told me not to apologize, go with what the client wants. One set of tongue and tabs came out nearly perfect and won't require much filing to get them perfect. The other set, not so much, they'll need a little more work. It seems one of our newer members works for a door company. He's an expert on hinges. Talk about great advice! I got a lot done on them today. I also got a little extra done for my swag bag. As an SCA bard, I feel that I should have small gifts for aspiring bards. Handmade is always better than storebought. To that end, I've been producing spoon rings and pendants to give away. I've also been trading for pieces at the blacksmith swap.
After blacksmithing, we sprung my mother from the joint (Her words, I told you we refer to it as prison) and took her shopping. The original plan was shopping trip, back to her house for corn on the cob since she didn't have any all summer and then out to dinner. She cancelled dinner at the home, but neglected to mention to us that she wanted to be back by 7:30 for her pills. She took so long shopping that by the time we finished the corn on the cob, there was only enough time for drive thru take out. She said she appreciated having a day away from the place anyway.
The stray cats around the home continue to survive. There's apparently been another litter. They have a cardboard box shelter, kibble, water and playtoys. One nurse was catching them, paying to have them neutered and releasing them, but she was running out of funds faster than they could re-produce. I'm going to have to look into a catch, neuter and release program for the home.
Monday, October 13th -- What? You thought I had the day off??? I work for the Seneca Nation, remember?
Friday, October 10th -- Picked up three take-out fish dinners from Sheridan VFW Post and off to a friend for a SF marathon TV session. I have to be up early weekday mornings, so I can't stay up to see late shows. She likes the same shows, so she records them and we watch them together on weekends. You can watch an hour TV show in 45 minutes when you fast forward thru commercials. We've caught up on Person of Interest, Agents of SHIELD and have Intelligence down to the last five episodes. (Literally, they cancelled the series.) While watching, I also got a chance to sit down and work on my puppets for the first time in weeks. Two years ago, I put on a shadow puppet play out of a children's puppet book. It was incredibly well received. Since it was a historical technique, I decided I would do another one and now that I know what I'm doing, the puppets would be a little more period in style. I was hoping to put on the play the following year. After over two years, I'm nearly finished carving the puppets. Next, I have to color them all. I just might be ready by next year.
Saturday, October 11th -- The usual errand running, except we made a trip out to the farm to pick up a pre-ordered turkey. Our freezer is now FULL! And we have a half pig to pick up later this week! We're going to have to eat up a lot of the frozen meats and veggies we brought home from mother's when we gave away the fridge! We drove into Buffalo to visit her for the first time in three weeks. Guilt. It was getting late so we dropped off all the stuff we brought for her and crashed at her house. It continues to be the Aegean stable as far as getting it ready for an estate sale.
There are times when both mother and myself compare the nursing home to prison. I brought her TUMS on request, the fruit flavored pastel colored ones. The nurses confiscated them as contraband drugs. They're calcium tablets! But, when patients complain of a tummy-ache, they get pastel colored tums. I'm not spending money to supply the rest home. They took away her plastic water bottle because plastic carries germs. I got her a metal sports bottle. She's had two offers on it. I told her we can supply them for $2@ I got it at a Salvation Army store for $1.
I've said before in this blog that I seem to acquire other people's stuff. I have somewhere between 4-5 dozen jigsaw puzzles. The ladies at the home do them every day. So, last time, I brought half a dozen 1,000 piece puzzles. The pieces are too small, they needed two card tables to spread all the pieces out and it took them four days just to do one puzzle. They don't like them. I didn't realize being in a nursing home left them so little time on their hands. This trip, I brought 500 piece puzzles and took the old ones back. We'll see.
I brought my mother personal supplies. Women supplies. I thought the women in the lobby were going to grab them out of my hands. I'm convinced that if I lose my job, I could make a living running errands for nursing home residents; pizza deliveries, booze runs, contraband vitamins, etc. The nurses are overworked just giving them the basics. They only get extras from family, some of whom never come. My mother's brother can't be bothered to water the plants in her house because being there without her makes him uncomfortable. He won't pick up the mail because he says the mail should have stopped by now. The box was crammed full on Saturday. He can't be bothered to visit her on Easter or her birthday. But when the home hired a professional entertainer to put on a free show, guess who was in the front row?
Sunday, October 12th -- Blacksmith Sunday! Whoo! The class has started on decorative napkin rings for their ladies for Christmas. I watched the technique for when I start making stuff to sell, but my wife and I already have at least three sets for our SCA feast gear, so I continued working on a set of hinges I promised for an SCA friend who's making a Viking chest. One of the senior blacksmiths volunteered to assist because I had a more interesting project. He made a number of suggestions, some of which I couldn't use because I was trying to copy a historical set. He told me not to apologize, go with what the client wants. One set of tongue and tabs came out nearly perfect and won't require much filing to get them perfect. The other set, not so much, they'll need a little more work. It seems one of our newer members works for a door company. He's an expert on hinges. Talk about great advice! I got a lot done on them today. I also got a little extra done for my swag bag. As an SCA bard, I feel that I should have small gifts for aspiring bards. Handmade is always better than storebought. To that end, I've been producing spoon rings and pendants to give away. I've also been trading for pieces at the blacksmith swap.
After blacksmithing, we sprung my mother from the joint (Her words, I told you we refer to it as prison) and took her shopping. The original plan was shopping trip, back to her house for corn on the cob since she didn't have any all summer and then out to dinner. She cancelled dinner at the home, but neglected to mention to us that she wanted to be back by 7:30 for her pills. She took so long shopping that by the time we finished the corn on the cob, there was only enough time for drive thru take out. She said she appreciated having a day away from the place anyway.
The stray cats around the home continue to survive. There's apparently been another litter. They have a cardboard box shelter, kibble, water and playtoys. One nurse was catching them, paying to have them neutered and releasing them, but she was running out of funds faster than they could re-produce. I'm going to have to look into a catch, neuter and release program for the home.
Monday, October 13th -- What? You thought I had the day off??? I work for the Seneca Nation, remember?