Pretty Good Birthday Week
Once again this year, as has become my habit, I took my Birthday Week as vacation. While not as productive or restful as past years, it had it's moments.
The weekend prior, Husband and I went up to visit his aunt again -- did NOT go to the yarn place this time, but spent quality time with Aunt and her hyper Dalmatian (VERY loving dog -- lots of puppy kisses!), visited a local apple orchard/barn and bought stuff, drove up to Lake Geneva and bought really good ribeye steaks which we grilled that evening for supper, went to Papa G's for breakfast (diner featured in "Groundhog Day"), and drove Sunday to visit my Mom on the way home..... to find a note on the door "Went to Hospital Sat AM, Mom" !!! When I talked to Mom on that Friday before, she'd mentioned that she had a really bad cough and a mild fever and antibiotics to take; and she didn't THINK it was something she picked up in Kenya.... Got to the hospital and found Mom getting a Vibration Therapy treatment to help break up congestion, and apparently enjoying it very much (Mom has a chronic back muscle problem) -- diagnosis was Viral Pneumonia (NOT picked up in Kenya, but most likely during the lengthy trip home afterwards). We visited for an hour or so, and made plans for me to come back sometime during my vacation week, after she was home.
Monday I did errands and all the household chores I normally do on weekends. Picked up my paycheck and went to the bank, post office, grocery store, the vet's for heart worm preventative for the Noisy Beasts, did laundry, cooked goulash for supper since I was home and had the time (takes about an hour and a half), checked the garden for ripening tomatoes and actually found a couple that weren't bug and varmint chomped) and knitted a bit.
Tuesday I went to the Presbytery-sponsored 'Administration Assistant's Day' seminar -- yes, it was scheduled during my vacation week, but it was being held at the Wildlife Prairie Park near Peoria, which I'd always wanted to revisit (went once when Daughter was in grade school-- 15 yrs? ago, the big attraction then was the wolf pack). The Foundation which runs it really had put a lot of work into the place -- buildings, exhibits, gift shop (of course!), a Butterfly habitat, buffalo, elk, deer, black bears, a petting zoo, a Raptor recovery area, well-maintained paths, a camping area (?) -- didn't see the wolves this time, they were hiding too well. The Presbytery seminar included a light, late breakfast and a luncheon afterwards, and was generally fairly informative (and after, we were free to explore the Park). A long drive to and from, but worth it, I think, just for the Prairie Park.
Wednesday, more errands. Plus Daughter and I went on an 'expotitiion' to locate and investigate our local area's Apple Orchard/Barn. I thought I knew where it was and how to get there, but we ended up taking the scenic route because the road I thought we had to take wasn't there anymore!!! But we got there in the end -- nice little farm/barn, apple products and a petting zoo with llamas, goats, chickens and sheep. Daughter was a bit freaked out by one of the rams -- it had FOUR horns. Thanks to my time in the SCA, I was able to tell her that back in medieval times, it was considered a source of great pride for a farmer to have a ram with multiple pairs of horns! She still thought it was creepy.
Thursday, I drove out to visit Mom, who was home from hospital... she was doing a lot better, but didn't have the energy to go out for lunch so we stayed in for turkey sandwiches, sliced tomatoes and cantaloupe... Dad used to say that Mom never met a cantaloupe she didn't like.... Mom talked, I listened, we both cried a little about Dad.... I told her about the dream I had about being at a card show and hearing Dad's voice in the next room telling one of his 'shaggy dog' stories...we talked about maybe taking a mini-trip next year together up into Canada ( I will have to get a passport, I guess), a bit about Thanksgiving plans, since I won't be going to Chicago TARDIS-Con this year ( Adric's new exhaust system & Oxygen sensor two weeks ago ate up my 'discretionary savings' -- no DAISHO-Con OR TARDIS-Con in November -- Phooey!), and generally had a nice visit. Then I drove home (SO MUCH DRIVING THIS PAST WEEK!!!), to crock pot beef stew and dumplings for supper.
Friday - Ta Dah! My birthday. Had birthday cards from Mom, Older Sister and Youngest Sister, and our church's Music Director. Nice quiet morning catching up on e-mail, etc., then Daughter and I went out to Lunch together at the Olive Garden, using the gift card that Joel the Interim Intern gave me as a 'Thank You for All Your Help this Past Summer", then I shopped for some new winter boots, and picked up a book for Older Sister at the used Book Store that she'd requested and had come in. Got home and took a nap while Daughter made my birthday cake. When Husband came home from work, we went out for supper to Montana Jack's (Reeeeeally good steaks) and checked out two 'Spirit of Halloween' locations, picked up "The Winter Soldier" for weekend viewing and came home for cake and prezzies, and OMG! Daughter had made me a Totoro out of an old owl garden statue, and a 'Sarah Jane' crocheted auraugumi doll (a while back, she'd asked me who my favorite Doctor Who character was - not including the Doctor - guess this was why), and Husband gave me.... an Amazon Kindle! Oh WOW! Back when I received my share of Dad's Life Insurance benefit, I'd spent about a week researching e-book readers, thinking that I might get one....but never went any further. Just a casual look at available titles (after figuring out how to log-on and all -- surprise! having that nuisance of an Amazon account from back in April is actually useful, after FINALLY remembering my password!) -- I'm drooling, just from the Children's Books selections....
Anyone have good tips for using a Kindle? And I seem to recall some chatter about an ap for downloading FanFiction?
So, other than all the driving (must have put nearly a thousand miles on Adric's odometer over the past seven days) -- it was a Pretty Darned Good Birthday Week !!!
(Although, I hate to think about what my desk at work will look like on Monday)
The weekend prior, Husband and I went up to visit his aunt again -- did NOT go to the yarn place this time, but spent quality time with Aunt and her hyper Dalmatian (VERY loving dog -- lots of puppy kisses!), visited a local apple orchard/barn and bought stuff, drove up to Lake Geneva and bought really good ribeye steaks which we grilled that evening for supper, went to Papa G's for breakfast (diner featured in "Groundhog Day"), and drove Sunday to visit my Mom on the way home..... to find a note on the door "Went to Hospital Sat AM, Mom" !!! When I talked to Mom on that Friday before, she'd mentioned that she had a really bad cough and a mild fever and antibiotics to take; and she didn't THINK it was something she picked up in Kenya.... Got to the hospital and found Mom getting a Vibration Therapy treatment to help break up congestion, and apparently enjoying it very much (Mom has a chronic back muscle problem) -- diagnosis was Viral Pneumonia (NOT picked up in Kenya, but most likely during the lengthy trip home afterwards). We visited for an hour or so, and made plans for me to come back sometime during my vacation week, after she was home.
Monday I did errands and all the household chores I normally do on weekends. Picked up my paycheck and went to the bank, post office, grocery store, the vet's for heart worm preventative for the Noisy Beasts, did laundry, cooked goulash for supper since I was home and had the time (takes about an hour and a half), checked the garden for ripening tomatoes and actually found a couple that weren't bug and varmint chomped) and knitted a bit.
Tuesday I went to the Presbytery-sponsored 'Administration Assistant's Day' seminar -- yes, it was scheduled during my vacation week, but it was being held at the Wildlife Prairie Park near Peoria, which I'd always wanted to revisit (went once when Daughter was in grade school-- 15 yrs? ago, the big attraction then was the wolf pack). The Foundation which runs it really had put a lot of work into the place -- buildings, exhibits, gift shop (of course!), a Butterfly habitat, buffalo, elk, deer, black bears, a petting zoo, a Raptor recovery area, well-maintained paths, a camping area (?) -- didn't see the wolves this time, they were hiding too well. The Presbytery seminar included a light, late breakfast and a luncheon afterwards, and was generally fairly informative (and after, we were free to explore the Park). A long drive to and from, but worth it, I think, just for the Prairie Park.
Wednesday, more errands. Plus Daughter and I went on an 'expotitiion' to locate and investigate our local area's Apple Orchard/Barn. I thought I knew where it was and how to get there, but we ended up taking the scenic route because the road I thought we had to take wasn't there anymore!!! But we got there in the end -- nice little farm/barn, apple products and a petting zoo with llamas, goats, chickens and sheep. Daughter was a bit freaked out by one of the rams -- it had FOUR horns. Thanks to my time in the SCA, I was able to tell her that back in medieval times, it was considered a source of great pride for a farmer to have a ram with multiple pairs of horns! She still thought it was creepy.
Thursday, I drove out to visit Mom, who was home from hospital... she was doing a lot better, but didn't have the energy to go out for lunch so we stayed in for turkey sandwiches, sliced tomatoes and cantaloupe... Dad used to say that Mom never met a cantaloupe she didn't like.... Mom talked, I listened, we both cried a little about Dad.... I told her about the dream I had about being at a card show and hearing Dad's voice in the next room telling one of his 'shaggy dog' stories...we talked about maybe taking a mini-trip next year together up into Canada ( I will have to get a passport, I guess), a bit about Thanksgiving plans, since I won't be going to Chicago TARDIS-Con this year ( Adric's new exhaust system & Oxygen sensor two weeks ago ate up my 'discretionary savings' -- no DAISHO-Con OR TARDIS-Con in November -- Phooey!), and generally had a nice visit. Then I drove home (SO MUCH DRIVING THIS PAST WEEK!!!), to crock pot beef stew and dumplings for supper.
Friday - Ta Dah! My birthday. Had birthday cards from Mom, Older Sister and Youngest Sister, and our church's Music Director. Nice quiet morning catching up on e-mail, etc., then Daughter and I went out to Lunch together at the Olive Garden, using the gift card that Joel the Interim Intern gave me as a 'Thank You for All Your Help this Past Summer", then I shopped for some new winter boots, and picked up a book for Older Sister at the used Book Store that she'd requested and had come in. Got home and took a nap while Daughter made my birthday cake. When Husband came home from work, we went out for supper to Montana Jack's (Reeeeeally good steaks) and checked out two 'Spirit of Halloween' locations, picked up "The Winter Soldier" for weekend viewing and came home for cake and prezzies, and OMG! Daughter had made me a Totoro out of an old owl garden statue, and a 'Sarah Jane' crocheted auraugumi doll (a while back, she'd asked me who my favorite Doctor Who character was - not including the Doctor - guess this was why), and Husband gave me.... an Amazon Kindle! Oh WOW! Back when I received my share of Dad's Life Insurance benefit, I'd spent about a week researching e-book readers, thinking that I might get one....but never went any further. Just a casual look at available titles (after figuring out how to log-on and all -- surprise! having that nuisance of an Amazon account from back in April is actually useful, after FINALLY remembering my password!) -- I'm drooling, just from the Children's Books selections....
Anyone have good tips for using a Kindle? And I seem to recall some chatter about an ap for downloading FanFiction?
So, other than all the driving (must have put nearly a thousand miles on Adric's odometer over the past seven days) -- it was a Pretty Darned Good Birthday Week !!!
(Although, I hate to think about what my desk at work will look like on Monday)