Saturday, January 22, 2011

Even Colder Saturday

Saturday is even colder then yesterday. It's 19 degrees out there right now.

I got some pretty good sleep last night...thanks to a sleeping pill. I went to bed at 8:00...very tired. I had been having a back ache and took an Aleve for that and then I had been asleep for an hour and a half and my younger son called. He had no idea his old mother would be asleep at 9:30. I visited with him for thirty minutes or so and then was not going to be able to get back to sleep. I always have a problem with that if I get awakened after falling to sleep. I just decided that was a time to take a sleeping pill so I did. I do not do that often but it's good to have them on hand just in case.

Slinky got me up at 4:00 to go out but went back to sleep until 4:45 when he began crying for his breakfast. I finally got up and began my day.

I have no plans for today. It's bitterly cold. I do need to go to the dollar store and get cat food for the cats. I also need oatmeal, yogurt and dog treats. I can get all of that at the dollar store except the yogurt. I get that at Braums which is right next door to the dollar store.

We are forecast for snow tomorrow. It will be interesting to see if that develops. We missed the snow earlier this week.

I didn't hear from Keith yesterday or from Leslie. I did hear from Scott, as I said...last night. The kids are all very busy. Keith and his girlfriend were going to Vegas this weekend, I think he said. Leslie will have John to do things with now that he is off weekends with his new job.

More later...

It warmed up later in the morning and I called my brother-in-law to see if he would like to go to Bartlesville with me. He did. We shopped at Goodwill and walked the mall and then went back to Luigi's to eat lunch. It was good but not as good as the Railroad Inn in Independence.

We got back about 1:30 and I dropped him off then headed to the Dollar store to get my oatmeal and Missy and Inky's cat food. Then I whipped around the corner and got my yogurt. The only thing I forgot was the dog treats. Slinky will just have to do without. :) He's so spoiled!

I will read my new Kindle book this afternoon. I will stay home this evening.

Friday, January 21, 2011

Cold Friday

This is going to be a really cold Friday. It's 20 degrees right now and the low is to be 7 degrees. Luckily, I have nothing planned for today. I do need to finish dusting. When the cable man came yesterday, I was interrupted.

Slinky slept through the night last night and only woke me up at 4:00 AM. I got back to sleep after that. I slept until 5:30, which, for me, is very good. I generally get up at 5:00.

I have been pulling a large throw rug into the dining room in the sunshine while I read from the chair next to the windows. As long as Slinky stays on that throw rug, I let him into the dining room next to me so he can sun himself.

I started another book yesterday. Unfortunately it isn't on my Kindle. I have a pile of six books that are not that I will eventually work my way through. I am only about halfway through the Autobiography of Mark Twain. It got pretty boring after awhile so I switched to another book.

More later...

My brother-in-law called and said the nursing home had called and told him Phyllis had flailed around at breakfast and hit her hand again. It is bandaged because it bled. Her skin in so thin nowadays.

He was going up at 9:30 so I waited and went at 10:00. I stayed until 10:30 and then went to see Gerry in the hospital. She is now in room 225 in skilled nursing. I also went to buy a card for Jack W. His wife, Margie, who died yesterday. The services are Tuesday at 1:00 in Independence and if the weather permits, I will attend. She was only 71.

We are supposed to get more snow this evening and all night. I am already sick of it and winter has barely begun.

Thursday, January 20, 2011

Thursday Snow Day

Well, it snowed again last night and it continues to snow. Slinky really doesn't want to go out in the snow to do his duty but I made him go out a little bit ago. We are both so bored with staying in the house. I stripped my bed awhile ago and washed the sheets. I had washed the towels yesterday. The house needs cleaning and so after I get my face made up, I will do some cleaning today while I can't get out.

If it stops snowing, I may do some shoveling on my drive and front walk. No since doing it too early and having it cover up all over again.

We could have made the second day of Minister's Week in Tulsa but of course we didn't know that yesterday morning. We were under a weather alert. It didn't start snowing until late evening. I would have hated driving Marilyn's new car on slick roads so we just didn't go. In fact, after I got my haircut and hair done at noon yesterday, I didn't budge out of the house the rest of the day.

This afternoon, the Cox Communications people are coming to bring my converter box and install it. They are offering six free months of even further expanded TV channels. I told them there was really nothing much that I liked to watch on cable any more but they insisted that I could cancel at any time if I couldn't find anything on the extended service. We will see.

More later...

I did clean house and the place fairly shines.

And I did go shovel off my snow and while I was at it, I shoveled of the patio too.

Then my daughter called to come by and pick me up for lunch. She was working in my town today.

After lunch, Cox Communications came and brought my converter box. Now I have a lot more channels to watch. I have six months free of charge. I wonder if I will find anything to watch now. If all else fails, I can watch an On Demand movie for $5.00.

It warmed up enough for Slinky to go out on the patio. He really loves to bask in the sun.

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Great Day

Tuesday's Minister's Week presentations were really great. I hope the weather is warmer today then it has been forecast or I will have to put Slinky in the garage. The weather here says 34 degrees will be the high.

Marilyn and I missed the evening sermon because she wanted to get back to see her daughter and have dinner with them and I wanted to get home to get Slinky in. He was cold and very glad to get in the house. I fed him and then he went right to bed. He didn't wake up until 4:00 when he needed to get out and then slept after that until 5:30. I would have been able to get some sleep but I didn't sleep well at all last night. I awoke at 11:30 and tossed and turned the rest of the night until about 3:00 AM. Then, of course, Slinky needed to get out at 4:00 so that didn't last long.

Marilyn will be by to pick me up at 8:30 this morning.I hope by then the weather will have warmed up enough to let Slinky outside. We will just have to wait and see.

The lectures were about the latest from the Historical Jesus studies. The last and best speaker was Brandon Scott. He talked about the writings of Paul. It was very interesting. Later, I will try to put a synopsis in here. I left my notes in Marilyn's car.

I wanted to watch Frontline last night but just couldn't stay awake to see the entire program. I went to bed at 8:30, which might be why I was unable to sleep. I really need to stay up until 10:00 if at all possible.

More later...

Well, we didn't go. We are forecast this afternoon and evening for freezing rain and snow. We just didn't want to take a chance. I called my beauty shop this morning and changed my appointment from tomorrow afternoon to today at noon. So I did get my hair cut and done.

I hate missing the second day of the presentations at the seminary but I feel we did the right thing.

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Minister's Week

Today, if Jack is feeling better and Marilyn is comfortable leaving him with their daughter, Lori, we will go to Tulsa to the two day Minister's Week lectures. Marilyn and I have done this on two previous occasions and really enjoyed it. In the past, we stayed overnight in a motel but this year we will drive back. I have Slinky to deal with and she has Jack.

The theme will be "PTS Currents". They will present the very latest in the Historical Jesus studies. Since our Living the Questions group studies those lectures, we should find this two day seminar interesting.

I hope Slinky will be comfortable enough outside today. It is supposed to get up to 36 degrees. I imagine he'd rather be out rather then in the garage. He hates the garage. I was prepared to put him in the garage and have Bob A. come over to let him out mid morning and mid afternoon. But he would rather be out if it's not too cold for him.

I am looking forward to the lectures.

Monday, January 17, 2011

A Morning Hassle

Well, this morning started off as a hassle. By Thursday the weather is supposed to get really cold again...down in single digits. I went to the garage this morning to try to find my curling iron and found that the light bulb that I keep on the hot water line coming out of the tank, was out. I found a new one and put it in. It didn't work either. So I figured it had to be the plug. I brought the light in the house and tried it in the kitchen and sure enough..it worked. After fumbling around in the dark for awhile, I found the flashlight and checked out another plug in. When I tried it, it worked. But the clamp on light would not reach the tank. I found the extension cord and worked to get it off the leaf blower. Bob had somehow worked it around and through the small hook on the blower and attached it to the leaf blower that way. After ten or fifteen minutes, I managed to get it off and plug it in that nearby receptacle. Then I wound up all that heavy duty cord and clamped the light back on the tank where there is a chance it will prevent the water from freezing. All in all...a hassle at 5:30 AM.

Now I've had my five teaspoons of oatmeal and my one cup of coffee and am trying to get my blood pressure back down.

In a little while, I will get dressed and put my face on and then make the chili for the Martin Luther King service being held at 10:00. Following the service, we are serving soup and chili at noon. I need to leave at 9:30 since the service begins at 10:00. I am hoping it will be warm enough by then to put Slinky outside. Otherwise, he will have to spend the morning in the garage again. He hates the garage.

The forecast has changed. We missed the forecast rain yesterday. It is supposed to be in the high 30's on Tuesday and Wednesday when Marilyn and I hope to go to Tulsa for the Minister's Week meetings. If it is, Slinky can spend the day outside. I will be back in the late afternoon each day.

After this service and the lunch is over, my day is free. I will have missed the opportunity to go with my daughter to Tulsa to shop. She invited me too late. I had already committed myself to this service.

Sunday, January 16, 2011

Sunday Again

Another Sunday morning....

Slinky let me sleep until after 4:00 this morning before he wanted out. I let him out and then got another hour's sleep before he thought he needed his breakfast. He's had his dog food and his oatmeal now and his potty break. He is sitting here beside me now..seemingly content.

It's 6:00 and I need to get my bed made and my clothes on for church. I also think I will make a small coffeecake to go with our coffee at church. I don't want to make the large one because I don't want leftovers. I've been eating a lot of junk lately and I need to stop it. It's not healthy.

We will probably eat out after church...several of the congregation like to do that. Then when I get home I will do my letters and relax a little before Living the Questions group tonight at Bobby and Karan's home.

The dinner last night was nice. Judy ended up having 14 there instead of 8. Luckily, she had had the count revised. I brought home a little of my bean salad.,,but not much. I stayed until 8:30 and then came on home. I was tired after my full day.

More later....

We did eat out at Hong Kong Delight. There were seven of us. Afterward I came home and did my letters. Then I ran on to an old movie I used to really love. It was "To Sir, With Love". Does anyone remember it?

I watched it instead of my usual 60 Minutes. 60 Minutes is not the show it used to be anyhow.

After that, I went to Bobby and Karan's for "Living the Questions" group. It was a really good discussion. We didn't solve all the world's problems but we thought we did. :)

I came home afterward and let Slinky out of the garage and into the house. First he had to make a couple of trips outside. He was delighted to get back into the kitchen/utility room area.

I stayed up till 10:00 and then went to bed and slept really well.