Satisfying Saturday

This has been a pretty neat day. Scott came about 5:30 last evening and got up at 4:00 this morning. I got up sometime after five and fixed him breakfast and then Bob got up before 7:00 and I fixed one for him too. Slinky came in and I fixed his food with bacon grease and a strip of bacon. I had a bowl of cereal.

Later in the morning we went up to Independence and had lunch at the new Mexican restaurant. Then we drove around and looked at pretty houses.

We went to Wal Mart and looked at trees and shrubbery.

Then we went out to John and Leslie's and saw the progress on the house.

They are going to lay the flooring in the great room on Monday and the carpet in the three bedrooms on Tuesday.

They are in the process of building the walnut staircase and the fireplace mantle. They have a mirror to frame and also hang in the master bathroom, some more painting on the shelves in the closets, some trim to install after the flooring is down, a towel rack to install in the master bathroom and a tissue holder and towel rack in the upstairs bath. They have a door knob to put on the walk-in clothes closet door and some door stops to install. They need to put the fresh air grills on the fresh air returns.

The largest job is the rest of the lower half of the painting on the outside and the garage taping and painting inside the garage. They have to hang the shutters and install the screens. They also have to pour the front walk and the front and back steps. They have to paint the metal door leading onto the deck from the living room.

The TV installation man will have to come back out and lower the rack for the 50 inch TV he plans to mount over the fireplace. It's high enough now to give one a crick in the neck.

The rest will be the responsibility of our son-in-law and daughter. They will install the garage cabinets and shelving and do the landscaping. My son-in-law will also build the deck on the back of the house.

They believe they have their double wide sold and it will be moved. They have two folks interested in it. If they do sell it, Leslie will buy a new stainless front loading washer and dryer. The ones she has now are at least twenty years old.

Tonight Scott has a date in Bartlesville so Bob and I will have a quiet evening.

Fun Day Friday

I think we will go to Bartlesville today. I want to look in on Stage and see if they have any jackets or T's I can't live without. I am still planning the clothing I will take to the retreat next weekend and also to the Restoration Studies Symposium weekend in April. I noticed last night that one of my pairs of brown slacks are a little tight. All the more reason why Slinky and I need that walk. I sure would like to lose five pounds this summer. I hope that's not a pipe dream.

Perhaps we will eat at Garfield's today. I like to eat lunch there. I also want to go to Dillard's and Penney's.

The wind was so bad yesterday that I didn't go out of the house until evening. I had a good book that I read all day and finished. It was another of Ehrman's books. This one was called "God's Problem". It discusses the presence of evil in the world and where the various writers of the Bible stand on the problem.

We went to a Red Cross volunteer banquet last night. At least that was what it was supposed to be. It turned out to be sandwiches. And we built them ourselves. That was not good for Bob. He seldom eats bread or potatoes with his diabetes.

I wanted to take Slinky for a walk yesterday but the wind blew something fierce. The wind plays havoc with my sinus', not to mention my hair. Maybe it will be calmer today and I can do it after we get home from Bartlesville.

Our daughter e-mailed us last night to say the bricklayers had finished their work at last. Now they can get the flooring down in the great room and put the trim down. Next might be laying the bedroom carpet. They still haven't finished out the inside of the garage either, all the grouting is not finished and the new appliances are not installed. They still have the lower half of the painting outside to be done too.

P.S. Scott called on our way home from Bartlesville and said he is coming back again this weekend. The Army will be sending him to New Jersey next weekend. He wants to see his sister's house again and has a date with a Bartlesville girl Saturday night.

This is the upstairs hall floor finished last week in week 36..

Another Beautiful Day

It should be another beautiful day. I hope the wind doesn't come up because I would like to finish my front flower bed. Bob mowed yesterday and the yard looks much better. At least the weeds are mowed down temporarily. He got the rest of the backyard leaves scooped up and bagged too.

Now if I can just finish the front.

Tonight we will attend a Red Cross volunteer banquet. I would like to go to Bartlesville today too but Bob may not want to do that.

I found out yesterday that the squirrels have eaten nearly all my tulip bulbs. This fall when I plant more, I will also plant some moth balls with them. Otherwise the effort will be futile.

Lenten Luncheon

Today is another of our series of Lenten Luncheons. I went to Independence this morning and had my hair done and cut and had breakfast with Juanita. Then I came on home to clean up the kitchen and balance my checkbook.

In about thirty minutes we will leave for the First Baptist Church and the Lenten Luncheon and Lenten message. This afternoon I may get the leaves in the back yard picked up and bagged and perhaps even the mess in the remainder of the front flower bed. In the back right now the daffodils are blooming and next will be the tulips. In the front, I should have creeping phlox as soon as it gets a little later. I need to transplant some of that and thin it.

I need to get the cages around the peonies too before they get much larger. They will be laying on the ground if I don't. As it turned out, Bob got those cages around the peonies. It is so nice and warm that I did not get the rest of the leaves out of any of the flowerbeds. I did finish my book though. Oh how I love spring!!

Ivan called a bit ago and they gave him back his phone at the nursing home. I am so pleased. Nadine was with him and she talked to me too. They just needed an advocate and I am glad I could do that for him.

Visiting Tuesday

This is the day I go to stay with my sister and have a visit with her while my brother-in-law goes to have breakfast with his classmates.

After that we will go to Independence and take our daughter to lunch. Then we will go visit Ivan in the nursing home.

I will take my winter bedspread to the dry cleaners there and put it away after that. I put the new spring coverlet on the bed yesterday. It looks nice and light. It is green like the curtains in there with a light brown bed skirt.

Later today, if it stays nice and if I have the energy, I will clean out the flower bed in the front and get it ready for spring planting.

It may be a busy day.

Monday Cleaning Day

This is cleaning day. The house is moderately dirty after the weekend activities here with Scott. I need to strip his bed and run the dust mop and vacuum. I will have at least four loads of laundry though. I ended up cleaning the house and doing five loads of laundry then I took the winter bedspread off and put a spring spread on the bed. I will take the winter spread to the cleaners tomorrow. I also washed the sheets and spread in Scott's room.

I may get Leslie's latest pictures printed off too. She should have even more this week. She painted the office and Jeromy and John were supposed to move the office sofa in yesterday so they can eventually build the staircase and put up a banister.

My sister came to church yesterday...still using the walker. They had gone to Bartlesville on Saturday and he got her out to walk the mall. Eventually, he hopes to get her off that walker. I hope he can do that but she is so afraid of falling and breaking the other hip.

A Big Sunday

We had a big day yesterday. We spent the morning getting a battery installed in Scott's truck and having his jets cleaned. His vehicle almost did not start that morning.

Then we went out to John and Leslie's to see the new house at lunchtime. We picked up a pizza and some soda and then went to see the progress. The brickwork on the fireplace inside was still not finished so they can't put down the hardwood floors in the great room. They still don't have the upstairs bathroom grouting done or the downstairs foyer grouted either. They are working on the painting in the closets. Leslie is painting the office now. It too is a beautiful shade of brown.

Last night we went to Tavern on the Plaza and had dinner. Afterward we watched Bill Maher's "Religulous"...a commentary on religion. He makes some valid points although his documentary generally undercuts religion of all kinds, especially the fundemental kinds that believe incredible things that are not even logical. He says organized religion has moved a long way away from the teachings of Jesus. On that, I have to agree.

I got up this morning at 4:00 and fixed breakfast for Scott before he took off at 5:00 for a seven hour drive to Memphis. He is going to meet a woman there. That's a long way to drive to meet someone you have never even met. After he was gone, I fixed chili for our meeting this afternoon. I also baked a dessert. It's all done now.

There were supposed to be ten of us at the meeting but it looks like there may be seven if we're lucky. One woman made other plans and another couple called yesterday to say the man has pneumonia in one lung so, of course, they can't come. She wanted me to postpone the meeting but it was too late by last night. My meat was already thawed and everyone had been notified of the meeting two weeks ago and reminded twice this week.

When I got home I worked on my notes to those who did not come today. And I finished the schedule and got it attached to e-mail.

Tonight, we are watching 60 Minutes.