So THIS is 73!

[fossilfreak]

Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, vol 1 p. 547
166.9 miles

warm

 

350 recordings of 31 types, 66 old SVU. 21% clear.

 

On my birthday I went over to the WPAC breakfast with a bag of pomegranates, but nobody turned up for a long time and I thought I'd be eating alone. Finally Jackey came and I got to tell her my tale of stupidity. Then Terryl came and I got to repeat it. It's a good story if it has happened to someone else! They each took a pomegranate, leaving me with about 7 to take to Bernadette. I guess that's why I forgot my glasses!

 

On down (ow) to Bernadette's, where I dropped trows for her. She was properly impressed with the bruise, which is less black but still impressive. Now, two days later, the outskirts of it are feathery (I'd do well camouflaged in a forest!) then blue, purple, ending with black in the crack. Still painful.

 

She didn't do much cleaning in the garage, though she got out an impressive amount of Hallowe'en decorations. She did pass out Boo Baskets the day before, two in the neighborhood (they're wise to her by now, as proven by the nice Easter baskets a neighbor gave the kids this year) and one with Gareth's teacher from last year. (SHE will be baffled!) B's main project this day was to clean up the kitchen counter. That she could have done without me. Meanwhile, I went into Gareth's room. All the stuff was up off the floor but in a tumble on the desk. I sorted through papers, keeping an awful lot because I didn't know for sure if it was important. Joanna has been there, too, leaving her junk in the room, and I sorted that out. I dug down to his computer, anyway.

 

Joanna had had a "difficult day." I would guess SO. She's defiant in school and refusing to do what the teacher says. Wednesday's report was much the same. I know there have been times she's argumentative (like almost all the time) but she's gone over the line to bratty.

 

I talked to Gareth about what HE would have done if I'd gone unconscious. "CPR" was his answer, so we had a talk about calling 911 or at least running into the museum to say "My Nana needs help." I'd better talk to him some more about how you need to actually know HOW to do CPR or you'll hurt someone worse. (Though teaching the Heimlich manouver might not be a bad idea.)

 

Vince called. He told me all about the plans for his and Eric's trip to Washington, which started the next day. On Thursday they had a Congresswoman (Eric's friend's district... he's moved to Kentucky but the kids are still close) giving them a tour of the White House and later (dunno if it's the same person) the Capitol. Nick will give them a tour of the Pentagon and the rest of the time it's play it by ear museums and so forth, though they will definitely do the Spy Museum. If Rich had been going after it was built, I'd have certainly directed him there. Apparently if you want to go to the bathroom, you have to crack the code! Rich would ask me what he should see when he had Pentagon trips and I told him the VietNam wall, and the Holocaust Museum, both new since we were there together 50 years ago. Vince and I talked about when he went, in 8th grade. He saw the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. I don't think we saw the Tomb... I remember the Iwo Jima monument and the eternal flame for Kennedy, but I don't remember that. Gabe will go with Niki in two years. (Personalities similar. I remember when Rich and I took the two to the Lawrence Hall of Science. Rich, who was ill, was able to sit with Eric concentrating on some computer program, while Gabe led me on a merry chase through all the exhibits.) I'm putting in my bid to be the one to take A.J. when he's in 8th grade!

 

Vince, living in Washington (state), doesn't have an acceptable driver's license for ID, but he does have a passport. Eric has a passport and also an ID card.

 

Anyway, it sounds WONDERFUL!

 

Yesterday I started trimming the privet in back, because I was looking for the water cutoff for one of the houses on French avenue and couldn't see it. I want to show the water guy next week... I called him to tell him I had three, and when they are installing the new water mains, I would really like it if they didn't come here three times to do it. Since the other two are on a different street, I imagine that's not going to work.

Then down to my usual Wednesday stint at Bernadette's, though this time she had an appointment about Joanna. It wasn't an actual 504, because the J. is not having any educational problems, it's all behavior. (Howling in the bathroom, screming in line, defiant with the teacher.) They have a behavioral specialist at school so she'll work with J. and give Bernadette and Rob some helpful ideas. I sure hope so. Meanwhile, I emptied both kids' wastebaskets before the recycle truck came... hello? I thought that would have happened last night! I started going through Joanna's stuff and found the poster she didn't have last weekend, so I put it out with the stickers she was supposed to put on it. When Bernadette got home, though, Joanna had picked up the Ladybug magazine and could barely keep her eyes off it. I stopped her twice from taking it into her room before she'd done her homework.

 

(This reminds me. I went to CricketMedia to do the yearly renewals, but naturally, they didn't send my password. Hmm. Maybe I didn't have one. I'll have to start fresh, but who knows who's getting what. This company has been nothing but trouble since I started.)

 

I finished the Nero Wolfe I'd brought with me, and so while I was waiting for B. to get home with the kids, I started "The Little World of Don Camillo" (I'd had two so gave her one.) OK, hooked again.

 

Now reading: Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire (yeah, right); Pepys' Diary; American Fiction; Embarrassments by PJ Nel; Shattered, Jonathan Allen & Amie Parnes; The Red Box by Rex Stout; and The Little World of Don Camillo, by Giovanni Guaresci.

Today was pretty much a waste. I finally got my act together to drive to the restaurant to look for my glasses, and they told me Jackey had picked them up. This afternoon I was going to go to the neighbor's water polo match only it was cancelled. I talked to her about others and thought I might go to Rio next week, but no, I'll be heading to a WPAC dinner.

 

So I did drive enough to get the car out of the carport so I could take the bin back for the rest of the privet, and leaves, and yes I found the water cutoff.

 

Lots of real phone calls. From the WPAC lady reminding me of breakfast next Saturday, from Jackey to tell me she has my glasses (NOW she tells me!) and can bring them by, from Alicia, twice, to find out if I was home (I was the first time, outside talking to Jackey!) and then they came by with my birthday present, a Tricerataco holder! The other call was from Helena, Monica's mother-in-law, first off to thank me for a grief booklet I sent, and to tell me she's having a hard time (go figure, of course she is) and to invite me down in a couple of weeks. I don't think Monica is reading this, in fact, I don't think she ever read my LiveJournal and I haven't yet actually advertised that I'm here, but in any case I think that's all I'm saying at the moment.

 

I snapped about half the green and wax beans Bernadette gave me, heated them in the microwave, sprinkled them with Parmesan and YUMMMMM! Also had leftover andouille and squash stew. Yum. I'm spoiling all that nice healthy eating with Amarula, but ohhhhh, it's good!