fossilfreak

 

The 12th I only dug one tulip bulb out. I went to Bernadette's in the morning and picked up some of the mess while she had a dentist appointment. Back at home I changed the kitty litter out, did laundry, and fixed stuffed peppers with a southwestern rice hamburger mix topped with mozzarella.

 

On Friday the 13th I finished season 4 of Chicaco P.D. and discovered one of the season 2 NCIS episodes has gone missing. Maybe I accidentally let it get erased. 

 

It turns out I waited too long to sign up for the Mississippi River cruise next April. Darn it, it looked like fun. 

 

I went out to thrift shops and a bookstore and found 4 Boxcar children books for Joanna.

 

Carol and Frank were leaving just as I was so she didn't get a chance to tell me they had some food for me in their fridge. She called. And so I looked for their key in the plastic bag I keep it in, and it wasn't there! Maybe the cleaners saw it and hung it up, so I took a fistful of keys over, and sure enough, the second one I tried opened the door!  The food was two huge artichokes and a big pack of potato salad.

 

That night I went to see 1776 at the Chatauqua. Bev didn't arrive in time for the first act, and when I saw it was an all female cast I was annoyed, but it was great. Bev was there after intermission so I could stop worrying about her. Meanwhile, my friend Bill with the Pancreatic Cancer, looks great! He's recovered so well they gave him a new knee and they geocached through a lot of states.

 

I liked the first act better, but then I believe that's true every time I've seen it.

 

Saturday I had gotten tickets for us to ride the Sacramento River Train.  Bernadette came by for me and we got down to Old Sacramento early. We stopped at the History Museum to spend some time. I am guessing it's been over 10 years since I've been there and they've surely changed a lot. They had a stretched penny machine so Joanna and Padreic each got one. Then we started walking toward the depot and when Padreic said he would like to get on the train, is when I let them know that's what I planned. We rode in the back coach and got our tickets punched, rode the 3 miles south and then got to watch the engine go down a spur then couple onto our coach. 

 

I was wearing my Wyoming shirt and a guy asked me was I from the state. Turns out he is from Rock Springs and did indeed know the Zs, Joe's family.  

 

I learned two short toots mean "we're starting" and two longs and a short mean "we're coming in." 

It was a fun ride and the kids seemed to like it.  When we got off Gareth asked "have you noticed we haven't had lunch?" so he got a bit of a talk from Mommy about how to tell people you're hungry a bit more politely.  We went to a restaurant and Joanna turned into a whiny thorny monster because nobody else had finished their lunch. She was hanging her head with her shoulders hunched and near tears, so I tried to comfort her. A porcupine would have been easier. Turns out she wanted to "do something exciting."  

 

Then we went over to the Railroad Museum, and she got into her "cling-to-mommy-because-there-are-scary-adults" phase. Mighod. She's got to be the saddest little girl in the world.  It was NOT a good day for her. (Oh, yeah, she'd already informed me she doesn't like ballet and didn't want to see "Cinderella" and I'm pretty sure it's just that she didn't want to go anywhere with me. This despite a good camp. I've made myself feel better because I'll take Bernadette, and she can just stay home and maybe rethink her life.) It was the kind of day that makes me say that while I love her very much, sometimes I don't really like her. (I said that to B., and she agrees.)

 

At that gift shop we got more stretched pennies and I got Padreic his book. He was thrilled. 

 

At home I noticed that after maybe a year, my fridge water filter needed changing. (I've been looking at the light for months, but never saw it go yellow. It was red this time.) I pulled it out to see what it was (but didn't write it down) and went to put it back and jammed it in, couldn't close the filter door. I tried to get the filter out but couldn't, asked for help from my friends, but no, and finally freed it on Sunday by attacking on a different angle. 

 

\I dozed off and woke at 7:47. As it was light outside, I thought I'd overslept through the night, had missed my chance to dig, and would have to hurry for church. It finally dawned on me that it wasn't actually Sunday, but was still Saturday!

 

 

Sunday the 15th, I was distracted in church because of Joanna. Grrr.

 

I ordered tickets for the Kingston Trio (just me), Pinocchio with the kids and Bernadette, and the ballet with Bernadette. These are at Folsom. Last week I got the Mondavi (Davis) catalog for next year and they don't really have anything I want this time.

 

I was making chicken a la king and dropped it as I was putting it back into the microwave for the second part. And it smelled so good, all over the floor. I was amazed at the dog, who just sat looking at it until I told him it was OK for him to eat it. Such a clean floor!! Sigh.

 

 

Monday, I'd thought I'd be done digging by the weekend, but I was overoptimistic. I waited all day for the cleaners. Once they came I called Helena, who is also having a colonoscopy, hers this coming Friday.

 

I went to the Newcomer's dinner, and took my iPad (in its new cover) so I could show  Bill my wounded picture. He wasn't there, but I did talk to Tom.

 

I am in 37 different places in Albion because I accidentally opened the perfumer's workshop instead of keeping it for the artist's studio. 

 

 

July 17 I dug up 14 bulbs, then went to the WPAC breakfast. There were 6 of us. After a nice meal and chat I went to the commissary for a few things. I got home before it got too hot. It's been over 100 the last two weeks.

 

 

And at home, Benson asked me to come on safari next year. I really want to! It would be all over Zimbabwe. I asked if I could come early and go geocaching with him around Victoria Falls. It actually sounds like maybe we could do that! So I went to the Road Scholar page and checked it out, and then looked at the Iceland tour.  I called Jean and we firmed up the date. I will sign up at the end of July. 

 

I had found out at the Newcomer's dinner that Gary T. was home again so I called him. He's doing well.

 

And, of course, I forgot it was Tuesday until Vince called.

 

July 18 was the day I gave Gareth his promised trip toThe Tech Museum  in San Jose. I got there by 7:30 so as to get to San Jose by 10, but I didn't account for dire traffic especially on 580. There were times I would have to come to a complete stop, then go a few car lengths and stop again.  It was frustrating, but we finally arrived at the parking garage and got to the Tech a little before 11.  The bathroom was the first stop. Gareth was so excited. I got our tickets (free, with a membership at the Powerhouse) and the guy asked if I'd like to donate. I said "yes, but later" and actually did drop $10 into the box as we left.  

 

We stopped at the exhibit entrance and asked how the TechTags (which were the tickets) work. You scan it at each exhibit and at the end of the day you can put the number in at home and see a summary of your day. This sounds good, but Gareth lost his at the first exhibit. Used mine for awhile, but then when we left for lunch he got a different one, which he mostly used but at the end of the day he was back to using mine, and lost it. At the same exhibit. I'd picked up another one so at home I tried to see what that ticket user had done, and this spoiled the chance for Gareth to use the blue, substitute one, since apparently they only register one each day. Oh, well. If we do this next year we'll do better.

 

I had brought a book and sat nearby while he played. I did, at one point, show him there was another area, since he had pretty well done the whole coding area.  At one point he was encrypting a password and the numbers were flying past and he was covering his ears to help him to focus.  When we went to the different area he was entranced with the earthquake exhibit and with Google Earth.  At 1 I finally suggested we go to lunch, where we spent a whopping 20 minutes.  Back to the area. He discovered the biometrics area, and signed up for a monitor which he wore for about 40 minutes.  (Again, this would be one of the first things if we come back.) Then we went upstairs, where there was my favorite thing of the day, the biochemistry. I helped him put on plastic gloves and a pair of goggles, and then he got a tube of bacteria and a tube of dna, combined them, warmed it, cooled it, spread it in a petri dish, put in the warmer to cook, (after scanning it) picked a cooked one and looked at it for various colors. The whole thing was fascinating.  Another one that he liked was "building bacteria". We turned in his monitor and discovered he's a "confident builder." This is something I really would have liked to have on his tech tag at home. Oh, well. 

 

He stood in line to ride the jet chair in space. Definitely he'd be Major Tom.  There were lots of camp groups, but eventually he got to do everything he wanted to do. He finished on the same exhibit he'd started on, a game of building a network. I was interested to see how he interacted with other kids. 

 

We went to dinner across the street, but didn't stay long enough to avoid major traffic jams on the way home. Gareth said he'd like to go with Joanna and Padreic and I pointed out that they would want to go to some other exhibits when he didn't. Padreic in particular would be bored with a lot of it, though there are areas he would enjoy. I think we would need three adults for the three kids.  I was not the only adult who had brought a book (though I used my iPad more, to report on Facebook) and let the kids do their thing. I had a good time and I know he did, and I may do this again for his birthday next year. However, I believe then I would get a motel room on 1st street by the metro line and ride the train in, and avoid traffic. Rich and I did that when we went to ConJose in 2002. If we did that we might visit, uh, someone who lives here (to quote Gareth, who doesn't remember Aunt Monica's name.)  

 

Anyway, I didn't get home till past 9, but the dog had behaved himself. A nice day!

 

Road Scholar has a grandparent and grandchild adventure about the Boxcar Children. Since Joanna absolutely loved the book after I read it to them, and keeps re-reading it, I thought this would be a great birthday present for her when she turned 8. (I also gave her a box of the first 12 books, that looked like a boxcar.) She's been very excited about the camp.

 

The kids had been visiting with Grandma since the end of May, so Bernadette planned to meet me with Joanna on Monday the 25th in Dunsmuir at the Railroad Park Resort.. (Gareth would follow the next week when he and Rob would go to Camp Lassen.)

 

I, of course, started early, with the plan to eat in Corning and do some geocaching, mostly in Willows. I did find 3 of the ones I marked in Willows but didn't look for more, as it was getting hot and I certainly didn't want to be late. I got a couple of fancy sauces in Corning, but I didn't even sample the olives. Then, as I went through Redding and got close to Dunsmuir, I realized I was going to be early. I spent some time at the viewpoint reading the signs, but eventually had to get to the resort.

 

They were willing to check me in early, which was good, since I needed the bathroom. I had caboose #22.After my bathroom break I went back and sat on a bench outside the office with my iPad and waited for Bernadette. 3 O'Clock came and went, but no sign of her. Finally I heard her talking and spied her and the kids, who had parked in the Park instead of the resort and were waiting for me there. So I walked with Joanna and Padreic and had her drive over to the caboose.

 

Because of the confusion over permission slips, she came with me to meet Heather and sign in. I had brought two copies, signed by Rob, and Bernadette signed them at the time. Heather had a lot of goodies for Joanna, including a water bottle and a backpack and a folder with songs and games in it. There was a medical form that Bernadette had filled out over the phone, but it was easier for her to fill it out in person anyway. Then we went back to the caboose. Padreic was convinced he was staying, too, and was quite distressed to have to leave, but Bernadette told me he went right to sleep when he got in the car.

 

 

 

 

I thought Joanna would be excited to go swimming, but in the event it was "too COOOOOOLD" and "too DEEEEEP." (Later in the week, with other kids in it, suddenly she loved it.) So, at a loss for something to do, as I'd forgotten to bring a deck of cards, we went to the gift shop and bought some. She wanted the ones with cats on them and had to read every one before she actually played. Then I taught her how to play clock solitaire and she caught on right away, then played another solitaire for awhile.

 

 

At last it was time to go to orientation and meet Pat and get introduced. Joanna spoke up, to my surprise. Afterwards, there was a pizza dinner, though Joanna stuck with salad. Without front teeth, she doesn't do crusts very well. Then Pat started talking about the Boxcar Children, and Joanna, not knowing where the bathroom was, wet her pants. The kids had been given bandanas and told to think of new uses for them, but we decided not to admit to "hiding your indescretion" to the list. We scooted back to our caboose and she changed her clothes and we scooted back in time to get a free Boxcar Children book!

 

So back to our room and ready for bed, and Joanna read in bed until she finished the book.

 

Tuesday morning we were awake for breakfast (there's a coffee pot in the room, so I was fine waking up early and reading while enjoying my morning cuppa.) Bacon and eggs and all kinds of good stuff. There was a workshop on writing and, by coaxing her along, I got a couple of paragraphs out of Joanna about how she got to camp and what she did on Monday.

 

Then at 9:15 we got on the bus and met Todd, our driver, and off we went to Mt. Shasta Fish Hatchery and the Sisson Museum. The kids fed trout, then spread out through the wonderful museum, which is very hands-on. There's a volcano to walk through, a fire engine to climb onto, costumes to wear, a bear to pet, a model train to run, old-fashioned toys, all kinds of lovely things.

 

At one point, Tate was being loud, and the docent said "inside voice please." I told her, on the basis of one evening's acquaintance, that the PA voice WAS his inside voice! Tate is very loud, and very enthusiastic, and his parents obviously take him places because he knows a lot about a lot of things. And he's not shy about sharing.

 

At the Fish Hatchery I picked up a really pretty black and white feather and managed to keep it unbroken till we got home.

 

 

 

After an hour or so, we left the docents to heave a sigh of relief as we left for McCleod Falls, which was new territory for me. It's pretty. Joanna didn't like her lunch, since she'd asked (as we were filling out our menus) if the white bread was soft. It actually was a crusty bun, so no. I told her to eat the insides but left her on her own until I found that she'd had 6 (SIX!) packs of gummy bears and none of the sandwich. Eat the ham and the cheese, it's what you ordered. (And the pickles.) She had the cheese and didn't want the ham, and gave the pickles to someone else.
After that, they made s'mores.

 

Then they made survival kits, including a whistle, a silver foil strip to wave at an airplane, ways to keep warm etc. Joanna was having trouble fixing the knots, and one of the grandmas helped her but it wasn't right, so I unpicked it and talked her through a square knot to finish.

 

They painted craft sticks and then had to find 10 small rocks for an Indian (OK, Native American) game, which she and I played back in the room the next couple of days. It's kind of fun, and definitely takes no skill, unlike Go Fish which I had to feign deafness and Alzheimer's to keep from winning. I did win the stick and rocks game, but it was entirely by luck.

 

We took a very short hike down to the creek. Afterwards, Joanna gave the last of her water to a tiny tree.

 

Then it was back in the bus to go to Mt. Shasta again to the source of the Sacramento. Joanna and I both filled our water bottles there and kept them in our fridge overnight. Great tasting water. Pat and Heather were more bothered by the hippies than I was.

 

 

The long day wasn't over. We were back at the resort about 3:30 and the kids had crafts, and I went to the bar at 4 for a much-needed beer.

Then in the evening the ladies of the Botanical Gardens guild had fixed us a lovely spaghetti dinner there. A man took pictures, but I haven't seen Joanna's yet. Pat gave out another book while the adults strolled the gardens, but Joanna already had this one, so got a special one back at camp. And, again, read herself to sleep.

 

Wednesday morning, we watched two of the boys play a remarkable Jenga game. They got it as high as themselves!

 

 

Because Joanna was so all over the place on Tuesday, I gave her an Adderol this day and Thursday. I couldn't see much difference, except she may have been sleepier.

 

Breakfast was OK, though she didn't eat much. Writing, she decided to write a list of things she had done on Tuesday. I'd been talking to her about what she would like to have as a story, without luck.

 

The trip today was to Turtle Bay. It turns out that Joanna had stopped there with her Mom on the trip north. Pat had a "scavenger hunt" on the way down, a game that had them looking for signs along the hour-plus drive.

 

First we fed the birds. I had not remembered that we did this 3 years ago on our Lassen trip. Joanna liked it well enough that I got her another dollar's worth of food. Next, we went to the animal show. We had to stay in our seats for 45 minutes and somehow all the kids managed it. We met a number of rescue animals, Sweet Pea the skunk, a fox, a badger, a barn owl, a crow, a lot of animals and the main lesson was not to try to make a pet of a wild animal. It was a really good show.

 

 

 

We had a boxed lunch and the kids had some playtime before we went to look at butterflies and the "barn." In that was a skyjumper exhibit which we didn't understand at first, but then Heather taught us how the kids were to sit in the swing, not jump out, and steer it to get close to the targeted landing. This looked like fun.

 

 

 

Then Joanna really wanted to play in the water again. She learned about "priming the pump" and enjoyed that. They had some ice cream, then walked across the Sundial bridge. I just wasn't up to that, mostly because I'd had enough of telling Joanna to stay with the group and to listen. I did get her a stretched penny.

 

 

On the way home the kids all sat in back and sang songs with Pat while the grownups dozed or chatted quietly. Then they had crafts (this is when they made some really good muffins) while, again, I had an adult beverage (different bartender, though. I'd enjoyed chatting with the guy the week before.)

 

Then, in the free time, Joanna suddenly realized she wanted to swim, since all the kids were. At one point I had to go back for her goggles, which of course she didn't really want to use after all. The kids took over and the adults sat nearby. Tate's Mom sat in the pool area with all the kids (the next day we all did.)

 

After dinner we played a game, which would have been more fun if the kids (especially Joanna) was listening at all. They were talking and giggling together the whole time. The grandparents all had a story from their past that maybe the grandchildren had never heard. Mine was about living in a basement when I was 4. Nobody guessed me.

 

And they got another new book!

 

That night Joanna was "lonesome." Mostly I just wanted to finish the book I was reading, which was Agincourt by Bernard Cornwell, which is very good!

 

 

Thursday was our last full day. After breakfast there was the dreaded writing. I had thought maybe a different approach would appeal to Joanna, so I had her dictate to me all the things she did Wednesday, then pick one to write about. It was no surprised that she chose swimming. She then was making another list... "first, next, last..." and I asked some questions when she got stuck on "last." I asked was it cold or warm. "I don't know what the temperature was." No, what did it feel like? Or, were you alone or with other kids? "I don't want to." Pretend you're writing a letter to Grandma and she would want to know what it was like. "I don't like it, I can't do it, I don't want to." Pat came up and Joanna, who already had her back to her, kept it there hanging her head. Pat tried a number of approaches and finally said "you don't have to write, you can read". Great relief from Joanna. As Pat said, no point in making her miserable.

 

We had a short trip in the morning to the Dunsmuir Depot, which was kept open by a dedicated batch of volunteers. Joanna broke her water bottle here, so that kept the docents busy. Then we hopped on the bus and went down to O'Brien, and the Shasta Lake Caverns.

 

There we had a picnic, and I did get Joanna to eat most of the middle of her sandwich (but in this case, not the cheese.) Also carrot sticks.

Then they went "placer mining" for semi-precious stones, which magically appeared in the sand they were given. She got some really pretty rocks. Then it was time to walk down to the boat and go across the arm of the lake to the other side, where we boarded a bus, then got off at the top of a very scary ride. (I'd been on this road before, so I was ready, though the bus ride to get to the boat ramp was scarier than I'd remembered, probably because we were driving it when I was here before.) At the top the kids got their helmets and learned how to use them. Our guide, Addy, was enthusiastic and patient and really helpful to the kids.

 

And Joanna was entranced. She had been eager to see a real cave and it was beyond her expectations. There's no time when it's totally dark, though there was an 80 step climb through a narrow tunnel that had my claustrophobia acting up. There;s a spot in the cave where the stalactites and stalagmites no longer grow so we were allowed to touch them and the kids dug for calcite crystals (and put them back.) It's really beautiful.

 

 

Before we got back on the boat I got her another stretched penny.

 

She enjoyed being on the rail for the boat ride. On the bus, the kids again went in back, and Joanna, who had slept most of the way to the caverns, slept all the way home. Thus avoiding the story stick that Pat and the kids were doing. Back at the resort, she was supposed to go to art but saw some kids in the pool and thought that was what they were doing. Not our kids, for starters, but she didn't believe me till Heather waved her over to the crafts.

 

At the bar I sat with a couple of grandparents and talked mostly about widowhood. The kids went swimming and Tate's whole family appeared.

Then we had dinner. The kids read their stories. Pat asked if Joanna had a story and I said no, she didn't. I think she was a little sorry, as the others all got applauded for their stories.They got certificates and their crafts. The kids performed a song. The grandparents read out their advice to their grandchildren. I was pleased with two of mine... "you have two ears and only one mouth, so you should listen twice as much as you talk" and "always always always remember you are loved."

 

 

 

 

When it was time to break up, I took Pat aside and asked if we could be piggish and have another book. Yes. Then, as we walked back to the cabin, Joanna said she wanted to come back and I had to let her know she would be too old. Tears. Total meltdown. And I'm a failure because I was supposed to take her when she was 6 and 7 and 8. Which is what she will do with her grandchildren, by the way. "I'll never see Pat and Heather aga-a-a-in!" I hugged her and assured her she would have many fun adventures in her life. I felt sorry for her but also happy that she liked it that much.

 

 

Friday, breakfast and checkout. We drove to Shasta Dam, and saw Teddy and Laura (cousins) and their grandparents there.. There was an osprey nest! Then Joanna fell asleep. I made a quick dash into the service station to pay for gas while she slept, but I couldn't leave her long enough to go to the bathroom, so it was an uncomfortable ride home the last hour or so!

 

 

   

 Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, vol 1 p. 599

 

338 recordings of 26 types, 61 old CPD. 24% clear.

 

So I need to summarize the last few days because tomorrow I'm heading to Pittsburgh and Ottawa.  I'll write after I get back, because I'm not taking the laptop, just the iPad.

 

I've seen some interesting things going on outside, and I hope I don't miss too much. The wrens have built a nest in the kitty kat nest box, and I hope I'll get to see the fledglings. My yucca, that I grew from one of the shoots from the deformed one I cut down, is going to bloom. And as my tulips begin to die back, the poppies are coming out beautifully.

 

On Tuesday I walked over to the Powerhouse museum to renew that membership, and I see that the Salvation Army is operating a transitional shelter on a nearby street. 

 

When Vince called, I had a two week list!  He told me about a computer museum he went to with Eric. Sounds fascinating.

 

Then Wednesday was fun. Padreic made a vase with pipe cleaner flowers and was very justifiably proud of it. I gave Bernadette her dragon basket present in the morning, then asked Joanna in the afternoon if she'd seen it... "yes, did you get anything for me?" Why yes I did, but you have to wait till after I read to you. I read two Just-So Stories, then went out to the car and brought in the two parts of her present. I handed her the big box and she started unwrapping it... "It's BOXCAR CHILDREN! And look! It's in a box that's a boxcar!!" Then I showed her the picture of the resort I'd printed up with the trains showing... you and I are going on a Boxcar Children camp and we'll stay in a real train car! She is beyond excited. Gareth wanted to know when he was going and I pointed out that I took him to Mt. St. Helens and Seattle when he was 8. Her turn. Padreic, meanwhile, wanted a birthday present too, but was OK with being told he had to wait till his birthday. He sang "Happy Birthday" to Mommy and Joanna, however.

 

When I got home I called Road Scholar to give them Joanna's address and tell them to send the paperwork to her (and mommy.)

 

Bernadette and I were talking about the summer... the kids will be gone most of June and a lot of August, so if I'm going to finish Charlotte's Web before we're separated for most of the time, I'll have to really read a lot every day.

 

Thursday I went with the WPAC to Cache Creek Casino. I had my old player's card that they gave me when I went in Rich's place back in 2012. From now on, if I go to a geocaching party at the Road Trip Cafe, I'll stop by here coming back. I lost $50, then won it back and cashed out, but still had a couple of hours, so in the end I lost $30. Fun, though. I sat with a Barbara, but she mostly had her nose in a book.

 

In June they're going to see Frankie Avalon live in Modesto. I asked Sharon if she had the coupons yet, but she agreed to take my money now and hold a coupon for me.

 

I took that in on Friday before I went to Renaissance and saw the movie About Time. Great actors, including a guy from The Best Marigold Hotel movies, who dies from lung cancer, sniff! At home I watched Donnie Darko (and was on my computer, which is why it confused me) which I didn't like as well.

 

In the evening, the Chatauqua did a super job with "A Time to Kill." And my friend Bill looks pretty good and says he feels well, and they're planning a geocaching trip to the East (so he can actually get away from a bathroom!). However, another geocaching friend had a heart attack and died Friday night. Owl is the person who asked me, a week after Rich died, if I was planning to move. No. (Though nowadays it sometimes seems like a good idea.)

 

I forgot to order my blood pressure pills last week, and had not realized I had no refills left so they had to contact the doctor, and since last time they didn't change my doctor's name despite my telling them that, it's taking too long, so I went into the pharmacy to ask them not to return the prescription while I'm gone.  Who knows. I have some blood pressure pills that I got when I wrongly panicked on my 2012 Wyoming trip, because I thought I'd forgotten the pills. So I can use them, a slightly different prescription but still HCTZ.  

 

I decided to order a bright blue luggage strap with a TSA approved lock, mostly because this way I can spot my bag more easily.


Yesterday I accidentally drove first to the First Saturday restaurant, thinking how fast time flies, it only seems like a week since I was there. Oops. Off to the right place! Then in the evening it was the church social where I sat with Laurie.


Today I saw "Chappaquiddick."  What a POS Teddy Kennedy was, but the people in Massachusetts loved him. He'd never have been President, though. On the Kennedy tour in Boston the guide said Kennedy's fight with Carter finished his chances, but I thought about Chappaquiddick. The rest of the country isn't Massachusetts, just like the rest of the country isn't, thank goodness, California.

 

Getting nervous! As long as I remember to take the iPad charging cord, I should be OK. I'm otherwise packed, I believe. (But just now remembered to check in and print my boarding pass!)

 

305 recordings of 21 types, 65 old CPD. 31% clear.

 

Tuesday (the 19th) as I was driving home, I decided to stop at Wendy's for a burger. I think this may be the first time I've been at a Wendy's since David died and Rich walked me down to the local one to help me calm down.

 

Alicia had left the baby gate open so the dog got into the kitty litter. She left the shower leaking. She didn't eat the strawberries and grapes I had out for her, and she had the heater up to 72%. (darn. I was really hoping this month's usage would be down.) However, she was able to come at the last minute and the dog didn't have to stay out in bad weather.

 

Vince called and they planned A.J.'s birthday party for Saturday. Vince wanted to put together some kits so they could make their own trains.

 

Wednesday Fishdom came up with an Easter game. While I had most of the things from last year (and put the delighted hedgehog into the Wonderland aquarium) I did want the two fish again (Humpty and Dumpty) so I played.

 

Bernadette had work this day, so she brought Padreic over in the morning on the way. I decided it was too rainy to go to Wee Wednesday, so we just stayed in the house and I gave him macaroni and cheese for lunch.

 

 

He was playing with the Cookie Monster toy and had discovered it would travel across the kitchen floor, so of course the batteries ran down. It was C batteries, and I found a pack of two unused Cs. Then I see they were both corroded. Who knew that not using batteries in many years wasted them? So I need to get new Cs.

 

I drove directly to the school and went out in the rain with Padreic to go to the office and donate Charlotte's Web. We hung out then for about 10 minutes until we could go wait for the kids on the school grounds. I saw Joanna and told her to go to the crosswalk and then go to my car, which was unlocked, and get into it, and then waited for Gareth. The three of us walked toward the crosswalk, at Padreic's speed, and there was Joanna with the principal holding an umbrella over her. Apparently, she only remembered the first part of the instructions, and I believe this is the second time that's happened, so from now on I'll have her repeat the whole thing.

 

 

Back at the house, I read to them and watched their homework, though Gareth needs constant prompts. Joanna played with Padreic. When Rob got home he helped set Gareth up to edit his paper (which gets electronically sent to the teacher: wonderful technology) and then went to relax. I stayed around to keep the kids sane (not that it was hard) until R. came out to start dinner and I told him B. was going to bring something. Then I asked if he was prepared to rejoin the world, he was, so I left about 5:45. It was late enough that going up Watt actually was OK and I got home myself about 6:30.

 

Thursday, rain rain rain. I stayed in. John called. As I suspected, he's found a widow he knew from the past and is beginning to date.

 

I made the backspout *whoosh* out, very satisfactory. However, I got a hand cramp. The first one I ever had was in Zubiri, Spain, but I'm getting them more often now. Foot cramps I've been having for years.

 

I uploaded all the pictures from my camera. It's been a couple of months.

 

There was a shooting over the weekend... it was initially presented as a poor unarmed young dad, but there was a bit more to the story. It's our own Michael Brown incident, though so far the Black Lives Matter people have only blocked off the Kings games. No rioting to date, which is promising.

 

 

 

Friday I did some digging in the garden. I called Brenda to find out how Renee is doing, and she's been removed to a convalescent home. I also called Darlene. She was on her way to St. Augustine.

 

Then I drove down to the Feickert school Carnival. Bernadette had bought my raffle tickets and a ticket for a cheese pizza slice. (Friday in Lent, no hot dog for me!) I danced the Macarena and Y-M-C-A, but mostly I hung out. Bernadette actually can do the hula hoop! I put my tickets mostly in the bag for the gift cards, and a few in the Kindle Fire bag. And I won nothing. However, Bernadette (and Padreic, who had carefully put the ticket in that bag when she told him to) did win a basket with a really cute bunny. And Joanna was totally thrilled with the bag.

 

&bsp

 

I sadly told them goodbye, since this is Joan's turn to have them for Easter.

 

Saturday I spent a lot of time playing games, then went back to sleep and ended up with 8 hours of sleep. This hardly ever happens.

 

I went to the store, then later went to evening Mass to avoid the Palm Sunday processions. Ever since Alan left, our Palm Sundays just aren't that exciting any more. I talked to Peter Mithin for a bit.

 

I adjusted a slow cooker orange chicken recipe for the Instant Pot. It wasn't bad (it's from a diabetes cookbook) though I forgot the grated orange peel which is ridiculous with all the oranges Monica gave me!

 

Sunday morning the dog wasn't in his bed. I went looking for him and there he was in the kitchen with a RAT! A big one! Eeek!! It scurried off to the hole next to the dishwasher. Sunday morning at 4 AM, I couldn't call the rat people till Monday. That night I tried blocking the hole with a lead weight, but it pushed it over and got into the kitchen again, though this time I didn't see it. Then I put bricks there and that seems to be working to keep it out of the kitchen.

 

I dug up the garden for peanuts which I planted on Monday. I'm also trying to sprout kumquats. And I have a different kind of avocado pit I hope to grow.

 

I had a long talk with sister-in-law Carol. Frank will be 75 on April 11th!

 

Fiona (from Ngoko safari) has posted her trip report. They (she and Benson) will be coming to the US in October, maybe to Seattle!

 

I printed up the Canadian Geotour passport, and put Doug and Nancy on the GPS.

 

Monday I had a nosebleed. I spent a lot of time playing games. I am spending too much money on Albion, but it's very addictive.

 

The cleaners were early so I had to do a quick final pass. Then while I was in the bedroom I kept hearing this "tap tap tap" and wondered what they were doing. Finally, when they tapped on my window I learned they had locked themselves out!!

 

My tulips are so pretty!

 

 

I'd been wondering if Roni would ask me for Easter. She finally emailed the family, what fun it would be if everyone came for Easter dinner. (This was a surprise, lately they've been taking Grandma to dinner in a restaurant. Apparently Kathy has become totally anti-social, doesn't want to go out, doesn't want people to visit.) Monica is going to New Orleans, Bernadette is in Oregon, and I said no because I'm on retreat till Easter morning and am going to want to go home with my dog. Poor Roni!

Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, vol 1 p. 595

31.3 miles

rain rain rain

 

328 recordings of 28 types. 68 old CPD, 1 old SVU. 25% clear.

 

 

Sunday March 4 I went on a WPAC trip for the first time in a couple of years. I had planned to sit in the bus with Thea, and she thought we were doing it too, but Sharon was convinced Thea would be with Donna and she put me with Ray. Uh-oh... while Ray and I have been communicating (ever since I showed him my air museum membership card) lately, there was some tension earlier. As it happened, we got along fine. At the beginning he said "I don't know why I'm stammering" and I said "Apparently I intimidate you. I certainly don't MEAN to" and after that he stopped stammering.

 

We talked books and travel, seeing President Kennedy and other famous people (I had Milton Caniff, and he knew who that was! I completely forgot Eva Gabor) and it was quite entertaining. When the coach arrived in Antioch we stopped at the Lone Tree golf club for their brunch buffet, and all I can say is.. wow. There was so very much food! I didn't wait for the roast beef, but went through a different line, so filled my plate with so very much good food. Thea and Donna had waited for us to sit next to them, and Ron and Gen were also at the table. I had wanted to tell Ron that I walked across Spain, because he always liked to walk. I also wanted to tell him I'd gone to Africa. And I wanted to tell Gen that my Wednesdays were fun, since she had asked the last time I saw them. I still miss him, though I don't think I showed it. I did find his dithering exasperating while he was trying to find the dining room. At one point I pointed at Ron and Ray and said they were the only two WPAC members I'd been geocaching with.

 

I ate a lot, but tried to be carb conscious. I was the only person at the table who only had one dessert! There was a lot of merriment going on when Donna couldn't get her dishes picked up and put them on another table... then the people who had that table reserved came in.

 

I'd noticed a geocache but it would have been too far a walk, so I didn't go for it.

 

Then the driver wanted to show us some of Belmont, but eventually decided there was too much traffic. So off to the Antioch theater where the Zmed brothers did their Everly Brothers Experience show. Not only did they sing the songs, but told us biographical information. It was really great! Toward the end I found myself in tears, not so much crying for Rich (who was later than most of these songs) but apparently for my lost youth. Which was a huge surprise, since this is the first time I've not been content with my current age.

 

And so home, a quieter ride during which I pretty well finished my book.

 

Monday the water people were back, to my surprise. I spent much of the day watching, wondering what they were doing. Finally, as they unloaded the fire hydrant at my neighbor's house, it all became clear. Oh, THAT's what the mysterious "FH" meant!

 

This is when I discovered the VCR control panel and rescued "Lady and the Tramp." I'm not going to try to get it set up with this television, though, but going to wait until I get the white elephant set up. It dawns on me I will need a remote, as well as speakers. I'd thought I could do it by hand but with a VCR and DVD player I will almost certainly need a remote to get to the different INPUTs.

 

The olde movie I watched was "Ball of Fire."

 

I guess I fed Pharaoh twice He doesn't let me know, but then he upchucked. Sigh.

 

I'd dozed off, and Helena called at 9 something, to let me know it would be OK to stay with her in a couple of weeks.

 

Tuesday my Fishdom game finally had something I could play, Herman the crab, so I did that. (I'm saving the main games, which get added 15 at a time on Thursdays, till they open the new aquarium, so I can win their goodies to furnish it.

 

Once again, I skipped the ladies' breakfast. I like the people, but not the restaurant so much.

 

Movies were "Test Pilot" and "Talk of the Town."

 

I took a box of books to the library and stopped at the office. They still didn't have my name badge, so I tried ordering it again. I made my reservation for a gambling trip to Cache Creek casino. They had sent Rich an invitation, before he died, and I thought I could use it but called first, what a hassle, but I have a membership now. But I've only gone there one time, in 2012, so would enjoy going back. Without having to drive it!

 

I then stayed for the board meeting.

 

On the way home I stopped for cuticle cream, because my fingernails are miserable. I couldn't find the sort ot tube I was looking for, so I got Aquaphor which says it's for cuticles, too.

 

And it was a nice call from Vince. I'm actually letting him talk occasionally.

 

The Gummint is suing California over sanctuary cities. Great, I get to pay both sides (as well as the 18 times Becerra has sued Trump. One of which he's lost.) The state is going to pot, and this is how they spend my tax money.

 

Wednesday, my dreams seemed to mix up Eric's page job with Last Man Standing. Odd.

 

Wee Wednesday was about the Faith Ringgold exhibit. We started with the "word quilt" book, then upstairs, in front of the quilt, we had the story the quilt tells.Padreic was interested and talked about the first book but we got interrupted with an unneeded potty stop, and he didn't know about grandma's quilt. When I went back to the Crocker on my own to really look at the exhibits, I bought both those books and took them to him and he was fascinated and loved them.

 

The kids got out early this week, so I was home in time to call the church bookkeeper and get my donations sorted out. I figure the tax people would have taken my word for it, so we'd only need proof if I got audited. However, the bookkeeper mailed the correction right away.

 

I've got a new game, Alice in the Mirrors of Albion. It's a very involved hidden objects game and I was getting frustrated that it wouldn't let me buy hints and kept freezing on me. I deleted and reinstalled it twice with minimal success, but then I reset the iPad and all was well.

 

Thursday, the kids were still getting out early, so we went over to Davis to the Raptor Center. It doesn't take much time to go through, but I think Joanna was quite interested. I walked over to look for a cache but there was a woman sitting in a car there. Then when we drove past she was gone and I said that, but Bernadette didn't stop. Oh, well, I'll look for it when I'm going down to San Jose.

 

Kim wants to meet with Trump! His Gridiron joke, about "how do you meet with a madman? That's not my problem, it's Kim's!" is coming true!

 

 

338 recordings of 36 types. 1 old LMS, 69 CPD, 8 LMS. 23% clear. (Friday's statistics. I start this so early and then get too busy to finish.)

 

Sunday February 18 was great fun. I met my geocaching friend Carol in Folsom. The restaurant I was thinking of turns out to be closed on Sunday mornings. Oops. And she got stuck in terrible traffic so was late, but we finally met up. 

 

Her usual geocaching partner doesn't like walking, and Carol does, so this was perfect. For starters, she'd marked a cache I didn't have listed, so looked for that while I dashed back for my sunglasses. Then off we went, off to the trail. There are no new art works since I was here in December, so no new geocaches. Yet. But there were 4 I was unable to get last time. Carol had found one of those, but not the others. And it was such a pleasant day for a walk. I think she and I should go to the Lafayette reservoir one of these days!

 

We came back in sore need of a bathroom, and hungry, and stopped at Pizza Classico (where I had a salad. Yay me.) All in all, a very pleasant day!

 

I was watching a show about the Galapagos and learned that a volcano there erupted in 2015!  I must not have been paying attention.

 

Monday's only event was that I went to the Newcomer's Dinner. I had called to remind John, so he came. He and Bill (a neighbor, on Pounds Lane) had both gone to Grant High School in the 40s, so they had a lot of reminiscences that I found fascinating.

 

I cleaned out the kitchen pantry (except for the pasta shelf, which I got the next day). SO much vinegar! So much alcohol!  I DID have corn starch after all, so now I have far too much! And so much gelatin!!

 

I've been watching old movies. TMC has a pre-Oscar special, and so many are interesting to me. So I had to cancel S.W.A.T., that I never got into, and cut out a lot of the How the Universe Works segments (all about how the universe is going to kill us... maybe in 5 billion years, or maybe this afternoon.)

 

Tuesday, my USAA subscriber bonus came, which would cover the deposit for Oberammergau. I found out that it's not refundable, but for $200 I could transfer it to another program, which might be useful, if I do it and then go with Father Giltus.

 

I actually made it to the breakfast. I like the people but really am not impressed with the restaurant.

 

Wednesday I had another nosebleed. Sigh. This gets old. 

 

At Wee Wednesday Miss Jill was gone so Miss Michelle was the leader. She did a "criss cross" rhyme and Padreic learned to sit cross-legged.  We showed Mommy when we got home.  It's a lot better when they sit that way so they dont get in everyone's way.  Too bad Arthur doesn't get it, and too bad Arthur's mom and grandmom don't try to get him to behave. 

 

The parking meter acted up, told me I was paid till 11:30, but when we came out at 11:10 it had expired. There was no ticket, but I thought it should be reported.  I tried calling the number on the meter but it continually kicked me off.  Later, about Monday, I reported online. And yet, the next Wednesday a woman was unable to pay at that meter. She has a smartphone so could do it, anyway.

 

Back at the house, I was picking up stuff (Bernadette had turfed out Gareth's room and it looked great) and found Joanna's Thanksgiving list.  She's thankful for Grandma, but not for me. This little girl manages to hurt my feelings on a regular basis! She is still not doing her writing. I keep asking why and she doesn't know. I asked Joan to tell Joanna she, Grandma, would like her to do her school writing. That might work.

 

Thursday I was almost late to the Retreat House, swallowed up by Facebook. But I made it. Again, a huge amount to eat! 

 

I got Pharaoh's DNA kit and swabbed his cheeks. I really am curious. 

 

I have decided not to play the regular levels in Fishdom until they come up with a new aquarium. But I'm OK playing the additional game of Herman (the crab) even if it means (and it did) dropping another league.  They add 15 new games every Thursday, and I've been buying the diamonds at a discount, so by mid-March I should have enough to play the 60 or 75 games I'll have before they go to the "chests." Those games don't let you get new decorations or fish.  When they do open the Wonderland exhibit I can buy a lot of goodies right away.  The fish keep nagging me to go to the store, but I have everything already and the aquaria are stuffed!

 

354 recordings of 34 types, 1 old SVU (I have to keep repeating "no, don't record that"), 70 CPD, 19 LMS. 21% clear.

 

This week went by in a flash... I've been playing Fishdom and reading Nero Wolfe, not writing this journal or keeping up with much of anything else. Sunday through Thursday I was watching Safari Live and hoping to win a safari, but sadly a woman from Seattle won.

 

Monday (the 5th) would have been Rich's 76th birthday. When I changed out the cat box I realized there wasn't enough poop. Later in the week I saw that Pharaoh was sneaking in there WHILE I'M IN THE HOUSE so there's no time I can leave the gate down. He was duly punished but he's apparently too stupid to learn or too obsessed to care. 

 

I watched Marnie.( I'd never seen it before.) I was surprised that it was written by Winston Graham.

 

I can't stand Adam Schiff. He speaks, he lies. I was happy, later in the week, to find out he got pranked by some Ukrainean DJs, and now I think of him as a buffoon. I think he's lost some credibility (I hope) because of that.

 

Tuesday my sleep was all messed up and I didn't make it to breakfast. My weight and blood pressure were both down. I dug in the garden a little bit. Turned off the heat and opened windows much of the next few days. (Then it got cold again.) 

 

Pharaoh got into the rawhide I got out for St. Vincent de Paul. He's *impossible* these days.

 

Wednesday, fun with the kids. At Wee Wednesday Padreic was a little more social, though he was as pushy as Arthur. The hard lesson was "wait your turn."  Then he surprised me by not wanting to go to Wing Ding. (He fell asleep on the way home.)  More of the "Land of Oz" with Gareth and Joanna. Bernadette can't get on Facebook, so I've been writing her, and of course my communications major never communicates.

 

I talked to my friend down at the school and she didn't like Father Heart-Throb at all his second time through, so I wasn't the only one. 

 

Thursday was my doctor visit. I'd thought it might be a full checkup but it was just a review of the A1c test.  In the 6 months I lost 5.2 pounds. My A1c was 5.9, so much better than it's been all along. It's still in pre-diabetic range but the lowest it's been since they started checking it 3 years ago or so.  He wanted to know how hard it was to be good, suggesting Glucophage. I looked it up when I got home and have decided no, especially if I can get the A1c down farther (not this week, though. I celebrated with a pizza Friday through Monday, and also have been enjoying other carbs, hash browns and toast and jelly, that sort of thing. (And gained the weight to prove it. Easy to put on, hard to take off!)) 

 

The doctor also recommended a two-part shingles vaccine with a much higher prevention rate than the one I already had. So I went down to the pharmacy for it... and TriCare doesn't cover it! $200! For the first half! Painful two ways.

 

I worked on the jigsaw, and went out to the WPAC dinner in Citrus Heights. It's the chicken won ton tacos there, quite good. One of the women there had a terrible time on the Hawaii cruise. Makes me think again about the Alaska one in a couple of years. The person airlifted off at Hilo WAS on that ship but not a WPAC person.

 

Friday I had a nosebleed, and decided to skip the morning session, mostly because I wanted to carry a pillow to deal with those terrible seats. I gave the teacher a Time Travel book I'd found. The movie was "Time Bandits." Silly. During the week I watched "Terminator" and I was wrong, I hadn't seen it before. For one thing, it came out before I met GoE, so I wouldn't have. It must have been a sequel that I didn't like. 

 

My neighbor came over to tell me they'll be putting a fence in. Darn. I really like it when the dogs see each other and when I can reach over and pet them, especially Patches, the new one. I miss the old days when I could see the neighbors!  Oh, well.

 

That night I went to the Camino Pilgrim's meeting to see the Le Puy presentation. Not much help about the route from Lourdes.  John was there. He called the next day to see if I was all right, because I left while he was talking to another woman.

 

Saturday morning I went to the WPAC breakfast, which was nice. Marty and Jim were there. She got really sick on the cruise, and he was disappointed at the Arizona Memorial.

 

I took the kids to see "The Secret Garden". And I started looking for maps of Nero Wolfe's house. I settled on Stout's sketch of the office but finally adjusted Baring-Gould's first floor to make the second floor work. (Still can't do the third floor and the orchids, but oh, well.) 

 

Had a nice long talk with John on the telephone. 

 

Sunday it was Mass, Communion at the retirement home, and finishing the Rex Stout Nero Wolfes. 

 

 

352 recordings of 35 types, 1 old SVU, 71 old CPD, 39 LMS, 23% clear.

 

I had to leave the retreat early because I had tickets for "Carnival of the Animals" by Circa in Davis. I left here about1:50 and got caught in the usual Sunday traffic jam near IKEA, but arrived at the theater by 2:30 as planned. Then I waited and waited and waited for Bernadette, who was planning to leave the bowling and pizza party the kids were at at 2:00... I began to think I was going to miss it, $135.00 wasted.

 

Bernadette drove up about 2:50 and got parked and to me by 2:56, so we raced in... to find someone else had our seats. This was a bit confusing (they'd not realized their seats were on the orchestra side) but we were seated and the show started about 10 minutes late or so. Which was our hope, that a kids' show might be a little confused and not that prompt to start.

 

It was fun, and the kids liked it. Gareth laughed right away, and eventually Joanna started to smile. (The last time we were at the Mondavi she didn't much like the show at all, but that was 3 years ago.)

 

Bernadette was behind me getting out of the parking lot, but I was a bit surprised when she also followed me on the Reno exit. When she got off at IKEA, I figured it out.

 

When we went to bed, suddenly Pharaoh upchucked everything he'd had to eat the last 3 days. This was on the tile floor, so while it was an enormous paper towel job, it wasn't too bad. But then he upchucked a small amount on his bed, so I had to rinse that off and then find a quilt for him to sleep on. The next day I properly cleaned his bed and it was dry by bedtime. I guess the dog was anxious about missing me, but next time I bring his own food.

 

Monday was the cleaners. This time I was ready.

 

I had two nosebleeds this day!

 

After the cleaners, I drove out to Citrus Heights, where the other BevMo! is, to the Skechers outlet and I found two nice pair of shoes that DO fit!

 

 

Tuesday I didn't feel like going out to breakfast, and in fact I mostly spent the day playing Fishdom!

I also finished the scratch-off map and framed it (though I didn't take the pliofilm off the front of the glass, so will have to do that when (if) I ever scratch off anything else. 17 countries! I also did more on the jigsaw puzzle.

 

 

 

In the afternoon I went to get vitamins, milk, and gas.

 

My Apple charging card finally broke, after years of abuse. I taped the insulation back on so I can use it till the new one comes. (Which happened Thursday.)

 

Wednesday was great. The Wee Wednesday program was about the senses and Padreic contributed. The first time was quiet and not really on topic, Miss Jill had said she liked to touch her cat and P. said he had a cat... and Nana has a dog. I was the only person to hear this. Later, though, he answered a question Miss Jill asked him, and to the point. They "planted a garden" and he loved that. Then the exhibit Wing Dings was back, and Padreic didn't want to leave it.

 

I read the beginning of "The Land of Oz" to the kids, leaving them at a cliffhanger place. Heh.

 

Then yesterday I went to Mass at the Retreat House. I talked to a fairly new widow and found out her daughter and granddaughter don't talk to her. Just awful. I also saw another woman and we talked, but I cannot remember her name... she knows mine.

 

At home I finally noticed John had called. Since he called on Wednesday and I didn't call back, he was worried he was bothering me. No, I enjoy talking to him.

 

I actually opened the windows in the house and aired it out. I noted there was mud on the outside of one, so I took it out of the frame and washed it! (This is a first, and this is one of the old ones!)

 

351 recordings of 40 types. 1 old SVU, 74 CPD, 51 LMS. 24% clear.

 

Tuesday the 16th I went to breakfast with the widows and we had a great time discussing funerals and laughing and laughing. 

 

Then in the afternoon John came over and I showed him pictures and told him about the Camino for two and a half hours. I had a great time.... that was a lot of fun!

 

Vince called and apart from a time when his microphone went out, this week it all worked.  

 

And then I got to looking at the geocaches in Canada, and before I knew it, it was nearly midnight. 

 

 

On Wednesday I went to pick up Padreic for Wee Wednesday. Rob was home, celebrating his birthday with two weeks off. Padreic was OK with leaving today and he was happy to check out the play room and the tot room. He had a little difficulty sharing. I was spelling his name out with the blocks, and of course the C was missing... then he lined all the blocks up in no particular order, and then went to play with something else, but when another kid came to play with the blocks he was possessive... "MINE!" No, you have to share. Tears, real tears, and loud crying. If you keep that up, we're going home. Immediate quiet.  Then when a little girl came over, she wanted to have him play with her... "you can help me put some blocks on." He didn't understand that, so while she built a tower (and kept offering to let him help) he built a triangle wall. The girl was ahead socially, but he was an engineer.  

 

The story was about "happy" and "sad" and then we went up to look at pictures. Then the idea was to show how we could make happy and sad faces. Hey, Padreic was real good down in the tot room with sad when he had to share.  But he really didn't have a clue. Then they were given an oval and lots of shapes to glue on to make a face. Again, he just liked gluing shapes on. He was very very proud of his collage. I saw the black square needed more glue and took it to do that and he clouded up, but he listened when I explained and I gave his creation right back after it was mended. He carefully took it home to give to Mommy to display. (They have a dresser in front of most of the refrigerator display space, but Bernadette found room.)  Then I gave him a Cars sticker book. 

 

After awhile they were having Alexa play songs. Padreic was dancing and spinning and got really over-excited so had a major breakdown just before I left to pick up the kids at school. Needed some cuddle time with Mommy.  "Raining Tacos" is a really silly song.

 

Joanna had a good behavior slip this time, with only one "oops" and again, it was about writing. It's kind of scary that her birthday present, a Boxcar Children themed camp, is going to have writing, but I hope that the different setting will help her, and hey, if she doesn't want to do it, it really won't matter. 

I read more of Betsy and Tacy go over the Big Hill, just one day left of this, which will also include the real story.

 

My name tag wasn't in the raincoat after all, so I wasn't hallucinating putting it somewhere last Friday. But I thought it was in the car and I have turned that inside out, so I have no idea where it is. 

 

I had thought I would go to Yuba City for the geocaching event, but I was really too tired.

 

My Instant Pot came, and I've got a bit (a lot?) of buyer's remorse. It's too big (if I'd bought one off the shelf, I'd have gotten a smaller one), I managed to scald myself during the "this is how to use it" program, and the kicker is the rice cooker feature, one I really wanted it for, was a disaster. I was hoping to replace my Mom's 40+ year old rice cooker.  But I followed the "multigrain" instructions, and about half of the rice stuck to the pan and needed to be scrubbed off. I do have a big, shallow, pan that I've used for rice before on the big burner on my stove, and it works well, so I still have a plan for rice. Certainly not this Instant Pot. I've also looked at the recipes, and there's a lot of prep for each meal. When they say "10 minutes" they don't count the time to soak beans or cut up meat, for instance. 

 

The next day I tried to modify a slow cooker meal for the pressure cooker. Turns out, I don't have corn starch, so I couldn't thicken the gravy, but oh my goodness, the beef cubes were delicious!  So my Buyer's Remorse is still to be decided. I ordered some yogurt cups, and will try making yogurt in it.

 

 

Thursday I made a commissary run.  As I was putting the food away I noted a case of diced tomato cans, and they're from 2008! (I don't remember getting anything like this while Rich was alive, since I avoided the commissary like the plague.) They seem OK. I keep buying diced tomatoes because I use them a lot, so I'll probably be able to get rid of these fairly soon. 

 

I called for Joanna's camp and paid for it all right now. I looked at the map, and it does look like fun. I'll print the page up for her because the information probably won't come until May.  

 

Friday I didn't do much, just stayed home all day, got a call from Food for the Poor so they now have my new credit card number.  I worked on the jigsaw, pretty much finishing the blue sky. I also scratched off the countries in South America for my map, and the flags on that side of the map. (Which I hate, though I've discovered that my thumbnails work better than the idiot guitar pick they gave me.)

 

351 recordings of 53 types, with 1 old SVU, 62 old CPD, and 51 old Last Man Standing. 24% clear.

 

 

Oh, I forgot to mention taking Gareth to Flapjacks for lunch. Yummy, I'll have to go back!

 

Wednesday I waited till 1:30 to call the shop and whine "am I ever getting my car back?" The answer was yes, he was waiting for the paperwork so I called the shuttle, which really worked out well as he was also picking up another woman in Carmichael. So we chatted on the way down there and while we were waiting to get our cars.

 

Thursday the cleaners were coming, about 1 she said, so I had time in the morning to make a huge commissary run. I went through self-check but also had a bagger, 9 big paper bags full! I managed to back the car in and get the groceries in quite efficiently. As it happened, the cleaners came up just as I was stashing the dog (at 12:30) and putting the dog dishes outside. They were only here a half hour (and they threw the trash bag into a green bin) but it sure was needed!

 

I finally wrote the check and signed my passport application, then put it in an envelope... but then when I was writing out the address (the second time, I blew it on the first envelope) I saw the line that said not to fold the form, but to put it in an envelope that fits. Oops. So I had to reprint the form and fill it out and put it and the check and my former passport in an envelope... oh, wait, I forgot to put the passport picture on! So the completed (I hope!) form is sitting on the table ready to go, but Friday it was raining and I just didn't feel like going to the post office (they make a big deal of not using another mailing place.) I don't know what's wrong with me, but I just seem to be reluctant to actually send this off!

 

Friday morning I walked over to the Powerhouse museum (we joined there when we moved here in July of 1997, shortly after they moved to that Auburn Boulevard location.) There I waited for the Feickert school bus to come with Joanna's second grade for their planetarium field trip. Another school bus came first, which confused me, but theirs eventually came. I joined up with Joanna and we stood in line about 20 minutes before the planetarium lady was ready.

 

I ended up sitting one kid away from Joanna and she was all wiggles. She kept arching her back and sliding to the floor (though I do think she was paying attention.) She had a bracelet that glowed in the dark and I had her put it in her pocket, but later she had it as an anklet. What really surprised me, in the audience participation part, she put her hand up and knew two answers (the Great Red Spot and that comets are made of ice.) She also shouted out answers, loudly, when the classes did. All in all, she was good. After they got back on the bus I went into the museum to go to the bathroom and also chatted with the docent, who I thought had done an excellent job. When I mentioned my rocket scientist son, she introduced me to another lady whose husband also works for Aerojet!

 

The museum currently has dinosaurs and planets, and not too much for Padreic. When I started walking home, a light rain was falling. Later on Friday, it rained a lot. My neighbor Ako, down the street, is eager to hire my gardener and we had a number of phone calls back and forth. My answering machine actually keeps the right time!

 

Then I went to see "The Regifters" which was cute. It got a little preachy at the end about the True Meaning of Christmas, but they did an adequate job.

 

On Saturday morning I went to the Widowed Person's breakfast and had a good time. (Sitting with women this time. I found out that Heinz is no longer a member. Sigh.)

 

My neighbor had a loaf of homebaked bread to share. Yum. Staying low-carb is definitely hard-to-impossible.

 

We're Still Better off With Trump Than Clinton: