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Week of 3 December 2001 Latest
Update: Saturday, 26 April 2003 08:53 |
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Monday, 3 December 2001 [Last Week] [Monday] [Tuesday] [Wednesday] [Thursday] [Friday] [Saturday] [Sunday] [Next Week] |
| The agility trial was fun but exhausting. I arrived at the
trial site around 2:30 and started putting up the tent. After I finished
another volunteer, Doris Roberts, and I drove back into the small town of
Wake Forest (the nearest real town twenty miles away from the trial site)
to get drinks and supplies and get me checked into the Hampton Inn. Doris
is trial secretary and needed to pay for the five rooms the trial had
reserved for judges and myself. Back to the trial site we loaded coolers
with ice and soft drinks, water, and juices for Saturday morning.
Then Doris and I went back into Wake Forest around seven o'clock to find something to eat. We found a nice little Mexican place. Doris then drove back to her home in Greensboro and I went back to the hotel. I was up at five on Saturday morning, showered, and took off for the grocery store to get ice for the coolers. The fog was so thick it made driving horrid. Fortunately I knew where I was going. At the trial I worked the check in table starting around 6:30 until another volunteer showed up to take my place. I then spent the day between trial duties and the CBCR tent. And, it was hot. December 1st in North Carolina, even in the eastern part, is not supposed to be as hot as it was. Mid to high seventies and blazing sunshine. By the time the two rings finished their competitions for the day, we had the dinner, and got the trial site cleaned up for the night it was 8 pm before I got back to the hotel. I turned off the light at nine and rested/slept until six the next morning. Back to the store for more drinks and ice then on to the trial. No fog this morning. Now we had wind and thirty degrees. What a change in the weather. The wind howled all day making it hard to keep things nailed down on tables. At one point I had on a hooded jacket, my cap, another jacket and gloves. It was miserable. The trial was not quite over at 4:30 but I decided to head on home. I drove straight back rather than stop for something to eat, getting home around 7:30. After getting greetings from dogs and a hug from Bob I fixed a can of Spaghetti O's. Bob gave me some great birthday presents: a new astronomy hat, vest, telescope stuff, and a mug with all 110 Messier objects listed. I tried to stay up but by 9:00 I was beat. We walked the dogs and I went to bed at 9:30. This morning I need to get my house cleaned up as well as unload the car, etc. I want to start decorating my house for Christmas this week. Tonight my parents are taking me out for my traditional birthday dinner then back to Frances's for gifts and cake. [Top] |
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Tuesday, 4 December 2001 [Last Week] [Monday] [Tuesday] [Wednesday] [Thursday] [Friday] [Saturday] [Sunday] [Next Week] |
| I had a nice birthday dinner at Village Tavern with my
parents, sister, and her significant other. I ate marinated flank steak
with baked potato, and grilled veggies.
We went back to Frances's for cake and presents. My sister gave me a beautiful Border Collie t-shirt and book mark and a cute ornament for my tree. My mom gave me some Christmas stuff and a new lamp shade for one of the lamps in the den. Unfortunately both my parents had been sick over the weekend with a bug and were not feeling very well. We finished up cake and gifts around 7:30 and I told them to go ahead and go home to bed. I stayed a few minutes longer to visit with Al and Frances before heading home myself. We watched Angel and then the Buffy we taped last week. This morning I start decorating the house and tree for Christmas. I was still too tired yesterday to get started on it once I had finished cleaning house. I did manage to get the December Doggin'-the-Web edition finished. I covered a few interesting Holiday sites I found that were kind of interesting. Bob took a picture of me in my new Astro-gear he gave me for my birthday. The item hanging around my neck is a red beam flashlight. The vest is like a photographers vest that I can store stuff in the pockets that I need for observing.
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Wednesday, 5 December 2001 [Last Week] [Monday] [Tuesday] [Wednesday] [Thursday] [Friday] [Saturday] [Sunday] [Next Week] |
| It took most of the morning to get the lights on the
Christmas tree leaving me very little time to get all the decorating
finished. By the time I added a few ornaments, got the small artificial
tree set up in the den, and brought up the wreaths from the basement I was
too tired to get much else done.
I finally woke Bob up about five because I was hungry and ready to go to dinner. We did our usual library and dinner run last night because I am going out with friends for dinner tonight. The house is an absolute mess with Christmas boxes all over the place. My desk has stuff piled three deep on it and the table I use for wrapping packages in worse. I hate clutter!!! Once I get the house decorated and the boxes put away I will feel like I have accomplished something. This morning Malcolm goes to the vet for his annual checkup and shots. Then I need to go to the grocery store. Another busy day ahead with lots to do but I am gaining on it. As far as books go, I have been so tired when I go to bed, like last night at 9:30, that I am even too tired to read. Once get past this week and get things caught up in the house I will have time and energy to get back to the books.
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Thursday, 6 December 2001 [Last Week] [Monday] [Tuesday] [Wednesday] [Thursday] [Friday] [Saturday] [Sunday] [Next Week] |
| The tree is almost finished. Today I will get the remainder
of the Christmas decorations up and set out my Christmas Village.
Betsy, Nancy and I had a very nice dinner last night at The Vineyards. We spent a couple of hours enjoying a fine meal and getting caught up on all our news on the job and family front. I really enjoy this yearly tradition that we have started of having a nice dinner out together at Christmas time. Not much else to report here today. I have a lot to get done today so I guess I better get started.
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Friday, 7 December 2001 [Last Week] [Monday] [Tuesday] [Wednesday] [Thursday] [Friday] [Saturday] [Sunday] [Next Week] |
| Christmas decorations are almost finished. This weekend I
will get the last of the table top stuff out and set up the Christmas 2001
page.
Other than breaks for lunch, a short visit from Nancy, and paying attention to the dogs, I worked pretty much straight through yesterday to get the majority of the decorating finished. We ate an early dinner last night because we were both hungry around four thirty. While we ate we caught up on some of our taped shows from this past week. After dinner and walking the dogs I did few more things at the computer than decided to watch a movie I had taped on commercial television a few weeks ago. With all the ads I don't really like to watch movies on regular channels even with the "ad zapper" on the VCR. But I have never seen Shakespeare In Love and was afraid this would be the only way I would get to see it. It was a good movie, funny in parts, with a fairly decent cast. It had several of my favorite actors and actresses such Colin Firth and Judi Dench. This morning Duncan and I are off for a home visit on a family that wants to adopt a Border Collie. This afternoon I need to blow up the remaining leaves and mow the lawn. My winter rye is coming up nicely plus the other Kentucky 31 type seeds I sowed this last time. There is a prediction of rain tonight which is good news/bad news. We need the rain but we were supposed to go up to Bullington to help the club do a demonstration for the Brownies. Have a good weekend everyone. And, as always, thanks for stopping by for a visit. [Top] |
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Saturday, 8 December 2001 [Last Week] [Monday] [Tuesday] [Wednesday] [Thursday] [Friday] [Saturday] [Sunday] [Next Week] |
| Duncan and I had a nice drive over to Mooresville for our
home visit. It turns out that this lady has a sister who adopted a very
special dog from my friend Fletch whom I visit periodically in South
Carolina. Fletch started his rescue group in his home state after serving
as CBCR president for a year. The lady we visited yesterday was encouraged
by her sister to contact to adopt another border collie because of her
wonderful experience with Fletch's group. The family we visited yesterday
lost their 7 year old BC to cancer a couple of years ago and are ready to
get another dog.
We were back by noon for lunch then Bob and I did some end of year house maintenance stuff. He blew out the gutters and put the covers on the roof top vents for the attic. I blew up the last of the leaves around the driveway and behind the garbage cans in back then mulched everything in the natural area. Afterwards I mowed and threw out a little more seed on some of the remaining bare spots. It is supposed to rain sometime over the weekend but if not I will need to water. Today is "heads down" working on getting the last of Christmas decorations finished up. Since I have to vacuum the living room I may go ahead and vacuum the rest of the house today rather than tomorrow and get that chore out of the way. Last night Bob and I had a quiet evening (or as quiet as it can be with an active two year old BC) reading and listening to classical music. I started a new novel by Barbara Kingsolver, Prodigal Summer. Reading this novel is like reading a non-fiction nature book crossed with a romantic twist which is why I picked it up. I do not normally read her works but this one caught my attention based on the setting, which is in a rural mountain area surrounded by a Natural Forest. The main character is Deanna, a recent divorced biologist now working for the Natural Parks Service as protectorate of this area of Natural Forest. So far it is very good. Kingsolver writes well and provides picturesque descriptions of the wildlife surround Deanna's habitat.
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[Last Week] [Monday] [Tuesday] [Wednesday] [Thursday] [Friday] [Saturday] [Sunday] [Next Week] |
| Exhausted! After a full week of trying to get caught up on
the house stuff, Christmas decorations, and the lawn I finally ran out of
steam. I went to bed last night at 9:40 and read until ten. I slept in
this morning until nine.
Yesterday I finished the Christmas decorations. Today I will take some pictures for the Christmas page that will go up tomorrow. After I finished off the decorating I had to water the lawn. We did not get the promised rain. Then, while I took a late day break and watched a show I taped Friday night, I addressed Lenore's Christmas card envelopes for her. After dinner, I some of mine then spent the remaining part of the evening reading and listening to music again. Today is work on the office day. Even I am amazed at the pile of stuff on my desk that needs sorting plus other stuff that needs put away. Tonight for dinner I am grilling steaks and some lamb chops given to me by Nancy. They came from a former CBCR volunteer's sheep. This is my first time cooking lamb chops so it should be interesting. I shall pull out the Joy of Cooking for instructions.
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