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Barbara Fritchman Thompson
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Barbara Fritchman Thompson Diary

Week of 30 September 2002

Latest Update: Sunday, 27 April 2003 08:39


Monday, 30 September 2002

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Wow, the end of September already.  Yes, we did make another trip up to Bullington last night. As Bob told everyone on Sunday, I completed the necessary number of finds on my Messier list to get my pin and certificate. I still about 30 or so objects left to complete the entire list. 

As you could tell from Bob's post yesterday he is "wee bit proud" of my accomplishments. Needless to say, so am I. Way back when we bought the 10" telescope I thought perhaps I would be able to look at planets and the moon. I never dreamed I would learn how to find deep sky objects with a telescope. I guess you really can teach an old dog new tricks. Science has always been a very bad experience for me. To use a star map, chart, and instrument and locate small fuzzy objects in the sky really is something I never dreamed I would be able to do. I will continue to work on completing my entire Messier list along with several other Messier projects I will be working on this winter.

I am taking a day off from the gym this morning. I need to get my Doggin the Web column ready for tomorrow along with a few other things I want to work on today. Bonnie is coming over this afternoon around 2. We are working on the FAS display board texts for telescopes and binoculars. 

 

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Tuesday, 1 October 2002

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Yesterday turned out to be one of "those" days. I had my day pretty much planned when I got up this morning. However, as usual my schedule got a little turned around. After spending this morning getting little tidying up chores done I started working on my column. I had planned to get it started then do Lenore's visit and stop at the drug store on the way home and pick up a prescription. I had intended to do her visit and come home and mow the lawn before Bonnie came.

I left around 10:30 to visit Lenore. She has been pretty upset, with all reasons to be, over another male resident who seems hell bent on bothering her constantly. He comes in her room when she is napping or sits in the hall and stares at her. A few other things have happened over the past few weeks which the nursing home has been trying to rectify. They put up two narrow nets across her doorway to stop him from coming in. He is wheel chair bound but can motor himself around pretty good. 

This morning after talking with the nursing home staff yet again, we decided it may help to move Lenore over near the window in her room and move her room mate by the door. Her room mate is a 95 year old woman who pretty much sleeps most of the day. However, they do get her up and dress her each day and take her into the living room to sit in a wheel chair. So, called Bob to come over and help me rearrange the beds and Lenore's lift chair. By the time we got everything moved around it was going on 1:00. I had not had lunch and Bonnie was coming at 2. I finished up getting most of her personal things arranged and left to get back home.

By the time I got back home, ate a bite of lunch and checked my mail it Bonnie arrived. We worked for about two hours before she left. I fixed an early dinner and went out to mow while Bob cleaned up the kitchen. After a quick shower I walked the dogs then sat down to write this post. I am playing golf this morning with my dad because we both have appointments for Thursday. 

 

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Wednesday, 2 October 2002

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Dad and I met mom and Frances for lunch yesterday at Pizza Hut. After lunch I took mom and dad back home while Frances drove out to visit Lenore at the nursing home. That saved me some time that I used to finish up my yard work. I edged, blew up leaves from the drive, clipped dead blooms from the hydrangea, and replanted one of my butterfly bushes. Last weeks rains caused the branches to dip so far over on one side it pulled it part way out of the ground. Butterfly bushes are not supposed to be trimmed back until February but I had no choice. I cut it almost all the way back, dug it up, and put it back in the ground a little deeper. Hope it survives.

After I finished up in the yard I was absolutely soaked to the skin with perspiration. Temps have gone back up into the 80's with some pretty hefty humidity. I took a shower than tackled e-mail and web pages before dinner. Bob did the evening Lenore visit after dinner. I was just too tired to go and I wanted to start working on my column which I did while he was gone.

Our British friend, Alison called around 7:00. We had a nice chat getting caught up on news. Her parents arrive from England this Thursday for a months stay. Her dad will turn 80 next year. I told her about Lenore. Alison lives just north of Jackson, MS which got hit pretty hard from hurricane Isidore. I wanted to make sure she did not sustain any damage. Now, Lilly is bearing down on the same path. Those poor folks in Louisiana and Mississippi may get nailed again. I think this one is going too far west to bring up any residual rainfall once it comes inland.

I started another J. S. Borthwick last night, The Garden Plot. I only read about three chapters so I will refrain from getting into a plot description until I get a bit further into the book. We watch Buffy at 8 pm then gave the dogs their last time out. I went to bed to read but only lasted until 9:45. I let NYPD Blue tape.

I am off to the gym followed by a Lenore visit, library stop, and grocery store. 

Have a great Wednesday!

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Thursday, 3 October 2002

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Okay, who piles all this stuff on my desk every other day? Yes, well..... I know, it's me. It seems like every time I get all the papers filed, bills paid, and other miscellaneous stuff sorted it piles up again. So I spent yesterday afternoon clearing it all away once again.

It was well after noon by the time I returned home from errands and the store. After lunch I sat down to finish up this month's Doggin the Web Column in between checking and answering e-mails. Around 4 Bob left to go over to visit Lenore while I watched last nights NYPD Blue. When he returned I fixed our favorite pasta dish for dinner.

I read until time for West Wing then off to bed. 

This morning I am off for my yearly routine mammogram screening followed by a stop at Wal-Mart on that side of town. I am meeting Betsy for lunch at 1:00 over at the little diner Bob and I like to eat in. On the way back across to "our" side of town I will stop to visit Lenore before meeting Betsy. 

Bonnie and Steve are meeting at Bullington around 4:15 to mow and clean up the site. I volunteered to go out and help with that project. Sound like I have a busy day on tap.

 

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Friday, 4 October 2002

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Just in case you were curious enough to check my October Doggin the Web column yesterday you may have noticed it was still Septembers. My web master forgot to publish my revised page. The new one is up today if you are intersted.

I changed my mind yesterday about going to Bullington. I did not get home until 2:15 from my morning errands and lunch and did not feel up to the 30 minute drive up to Bullington to help with the mowing. It really only takes one person with a weed eater to help Steve while he mows with his riding mower. With Bonnie up there I felt like they had things covered.

Instead, checked e-mails and worked on the FAS display board text until around 4:30. I fixed an early dinner than went to the gym for the 5:30 spinning class while Bob went to visit his mom. 

We only had two members of WSAL show up for our meeting. We finalized plans for a late October excursion to the Blue Ridge Parkway and did some preliminary planning for our Messier Marathon next March. Everyone left around 9:30. I walked the dogs then went to bed to read.

The Garden Plot mystery I am currently reading by J. S. Borthwick lives up to her previous novel I just finished Down East Murders.  In this novel the murder takes place just as the a group of gardeners, including Sarah and her aunt Julie, take off for a tour of European gardens. Whirlaway Tour group leaders Barbara Baxter and garden expert Ellen Trevino have been planning the tour for weeks. However, Ellen does not arrive at the airport as the group prepares to board the plan. Thinking she missed her flight and will join them at their first B & B in England the group is concerned but not alarmed. 

Sarah, however, is suspicious from the time they board the plane. Once they land and get to their destination, Ellen has still not shown up. Sarah calls her beloved husband Alex to check out things back in American. The group learns Ellen has been murdered and must all troop down to the local police station to give out statements to be faxed back to the police in Maine. 

Borthwick rolls out her usual cast of suspicious characters with often hilarious personalities. Poor Sarah is trying to solve a murder from across the ocean while strange things continue to happen on the garden tour. 

I am off this morning to visit Lenore and a stop at the library. I need to get things organized for next weeks silent auction and book sale. 

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Saturday, 5 October 2002

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Happy Saturday to everyone. Today is bath day at the Thompson house... for the dogs of course. Border Collies like my guys who live inside as pets keep themselves pretty clean only needing a bath every couple of months. Last year I waited a little too long into the month of October and it turned cold on me before I could get their fall bath in. Since I bathe them outside with the garden hose it needs to be warm for both me and the dogs.

Yesterday was pretty much a ho-hum type day. I spent about well over an hour visiting Lenore yesterday morning. I returned home for a quick bite of lunch, e-mail check, and throw a load of her stuff in the wash before heading over to the library. I check on the book donations which are in pretty good shape for next weeks book sale. I stayed about and hour or so and worked on some things for the library before returning home.

Bob and I went out to dinner last night at one of our favorite cafe's then took a sandwich to Lenore for her dinner. 

I finished the Garden mystery last night. I really enjoyed this one all the way to the very end. Borthwick had several sub-plots working with the tour group that surprised me in the end including the one who murdered Ellen.

I hope you have a great weekend. 

 

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Sunday, 6 October 2002

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The "guys" and us got our baths yesterday. It was much easier to bath them with Bob helping to hold them still particularly Malcolm and Duncan. Bob and I were both soaked by the time we finished. 

For some reason we have been inundated with flies in the house the last few weeks. I know they get in when we hold the door open for the dogs but I think they are lined up at the door just waiting to come inside. The mosquitoes are also very bad for this late in the year. Yesterday they were swarming on me and the dogs when I took them out for potty breaks. Today's weather is very cool with a good breeze. Perhaps that will help to keep the flies and mosquitoes from swarming around the door.

Today is house cleaning/laundry day. I have been deep cleaning the hall bathroom this past week. I washed the shower curtain and liner one day last weeks. Yesterday I put the rings back in and washed the rods. Today I am washing down the shower walls and cleaning the tub real good. We do not use the hall shower at all. Other than keeping the toilet, sinks, and floor clean weekly, I don't do the shower and tub but once a month. Since I had to take down the curtains and wash them I decided I might as well wash down the walls too. Not using the shower on a regular basis is almost as bad as the reverse. The walls get just as dirty though more from the gas heat and dirt in the air then from soap scum. 

 

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