| Home » Diary Home » 13 September 2004 Diary Page |
|
Barbara Fritchman Thompson Diary Week of 13 September 2004 Latest Update: Sunday 19 September 2004 12:00 |
|
Monday, 13 2004 [Last Week] [Monday] [Tuesday] [Wednesday] [Thursday] [Friday] [Saturday] [Sunday] [Next Week] |
| I met my friend Nancy, who works at the
main library downtown, for lunch today. We met a nice little restaurant
on 4th street where we could sit outside to eat. It was about halfway
in walking distance for both of us, myself coming from one end of town
and her from the other. I left work at 3:30 to go over to dads to put out his seed and fertilizer. The weed and feed we did a few weeks ago did exactly what it was supposed to do... kill all the wild strawberry and other weeds. He came home from volunteering at the hospital at noon to scrape and dig up the bare/dead spots. I got there about 4 and started on putting out the stuff while he went back to the hospital to pick up mom. While we finished up in the yard mom fixed dinner then I came on home. Last night I finally finished up the last current book in the Jane Austen series. Happy Monday to everyone. Hope you have an enjoyable week. [Top] |
|
Tuesday, 14 September 2004 [Last Week] [Monday] [Tuesday] [Wednesday] [Thursday] [Friday] [Saturday] [Sunday] [Next Week] |
| So far, I seem to be getting a handle on
most of the Xandros stuff. The biggest change is in using Composer
instead of Frontpage for doing my daily journal. I have not tried the
StarOffice programs yet but will be needing it before the week is out. This morning I had a routine dentist appointment for cleaning and check up. All was fine. I arrived at work by 9:15 working straight through until 4:15. I now only have .5 to make up. Last night I started the third book in the bloodhound mystery series. There is one big problem with reading these when I go to bed. I don't want to stop. I was in bed last night by 9pm thinking I would read for an hour and turn off the light. Well, at 11:07 I finally made myself close the book and turn off the light. I just cannot put her books down once start reading them. The third book, A Brace of Bloodhounds, starts off with Jo Beth looking for a little boy who was snatched at a camp site on the Suwanee river. Just before she gets called out for the search and rescue, a young girl shows up at her house with a weird request. Gilly claims her mom left a note before she was murdered to go to Jo Beth because she knew her mom and would help to find her killer. Once Jo Beth learns the entire story she is determined to avenge this woman's death at the hands of the corrupt sherrif who hates Jo Beth anyway. It seems Gilly and her mom kept house for the sherrif. Why the sherrif murdered Gilly's mom and how Jo Beth can catch him is the focus of Jo Beth's attention. Lanier's books are so full of plot, character, and action you can't stop reading once you get started. I made the weekly grocery store run on the way home. It was too late to make it to the gym but I had not planned to go tonight anyway.
[Top] |
|
Wednesday, 15 September 2004 [Last Week] [Monday] [Tuesday] [Wednesday] [Thursday] [Friday] [Saturday] [Sunday] [Next Week] |
| You've heard that old saying, "make
hay while the sun shines" I am sure. With Ivan on his way I decided I
better mow the lawn tonight with the weekend looking like a total wash
out. Tonight after dinner while Bob cleaned up the kitchen I did the
lawn. On the way home I took my car out to the mechanics. For several weeks now it has been idling rough, running horrible, etc on an off an on basis. It turns out the coils and wires were arcing. It has been 4 years and 40,000 miles since we had them replaced. I called Bob to come out and get me. On the way home we stopped and picked up Subway sandwiches for dinner. Have a good evening.
[Top] |
|
Thursday, 16 September 2004 [Last Week] [Monday] [Tuesday] [Wednesday] [Thursday] [Friday] [Saturday] [Sunday] [Next Week] |
|
Is it Friday yet? What a week this has been. Yesterday
when we dropped the car off at Tim's we left the radio for them to
install. He had told me to tell Bob to bring it when he came out to
pick me up.
Around 2pm dad called. The cable on his lawn mower had
broken, AGAIN. We had just taken it out the John Deere place back in
May to have it replaced. The fun part was I had the white truck full of
astro-gear. I left work and drove over to dads. I moved all the stuff
from one side of the back to the front and on top of where I put the
seat down to make room for the handle. We were able to slip the mower
in right beside the scope tube. I had dad follow me out so I would not
have to come back across town. We waited about thirty minutes while they put a new
cable on free of charge. Then, I drove home with the mower and dad went
on back home. I can take it over this weekend. I came in to say hello to the dogs and change before we
headed out to pick up the truck. When we arrived Tim told us they sent
Bob the wrong radio. It had a flip down front to put the CD in. In
order for that to work the radio would have to sit several inches out
away from the dash and they would have to cut the dash as well. We hauled said radio back home for Bob to deal with
Crutchfield. Tim went ahead and mounted the bracket and wires so all
Bob has to do is pop in the radio when they send him the correct model.
Back home, I fixed salads for dinner then scurried
outside to start on limb removal. I cut all the small and medium size
limbs into six foot sizes and dragged them to the curb. Then I cut all
the small stuff off the big limbs. Bob helped me drag that stuff to the
street then we hauled all the large 12foot plus stuff to the back
woodpile to be cut up for firewood. Fortunately it did not take very long since the rain
from Ivan is not far off from us. Here's the real kicker. This was a Fancy Gap weekend for
observing. With Ivan covering half the east coast we decided it was not
worth going. Plus, we could get flooded in up there. Also, the house
looses power at the drop of a hat which means no lights, water, or
toilets. I prefer to be here at home to watch my own house just in case
we get high winds or tornadoes. Ivan is still a pretty big and powerful storm even
inland as it roars toward us tonight and tomorrow. Last night I did finish the bloodhound mystery. It was
excellent. I decided to pick up one of my reserves that is not a
mystery, So Many Books, So Little
Time, by Sarah Nelson. Sarah is an avid, avid book lover and
reader. She has over 3000 books in her New York apartment. Her husband
has worked for Saturday Night Live for 19 years. Sarah has been
magazine editor, book reviewer, columnist for the New York Observer,
etc, etc. She set out to do a book a week for a year to chronicle
her life in reading. Basically, she put into a book what I do here on
this journal page. Instead, she writes about the wonderful titles she
chooses or that choose her. Anyone who reads a great deal knows that
you have to be in the mood to read and enjoy a book. At book I may have
picked up and put down years ago I might now feel like reading. That is
basically what happened to me and the mystery genre. Bob tried for years to get me to read mysterys. What he
did not understand was I had to wait until my life, mind, and mood was
ready to accept that genre. I have read classics, biographies, junk
romances, regular fiction, and tons of non-fiction travel and living in
the country books. A lot of the fiction authors I read ten years ago,
if they are still alive and writing I have dropped. Now I have
discovered a whole new genre with hundreds of authors to choose from
and enjoy. I look forward to reading Sarah's book. I only got
through the first couple of chapters before it was time to turn off the
light.
[Top] |
|
Friday, 17 September 2004 [Last Week] [Monday] [Tuesday] [Wednesday] [Thursday] [Friday] [Saturday] [Sunday] [Next Week] |
| Greetings from a wet but relieved North
Carolinian. Ivan seems to have scooted north rather than take the
sharp turn right at the mountains and come straight at us. The
prediction had Ivan coming directly over us and hovering for the next
two or three days. We still have rain bans coming through tonight. This
afternoon we had a couple of tornadoes touch down in and around the
city
and county area. Here at the house we have had less than an inch of
rain. The mountains, once again, received the brunt of the rain. This morning I got up about 15 minutes early, quickly read the paper, fixed by breakfast and lunch to go, and took off for work arriving at 7:15. By working straight through the day, other than taking a couple of short breaks, and working until 4:45 I managed to make all my time up for this week except for one hour. Tomorrow I will be helping Frances and Al move the things they have in storage down in Seagrove, where Al is from, up to a storage place here in Winston. Since we could not go out of town I figured they could use some help. Mom and dad are going along as well to help. Now that most of Ivan has fled north at least we will not be working in pouring down rain all day as once predicted.
[Top] |
|
Saturday, 18 September 2004 [Last Week] [Monday] [Tuesday] [Wednesday] [Thursday] [Friday] [Saturday] [Sunday] [Next Week] |
| While I hate we missed an observing
weekend up at the lodge, it all really worked out for the best. I am
glad I was home and available to go along and help with moving the
stuff. They picked me up around 8:20 on the way over to pick up the
truck from the storage place. They had to pick up the truck from the
one on my side of town even though their storage unit is near their
house. After getting the paper work squared away, Frances, Mom and I followed Al and dad in the truck. Just as we got to the storage place in Seagrove it started raining. We got everything loaded in about an hour including getting a riding lawnmower up a single, foot wide ramp. After a wonderful lunch at the Jugtown Cafe, we headed back to Winston. We stopped at their house to off load the riding mower and to pick up some boxes and other stuff from the house going to the storage unit. By the time we got everything unloaded and packed in it was around 3:30. Frances dropped me off at home while dad and Al headed on over to return the truck. I immediately jumped in the shower then headed for the couch to watch some Ryder Cup and rest. Still not hungry from my big lunch, I fixed Bob some hotdogs. I will just wait and eat an early snack in a little while to hold me over until tomorrow. While at Frances' I picked up their system unit and brought it with us for Bob to work on. They have been having some mail problems since he installed Xandros last week plus, with their Road Runner down there was some things he did not finish. I finished reading the Some Many Books book on the
way down and back in the car. Guess I will pull out another mystery
tonight in one of the series I am reading. [Top] |
|
Sunday, 19 September 2004 [Last Week] [Monday] [Tuesday] [Wednesday] [Thursday] [Friday] [Saturday] [Sunday] [Next Week] |
| Good afternoon from a beautiful fall
day in the Piedmont. The skies are deep blue, temperatures are in the
high 50's with a good breeze, and the air is clean and fresh. It is
just approaching the noon hour and as usual I have had a very busy
morning. I was up and out of the house by 7:30 for a Wal-Mart trip and back home by 9. After the usual house cleaning it was time for the dogs fall bath. As you know they get bathed in the downstairs shower which I then follow up with my shower. After getting them toweled off we came upstairs to fix lunch. Bob is working on his article while I take care of the dogs. Bob will be doing the laundry later on in the week. I leave Saturday for a week long bus trip to Vermont with my parents. By waiting until mid-week I will have a good supply of clean clothing for the trip. We had planned on doing a computer build today but Bob has now decided to wait until later in the week. Late this afternoon we need to take Frances and Al their computer and stop by dad's and drop off his lawn mower. Last night I started the next book in the bloodhound series. I went to bed early, around 8:45, then sat up to read until well after 10pm.
[Top] |