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Barbara
Fritchman Thompson Diary
Week
of 27 February 2006
Latest Update: Sunday, March 5, 2006 6:00 p.m.
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Monday,
27
February
2006
Jackie
and I are off site again today and tomorrow. This is Jackie's last
week. She will be moving on to a career change. After many years with
the Firm she has decided to pursue something different. We are
desperately trying to finish up the off site work before she leaves
since it takes two people.
Last night I sat up reading until I finished the first Anne Perry, The Cater Street Hangman. As I
mentioned last week, several reviewers including Bob said the first
books in her Charlotte and Thomas Pitt series were weaker than
the later ones. While I found a couple of minor issues the book to me
was very strong. I have ordered the next two in the series from the
library along with the next two Hamish Macbeth's by Beaton.
Next up, another new author C. R. Corwin. I am starting her
first book Morgue Mama: The Cross
Kisses Back. The morgue being the dusty and dirty files of a
newspaper run by a librarian, Maddy Sprowls, for more than 40
years. When a young reported is hired by the paper for the police beat
she enlists Maddy help in solving a murder she is covering for the
paper of which she questions the convicted killer.
Bob and I are in the middle of watching the March of the Penguins my sister
loaned to us. If you have not seen this wonderfully filmed documentary
I highly recommend it.
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Tuesday,
28 February 2006
Happy Birthday to my mom!!! I will give her
age though I doubt very much she would mind. We had a very nice dinner
at the River Birch Lodge with mom, dad, Frances, Al, Bob and I . While
my folks do not have grandchildren I am sure they were both very happy
to be able to celebrate another birthday with all of us together.
Whew! We finished up the off site stuff today. It will be a welcome
relief to get back to the office tomorrow.
This "winter" weather has been something I cannot remember for some
time. Cold one day back up into the 70's the next. We have yet to have
any real cold weather such as lows in the single digits and highs in
the teens. Nor does it stay cold for longer than a day or two at the
most before the temperatures not only warm up but soar back into the
60's and 70's usually preceded by a day or two of high winds. Frankly I
have had about enough of this mess. Stay moderately cool to cold or
warm to hot but this up and down is just not normal for our type of
winter on a consistent basis.
We not only enjoyed March of the
Penguins last night but also the other bonus's on the DVD. The
documentary about how the film was made was very interesting as was a
short segment on a web cam strapped to the back of one of the birds at
a Penguin ranch.
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Wednesday,
1 March 2006
No update.
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Thursday,
2 March 2006
[Last
Week]
[Monday]
[Tuesday]
[Wednesday]
[Thursday] [Friday]
[Saturday]
[Sunday]
[Next
Week]
We gave Jackie a nice going away luncheon
today. Several folks pitched in to bring food which we put out on
tables in the record center area. Folks could come and go whenever they
could get free to stop in for a bite to eat and visit. I put a big
sheet of easel paper up on a foam board for everyone to sign well
wishes.
It was good to get back to the gym again tonight. I missed several
nights due to being too tired from off site storage work and this past
Tuesday was mom's birthday dinner. Last night was grocery store night.
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Friday,
3 March 2006
[Last
Week]
[Monday]
[Tuesday]
[Wednesday]
[Thursday]
[Friday]
[Saturday]
[Sunday]
[Next
Week]
Today was Jackie's last day. While I spent
most of the day trying to get through odds and ends created from the
destruction project Jackie was cleaning out her desk, saying goodbye,
and handing off stuff to me I needed to know about. We finally got
things wrapped up and out by 6:30. After a very tearful "it's not
goodbye just see you later" conversation we parted ways.
Bob called me at work earlier about the white truck. Last weekend when
I drove it to Auto Zone for the new battery I noticed the break light
warnings come on when I stopped. I have been complaining for two years
to both Bob and our mechanic about the softness of the breaks. While I
know all breaks are different I always felt the white truck breaks were
getting softer and softer each time I drove it. Mine, in the blue
truck, are just touch and stop. Today while he was out running a quick
errand for me the lights came on again. He drove out to talk with our
mechanic. I am not sure of the exact sequence of events but after break
fluid it was decided the master cylinder was needing replaced.
Thankfully we had enough of a warning to get someone's attention. This
is, after all, the truck we drive up and down steep, winding mountain
roads to get to observing sites! Glad the breaks did not fail
completely or I guess I would be looking for a truck turn out.
Yes, it has again turned cold and windy. Temperatures back down into
the 50's for highs and 30's for lows. It was actually a fairly good
night to go out observing except for the 20 mph wind gusts.
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Saturday,
4 March 2006
[Last
Week]
[Monday]
[Tuesday]
[Wednesday]
[Thursday]
[Friday]
[Saturday] [Sunday]
[Next
Week]
It has been a routine day at the Thompson
house; gym, house cleaning and a library visit. This afternoon I have
been working on my desk. I have been so busy lately things have just
been piled up. A week or so ago Bob moved the printer from my desk back
to his office. Since then I haven't had time to get my desk area
rearranged and cleaned up from that plus the last week or so of mail
and other stuff I have parked here.
It looks much better now. I did take the dogs down to visit Oscar and
Trudy this morning when I got back from the gym. Trudy has grown a
little taller but not as much as Oscar did during the same time period.
Last night I finished up Morgue Momma.
Next up, another Dido Hoare, the next to latest one. The library has
yet to purchase her latest.
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Sunday,
5 March 2006
[Last
Week]
[Monday]
[Tuesday]
[Wednesday]
[Thursday]
[Friday]
[Saturday]
[Sunday] [Next
Week]
Another beautiful day. The forecast had
called for it to be windy for today although warming up to 60 degrees
by this afternoon. It turns out it was chilly this morning but no wind.
I could have played golf but it was still too cold for dad to be for a
long period of time. His hand is better though the cold still bothers
him plus he was recovering from a horrible cold.
Instead I went over around 9 to do some more yard work projects. He
wanted to bushes dug up by the front porch so I tacked that first.
There was some type of spreading monkey grass in the bed too which I
transplanted on the hill I have been working on. Next I finished raking
the leaves from the bed that runs along the back property line that I
had started several weeks ago. I took me to lunch time. After lunch I
cleaned out one other small bed before putting a bail of pine needles
down in it.
This afternoon I worked some more on researching a chapter for the
astronomy book up until time to fix dinner. I still have bills to pay
and a few other things to wrap up here. I shall spend the remainder of
the evening reading. I have almost finished the Dido Hoare.
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Copyright
© 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006 by
Barbara
Fritchman
Thompson. All Rights Reserved.