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Barbara Fritchman Thompson Diary

Week of 15 April 2002

Latest Update: Saturday, 26 April 2003 08:54

Monday, 15 April 2002

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Short post today. This morning is Ann's funeral. Bob and I are leaving this morning around 9:30 to drive over to my parents house. We will ride with them to funeral which starts at 11. 

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Tuesday, 16 April 2002

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I decided what I needed to get myself on the road to mental healing was a good kick in the pants physically. I fixed an early dinner and headed off to the gym for a Body Pump class. It felt good to work muscles and heart to full exertion and I left feeling like my old self.

Be sure to check out the new pictures of Malcolm and Duncan on their Border Collie page. I know it is hard for those of you who read about those two's constant mix-ups but they do actually call a truce at times. These were both taken over the weekend. I am actually sitting on the couch asleep with them just to the left of Duncan and Kerry is lying on the floor. The Guys, especially Duncan, are very attuned to my emotional feelings and know when I am upset. They all came up to nap with me while I was taking a short catnap last Friday sitting on the couch. I am out of the picture just to the left of Duncan.

We are not having spring weather in April, we are having summer weather. It is to be near 90 degrees today! Unheard of in April. I imagine we may set a record high today before all is said and done. Having lived here all my life I know that means we may be in for a very cold May. 

I have a busy day on tap, giving all three Guys a bath. I prefer to bathe them outside with the hose since they really do not like to be closed up in the shower. I always wait until the first really warm spring day since the water is so cold for both me and the dogs. Yes, I end up getting a pretty good bath myself. 

This afternoon I will mow the lawn again once it dries out really good. 

We can now turn out attentions to the next happy celebration in the family. As I have mentioned before my sister is getting married this Saturday. With Ann's death and Frances' wedding all in one week Bob will wear a suit an unprecedented three times in seven days. Something he has not done in over ten years. 

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Wednesday, 17 April 2002

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Very busy day yesterday. It took about an hour to bath all three dogs. None of them really like getting a bath because they only get three or four a year. Malcolm is the worst, Duncan behaves better now that he is older and Kerry is too old to care. 

I also got stung on the first knuckle of my left index finger by a bumble bee. I had Kerry at the front door trying to put a lead on him so I could tie him to the front to lay in the sun to dry off a bit. With his old age I did not want him to get chilled and he takes the longest to dry. All of a sudden this bumble bee started flying around me and when I went to move my hand to do something he just stung me. Fortunately I am taking my Zyrtec for allergies and do not need to worry about a reaction. But it hurt like heck.  

I took a break to eat some lunch and check my mail then got started working on poison pages. Around mid-afternoon Bob went down with me to the basement to help me fix the wheel on my lawn mower. For some reason the height adjuster on the right wheel would not stay in the proper place. It was always popping out while I mowed making the grass look uneven. Bob took the wheel off and disassembled the lever mechanism. Apparently either the arm itself was bent or the lever assembly was loose but he did get it fixed. It did not jump out of place when I mowed.

Thankfully, with these hot temperatures, the grass was not as sticky. It clogged a little but not too bad. I finished up the mowing around 3:30. I came in and mixed up the meat loaf for dinner and stuck it in the oven then went back outside to edge and sweep up while dinner cooked. I had enough time to get a shower before it was done. We had peas and rolls to compliment the meat loaf.

I finished reading another Dorothy Simpson mystery, Six Feet Under. These are very good mystery stories much like the Inspector Morse series. In this one Inspector Thanet figure out who killed Carrie Birch and stashed the body in an old outdoor privy. There are of course many suspects but Thanet solves the crime while meeting Carrie's neighbors in this small row of village houses. 

Off to the gym and grocery store this morning. We have Astronomy Club meeting tonight and a visit the library prior to grabbing some dinner on the way to the meeting. 

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Thursday, 18 April 2002

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I am reading a rather strange book I started the other night after finishing up the Simpson mystery. The Fall of Light by Niall Williams is the third novel of this Irish born author.  Before he began writing fiction he wrote a series of books with his wife about their life in County Clare, Ireland. I have all four of of those and highly recommend them.

I must admit that I have struggled with his fiction. His novel are always woven around romanticism and love, which is fine but they are a little too strong in the magic, mysticism and surrealism to suit my taste. I decided to try his third one because it deals with astronomy and the stars. Set in Ireland around the time of the potato famine, Francis Foley finally rebels against being the working man owned by the wealthy. While working for the Lord of an estate, who never, never visits the lavish palace kept for him, Francis breaks in one night and discovers a telescope. He has learned about the stars and myths surrounding the constellations from his wife who was the daughter of a Latin scholar. He visits the house on many occasions studying the stars in the sky and a map of Ireland on a nearby table.

His family had lived like gypsies moving from place to place until finally settling down in his current situation working in the gardens of this lavish mansion. One night, as he felt the constraints of feudal bondage choking him, he begins to hurl crockery and kitchen chairs around the kitchen. His wife has refused to move again finding living on the road like a gypsy with four children is more than she can stand. Francis erupts into a raging fit throwing crockery and chairs around the small kitchen. Shortly thereafter, his wife leaves him standing amongst the cracked remains of their marriage as she walks out the door.

Frances hitches his mule to his cart,  drives over to the mansion and steals the telescope, proceeds to set fire to the mansion and flees with his four sons on horseback into the night.  The next morning as Francis is trying to cross the river with the cart the current from the stream takes him down river clutching the telescope in his arms. With their father supposedly drowned, the four boys are now left to fend for themselves in the unknown world of Ireland.

Interspersed with the plot of the novels, Francis and his four sons revert to the telling of some of those great Greek myths and legends behind the stars as taught to them by their mother. I think one of the drawbacks to Williams's writing is his weak development of his characters. He has gained enough of my attention at this point in the novel to see what happens to the four boys and his telling of the stories behind the stars in the sky. 

Today I have some things to do to get ready for the weekend. With tomorrow being rather busy I want to get my things organized that I need to take with me tomorrow night to Frances's. More on that in tomorrow's post. Between those chores I am working on poison pages and of course paying attention to the dogs. It is to be another hot one today with a slight chance of thunderstorms this afternoon.

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Friday, 19 April 2002

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After the rehearsal the party is just around the corner at a Mayberry's Ice Cream Shop. We are having sandwiches and ice cream sundaes with cake. The cake will be in the shape of a Holiday Tour bus in honor of Al. In addition to the wedding party a few friends and relatives have been invited to the rehearsal party. Moms remaining four sisters and one brother are all here for the wedding. Once Bob eats he can return home. I am going home with Frances to spend the night so Bob can have the truck for Saturday.

On Saturday morning dad will pick up Frances and I and take us down to the Chapel so I can dress her and then me. The wedding is at 1 pm with the reception following at the nearby Cafe Piaf. Bob and I will drive over to the reception together. I want Bob to take some pictures with the digital camera so I have some to put up on my page next week. Once he does that he can return home. 

The reception lasts until 6 pm. Then I need to help mom and dad collect all the stuff that needs to be returned to the caterer and florist next week. Frances and Al will go back to Frances's house to change and leave for their honeymoon. I will either have Bob come back and get me or see if dad will bring me home. The honeymoon will be spent retracing the same places where they met on our trip to Niagara Falls and Quebec with Holiday Tours. 

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Saturday, 20 April 2002

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  Best wishes to Frances and Al on their wedding day!

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Sunday, 21 April 2002

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It was a long day yesterday with Frances and I arriving at the chapel a little before noon. I got Frances dressed then dressed myself so we would be ready for the photographer who was coming about 12:45. The ceremony went off without a hitch and after all was said and done Frances and Al were officially married at 2:20. The wedding was formal but very relaxed with the minister's script including a few funny stories of how Al and Frances met and got engaged etc. I think she had roughly 95 people at the wedding that included her friends and guests from her Old Town Club jog, family, and family friends. It was very nice that Gilbert, our dear neighbor who just lost his wife last week, attended the wedding. I am sure Ann was there with him in spirit and I know it meant a lot to Frances for him to make the effort to be there.

The reception was held about ten minutes away at a restaurant downtown. It too, was very nice. I went back to Frances's with mom and dad and waited on Frances and Al to arrive back home in the limousine with a few more camera shots.  

After they got undressed and we sat around and relaxed a little we ate a light snack from the left over food from the rehearsal party and watched them open a few more wedding gifts. I called Bob to come pick me up about 8:15. 

After giving the dogs their requisite attention from being gone we walked them for the last time and then I took off for bed around 10. 

Today is house cleaning/laundry and linen changing day. The race this afternoon is from Talladega, Alabama if it is not raining down there. I plan to watch the race, do my crossword puzzle, and RELAX. 

Thunderstorms have been predicted for every day this week and we have set to see more than a few sprinkles. We need the rain, not the storms but starting tomorrow I think the temperatures are supposed to return to the more normal sixties and seventies for this time of year rather than the 90's.  

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