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Barbara Fritchman Thompson Diary

Week of 7 October 2002

Latest Update: Sunday, 27 April 2003 08:39

Monday, 7 October 2002

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I ended up scrubbing down all the walls in the hall bath yesterday morning. The bathroom is pretty small with the tiled portion of the wall only running half way up except around the tub. After lunch I watched the race and worked on the crossword puzzle. 

Around 4 pm I decided with my busy schedule to go ahead and get the lawn mowed for the week and get it out of the way. 

I started a new mystery last night by Aaron Elkins, A Deceptive Clarity. This is the first Elkins I have read. He writes several different series including one with his wife Charlotte. This series stars detective Chris Norgren an art curator for a museum in California. Like Alex in the book lover series, he is always getting beat up while trying to solve art crimes. In this, the first book in the series, Chris is going through a nasty divorce after ten years of marriage. He has been sent to Germany for the opening of an exhibit featuring twenty Old Masters once thought to be lost during WWII. However, he learns from the curator Peter, there is a fake among the group. The day Chris arrives in Germany, Peter tells him about the fake but not which picture to allow Chris to decide for himself. That night Chris is attacked in the storage room on the base where the exhibit is to be shown and Peter is killed. Chris is left to learn who is trying to steal the art work, which piece is a fake, and who killed Peter. 

I have changed my gym schedule for the next few weeks. Dad is getting a series of injections for his knees on Thursdays which moved our golf morning to Tuesday. I can do Body Pump on Thursday mornings instead of Monday morning and continue cardio combo on Wednesdays. 

This morning I am off to check on some things for a couple of projects. More on that later. On the way back home I will stop and visit Lenore. This afternoon I will go over to the library and get the silent auction set up. We are running it all week in conjunction with the book sale that begins on Thursday. 

Malcolm and Duncan have 4 o'clock vet appointments for boarding shots. Up until now, I have never boarded the dogs. They did not have to get the shots that protect against kennel cough and other dog viruses. Now that Bob and I are free to travel more and will be boarding them from time to time they must have these shots. Also, if they are going to be traveling with us more, which they may, it is a good idea anyway. 

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Tuesday, 8 October 2002

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I had a very successful shopping trip this morning. My outing had direct purpose. One to the craft store to purchase a foam core board for a shadow box I am doing. My dad recently found out he had a couple of those medals from WWII he never did get. They were service medals not heroic in nature. I am proud of my dad for signing up but he never saw action. He was stationed in Hawaii and was scheduled to go overseas just before the surrender and conclusion of the war.

Any way, he gave me the two medals they mailed him to go in a battered old green tin box he brought home from the war. Contents included patches and pins off his uniform, two old address books, dog tags, etc. I took the new medals, patches, and pins and put them in a shadow box to make a nice display. I hope he likes it. I will show it to him tomorrow.

The second purchase was sheers for the downstairs French doors. We never had anything over the doors while Lenore was down there so that she had a full view out. After finally getting it cleaned up and organized for our WASL meetings we are making it into a guest apartment. The sofa bed down there is not too bad, Bob and I have slept on it ourselves. With the kitchen and full bath it makes a great place for guests to have privacy, etc. The only thing lacking was window panel sheers to cover the doors for privacy. This of course, we are doing in gleeful anticipation of some guests who plan to visit us during the Thanksgiving Holiday. I still have one or two small things that need done but for the most past the area is ready.

Between shopping, stopping to see Lenore, a quick lunch, and two hours at the library getting the auction set up I was about done in by dinner time. Bob went over to visit his mom after dinner while I completed the shadow box. We then spent the evening reading until time for bed.

I am playing golf this morning with dad. Since I will be on that side of town anyway, I will meet Lenore at her orthopedist appointment scheduled for 3 pm. The service ambulance will have to pick her up again since she is still not allowed to bend her knees to sit in a wheel chair. Let's hope she gets good news this time around and can start both bending her knees and therapy.

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Wednesday, 9 October 2002

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Not so this time. They did not arrive until 3:10, ten minutes late. By the time the x-rays were taken, we talked to the doctor, and a follow up appointment was made it was 4:15 when I got out of there. The good/bad news from the x-rays: she can began therapy on bending her legs but will most likely never walk on them again.

I got home about 5 o'clock in a less than wonderful mood and headed straight for the shower. While I fixed dinner Bob and I discussed the days events. Bill had come over for the day but was going back to the nursing home to eat dinner with Lenore. During our discussion I learned our dear friends the Bilbrey's lovely eleven year old dog Sally had made a beeline for a rodent creature out their back door and tore her crucial ligament and meniscus in her right rear leg.  

Bill came back after his visit to finish up his laundry. Marcia called soon after with an update on Sally. She goes for surgery first thing this morning. I had no sooner hung up from talking with her than Bill called from the nursing home. The man who has been bothering Lenore and the staff cut himself loose from his wheelchair and tried to stab one of the staff members whom he had already attacked earlier in the week. After this conversation Bill called back to say the man has been removed from the facility and oh, by the way, "my car will not start". Bill has AAA. Bob told him to call them and let him know if he needed for him to come over. 

I finally went to bed at 10:30 and promptly pulled the covers up over my head! Geez! What a day!

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I am off this morning to the gym and grocery store. This afternoon I have another pile of paper work, bank statements, etc to plow through on my desk. I am now managing not only our finances but Lenore's too. Tonight the Friends are meeting at 6:00 at the library to set up the book sale that starts tomorrow.

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Thursday, 10 October 2002

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The latest reports on Sally from Marcia is she came through the surgery fine.

It has been a draining week around the Thompson Techno Grotto. It has definitely not been our year in more ways then one.

Myself and a couple of volunteers from the Friends board got most of the book sale set up last night. We have our regular meeting today to finish up last minute things before opening the doors to Friends members at 5 pm. 

I am off to the gym this morning to work out life's frustrations in Body Pump class. Then over to visit Lenore before returning back home.

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Friday, 11 October 2002

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Things seemed to have returned to somewhat normal around here. Lenore is much happier at the nursing home. Yesterday they gave her a new air mattress and did a two-man lift to put her in her lift chair. 

I am off to the library this morning to work the book sale for a few hours. We sold right much yesterday afternoon during the membership preview. 

I am still reading the Aaron Elkins mystery. I have been either so tired or busy at night I have not been able to read lately. Last night I got a few chapters in. As Bob remarked, this series is much like the Book Lovers by Kaewert except art related rather than book. 

Happy weekend to everybody where ever you may be. 

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Saturday, 12 October 2002

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The big news around the Thompson Techno Grotto is Bob got the go ahead on the contract negotiations for the 3rd edition of PC Hardware In A Nutshell. 

Otherwise, not much going on around here. Last night I brushed the dog's coats and teeth (not with the same brush) while Bob visited his mom, read a little, and talked with my sister on the phone.

The sun is trying to come out this morning. Everything looks so green and clean after all the rain. We had a little over two inches. Still not a drought buster but it helps the plants, lawns, and trees. 

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Sunday, 13 October 2002

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We spent the evening reading and listening to classical music. I finally finished the Chris Norgren art museum mystery before going to bed. 

Today is house cleaning and laundry day. The Winston Cup race is being run in Charlotte, NC. It may get rained out. We are supposed to have rain and thunderstorms today coming up from the south where Charlotte is located. I have plenty to do to keep me busy otherwise. After a very busy and stressful week I plan to relax and take it easy this afternoon.

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