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Barbara Fritchman Thompson Diary Week of 31 May 2004 Latest Update: Sunday, 06 June 2004 18:25 |
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Monday, 31 May 2004 [Last Week] [Monday] [Tuesday] [Wednesday] [Thursday] [Friday] [Saturday] [Sunday] [Next Week] |
| Happy Memorial Day.
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Tuesday, 1 June 2004 [Last Week] [Monday] [Tuesday] [Wednesday] [Thursday] [Friday] [Saturday] [Sunday] [Next Week] |
| Hi! I'm back. Yes, we took the weekend off to go up to
Bowie, MD to visit Marcia and
Brian.
We took off Friday morning arriving around 4:30. Traffic was pretty heavy
all the way up. Marcia and I did a lot of fun things including a visit to
the antique shops in Old Bowie, the Amish market, and some shopping. I did
manage to find some cotton sport shirts to wear to work I have not had
time to shop for here.
We had nice weather Saturday and Sunday with cool enough temperatures to make sitting out on the deck very enjoyable. Saturday afternoon I took a walk/run through their neighborhood including a really nice path through the woods in and around their neighborhood. We grilled out both Friday and Saturday night. Sunday night we ate at their favorite Mexican restaurant, On The Border, in celebration of their 6th wedding anniversary. Monday dawned wet and rainy. Marcia and I got in some shopping in the morning. In the afternoon while Brian watch a Colonial House marathon on their local PBS station I exercised Marcia's stationary bike. While I was up there I read the 6th book in the quilting series by Jennifer Chiaverini. At first I was not sure I was going to like it but after getting into it several chapters I changed my mind. I managed to finish it while riding the exercise bike. The rain managed to stop around 4:30 as friends of the Bilbrey's arrived for a cookout. At one point we had seven adults, two children aged 10 and 12, one baby 14 months, and 5 dogs holding court on the deck. We were able to eat outside and enjoy a wonderful evening before the rain returned sometime around 8:30 or so. This morning we took off for home at 7:30 arriving in Winston just after 2pm. We made only two stops instead of three like we did on the way up. That combined with not one single stop for a traffic jam on the way home from start to finish got us back here in record time. After unloading the car I cranked up the mower. While things are really starting to look very dry the grass had still grown considerably in the week since I mowed it last. I also watered the plants and bushes before coming in to unpack and bet things back in order before returning to work tomorrow. Thanks to Marcia, we brought home enough food for dinner tonight and tomorrow night making things easier on me not having to cook. As usual, we had a wonderful time. I will have pictures tomorrow once I get them transferred from both Bob and Brian's camera. I have a couple of surprise pictures and things to tell to you about but I want to save those for tomorrow night.
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Wednesday, 2 June 2004 [Last Week] [Monday] [Tuesday] [Wednesday] [Thursday] [Friday] [Saturday] [Sunday] [Next Week] |
| I forgot to change the link yesterday from Monday to
Tuesday in case you missed my post yesterday. I basically outlined the
wonderful time we had at Marcia and Brian's. Now I will share a few
pictures with you.
Me watching while Brian and Malcolm ham it up for the camera.
Duncan was in his glory with the fenced in back yard. He spent most of everyday just lying in the grass, playing ball and courting Lucy. I never did get a good picture of Lucy and Duncan playing with each other but Duncan now has a new girl friend.
The couple on the left, Scott and Alex, live in the Bilbrey's neighborhood. Their oldest daughter is in the next picture with Marcia, Duncan, Malcolm, and Lucy. Malcolm played with the two older children until he was exhausted and happy. Duncan and Lucy are also exhausted from the evening of ball playing during the cookout.
And of course, you always save the best for last. Earlier this year someone in my rescue group posted a picture of some fabric she found. I e-mailed Marcia to see if she could find something similar. This is the result of that search. She made me a beautiful wall hanging and two pillows. I did not want a quilt for the bed since the dogs are on the bed all the time. Once I get it hung I will post a picture of it in place. Words cannot express how wonderful a gift this was when Marcia presented it to me.
I am sure Brian will have pictures on his page tomorrow or Friday so be sure to keep checking. ----------------------------------------- Today felt more like a Monday than a Wednesday, but I managed to survive. Fortunately it is a light week for additions to the database since Sheila is on vacation this week. Although I worked steady all day long I just managed to reduce the ticket count of changes to under 100 before I left. I had a hair cut appointment at 4:30. Thanks again to Marcia sending leftovers home with us. I was able to put a quick meal together and make it to 6:30 body pump class. We need rain. Things are really starting to look dried out with lawns slowly turning brown from high heat and lack of rain. We need a week of steady rain. Once again, we are already short of normal rainfall by several inches half way through the year. [Top] |
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Thursday, 3 June 2004 [Last Week] [Monday] [Tuesday] [Wednesday] [Thursday] [Friday] [Saturday] [Sunday] [Next Week] |
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No update.
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Friday, 4 June 2004 [Last Week] [Monday] [Tuesday] [Wednesday] [Thursday] [Friday] [Saturday] [Sunday] [Next Week] |
| Guess what? I forgot to do a post last night. I made a
grocery store run on the way home from work. After dinner I sat down at my
desk to clear out some e-mails and other assorted tasks working until
about 7:45. I went out to the den to read and play with the dogs before
last time out about 8:45. As I was getting into to bed it dawned on me at
that point that I had forgotten to do my journal page. Oh well. I
sat up until 10:30 to finish the second book in the Ayelet
Waldman mystery series, The Big Nap.
Juliet Applebaum's second child was born at the end of the first book. Between her three year old and her infant son who never sleeps, Juliet's life seems to be very much in a turmoil. She hires a young teenager of strict Hasidic faith to baby sit Isaac two hours a day to give her time to nap or run errands. When the young girl suddenly disappears Juliet smells trouble taking it upon herself to try to find her. Waldman combines funny child rearing episodes with everyday life of the Hasidic Jew as she tries to solve the mystery of where the girl could have gone. ------------------------------ I could really get used to these three day weeks! We finally got some rain today, about an inch, with a low pressure system that pulled moisture up from the gulf. They had some nasty weather just east of us but we only got much needed rain. I need to pay some bills, check my mail, and fold the tents for the evening before it gets too late. Have a great weekend.
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Saturday, 5 June 2004 [Last Week] [Monday] [Tuesday] [Wednesday] [Thursday] [Friday] [Saturday] [Sunday] [Next Week] |
| It has been a busy day at the Thompson Techno Grotto. Bob
did laundry while I cleaned house. Next, I went down and cleaned dog smear
off the car windows. I had an old blanket down on the seat to minimize the
hair, etc. Then Bob helped me change the blade on my lawn mower from
catching to mulching. We replace the two front tires on the lawn mower but
not the back ones. They ordered the wrong ones. I called as soon as we
discovered the mistake so they could order me two more.
I took a break to run over to dad's and to deliver their goodies I bought for them at the Amish market. I also took over the wall hanging and pillows so they could see them up close and to be able to read the embroidered inscription on the back. Needless to say they were overwhelmed with how lovely and wonderful a gift Marcia presented to me. After returning from their house I took a lunch break before getting started on the last big outdoor project until fall...trimming the bushes. It takes thirty minutes to trim everything in my yard and three hours sweep, rake, and pick up the debris. I had a couple of rest breaks talking to the neighbors at various times but otherwise worked until 4pm getting everything cleaned up. Fortunately it was a glorious day to be working outdoors. While the temperatures were in the low 80's the humidity was very low making it hot but pleasant to be working outdoors. Our friends Paul and Mary are coming over for dinner. They are bringing the homemade pizza crust and sauce. I bought all the toppings and have salad fixings. With the nice temperatures and low humidity we may be able to sit outside on the deck this evening. Last night I started the third book in the Ayelet Waldman series, A Playdate With Death. Juliet's personal trainer at the gym was found shot to death in his car. Not willing to believe it was a suicide as the police do, she delves into his death with the suspects being his fiancé, their parents, and his gym coworkers. [Top] |
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[Last Week] [Monday] [Tuesday] [Wednesday] [Thursday] [Friday] [Saturday] [Sunday] [Next Week] |
| Happy Birthday Bob and Al. Dad and I played 18 holes this
morning finishing up around 11. At noon we drove over Frances' house, dad
and mom separately so I would not have to bring them back home. While we
were on our way over there she was picking up the takeout Chinese for Al's
birthday lunch. Bob is not big on birthday celebrations besides which he
was finishing off the last of Chapter 1 to send off to the publisher.
After lunch Al opened gifts from everyone. Not birthday related, Frances
had one of the Lenore's pictures framed she had colored for Frances of two
dolls have a tea party. Despite Lenore's hands being crippled by arthritis
she was able to use colored pencils to color in pictures sets I was buying
her from the craft store. Frances plans to hang it in her doll room. Like
the lovely quilt set Marcia made for me, I regret Lenore did not get to
see one of her lovely pictures framed.
After gift opening we had cake and ice cream. Al collects eagles so Frances had the same bakery who made my border collie cake a couple of years ago make Al an eagle cake. They use photo's or drawings and can make the cake either as a cut out of the object or on a cake. She had the eagle made as a cut out. The do lovely work. They also bought Bob just a ready made chocolate cake with chocolate icing for his birthday. Mom gave him a new pair of his favorite sweat pants. I had already given him his t-shirt and light weight sweats a couple of weeks ago. Frances also sent home a huge portion of the leftover Chinese for Bob's dinner. I guess I got home around 4. I put in a load of towels to wash then too the guys outside to play ball. Just as we got out the door Mimi and Steve had just returned from the neighborhood pool. They invited the guys down to play with Emma for a few minutes while we chatted. By the time we got back in the towels were ready to go in the dryer. Bob ate his dinner while we were out playing. I watched the tail end of the race from Dover while reading the paper. About 6 I came back to check my mail and do my post. Afterwards we are going to watch another two part installment of Prime Suspect we taped a couple of weeks ago. Guess I will eat a piece of leftover pizza and small piece of Bob's birthday cake for my dinner. I tried not to eat too much this afternoon. [Top] |
