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Barbara Fritchman Thompson
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Barbara Fritchman Thompson Diary

Week of 19 July 2004

Latest Update: Sunday, 25 July 2004 16:05

Monday, 19 July 2004

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Wow, Monday sure does roll around fast. Nothing spectacular in the way of news. It is evaluation time at the Firm. We get our forms to fill online then submit them to our supervisor or supervisors. In my case, it will go to our team supervisor and my immediate supervisor. I am working on it in addition to the database changes. We had another big load of tickets come in last Friday taking the count back up to over 1000. Today I had my half whittled down to around 400 or so.

I finished up the Lee Harris mystery and started a new series last night. Stephanie Barron, pseudonym for Francine Matthews, has written a featuring Jane Austen as the sleuth. Yes, this would be the same Jane Austen from the Victorian period known for Pride and Prejudice, Sense and Sensibility, etc. Matthews comes up with a fictitious journal found in the basement of an old house in which she investigates murders in various locations. If you enjoy reading Austen, you will like these books. If you do not like reading classic English prose, you will not like these books. The first one in the series, Jane and the Unpleasantness at Scargrave Manor, finds Jane having just turned down an offer of marriage. In order to escape the displeasure of her family she has taken a vacation at her friends Manor. Upon arriving, her friends husband suddenly dies that evening after an elaborate ball. 

In my early years of junior and senior high school and well into college I went through the "classics" period of my reading. Austen, Eyre, Bronte, etc. 

We ate an early dinner so I could make the 5:30 step class. I need to finish up here so I can go out and give the dogs some attention.

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Tuesday, 20 July 2004

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Long day after a long night. For some reason I have not slept well two nights in a row. Sunday night I slept off and on until the alarm went off at 6:30. Last night I think it was after 3am and maybe 4 before I finally went sound to sleep. There is not a reason for my lack of sleep that I can think of but by this afternoon I was certainly feeling the effects.

Bob and I are looking after the house and garden of some friends who are away for a few days. Tonight I had to go over and water the garden as we still have not had any substantial rain fall in their absence. 

Otherwise, not much in the way of news. 

 

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Wednesday, 21 July 2004

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No update.

 

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Thursday, 22 July 2004

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Ran out of time.  Yesterday, by the time I got home from the store, put the groceries away, and took care of a couple of e-mails and phone calls it was time to leave for dinner and our FAS meeting. We did not get home until 9:30, had to play ball with and walk the dogs and get to bed. 

Today I rushed home to fix a quick dinner so I could make it to the 5:30 spinning class. 

The weather has been hot and muggy the last couple of days. We were to get thunderstorms this afternoon but I think they passed us by which means no rain. All the lawns are starting to turn brown and the leaves are falling off the trees early from the dry weather. While we are not in the severe drought stage we were three or four years ago it has still been a very dry summer.

I am still reading the Jane Austen mystery and enjoying it.

If you read Bob's page you know we got a copy of the full cover for the new book today. Really nifty looking. 

 

 

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Friday, 23 July 2004

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We had to go over and feed the garden and water the fish... or whatever right after dinner. It takes a couple of hours to let the sprinkler run in the various places necessary to get everything watered.

I fixed dinner as soon as I got home so we get over and back at a reasonable hour. When we left home it still 93 degrees with a heat index of 96. That was around 5:30.

Fortunately, we had a nice breeze and shady spot on the deck. I finished up the Jane Austen while waiting to move the sprinklers around. 

 

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Saturday, 24 July 2004

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Hot and dry. I went over to my dad's house this morning to help with some more weed clearing, etc. The ground was had and dry as could be even digging down somewhat to get deeper stuff dug out. It only took about an hour then I mowed and edged while he watered. He had not mowed it in the last week and even with the dry weather it needed it.

After lunch I came home and mowed my lawn. Dad has had some rain since our last rain of any significance. The front was not very high except were I have the Bermuda grass. I have now lost most of the back to the drought except for the one side. You could just see the dust clouds wafting in the air as I mowed over the dry areas.

I then watered the few plants I have and a couple of the new bushes I planted last year. By the time I finished that up I was ready to call it a day. I still need to change the linens on the bed but will hold off the house cleaning until tomorrow afternoon.

Guess I will take it easy the rest of the day. Bob wants to go get Subway sandwiches for dinner while we are out running a couple of errands later on.

 

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Sunday, 25 July 2004

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Happy Birthday to my dad. He turned 82 years old. We played golf this morning at the little short executive course we play when we get on at Wilshire. They had a full course two day tournament going. Anyway, dad ended up shooting his age, something he has always wanted to do.

On the way home from the course we go right by Frances' house. We stopped and picked her up on the way back to my parents house to pick up mom. Dad chose Olive Garden for his birthday lunch. We arrived just as they were opening, a little after 11, before they got too crowded. 

We went to Frances' house after lunch to open presents and visit for a little while longer. I left around 1:30 to come back home. I did a quick vacuuming of the floors while Bob cleaned the bathrooms for me. After my shower I sat and read the paper while watching the NASCAR race from New Hampshire. Bob and I have actually driven by the track several years ago when we were up there.

I will fix salads for dinner after such a big lunch. Other than a few minor things like paying bills and catching up on e-mails I plan to spend the remainder of the day resting and reading.

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