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Barbara Fritchman Thompson Diary Week of 29 April 2002 Latest Update: Saturday, 26 April 2003 08:54 |
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Monday, 29 April 2002 [Last Week] [Monday] [Tuesday] [Wednesday] [Thursday] [Friday] [Saturday] [Sunday] [Next Week] |
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We spent a very typical day around here yesterday going about our normal
routine Sunday activities.
Speaking of routine. Dogs, of course, are very routine oriented. Somehow or another Duncan always knows when it is Sunday morning. I am sure it is something I do differently that lets him know this. On most mornings, unless I have to leave real early for something and completely skip my morning routine, I more or less do the same thing. Take the dogs out and get the newspaper. Read the paper while I catch the forecast on the weather channel. Eat breakfast then go back to my office to do my journal page for the day. Very often I then get dressed to go to the gym, run errands, go to SciWorks, or whatever. Depending on the day I may or may not take an early morning shower. On Sundays we go through the first part of the routine except I do not eat breakfast after I read the paper. Instead I do my journal page and then get started cleaning house. While I clean the dogs are penned up in the foyer to keep them out of the way but I never pen them until after I check my mail and write my page. Normally after I eat breakfast and head back to my office Duncan comes along or gets there ahead of me to lie under my desk while I do my morning computer stuff. On Sundays he goes and lays down in the foyer without being told. I am not sure if it is the no breakfast or the increased sections of the paper that tip him off. In case you are wondering, on normal routine mornings Malcolm is either laying on the end of the bed, stealing paper towels from Bob's pants pockets lying on the chair, or finding some other way to get into trouble. And, as usual, I am off to the gym for Body Pump this morning then coming right back home. [Top] |
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Tuesday, 30 April 2002 [Last Week] [Monday] [Tuesday] [Wednesday] [Thursday] [Friday] [Saturday] [Sunday] [Next Week] |
| Not a lot of news today. Bob blew out the gutters yesterday
to rid them of those darn "helicopters" that had fallen. After
lunch I went out and blew the driveway and walkways clear again.
Southern Foods delivered our food order. It is nice to have a full freezer again. This one will get us through the summer. Last night we sat around reading and playing with the dogs. This morning I need to make a Wal-Mart trip. I also want to get in a couple of hours at SciWorks. I have not been out for over a month and miss working on my library project. The lawn needs mowing this afternoon and I have some computer work to do. We are having lovely spring weather. Temperatures more normal in the high 60's and low 70's. We are still horribly in a drought. I saw a graphic on the weather channel this morning. This area, from Charlotte to Raleigh, is almost 20'' below normal since 2000. It really shows around here. The ponds at the golf course are low as are stream beds. The forecast for May is drier than average. [Top] |
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Wednesday, 1 May 2002 [Last Week] [Monday] [Tuesday] [Wednesday] [Thursday] [Friday] [Saturday] [Sunday] [Next Week] |
| Good day everyone and welcome to the first day of May,
already. Wow, the year has flown by. I know some of you in some areas of
the United States are still getting snow while others are dealing with
rain, hail, and severe weather.
I don't know about other areas of the country but the pollen is bad, bad, bad, right now in the Piedmont. The tree pollen counts are very high and everything is coated in yellow. I am having to supplement my allergy medication with my nasal spray and prescription decongestant to combat the extra sneezing and congestion. We need rain to wash this crap away. I am off to the gym for spinning class this morning. They finally brought back a mid-morning class so I hope we get enough people to attend so they will not cancel it again. The offer one at 6:30 am (not me!) and of course the evening ones. After the gym it is grocery store and back home. This afternoon I have to drive to the other side of Greensboro to meet a CBCR volunteer with a dog that needs to go to a lady just west of Winston. In between those activities I need to finish up the May Doggin the Web column. I worked on it last night but Bob decided we would watch the new episode of Buffy at 8 so I stopped to watch that with him. By the time that was over, we walked the dogs, got his mom ready for bed, etc it was time to watch NYPD before heading off to bed.
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Thursday, 2 May 2002 [Last Week] [Monday] [Tuesday] [Wednesday] [Thursday] [Friday] [Saturday] [Sunday] [Next Week] |
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One of my readers e-mailed me the first of week about my "helicopters" that fall off the in the spring and clog up the gutters. For some reason I cannot find that e-mail to respond back. I am not sure if I accidentally deleted it or moved it to another folder. Anyway, in answer to your question about those "helicopters", they are called samaras and are considered the springtime fruit of the red maple. This page has a picture of what they look like. We always called them helicopters because that is what they look like when they are falling off the trees. Okay, botany lesson over for the day. We did get a little bit of rain last night along with a whole lot of noise. Just after Bob turned off his light around midnight the weather alert went off with a severe thunderstorm watch in our area until 3 am this morning. Then about fifteen minutes later it went off again with a thunderstorm warning about 30 miles west of us moving in our direction. When it did get here it was mostly lightening with some thunder. I fell asleep before it completely moved out of the area. We are under the gun again today. Yesterday I did finish up the May Doggin the Web column if you want to take a look. I am off to have lunch at our friend Bonnie's today. She invited some folks over for a brunch and gathering. Tonight is our Astronomy League meeting here at the house at 7:30. I am working at home this morning until time to leave to head to Rural Hall for my lunch and make a drugstore stop along the way. I can also renew Bob's license tag since the DMV place is right on the way to Bonnie's also located in Rural Hall. [Top] |
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Friday, 3 May 2002 [Last Week] [Monday] [Tuesday] [Wednesday] [Thursday] [Friday] [Saturday] [Sunday] [Next Week] |
| Bonnie had a very nice lunch yesterday. It turns out it was
her birthday but she did not want to advertise that fact on her
invitation. She just wanted to have some friends and family over to enjoy
her day and have some lunch.
It was very hot and sticky yesterday more like August than May. We did get a pretty good storm last night with a little more rain but not nearly enough. Although it is cloudy this morning I don't think it is supposed to rain today. I need to go get my bedding plants and couple of bushes to put in. My primroses need splitting and other outdoor stuff I have been waiting holding off doing until we got some rain to wash some of the pollen out of the air. Unless it downpours, I don't mind working in a light drizzle anyway. Tonight I am having dinner with my friend Nancy. We are meeting at the little cafe where Fiddle and Bow holds their Friday night Celtic music shows. I guess Bob will make his famous egg salad for him and Lenore for dinner. I hope everyone has a good weekend. It looks like it will be a washout for us here but we need the rain. [Top] |
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Saturday, 4 May 2002 [Last Week] [Monday] [Tuesday] [Wednesday] [Thursday] [Friday] [Saturday] [Sunday] [Next Week] |
| I get to a music review again after hearing last nights
wonderful performance by Mae
Robertson. Mae has one of those clear, alto voices of folk singers
that is so pure you can't help but enjoy her music. She sings a
combination of songs written and/or performed by other folk, country, or
Celtic singers and some of her own material. Up until a year or so ago she
toured with another singer/guitar player. Due to other circumstances these
two had to break up their act and Mae has taken on another folk guitarist
to accompany her vocals. She has several albums out including some for
children or adult family music. But her latest album Stone by
Stone features her adult folk music. She has a new one coming out this
summer with her new guitarist of her all time favorite twelve songs. She
has several very famous musicians featured on the recording now in process
in Nashville.
In her show last night she introduced each song and gave a background as to why she liked this particular artist or writer. Often times she has a story behind the song. Several songs she performed I have heard sung by the original artist and she does a very good rendition. She also sang several from her album in progress. Well, we are finally getting a full day of light but steady rain. Hopefully it will help to wash some of this nasty pollen away. I spent all day yesterday in the yard. I planted three bushes and lots of flowers. I also dug up one azalea that has been here since we moved in. It has never really done well but I kept trying to get it to turn around. It was the one on the curved end of the new wall I just built. Yesterday I finally dug it up but it did not go without a fight. A lot of the lower growth was dead but the roots were deep and thick from being in the ground for so long. I still have a few more plants to get but I did get the majority in the ground yesterday. It was a nice cool, cloudy day great for working in the yard. The dogs played outside almost the entire time I was out working getting a lot of running and exercise. This morning I am going over to my parents house for lunch. The official wedding photograph proofs are back and we going to select the prints we want. I have some things to take over to dad too since I did not get over there this week.
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| A short post today. The race from Richmond, VA was rained
out last night. It was supposed to start at 7 but did not get underway
until 9 pm due to earlier rain and getting the track dry. After 66 laps
the skies opened up again and forced a cancellation. It will be run this
morning at 11 am which means I need to get my house cleaned, bed
linen changed, etc by that time.
After a nice day yesterday of rain and drizzle it is to be clear by tonight. We are planning on going up to Bullington tonight to do some observing. Otherwise not really much going on to report. The dogs got their weekly brushing yesterday and teeth cleaning when I got back from the parents.
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