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Barbara Fritchman Thompson Diary
Week of 3
January 2005
Latest Update: Sunday January 9, 2005 3:40 p.m.
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Monday, 3 January
2005
Greetings
on this first work day of the New Year. Ticket numbers were high this
morning but not as bad as I thought they would be after four days.
Last night I went to bed at 8:45 and read until midnight to finish
the Sister Fidelma. I was so close to the end I just had to see how it
turned out.
I had a hair cut appointment this afternoon after which I ran some
errands while I that side of town. It was about 6 o'clock when I
finished up. I picked up take out on the way home.
Thanks to all my readers for visiting my web site. I enjoy
sharing with you the books I am reading as well as the daily life
around the Thompson Techno Grotto. It will be, like everyone elses, a
very busy year. Between working, taking care of the dogs, the yard, the
house, helping my folks from time to time, working on my web site, and
now starting to work on the astronomy book I will not be lacking
for anything to do. I have a couple of trips planned for year as a
means of escape in addition to my time at the gym and on the golf
course. Fortunately, I have always been able to organize my time and
get a lot of things done in the hours I have to work with.
I hope all of you have a wonderful, healthy, and prosperous year.
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Tuesday, 4 January
2005
Spring has sprung in January here in the
Piedmont. I think we reached record highs today of something close to
80 degrees. You can bet we will pay for this later on down the road.
Not much in the way of news tonight. I need to pay some bills and
balance the check book. Have a good evening.
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Wednesday, 5
January 2005
The temperatures remain unseasonably warm,
otherwise, there is not much in the way news. Tonight was step class at
the gym.
I am still reading the Berenson mystery, Watchdog.
Time to give the dogs some attention and playtime.
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Thursday, 6 January 2005
[Last
Week]
[Monday] [Tuesday]
[Wednesday] [Thursday] [Friday]
[Saturday]
[Sunday] [Next Week]
It has been a busy and rather tiring day.
Just after lunch we were handed a big project to completed ASAP between
working on the daily data base changes.
I am not allowed to work overtime which means there are a set number of
hours to get things done.
On the way home I stopped at the grocery store. By the time I got home
it was 5:30.
We finally had a little of the promised rain that has been predicted
all week. The temperatures today are not as warm. This morning while I
was taking my pre-lunch walk the wind was gusting to around 20 mph's.
Once the rain got here the wind seemed to die down.
Glad tomorrow is Friday. That first week back after the holidays of on
again off again working always seems to be extra long.
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Friday, 7 January 2005
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Week]
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[Wednesday] [Thursday]
[Friday]
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Week]
I have a new author to talk about, Sarah Stewart Taylor. I
picked up her first book for Bob at the library, O'Artful Death. He
enjoyed it and said I might like it so I thought I would give it a try
last night after I finished up the Berensen. I must admit I was a
little hesitant when I learned about the interest of her character, an
art historian who specializes in the art of death.
However, I am glad I took the chance. I was hooked from the first
chapter. Taylor's character, Sweeney St. George, lives in Boston
teaching at Cambridge. I immediately liked Sweeney, Taylor's writing
style, and the plot itself. When Sweeney's friend Toby shows her some
photos of an unusual head stone in a graveyard in Vermont in the town
of Byzantium. Home to a former arts colony in the late 1800's she
becomes interested in the style of headstone, which is out of place for
the time of the burial and the mystery surrounding the young girls
death.
Toby invites Sweeney to abandon her plans to spend Christmas alone and
instead go with him to his aunts farm in snowy Vermont to spend the
holiday and check out the headstone as a possible topic for a chapter
of a book she is working on. One of the girls descendants still lives
in the town. Thinking she could just call the ancestor and get the
scoop via telephone she soon becomes even more suspicious when she
learns the woman was killed the night after talking with her on the
telephone.
That is about as far as I got last night before I fell asleep but
I cannot wait to get back to reading tonight.
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Saturday, 8
January 2005
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Week]
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[Wednesday] [Thursday]
[Friday]
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Week]
Cleaning house, like a lot of other things,
never ends. Although the house has undergone the major deep clean in
most rooms, they all had to be vacuumed as usual this morning. I had a
full list of things to get done today, but alas, they will be moved to
another day.
First off, I slept until 8am, which is very late for me. After reading
the paper and eating a bite of breakfast it was going on 9. I had
already planned to miss spinning class this morning due my "scheduled
list of things to get done".
So, with such a late start, I did not get as far as I had intended. I
had Friends of the Library annual meeting today at 1 o'clock. That
meant getting everything done this morning, showered, and ready to
leave by noon. With my late start I barely managed to get the bathrooms
cleaned along with the vacuuming and dusting before it was time for
"our" shower.
It takes about half an hour or so to get both dogs bathed in the
downstairs shower, one at a time. While we have to fight with Malcolm
to get him to come into the shower, Duncan just walks right on in. I
guess after ten years he as either decided he likes to get a bath or he
knows there is no use in fighting the inevitable.
I left for the library a little before noon to give myself time to
check the catalog for some books to reserve. We keep the annual meeting
very informal, electing new board members, etc. Our program was a local
author who discussed her books, writing them, etc.
I had planned to vacuum the downstairs closet this afternoon before
putting away the Christmas decorations. By the time I got home it was
after 3pm. The weather tonight is looking good for some observing.
After getting things organized for that it left me just enough time to
check my mail and get this post up.
Tomorrow is another day.
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Sunday, 9 January 2005
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Week]
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[Wednesday] [Thursday]
[Friday]
[Saturday] [Sunday] [Next
Week]
We got about three hours of observing in last
night before the clouds moved in. By that time we were getting tired
anyway. For a January night the temperatures were actually fairly
pleasant, in the low 50's to high 40's by the time we finished. On
occasion, the breeze freshened from 3-5 mph to maybe 8-10. It was not
too bad at all. Bob and I tried out the new multi-gloves
I bought us for Christmas from Plow and Hearth. They worked very well.
Since my hands are the one thing that does get cold I was impressed
with how warm they stayed.
We were home by 11:30. After playing some ball then walking the Guys I
was in bed before midnight. I read one chapter in my book then turned
off the light. I was up at 6:30 this morning for golf.
It was a little cool when we teed off at 7:30, around 40 degrees, but
dad and I both were dressed accordingly. By the time we turned the side
around 9:10 to start the back nine it had warmed up enough to shed our
outer jackets down to long sleeves and vests. The sky was crystal clear
blue with some wind but nothing major.
As soon as I got home this afternoon I pulled the car up in front of
the garage and gave it a good washing. Afterwards, I pulled it in for a
good inside vacuuming and window cleaning. Bob reinstalled the extra
screws to the dash left from when I had my radio put in. The guy said
he could not get them all in. After getting the car cleaned up I
brushed the dogs out good after yesterday's bath then came upstairs to
relax and read the paper.
While I am in the kitchen preparing dinner, boiled red potatoes in
their jackets and salads I will finish putting out the remaining knick
knacks in the living room. The downstairs will have to wait until next
weekend. I may work on my office after dinner.
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Copyright
© 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005 by Barbara
Fritchman
Thompson. All Rights Reserved.