 |
Barbara
Fritchman Thompson Diary
Week
of 11 September 2006
Latest Update: Sunday, 17 September 2006 3:30
p.m.
|
 |
Monday, 11
September
2006
We
had a nice trip. I will have pictures up later this week. It was 11:30
last night by the time I got home. As I was petting Malcolm I
noticed a very large, gapping slash in the area where he had the
growth taken off his head last week. Sure enough he had managed to
reopen the surgery site. Bob said he had been licking his leg all
weekend. After much struggling I finally managed to get him over on his
back in Bob's lap to check his tummy. He had a gapping hole there as
well where he had licked open that surgery site. It looked pretty
bad.
First thing this morning I called the vet and made an ASAP
appointment. Bob took him over at 8:30 while I went on to work. Dr.
Taylor had to keep him for more surgery. After cleaning both sites real
well he stapled them shut and gave him a strong antibiotic shot. We now
have him wearing his Elizabethan
collar until Friday to give the places time to heal. I have to
watch his abdomen to make sure he does not develop an infection in that
one.
I picked Bob up after work to go back and retrieve him from the vets
then came home and mowed the lawn. I mowed last Tuesday when we got
home from the Bilbrey's. The grass was at least a foot high in some
places. While I mowed Bob put a couple of calzones in the oven for
dinner.
Bob and I celebrated our 23rd wedding anniversary yesterday. Of course,
I was away on a trip as I often am during on our anniversary. He ate
dinner last night with Stephanie and Gerald who were celebrating
Stephanie's mother's birthday.
Guess that gets you caught up on most of the news. I have a ton of
chores to do before bedtime so I best get to them.
[Top]
Tuesday, 12
September 2006
I am still trying to get things back to some
semblance of order from a whirlwind of travel. My office looks like a
small tornado went through where I have now dumped two trips worth of
stuff on the floor, my desk, etc. It will be this weekend before I have
time to touch that stuff. And of course, being gone two weekends in a
row the house has not been vacuumed which is also driving me nuts. That
too will have to wait until Saturday.
As usual, with Steve away in our Wilmington office things are jumping
at the office. I am working hard on getting the destruction file review
sheets ready to send to attorneys. The main files are printed from our
database by attorney. But, we have a lot of files we entered under
general/generic client/matter numbers. These files, about ten pages
with about 15 files per page, have to be looked up individually to find
the attorney and file name which I then have to add to the file sheet.
Between interruptions and other stuff it will most likely take the
remainder of the week to get that done. Next, I have to research the
files up for review from attorneys who have left the Firm. These lists
have to be sent to the practice group leaders.
I am reading a Dana Stabenow, A
Grave Denied. Kate is searching for a suspect in the killing
of the Park handyman who was found dead at the mouth of a glacier by
some kids on a school field trip. As Kate begins the investigation she
discovers his cabin was also burned down. She must determine if it was
before or after the murder. Things continue become even stranger when
Kate learns the handyman had very little if any identity other than his
name and where he lived.
Well Stephanie just called to see if I wanted to walk. I said, yes,
yes, yes. I have missed going to the gym although Frances and I did a
lot of walking on the trip this past weekend.
[Top]
Wednesday, 13
September 2006
Good rain. It was raining when we got up this
morning and has continued all day. Steady easy or steady hard, the
radar for the middle of North Carolina was a solid green all day long.
So far we've had 1.57 inches at our house. The nice steady, slow rain
will be a good ground soaker and fill up the reservoirs again. But, it
was not a good day to have to go traipsing about all over town.
I left at 9:30 from work to drive over to Data Chambers for an hour
training on their new online system we use to track and order our
inventory of boxes. Back at work by 11:30 I worked until 3:30 when I
had to leave for my 4 o'clock mammogram screening. This was a follow up
to my March screening when they thought they saw a slight shadow of
something. A return trip the next week for a sonar still did not
produce enough results for further investigation. Instead, they
schedule this six month appointment. Guess I will hear tomorrow if I
need to return or can wait until my usual March appointment.
From there I made the usual grocery store stop arriving home a little
after 5:30. I fixed salads for dinner then we walked the dogs. I only
have a few chapters left in my Stabenow book. If you read my page early
in the evening you saw a different title than the one that is now
posted. After I went to bed last night to read I realized I posted the
title I was reading last week not the current one. I got up to make the
correction and repost.
Bob transfered my pictures from the Bilbrey trip and this past weekend.
He will have them ready for me to post tomorrow night.
[Top]
Thursday, 14
September 2006
[Last
Week]
[Monday]
[Tuesday]
[Wednesday]
[Thursday] [Friday]
[Saturday]
[Sunday]
[Next
Week]
The first two pictures are from our visit to
the Bilbrey's. I think I forgot to turn on the flash for the second one
but hopefully you can see what is going on. Brian is giving all the
dogs their evening treat.
This past weekend Frances and I did a short trip to Williamsburg and Tangier
Island. We arrived in Williamsburg after lunch with two and half
hours to walk around Williamsburg on our own. Frances and I walked the
streets looking in the shops while grabbing a nice cold cone of ice
cream. From there is was on to the hotel to check in. The bus then took
us to a nearby strip mall outlet center to shop until 8:30.
The next day we departed Williamsburg for the two hour ride to
Reedville to catch the Chesapeake Breeze boat which leaves at 10am.
There are two
other boats that also go to the Island, one from the Maryland
Shore and another one from VA.
While we waited for everyone to board the boat we watched this black
lab retrieve his tennis ball from the water. He would run down the bank
and dive into the water swimming to the ball and then swimming back to
the steps to shore. His mom ran the little shack that sold drinks and
snacks just at the top of the hill above the steps. Frances and I rode
on the top deck on the way out and the lower outside deck on the way
back. It takes 2 1/2 hours to get over to the island from Reedville.
Not sure how far it is from the other two departure points.
Upon arrival we were met by a local guide who walked us the half mile
or so to the restaurant where we were eating the all you can eat lunch
at the Chesapeake
House. You can read the menu on the web site. We were in the back
side of an old house sitting at long tables lined up in rows. There are
only a few restaurants
on the island and three bed and breakfasts. They specialize in
Chesapeake By crab cakes which were delicious.
The Methodist church and a non-denominational church are the only two
on the island. They do have a school, grades 1 through 12. This years
graduation class had 14 with all but two remaining on the island. The
lighthouses are actually their trash public trash cans.
Angel, the BC in the golf cart, was waiting on her "mom" to come home
after being gone for a week. She is 8 years old.
Not sure what the bird is but he looked cute sitting atop that post.
The entire island makes its living crabbing and fishing. These crab
pots were stacked all over the wharves and docks as we came into the
harbor.
The island depends on the tourist trade to help supplement their
incomes. After we ate lunch we took a 20 minute golf cart tour of the
island. There are no cars, only carts, bicycles, and small motorbikes.
The population, which at one time numbered 2000 is down to about 700
year round residents. I bought a book, Crab's Hole, at one of the gift
shops. It was one of several for sale about the island. I started
reading it on the trip back over to the mainland. I had about two
thirds of it finished by the time it got too dark to read on the bus
and finished it Monday at lunch. Although it is set in the late forties
and early 50's I imagine life has not changed much on the island today
other than the fact that they now have an underwater electric power
system. The main power generating plant on the island is still
operational in case of a main power failure.
If you live in the area of Chesapeake Bay or coastal Maryland, take a
trip over to the island one day. It's a nice boat ride over. It's
rustic and primitive looking much like any other fishing village. Some
of the homes are very well kept up while others look a little worse for
wear. Plus the outside of the homes take a beating from the elements.
We saw two of the B & B's and both looked very nice. Most of the
streets are paved but are broken up and rutted from the weather.
[Top]
Friday, 15
September 2006
[Last
Week]
[Monday]
[Tuesday]
[Wednesday]
[Thursday]
[Friday]
[Saturday]
[Sunday]
[Next
Week]
Yippy skippy it's Friday. I should finish up
the destruction file lists on Monday to mail out to the attorneys.
Until they start coming back in I can take a break and work on other
projects. I had the store by myself today with Drew off and Steve in
Wilmington. It was pretty slow in terms of file requests and deliveries
which gave me a lot of time to work on the file lists.
Last night I started the latest Evan
Evans, Heavenly Bodies by Rhys Bowen.
After dinner I walked the dogs around the block on the short course.
Both of them are going pretty crazy with from the no ball and no play
rule. While it is in the low 80's there is very little humidity plus a
little breeze. Duncan starts out like a race horse using all his energy
up in the first half mile then can hardly make it home the last half of
the journey.
[Top]
Saturday, 16
September 2006
[Last
Week]
[Monday]
[Tuesday]
[Wednesday]
[Thursday]
[Friday]
[Saturday] [Sunday]
[Next
Week]
If you are my age or old you may remember
Ajax commercial claiming it cleaned liked a white tornado. Well, I went
through this house just like that this morning. It took well over an
hour to get my office cleaned up, suitcases put away, table tops
cleared, etc. That finished I tackled the bathrooms then vacuumed and
dusted. Three weeks of clutter, dog hair, and dust...yuck!
While I was cleaning I put in the sheets to wash and then a load of my
special stuff. After a lunch break I did a little cleaning in the
basement area putting away the cooler, breaking down and stacking
cardboard, and do some general organizing. Stuff tends to pile up
between where my car is parked and the wall that divides the unfinished
from the finished part of the basement.
Next I mowed but decided to use my remaining energy to wash my car. I
can edge next time.
My desk is the only thing left needed sorted out. Three weeks of table
clutter pretty much wound up back here to be sorted and filed. I have
started a long list of projects I need to do inside once winter arrives
when I no longer have the outdoor work taking up my weekend time.
Today was just beautiful to be working outside. Temperatures in the mid
70's with about 50% humidity a slight breeze. The leaves are starting
to fall but not enough to require cranking up the leave vacuum
yet.
[Top]
Sunday, 17
September 2006
[Last
Week]
[Monday]
[Tuesday]
[Wednesday]
[Thursday]
[Friday]
[Saturday]
[Sunday] [Next
Week]
Dad's leg is doing better. We only played
nine holes this morning but he did pretty well. It was been well over a
month since we've played so it was nice to get out.
I decided when I got home to fertilize and over seed the front lawn. I
am trying to use up what little of the lawn fertilizer products I have
left downstairs by the end of the year. Next year I am going to try
using a lawn service for the fertilizing but I will continue to seed.
It the back I had enough fertilizer to do the bare spots and under the
trees. I over seeded those then watered them down to try and prevent
washing when we get some rain. I have one small bad of weed and feed
which I can use in early November.
Although the temperatures are in the upper 70's it was still hot
working in the sun.
I have bills to pay and the Friends of the Library newsletter to
finish.
[Top]
Copyright
© 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006 by
Barbara
Fritchman
Thompson. All Rights Reserved.
