 |
Barbara
Fritchman Thompson Diary
Week
of 25 February 2008
Latest Update: Sunday, 2 March 2008 1: p.m.
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Monday, 25
February 2008
Bob
called the vet this morning to let him know about the UTI Malcolm
developed over the weekend. He concurred with our diagnosis and Bob's
treatment. He told Bob there was a newer generation of the antibiotic
we had on hand. Bob went by this afternoon and picked up a 14 day
supply of which we only need 11 days. We are keeping the other three
just in case this happens again to Malcolm or to Duncan on a
weekend.
Yesterday afternoon we went to a small party of at our friends Paula
and Casey's. Casey has lived in the United States for much of his adult
life but has always been a citizen of the his home country the
Netherlands. This past Friday he became a citizen of the US. Paula
threw a small party in honor of this occasion. Of the many
reasons he wanted to become a citizen the overwhelming one was to be
able to vote. As you know, I hate politics and very rarely discuss them
on this page. I am not very thrilled about any of the candidates
running for president on either side. Locally, we have a few that may
be of interest. The turnout for this year's primary for our state and
county is predicted to be at an all time high with many young people
registering to vote. I guess after all is said and done there is
nothing like living in the good ol' US of A compared to some other
countries.
Scott's came today and treated my lawn for spring weeds. The grass,
except for the areas of Bermuda, is already nice and green from the
rain/snow we have had so far. More rain forecast for tonight and
tomorrow. While the state as a whole is still in a major deficit these
periodic rains are helping to refill the lakes, streams, and reservoirs.
Tuesday, 26 February 2008
I finished the Hamish and started the first book in a new series by Sarah Andrews.
Andrews writes the Em Hansen forensic geologist series set in Wyoming.
In this first book of her new series, In Cold Persuit, she introduces
geology student Valena Walker. Valena goes to Antarctica to work on her
master's thesis under her professor a famous glaciologist. When she
arrives at McMurdo Station,
a real research station, she finds her professor had just been arrested
and removed from the station. A year ago, while out on an ice core
drilling expedition, a journalist died an accidental death. New
evidence has turned up revealing his death may not have been
accidental. Valena's character is very much like Andrew's Em Hansen
character; intelligent, self sufficient, etc. In fact, when Valena's
learns she will not be allowed to stay on at the station to work on her
research because of these recent events, she e-mails Em, whom she met
at a geologists convention for tips on investigating what really
happened.
Valena soon learns there are some of the members of the team from last
year at the station as well as some other players in the entire event.
I am learning a lot about cold weather survival, Antarctica itself, and
life at McMurdo. Andrews received an NSF grant to go to McMurdo to do
research for the book in order to present the true facts of what type
of research and what goes on at the station. As I have mentioned
before, Andrews is a geologist herself.
[Top]
Wednesday, 27 February 2008
Not quite Antarctica but the weather has
turned cold and windy. It was not to make it out of the 30's today with
very strong winds. Cold and windy tonight and tomorrow. They finally
called me this morning to let me know my glasses were ready to be
picked up. I took a half hour for lunch and planned to leave at 4. They
close at 5 so I needed to have time to get there, park my car in the
deck, and do the adjustments.
I spend most of day in the copy room preparing some materials for
a client for one of our paralegals. I finally finished around
mid-afternoon so I started on my usual daily tasks of pulling files for
new mail, etc. Around 3:30 there was more copying to do. I told them I
could stay on if they needed me to help finish with the project. It was
5:30 when I finally got out of there. After a very long day on my
feet and leaving work late I called Bob to let him know I was just
leaving work and not going to the gym. Instead I picked up takeout and
came on home.
I can stop by on my way to work in the morning to pick up my glasses.
My left knee has improved a lot in the last few days. As much as I was
up on it today it is not bothering me too much tonight. The right one
is doing real well.
[Top]
Thursday, 28 February 2008
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I would like to wish my mom a very happy 80th
birthday today. We are taking her out tomorrow night for her birthday
dinner. I sent her a very large margarita...flower arrangement to honor the occasion.
This morning when I put on my new glasses the world was suddenly a
whole new place again. No more fuzzy looking in the distance or up
close. I spent most of the day weening myself off from the habit of
tilting my head all the back to read from the bottom of my glasses for
both distance and close up. I can actually look straight out to see the
letters on the computer screen.
I made it to the gym tonight. Tonight is usually grocery store night
but we need very little in the way of weekly staples. I can run out
Saturday morning and pick those up.
We are still have some pretty cold weather. I did walk out at lunch time to get some fresh air.
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Friday, 29 February 2008
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No update.
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Saturday, 1 March 2008
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I have had a fairly productive day. This
morning I flattened a load of cardboard to haul off and put in a load
of my work cloths. On the way back home I did the grocery shopping.
After we unloaded the groceries I took the dogs back for a little play
time.
One of my to-do projects that never got done last fall because of my
knee problems was to clean up the wood pile. Actually our wood pile was
mostly a sawdust pile. Some of the wood stacked up by the big pine in
the back has been down there for so long it was mostly rotted
especially the smaller stuff. What was there has fallen all over the
place so that it looked more like an actual pile of junk than a neatly
stacked wood pile.
Messing around in a pile of dead wood is not a summer time job. At the
worst, black snakes like to hide in wood piles, at best I would have
come across smaller, less ominous creatures lurking in the dark, cool
places under the wood. There was also a lot of Virginia creeper in
there which is a member of the poison oak/ivy family of which I have
come allergic to. My intentions had been to clean that mess up in
late fall.
The neighbor behind us like to have a wood fire. I threw some of the
better stuff that needs to be burned now over on his property to burn.
The bottom of the pile I could bust up with a pitch fork. I threw
the rotten stuff in the yard cart then wheel barreled three loads up to
the top of the hill for future hauling off in the yard cart. The cart
will not hold it all. We had one row of real good stuff from the trees
we took down last year or year before last. Those I stack up neatly
putting some of the older but still solid wood on top of that. We have
the gas logs up here but like to keep some real wood on had to burn
downstairs. The very bottom of the heap had rotted into dirt and
sawdust I could spread around the tree trunk.
The weather was perfect for working outside. Although the winds are
very gusty the temperatures a mild 58 degrees. I worked for about an
hour this morning, took a lunch break, and finished up early this
afternoon. The dogs enjoyed being out with me. Malcolm tends to sit and
watch me work, Duncan roams around or followed me up and down the yard
when I took a load of wood up. However, when I start up the hill with
the wheel barrel Malcolm would come roaring over at Duncan. They are
both pretty tired fellows this afternoon. As am I.
[Top]
Sunday, 2 March 2008
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The calendar says it is March 2 which is
still winter time in the Triad. But, I woke up this morning to the
sound of birds chirping and calling as if they it is springtime instead
of being three weeks away. The weather also indicates springlike
conditions with highs today in the mid 60's. Though it is to go back
down into the 30's tonight it is to be warm again tomorrow. This is all
of course a big tease as it will turn cold again before winter is
officially over.
I did the house cleaning this morning and had the dogs out back to
play. I have worked on my office some. Bob had other things to work on
and has been feeling a little under the weather so we left the work
room and his office alone this weekend.
Last night I started another Anne Perry, Seven Dials. In the last
several books Pitts wife Charlotte and their long time maid Gracie have
not been involved in solving any of his murders. Perry has kept his
sister-in-law Emily and their great-aunt Vespasia in the plot. In this
novel Charlotte and Gracie come back into the forefront to help Pitt
solve the murder of a junior diplomat by a noted beautiful Egyptian
woman and her diplomatic lover. Pitts goes to Egypt leaving Charlotte
in London to help solve a secondary crime that is soon linked to Pitt's
case.
I have bills to pay and some cleanup at my desk. With the weather so
nice I may take the guys out for another playtime this afternoon.
[Top]
Copyright © 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002,
2003,
2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008
by
Barbara
Fritchman
Thompson. All Rights Reserved.