Last Month's Happenings

Home of Fish Lines, by Lila Fish

HERE'S WHAT'S HAPPENED AT THE FISH POND IN THE PAST MONTHS,

March 14, 2004
I finally got my new computer desk! It is pretty neat - has compartments for all the little stuff that kind of floated around in a mess in the drawers of the old desk. The workmanship leaves a lot to be desired, though - hate to say it, but it was made "overseas" or so I was told when I complained. They said we would have paid double what we did if it had been made in the USA. But probably no one except picky old me will notice the defects! Except for a warped door, which they promised to replace, and the board below the door which has been banged pretty badly and which they will replace as well. So on the whole, I'm pleased - at least with the concept of the desk. And the main thing is, my chair no longer rubs against the sofa when I am working, so I can get rid of the 'throw' that has been protecting the sofa.

I had a meeting here, yesterday, and we planned a picnic for the Lynville Homeowner's who belong to our Association. It was fun getting to know Roxanne and Carol Ann better as we planned the event. I do hope we get a good turnout. We're calling it a "Get to Know My Neighbor Block Party", because that is exactly what we want to do. I believe there are at least 28 homes here and at least two more under construction, whom we hope to invite as well.

I received an e-mail from Ben, who used to live here and was my Computer Guro. When he was younger, he was always looking for ways to earn money, so he did a lot of gardening for us. As he grew older, computers became his hobby and he is a real whiz. Anyway, he is now in Michigan, getting married soon, and would like to invite us to his wedding. I hope that we can arrange to go. We are very fond of him and miss his visits.

And then I got a phone call from and old, old friend, from my MYF days in Cranford, NJ. It's probably the first time I've spoken to Ralph in more than 50 years! What fun to catch up on each other's lives! I hope to continue the friendship now that we have made a beginning. Ralph sent me pictures of himself (he looks great in a beard!) his wife, Harriet (who is lovely) and his kids and grand kids. Now I have to find some decent pictures of me (Linc and the rest of the family always look good in pictures!) to send to him.

March 8, 20, 200
This morning Miss Molly (that's her above) came strutting into the living room, tail up in the air and 'hollered' at Linc to look at her. When she had his attention she started to walk away but kept stopping briefly and looking over her shoulder at him until he got up and followed her. She led him to the pantry door where the yard stick hangs and let him know in no uncertain terms that he was to get the yard stick, which is what he uses to fish her toys from under the oven. And sure enough, there was her favorite old ragged bunch of red feathers that used to be a toy bird! Who says cats aren't smart?

We took the car into Rocky Mount to get a chip in the windshield fixed. Then I spent most of the afternoon arranging for a group of 18 of us to get season's tickets to Ferrum Dinner Theater. We do this every summer, but usually Adelle is the liaison between us and Ferrum, and since she is in Florida, the job fell in my lap. The first play isn't until June, but their Dinner Theater is very popular and the early birds get the tickets!

March 5, 2004
I guess I'm not too good at keeping this diary up to date! We met Bill and Tee at Myrtle Beach on the 19th of February. The weather was pretty cool until Saturday, which was wonderful- sunny and in the 70's!. We had dinner with Vinnie and Lee one night and breakfast with Peg and Joe on Sunday before coming home. These are all friends we knew in Greensboro who have since moved away.

On Feb. 29 we went to Mill Mountain Theater with Dot and Richard and saw "The diaries of Adam and Eve". I loved it, Dot hated it and Richard and Linc were non-committal - I suspect they slept through most of it.

I made my skirt to wear to Sarah's wedding, so that's one job done. I'm still waiting for the pattern Katie sent me to make a satin basket for the Flower Girl.

Monday was Bunko and I broke the record for having the most Bunko's. The previous record was 19 and I had 25! What fun!. Next month is my turn to host the game.

Yesterday we drove down to Greensboro to Replacement's LTD. What a neat place. I've been there several times and could spend a fortune there if I let myself. But I did get a dinner plate and cup and saucer for my dishes - one of my plates has a chip in it and Linc broke one of the cups. I also got a silver punch ladle. Then we went to Acme Florist Supply where I used to work. It was so nice seeing some of the old gang, although the staff sure has changed since I worked there. Margaret and Rick were glad to see us but Lulu and Dubb were off. They both only work part-time now.

From Acme we went to the World Market which is a really fun store. Bought some wine and some Easter candy for the grand kids. And from there we met Carol and Bill at George K's for a wonderful dinner. If you're ever in Greensboro that's the place to go! The Seafood Bisque is the best! Christina was there and we hadn't seen her in several years as she hasn't been there the few times we get to go down there. But George was as sweet as ever and visited with us, as did son Peter who is taking over a lot of the work of the restaurant from George, who had a heart attack recently. Anyway it was an enjoyable evening!

Well, I think that about catches me up. So until next time...

February 14, 2004
Our luncheon and card game went well yesterday. It took a while longer than the recipe stated to cook the Chicken Casserole and although the recipe said to pour the ingredients into a 9" pie plate, it filled one and a quiche dish as well! I ended up finishing them in the microwave, and since we only ate one Linc and I have a whole one in the refrigerator! My Waldorf Salad was good, as always, and the desserts went over big. Both of them were sugar free which is always well received. Maybe the devilled eggs were not on everyone's diet, but there were very few left over!

I am still nursing this cold. And I think Linc is catching one as well. I did want to go to Roanoke this afternoon, but Linc says the weather man is calling for more snow, so guess we will postpone it. Tomorrow is club meeting and I have been working on the agenda for it. Tuesday is Breakfast Club and the Board Meeting For the Friends of the Family Resource Center. And so it goes!

February 13, 2004
We went to Ohio last week for Sarah's Bridal Shower. The weather forecast was for 'wintry mix' all the way up, so we got up at 5 am and left at ten til six and just got to Columbus when the snow began. As it turns out, it wasn't much of a storm anyway. Rob cleaned out enough of his garage that when we visit we can pull the car in and I won't have to walk up his steep driveway. What a guy! I guess you would have had to see the garage the last time we were there to appreciate the work involved in emptying it out! We even have our own garage door opener.

The shower was fun, and I met Sarah's friends who are very nice. Then we went to Target's to get her some more stuff to match what I had given her for her shower. I finished all 240 table favors and left them there. We came home on Monday.

Tuesday morning I woke up with a scratchy throat which turned into a full blown cold which I have been nursing all week. But thanks to all those antihistamines, cough syrup, etc., I feel pretty good tonight. Thank goodness, because tomorrow the gang is coming over for lunch and cards. It's Valentine's day already! My two desserts are ready, the Waldorf Salad and Devilled Eggs made, and the chicken is cut up for the casserole, so I will have a minimum of work to do tomorrow.

January 28, 2004
My goodness - the month is nearly gone! And I can't think of much that I've done! Well I did go to the dentist for my semi-annual cleaning and yearly x-ray and guess what, I have the beginnings of a cavity so have to go back in Feb. to have it filled.

Our " Neighbors" group met and planned our yearly activities. Aside from being elected co-chair, I will teach the group two crafts this coming year. I say I was elected, but it was really a case of no one else would do it, so I got the job by default. Marie has been co-chair with Margaret for quite a few years, so this year Marie will get a break and I will take over her spot. Fortunately, we are a very loose organization so there's not much to the job.

We drew names for Secret Pals and I shopped for a valentine for mine and was amazed that I could not find one for less than $2.99! I have been making all of my cards for about 15 years, now, and I had no idea of the going price. (I don't want to send my secret pal a card I have made because she might guess who sent it to her.) I now have 2 SP's as we drew names at Bunko as well.

I wore the chenille scarf I made to the meeting and Joyce fell in love with it, so I am making one for her. Hope no one else wants one as I will not have enough chenille for another one. I also promised Sarah I would make the table favors for her wedding. I have 95 finished and there will be 230 guests so I still have a ways to go. They are relatively easy, but it was tiresome wrapping 230 wires with floral tape. Then two Hershey's Kisses are wrapped in a square of white tulle and taped onto the end of the wire. Next, two silk corsage leaves are attached to the wire and it is finished off with a bow. Linc is bowling tonight and I will work on the table favors. The scarf is about 2/3 done and will be put on hold until the favors are done.

We have had quite a bit of snow the past few days, (4 inches) followed by some freezing rain) and poor Linc had to shovel the driveway again. If he hadn't shoveled he would not have been able to go bowling tonight. He really enjoys his bowling even though he is not doing as well as he did last year. But there's still time for him to get going!

January 6, 2004
Yesterday was Bunko Cub, my first since I took over the leadership from Babe (who took it over from me several years ago. - guess what goes around comes around again!.) We had several subs, but all went well. For those of you who don't know, it's a pretty mindless game of dice, but we have fun, and that's what counts.

This morning was Breakfast Club, and I'm the leader of it as well, although why we need a leader for Breakfast Club is a mystery to me. We just go to Camper's Paradise every Tuesday morning at 9 and have breakfast, drink tons of coffee and talk. But it's nice to get to know the gals. Newcomers is such a huge organization, now. that we only get to really know one another through the 'interest groups', of which Bunko and Breakfast Club are two of them.

Tomorrow morning Linc has to take the car to the dealer to see about all the water in the trunk - the tire well was full when we got home from Ohio. Also, the driver's seat-warmer isn't working, and we have some mighty cold weather coming this week! And since he does most of the driving, he gets to have the cold Tush until it's fixed!!

January 3, 2004
Happy New Year everyone! It's been a while since I've written. We spent about 8 days in Columbus with Rob, and had a wonderful Christmas with all the family, except of course, for Brian who is in California and could not join us. Christmas Eve found us at Chris and Carrie's where we had a delicious dinner of Prime Rib and various accompaniments. They have such a beautiful, large dining room and just got a new dining room table that seats 12. We brought my 'good' china and presented it to Carrie and it looked so nice on her new table. (I should have brought up my Battenburg Lace cloth and napkins, but didn't think of it. It is oblong and I now have a round table, so will never use it again. But I will send it to her.) Then after dinner we sat around the table and opened gifts. Christmas morning, Chris, Carrie, Sarah and TJ joined us at Rob's for stockings and more gifts. Then they took off for their 'other-half's' families and we spent the day with Rob.

On Friday, Rob got company from Chicago and that evening we all went to see a performance of The Nutcracker. Sunday night we went to the Zoo and walked (Rob pushed me in a wheelchair!) through a fantasy of lights. It was beautiful and a (for Ohio) warm evening with temperatures in the upper 40"s. Monday Morning we headed home to Virginia.

We have been taking Molly with us when we go to Rob's and she travels well. Although we open the door to her carrier when we are on the highway, she seems to feel safer in it, and only ventures out when the car stops. She does let out a pathetic Meow occasionally, just to let us know that she does not really like to travel, but it is not enough to be annoying. Just enough to get our attention and a bid for sympathy! I do feel sorry for her, though, as she can't have anything to eat or drink as she has no potty facilities in the car, and won't tolerate a harness and leash, so we can't walk her at the rest stops.

On New Year's Eve we went out to dinner with Dot, Richard, Gale and Bob. We then went to Dot and Richard's for an evening of cards (I won!) and then watched the ball at Time's Square and toasted the New Year with champagne. A lovely evening with some very dear friends.

I guess we are off to Roanoke today to exchange a belt (Christmas present) that Linc received. He was quite flattered that Rob thinks he still has a 32" waist, but unfortunately, has to swap it for a 36.

We discovered while putting things away that a lot of my Christmas presents are still at Rob's, so I shall have to do without them until we go back up for Sarah's Bridal Shower. I don't really feel like going out as it is raining and Linc has a bad cold, so perhaps we'll put it off until another day.

December 16, 2003
It's been a busy time these past few days! First off, on the 9th we went down to Greensboro with the Wanderer's to the Barn Theater for lunch and a show. Had a great time, although I really didn't think the show was all that good. But everyone else seemed to really enjoy it, so it must have been ok.

Our annual Christmas Party was on the 12th and it was great. I made the hors d'oeuvres and desserts, and a few side dishes and Krogers cooked a Rosemary Honey Pork Loin, Scalloped Potatoes and Grilled Rustic Vegetables. The food was delicious! There were only 19 of us, and we set up card tables which was great, as we usually have to balance our dinners on our laps. So many of our friends have moved away, and I decided that rather than invite others, I would just stick with the regulars so that we would have room to sit down. We had our gift exchange and everyone seemed to have a great time. Well worth the time and effort it took to decorate, cook, etc.

Monday was our 'Neighbor's" Christmas Luncheon at Jamison's. We all brought food, and a gift to exchange. I brought a Christmas Bingo game to play. As each person went Bingo (well, it was really Comet,) they got to pick a present. I won a beautiful large, glass Christmas platter. We all had a great time. I volunteered to be co-president with Margaret next near. (Open mouth, insert foot!.) And I will teach two crafts. Guess I will have a busy year again.

This morning was Breakfast Club. A small group today - everyone has so much going on this time of the year. But we had a nice visit and those that attended received a small ornament from me. Tonight is Wine Tasting Club. It is our annual Champagne Tasting, led by Dave Talbott. As a surprise, I am going to give away a wreath made of wine corks. It will go to one of the ladies present - no charge for the raffle ticket, I'll just put all their names in a hat and draw one.

December 08, 2003
The snow is nearly gone and should be completely gone by Friday, thank goodness! Downstairs is decorated and I now can relax for a while. Today was our Bunko day and party. After a delicious pot luck luncheon, our Secret Pals were revealed as we opened their gifts. Very coincidental - I had Dolly and she had me! She gave me some beautiful disposable hand towels and a lovely holder for them. Just what I needed for the downstairs bathroom. Then we drew names for next year.

I called Sarah to see if she would like the old ornaments that used to decorate our tree in Greensboro. She said she would love to have them. I am so glad as they hold a lot of memories and I really wanted the grandkids to have them.

December 04, 2003
Woke up to the season's first snow, and got some nice pictures. Then it was off to Rocky Mount for my Flu shot and then to the dentist. He said there is nothing more we can do but wait for it to heal, so I guess I will just have to tough it out!.

Upstairs is now decorated. Tomorrow Linc will put up a small tree on the porch table, and I will decorate the downstairs. If I'm not careful, I just might be ready for the party!

December 03, 2003
Back to the dentist, yesterday and he said I had a 'dry socket' and repacked the tooth. Unfortunately, it did not stay there, but worked its way out in only 3 hours. But in spite of the discomfort I did manage to finish all of the fresh Christmas arrangements that I wanted. Altogether I have made 4 for upstairs, 4 for downstairs and I did the 'grave blanket' that Gale always wants me to make each year. I used just about every speck of greenery that I had, so the one I usually make for her aunt will have to be artificial.

Today was our Newcomer's Christmas Luncheon at Water's Edge. The food was delicious, decorations lovely and company great! I wish I had brought my camera- some of the ladies on the board put on a skit that was hilarious. Some of the gals did take pictures and promised me copies to put on the Newcomer's page.

Tonight Linc goes bowling and I will make some appetizers to freeze for the party. It's getting closer-

December 01,2003
Home again! We spent nearly a week in Ohio to celebrate Thanksgiving. I spent some time creating some fresh flower arrangements for the festivities. Dinner was at Chris and Carrie's new home. They have a wonderful dining room - big enough to have a series of tables put together in a long row and 17 of us sat down together at one long table. Our whole family was there, plus a few extras. Brian came in from California with Josh, Katie and her room mate (also Katie), were there, Carrie's mom and step-dad and brother Cassius were there and our Katie's friend, Dave, popped in before the festivities were over. We all contributed food so Carrie did not have the whole burden of feeding the crowd. Along with some sugar-free pies, my corn pudding was requested as always. Miss Mollie survived the trip, but it was tough convincing her that she couldn't sit on Linc's lap while he was driving. My lap just isn't good enough for her!

Now that we are home, I'm in a tizzy to get all my decorating done before the 12th. But had to interrupt my doings to go to the dentist this a.m. (I lived on Advil while we were in Ohio.) It turns out that the tooth I had pulled before we went developed a 'dry socket'. I just never seem to do anything the easy way! The dentist packed it and I will go back tomorrow morning and again Thursday afternoon.

November 20, 2003
Not a good day yesterday. I had to go to the dentist as my crown came out, post and all. It appeared that the root of the tooth had cracked and so there was nothing to do but have the tooth extracted. It was a difficult extraction - the root broke - and so now I am in a great deal of discomfort to put it mildly. It's not too bad when the pain pills kick in, but unfortunately the effects never last as long as they should and when it's time to take another it takes a while for that one to kick in! So I am working on my page "under the influence of" drugs. Hope it looks ok. Check out the pictures of our trip to Biltmore on the link to Newcomers down below. (Above the picture of Miss Molly, our cat.)

November 19, 2003
Monday morning 49 Wanderers of the Smith Mountain Lake Newcomers boarded a bus headed for The Biltmore Estate in Asheville, NC. Our good spirits in anticipation of seeing the Biltmore's famed Christmas decorations more than made up for the gloomy weather forecast. After a pleasant ride, with rest stops and lunch at the K&W Cafeteria in Statesville, we arrived hungry enough to enjoy a buffet dinner at Lake Junaluska Conference Center. By 6:15 we were fed and ready to board the bus for the 20 minute trip to the Biltmore. We were disappointed to see that the front facade of the building was not lit up, but the decorations inside more than made up for that lack. Unfortunately, we were not allowed to take pictures (or make sketches!) but I did purchase some post cards which I will attempt to scan onto the Newcomers page below. The decorations throughout were beautiful. There were only 2 live trees, however, but they were huge. We were told that they would be replaced every two weeks. All told, there were 38 Christmas trees, 1500 poinsettia plants (live) and 19,600 feet of roping (artificial). Most of the garlands and arrangements were enhanced by the addition of life-like silk flowers.
The place was so huge that I was fortunate that there were wheel chairs and Linc was there to push me around. There was an elevator to the second floor but I had to climb the flight of stairs to the 3rd floor. The beauty of the decorations was worth it. I declined to 'do' the basement, so Linc and I went outside and found the gift shops!

In the morning, after a buffet breakfast we went back to the Biltmore and while a lot of the folks toured the grounds, I declined-again in favor of the gift shops. Then it was back in the bus again and on to the Winery where we sampled the many wines for sale and (again) shopped in their sales room.

Back on the bus again and on to the beautiful Deer Park Restaurant for another bountiful buffet. And of course, we all ate more than we should before boarding the bus once more and heading to Tanglewood Park in Clemmons, NC to drive through the Festival of Lights. No matter how many times we have seen it, there are always new additions to "ooh and aah" over!
One more gift shop to make our way through and then on to our last meal of the trip. It was in Winston Salem, NC and called the California Fresh Buffet. All of the restaurant profits go to charity and all of the staff - wait persons, cooks and bottle washers are volunteer and everyone who works there has a big smile on their face. The food was more than plentiful and more than delicious, but as it was our third buffet in a day, some of us had a difficult time doing justice to it.
Back on the bus again, full and weary but content! Our driver, Dave navigated us home safely through a thick fog. Shirley put a movie on which some watched and others slept through, everyone glad to be arriving home safely at around 11:00. Our thanks to Shirley Fry for putting this whole trip together and creating another fond memory for the Wanderers.

November 15, 2003
Another trip to Roanoke! Linc lost a screw to his glasses so we went to Lens Crafter's where they fixed it promptly. Then we had a nice lunch at the Olive Garden, except that half of my chicken is in the refrigerator. While chewing a piece of bread I felt something hard and round in my mouth. It turned out to be a tooth, post and all. I tried putting it back in but after a while it was very painful - must not have put it in properly. No dentist open until Monday. Called the emergency room at Lewis Gale and they don't do dental work.

November 14, 2003
This has been a busy 10 days, running back and forth to Roanoke for this and that. Every time I think I am finished with my Christmas Shopping, something else pops up! But have stuffed Rob's and Carol's stockings, and think that is the last of it.

We took Evelyn in for the last of her Radiation Treatments, and I know that she is glad it is over! We celebrated with lunch at Cafe Succatash..

They have not been able to fix my Electric Scooter, so looks like I will have to drive it with a grinding gear for a while. Hopefully, they will find the missing part soon.

I have been busy knitting and crocheting the little sweaters that we send to orphanages overseas. Am almost finished with my third one. Trouble is, once I sit down to work on them I don't like to stop and nothing else gets done. Pam cleaned the house today, and I went downstairs and did a gold and silver Christmas Wreath for Carrie. Hope she likes it. Then I decorated the cork wreath that I will donate to the Wine Tasters Club.

Just got another order for name tags for Rob to make up. They keep coming in dribs and drabs, but sure do add up. I enjoy accumulating the money for him! Yesterday we got a new order to design and just now, the Waterfront Ladies called with more names. If

November ,4 2003
Yesterday was Bunko day with Newcomers. I tied with Dot for most Bunkos - 13. Then last night we went out to dinner with our next door neighbors, Shelly and Bill. We haven't been out with them in ages, and had a very pleasant night.

This morning we went to vote, then to Newcomer's Breakfast and this afternoon Dot, Margo and Connie came over and I showed them how to make a wreath out of wine corks. It's really quite simple - we use a straw wreath base- but very time consuming and takes a LOT of corks! We had fun and I made the bows for their wreaths and they were quite happy. I make a cork wreath every year and donate it to our Wine Tasting club.

We get to take Evelyn (Sartell) for her last Radiation treatment tomorrow. She has been a real trouper throughout all her chemo and radiation. We'll have to celebrate when it's over.

November 1, 2003
November already! Wednesday, The Scarlet Ladies went out on the lake in the Angelique, and enjoyed a beautiful day. Fran Burns did a great coordinating everything and her decorations were nice as well.

I have decided not to have crepes at the party! I talked to Chef Jason at Kroger's and he is going to do my cooking. All we have to do is bring my pans to him the day before and it will be ready for me to pop in the oven just before our guests arrive.

The new medication I was trying for my Neuropathy did not work out. I had a terrible reaction to it, and had to go two days without any medication to be sure that it was out of my system. Tonight I will begin the Tegretol again. Unfortunately, with no medication, my feet are very unhappy, especially at night, which is when most of us who suffer with this malady feel it the most. Yesterday we did a lot of shopping, and by the time we got home I was sure hurting! But today, they are better and Dot and I went to a Christmas Bazaar and shopped a bit. Tonight we are going out to dinner with Dot and Richard.

That reminds me, Linc and I went to Fisherman's Galley Thursday night. I ordered boiled shrimp as I always do, and when it came I smothered it with cocktail sauce, as always. I had eaten quite a few when I suddenly realized that it had not been deveined. Since we were sitting just behind the hostess, I asked her if they had forgotten to clean the shrimp. Well, guess what - they NEVER clean the shrimp. Needless to say, I could not finish my dinner, although I know that I have eaten it there many times with no ill effects. But now that I know the story, guess we won't be eating there any more. Poor Linc will have to get his fish somewhere else.

October 12, 2003
Last night was pretty interesting. The restaurant was small, but very attractively decorated, and there were 7 courses to the meal which took three hours from start to finish. Each course was quite small, but delicious and even so, I could not finish the last meat course which was beef tenderloin accompanied by a Chocolate Mushroom and Tellicherrry Peppercorn Sauce. It was so good and I could not finish it! We started out with a lobster bisque with huge chunks of lobster claw in it and ended with a delicious Creme Brulee. When we had finished with the courses on the menu, Mel (the owner/chef whom we knew from his days as chef/manager of a favorite restaurant) brought out a dish with large cubes of cake, soaked in some kind of liqueur and a candle to celebrate our Anniversary. We blew out the candle and sampled the cake, but it is presently in our refrigerator along with a half bottle of wine which we also could not finish.

Today our Wine Tasters club went out on the Angelique, a small "cruise" boat at Campers Paradise. The Angelique only holds about 50 people, and there were 42 of us there. Each couple brought wine and some finger food to share. The club provided a bottle of champagne for each table. It was a beautiful day out on the lake, and the leaves are just beginning to show some color. The food was good, as usual, and our tablemates fun to be with. Of course we were able to walk around and visit with everyone else. Our table was right by the entrance to the deck and we got a good laugh when the wake from a passing boat caused a spray that doused the deck and everyone who was out there got a shower and wet feet!

October 13, 2003
Today was a quiet day at home. I got caught up on my minutes, etc. and did the reminders for the Board meeting next Tuesday. Sam called. He was polling the Board members about a family in distress. A mother and 5 children are about to have their trailer padlocked as she is $1500.00 in arrears. So we and another organization are each going to loan her $750.00 until she can get back on her feet again. I don't know-we spend millions of dollars overseas and have so many unfortunate families right here at home
.
I guess I should explain that our organization is the Friends of the Family Resource Center, and we try to raise money to help the Family Resource Center which is a shelter for women and their children, both battered and temporarily homeless. They have been funded by United Way, the County and do get grants from other organizations, but have lost a lot of their funding due to all the cut backs. Our mission is to raise money to help them help others. And it was from them that we were made aware of this family's distress. I am so glad that we are able to help them out.

October 14, 2003
Went to breakfast this morning with Newcomers. Only a small group today - about 6, but small groups are nice, sometimes, as everyone can join in the same conversation.

I was going to ask Linc to take me to the Mall this afternoon but it started to rain and we can't put the electric scooter on the back of the truck in the rain. So I did the next best thing - I wrapped Christmas presents! It took all day, but all the presents I have are all wrapped! What a great feeling! I have never been this organized before! My Christmas cards are all printed, our party invitations are printed and in their addressed envelopes. There is so much going on from November on that I am usually a wreck trying to get it all done. So this year I have a good head start. I am so proud of myself!

October 15, 2003
We took Evelyn to her Radiation treatment today and then we went to lunch at Famous Anthony's. My sandwich was terrible - all bread and very little chicken and the cheese tasted like Cheese Whiz. They gave us back 1/2 the price. Won't go there for lunch again. We have had some good breakfasts there, though. Guess I'm getting too picky. Yesterday I said I had all of my Christmas presents wrapped. Well, when we got home there was a huge package waiting.   Guess what's in it? More Christmas presents!

October 16, 2003
Just when you think everything is running smoothly, disaster strikes again! Well, maybe not a disaster, but another expenditure I would rather we didn't have to make! We had a power outage last night and now the microwave doesn't work! But, it's ten years old, and has been acting up for quite a while, so guess it was time. But we just put in a new kitchen sink, which we could have done without if I had known the microwave was going to go!   We had to have Ed Ware come out and fix the ice maker on the refrigerator last week, but we had an extended warranty on it, so that didn't cost us anything. Of course, yesterday we got the bill to extend the policy for another 2 years. So today we went into Roanoke to Best Buy and bit the bullet and purchased another microwave. It is a Panasonic and has more features than the old one and is much more powerful. Our old one was only 750 watts and this one is 1200. And when you set it at less than full power it has a converter that actually regulates the power to the amount you set it for. The old one was always at high power, it regulated the power by constantly going off and on. It will be installed on Monday, which means going the weekend without one. Rob is coming sometime tomorrow night, so we'll do a lot of stove top and oven cooking.

October 18, 2003
Last night was cards with the gang (Dot, Richard, Gale, Bob, Babe & Larry) at Dot & Richard's. We play two tables of a game called "Three-Thirteen", which is similar to Nickels, except for the wild cards and scoring. After the first game, the high and low score at each table switches tables. I won the first game at our table, but was sadly trounced the second game. Linc was trounced his first game, but won the second, so all in all, we did ok.

Rob didn't get here until late this afternoon and we joined 'the gang' at the Scruggs Fire Department for a Chicken Barbecue Dinner.   It was fun and we met some people we hadn't seen in a long while.

I finished wrapping the grand kids Christmas presents today and once again am caught up. I also made a bunch of "ghosts" with packages of candy corn and tissue paper. I form the candy corn packages into a sort of a ball, using rubber bands to scrunch it together and make a neck. Then I fold two sheets of white tissue paper over them and tie the neck with orange ribbon. They make really cute ghosts and I love to give them away each Halloween. Then I fixed the napkins for my Christmas party. Boy! Am I ahead of the Christmas game!

Right now, Rob and Linc are trying to install the new microwave oven. They have been at it for some time, now. I guess it isn't as easy as they thought it would be. We have already paid Best Buy for someone to come out Monday to do it, but I'm if they get it working we can cancel and get a refund.

October 19, 2003
Hoorah! The new microwave is up and running and thanks to Rob's help, we saved $99.00. They worked into the wee hours last night, but finally figured out what they were doing wrong and all is well today. Linc ran into Roanoke and got the refund so the installer won't come tomorrow.
Then Rob set up a new data base in Filemaker Pro for my cards and photos. He is so good at that stuff! We ate dinner around 3 and he left around 4 for the long drive back to Columbus. I'm so glad he likes to come, but I worry that it is such a long drive for such a short visit. He doesn't get much rest in between coming and going. Certainly he didn't get to relax much. If you read this, I love you, Rob!!

October 20, 2003
Oh, what a beautiful day, today. Went to the Discovery Shop (operated by the Cancer Society) with our group, "The Neighbors." We brought items for them to sell, browsed, made a few small purchases, and then went to Montano's for a great lunch. It was so nice out that we sat outdoors on the Patio.  From there we went to Provisions Gourmet where we spent at least an hour browsing and again, making a few small purchases. Except that I bought 6 dozen crepes for my Christmas Party. I have been looking for some ready-made crepes for several weeks, and was so happy to finally find them. From Provisions we went to Big Lots which is always a fun place to shop, especially for holiday decorations. They were loaded with Halloween and Thanksgiving goodies.
Fortunately I bought an extra package of crepes at Provisions so I could try out some recipes on Linc and myself. Well, I opened the package when we got home and the crepes, which are folded into quarters, will not unfold all the way. They are very thin but stick together and crack open at the folds. Needless to say, I can't use them and will have to take them back. Now I am back to square one, looking for some pre-made, dinner sized crepes.

October 25, 2003
Another beautiful day, and I see that it's been a few days since I've entered anything in this log. Actually, I was trying to do something with it, and can't remember how to do it, so will have to ask Rob for help, I guess.

I have decided that the dinner sized crepes would be too big after all, and so will probably make some 7-8 inch ones. Now I am having trouble finding recipes for the fillings. I was thinking of one chicken, one shrimp and one more kind of filling, so if you have any good recipes, write me at lila@lilafish.com. (Be sure and say how many crepes the recipe will fill.) We went to Books -A- Million and couldn't find a recipe book for crepe fillings, and believe it or not, the Internet doesn't have a lot of recipes, except for dessert-types which is not what I am looking for.

I went to my Neurologist on Thursday, and am starting on a new medication for my Neuropathy. Actually, she said it was one that they used to prescribe before Neurontin came out. But since neither the Neurontin or Tegretol seem to help me we are now trying Amitriptyline.

Yesterday I went to lunch with Rita and Doris to the Cafe Succotash, a great little place in Vinton. The menu is very interesting with lots of variety and the food is delicious. We had a great visit, catching up on each others lives. I bought one more Christmas present so will wrap that today.

October 26, 2003
Another 'stay-at-home' day! I spent a great deal of it scanning and putting the pictures that Patti O'Bryan sent me onto the Newcomers page.   I don't do it often enough, I guess, so I am always messing up and then have to figure out what I've done wrong. I'm not too happy about the lay-out of the pictures - they're not all spaced the same, and can't figure out why. And it does take me quite a while to go through the whole process, sometimes. But as they say, it keeps me out of trouble and off the streets at night!

Please click here to see pictures of our May trip to Ohio.

Please click here to see pictures of SML Newcomers

Please click here to see scenes of the lake.

Please click here to see pictures of our friends

Please click here to see picture of the "Neighbors"

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Coming Soon - Archive of Previous Month's Happenings.

October, 2003

November, 2003

December, 2003

January, 2004

February, 2004