Saturday. Neal and Paul had a Lego derby at church this morning, so they came over for waffles and to put finishing touches on their cars. Penny came too, of course, and spent the morning with Ernie. They really seem to love each other.
I got more writing done until Neal and Paul came back mid-afternoon. We had burgers and hot dogs for dinner, then played Splendor until all the cards were gone, which is one of my favorite things.
Friday. Swam in the morning at Shoreview, and had to cancel lunch with Rui because my car still won’t start. I felt bad about that; she had said she was fixing Beijing noodles as a special treat to celebrate my birthday. I have a feeling I really disappointed her.
Spent most of the day getting back into my writing and submitting a very late assignment to the Inner Circle group. I feel positive about the new direction I’m taking with Freya’s story. So glad I have this group to work with.
Estee and her folks are in Vegas, so I invited Neal and Paul over for dinner, had leftover soup from small group, plus made some (poor) stir fry to use up some veggies in the crisper. Played Paul’s favorite game after dinner: Cards against Humanity. He laughs so much during that game, it’s worth the tediousness and the poop humor.
Thursday. Still fatigued, but had a dermatology appointment in the morning at Bandana Square. My car wouldn’t start (dead battery?) so I took Phil’s car. The doctor burned off several spots on my hands and also excised a Pilar cyst on my scalp, so I walked out with a huge bandage in my hair. Had to shop for groceries with my hood on.
Fixed soup and bread and almond cake for small group in the afternoon, managed a brief lie-down, and then had my writer’s group Zoom meeting from 5-6 p.m. Then small group came at 6:30, and during the meeting Phil and I talked about how we have seen God at work in our lives, and how our faith has grown through what we’ve lived through. I like this group very much. We will skip meeting next week due to Thanksgiving, but have a Friendsgiving meal together sometime in December.
Busy day, but satisfying.
Wednesday. This day was a wash. Didn’t get much done except laundry, due to a combination of fatigue and the cold and snow. We came back to five inches on the ground:
We left Minneapolis around noon on Weds., Nov. 9, leaving a clean house and relatively warm, dry weather. Jeff took us to the airport, and we had an uneventful flight (watched a Downton Abbey movie and were given seats in Comfort +). Rachel and the kids picked us up from the airport, and we caught up on all their news on the way home. Much unhappiness still about the failed purchase of a cabin.
Had a time of good conversation at dinner, some laughter around the table to lighten the mood. Helen gave Grampy a beauty treatment, which got lots of chuckles.
The kids adore him, especially Evan. He and Evan spent a lot of time together, reading stories and just hanging out. We put the kids to bed that night, as Andrew and Rachel went to a concert.
The next morning I took the kids to the bus with their new dog, Dash, then took a run in the forest trails by Lake Samamish. It felt good to have energy and be out in the trees. Still lots of color here (green stays all year round, and fall colors are still at their peak). Cool, sunny weather.
Helen stayed home from school with a cough on Thursday, and Rachel went on a hike in the afternoon. I shopped for groceries and prepared roast chicken and mashed potatoes for dinner, as Dennis and Denise were coming for super. Had a nice meal all together, though poor Helen was on a colon cleanse and couldn’t eat our food.
Friday the kids had off school (Veteran’s Day), so we hung out and watched lots of videos and played games. I took Dash for another walk in the forest, but was pretty tired from the day before.
Lovely day, though. Phil and the kids played frisbee and football in the front yard, which gave me a chance to rest and read my book (Faithful Place by Tana French novel, well written, strong voice). Tri-tip dinner, then went to see Katie perform with her improv group in Seattle, while Andrew and Evan went to hockey practice. A very entertaining evening.
Saturday we went to see Evan play hockey and were amazed at how well he is skating. Would love to have him out to Minnesota this winter to skate on the lake. Stopped at Costco for groceries and lunch. Helen finally off colon cleanse. Dog and kids got vaccinations in the afternoon. Baked chocolate chip cookies. Chicken soup for dinner.
On Sunday, Andrew and Rachel went on a day-long hike. Phil and I were going to take the kids to church, but I woke up with extreme dizziness—probably a viral inner ear infection. So we stayed home and relaxed, which was probably what the kids needed. Katie came over in the afternoon, and we played Splendor and took a walk. So nice to see her. Played a game of Splendor with both Katie and Rachel, then stayed up late to finish my book.
Kids back to school on Monday. I did more grocery shopping, also made a huge pot of vegetable soup for Rachel—probably too much, but she can freeze some. Fixed Tri-tip again for evening meal, though Andrew couldn’t make it and then rushed off with Evan for hockey practice again. Too much going on. Took a last walk in the woods—tree-bathing, the Japanese call it. Very restorative.
Tuesday: took Helen to the bus stop. Evan had a doctor’s appointment, but Rachel returned early enough to take Phil and me to the airport. Good-bye, dear house and family.
Election Tuesday. We voted last week (“Vote early, vote often,” as Phil says), and expect a slightly better picture for Republicans. Cold, blustery morning, though I went for a run to the creek and back. Spent much of the day on my writing and on making more dog food for Ernie. Rain this evening. It gets dark so early, I feel like crawling into bed at 6:30 already.
Tomorrow we leave for Seattle—bring Ernie away to Neal’s, and Jeff will pick us up at noon to go to the airport. So lots to do yet: clean fridge and toss old food, do laundry, pack, repot a few plants, plant my baby delphinium and finish mulching the flowers with leaves, etc. Leave the house clean. I’m glad I’m at a stage in my life where I can actually do that. I love this little house.
Two things that give me pleasure when I look at them:
Monday. A lovely, lovely sleep last night—about nine hours. Deep and restful, with both windows open a crack and cold, fresh air over my cheeks, with the rest of me snuggled under the warm blue blanket. I love my bed….
After devotions, I decided to run. I haven’t done so in at least a month, and it was a chilly 26 degrees, but I went anyway, dressed almost too warmly. I had to take my gloves off partway through. Ran the south loop to the bridge and back, a little over two miles, and felt quite good. My time wasn’t so good—almost 15 minutes for the first mile, and over 16 minutes for the second. About my fastest walking speed. Oh well, I want to enjoy it too.
After weights and stretching, I showered and ate breakfast, then dug into writing. I have made strides in revising the beginning of Freya’s story, so that I know where it’s taking her. I worked for a couple of hours, then went with Phil to Menard’s to look at their selection of bathroom items. Found a great sink that is below budget, so we can spend more on the shower and door.
Tried writing later in the afternoon but my legs ached from running, so lay down for a while, then tried to clean out the fridge for dinner (we leave for Seattle on Weds.). Began reading a book from the library (The Last Cuenista), which is good enough to keep reading. Made some of Ernie’s dog food for when we’re gone, then read in bed until I fell asleep.
Sunday. Did not sleep well last night, probably due to keeping Penny in my office and giving Paul my big bed. Daylight savings time has ended. Paul woke after 7 a.m. and demanded waffles, which I am glad is becoming a standard breakfast at Grammy’s.
I have to include two sticky notes Paul created and put on the two entrances to the living room area. He wanted to prevent Penny and Ernie from romping through there, destroying the elaborate race course he had constructed for his Hot Wheels car, using pillows, game boxes, books and magazines, and dominoes. They kept breaking through his barriers, so he put up this note to keep them out:
Friday. I got up feeling more energy, so went to the gym to get a quick swim in. Amazing how you can burn 400 calories in just 40 minutes.
Neal picked us up at 9:00 to go to Paul’s school in Hugo to hear him recite a poem on Hannibal, along with the rest of his first-grade class, who had memorized short poems on Julius Caesar, Cleopatra, etc. Very fun.
Thursday. Still felt peckish, stomach still not right. Had a 10:00 appointment with our financial advisor to sign papers for transfer of my Spectrum retirement account, then went with Phil to Lowe’s to pick out items for our basement/bathroom remodel.
We would have gone to Menards to see what they had to offer as well, but I was too tired, so we came home.
Focused on writing today, which felt great. Have found a new trajectory for Freya’s story, more drama and tension/conflict. Have begun writing a new summary for the novel. Spent most of the morning on that, then got ready for small group—baked bread, made turkey soup, cut apples, baked a blueberry coffee cake.
Group members came at 6:30 for supper, then Bible study and sharing. There are 8 of us regulars, which is a good size, I think. Michael and Sterling talked about their faith journeys—very personal. Everyone seems to want to stay late and talk. A good group, and we feel very much at home in it.
Wednesday. Had a bit of stomach upset today, also very tired. Tried to focus on writing, but not very successful. Worried about Neal and Estee. Worried about Rachel and Andrew. Prayed a lot, fasted in the morning. Who would we turn to if not to God? I don’t know how others cope.
Forced myself to take a 3-mile walk in late afternoon to keep up with my Apple Watch regimen.
Tuesday. I don’t remember much about today except that I was very tired, did no writing, took naps, drank tea, and simply wandered about in a daze. I told myself this was natural, that I had just had a busy and people-filled week, and now needed rest. Took no walks. Thankfully we had plenty of food, so no need to cook. A waste of a day? I’m not sure.
Monday. Said good-bye to Paul and Del and Misty at exactly 8:00 a.m. (amazing!) after a breakfast of scrambled eggs, oatmeal muffins, and juice. Then cleaned up the house a bit, sweeping and dusting and putting things away, until Barb and Gord came over late morning to have lunch and spend the afternoon. So nice to sit and talk. We considered taking a walk, but Gord was a bit sore from the previous day’s walk, so we sat and watched All Creatures Great and Small, getting in three episodes before they had to go back for dinner with Claira and Jaren. A lovely afternoon.
A quiet evening. I took a walk just before supper. The day was quiet, with most of the color gone and the world a bleached and muted color. But the sunset was lovely. I walked the south loop of the Rice Creek trail, and it was very restorative.
To bed early, with the hopes of getting back into writing on Tuesday.
Sunday. Estee and I sang in the choir at both services, so I had just enough time to get the turkey soup started (the broth had cooked the night before) and prepare oatmeal for breakfast. Phil ran to the store to get celery, dear man. Then rehearsal, singing, church service, and grabbing more bread from the tables at church. I raced home after the first service, had a bite of oatmeal, cleared the dishes, and got the soup going, then raced back and sang for the second service.
Everyone came for lunch at 1:00–turkey soup, bread, cheese, leftovers, etc. It was another nice day, so we walked the trails after lunch as a group, then sat in the living room and chatted until it was time for Barb and Gord and Claire and Jaren to leave.
We then opted for a quick Sunday supper of cold cereal (tradition!) and quickly went downstairs to watch as much of the rest of season 2 (All Creatures Great and Small) as we could. I made popcorn as well, and we did a marathon viewing, finishing the last episode by midnight. Ahh…. Set my alarm for 6:30 the following morning, so we could breakfast before Paul and Del left at 8:00.
The big day. Thankfully the dinner was set for 3:00, which gave enough time to bake two pies and then get the turkeys in to roast. I did a traditional stuffed bird, and Paul did a spatchcocked turkey he had brined the night before. The house smelled amazing. Neal was good enough to put together the stovetop stuffing.
The day was a blur of activity—but after the turkeys were in, we managed to get a walk in, and Paul III joined us (Mike was off hiking the Lino Lakes area). We took the south loop of the Rice Creek trail.
Paul III arrived early in the morning, and we all had breakfast together (scrambled eggs, toast, juice). Then Paul, Del, and I conferenced about the menu for the early Thanksgiving dinner, made our extensive list, and went out shopping. Our first stop: Trader Joe’s, then Target, and then they all went on to Costco for wine and cheese and bread, while I went home and made lunch (beef vegetable soup and sandwiches).
Michael came mid-afternoon. Paul made his magnificent apple pie, I prepped for stuffing, and then we had grilled pork chops (thanks, Phil!), potatoes, green salad, grated carrots, and roasted kabocha squash.
Afterward we re-watched the first episodes of All Creatures Great and Small so the boys could see it too, and then they went to Neal’s house to sleep. I finished prepping by making pie dough, as I would have to bake the pumpkin and pecan pies the next morning before putting the turkey in to roast. A busy day, full of conversation and work and goodness.
Today got last-minute prep done for Paul and Del’s arrival mid-afternoon. Managed a walk with Ernie in the morning, and was refreshed by the soft, muted colors of our neighbors’ trees, which reminded me of autumnal walks in England this time of year.
Today was prep day: cleaning, making up beds, organizing (hiding) clutter, and trying to do something with all the tomatoes still waiting to be eaten or processed. I did manage a large batch of green salsa and two batches of roasted tomato/garlic salsa.
Saturday. Neal and Paul had a Lego derby at church this morning, so they came over for waffles and to put finishing touches on their cars. ...
