Month: November 2010 (Page 1 of 3)

I’m am officially in the really busy time of year, now. Last night was the first double-booked night. One thing canceled, but rescheduled on a night that I was supposed to have something else, so that made that a double booked night. Ahhhhh…..! Just so you know, this is what I’m preparing for:

Concert at the college – two performances this coming Sunday (Dec. 5)

Two operettas at the college – performances Thursday, Dec. 9 – Sunday, Dec. 12, plus rehearsals most other nights or afternoons on weekends.

Concerts with the New Auburn Community choir – dress rehearsal this Friday, then concerts the next two Saturdays and Sundays. I only have to miss one – the second Saturday, because I also have the operettas that same time.

Roselawn concert – Monday, Dec. 13 – practices the end of next week

Methodist Church cantata – Sunday, Dec. 19, plus rehearsals the previous Wednesday and Saturday.

High school concert – Monday, Dec. 20 – practices after the Roselawn concert is done with

Probably also the Cameron grade school program – she always calls at the last minute. I had to back out of the Chetek middle school concert because of a conflict.

Add to that the cookie exchange and big Christmas party at work, plus a special dinner for the seniors on Dec. 23 and I don’t know whether I’m coming or going!!

We have a cookie exchange at work on Friday. Last year I got so busy that I didn’t have time to make any on Thursday. So this year I got them made head of time. I made my old stand-by, Russian teacakes. But I wanted another, so I can go as two people and end up with 12 dozen rather than just 6 dozen. So I searched through all my books and didn’t find one that really struck my fancy. Then Dad mentioned that there were recipes on the Andes mint pieces bags that he had picked up at Farm and Fleet. Sure enough. I tried the recipe on the bag of red and white peppermint pieces and are they ever good!! The recipe does call for a 300 degree oven, which just didn’t bake them at all in the time specified, so I tried 375 and that worked a lot better for the second group. They have chopped nuts, oatmeal and coconut, as well as the peppermint pieces. They end up nice and thin and chewy. I’m glad I had extras because I’m really enjoying them!  As Dad said, “They aren’t very pretty, but they sure are good!”

After a great holiday in Minnesota, it is good to be home again. We arrived here at about 11:30 last night, after an uneventful trip – the kind we like! Today I put up the tree. Actually I started putting it up, then discovered I couldn’t find the clear lights and the colored ones were half not working, so I decided to wait and finish it after I bought more lights. So I did some baking and laundry and Dad puttered around and we finally headed to Eau Claire around 2:00. We wanted to pick out the carpet for the bedroom, which we did. We didn’t buy it yet, because there is really no room to store it, so we’ll order it when we actually need it, hopefully before too long. We found the lights at Menards, too, on sale! For only a couple bucks, after rebate, my tree is covered in lights! All the tree trimming is finished now and looks beautiful. This evening I am just going to veg out and watch a movie and then head to bed early. I’m pretty sleepy today after the exciting holiday.

2:30 and it is finally snowing here. Seems to be pretty much just snow, and a lot of blowing. Hopefully it won’t turn into a real winter storm, but will just stay a normal winter snowfall.

I really have to find the camera so I can post some pictures.

Today I got to work and was reminded that it was the day of the shopping trip/lunch at China Buffet. I’d forgotten entirely. I sent the group on the bus to shop, then met them at the restaurant for lunch. I really didn’t have time to go early and shop. It was a small group, so they were just fine on their own. Lunch was nice, although I hadn’t planned on eating that much today. Hard to resist once you get there!

A bit more icey stuff fell today, but the roads didn’t get too bad. At least not when I was out and about. We had a pretty small turnout for New Auburn Community Choir tonight, as those who had a long drive opted out. We still have two rehearsals until our first concert. But I have to miss next Monday because of a scheduling conflict, so I only have the dress rehearsal left, so I was glad they didn’t cancel rehearsal tonight. We went through the whole thing front to finish tonight for the first time.

I was up early to get ready for church and was eating my breakfast when the phone rang. Awful early for anyone to be calling…. It was one of the deacons from church. He said that church had been canceled and I asked why. After a long pause, he asked, “Have you been outside?” Of course, I hadn’t – I was still in my robe.

We have ice. Lots of ice. It isn’t so bad here, but I guess it is a lot worse north of here. So, no church today. Kind of fun, except that means I don’t get paid. At least I had that funeral yesterday.

Now I am wondering what will happen with my rehearsals this afternoon. But the first isn’t until 1:00, so things should have melted by then. It is almost 32 here already.  Now….. what to do all morning…

I played for a funeral this morning. It was for a man who was only 44 and had been a sheriff deputy. There was a lot of law enforcement there. A lot, like one whole side of the church. They came from the towns and the county and probably from elsewhere, too. It was a touching service. If any of you remember the Gils, Bret and Grant were the boys, I accompanied Bret and a friend on one of the solos. Bret is about a junior or senior now. He just towers over me. He has a very nice voice, too. The other solo was done by a gal from church who is also an officer with the county sheriff’s dept. She did a nice job, but I could see that it was hard for her. Then after the service, everyone was gathered outside and they had put the urn of ashes in the back of the hearse and closed the door, when a page came over everyone’s radio (the officers have them on their uniform), paging the number of the man who had died. It was very moving, even if you didn’t know the guy. They paged 3 times, then said some other code number that I didn’t know the meaning of. He wasn’t killed in the line of duty – he got some rare lung condition that then weakened his heart and that is what he died of. It sounded like he was a very nice guy – they kept saying what a perfect fit he was for his job. Anyway, that was my morning. This afternoon, I tackle the porch and finish the other laundry.

After Mr. Ruggles got fleas, we occasionally said, “I wonder if the reason Sherlock loves to have his back scratched is that he has fleas.” But did we check? Noooooo. Finally the other night I was sitting there scratching him, again, and I thought to look. Sure enough. Fleas. For a long time, judging from how long he has been scratching.

So it begins. Bedding in the washer now. Then vacuum, scrub and spray the bedroom and close it up. Then lock him on the porch and vacuum, scrub and spray the living room and dining room and kitchen and bathroom. Then I think I will give him his bath. Then we have to keep him off the porch until we clean that, so I guess he’ll have to sleep somewhere different tonight, because I know I won’t get it all done today. So, tomorrow will be the porch and his pet bedding that he sleeps on out there.

The only good thing about it all (other than the fact that the house can always use a good cleaning) is the knowledge that, even if I’d discovered them a couple months ago, I would have had to do the same cleaning. You either have them in your house or you don’t. No middle ground.

So, I’m off to clean….

Today was a Wisconsin Association of Senior Centers (WASC) board meeting (of which I am currently the secretary, but I resigned as of January) over in Stevens Point, which is about a 2 1/2 hour drive. I hate that drive. It is so hard for me to stay awake, both on the way over between 7:00 and 9:30 a.m and on the way back, between 1:45 and 4:15. I don’t know why, but even my lectures or music c.d.’s don’t do the trick. So I resort to stopping to buy a snack every once in a while, which isn’t good for my diet, but keeps me from crashing. When I’m not secretary any more, after about 3 years of that, I’ll feel more free to skip the meetings when I just don’t want to do the drive. If I could drive over with someone it would be better, but its just too far for me to drive alone and still stay alert. Anyway, I made it home safely.

Choir practice tonight. Only two more rehearsals until our concert, because of Thanksgiving being on a Thursday. Things are coming together very nicely, though.

I went to the podiatrist again Tuesday because the problem with the bottom of the one foot had flared up again and was bothering me when I taught aerobics. So I got another shot in that foot, which should take care of that problem. But I talked to her about the possibility of the whole tingling in my feet thing being caused by my back. So she asked if I wanted a referral to their new back doctor, which, of course, I did. I saw her this morning. She is very young, but I thought very good. She took x-rays and actually didn’t seem as alarmed about the state of my back as others had been. She also did some reflex and strength tests and determined that there is a problem with one of the nerves, which is most likely causing the tingling. She suggested a medication that I can just take at bedtime. At this point, since we know now what the cause is, I’m ready to try a medication. She says that is what she would do. So I looked it up on the internet and, besides treating nerve pain like mine, the main use is for treating depression. In much higher doses, of course. But a nice side effect might be that I feel happier this time of year. Who knows? It takes over a week to affect your mood, although the pain alleviation occurs more quickly. I’ll let you know how it goes. I’m ready for this to be gone, already. It has been about 2 years since it started. I also said I was worried that I was causing some damage to the nerves that would leave me crippled by the time I’m 80 and she said she didn’t see that happening, particularly since it hasn’t gotten appreciably worse in such a long time. So, that was a big relief, because my biggest concern wasn’t the symptoms as much as what it might be doing to me that would cause bigger problems in the future.

Okay, that’s all about my health for another couple months. Don’t want to be one of those complaining old ladies!!