Mom keeps her place nice and cozy but both us like to be warm, so layers it is! It would be foolish to sit around all day in our nighties with the heat cranked up. I hate to use her electricity that way, but also wish for her to be comfortable. Kerry and I bought Mom a heated foot warmer for Christmas which she says does the trick. Because it’s sherpa lined, it keeps her feet warm even without the heat/massage portion turned on. The bad part is that she has to keep her feet tucked into it, limiting her dashing for the phone or answering the door. Kerry and I also got her a new home phone with an extra handset so Mom can keep one with her at all times. Like I am with my cell phone!
Monday was my birthday and oh my!, the greetings! Thanks to Facebook, I got upwards of 200 wishes for a happy birthday. Linda invited me to spend the day with her which I did, doing much of the same stuff Linda and I do when she’s at my house! She fixed me up with a fold-out lap desk for my computer which I was able to update via her Internet service (and so it seems her neighbors!). We had a nice lunch at home with Tommy joining us and then watched some Blaze TV, a first for me, as Linda has DISH service at her house which carries The Blaze. Her little granddaughter, Amanda, was there so she put a movie on for her entertainment while we grown ups talked. Good thing I can multi-task!
Three of my sisters and Mom helped me celebrate once back here. Kerry stayed overnight as she had the next day off, and made a trip to the grocery store to get some caramel corn for me and a case of Diet Coke. She wouldn’t let me pay her back, as these were my birthday presents. Nice! On Tuesday morning my mom and I went to the funeral service of one of my teachers, Lorraine Liese. She had taught a few years at First German and later at MLHS, typing. I had sent her a note a few years back, thanking her for teaching to touch-type. I appreciate it now, but back in high school, not so much! The service was nice, as Lutheran funerals are, and I saw many folks I know. Sadly, not as many people came as I expected.
From the church, we went just up the road a bit to meet several of my other family members for lunch at The Covered Wagon. It’s a diner-style place which my former spouse and I used to frequent when we were building/living in this area. It was almost too cold to take our coats off, even indoors, but we managed nicely. Jill, Kerry, Alayna, Mom and I had a nice meal together before Kerry was heading for home. This was my last time seeing her as she now has to work straight through for over a week and wouldn’t be back to see me off. It was so good spending time with her!
I’ve been cooking up a storm here making a roast, chili, sloppy joes, brats with peppers ‘n onions, escalloped potatoes, among other things. Last night I made chicken ‘n dumplings for Mom and I. Some went into the freezer and the rest remains for leftovers in the fridge. One day I went to Festival and came home with pea and cheese salad, a delicacy in these parts. Oh my!, so tasty! Also, got spinach dip plus some ham salad, which we enjoyed on pretzel rolls. Divine!
The cold has been quite inhibiting, that’s for sure. I am so very thankful for Justin sending me a pair of slippers with fur lining which have been a blessing to me here. Ethel, my church friend, sent along two pairs of fuzzy socks to use here also, one pair of which I wore at Linda’s house Monday. Today our high is just above zero and the day I go home, the high might be -8. Miserable! I do hope nothing happens with the flight arrangements for my departure on Tuesday morning. Linda is taking me to the airport in the wee hours of the morning with my boy quite anxious to see me again---he claims!
