Home Alone...

Today is Thanksgiving. The Marx family are on their way. I'll go about 1pm to pick up Papa. Then it is full on family for a few days. So, I'm going to get a quick Blog entry in before the world starts to spin quickly.

Claude was invited to at the National League of Cities (NLC) Convention this year. It was held in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He was happy to go. This gave me almost a week at home alone!!! Many would be sad. I am happy. I would miss Claude a lot but I appreciate that change of pace to get some things done at my pace. To be sure I was efficient and kept to task, I filled in a card for each day with the things that were on my calendar to do and some 'to do' items I wanted to complete. With a card for each day Claude would be gone, I was ready to be real 'tasky' and accomplish great and wonderful things...Hmmmm...

I took Claude to Bluegrass Airport in Lexington Tuesday morning. With my list of errands to run in Lexington I first headed to Joann's Fabric. Katelyn wanted me to make Raelyn a tutu for her first birthday in January. She gave me pictures to know what she was looking for and colors she wanted it made in. That was what I went to the fabric store for. When I left the fabric store I had purchased $150 worth of very important things and used $50 in coupons to make my total charge $100. I had fabric for my next purse, restock of supplies like elastic and sewing machine needles, etc., yarn for three more projects, priced card stock for something Claude is doing, and gotten needed supplies for that tutu. I left feeling great because I accomplished more than my list, had a great savings and would not need to come back to the fabric store for some time. Yeah me!!

My next stop was Burlington (used to be coat factory). I purchased 3 Christmas gifts. Then treated myself to lunch at Chipotle's and a donut from Krispy Kreme. Yeah me again!! When Claude travels I treat myself to a meal out each day as some place I really love to eat. Chipotle's ranks right at the very top. Love me some veggie burrito bowl action. Yum!

I zipped over to Michael's and checked out their card stock for Claude. I also purchased another Christmas gift. Then across Sir Barton to Staples and found the last part of the gift I started at Michael's. I had a coupon which paid for that item with one penny left over. Bed, Bath and Beyond had another Christmas gift. Then I strolled through the shoe store next door and found the sneakers I wanted for our trip to China next year. Very successful shopping at Hamburg Pavilion. Christmas wall now all purchased except for one gift and I'm still looking for that one. Know what I want and am sure I'll find it somewhere.

Gas was down at the Walmart to $1.899 so I filled up my little red car and headed to Papa's. Had a nice visit with Papa and then headed home. One very tired puppy. I brought everything in from the trunk of my car and put it by the breakfast room table. I would deal with it Wednesday morning.

Tuesday evening was spent at my computer doing things on that lovely 'to do' list that must be done in my sewing room.

Wednesday I was supposed to take Papa to the Nursing Home to play music for the residents. When I was driving home Tuesday evening, there was a noise coming from under my car that sounded all too familiar. There is a molded plastic piece attached to the underside of my car to protect things under there. The car scrapes when going down slopes like driveways and curbs and wears out the screws that attach that piece to the car. Then it falls down while driving and makes an awful noise. Claude usually climbs under the car and ties it on with those plastic ties. However, I had no Claude at home. He was in Pittsburgh! Wednesday morning the first thing I did was lay down on my very cold garage floor to see if I could tie this thing back in place like Claude does. This time it was on the driver's side. In the past it has always been the passenger side. I could not find a place to attach it to and only marveled that Claude could do this as has his hands are much bigger than mine. I called Frank Shoop and told them my problem and they said they could see me at 2:30pm. In addition, Papa now had a bad cold so I was not going to take him to the nursing home like that. I also called the nursing home and canceled. That gave me time to get the car fixed, visit Papa and have dinner before going to teach Institute. Revised schedule but it would work. Now to fill my morning with tasks.

I went downstairs to Blog. Wednesday and Thursday I would spend some time catching up on my Blog. While I was uploading pictures, I brought the bags full of Tuesday's purchases down to my sewing room and proceeded to wrap presents and put the things away that were not presents. During this process I realized I was missing a bag from the fabric store. I brought two big bags out to my trunk but there must have been a third because I did not have the things for the tutu...and that was what I went in there for in the first place. Geez!! The other thing I realized is the charge slip was put in that third bag. I remembered telling the check out clerk to put it in the bag and the two bags I had at home did not have the receipt in them. I placed a call to Joann's and explained what I did and what was in the bag and asked if they might still have it somewhere. She went to the 'back' and came back to tell me they had it. I assured them I would be there to get the bag as soon as I got my car repaired.

When it was time to leave to take the car to Georgetown, I gathered all the things I would need for the rest of the day and started out. As I turned onto Hwy 32, I felt a change in the front of my car. The noise was awful. I slowed down more and kept driving slowly. I had time. Then it felt like something was weird with my tires. There is a dirt place that I pulled into at the corner of Hwy 32 and Hwy 25. The plastic piece was hanging like a snaggle-toothed kid waiting for someone to tie a string around that tooth and yank to get it out. Now, I am dressed in my nice slacks and shoes to teach Institute. I knelt on the dirt and tried to yank that piece off my car. That was not going to happen. I found it was hanging by two of the ties Claude put on, on the passenger side. Everything else was loose and the tires were running up on it while I drove. Not good at all. How was I to get those ties cut? Think. Think. I know! I have tiny scissors to do my needlework in my craft bag. I got them and then started to work. But I was ruining the knees of my good slacks. Think. Think. I know! I have protective pads that I put on the front seat of the car when Papa's rides with me. I got one of them and put it on the ground to kneel on. I managed to get one of the ties cut but was having a lot of trouble with the second one. I have too much arthritis in these fingers and they are weaker than my younger years. Just then an angel from heaven (a nice strong man) pulled up and asked if he could help me. I explained to him my predicament and he knelt right down on that pad, took the little scissors in his big hands and started to cut. It took him a bit but he cut that tie. I now had a lovely piece of very used molded plastic which I put in my back seat. A neighbor then pulled up and saw me and offered to help but that angel/unknown strong man and already fixed my car so I could go to Frank Shoop. I would now need to purchase new needlework scissors. They were now a mite dull.

Away I sped to Frank Shoop. Pulled in and told Scott I was the one he had been talking to. Then I pulled my 'spare part' out of my back seat and told him this could possibly be the shortest service call in history. I then explained what happened. I asked him if I really needed that part at all. He assured me the car did not have to have it but he could install one if I wanted. In my mind, I'm seeing my dear hubby trying again to attach the next one of these pieces after it comes undone and my answer was easy. No, and do you have a trash can. He assured me he would put it in the trash. I left and headed to Joann's Fabric where I retrieved my missing bag. Whew!!

I visited with Papa for a bit and then went to dinner at Bojangles before teaching Institute. Bojangles is a new chicken place in Georgetown. My meal was delicious. I was able to review my lesson notes while I ate. Then I looked up and realized I was looking at Zaxby's. I suddenly felt unfaithful. Oh My!!

We had a great Institute lesson and focused on 1st & 2nd Peter. This lesson was to cover 1st & 2nd Peter, the three John's & Jude. I prepared all of that but was very strongly impressed to focus on one portion of Peter and if the other didn't get covered, so be it. As it turns out, that is what we all discussed and read and shared with each other for an hour and a half. It was great.

I finally made it home after Institute and down to my sewing room to work on those 'to do's.

Thursday I was supposed to do visiting teaching in the morning and the afternoon with a visit to Papa in the middle. My morning appointment canceled as she was sick. So I was able to visit Papa a little longer and get the cleaning done in his home. Then I visited the next two ladies. My treat Thursday was to go back into Georgetown to Applebee's for dinner. I love their Wanton Tacos and treated myself to those for dinner. Yum!!

Friday was my day to stay at home. There was weeding to do and I was going to get some of that done in the morning. I sprayed myself so I wouldn't get any chigger bites and donned my grubby long sleeved shirt and very old pants and headed to Georgetown. Managed to get that bush like thing out from around the lamp post in front of the caboose and one of the flower bed weeded along the side of the Warring Pavilion. Yeah me!! I was done in.

As soon as I finished weeding, I drove directly to Hardee's to get some lunch for my meal-of-the-day. When I got to the ordering spot, I looked at the menu and couldn't find my Bacon Three Way burger. It is just yummy but it wasn't on the menu. I asked the girl through the microphone if they could still make that. She said, "No." Then I looked to make a second choice and she said, "I mean yes, they say they can still make that." Great. I wanted that as a meal. Then she said, "No, they say we can't make that now." Okay, I told her I would have a ham and cheese. Only to hear her say, "Yes, yes, we can make that." Okay, if she could do that then that is what I wanted. Order placed. Drive to the window. Price was given. I found the money and then handed it to her. That is when I realized I drove directly from weeding. While I wear really good gloves when I weed there is still lots of dirt under my nails and on my fingers. I was handing her money with the most filthy of hands. All I could do was look at her and say, "I'm not usually this dirty. I just finished weeding and came directly here to get lunch before I go home." She said it was fine and gave me my order and I headed home. Guess what...it was NOT a Bacon Three Way burger. It had two patties instead of the one 1/4 pound patty I asked for. I was so worn out and hungry that I ate it anyway and didn't complain. But I did miss that great burger I really wanted.

Friday afternoon and evening were spent working on the Japan scrapbook. It has been over a year and I'm still not finished. And I have Peru/Guatemala trip to make! After weeding for several hours, I am slow and very sore. I must have some kind of arthritis going on in my joints at this point in my life. Getting old is not for the faint of heart.

Saturday I had no appointments except to be with Papa some. I worked on my list and had a long visit with Papa. Dinner was at Zaxby's and I felt better about that after my Wednesday experience at Bojangles. I was not going to get all the things done I wanted but I knew that when I made my pie-in-the-sky list. But I accomplished a lot and did some things that weren't even on that list.

Sunday I took Papa to Sacrament Meeting in the morning and then spent time with him until time to go pickup Claude at the airport. I sent him a text telling him I was at Baggage Claim 2 and would meet him there. It was cute to see him come off the escalator and look for me. He instinctively turned right at the bottom of the escalator and I was sitting on the left. May I just state here that was the best hug ever. We haven't been apart that many days in a row in a while. Before he retired and while working he traveled a good bit and I think I was more used to the long stretches without him. Very nice to have him back.

I enjoyed my 'Home Alone' time. My belief is that makes us appreciate the together time much more. He will make several overnight trips in December but none as long as this one. I shall endeavor to fill them up just as well.