Coming from a week behind

I have been unable to publish any blogs for a week. Here they are.
We went off to the Monday exercise class at 9. Evelyn did the stretch session but then went to walk the treadmill. I stayed. It is distressing to realize how such simple exercises can exhaust me and make me so tired. The back of my left gluteus maximus and hamstring are quite sore. It is difficult for me to go up a stairs. We did learn about the terrible destruction that occurred in Joplin, MO. It makes me more believing that our Lord has finally begun the final preparations for the second coming of Jesus. It makes me more understanding of the erroneous prediction of the end of the world. There are many signs that it is coming. We went to the grocery again for some supplies to use next weekend when our family from Roswell comes to visit. We put things away and had lunch. Evelyn then made a lasagna dish for next weekend before she lay down for a nap. While she was applying hair color, Doris came over with 2 trout fillets. We ate them and went to walk the lake. It was a very pleasant evening. We also distributed a few Folkmoot brochures. We made plans to take Tom and Luanne to look at an older Chinook at Highlands, NC. They couldn't go until Thursday.

Tuesday is a harder workout day. The leader plays great music and causes us to march throughout the session. She also leads us through many of the same stretching and weight routines. After that we went to our dermatologist to get an estimate of costs for removing Emily's nodules on her head and then went on to deliver some Folkmoot brochures. We returned home for lunch, and I planted the flower that Evelyn won at the dance last Friday. I also watered the other plants because we have had no rain for a couple of days. I chopped some vegetables to put into the cornbread salad Evelyn was making, and then we took a nap. I tried again to publish yesterday's blog without success. I guess I will have to ask Tom to straighten things out. Evelyn also made a rhubarb dessert, using a recipe she got from a lady at church. We decided to take some to Bollingers, friends Evelyn went to school with in Geneva. They showed us around their house and property, emphasizing their lovely garden. We left shortly before dark because we don't know the mountain roads well enough to be comfortable driving after dark. Tomorrow is the trip to the trout farm.

Wednesday was the day the rec center was to take us to the trout farm tour. We were to leave at 9, but a belt on the bus engine broke. Evelyn went to the regular exercise while we waited for repairs. I stayed in the lobby and waited. When Evelyn finished, we were told that the belt could not be replaced. Instead we went with Bill Edwards to Maggie Valley to find the senior center there. We found it but no one was there. We went to Ammons drive in for lunch and then went to Grass Roots to buy some blue draping flowers to put into our hanging pot. We took some more Folkmoot brochures to more businesses. And came home for awhile before going to choir practice. We came home and watched some TV before going to bed a bit early.

We were up and on the road to Franklin by 8:30. We bought gas at a Marathon station and picked up Tom and Luann. We drove a very curvy road up to Highlands to look at a Chinook that we thought we might buy. The man, Dave Fouser, was very nice and showed us the unit. We were not really satisfied with it much at all. It was one of the first ever made in 1977. It was a clean unit but needed some work on the engine. It also had 1977 interior design, and we are not ready to live in a time warp. The man was quite a man with hobbies. He was restoring a Fiat and had more than 20 radio control airplanes in his work area. Tom is quite a builder and is thinking he will fly planes in San Antonio where they will live fom now on. We went out for lunch in Dillard, GA and took them home. They have cleaned up their property in Franklin to sell and are living in one of their 3 travel trailers. We stopped at Sally Beauty Supply to get an on sale item for Evelyn and drove home. We planted the hanging plants and watered our plants with Miracle Grow and took things down from our deck, thinking we might have a storm. We did have heavy rains, lightning and thunder but no heavy winds. I had been up between 3:30 and 5:30 this morning, so I went to bed early.

We went to exercise again Friday and spent an hour. During the second hour, we used large plastic inflated balls to sit on. I had never used them before and promptly rolled backward when we began. It was funny until I landed on the handle of one of the weights we use during workout. I hit hard on the left cheek of my hip and know I will have a deep bruise tomorrow. The leader asked if I was all right and I said no. He then promptly went right on with the exercises. I don't think he cared much. I was able to finish. We came home and dressed in our hospital volunteer clothes and were at the office of the audiologist by 11. This is when she takes walk-ins. My right hearing aid wasn't working and I found the wax filter to be clogged. She cleaned them and sold me some for future changes. We went to the hospital to have lunch and work. Evelyn was able to get scheduled for a mammogram next Wednesday. We had to leave at 2:30 to drive to Asheville for an appointment with the endocrinologist. Her thyroid is in good shape, making her thank God for that news and the insight to refuse the surgery the doctor wanted her to have last year. We tried to contact Dallas and Karen to join us for dinner but couldn't contact them. We returned some napkins to Bed Bath and Beyond and then went to a Mexican restaurant for supper. On the way we found an Ingalls Grocery that had a crepe myrtle that we wanted. We had tried Jesse Israel's at the Farmer's Market but didn't buy one. They were $23 there and $7 at Ingalls. We were home around 8 and made the futon bed for Tom and Stacy. Evelyn was very tired and went to bed earlier than I.

Saturday marked the 51st year of our marriage. We got up and took our items to the neighbor's for our all family garage sale. We had 2 bicycles, a recumbent stationary bike, a window fan and a few other items. We sold 1 bicycle and the recumbent bike. It was in our way and we don't use it. The sale lasted until noon, but we didn't stay all the time. Instead we came home and used my electric trimmer to finish trimming up the shrubs around our deck and the roses on the south side of the house. After lunch we showered and waited for the Georges. They came around 3:30. We enjoyed a few drinks together and then left for Asheville to have dinner at Frankie Bones. We took Peter to a nearby Panera Bread that has Wifi. The remainder of us went to dinner. As a surprise, Tom picked up the check. We really appreciate him and Stacy. We then went to an organic grocery to get a free pound of ground chuck. We had to spend $10 to get it but needed more hamburger anyway. We came back to Waynesville and stopped in at the armory just as the square dance ended. We picked up a loaf of white bread and came home by 9:15. We were very blessed with a nice but humid day and were especially grateful that we got the trimming done. I will try to get Peter and Olivia to help me pack it into a garbage can and take it to Bollinger's to burn next week.