Fixing to leave

Wednesday was exercise day.  Evelyn went to the class while I walked around the outdoor track and path near the creek.  It was quite exhilarating in the cool temperature.  We went to the GO grocery for the final time this season. We also decided to use a coupon at the Sagebrush Restaurant.  We enjoy going there, especially for lunch.  We came home and went to walk around the lake.  Evelyn had wanted to go on a hike with the club, but I discovered we had to drive more than 43 miles one way to meet with them.  We opted for the lake.  We also had our next to last choir practice for the season.

Thursday was my final golf game of the season.  Marty, Gary and I drove to High Vista in Mills River to play 18 holes.  It was cool when we started but warmed up around hole 3.  The course is beautiful but just as challenging as last week.  None of us scored well, but I didn’t lose as many balls as usual.  I started fairly well but fell apart.  We had coupons for play that included lunch, so we didn’t take any food.  As a surprise, we were finished by 2:30.  I couldn’t talk my riders into playing a few more holes, so we came directly home.  Evelyn had been leading her Bible study in the morning and was napping when I arrived.  After supper she walked with her friends from the neighborhood .  She has taken it on herself to water the mums in our Cypress Meadows  fall display.  She carries a gallon jug of water to the display as she walks the first round.  We are still eating everything we have in the refrigerator, which means many delicious leftovers.

Friday we spent the morning finishing the preparations for the football party tomorrow.  We have things we must do tomorrow morning but much we could do today.  At noon we went to the Divine Drama Bible study.  All of the Bible studies at church are small but inspirational.  We have almost finished the first section of the study, but we won’t be her for any of the second section. Brent had brought the chain saw I had asked to borrow and agreed to follow us home to help cut the rose bushes down.  We made short work of the project.  I borrowed a pitchfork from our neighbor, Wanda, so I could pick up the thorny rosed clippings.  Brent’s wife Susan is coming down with a sinus infection, so they couldn’t stay for a visit.  We pray she will be able to come tomorrow.  We set the tables arranged the glasses, etc.  I also had been making ice cubes, putting them into a plastic bag in the freezer to hold the beer and sodas.  I brought in the cooler and put the ice in it with the drinks.  They will be perfectly cold tomorrow.  I thought Evelyn would want to go somewhere in the evening but was wrong. 

Saturday was a wonderful fall day.  The temperature was cool but the sky was sunny.  Evelyn baked some cornbread and made small key lime pies for our gumbo dinner.  I had cut many vegetables and she had made the roux and mixed them to make the gumbo during the week.  We had put in into steel pans for storage.  We poured it into our large slow cooker for serving later.  When the guests arrived we learned that Susan was still sick and stayed home.  We served our last boudin and peanuts in the shell as we watched the first half of the Purdue/Wisconsin game.  Purdue scored on the first 2 plays and Wisconsin scored on the next 4.  That was the end of the excitement for Purdue fans.  We had thought this year’s team would be much better, but they don’t seem to be.  The best thing about the day was the delicious gumbo that Evelyn had made.  There were 7 of us and barely made it around our table.  Everything was delicious and we even shared some with out Cajun neighbor who had made gumbo for us last week.  While the men watched the game, the ladies went to the craft display at the fairgrounds before the halftime meal.  2 of the  couples went to the square dance at the armory, but we were tired.  We did, however, return the vase Melanie had brought beautiful flowers in and went on to Belk to get our annual Cinnabar perfume and gift set.  Evelyn gets one each fall.  We returned home for needed sleep.

Sunday we went to Bible study and worship.  This was our next to last chance to sing with the choir before we leave.  There was a meeting of people who worked at the German dinner to find ways to improve the event for next year.  There were some good ideas but some problems will always be there because of our limited space for seating and serving.  We came home for lunch and rest before going to usher at a play, Light in the Piazza.  It was a musical opera and half in Italian.  It is difficult enough to understand operatic lyrics in English.  It was too warm in the theater and I was sleepy.  I didn’t stay for the first half of the play but was able to sit through the second.  We came home for popcorn and began packing plastics tubs to put into the trailer.  The worst thing of the day and week and recent months was a call from Stacy describing serious problems with Olivia.  We wish we could help some but can’t.  I watched the Packers while writing this tome and went to bed.