I didn't realize it had been so long since I posted here. I guess I've been busy with knitting and reading. I've also spent several hours on a few days playing with Brady so Alyssa can get more of her work done.

Last Saturday, Alyssa invited me to have supper with her and Lexi at Olive Garden in Paducah. Then Lexi spent the night with me. On Sunday, we did not go to church in the morning, but went there at 4 pm for a grandparents and grandchildren thing - decorating cookies, then eating them with punch or coffee, playing a couple of 'getting to know you' games,and then a Eucharist service around the labyrinth that has been created with masking tape on the floor of the parish hall.

Tuesday this week, I went there in the afternoon and then accompanied Alyssa to  Shawnee Community College for the Ninth Annual Shawnee Pride Jr. High Honor Band concert. Band directors from thirteen elementary and junior high schools in southern IL had selected students to participate. Lexi was one of the kids selected from Metropolis Elementary. The kids spent the entire afternoon there, working on the music, and then played four pieces for us. The concert started at 7 pm, so I didn't get home until 9:15.

I did my normal Wednesday knitting group thing yesterday. When I got home, there was a voicemail from the Mayfield library saying that one of the books they had requested for me last week from another library had come in. So today I went there to return two of the books I had checked out last week and to pick up that one. I then went to the senior center for lunch.

Tuesday I noticed that they had started pretreating the roads. I hadn't heard the weather forecasts, but that told me a 'winter storm' was expected. This morning, when I left home it was raining - slightly more than a drizzle - but I ran out of it before I got to Fancy Farm. When I left Mayfield a couple of hours later, it had started sprinkling there, and continued all the way home. When I got here, I sat down and read for three hours. When I got up to make a cup of tea, I saw that the trees are coated with ice. The precipitation is coming down as rain, but is freezing on the trees, etc. Now there is also lightning and thunder. I think I'll shut down the computer and go back to reading.

Another 130-mile Day

That was yesterday. Alyssa called and asked if I could come over and play with Brady in the afternoon (Stephen worked 12:30 to close.) I told her I need to go to Mayfield, but would be over after that. She suggested that since I was going to Mayfield, I could pick up Bob (her dad) and give him an outing with his grandson.

So I left the house about 9:30, went around the corner to pay my water bill, and then headed to Mayfield. First stop was the Senior Center, where I donated this scarf

to be a door prize at the fund-raising supper that night. I told them I didn't know if I'd make it back for the supper or not (I didn't). Then I filled the gas tank, exchanged the toilet tank flap at the hardware store (I'd selected the wrong one last week, Fortunately I discovered my error before opening the package.), bought aluminum foil at Big Lots,  and went to Goodwill and Kevil Korner (local thrift shop that supports a sheltered workshop) - not in that order. Then I picked up Bob about noon and headed for Metropolis.

We spent a few hours there, during which I picked Lexi and Devin up from school, and Brady shit on my sweatshirt. Alyssa had just changed his diaper and handed him to me. I heard and felt a small explosion and told Alyssa I was sure that was a wet fart. She picked him up and changed his diaper again. I looked down and saw a line of mustard-colored poop on my sweatshirt and couldn't help laughing. I went to the bathroom and cleaned it off as well as I could, then took off the shirt. There were only slight spots on my turtleneck shirt underneath. Both shirts are now soaking in a Biz solution.

From Alyssa's house, we went to Sara's, taking Alyssa's Christmas presents for them and picking up Bob's laundry (Sara's a sweetheart to do it for him.) It was the first I had seen Lily since just before Christmas and Rose since Thanksgiving. After I dropped Bob off, I got a sandwich at Burger King and came home. It was 8:30 already, so I got in bed and read.

Today I'm staying home, but tomorrow I'll be back out again, to church (haven't been there for at least three weeks) and knitting.