Pies And Flowers

After being relieved and happy that, thanks to older son, my little 'puter is purring away again, I turned my attention to the two pies I promised to bring for Turkey Day.  Finished them up by 4:00 and...
Now that trips right off the tongue--fingers--doesn't it?  In truth, it took almost the entire day to make them, starting, of course, with measuring out, combining, refrigerating, rolling, and fitting to the pan the double-crust apple.  Then there was paring and slicing up, mixing spices, adding this and that, timing the baking, and so on.  I always do the apple first, as that takes a lot more work; the pumpkin seems easy.
Anyhoo, they're both resting on the kitchen table and I'll pack them up shortly.  I found time in between to call Marla H., who lives over on Nautic, as Susan had told me she takes people to airports (for a fee, of course).  I called her, she agreed to take me to A.C. Airport for my Florida trip and, happy day, to pick me up at 11:00 pm.
Looked into flights to CA, consulted the two who would take and pick up, and they're okay with the times. Because leaving is so early, I planned to take my own car and,  possibly, stay over at a nearby hotel. However, I just found an afternoon flight and booked that instead.
Did a bit on the computer, and that was it.  Today, I'll pare, boil, and mash the taters, pack, and zip on up north.  It will be a good Thanksgiving, I'm sure.
Added Note:  Just got beautiful fall flowers from Mike!  He's all the way in Perth, but still took the time to order flowers to be sent for Thanksgiving.  I'm so lucky to have such wonderful sons (and daughters)!

E-Mail Problems

Oh, damn, damn, double DAMN!  There's something wrong with my e-mail: It won't send and when I try, it greys out the whole bar.  Nor will it save to draft or do other things.  I think it receives, but am not sure.  I don't know what to do.  This is the worse possible time for this to happen when I want to send an e-mail about the show next week to friends and neighbors, plus get my airline tickets, plus a million other things that have to be done on e-mail.  Grrrrrrrrrr!
Aside from that: Went to Acme at 8 am to get the things I need for the pies and so on.  It was somewhat crowded even then, I guess because of Thanksgiving combined with the storm that's supposed to be coming (but it was just lightly raining when we walked this morning.) 
Got my hair colored and was horrified to be billed sixty bucks.  This is just for color and blow out, no cut or anything else.  I'm going to think twice about going there.  I'm spending a lot of money, no question about that.  I've had to charge most things to the BOA credit card and I'll probably have to tap into Vanguard to pay the bill.
Stopped at the library and found we couldn't get in at 6:45 after all, so I had to send out a correction to my first message and tell the cast to come at 7:15.  Picked up Aline and we went there.  Kathy had called to say she'd be late and Louise e-mailed that she didn't want to drive from her home in Egg Harbor. That was okay; Kathy got there in time to play her guitar selection and I filled in for Louise.
More bad news: I was told last night that Hedda has been cancelled.  Desi can't find the right male lead and, even though it wasn't scheduled until April, he decided to drop it.  We have Surflight Theatre for then, so I hope we'll try another play.
I must try to get help to get this computer working--damn!
UPDATE:  All is saved!  All is well!  My darling older boy, Big K.'s Dad, skyped me and guided me through remedying my e-mail.  I can send!  I can attach!  I can turn cartwheels!  (Well, I'd like to turn cartwheels, I'm so pleased.)  What a gem of a guy is my Kyoto King!  (Couldn't think of an appropriate match for "Tokyo.")

Lunch And Etcetera

Went over to Aline's and before we left for lunch, she played for me two of the selections she'd do in the show (one with Tonya singing, one solo).  They're both  beautiful and will definitely be in.  She also played Love Is A Many Splendored Thing, a song I greatly dislike.  (I don't know why. Guess for the same reason I dislike okra and kiwi fruit: I just do.)  I asked her to hold it in abeyance, in case we need it. 
Went to The Olive Garden for lunch and both had the soup and salad--in fact, I had two bowls--very tasty.  At A.'s request, we then went across the way to Target, after which I dropped her off at work.
Intended to go to Shop-Rite after, but the parking lot was almost filled.  Why so crowded on a Monday, I wondered, then realized not only was it a few days before Thanksgiving, but people were stocking up in anticipation of the storm expected.  Didn't even stop the car and decided I'll go to Acme right after our walk.
I stopped at the library, which was a good thing.  I had e-mailed the cast to gather for dress rehearsal tonight at 6:45, but when I spoke to Maggie, one of the librarians, I was reminded we couldn't get in until 7:15, as another group had reserved it until then.  Sent out a correction.
Spent the rest of the day in honing the program for the upcoming show and in various domestic doings.   

Various and Enjoyable

Cold, cold, COLD yesterday, and windy, too.  I don't know how people in the northern states stand it.  Susan and I actually cut our walk slightly short, it was so blustery.
After, I greatly enjoyed new videos of the precious baby boy in Tokyo and know I'll watch them over and over.  Put together a salad with the lettuce from my friend, hard-boiled a half-dozen eggs and put it all in the frig for later.
Met Christine R. at SeaOaks at 1:00 and we had a nice, convivial lunch, reminiscing about our Arsenic days--seems like years ago, but was only last February--and filling each other in on current activities. 
In her case, that doesn't include any stage appearances.  She works full-time as a legal secretary all the way up in Neptune and has a somewhat problematic family (from what she told me), so has her hands full anyway.  I told her about doing Hedda in April at Surflight and she was excited for me.  Gave her information on For Better or Worse and was delighted when she said she'd go and bring a friend.
Stopped at Acme after to get provisions and ingredients for the two pies and mashed potatoes I'd said I'll bring for Thanksgiving.  Must think about packing, too, because we'll be going up north the day after. 
Wrote up a tentative program for the show, but must add some things.  I'm not sure if we should provide programs for the audience or just the cast so we know (at least to some extent!) what we're doing.  I think the latter.
Got sausage out of the freezer, cooked that, added cut-up garlic and onions, boiled a pound of macaroni, and put it all together with a jar of spaghetti sauce.  Had a bowlful for dinner and I must say, it was tasty.  I have enough for the next few meals, too, so I won't have to concern my self with dinner for awhile.
Skyped darling daughter in California and had a nice virtual visit with her.  Again, Greg, her gentleman friend, was chopping away in the kitchen making dinner.  Boy, is he a keeper: good-looking, intelligent, pleasant and friendly, and a good cook besides!

Trees and Target

Got up north by 2:00 and helped my friend and her husband load up a flat-bed trailer with tree limbs, stumps, and sticks they had lopped off early.  Good grief, I think the pile reached up higher than my house.  Husband tied it down and we set off to the place such things can be dumped.
This was pretty interesting.  It's next to, or part of, a hugely excavated area in the woods and there were lots of people there on similar errands.  Some had tree debris, some leaves that filled the backs of their pickup trucks, and all busily threw or swept the stuff into big piles next to a kind of Quonset hut.  I assume the wood will be chipped and the leaves turned into mulch.  As the younger, more energetic folks worked, I just stayed out of the way and enjoyed watching.
Back at their house, friend and I worked on Thanksgiving things.  She had a tray of roasted yams and I split and scooped out the meat while she made gravy, planning to freeze all until Thursday.  She cleaned out the refrig and I helped by discarding out-of-date items (still perfectly good, of course, but we must pay obeisance to the food moguls, who have dictated throwing out and buying more.  As for me, I pay no attention to expiration dates.)
All three of us then took off for Target in Hightstown.  I had given my friend a gift card from there and she bought a few items.  We then stopped a nearby golf course to try the new restaurant there; not great but pretty good.  Last stop was back to their house for the cake I had brought (not homemade, I'm afraid) and we each had a slice after singing "Happy Birthday."  Then I left for home after a pleasant day spent with the people I like most to spend a day with--on the east coast, anyway.
    

Rehearsal and Kennedy

I'm beginning to wish I could write , "Ho-hum, dull day," but that won't happen anytime soon. 
After our walk, I grabbed the shears and cut back the Japanese maple.  It had been encroaching on the front walk and I've been thinking of doing it for some time. 
Prepared lunch of turkey breast, rye bread, salad, coleslaw and iced tea in time for Ellen V.'s arrival at noon. 
We had a good conversation that ranged over LETCO, costume mishaps, and the unending tribulations of parenting.  (The last on her end, not mine.  I'm continually amazed by my good luck in how my children turned out.)
As promised, Dave got here about 1:30.  I gave him a cup of coffee and we sat at the kitchen table to go over the skit.  They're both troupers and it went well; Dave is  hysterically funny as a distraught Santa, at times using a huge red bandanna as a handkerchief and loudly blowing his nose into it.
We rehearsed the skit several times--it's very short--then chatted about show-bizzy topics.  Ellen and Dave are considerably more experienced than I am, but at this point, I have some background, too, and we shared topics of our theatre history, something I always enjoy.
They left about 3:30 and I immediately drove to Staples to get ink for the printer, then stopped at B.J.'s for other stuff. 
WIDER IN A WAY:  Settling down at 8:00 with my popcorn and wine, I came upon one of those bug-eyed Kennedy assassination programs on what bills itself as the History (should be "History") channel.  With the usual cheap-thrill theatrics, its main theme was the percentage of Americans who don't believe the official story.  Every few minutes, in between old films (Zapruder's and others) and interviews with those purporting to be in the know, a "statistic" would flash on the screen.  On a black background, large white numbers would start out low, then dramatically increase, showing the percentage of people (in this particular survey) who--oh, ugh,  gasp!--don't think Oswald acted alone and/or the CIA ordered the killing and/or Alaska doesn't really ice over--or something.  For sheer idiocy and waste of time and talent (talent? what talent?), this piece of crap took the cake.  All one needs to remember is that there's a fairly large segment of the population who believe vampires live.  That doesn't mean the official assassination story is or isn't true, only that simply because somebody--or several somebodies or twenty million somebodies--believe or don't believe, has no bearing on its truth or falsity.  I turned the silly thing off after an interminable fifteen minutes.
WIDER IN A MUCH MORE SIGNIFICANT WAY:  Happy birthday to my darling older daughter!

Speedy Pace

Things continue at a speedy pace.  More computer work in the morning, notably finding, revising, and adding to my F.O.C.U.S. course on employment for seniors, then finally sending to Anita B., the coordinator.  Glad to get that off my mind.
E-mailed Rick M., who writes for The Sandpaper, to see if we can get an article in there, and maybe a picture.  It may be a little late for that, though.
Drove to Manahawkin: Staples for duplicating flyers, Target for Thanksgiving cards.  Beforehand, I took my detached tooth to Little Egg Dental and got an appointment for 2:30.  Addressed and stamped cards to the kiddies in Asia, and took to P.O.
I'll throw a veil over the dentist visit, except to say it wasn't too terribly painful, but no picnic, either.  What hurt worse was the $189 charge, but the wayward tooth seems  firmly in place now.
Cleaned up various odds and ends, then jumped in the shower and dressed.  I didn't eat dinner--worried I'd jar loose my tooth--and left to pick up Aline about 6:30.  Gave her some leaflets to hand out and one to her neighbor.
The meeting at the H.'s was fun and--I guess--fairly productive.  Tonya brought the apron for me to give Ellen when she's here today to rehearse the Santa skit with Dave.  Last night's was a board meeting, not a Hedda one (that's on December 1), and we broke up about twenty of nine.  Of course, I didn't get home until after the hour, as I had to drop Aline off.
I was pleased to get an e-mail confirming our reservations at the Canyon Motel in Wellsboro, but saddened after Joe's call (see earlier entry).  Haven't walked the last two days; skipped the second day Larry was here and Susan had to have an early medical procedure, but will today.