Under the Weather

Yesterday was a very busy Sunday for us, but it was all self-inflicted so I don’t feel like I can whine about it. Normally our Sundays are very laid back after church. I take a luxurious nap and spend time reading and drinking tea. Then we have a Zoom with the kids followed by leftovers and a quiet evening. I love that routine.

Yesterday, while I was making breakfast, I also set out all the ingredients I’d need later. I cut butter into flour. I set up my silicone pastry mat.

As soon as we walked in the door from church, I turned on the oven and went to work. The church was having a “social” in the afternoon, and as part of it they were holding a pie-baking contest. We don’t go to many social events at the church, but baking pies is something I can do. Plus Walter would get to watch the world cup final on the big screen.

So anyway, I had a very tight schedule to make a peach pie. I could have made it the day before, but let’s face it, fruit pies do not improve with age.

When it came out of the oven, I had to put it in the fridge so it wouldn’t be too hot. And while it was in the oven, I was busy browning meat and getting stuff ready for supper. Since Joanna had to work on Saturday, she came for supper yesterday instead, but I didn’t really have time to cook later.

So we went to the church for the social. It was kind of a pointless exercise for me, because there was nobody there I knew well enough to socialize with. So I sat alone. (Walter did have someone to talk to for much of the time.) The pie judging took a long time because there were a lot of pies. My pie did not place in any category. This did not bother or surprise me. When any kind of pie can be submitted, the result is totally up to the preferences of the judges. If they like nut pies or cream pies or meringue pies, that is what will rise to the top of their rankings. More than half of my pie was eaten before we had to take the rest and leave to come home so we could be here for the afternoon Zoom.

We had a fun Zoom visit with Flynn and the grandgirls, and Jade, and Lina. The girls are very excited about their upcoming vacation in Arizona. I think this will be their third vacation in the Phoenix area, and I am frankly baffled as to why anyone would go there willingly at this time of year—even if their Airbnb has a pool. I hope they have fun!

By the time the Zoom ended, I had fifteen minutes to throw supper together. The meat was in the slow cooker, but I still had some chopping to do, plus putting everything out on the table. Joanna showed up right on time. Jasper had spent the day at the con again, and when he came home he was so tired he didn’t even want to eat, so it was just the three of us.

Afterward we watched another movie. And Joanna and Walter got peach pie with ice cream on it.

By the time Joanna left, I was very tired, but I still had a huge mess to clean up in the kitchen, because I hadn’t had time to clean in between all the other things. So I ended up going to bed at my normal time (close to midnight) and by then I was so tired I felt like my eyes were bleeding.

Not surprisingly, I overslept this morning—till 7:42! That is very late for me. Most mornings I am awake by 7:00. But I understand last night’s exhaustion a little better because I woke up with a very sore throat and have definitely felt sub-optimal all day.

I don’t feel bad about having a leisurely morning. I have an ambitious agenda for this week, but I needed some quiet time this morning, especially since I wasn’t feeling well. Later in the morning I drove up to Hobby Lobby to take advantage of their yarn sale, and stocked up on dishcloth cotton.

Meanwhile, Jasper was off doing a yard job and Walter got to work painting the trim on the front of the house again, and especially the trim around the front entrance. It was hot and sweaty work.

I did take a nap this afternoon. I am over the mindset that I just have to power through and do all the things even if I don’t feel well. If my body is begging for rest, I go with it. I remember last year when I got sick in Zambia right at around this time. I hope whatever this is doesn’t get that bad. I have finally committed to a book sale this Saturday, and it’s going to take me all week to get ready for it. I would appreciate prayers for a quick recovery.

I did get all the electronic newsletters sent out this evening. The physical ones will soon be on their way also—the mission is handling that for us. We felt like we had to wait until we knew what was going on with Walter’s health before sending out a newsletter.

Speaking of Walter’s health, he is now in contact with a doctor in Zambia and so far we have learned that my prescriptions are available there, and that he should be able to get alternate medications for his cancer treatment. This is good news!

Joy Spark: Yesterday’s was finding out that so many people are praying for Walter! Word about his cancer has clearly spread through the church, including to people who don’t know us personally. Today’s was being checked out at Hobby Lobby by my former student Katherine.

Parting Shot:

I have been having a blast getting ChatGPT to restore old photos. I can only do five every 24 hours, so no doubt I’ll just do five a day for the foreseeable future. Here’s the thing about this photo—it’s the only photo I have of me with my best friend Kumi when we were kids. It was taken by our boarding school headmaster. And it was in black and white. But when ChatGPT restored it, I got it back in color. And the colors are correct. I remember that dress. (It was one of my two Sunday dresses, so this was clearly a Sunday). How is that even possible?