Hmm....the photos are all sorted, separated, enveloped, and labeled. The scanning of the documents is looming large...

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My father's Garmin Nuvi 660, the new one they sent him, is not working again. The voice prompts do not occur. And, truly, telling him what to do whilst he is driving is the reason my stepmother purchased the unit for him for Christmas. I tried to get her to buy the Magellan I got because it has some great features, but is a bit more simplistic with regard to interface. Instead, she got what she liked rather that what I believe my father needs with his beginnings of cognitive difficulties. He keeps asking me about mine and bemoans the fact that his keeps breaking. It is difficult being sympathetic and yet still supportive of my stepmother's choice.

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Well, just as I am trying to get ready to put my house on the market, the handle/lock on my dishwasher broke yesterday. I was NOT pleased. I am afraid the warranty ran out in October, but I will just have to wait until Monday to call for help. Really, I think the machine is rather ungrateful.

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Yesterday, when I awoke, I was rubbing Kashi's head and this chunk of skin and hair came off, revealing an oozing sore beneath. I panicked.

You see, one of the developments of Cushing's disease is this horrible skin condition where the animal can end up rather bald with horrid sores covering its body. I practically raced him over to the vet, still wearing my pajamas. While she raised an eyebrow at my attire, she said she thought it might be just one of the varied skin problems an older dog may have. I'm to dose him with an ointment (he disagrees rather vehemently that I should be touching the sore) three times a day and let her know if it gets worse.

After studying the area with three different flashlights, the light cast from the window, and then in full sunshine, I have about decided that I cannot tell if he is worse today than yesterday. What I do know is that he is not pleased with me.

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Dad came over for a movie fix. We watched Flags of Our Fathers and Entrapment. I need time to process the former so that I can write about it. While talking with my dear friend W this evening, I related the story and some of what was on my heart, but I fear I butchered the whole thing. I need to percolate.

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My writing student's parents came over so that K could assess the basement closet doors. We concluded that the best course of action is to replace them, so while he is at work, G and I will go pick up new doors for him to cut down (the ceiling is a bit low in the basement). That means I will need to paint and put the door handles back on--a practice I was none too successful at the first go around. G looked at some of the photos. K also removed the stub of a light bulb that had broken off in my porch light. And K took home a piece of molding an the two loose pieces I had to cut them again for me. I forgot to mention that I will need him to actually nail them in for me!

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To treat myself this evening, I set out to organize all the nails, screws, and sundry hardware pieces that have been floating around and tucked in small places since I moved into this house and had to do all the construction/repair. I had one medium and two small hardware organizers that I kept in my small toolbox, but I also had all sorts of bags and opened plastic boxes that leaked pieces all over the place.

Friday, I had stopped by my writing student's home for a chat with her mother and ended up taking her two younger sisters to Hancock Fabrics and then back to my house. The youngest sat on the couch and read (she is quite advanced for just-turned-seven) and the older one worked with me on her writing.

At Hancocks, the girls picked out patterns for the and I picked up upholstery tacks so that I might be able to repair my antique chairs that have loose fabric. I also found these plastic organizers that have adjustable compartments that can vary in size and range from four to sixteen sections. Since they were 99 cents, I bought the four that were clear plastic. Tonight, after a few hours of pure pleasure, all my hardware is organized and put away in the same place!

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To finish the day (really it is late night), I thought I would try to get back to my novel. I am so, so close to doing so. Next to me on the table is my new mug that my best friend B bought for me while she was here.

Back when I was working on my doctorate, I babysat with a couple who drank hot tea morning, noon, and night. Since I spent most of my time with them outside of studies and school, I fell into the same habit. If you were to peruse the lower shelf of the cabinet by my refrigerator, I think you would be surprised at how much tea is there, both loose and bagged, caffine free and black teas, ranging from the traditional Earl Grey or English Breakfast Tea to the outlandish Vanilla Caramel.

I do have coffee cups that came with my dishes set, but they are small. I had these four green mugs that were my grandmother's and hold two cups of liquid, but my parents broke three of them, one at a time, during their few visits, so I decided that I should not use the last one. You see, the one clear memory of have of her was treating herself to a cup of black coffee after the meal was done, the leftovers stored, and the dishes washed.

B found me a green mug that also holds two cups of liquid.

Since her visit, I have been drinking tea morning, noon, and night again, savoring the action of making the tea, the anticipation while it is cooling, and the taste of it passing down my throat. Most especially, I have been enjoying the Vanilla Caramel tea!