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edenfalling1. Did not go to church, because the weather was terrible and also it turned out to be a drama/improv program week for the high school kids, which confuses me since I am pretty sure the schedule I was given in December said this was supposed to be a regular week with drama/improv next week. As this is the second time I seem to have been wrong on my dates, I am beginning to suspect that the DRE just straight-up gave me the wrong schedule. I must ask her for the real final program date at tomorrow night's planning meeting, since that's kind of relevant for my Not the IRS availability.
2. Put away the parts of my laundry that were air-drying.
3. Continued tidying my apartment in preparation for company, which included collecting trash from my wastebaskets and taking a bag out to the trashcan.
4. Family visit!
Because of continuing iffy weather, we decided not to drive up to Americana Vineyard for lunch; instead, we got Chinese takeout, and then spent the gained time getting checked in at the motel (my parents) and giving Dottie her afternoon walk (me). Around 3:30pm, we drove to the center of town to attend a chamber music concert I'd bought tickets for at my church's service auction this fall.
The concert was helpfully in my church (we host a lot of concerts; it's kind of a Thing), and was part of the Cayuga Chamber Orchestra's chamber music series (as opposed to their orchestral series). The theme was "From the Romantic Era," because Valentine's Day. The first half was Schumann's String Quartet No. 1 in A Minor (Op. 41); and the second half was Dvořák's Piano Quintet No. 2 in A Major (Op. 81). Schumann is always lovely, and while Dvořák is kind of hit-or-miss for me, this particular piece was a definite hit. (The program booklet says, and I quote, that "The closing of [the first movement] is expansive and triumphant enough to make one want to cheer, and yet there are three more movements to follow," which is absolute and unvarnished truth.)
After the concert, we briefly stuck around for the reception. I said congrats to one of the violinists, whom I kinda-sorta know, in the sense that she used to be a regular smoke shop customer and I walk past her house a lot (sometimes when she's doing yardwork), and we all sampled some of the refreshments. Then we went back to my house to feed and walk Dottie, and generally clean up a bit before heading out to dinner.
We went to the Antlers in Varna (one of Ithaca's eastern suburbs), which has good food in... I guess you'd call it the classic American restaurant tradition? Nothing very fancy or exiting, but well done and filling. Also they have an actual fire in an actual fireplace, and (as per the name) a bunch of taxidermied deer heads and such on the walls. (The latter is the main reason we decided against going there at Thanksgiving; we figured my aunt would not appreciate the ambiance.) I got a burger with bacon, fried onions, and bleu cheese, and garlic mashed potatoes and coleslaw on the side; Dad got fish and rice with a leek and mushroom soup; and Mom got chicken piccata with garlic mashed potatoes and a house salad. Mom and I traded most of her salad for all of my coleslaw, since I loathe coleslaw and we figured that was easier than trying to get a substitution. They each also got a slice of cheesecake with strawberry topping (since they got the Sunday special -- a three-course meal with a limited selection from the general menu) which we had boxed up and took home without touching.
Then we drove back to my place again, for champagne cocktails and Mom's experimental blueberry-cranberry cake, which I think turned out pretty good. She said she'd forgotten to add sugar to compensate for the cranberries, which frankly I am grateful for since I think most fruit cakes are overly sweet in general.
On Monday morning, they arrived at my place around 8:45am, whereupon we began packing their car and then went into town for breakfast at Waffle Frolic on the Commons, since Dad had never been there. (We parked in the Seneca St. parking garage -- a new experience -- because of continuing snow.) Mom got a 'small' waffle with fried eggs, spinach, and red pepper on top; Dad got a large buckwheat waffle with maple syrup; and I got a 'small' buttermilk waffle with peach compote.
Then they took me to buy groceries (and then bought gas using the 10-cent/gallon discount I'd just accumulated) and some box wine, after which we finished packing their car, loaded Dottie into her crate, and they dropped me off at Not the IRS on their way out of town.
5. Put recycling bins (and my trashcan!) out to the curb for collection on Sunday night.
6. Brought the bins back to the porch and the trashcan back to the side of the house on Monday morning.
7. Shoveled the sidewalk Monday morning.
8. Boiled ten eggs.
9. Photographed my one remaining pepper, which seems to be trying to bloom after all.
10. Took kitchen compost out to the backyard bin.
11. Got out cards for thank-you notes, and addressed and stamped the envelopes. I will write and mail the notes tomorrow or Thursday.
...
And now, I think, to bed, because I am very tired.
2. Put away the parts of my laundry that were air-drying.
3. Continued tidying my apartment in preparation for company, which included collecting trash from my wastebaskets and taking a bag out to the trashcan.
4. Family visit!
Because of continuing iffy weather, we decided not to drive up to Americana Vineyard for lunch; instead, we got Chinese takeout, and then spent the gained time getting checked in at the motel (my parents) and giving Dottie her afternoon walk (me). Around 3:30pm, we drove to the center of town to attend a chamber music concert I'd bought tickets for at my church's service auction this fall.
The concert was helpfully in my church (we host a lot of concerts; it's kind of a Thing), and was part of the Cayuga Chamber Orchestra's chamber music series (as opposed to their orchestral series). The theme was "From the Romantic Era," because Valentine's Day. The first half was Schumann's String Quartet No. 1 in A Minor (Op. 41); and the second half was Dvořák's Piano Quintet No. 2 in A Major (Op. 81). Schumann is always lovely, and while Dvořák is kind of hit-or-miss for me, this particular piece was a definite hit. (The program booklet says, and I quote, that "The closing of [the first movement] is expansive and triumphant enough to make one want to cheer, and yet there are three more movements to follow," which is absolute and unvarnished truth.)
After the concert, we briefly stuck around for the reception. I said congrats to one of the violinists, whom I kinda-sorta know, in the sense that she used to be a regular smoke shop customer and I walk past her house a lot (sometimes when she's doing yardwork), and we all sampled some of the refreshments. Then we went back to my house to feed and walk Dottie, and generally clean up a bit before heading out to dinner.
We went to the Antlers in Varna (one of Ithaca's eastern suburbs), which has good food in... I guess you'd call it the classic American restaurant tradition? Nothing very fancy or exiting, but well done and filling. Also they have an actual fire in an actual fireplace, and (as per the name) a bunch of taxidermied deer heads and such on the walls. (The latter is the main reason we decided against going there at Thanksgiving; we figured my aunt would not appreciate the ambiance.) I got a burger with bacon, fried onions, and bleu cheese, and garlic mashed potatoes and coleslaw on the side; Dad got fish and rice with a leek and mushroom soup; and Mom got chicken piccata with garlic mashed potatoes and a house salad. Mom and I traded most of her salad for all of my coleslaw, since I loathe coleslaw and we figured that was easier than trying to get a substitution. They each also got a slice of cheesecake with strawberry topping (since they got the Sunday special -- a three-course meal with a limited selection from the general menu) which we had boxed up and took home without touching.
Then we drove back to my place again, for champagne cocktails and Mom's experimental blueberry-cranberry cake, which I think turned out pretty good. She said she'd forgotten to add sugar to compensate for the cranberries, which frankly I am grateful for since I think most fruit cakes are overly sweet in general.
On Monday morning, they arrived at my place around 8:45am, whereupon we began packing their car and then went into town for breakfast at Waffle Frolic on the Commons, since Dad had never been there. (We parked in the Seneca St. parking garage -- a new experience -- because of continuing snow.) Mom got a 'small' waffle with fried eggs, spinach, and red pepper on top; Dad got a large buckwheat waffle with maple syrup; and I got a 'small' buttermilk waffle with peach compote.
Then they took me to buy groceries (and then bought gas using the 10-cent/gallon discount I'd just accumulated) and some box wine, after which we finished packing their car, loaded Dottie into her crate, and they dropped me off at Not the IRS on their way out of town.
5. Put recycling bins (and my trashcan!) out to the curb for collection on Sunday night.
6. Brought the bins back to the porch and the trashcan back to the side of the house on Monday morning.
7. Shoveled the sidewalk Monday morning.
8. Boiled ten eggs.
9. Photographed my one remaining pepper, which seems to be trying to bloom after all.
10. Took kitchen compost out to the backyard bin.
11. Got out cards for thank-you notes, and addressed and stamped the envelopes. I will write and mail the notes tomorrow or Thursday.
...
And now, I think, to bed, because I am very tired.
(no subject)
Date: 2017-02-15 09:01 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2017-02-15 02:05 pm (UTC)