Just Fine and Dandy!

Even the dandelions are popping up around here...definitely Spring is in the air! Today the storms that rolled through gave the impression of Spring too. We just had a few thunder boomers and rain. I guess that Graham understood a bit more about what made that thunder sound. Woody walked his four-mile route. I had school with Elijah, Esther, Joy and Abigail. Joy read to me and she and I made plans to machine embroider a one piece outfit for Isaac. She chose a design (a snowman) and picked out the machine embroidery thread colors that she wanted to use for it. While I was having school with the first three Woody was over at Nathan and Kathy's while Nathan took Kathy to her doctor appointment. Abigail and I worked on catching her sewing notebook up to date. We printed pictures today that we will be adding to the pages about each of her projects. Graham came over right after his lunch to chart the temps and barometric pressure for today.

I managed to call NIH today to set up Woody's next appointments for June 6th and 7th. That was a first to make them over the phone. It took less waiting time on my part making them on the phone. I didn't have to wait around for them to be able to make contact with the CT and MRI folk. She just emailed me the appointment sheet after she got through to them. It seems like quite a while away, but I'm sure that the time will fly by. I went to church to work in the library for a couple of hours. Woody went to the grocery store and then got gas for the car while I was at the church. Now we are both home...he's watching TV and I'm blogging! Now it is time to head back downstairs and load up the dishwasher and do a few other things before the evening ends! I can't believe that today is the last day of February!

Making Rainbows and Thunder!

It was a painting day for all the children except for Isaac! I let Elijah paint after he finished his lessons with sounds and counting. What is it about painting and children? Elijah waited patiently for me to give him the paint and then just sort of let out a sigh of contentment when he dipped that brush into the paint and started in painting. The older children's artwork was made by applying painters tape to their paper and then painting the entire background. Then when the paint was dry they peeled the tape away to see the image that didn't have paint on it due to the tape. They all had fun. Then after that Graham got busy on his first "real" day of experiments. He is keeping a weather chart...charting high and low temps, precipitation, and barometric pressure each day. Then on Mondays and Tuesdays when he has his "experiment school time" over here we do other fun activities. Today after he defined "weather," "meteorology," and "physics" on notecards, he did an experiment that helps to explain how the sound of thunder gets to our ears by blowing up a bag and then popping it. This experiment had a very good, fairly simple explanation of how sound travels and how and why thunder happens. We also printed off a special cloud identifier that we will work with next week. At the moment we are studying weather and will go in whatever direction his inquiring mind tends to lead us! After Graham finished his experiment time, the girls joined him for a picnic lunch on our kitchen floor. Graham got a new insulated lunch bag yesterday and they decided that it would be fun to bring their lunches over here! Fun was had by all...I do believe!

After all the morning fun, I headed off to get my hair cut. Woody has read, played Scrabble, worked his daily crossword puzzle, watched a bit of TV, checked out how his seedlings are doing and then late this afternoon he walked to the prayer room at church. Now we are both settling in for a relaxing evening.

Double Digit Boy!

Now...if you were the birthday boy (or girl)...what would you choose for your birthday supper? Well, Graham chose his two favorite things...homemade pizza and broccoli...AND the pizza was broccoli pizza! So he was a happy double digit birthday boy! (There were other kinds of pizza for those who weren't quite as fond of broccoli as Graham is! I will say that I had a piece of broccoli pizza and it was quite good!)

Graham and Elijah came over this morning to get our pizza stones. Woody sort of latched onto them and found the gardening kneeling bench and headed over to Graham's garden to plant peas. I think that Woody is happy to have weather that allows a bit of gardening. He has started seeds in flats...that he moves back and forth from our inside sun porch/mudroom to our patio. Some of the tomato seeds have sprouted. Makes us realized that Spring is just around the corner. After planting the pea seeds, Graham came over and showed interest in having his experiment time even though we weren't having school today. So he worked a bit more on getting his notebook in order and started charting weather temps, etc. on his weather grid. Woody stopped at the pharmacy to pick up a prescription for me on his five mile walk. I started making Chicken Sausage Gumbo this afternoon. We then went next door for the birthday dinner and presents for Graham. I am now finishing the gumbo. And, to think that we now have three double digit grandchildren...oh, my! Happy Birthday, Graham!!!!!!!!!!

Need I Say More?!?

Well, maybe I'll say a "little" more...I went on the walk with Woody (guess you could tell since there is a picture!). He says that it was two miles...seemed longer! What does this sign really mean? This was a new one for us!

Woody went in a different direction this morning...after attending the early church service,instead of teaching his 6th grade Sunday School class, he went to The Life Care Center and gave the message for their weekly Sunday service that our church sponsors. After lunch we went next door to eat birthday cupcakes (big day for Graham tomorrow...he turns double digits...as he reminded me several times). Woody went to the evening church service. I'm now watching the Oscars...we're not big movie folk...but I am interested in what is deemed "fashion" this year.

Blowing March In?

Once again it was a rather windy day...looks like the March winds have started in February! Woody went to the grocery store this morning. I helped get the groceries put away. Graham came over to show us the treasures that he had gotten at a science museum yesterday. I showed him the things that I had gotten for him to use when we switch from sewing to experiments next week. I had gotten him a notebook, etc. to record some of the things that he will be doing. We have decided to change tracks for a while and see what direction we will go doing various experiments. I figure that one thing/question will lead to another and we will head off on a learning adventure. One thing that he will be doing is tracking various aspects of our weather on a daily basis. He's excited. Woody went to the library after lunch today. Graham came back over for an hour this afternoon to get his supplies and notebook organized since Monday has been declared a holiday for his birthday. While Graham and I were doing that Woody went on a four-mile walk. Then he came home and made Spicy Vegetable Beef soup. He has discovered that is one of our favorite soups that isn't too hard to make so he took it upon himself to make it. I had planned to make Chicken and Sausage Gumbo...but got busy with other things...so it will wait to be made another day. Today I have worked on several things around the house...picking up, general cleaning, a couple of loads of wash, computer maintenance, etc. Lots of little things that don't show...need to get some of the things done that will show! But...for the moment (probably for the rest of the evening) I'm about out of steam so think that I will go pick up my book and rest and relax for a while.

Another Blustery Day!

I took this windmill picture yesterday and it was turning full speed...the camera did a good job of stopping action! I'm sure that same windmill was spinning around at a fast clip today also...but I didn't walk by it today! The temperatures have dropped quite a bit today compared to the rather balmy temps of yesterday. Woody got up and went on an early six-mile walk...I think before the temperatures started to drop...good plan on his part. This morning I headed off on one of my rare (lately, anyway) shopping excursions...all the way to WalMart! I was birthday shopping for Graham as well as getting several items that I needed for upcoming school projects. I came home grabbed a quick bite for lunch and then Woody and I headed next door. Kathy had an appointment and needed me to go with her to take care of Isaac while she had a test run. Abigail went with us and Elijah stayed with Woody. We were only gone for an hour. Woody has continued to challenge and/or be challenged by the computer with Scrabble games. He's also done his daily crossword puzzle and read and watched a bit of TV. We think that we are one step closer to solving a problem or two with my insurance...at least Woody actually talked to a real person on the phone today...that helps in getting problems solved! There is supposed to be a form coming in the mail to help solve the final (as of this moment!) problem with my new prescription coverage. The best was when Woody called the number we had been calling for several weeks, the message said that that mail box was full and to call another extension...well, we had no other extension to call! But I did find another number on one of the other papers that we had received recently...and that one had a real voice at the other end! Progress!?! At least as of now all my prescriptions have been approved. We are just trying to get them to cover December's prescriptions...when my policy started.

Gusty Thursday

A day of many completions...Joy completed her first cross stitch project...a lady bug (good one for her as we often call her Joy Bug!)...Abigail completed her surprise gift for Graham and it turned out very well (we even have it all wrapped for his big day on Monday)...Graham completed the PDF file of sewing instructions for an easier way to make a French seam (we used instructions that a sewing teacher that I have sat under wrote...but for another machine brand... and he and I adapted them for our Janome machines.) The roofing/hail damage folk arrived and they put up our new gutters (Woody did a great job of choosing the color...perfect match to the siding) and they fixed one other thing that Woody had to draw a picture to show them what he wanted...we'll see if their interpretation of his drawing works...but the hail damage work still isn't complete...two more tasks before it is finished. We child sat for a while as Kathy had a doctor appointment and Nathan went with her to take care of Isaac while she was seeing the doctor. Woody was well under way with making peanut and butter and jelly sandwiches on freshly baked homemade bread by the time Abigail and I got over there after her sewing lesson. Lunch was eaten and then Abigail and I went back to our house to complete her sewing surprise present for Graham's 10th birthday. Joy read her school reading book to Woody over at their house while Woody kept an eye on the other three. Then when Kathy, Nathan and Isaac arrived home, I headed back to our house for my lunch. Then Graham came over to complete his sewing instructions. After that Woody and I walked Woody's four-mile route...I know that it took much longer with me tagging along...for several reasons...one being lots of stops for pictures and the other was several stops to rest my weary back...there was also lots of wind resistance...but I made it the full four miles...and survived and got quite a few pictures. I sat for a while on the couch before I started our supper. I made an adaptation of a recipe that we really like...but didn't have all the ingredients for...we liked it and I tried to write down the adapted recipe as best I could so "perhaps" I can replicate it at another time! I loaded up the dishwasher and headed up to check out the pictures that I had taken today and to blog. Woody is in the office/school room trying to figure out why the computer keeps challenging words that he makes (legitimate words in the Scrabble dictionaries). After I blog I'm going to settle in reading my latest book...ready to rest and relax after a busy day...but one filled with many accomplishments! Oh, and, I guess I will start planning for my sister's visit to TN...she has her plane tickets to come visit us the end of April/first of May! I'd better get busy on getting K'nex and Christmas wrap out of the guest room!!!!!!!!!!

Spring is Popping

Each day more color is added to the Spring landscape of Middle TN...such a pretty time...seeing the earth come back to life! Today has been pretty much a typical Wednesday...for me: school time with Elijah, Esther, Joy and Abigail and then I headed off for several hours of working in the library...then home to collapse. Woody has read (he finished a book), watched TV, worked his daily crossword puzzle, and played several games of Scrabble with the computer (computer has been upped a notch so it is more challenging game and Woody is having to really work to beat it) and he went on a four-mile walk...AND finished packing up the Christmas closet!!! Yeah!!! Rather a spring-like day...windy, rainy, a little thunder...fairly mild as a front or two came through.

Windy Tuesday

The wind has been commented on quite a few times today...both children and adults. Woody even wore a windbreaker when he walked to the church for his time in the prayer room. He said that it wasn't all that cold temperature-wise, but the wind made one need a lightweight jacket.

We were back into the school routine today after a day off to honor presidents yesterday. Elijah came over first, followed by Esther. Esther read to me and then helped me get ready for art class. At 10am three enthusiastic young artists joined Esther and me. We did crayon and oil pastel resists today...that means PAINT...black PAINT. They drew pictures with crayons and oil pastels and then painted over their pictures with black paint. It made for interesting pictures as what they drew popped out through the paint. After art, Graham and I worked on his latest sewing project...directions for making a French seam. We are rewriting them for our Janome machines. Last week I took pictures of the steps of this particular way to make a French seam. I printed them off and today we started writing the directions and adding the pictures. His next session we hope to finish and then make it into a PDF file. He's learning and sometimes teaching me things about the computer and its software along with learning about sewing. Abigail rejoined me after lunch. She had an idea about something that she wanted to make as a surprise for Graham's birthday. She read to me from an extra reading book and then we went upstairs to see if her scheme would work and worked at it for a while...tomorrow we'll try to finalize plans and see if it will work. I did some more on reviving the living room to preChristmas condition...but not a lot. I "think" that there is only one small bookcase to put to rights (need to find and put books back on the shelves along with the knickknacks that belong on the shelves and then the room will be back to "normal." I got the coffee table and one end table back to "norm" and then called it quits for the afternoon and settled in to read...I'm almost finished with The Litigators by John Grisham...reason that I was a bit late blogging tonight...I'm heading back to finish it as soon as I blog!

Woody got up this morning and made Sweet Potato Waffles. Then while I was having art with Graham, Abigail, Joy, and Esther, he and Elijah read books and then made a carrot cake. He has also read, watched a bit of TV and I think has even managed to traverse across the artwork mess to play a game or two of Scrabble on the computer. He also started the daunting job of repacking the Christmas closet puzzle. Yeah! Soon Christmas will be hidden away once again...perhaps before March arrives! He is now home from his walk to and from the church prayer room and has settled in to relax for the rest of the evening.

Linens 'n Things

Today I got up and immediately got busy working on getting things back to normal in the living room. And, that meant handwashing the handmade linens that I use on some of my table tops. These needlework pieces were made either by my grandmother (on my mother's side) or one of her sisters. I normally soak them in a mild cleansing solution in a plastic tub. Well, the tub happens to be in the closet in the upstairs hall that is completely hidden by tall stacks of boxes...no way was I going to try to open those doors! So the bathtub became the place to soak them this year. After soaking/washing and then rinsing them several times I then rolled them in a towel to get out excess water and then ironed them face down on a terry towel till they were dry...took a while! I ironed each of them at least twice getting them almost dry. They are so lovely when you pick them up and look at the right side. My grandmother and her sister were impeccable needlewomen...I admire their work greatly and enjoy looking at their lovely things daily. These items have to be nearing a hundred years old and some are probably over one hundred (if they were in my grandmother's hope chest then they are over 100...if they were made after my grandmother and grandfather married then they are sixty-two years or older as my grandmother died when I was two). They've held up very well. I am so glad that my Aunt Lois offered them to me some years back. She wanted to get rid of them but hated to throw them away...of course this Lois couldn't say "no" to such lovely handmade items! I have many more stored away. I dusted tables that they were going to go on and then when they were ironed I placed them where they go in my scheme of things! I have also been in and out of rooms upstairs and down on the hunt for the objects that go on the tables, bookshelves, etc. I'm still not finished...but have a very good start. I had to put aside the redecorating to make soup this afternoon...this time...my favorite...J. Hatheway's Italian Sausage Soup. We had it for supper.

Woody walked four miles today. He did his daily crossword puzzle and he has played quite a few games of Scrabble with the computer. He says that he is having a problem with the computer challenging words that he has made that are legitimate words (in his Scrabble dictionaries)...and the computer wins the challenge and Woody's word gets removed and he loses his turn. He says that he doesn't remember that happening when he played the computer before. He still keeps the upper hand on the computer and beats it most every time. He has read and watched a bit of television today. And, he cleaned up the kitchen...big help! I can tell that he is feeling better as kitchen clean-up seems to be back on his list of "to-do's." I forgot to mention yesterday that after church he made a new asparagus recipe...Braised Asparagus with Balsamic Vinegar...quite tasty. He is now at church for Monday night prayer meeting.

Woody's New Sidewalk

Here's a picture of part of the new sidewalk that has been put in on the street that is right behind our house...a street that Woody walks on often...so he has claimed it as "his" sidewalk. He can pretty much stay on sidewalk all the time when he is on his walks that lead towards town...for example when he walks to the prayer room on Tuesday evenings. It also connects to other sidewalks that he also uses for some of his/our walks. Makes it a lot safer to walk on this narrow road that has a ditch on both sides.

We both went to the early service at church this morning. Woody then went to teach his 6th grade boys' Sunday School class. I went to my Sunday School class. We headed home after I found some books that a patron was looking for in the library...I left them for her on a table so she could look at them after church and see if they filled her needs.

Did your house shake this afternoon??? Well, the last of our trees (as in Christmas) came down this afternoon. I have spent a good part of the rest of the afternoon and evening putting things back where they belong...chairs, pictures, decorative items, etc. Things are starting to look a little closer to "normal." The tree box is tucked up against the stairway awaiting Nathan's help in getting it back up the stairs and into the closet. It is a bit awkward for one person to get it back up the stairs...and I'm just not much help when it comes to pushing it back up or keeping it from sliding back down the stairs...and then there is the sharp corner that has to be turned...with all the boxes up against one of the walls...better to have a mechanical engineer with muscle power to help Woody than his weakling wife!

I got a newspaper clipping in the mail from my sister the other day that really made me sit back and think...and feel old! It was about a 60th wedding anniversary that had occurred in my home town in AZ...and the reason that it made me feel old was that I was the flower girl...so......................that makes me over 60...right?! I was three...but really almost four...so guess what that makes me "almost." Oh, my......!!!!!! I tried to contact them this afternoon, but so far haven't found anyone at home. I did leave a message. I hope that I get to talk to them. "The Mrs." was a student in my mother's high school Home Ec class in Glendale. Then in later years "the Mr." was my Spanish teacher at the same high school in Glendale. We had such fun times in his class...many fond memories. I hunted and found the pictures of me at the time of the wedding and a few of me and the wedding party. Mother made my dress out of pink organdy...I have one very faded color picture of me in my dress (and a swatch of the pink fabric...which hasn't faded...well, at least I can still tell that it is pink)...the actual pictures of the wedding party are in black and white. I really am old!!!!!!!!!!! I will be feeling much older in a few weeks...at this point 60 years ago I hadn't turned four yet! It has been fun thinking back over these memories...I do faintly remember being in the wedding. I can remember the priest being so nice to me and telling me exactly what I was to do and that I was to walk to where he was. And, then the memory of my Spanish class is of "the Mr." figuring out who I was in the first week of class...he didn't think that I was his flower girl when his wife recognized my name...because I had dark hair and their flower girl had blond hair...but he found out that I really was the one and the same flower girl despite my hair darkening over the years (oh, my...just thought and now it has lightened again...but not back to blond!). Another fun Spanish class memory is when the Spanish club met at my house and "the Mr." and another high school teacher made all this wonderful Mexican/Spanish food...I can still see it all set up in our kitchen and then we ate out in our backyard and on our patio...that had been recently done with a Mexican theme...big sombrero and other decorative items that we had bought in Nogales, Mexico. Fun times...fun memories. The last memory of them that I have is of "the Mr. and the Mrs." attending Woody's and my wedding...they happened to be the first people that I saw as I started walking down the aisle on Daddy's arm towards Woody. (Oh, and now my sister's grandson attends the school where one of "The Mr. and Mrs." sons is the principal.) By the way "the Mr. and Mrs." had ten children and now have 30 grandchildren and six great grandchildren! OK...guess enough nostalgia for one blog!

Woody has been playing Scrabble on our old computer. I bought him the Scrabble game for the computer many years ago now...it got played quite a bit at the start by Nathan, Kathy, Erin, Alex and Woody...but in recent years it has just sat on the shelf in the schoolroom/office. Today Woody asked me where the Scrabble CD was so I found it and he has been playing Scrabble with the computer once again. He went to the evening service at church and is now home relaxing for the rest of the evening. I will work more on the redecorating tomorrow...as soon as I post this I am going to go read. I'm enjoying the latest John Grisham book: The Litigators.

End Is In Sight!

The last ornament is off the tree and the last one is packaged up and all the ornament boxes are now upstairs in the hallway AND the tree box is downstairs awaiting branches! Woody headed next door around 7:45 this morning to take care of Elijah...Nathan and Graham had a breakfast at church and the girls and Isaac went to Abigail and Joy's Upwards cheering time at a basketball game. I stayed here and worked on the Christmas tree. After Woody got back from taking care of Elijah he went to the library. Then we both went for a walk...we walked the new sidewalk (Woody calls it his sidewalk) that is just being completed on the road behind our house. We walked back by way of the neighborhood that is next to ours. I guess that this is my first time out for a walk this year. The weather was pleasant. Woody wanted to walk in the morning to make sure that he got his walk in before the rains settled back in...but so far the rain hasn't started here. He read and watched a DVD and some TV this afternoon and evening. I made chili this afternoon. I doubt that the tree gets back into its box tonight as I'm pretty tired...but I have accomplished a major goal with the tree today. I was determined that I would have all the ornaments off the tree before I blogged tonight and in the end I did that and had them all boxed up and also upstairs ready to be put back in the Christmas closet. I will be so glad to have Christmas out of sight and mind!

Escaped Again!

I got up and got busy on Christmas tree ornaments for a while. Then I packed up my laptop and headed to the church to try to run my pictures on the TV that I will be using for the garden club program. It was a good thing as I had a bit of a problem...took several of us to get it working. But, in the end work it did! So one step closer to the program being ready. After I went through the pictures that I'm going to show, I headed to thechurch kitchen and helped some friends scrape wax out of glass votive holders. What a mess and so many different kinds...all ready now to be stored until the next church event when they are needed...to get wax on them once again! It was fun visiting while we scraped wax! I came home and Nathan had a job for me...to make some long sleeve shirts short sleeved. I have one done for him...three to go.

Woody walked his four-mile-route today. I do think that he is feeling much better...finally! We enjoyed the soup that Woody made yesterday.

Flew the Coop!

Today I had that feeling that I needed to get away. So pretty much as soon as I finished with school time with Elijah, Esther, Joy, and Abigail, I headed out...ate lunch out, did a bit of shopping (got black paint for school and a present for Graham's tenth birthday) and then headed off to my favorite place in town...Janie's Sewing Center! I got some thread and a piece of fabric to line a vest, but most of all it was just enjoyable to visit with Janie, Ed, and Karen. I hadn't been there in a while due to being so busy and I'm just not sewing much these days. One thing that saddened me was to see the iron barred door that they have had to add for protection since they were broken into. I just hate that "little Tullahoma" has become a place that has to have bars over store doors!

Since I have been away most of the afternoon, I don't know exactly what Woody has been up to today. I do know that he took Elijah to the grocery store this morning and that they were gone quite a long time and that Goosey wore Elijah out, as Elijah was fast asleep in his car seat by the time that they got home! While I was gone, Woody made Spicy Vegetable Beef Soup. I had planned to make chili but put that cooking on hold for another day since I came home to soup in the making. Guess that it is time for me to come back to reality and get back to packing up Christmas ornaments! But it was good to "fly the coop" today...just needed to get away from the house for a while. I'll bet that most can't say this...I think that it was only the second time I have stepped foot into a store since before Christmas...now I can't say that about shopping online!

Time is Flying By!

Time is flying by just about like the wind blowing over this doggy as he rides down the interstate...ears flapping! I think that time flies even faster for a librarian since due dates are in the future...today when I fixed the date stamp for when books will be due in two weeks, I realized that would be the last day in February. Where has the first month and a half of the year gone?!?

Busy day for me. I've hardly had time to turn around. Elijah worked on the sounds that the letters make and also on colors and counting. Esther worked on her phonetic reading and also did several pages of subtraction. I told her that I was getting her ready for college when she did one of her papers today...it was a page of analagies: a baseball is to a bat as a _________ is to a tennis racket, etc. This paper was all done with pictures...but still I remember questions such as those on a bit higher level on the PSAT, SAT and ACT tests when I was preparing to enter college. Getting her used to such questions at a young age...then she will be ready on down the road! Joy did a page and a half in her reading workbook and then worked some more on her cross stitch project. She is itching to start lessons on the sewing machine! Abigail continued sewing on the European style pillow case. She will finish it tomorrow. After Abigail's sewing lesson, I came home caught my breath and warmed up some soup for our lunch and shortly headed out the door for the library and worked there for several hours. We got quite a bit done...once again...library work is never done!

After his time in school, Elijah joined Goosey (Woody) down in the family room. They read books and I'm sure that Elijah played for a while too...and talked Goosey into a snack! I think that I remember Woody saying that he was going for a walk while I was working with one of the girls...not sure how far he went on the walk. The workman came today to try to finish up some work that still needs to be completed after the hail damage...it's getting close to being completed...we're ready! Woody had to choose the downspout color without my input as I was at the library. We had Linguine with Spinach Sauce for supper. I have cleaned up the kitchen. I am now trying to decide if I have any energy left to put away a few more Christmas ornaments...up to this moment there hasn't been any time to do that today. I've had a bit of trouble getting online tonight...so am now hoping that this will post and not fly out into cyberspace!

Valentine's Day 2012

What a nice start to the day. The neighbors brought over some of Nathan's prize-winning biscuits...heart shaped...along with some red licorice...and heart cookies. Can you spot Isaac? Elijah was ready to stay and start his school time, but he headed home and got dressed. I ate a biscuit and then called him to come over and he made a Valentine art project. I told him that we were going to do an art project and he assumed that we were going to paint...oops! Not today! He made a tree using the outline of his arm and hand and then gluing on hearts for leaves. Esther came over next and she read and then she helped me get things ready for her and her older siblings Valentine art class. They made origami heart bookmarks and also made pictures using hearts to make various animals. After art class Graham and I worked on his latest sewing project. After that I was ready to collapse for a while! Woody ran a couple of errands today as well as continued to make more phone calls trying to get various and sundry things set up. Late this afternoon he took me to Dairy Queen for our Valentine treats...blizzards. This evening he walked to the prayer room stopping at the pharmacy to pick up his new blood pressure medication. While he was gone I worked some more on the Christmas tree. It is starting to actually look like ornaments have been taken off of it. Today is Isaac's five-week birthday. I had a short photo session at their house this afternoon.

Returning to "Normal"

We have spent most of the day trying to return to "normal"...whatever that is! Woody spent quite a bit of time trying to set up appointments and/or returning calls that needed to be attended to due to us being away. He managed to get a doctor's appointment for this afternoon and then a TVA reinspection set up (they didn't come prepared to test our heat pumps) and tried to reach my insurance company trying to get things straightened out with them about my individual policy, and tried to get in touch with the roofing company. He was successful with his doctor and TVA...but the other two we are waiting for them to return our calls. I had a "normal" Monday school day...Elijah, Esther, Joy (for reading and sewing), and Graham for sewing. Woody and I had lunch and then he headed off to McMinnville to see his personal care physician...to get labs done to check his creatinine levels and also to get his blood pressure med changed. I stayed home and worked on getting unpacked...as in doing several loads of wash. And, I also spent time planning for a Valentine art lesson for tomorrow. Woody came home from the doctor and went on a walk around the block. I emailed Woody's NIH Fellow to tell her what blood pressure med the doctor wanted to put him on if his creatinine levels are ok. Dr. Harlow thought that his creatinine levels were raised due to the combination of his blood pressure med that she had prescribed and the NSAID that the urologist prescribed. I think that there are too many docs handling "things!" That is the reason that we were so glad that NIH ended up having to handle several of his problems. Woody is feeling so much better. He definitely seems to be returning to "normal." He is now at Monday night prayer meeting at church. After he gets home, he will be taking Graham to his basketball practice. So it looks like things are in "full swing" around here!

Back to Counting Mice!

Isaac turned one-month-old on Friday while we were away so I "had" to get over there and get a picture that was at least close to him being one month! He is wearing the little terry velour sleeper that Grampa Dorrell (Woody's father) bought for Nathan when he was born. So that is one "old" baby outfit! Nathan was reading to Elijah and Graham came up to listen too so I had Kathy add Isaac to the grouping so I could get all our Dorrell boys!

Woody got up and went to the early church service. I seem to have had all my adrenalin knocked out of me and I couldn't get moving in time to head off with Woody. So I just went to Sunday School this morning. Woody taught his 6th grade class and then came home. After I got home, I made a casserole out of items that we had in the fridge...well, all except for some frozen peas and I walked to the store next door (Nathan and Kathy's) and got those. Woody went for a walk around the block this afternoon. He's going to gradually get back into his walking routine. Today was a good day for a short walk...very, very cold! Cold temperatures seem to have arrived in TN at about the same time as we arrived back in TN! It got down to 15F last night and is supposed to be in the teens again tonight.

Now...about the blog title. I would not be sitting here calmly reporting this if I was counting real mice. Joy gave me the task of counting all the ornaments on the tree that had mice on them. She had attempted to count them while the tree was decorated and she wanted to know how many there really were so I am to count them as I take them off the tree! One of these days I will be able to report that the tree is done...but not yet. I'm afraid that the tree will still be up this Valentine's day. I always try to have it down prior to then...but don't think that will happen this year. It seems that undecorating is more difficult than decorating...well, I do make more trips round and round the tree looking for ornaments where as when I am decorating I just have to find the perfect branch! My back gets to hurting if I do it for too long...so just do it in short spurts and then rest for a while. I almost have all the ornaments off that have their own boxes...once those are all off and boxed up then it will go faster. I, at least, now have hopes of getting them back in the closet since Woody is feeling better...there for a while I thought that they would permanently reside in the upstairs hall! That is his part of decorating/undecorating...packing the puzzle of boxes back into the Christmas closet.

Home Again, Home Again!

We only encountered snow flurries and a dusting of snow along the sides of the road. We stopped in Johnson City, TN to see Erin and took her to Kroger to pick up a few groceries. We visited for a little while in her dorm room. She showed us some of her art work that she has been doing for her art classes. Then we got back on the road. We got home a little after 3pm central time. Graham, Abigail and Joy helped us unload the car...how nice! It's good to be home...again! Woody is back to feeling "normal" = "fair to middlin'"...which is very good in my book!

Research Material

Here is a picture of Woody's kidney stone as sent to us by the research doctor! Woody had plans of mounting it as a setting in either a ring or a pendant for me (he was just kidding (I hope!), but when the research team came around today they had a great need of it to analyze it and find out just what type of stone it is.

I am posting from Fort Chiswell, VA...just about the half-way point of our trip. It took a while for them to spring him today. He didn't get away from the hospital till around 1pm Eastern time and picked me up at the hotel around 2pm. We ended up deciding that I wouldn't take a taxi back to NIH and join him there. We needed to renew our ID badges, but guess we will just have to go through security the next time and get new ID's at that time. We will fax in the trip voucher forms this time. Woody is feeling ever so much better...the best he has felt in about a month. Kidney stone pain is gone, he is rehydrated, electrolytes are where they should be, etc., etc., etc!

He got a good report from his scans. They are saying that the two tumors that they are watching are the same and no new ones. Woody asked about the melanoma tumor that had been behind his ear and they said that it is no longer there. So very good news to have another tumor completely gone! Woody will go back in four months. We will have to call to get that appointment since we didn't go through the normal clinic channels. He is to make an appointment with our personal care physician to get different blood pressure medicine (part of the cause of his problems) and to have his creatinine levels checked to make sure that they are still going down. The creatinine levels were still going down this morning though still not as low as they should be this morning. They said that about six things had probably caused his high creatinine level... (1)kidney stone, (2)being dehydrated, (3)his blood pressure med, (4)the NSAID that was prescribed during his kidney stone bout, (5)caffeine (from coke...which he only drinks when on trips to keep from being sleepy...so had just had quite a bit of caffeine the day before...he says that he has had his last coke!), and (6)the dye that he had received a week-and-a-half ago for the CT scan done in Tullahoma. And, all those things probably wouldn't have caused a problem if he hadn't had the kidney stone. Then receiving dye when his creatinine level was high put him into a dangerous situation. Well, there is just one thing that we are reminded about by all these "happenings" and is so aptly said in the Bible. "We are fearfully and wonderfully made!"

It's good to be on the way home! Now if the weather just lets us get home. Winter advisories are out between here and home for up to four inches of snow between now and tomorrow evening. We need no more unusual adventures on this trip...just want to get home safe and sound!

I Heard It!!!!

I ate at an Asian restaurant for lunch today (it's connected to the same complex that my hotel is in...can you tell where I am and where Woody "still" is?). This was my fortune...guess someone in the family needed this one! I thought that it should be for Woody...but my sister said that I really needed good health! At least one of us needs it...preferably both!!!

This morning Woody's team said that they wanted him to stay another night...that his creatinine number was going down, but that they wanted it lower. They said that there was no test to find out when the dye was out of his system...that the only thing to do about that was hydrate and flush it out. They also told him that they had called his Tullahoma urologist and that his creatinine levels had been normal when his blood work was done there less than two weeks ago.

Woody started having kidney pain again today...probably the stone decided to move a bit due to all the fluid that is being pumped through his system. The doctor told him that the main thing that was really helping the creatinine level to go down was all that he was drinking (he's being good...and following doctors' orders and drinking...and they are praising him for it!). After I got back to the hotel room after lunch, I called Woody and he asked me if I had a camera. He said that he had a picture for me to take for tonight's blog. Well, of course the cameras are here with me and they don't have the range to reach him to take a picture! So then he asked how my ears were and asked if I could hear something. I heard this rattling sound. Well, the sound was the sound of his kidney stone!!!!!!!!! He passed it this afternoon. YEAH!!!!!!!!!! He said that it was the size of a sunflower seed kernel...a pretty good size. I remember the doctor at Harton Hospital ER in Tullahoma telling us at the time that Woody had his first kidney stone that it would be quite small...that it would be black...and about the size of the tip of a ball point pen. This one definitely surpassed that one in size.

I, of course, had to arrange for another night at the hotel this morning. I had to move to a different room which wasn't a problem as I was all packed up anyway. So I have been hanging out in the hotel room. I have worked a little on learning some new things with my photo software, dozed a bit, made phone calls to update everyone. Nathan called as it looks like things are "supposed" to be finalized with our hail damage repairs tomorrow along with the final inspection for our TVA energy upgrade...everything seems to happen at one time! Thankful that our neighbors can stand in for us!

I talked to Woody a little while ago and he was hoping to get some sleep tonight. Like anytime in the hospital, it's not easy to sleep. Last night his roommate, who had surgery yesterday, had a rather rough night so that didn't help Woody's sleep. His kidney pain is gone, but I could tell that he still doesn't feel the greatest...especially when he ended our phone conversation tonight and said for me to realize that he still might not get to go home tomorrow. Of course it will depend on his blood work and what it shows his creatinine level to be. Again...time will tell! Tonight I am just glad that I heard "it" today...referring to the kidney stone! I have a feeling that I have a subject for a future blog photo!

Once again who knows where I will be blogging from tomorrow night...here...down the road...but I'll be blogging from somewhere to update you on this our latest adventure!

Tethered!

Okay...where to start telling about our day?! I guess at the beginning...We started out pretty early but not as early as the last time that we stayed in Virginia. It took us about 40 minutes to g0 25 miles...and we didn't get into any traffic bog downs...just typical 6:30am traffic on the Capital Beltway. We both said that we are so glad that we don't have to commute like this every morning! We used valet parking at NIH and headed straight into the phlebotomy lab...no line there...I think that there was only one patient before Woody. He had 11 vials of blood drawn and then we headed downstairs to find a quiet corner where we could read for a while. At fifteen minutes prior to his CAT dosing appointment, we headed upstairs and he signed in there. He was given his "drink" and drank and then waited for them to call him back...which they did quite quickly and he wasn't in the back for the scan for very long. As soon as he came out we headed for the MRI waiting room. They told us that they were behind, but it wasn't very long till he was taken back there and his MRI didn't take very long either. He was back out a little before noon. I was sitting there thinking that I was going to be able to tell in the blog that everything had gone like clock work today! And, then...the other shoe dropped and the clock works went haywire!

One of the MRI techs had noticed that some of his blood work showed that his creatinine level was up and that they needed to call in the docs...because...he should NOT have had the contrast that was given for the CT scan. Somehow that reading had slipped by them! Oops...this meant that he was to head to admissions immediately and be admitted so that they could pump fluids through him fast and furiously to flush out the dye. So Woody is tethered to an IV pole once again. They reported that his creatinine levels were coming down which relieved them and of course us. Woody was somewhat dehydrated too...so the IV's should be good for what ails him. He also found out that he had NOT passed the kidney stone. They are giving him some medication to help aid him in passing it. If he has not passed it in a couple of weeks, he may have to have it surgically removed. My understanding is that if he does have to have surgery that it will/can happen in Tullahoma. We'll cross that bridge when we get to it!! What is interesting...I had told Woody that I really wondered if he would be getting all the scans today as I knew that they had to check his kidney function and since he had been having so much trouble that I wouldn't be surprised if the results of his blood work would stop him from getting the ones done that called for contrast...pretty good on my part...right?!?...well, I'm now guessing that someone got into quite a lot of trouble for letting those readings get passed them and letting him have the contrast. They were really hustling him to get him connected to that IV! Good news...Woody's female Fellow told him that she had looked quickly at the scans and the MRI and that "things" continue to look good...nothing new showing up and just with the quick look "things" looked pretty much the same. So that is good news. And, I really think that what they are doing in the hospital is good too...he just had been feeling so poorly for these last three weeks and didn't seem to be regaining his strength and getting rehydrated should help him a lot. They are taking him off his blood pressure med for the moment as it may be contributing. Another med that they are putting him on should keep his blood pressure down at least temporarily. Now if that stone would just move on out!

Woody's predicament caused driving and housing problems for me. We finally decided that I just couldn't drive in the DC traffic...plus snow was still being predicted. We almost packed up everything this morning even though we had the room here in VA for another night. But we talked ourselves out of it! So all our "stuff" was in VA and we were in MD. I ended up coming back to the hotel in a taxi...oh, boy! I hate being out of my comfort zone...oh, well, guess chalk it up to more adventure! The taxi driver was very nice and the traffic was so thick that there was no way to have a wild taxi ride...and, as I was riding back I KNEW that I could never have driven in and under those conditions! The taxi driver was from Ethiopia...very nice and we were able to communicate. So I am holed up in the hotel room and Woody is 25 miles away tethered to an IV pole. I will call him in the morning and see what is happening and then we will make plans from there...whether it is another taxi ride...or me staying here for another day/night...or...whatever the newest adventure brings! I'll report more tomorrow night! There's no telling where we'll be...together...apart...here...there...down the road a piece...sitting tight...tethered... free! Time will tell!

Weather update: just a few snow flurries as I was taxiing back to the hotel...think that the snow threat pretty much petered out...they were prepared...snow plows all along the interstate and lots of salt spread at NIH on sidewalks and the roadways.

Foggy Morn!

Here's the sun as it rose this morning. We were in some pretty thick fog for a while. I was glad that I wasn't driving! Woody drove the whole way...though, it was a long day for him. We left a little before 6am central time and arrived in Fairfax, VA a little before 6pm eastern time. The last hundred miles seemed like they took forever. The drive was a bit shorter for me as I did sleep for several hundred miles along the way! We were glad to stop for the night as we know that the next 25 miles to NIH can take two to three hours during rush hour if the traffic gets backed up. We heard a traffic report about a traffic backup on one of the roads that we will be on in the morning...hopefully it will be cleared by then...but it would not have been good going for us if we had gone on into Bethesda tonight! We will leave dark and early in the morning in order to "try" to avoid the morning rush hour on the beltway. The weather was perfect for us today...in fact it was warmer than we expected. I just looked at tomorrow's forecast and they are predicting snow in the afternoon...up to an inch accumulation. All appointments that he has scheduled for tomorrow...CT and MRI...are in the morning. At the moment we are just glad to be settled into our hotel room for the night. Woody did his crossword puzzle for the day after he got here and is now reading and relaxing. He really doesn't seem any the worse for wear for our trip. He claims that sitting behind the wheel is not much different than sitting all day in the recliner...and he was accomplishing something each time the tires turned!

Oops!

So busy packing and getting ready that I almost forgot to blog! The good Lord willin' I'll be blogging from Fairfax, VA tomorrow night.

"As For Me and My House"

Tonight's blog title comes straight from the Bible from the book of Joshua. Joshua finishes that statement with "we will serve the Lord." On principle...the Super Bowl game isn't turned on at our house as Woody feels that we should be having a church service tonight rather than Super Bowl get-togethers at church members' homes. Woody is reading and also trying to catch up on some lost sleep. I seem to be the one who caught up on the lost sleep as I took a nap and as far as Woody knows...he hasn't been able to take that much sought after nap (that he can remember...and I was napping so I didn't catch him napping (if he did)!). I was attempting to mend something with my serger using a speciality stitch (before I got so sleepy that I just had to take a nap)...well, after many failed attempts I am about to turn on my sewing machine and make short work of it (I hope!). I once again woke up early so did take some ornaments off the tree before we headed off to the early service at church. But that was the last that I worked on the tree as I am now attempting to "think" about what we will need to take on our trip to NIH so I can pack tomorrow. I'm sort of out of practice for packing since we have been home for four months this time! Woody taught his sixth grade boys Sunday School class this morning. A while after we got home, Nathan came over and asked me if I would watch the children for a little while. I headed over there and while I was over there Woody headed off to the monthly deacon's meeting at church. I beat him home...after losing Esther! Kathy and Nathan took Isaac with them so that left me with five playing outside. I was out there with them...watching Abigail and Joy shoot baskets and Graham saw a board and Esther and Elijah swing. Well, I turned around at a point and counted and realized that I was one short...Esther was missing (and, I had just pushed her in the swing not long before that head count)! None of the children knew where she had gone. I went inside and called to her and checked the downstairs bathroom...Abigail went upstairs to check...no Esther! We headed around the house calling for her and Graham and Joy ran over to our house to make sure that she hadn't gone over there! At that point I herded everyone (well, all but Esther) inside before I could lose anyone else. I mentioned that maybe Esther had come in and was sleeping in some corner somewhere! Abigail said: "Oh, maybe that is why the light is off in our bedroom (she hadn't actually gone in to the girls' bedroom to check)!" So we went back upstairs for another look around and found Esther on her bed snuggled up with her lovey pillow. I did request of her that the next time I was watching them and she decided to go in that she please let Grammy know! Our...well, probably only my, excitement of the day!

Woody still feels weak, but has managed to get through all the activities that he had planned for today. He did walk around in our yard this afternoon after he got home from the deacon's meeting...more flowers are blooming!

Timberrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!!!!!!!!!!!!!

One tree down and one to go! When I woke up in the wee hours of the morning and couldn't get back to sleep (I think that I am keyed up about getting these decorations down and put away and then getting on to other things that need to be done...like getting ready for our NIH trip.), I went downstairs and took the decorations off the corner tree in the family room. Then this afternoon Graham came over and took the tree apart and got it into its box. Then he and I got the box upstairs and into the Christmas closet. (Now that shows that Woody isn't feeling all that great when I get to manhandle the boxes up the stairs!) That was the easy one to undecorate and get put away...now the next one...well...just think 700+ ornaments...lots of original ornament boxes to find specific ornaments for...which means ornament hunt around and around the tree at times...enough said! Since I got up so very, very early I ended up taking a nap in the morning. I have been working towards getting started on the big tree, but just haven't had enough momentum to actually get started taking ornaments off the tree. In those wee hours I did bring down all the boxes that the ornaments go in. I also found two more Christmas decorations that I missed so had to get them into their boxes...one of said boxes was at the bottom of a tall stack of boxes...but I did make myself go down to the bottom of that stack and then restack all the boxes. I have also gotten the sewing cutting table cleared so I can move it close to the tree as it is easier to work from that table top rather than being on my knees on the floor. I guess I will get started after I blog...let the fun begin!?

Woody walked around the block this morning. Then later in the morning he went to the library and visited a friend in the hospital. Woody is better, but still feels weak and a bit queasy at times. He's trying to figure out why Sprite makes him feel better. I have no explanations...just know that when my stomach is feeling unsettled it helps and I guess he is discovering the same! This afternoon Woody and I went to a surprise 40th anniversary party for dear friends. And, it sounds like they were actually surprised...which is surprising in and of itself as so many were in on the secret! Their children and their families know how to throw a super party! We didn't stay too long since Woody looks forward to heading back to rest and relax in his recliner whenever he wanders too far from it! We have had a rainy afternoon and evening. I think the rain we have gotten today has us over the inch mark for this month already! Rain, rain, rain, and more rain!

The Third of February????

I can't believe that we have flowers blooming at the beginning of February! But we do...I took pictures this morning of this Dutch iris and also of jonquils that are already in full bloom. Guess these are proof that we have had a very mild winter so far.

Woody seems to be feeling a bit better today. He slept fairly well last night. He ran a couple of errands this afternoon in the car. I think that the only walks that he took today were to our mail box to check to see if the mail was here and to the compost pile to empty our compost bucket (Compost Boy was away today!). He has read, watched a bit of TV, and worked his daily crossword puzzle. Oh, and, he corrected an error that I made in the blog the other day. The car that had the flat due to picking up a roofing nail wasn't the car that we will be taking to NIH next week. Guess he is feeling well enough to read the blog and remember what I wrote!

I got up really early...before Woody...a rarity! And, I set to work on the decorations. My goal for the day was to have all decorations in their boxes except for the Christmas trees and their ornaments. I just met that goal a few minutes ago. I can't tell you how many trips up and down the stairs I have made today...but I do know that my body is telling me that I have done enough stair climbing for the day! Along with getting angels, trees, bells, and various and sundry other items put back in storage boxes, I also started to redecorate for "everyday" so that took a chunk of the day also. I haven't taken much time to sit down today. When Woody got up this morning, I made us an omelet. Then this evening we had spaghetti for supper so I stopped undecorating long enough to make the sauce (and, my spaghetti sauce doesn't come from a jar)...so that took a bit of time too. I don't have a problem with admitting that I'm tired tonight! The upstairs hallway is scary! One wrong bump to the edge of a box...and...we won't go there...hopefully! I "guess" this means that tomorrow I will start tackling the Christmas trees...oh, boy!

I emailed Woody's NIH protocol study nurse to let her know that we would be driving and that we would be arriving Tuesday night since he has early appointments on Wednesday. That way she can go on and approve our stay for two nights in a hotel...makes it easier on Thursday when we turn in the vouchers if that is already approved. I guess that is one step closer to being ready to head out dark and early on Tuesday.

Well, one more trip up and down the stairs...a messy kitchen is calling...I left it to complete today's undecorating goal!

Tullahoma Thad's prediction...

Well, obviously before he waddled into the shade from a tree, Tullahoma Thad saw his shadow! (Well, if he was a really early riser, he didn't, as we had fog this morning.) I have heard several say that if we do have "six more weeks of winter" that they won't complain, if it is as nice as the first six weeks of winter have been for us. It has really been a mild winter so far. Today it has been sunny and got into the mid-sixties. Not bad for February 2nd!

Well, as Tullahoma Thad came out of hibernation (at least long enough to check out his shadow), my carolers went into hibernation...all the boxes that contain carolers are now filled and upstairs in the growing stack of boxes. A lot of angels have flown into their boxes too...but still quite a few have to make that flight. The trees (small ones not the big Christmas trees...not yet...they are the last things that I tackle!) have been uprooted and are slowly but surely finding their way into a box. The coffee table no longer has carolers, but now has Christmas bells and Christmas pillows and pictures on it. Moving the bells freed frees up the shelf that they were on for the "everyday" bells (when I find them!).

Woody spent a lot of his day filling out our tax forms. He got those done and then walked to the Post Office. Friends spotted him at the Post Office and offered him a ride home and he very willingly accepted. He is still very weak. Once he got back he has rested in his recliner watching TV news, etc.

I got up very early this morning. I made whole wheat biscuits and made some scrambled eggs to go with them. Then cleaned up the kitchen. A little way into the morning after I had worked on putting angels back into boxes, I felt the need for more sleep so took a nap for a while. Then got up and got busy again. I can only go at the undecorating for so long and then my back gets to hurting so I just have to stop and rest. I have had quite a few reading and tea breaks today. I did get the shadow box in the family room back to everyday status this afternoon. So things are clearing out...less room to walk in the upstairs hallway and more table and shelf surfaces are coming to light. Oh, and, I've done a couple of loads of wash today...if only the everyday things didn't continue to need to be done! I'm getting closer to being ready to undecorate the two Christmas trees...oh, boy...what a job that is!

Blah February Start

After two days of sunshine at the end of January, February started out much like most of January...rainy and dreary and blah. January's total rainfall came to almost 12 1/2 inches. And, today we started February and got almost 1/2 inch...with more to come this evening. We seem to be in a pattern...a rainy pattern. I never even stepped outside today...just didn't want to get out into the dampness. Woody did go out several times...once in the morning to go to the doctor for further blood work, then after lunch he went out to get the mail and then he waited till the rain had stopped for a while and ventured out for a walk to and from the library. Today I haven't gotten as much exercise climbing up and down as I have pretty much finished with getting decorations down needing the assistance of the stepladder. Yesterday the angels "flew" down from their lofty position on top of the china cabinet and all the work on the shelves above the kitchen cabinets was complete. So today the main climbing that I have done is up and down our stairs to get boxes and then take them down to fill and then take the full boxes back up. I have packed and repacked boxes trying to downsize the number of boxes. All boxes are now downstairs that still need to have Christmas put into them except for the two Christmas tree boxes and the boxes for the Christmas tree ornaments. All the carolers have congregated together for one last sing on the coffee table before they get put back in their boxes. All their boxes have finally been found and are on the living room couch. The angels that flew down to the top of the buffet are now being put away into their respective boxes. Everyday mugs are back in the kitchen cabinet and the Christmas mugs have been put back in the box to be taken upstairs...except for the three that still remain unwashed! One shadow box is back to everyday. The other shadow box has the Christmas items taken out awaiting the everyday ones to be put back in. The mantel's snowmen and trees are thinning. So things are progressing, but it seems like ever so slowly. I work at it for as long as I can and then I have to stop and rest for a while. This is the time of the year when I wonder "why" I do so much decorating and start thinking that I will do a bit less the next time that I decorate...but I know when the time comes to decorate once again I will have trouble not putting out favorites...which leads pretty much to what I am putting away...since I don't put out all that I have...I pick and choose when I am decorating. Along with it being a "blah" day it is also becoming a "bah" kind of day...as in "bah humbug" as Scrooge would say!

We are another step/day closer to our NIH trip next week. I have gotten our hotel reservations. We will be staying just a little way out from Bethesda, MD...on the VA side of the beltway and will drive back and forth each of the days that we are there. Should work well...as long as there isn't a problem on the beltway! His appointments for the scans and MRI's are a bit later in the morning this time so we don't have to be there quite as early as in the past. I just checked a 7-day forecast for Bethesda and it shows clear for Tuesday and Wednesday. We're just hoping for no snow...well, at least for no bad road conditions!