A Conversation with Elizabeth
1998
Week End/Beginning

From:          Elizabeth  
To:            LMixson@PEC.com
Sent:          Monday, November 16, 1998 1:26 PM
Subject:       Week End/Beginning
 
My weekend was somewhat restorative. I think I was very fatigued from my arthritis/knee flare-up this last week or so. I "crashed" at just before 9:30 on Friday night, after watching the sequence of news shows I like, with Millenium sandwiched in between.  I slept through until almost 9:30 on Sat. morning, which is very, very late for me. I think Millenium is better this season.  One thing I used to not like was the constant "flashing" which allowed Black to solve problems.  Now it only comes occasionally.  Sat. morning, sort of still half asleep, I made a quick trip to the "bread store" which is actually an outlet for surplus bread.  I had tried to go on Friday, but I did not know their hours had changed, so they were closed when I got there.  The new hours mean I can never go after work, as I can't get there before they close, so if I go it will have to be Saturday.  I always thought that by Sat. the "good stuff" would be gone, but when I got there the clerk, who knows me, wheeled out a cart and said "multigrain bagels."  She always knows I stock up on them.  I also got Bobolli and this walnut health bread I really like, as well as English muffins.  I freeze much of it, and go to the "bread store" only about once every two weeks.  Except for pita bread, I never buy bread at the grocery store. After that quick trip I decided to make another quick trip to stock up on chickens, which were on sale at a close by grocery.  I usually buy a couple and freeze them, as I love to do baked chicken with herbs. Coming out of the grocery I noticed that a little hut which used to be a "snowcone" house was now selling "gourmet coffee" drinks.  Since I had just gotten up, I swung in, out of curiosity, in part because the place is right across from the law school and many times on the way to night class I've wanted to get a cup of coffee, but with the traffic, etc., it's hard to do.  (This place is located on a light, which makes getting out easy.)  Anyway, the owner said he was going to try to be year round by selling mostly snowcones in the summer, then selling coffee, etc. in the winter.  I sat out in the hut and drank a leisurely cup of coffee and watched people doing Sat. morning things.  The hut was right close to a Krispy Kreme place and I never knew so many people got donuts on Sat. morning!! Then I came home and studied almost all day.  I did catch a sci fi channel movie in the evening though, which turned out to be by James Cameron.  It was interesting, dealing with virtual reality, but not particularly outstanding.  Sunday I woke up early and saw in the paper that K-mart had a floor style pedal cycle on sale.  I had seen one mentioned in a disability magazine, but have never seen one anywhere.  Basically, it is like a stationary bike, but it is only the pedals and a fly wheel.  You provide your own chair.  The rehab therapist said that bicycling would help keep my knee mobile.  I felt a little "dumb" buying it for almost 50.00 when the store had fully assembled bikes for about 80.00.  But I looked at the bikes and they were really sort of "cheap."  After that I made one more stop to get a potted amaryllis bulb.  I try to get one every Christmas, as I love the blooms.  They are so spectacular.   Usually they will go on sale about this time of year, but when they do they sell out very very fast.  Last year I almost missed getting one, and only did because someone had picked the last one up, but changed their mind.  Have you ever done the bulbs?  Basically they come with a pot, soil, and a bulb, for about five bucks.  All you do is water it.   Watching them unfold and bloom is so enjoyable and the flowers usually have four blossoms. The bulbs in the kits are pretreated so they are guaranteed to bloom.  I put together the pedal bike and tried it out.  It works pretty well.  I'm hoping it will give my knee more of a flexibility work out than walking does, as walking actually leaves my knee stiff afterwards sometimes. The flyer said it was also aerobic exercise.  I didn't think it would be, but after doing it for a while, it did begin to have that effect.  You can't stand up on it, just sit though.  Anyway, a weekend full of little things, but pleasurable to me.  Sun. aft. I had a long nap, and later watched X-files and The Practice.  I thought X-files was okay, with some humor.  The Practice was absolutely excellent.  It seems to get better and better. 
 
I hope you're well.  A rather chatty letter.  I don't know what state you're in, but just think of it as a hello.   

Re: Week End/Beginning