Going out for the day

The day started slowly; once again, I was able to make my own breakfast, and eventually Ted and Marty both woke up and we talked about what we might want to do. I was easily short of breath, but was eager to get out. It was a bright, sunny day, but only in the forties. All of us were just puttering around for awhile; Ted cooked some breakfast for himself, Marty and I did the Times puzzle. The Friday and Saturday puzzles are the tough ones each week, so we were quite pleased that we were able to complete both of them.

I was getting hungry for lunch (I had eaten much earlier than either of them), and was craving a chicken salad sandwich, so I suggested that we go out to a nearby restaurant, called the Arlington Diner (although it's not really a diner in the classic sense); Marty suggested that after that we go to an arts and crafts fair in Marlborough (one of the western suburbs of Boston), that his friend Donna called to remind him about (she couldn't go because she was working).

It was a nice drive. The fair was held in a hotel, with probably close to a hundred exhibitors, and there were some really beautiful things, although everything was way out of our price range. But it was fun to look at beautiful jewelry, paintings, photographs, pottery, woodcarvings, and lots of other things. Of course, I used my scooter, so it was easy for me to get around, but after awhile I was getting pretty tired.

We had driven out on the highway, but on the way back Marty drove on secondary roads through some pretty New England towns. Once we were home, I just wanted to get back into bed, but was feeling very happy about getting out.

Last night, Ted and I had cooked the same potato and cheese dish I made a few weeks ago; while it was in the oven it boiled over and the kitchen got quite smoky (which couldn't possibly be good for me). We opened some windows, and when we left today I started the oven's self-clean cycle. While we were driving out to Marlborough I got a call from Julie, who had smelled the smoke, so I explained what happened; she said she'd opened some windows. When we got home, I looked at the timer on the stove, and the clean cycle was on its final minute! Ted really enjoyed the casserole, which was as good as I remember it (http://www.boston.com/lifestyle/food/articles/2009/02/18/ham_and_potato_casserole/?page=full).

I'm not sure if I'll get out again tomorrow, but I'm sure that on Monday I'll be able to go to acupuncture for the first time in several weeks.