FRI 01 JULY to SUN 31 JULY 2022
FRI 01 JULY 2022
Made arrangements and took care of details to move a piece of equipment from my home to M and D's home. (After all that, there was no moving today.)
SCMA arrived before lunch and I was assigned the task of conducting a COVID-19 test for him. Of course, it came out with a strong Control line and no Test line, as did Lola's last night.
I ordered items via CVS, and will offer to do the same later for D and M.
SCMA walked in the 90 degree Fahrenheit heat back home to change and to take a nap. I returned the moving equipment.
SAT 02 JULY 2022
SCN led our group in Zoom yoga, as usual. Went with M to the pan-Asian mart in the Strip District, then to Shadyside to pick up specialty burgers.
SUN 03 JULY 2022
D, M, and I attended the televised 10.00 Mass for the 14th Sunday in Ordinary Time-C. There was no Bible Study this past Wednesday, due to a last-minute cancellation. This Mass was celebrated by Fr Kris Stubna. Nathan S, the sacristan, and the shorter (bespectacled) child were the servers. Mary McC lectored, and Audrey C was a Eucharistic Minister, and Victoria Crowley was scheduled as a EECM, too. Music ministry was provided by Becky, and by the organist in the loft.
Mass Acclamations were from the Mass by Peter Latona.
MFMA was already at Lolo at Lola's, and we welcomed WA and SCMA for lunch, too.
Family Zoom for all who wanted to participate (and could, due to cooperative Wifi).
MON 04 JULY 2022
Went for supplies and groceries at two stores in East Liberty this morning. Also helped M make meatloaf (but I won't do that...), including making maple ketchup. I attended to some administrative duties, including making the obstinate printer to work. Helped MFMA with laundry, too.
A sad outcome for a 4th parade in Highland Park, a suburb of Chicago.
another situation in Las Vegas:
D, M, and I had dinner of homemade meatloaf. Definitely maple-y ketchup. M and I attended the rebroadcast televised noon Mass from Our Lady of Mercy Downtown. Fr Joe Freedy celebrated the Mass and inadvertently gave the end-of-Mass blessing at the beginning of the Liturgy of the Eucharist (!). He admitted to "slip(ping)." The recessional hymn was a cappella "God Bless America." I thought of Kate Smith, and of a whole table of relatives singing this, at JO's wedding!
Watched the last half of A Capitol Fourth on PBS. Was plentifully surprised to see Gloria Gaynor, a Grande Dame of Disco, introduced, and was even more pleasantly surprised to hear her sing her anthem, "I Will Survive," so movingly.
Adventure waiting for "Godot" whilst messages get crossed at prime fireworks time.
TUE 05 JULY 2022
Helped M and MFMA with moving items from storage this morning. Thus, I need to postpone my watching the recorded All Staff Zoom meeting.
Went swimming, too, for ~20 minutes, punctuated by 2 sessions of water exercises (les exercices de ronde de jambe).
Enjoyed baked beans with dinner! Second night Jeopardy! is on at 19.30. Missed it again tonight, but hopefully we will see it tomorrow.
WED 06 JULY 2022
After lunch and a nap, whooshed M to the yearly medical appointment. Went home to organize items and to retrieve a pair of rain shoes---it was pouring when I returned.
Bible study was cancelled at the last.
THU 07 JULY 2022
A mellow, hot day in the mid- to high-80s Fahrenheit. Ordered some things online, inspired by the QR code on my underseat handbag.
FRI 08 JULY 2022
Found out more about the lecture series at work.
After lunch, I went grocery shopping in Friendship/Shadyside and also at the Palenkeng de Malaking Aguila in Shadyside. Lots of icy refreshment for the near future! Italian ices and two flavors of ice cream.
After dinner, watched Jeopardy with D and M.
This evening, worked on administrative paperwork due soon.
SAT 09 JULY 2022
D, M, and I sang for the birthday of one of my favorite U's. We sang via phone.
SUN 10 JULY 2022
Today I lectored at the noon Mass. Fr Kris Stubna celebrated the Mass, Christina McC cantored, accompanied by Brian. Eucharistic Ministers included Geri.
MON 11 JULY 2022
Got a call from the drugstore this morning. Also did my Zoom exercise class. Accompanied M to doctor's appointment.
TUE 12 JULY 2022
Work Zoom in the afternoon for 0.5 hour. Poetry read by a neighbor, CM. SLH and I went for a walk to get Rita's Frozen Custard in waffle bowls.
WED 13 JULY 2022
Ran errands today, Downtown, South Oakland, etc.
This evening, Bible Study for the readings for this Sunday, facilitated by Fr Mike Darcy + 7.
THU 14 JULY 2022
Called BAM; JO on her way to Pittsburgh.
FRI 15 JULY 2022
WA joined D, M, and I to pick up JO from PIT. There was a meditation session led by K. Ging catered a lovely, delicious, plenteous kamayan dinner event for us!
SAT 16 JULY 2022
Visit to k and K, B and S's farm, replete with tour. During the day, some of us sat and meditated in a group setting. Dinner back with the whole clan included K's homemade dinuguan, and vegan dinuguan, and several desserts, including homemade halo halo, assembled with shaved ice and a homemade halo halo mix concoction, all topped with Dad's leche plan, atsaka ube jam.
SUN 17 JULY 2022
Delicious breakfast which featured fresh blueberries (picked from the farm yesterday) with Stateside maple syrup.
After breakfast, D, M, Gus, Chil, and I attended the Mass recording from the National Cathedral in Washington, DC.
Folks who wanted to go to the swimming hole made sandwiches to bring with us, then we enjoyed a great time at the swimming hole on a fork of the river which feeds into the Monongahela River. A short visit to B and S's, with a great discussion with B, including a group picking more berries, followed by a return to the whole group and a homemade (mostly vegan) dinner. B and Gabriel and Bryce with their youngun all joined us for dinner. G and C departed, and, after dinner, WA, MM, and SCMA did, too. Then, I recorded D for oral history.
There was a massive guitar-accompanied Beatles/ Neil Diamond/ Queen/ Debby Boone/ Richie Valenzuela/ Elvis Presley Jam Session ("Ube" Jam Session). I was fortunate to have my new-to-me microphone, laptop, and just-uploaded Audacity software, which made the recording possible. I stressed that we can neither post this on a family Facebook website, nor broadcast the recording, due to music licensing.
Soon after, the bulk of us played a game in a room (I abstained, while trying to figure out the Audacity files).
MON 18 JULY 2022
K prepared breakfast for the pamilya. BW delivered a large bouquet of multi-colorful zinnias on her way to work today. We departed (D, M, JAA, MFMA, and I) with JAA as the driven, designated driver! After loading the trunk, we headed back to da Boig. Just over the Pennsylvania border, JAA stopped for gasoline/food/a pit stop. Quite productive for all five of us. Arrived late in da Boig.
TUE 19 JULY 2022
Brought over to D and M's some spinach and cheese cannelloni for dinner heat-up tonight. JA re-delivered a misdelivered piece of mail for D this afternoon. Talked about some pigment and medium books which I have in my library; they were collected during my undergraduate and graduate work...wondering if S/AA would be interested.
WED 20 JULY 2022
Went to work to attend the Active Threat training. Lori M wisely suggested that we do a 1-on-1 training session. I sent her an album of photos from the Evacuation Training. PMc stopped by to pick up JAA. MFMA and SCMA stopped by before they left with MM for their new home. Went swimming: 30 minutes of BrSt punctuated with water exercises at half time and at the end. Leftover cannelloni for dinner. Yum.
THU 21 JULY 2022
M. President tests positive for COVID.
FRI 22 JULY 2022
A celebration of "Not Extinct, Just Retired" (as CM had inscribed on a dinosaur-emblazoned cake decorated from a patisserie in Whitehall) for PH. It was a surprise, replete with her hubby, the few and proud NHIs remaining from the Docent Class of 2016, some other NHIs, Jess R (with her daughter, and of course her mom), and other administrators. We greatly enjoyed the cake with sparkling fizzy flavored French La Croix drinks. I pulled out the Jeopardy! game I had prepared (PH is a Jeopardy! winner/alumna), replete with the odd Potpourri question (not attributed aloud to its donor, H, during the day's festivities). Only 5 categories made the cut---categories were delineated by large nametags on the 5 fellow NHIs/Clues Crew team members. After humming the Jeopardy! theme song for the second time this afternoon, I read the clue for Final Jeopardy! Many photos were taken this afternoon, including a class photo of our Docent Class.
Spent some time in the mid-to-late afternoon with JAA, who had just returned from a drive to East Liberty at the taqueria and the Creative Reuse store. After dinner D, M, JAA, and I watched Season 1: Episode 5 of The Good Place on Netflix.
SAT 23 JULY 2022
Very early JO departed for her flight, via Uber or Lyft.
Today was Super Science Saturday at the museum. I was stationed at the 2 Tyrannosaurus rexes for half my shift (I love converting the visitors into paleontologists whilst they interact with me), then at the Amber station for the second half of my shift.
SUN 24 JULY 2022
Celebrated the 17th SUN of Ordinary Time by attending the televised 10:00 Mass with Fr Kris Stubna and Deacon Tom Berna. Debbie Zugates cantored, accompanied by the organist at the Beckerath console. Servers were Antonio, Luke, and a seminarian. The scheduled lector was to be Gerry Gasperella. Eucharistic Ministers were Deacon Tom Berna, Rich DiC, and Judy Nocito?
The Gospel Reading (Luke 11:1-13) included the prayer the Pater Noster/ Our Father.
Fr Kris mentioned in his Homily the television show Who Wants to Be a Millionaire. His point was that "no one can do it alone [everyone needs friends as lifelines]."
Raising of our hearts and minds to God
[Pray] regulary and often---
and from the Catechism of the Catholic Church: "Pray more often than you breathe."'
Baltimore Catechism: "Prayer is a work of the Holy Spirit."
"Ask and you shall receive..."
Prayer---"[Asking for] the Grace and Strength to receive what he will give us."
He reminded us that Sta. Monica prayed every day for the conversion of her son, St. Augustine, and from Ste Jeanne de Chantelle said that "if God is deaf in one ear, speak in the other."
MON 25 JULY 2022
Online Zoom exercise class in the morning. Brought M to medical appointment in the afternoon.
TUE 26 JULY 2022
Rebuilding of the Fern Hollow Bridge starts today:
https://www.post-gazette.com/news/transportation/2022/07/25/fern-hollow-bridge-replacement-beam-delivery-design-construction-reopening-penndot-pittsburgh-collapse/stories/202207250073?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_content=editors-picks-frontpage-frontpage&utm_campaign=Headlines-Newsletter
Had a doctor's appointment today. X Rays, talk with the doctor.
WED 27 JULY 2022
Had a meeting at work with LM re: Active Threats. Productive meeting.
THU 28 JULY 2022
Meeting via telecomputer.
Order supplies.
Went for a 33-minute-long swim-with-water exercises. A little baby was crying loudly and inconsolably in its mom's arms in the changing area. I sang a couple of verses of a children's song to the baby, which caused the baby to become silent. "The Magic of Music"! Or, the song is "universal," according to the mother.
FRI 29 JULY 2022
The Ukrainian President left the capital to go to the port city of Odessa, where the country's grain was being held for months before export. This was due to Russian forces forcing retention of these supplies from the rest of the world.
Had lab tests this morning.
Had an appointment with the optometrist specialist, and a meeting with a friend in Oakland. Delicious dinner of leftover butternut squash, shrimp, ginger, and coconut milk soup; chayote, upo, and shrimp soup. Delicious mango, and other fruit (peach) for a rolling dessert.
SAT 30 JULY 2022
Took the bus with MoMc to Squirrel Hill. Went to Malaking Aguila store, with a young girl busking by playing a Chinese stringed instrument in front. Got a gift card there, and ran an additional errand---sat to rest, and saw GH and SLH. We chatted about walking this week. Went for a ~25 minute swim and water exercise session. Busy--split a lane with a kind woman.
SUN 31 JULY 2022
Celebrated the 18th SUN in Ordinary Time by observing and participating in the televised 10:00 Mass. Fr Steve Palsa celebrated the Mass and delivered the Homily. Near the beginning of the Homily he discussed a Bedouin woman who welcomed a group of tourists by selflessly making bread for them. He also discussed the life of Catherine McAuley, who helped indigent Dubliners, then came to Pittsburgh, where she founded the Sisters of Mercy, who were known as the "Sisters with Feet on the Street." We can all aim to be more like these women, by giving time, talent, and resources to become people of deeper faith, by praying for each other.
posted by Grace @ 7/01/2022 05:55:00 PM
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