Daily Update, September 10, 2023

   Today was Sunday, so I contacted Uber after breakfast. The fellow was only 4 or 5 minutes away and assured me he'd always be happy to pick me up. That was nice to hear. {Smile}

   I started early enough, and he picked me up quickly enough, I had time to visit with both Auntie Barbara and another friend before the service, as well as preparing my hymnal since they've stopped printing most of the hymns in the service bulletins to help the environment by saving paper. They give us a bookmark with five ribbons, and only print the shortest of the six songs unless one doesn't come from the hymnal. {Smile}

   Auntie Barbara had come even earlier to stand in for a greeter at the early service who couldn't make it. I could not manage getting up that early, even though I live a lot closer, so have a shorter trip. She taught Sunday school again and are amazed at how it is growing. She's concerned they'll have to restart after her trip that's coming up, but with this good a trial start, I don't think she has much to worry about for a firmer start. {Smile}

   I sat with her and some folks I know but haven't been sitting with recently for lunch. It was nice talking with them and getting to know them a bit better. I thought I was making arrangements to donate some cat food that Val won't eat to the folks on Maui, but Auntie Barbara wants to see if Michelle can either use the cat food or find a friend of hers who can because it's so expensive to ship. I tried to checking shipping later, and she has a point. {smile}

   Auntie Barbara went to Island Naturals to do some grocery shopping on the day of their monthly special. I picked up some raisins, myself. Then she took me home and visited with Mom. We sang a few songs with Mom, and then Auntie Barbara left with half the cat food. She'll either bring it back or get the rest later, I guess. {Smile}

   I ate dinner with Mom and read to her before that. I started with scripture and thoughts about it. Next, I read more from her niece's long family Christmas letter from 2020. Then I showed her the last few pages of _Mele Kalikimaka: Christmas in Hawai'i_, with its mostly Christmas themed pictures. After that, I read "Hansel and Gretel from _365 Bedtime Stories and Rhymes_, which was long for that book, but still a shorter version than many. I finished with _Bright-Eyes_, the September 9th poem from _366 Stories for Bedtime: A Tale for Every Day of the Year_. Bright-Eyes was the youngest of Mother Rabbit's children, but a lively and disobedient one, determined to visit the cows despite his mother's warnings about the fox and men with guns. So, his mother went to the fairy of the forest for advice. The fairy painted Bright-Eyes a camouflaging green and changed the camouflaging paint's color with each season. {Smile}

   I did my walking exercises, arm resistance exercises, arm swinging exercises, leg exercises, standing arm weight training exercises, sitting arm weight training exercises, and head exercises between when Perogies left in the evening, and my salsa dancing. Yes, I did over 20 minutes of salsa dancing, including both warmup and less structured dance. {Smile}

   I settled onto my computer after Auntie Barbara left, reading articles and comics, and writing up yesterday's daily update before I let myself hop into City of Heroes: Homecoming. I started with paperwork, since I didn't see anyone, I particularly like teaming with. Then I started solo play until I saw a team that was doing some single missions - the high-level ones with two particularly good rewards a day. I joined on the character who needed them the most. I ran several missions before they broke up. They give okay rewards after the two particularly good ones, and that character can use them. Besides, I enjoyed getting the hang of the team. That team broke up a short while before I like to read to Mom, giving me time to do some paperwork. {Smile}

   After supper, I hopped back into City of Heroes: Homecoming, and spotted Mysty. I said hi, and we chatted a very little before she went to bed. So, I soloed on the character I was developing earlier, until Perogies came on, and asked to team on the new characters. We did so for two or three missions before he was ready to go back to bed. Then I worked on my exercises, with some soloing and comics mixed in between some exercises and salsa dancing. I'm particularly trying to develop that one character. {Smile}