Daily Update, February 22, 2024

    Auntie Barbara came around eleven. She visited with Mom, and we sang six of her songs with her. Then she told Mom that she was taking me out to a much belated birthday lunch, and Mom spontaneously sang Happy Birthday, which we joined in on again. That's her favorite song, since it's the one she's most likely to start singing without prompting. {Smile}

   Then we joined Michelle, who was waiting out by the car. She'd picked lemons while waiting, which is great. I lose many to no one picking in time. Then we went down to Island Naturals, where we met up with Scott. We all picked out lunch, and Auntie Barbra insisted on paying as her treat. Scott came with us, leaving his car by Island Naturals. We went to Wailoa first, but all the small pavilions with tables were taken. The big pavilions were empty of both people and places to sit. You're expected to bring your own tables and chairs these days. They took them out at the beginning of the pandemic. {smile}

   So, we tried Liliu'okalani Gardens, and started to sit at a table when it started raining again. We ate in the car, with the lunches we picked out at Island naturals, and some chocolate cake Scott brought. He'd made it himself, and it was very good. Then we took Scott back to his car by Island naturals before they took me home. We were, of course, talking the whole time, which was great. {Smile}

   I ate dinner with Mom and read to her before that. She was awake and looked at all the pictures and listened to the stories today. First, I began with scripture and thoughts about it. Then I continued her niece's long family Christmas letter from 2020. Next, I continued: _Mele Kalikimaka: Christmas in Hawai'i_. After that, I read the next story in _Five-Minute Stories: Over 50 Tales and Fables_, "Rumpelstiltskin." I ended with the 22nd of February's story from _366 Stories for Bedtime_, "The Frozen Lake."  Claire lives in Canada, where lakes freeze hard, and snow is on the ground for months in winter. Claire was very good at ice skating. It was her favorite sport. She could skate fast, and backwards, and leap and twirl. Claire often skated alone on a lake near her house. her mother asked if she felt lonely there, but Claire assured her that sometimes bears kept her company, and sometimes she rode on a reindeer. Then she winked at her mother, who smiled back. {Smile}

   After teaming for the evening, I did my arm resistance exercises and arm swinging exercises, followed by my salsa dancing warm-up set. Then I did my less structured salsa dancing, my head exercises, my standing arm weight training exercises, and two of my four sitting arm weight training exercises after a break. I've really been feeling like I should do more of my exercises, and I finally did. I hope to add in the other two sitting arm weight training exercises particularly soon. {Smile}

   I browsed the internet, reading some articles and thinking about web fiction hosts after breakfast and before starting to get ready for Auntie Barbara. When I got back, I played Cross Stitch World and wrote up the day before's daily update before cleaning myself up.  As soon as I was done, I dashed into City of Heroes: Homecoming particularly late. Pierogies and Kitten were there, and eager to watch a movie. Luckily it is in segments, so we watched four segments, slipping in the last right before I went to read to Mom. {Smile}

   After dinner I hopped back into City of Heroes: Homecoming. I started on paperwork, and Gargle Ripper invited me to team up. I tried to get Kitten's attention, but they were unresponsive. I did get my new friend, Rivka, to join the group, I found out that's what she wants to be called in these updates. Later, I got Dr. Faustus to join us as well, once he'd finished with a taskforce he'd been running. I also talked with Nox and Hayden on the Chat world, in the conversation we three share with Nik. We teamed, with some leaving early, and others coming in. Rivka left partway through my evening. Eventually, our leader left, as did a couple others at the same time. Dr. Faustus and one other stayed for a hunt I had before we broke up, too. I wrote this, did paperwork in City of Heroes: Homecoming, and looked at web fiction hosts some more between and after the exercises. I still managed to head to bed too late, but at least with more exercises done. {Smile}