Wednesday morning was the appointment to take off the snow tires from our car and change the oil. I was a real skeptic about the need for snow tires back in November, but then it snowed in February, so I was wrong! Anyway, for my 9am appointment less than 4 miles away, I left at 8:30am. First I forgot the car keys, so I had to come back. Then the traffic was absolutely horrible, bumper to bumper on all the surface streets around here. For a good while I didn't move at all. It usually takes under 10 minutes to get there, but this time it took nearly an hour. Anziano Balzotti picked me up after I dropped off the car. We had planned ahead of time to meet there at 9am; he hit similar traffic, but we both got there at the same time.
After getting home, I ate breakfast and showered, then walked down to Conad for some food for us, as well as the Chinese store for a couple of things. It being Wednesday, with no planned evening activity at the Institute (what we had had in mind fell through), there was nowhere we had to go all day, so it was nice to have some time at home to plan and prepare. The car wasn't ready until about 1pm, and they called right before they closed for lunch, so we had to wait for a while. Dee wanted to go out on her own again, down to a different Chinese store nearby, and she was able to navigate it fine using Gino, as there were ramps at all the corners. Dee writes:It's so great to be able to go out on my own! I didn't know for sure whether I would be able to navigate that path, but I was happy to find all the ramps. The sidewalks are blacktop and often in bad shape, so I have to keep both hands firmly on the handlebars, but it's doable! Finally Anziano Balzotti picked me up and took me over to the auto repair place in the mid-afternoon, as the rain was starting
From there, I went to the mall, hitting Ikea for a handful of things for the Institute, and then picking up some toiletries and food staples at Auchan. By the time I got home, it was after 5pm. We then had a relaxed and productive evening at home.
I was able to arrange for a new GP doctor for my Dad. Skype is a great tool for keeping on top of things! I also worked on a number of desk things--my lesson for this Sunday and organizing papers among them.