Tuesday's child

Tonight was Art Guild and I am sad to report that neither Martie nor Chris came. The first part of the meeting was a 'thank you' to the two companies who sponsored our show at the Thrasher-Horne Center. It was the largest reception the Art Guild or the Thrasher has ever had, with over 400 people in attendance. I've not even seen my own piece on display yet! This event took place when I was in WI so that's how I missed it. Each of the business owners was given a plaque and certificate from the Guild, plus heavy doses of applause for their support. The part that made me saddest was Martie and I didn't get to go have our strawberry margarita afterward!

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Anyway, our guest speaker was a rep from Golden Paints who was doing a presentation about their products, distributing a folder of material for us to take home. One of the first things we did was look at the color sample sheet which is hand-painted in their factory, each and every sheet, each and every tube, and each and every bottle hand-painted to show the actual, true color of the paint inside. Very neat, very customer-service oriented.

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What I like personally about the paints are the names, makes me wonder who gets the jobs of naming paint colors or ice cream flavors. Jill might know the second one...

Cadmium, quinacradone, anthraquinone, aureoline, pyrrol---I'll bet my spell checker will fly into a tizzy trying to figure out these paint colors or characteristics. While the things he was telling us about the products was fine, his delivery was, at best, mechanical, almost militant, so I got up an opportune time and left. I'll have to apologize to Dee about leaving because she's in charge of programs. Of course, she has no way of knowing what the rep from a company will be like. Two years ago when Golden spoke with us, it was a very nice, personable young lady who had some vim, vigor, and vitality, quite unlike this guy!

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I did a quick soda run to Winn Dixie and got a few other things before heading home to watch the debate. Since Twila and Caroline will be over tomorrow for cropping, I want to have some snacks and such on hand for them. Twila is going to the beauty shop first and then will be over. Caroline has not been here before but knows basically where I am located. She lives out by the 'old' Smokey's Restaurant so has quite the ride into town just for cropping. She's got a lot of fun toys for scrapbooking and her hubby reports that she 'plays with it every day!'

My kinda girl!

I should be outside right now!

It's so beautiful outside today, cloudy with a warm breeze. I did a lot of reading poolside last week and should do the same today. I am working on a document for the BOD president for use at a big meeting on the 20th but am taking a break now to jot a few lines.

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I am halfway through The Shack, a book which seems to be the rage these days. Not normally a rage reader, or a reader at all, Judy R. said I should read this, with filters, of course, and hang on for dear life. The premise is a man, in mid-life, revisits, at invitation, the shack where his young daughter lost her life several years ago. The invite, we are lead to believe, is from God, to help this man deal with his "Great Sadness" which he wears on his heart and spirit. The Trinity is working with Mack to see clearly how all things work within God's control and to see the meaning, the value, if you will, of the sorrow and joy in our lives. Like Judy suggested, I hang on for dear, dear life as I read. Filters in place, of course.

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On a much lighter note, one of my favorite TV commercials was just on, where a plumber is installing all these funky things in a shower: heat control, numerous heads, and gorgeous opera music playing. Once adjusted, he comes into the room, still tucking in, to report the shower is ready to go. I just love the idea of the plumber showering and listening to opera. Go Kohler!

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I had to go close the patio doors a bit because the wind was whipping my hanging lanterns into a frenzy, causing them to smack against the frame or the ceiling or each other! They look so good there but it's not the best situation when the wind is actually blowing like it is today. It appears to be raining in Mandarin which might account for the crazy wind switch. I meant to report on Sunday that the dredging barge was back in place, arriving Saturday night at dark. But, today, it has pulled up and left the basin again. Wish I knew what was going on with that business out there. I know once the marina is built, people will buy a slip and bring their boats in, and I'll rejoice listening to the clink, clink, clink of sail hardware. Al, the man who told me last week that I lift his spirits, used to have his sailboat anchored at my house on the lake and I'd awaken to happy boat noises every morning. I never got a ride on his sailboat, it just didn't work out, probably since I loved my jet boat so much more!

The day after the game

Oh well, so much for staying up late to watch the game. It was close enough at the end, not an edge-of-your-seat ending like we've had the past couple games but, unfortunately, "we" still lost by three points.

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Speaking of points, once again the TV held me captive this afternoon as I watched FNC, complete with hourglass indicating our time was running out. Perhaps not all that dramatic, but the effect was the same. Normally, I am listening to the radio until 3:00 or so but since my Internet is not available (more on that later) went to TV to watch rather than listen.

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Its horrible fall recovered, in case you didn't know, getting up beyond 10000 before closing at just under this "magic" number. The financial news abroad is supposedly dragging ours down despite our so-called bail out plan. So much for Justin's wishful suggestion about going to live in Florence. The dollar is getting a bit stronger against the euro but will need to get a get moreso before it would make sense financially to relocate. I'd love to give Justin time overseas with me as his side-kick, but the taxes are much higher in Italy than in Greece. The worst part about staying overseas would be not having a Lutheran church to attend, at least not handily. Could be a great outreach opportunity!?!?!

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Back again, on Tuesday. Oh this Internet stuff is making me nutso! At this moment I have wireless service in the family room which proves fleeting as well. Thursday I am supposed to get my new Internet stuff delivered and I've been assured by the nice ATT lady that it's simple to install. I will no longer have home phone service since the line will be only for the computer so when folks call me on the land line, all they'll hear is ring ring ring. No machine, no recording, nothing, with no other solution to this if I wish to keep the number as mine. I've had it so long that it is my desire to keep it if I ever need a land line again. Call me sentimental or call me silly---just don't call my home number!

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I have the patio doors and house doors open with a warm breeze blowing through, wind chimes singing, and things blowing around my river room. Something just made a falling sound but I'm not about to go look. No matter how I strain my ears, I cannot pick out the tune Pachelbel's Canon in D from my wind chimes. Was I sold a bill of goods on that one?

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Monday was my niece, Lisa's, birthday, being now a 35 year old mama of two boys. This coming weekend Noah and she are heading to Las Vegas where they are planning to have, for some reason, a tacky wedding. Often it's the other way around--tacky JP wedding first, lovely wedding service second. Not Lisa! She had the lovely church marriage back in 2000 and just for fun, the tacky one in Las Vegas. Tommy's trip to LV nearly coincided with theirs and she was hoping he'd be available to walk her down the aisle this time, but he arrives later than they do. Wouldn't that have been sweet? Kenny Rogers look-alike instead of Elvis!!! Lisa is looking forward to seeing some of her favorite poker players while she's there---she'll have the Gambler in one way or another!!!!

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Being a horrible lazy bones this a.m. because of not sleeping well last night, I didn't go downtown to hear/see Sarah Palin and the other pols at The Landing. One of the active volunteers at headquarters on 103rd Street said they were looking for a larger venue for her speech but evidently didn't find it, or the notice was too short. It sounded like the crowd was enthusiastic, as expected, especially since McCain used to live here in Orange Park and served at NAS JAX, just down the road from me.

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Justin had asked me to have dinner tomorrow night because he wasn't car pooling but I have a meeting with pastor before choir rehearsal. I was going to try to reschedule but haven't done so yet. Now he says if it's okay with me, he'd go to his roomie's brother's football instead. That is really quite fine with me because it's hard to readjust schedules the way it is, even though supper with my Justin would have been great! We will be together Thursday for breakfast and Bible study again so it's not like we aren't spending good time with each other.

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Dave, the doorman, had to use a razor knife to open my mailbox for me yesterday because someone had tried to glue my condo number back onto the face of the box, but it ran down and sealed the box! The letter carrier (Newman!) opens the entire front of the boxes so didn't know it was glued shut. I half expected it to be bricked up, those jack-booted thugs, but instead it was absolutely packed with mail! Dave had to use two hands to pull the mail out, 23 of which were catalogs!!! Once upstairs and sorted, I had only three pieces worth keeping including a package from Lynn in Manty, sending my left behind scrapbook paper and a sweet thank you note for the surprise party. You are most welcome, Lynn! Thanks for sending the Europe themed paper that Linda gave me, and the stamp! I also got a hand-written letter from a lady Kerry and I know as Mama K, someone we worked with at Shady Lane many moons ago. Her daughter is the keeper of the sugar cookies at Copps and she kept me informed about Mama K's health problems. I never did get to see "Arlene" when I was up there so now look forward to sending her a letter back. She thanked me for a book about surviving cancer, inspirational in nature, when I was up there in April.

I saw soooooo many of my former co-workers this visit, from Northern Lab and Shady Lane, not on purpose, either! Love it!