Whew! Takin' a break...

....after a full day! For some reason, I decided to get showered and dressed immediately when I got up, and am so glad I did. Not long after sitting down at my desk did my phone ring, Martie calling from the road. She had a follow-up mammogram right off the bat this a.m. (she would not allow me to accompany her to the appointment) and she called with good news. Merely tissue making a dark spot on the original mammogram, all clear! Whoo hoo! Off we went to celebrate at Cracker Barrel, having only met there yesterday with Chris for lunch. That was where she was close to when calling so she just pulled in and got us a table.

*

Since I was going to have lunch at the Art Guild Board meeting later, I ate light, trying a restaurant version of biscuits 'n gravy. Joanne's homemade sausage gravy was far superior to this, and I only ate one half of a biscuit. Martie took the rest home for Ernie so nothing went to waste. We thanked the Lord for sparing her from the dreaded cancer or other maladies which could have caused her a problem. Such great news!

*

After getting back home, I worked for a bit on the newsletter, in violation of my new discipline plan, until it was time to leave for the meeting. I had been to Carolyn's once before but was not 100% sure where the house was located. Extra driving time was allowed to locate her home and then find room to park. Carolyn lives in my old stomping ground on Fleming Island and it was sort of cool to drive past so many homes I had a hand in building. We talked a bit about the Architectural Review Board and restrictions, which many who did not live in EH found oppressive. I assured them people are well aware of what they are getting into when building in EH, that it is the deed restrictions and governance that gives this community its splendor and quality...sounds like I still work there, doesn't it??

*

Because our hostess was feeding us, our meeting took a tad longer than normal. She was baking some of our menu and somehow or another the oven got turned off, which caused for some obvious delays....Well worth the wait, however, because she served a chicken fettuccine casserole, a veggie casserole which was just amazing, yes, amazing, and fruit salad made with whipped cream and peach yogurt. Oh, my! For dessert she made bread pudding which I did not have. I had a sugar cookie with my lunch so no room left for bread pudding!

*

In a couple weeks Carolyn is heading to Italy with her sister to attend a cooking class in Cortona! I am so jealous! How I would like to go, too, but certainly NOT to a cooking class. Cortona is the town where Francis Mayes settled down in real life and her book and in the movie, "Under the Tuscan Sun". The area, Tuscany, is so gorgeous, I even considered moving there myself before the bottom fell out of the market. A friend of mine whose hubby is from Italy said that non-citizens are not obligated for income taxes there. They are thinking about moving there, too, dividing their time between USA and Italy, half a year each place. Not sure how that works out for their sons and school but certainly they have considered all that. I vacillated between Italy and Greece for my retirement plans, thinking Greece is my favorite but the foods not as appealing and no real access to "my" church. Italy has much better food and more possibility to be served by at least a chaplain every so often. A moot point now, of course, since it appears I am staying put for awhile. But it sure was fun talking about Amalfi again today!

Thank you, Lord, for easing my pain!

I must write in between episodes of concentration-robbing mouth discomfort. Something in my teeth is acting up again, and why not? It has been a year, well, nearly, since my last root canal! Fortunately my dentist was able to x-ray me yesterday and found nothing amiss, but as she said, it might be too soon. Anyone who knows me knows I am keenly aware of my teeth and their antics, being no stranger to the dental chair. If memory serves, and x-rays could confirm, I am at 17 root canals in my last 40 years....hence, the genuinely 'million dollar smile'!

*

My friend, Julia, wrote me yesterday to report she needed to take Cipro, a powerful antibiotic, for a kidney infection and told me she got it from Publix, FREE! Well, blow me down! Sure enough, when I went to get my penicillin scrip filled, it was free. Cool! Needless to say, it would take 15 minutes for it be ready for pick-up so: "do you have some other shopping to do?"...like someone is going to say "no"? I did manage to pick up a few things to use at home, like garbage bags, which we go through like nuts in our house. That is the problem with eating at home--garbage is produced in the kitchen! To say nothing of the foam boxes from the dining places that take up space in the cans. Joanne, an aside, had trouble sleeping last night so she was cooking pasta at 3:00 a.m.!! I never heard a thing, thankfully.

*

The river is gorgeous this morning, with boats dotting the water, small ones, evidently fishing as they appear to be stationary. Shore birds are strolling around on the exposed yukky-looking sandbar which appears when the water level is low, pecking at unseen insects or fish. The other night I saw a raccoon scooting forth and back on "dry land" from our dumpster area to the island. My neighbor, Pat, said our BOD was contacted by the condo building next door, cautioning against feeding these "near-rodents" because they are getting too familiar and coming up the stairs at The Capri. That would certainly be unacceptable, I would freak if I opened my door to be met by a raccoon. They may be rabid but most likely diseased or equally filthy in some way. The 'coons might be fun to watch and all that, but I really do not want to meet them up close and personal!

*

In between x-rays and grocery shopping, or non-grocery shopping, I did manage to work on the newsletter for church. I am yet waiting for information from the preschool and Lutheran Pioneers. Ever the multi-tasker, I washed the blankets from the end of my bed where Lynx used to lie. Joanne put them in the dryer and this a.m. when I went to get them out, I was greeted with a giant handful of lint! Mostly cat hair! And it is not as though these blankets are not washed regularly, either. Right now my room is trashed because the bed is stripped, washer doing its thing with my sheets and pillow cases. Unfortunately, I had to unpile my bed and stack my stacks elsewhere, precariously balanced on the bench, floor, or dresser top. One false move, and whoooosh!, papers everywhere!

*

This Sunday is New Member Sunday where our most recent members are officially greeted with a cake and light refreshment social after church. When we first started to do this, I had served hot dogs (prepared by Rick P.) and potato chips with the cake, then pared down to pizza and cake, and now, just cake! This quarter, we have three new adult members and one infant, but we have decided to wait until the baby's mom finishes her instruction class and welcoming them as a pair!

*

Sunday is also our Mother/Daughter Spring Fling, sponsored by the Ladies' Group. As of Monday night, Janet said there were 60 people coming from our church, plus two other area Lutheran churches! Judy J. is going to serve as my mom that day. I have purchased lady fingers and other "gourmet" cookies as the committee asked for finger-style desserts so no silverware is required. There is going to be a fashion show, comical in nature, but I won't give it away for those who are not familiar. I will tell you this much---Janet had to stop after our dinner Monday night to pick up assorted food wrappers from McDonald's, to use in the fashion show! I could come dressed as a whopper...........

Man, it is windy out there again!

Not quite like it was a couple weeks ago when the winds were clocked at 71 mph...Nowhere near THAT wild but enough so that all the papers blew off the table in the river room where Joanne had been busily working last night. Once gathered, I weighted the tossed pages with the binoculars. Finally I had to go close the doors because the decorative pane hanging in this room was just going bang bang bang against the wall, something which could not be tolerated for very long.

*

This morning was Bible study and then Longhorn, with a total of 10 people in attendance, so much for my wondering if we were even going to go! Gretchen had a birthday recently so the wait staff brought out a dish of ice cream with chocolate on it, sang and clapped, and she turned every shade of red. Then I led our little group with "Happy Birthday" and made her redder yet. But she also loved it! Sorry this is not more clear, but since I took it with my phone, that is the best I can do! See Darwin, Ethel, Gretchen, and Bonnie all having a good laugh over the birthday treat!

*

I nursed my last can of soda during Bible study, "Come, Worship Christ". We had the real treat of seeing and hearing Pete sing on the video tape, which was moving enough, but then the choir was singing, "I Know That My Redeemer Lives"...oh, my! Our discussion took us through selected hymns which clearly detail what the Lord has done for us, spelling out His creation, the gifts He gives us, the things done for us, especially our salvation. One of the hymns he mentioned was "In Christ Alone", a newer hymn which so perfectly sums up the work of the Lord.

*

We turned in the Bible to Philippians 4: 8 (Linda!!!), which is my funeral chapter, and read this Bible passage that helped me get through a lot of stuff before and after Timmy died. It served to help steer my mind away from what was happening around me, redirect toward more uplifting thoughts. Next, the lesson took us through how the melody and tone of a hymn or song move us, such as elevator music, shopping music, on-hold music, Christmas songs, etc.

*

Pastor went to the boom box and asked us to listen to an unnamed hymn, and indicate how or if it moved us....Two notes and I knew what it was, to which I piped, "You're killing me here...." almost without thinking. Yes, he played "Jerusalem, the Golden"....." "forever and forever are clad in robes of white. Jesus, in mercy bring us to that dear land of rest..." I commented that we about conducted my funeral today with seeing and hearing Pete Prange, the Bible reading, "In Christ Alone" and now "Jerusalem, the Golden"! Sniffle, sniffle....

*

"Jerusalem..." is playing right now as I write, because it has been rattling around in my head ever since he played the snippet during Bible study. Most of the people said they could not really understand the words but did notice the dynamics of the piece, how it begins softly and crescendos with the addition of horns and louder singing, "Forever and forever are clad in robes in white"...Pastor asked us what the hymn made us think about, and since the others had problems with the words, I offered my response (surprise surprise!) that it is a picture of heaven and what we long for. "The shout of them that triumph, the song of them that feast..." If memory serves, when Pete and Tarren played this for me the first time on his laptop, the words were not so clear, and I fear that the initial impact was lost on me. Now, of course, it's a whole 'nother story. The best story!

*

My phone was active during Bible study and in the restaurant, and I caught up on the calls on the way home. My dear friend, Judy, called from MN with her excited report on the weekend WELS Women's Retreat in Stillwater. She is pumped and inspired by the wonderful messages she heard, the hymns she sang, and people she was with. She is trying to think of ways to lure me up there for a retreat, even asking me later via e-mail if I would ever consider being a speaker at one of the sessions. Certainly much much consideration would need to be given to this idea, since much expository information would need to be shared. Would I be up to it? Sure! Would I get through it? No promises there!! Makes me think I should be working on my book, getting it wrapped up, as it were, to help me get wrapped up, too!

I am nearly in violation of my discipline...

.........so have to write quickly! This a.m. is Bible study and probably lunch at Longhorn. The reason I say "probably" is because we have a Ladies' Group dinner social tonight and some people do not like to eat out more than once a day. I know, I know, people are quirky sometimes...

*

Our dinner is at Up the Creek, a rustic-looking restaurant in OakLeaf, just up the road from church. This area is being developed tremendously, or at least it was before the housing slump. Or thump, as the case might be. When we were first looking for areas to build in when moving here 20 years ago, our partners' friend, Al, steered us away from Argyle, saying it was going nowhere. Well, Al??? What do you say now????

*

The movie Joanne and I saw yesterday was fantastic and I really recommend it. "The Soloist" is a movie based upon a real-life situation, where a newspaper writer has a chance meeting with a schizophrenic musician, beneath a statue of Beethoven, of all things. The writer manages to get the guy's name and tracks his history backward to determine what happened that this genius musician ended up living on the streets in LA. The movie exposes or shows the underside of the way some live as street people, the ugliness and sense of hopelessness mentally ill people experience. But the beauty is weighed against the ugliness, the writer's words expressing the unheard music of his protege.

*

Memorable thoughts from the movie include the musician, Nathaniel, describing the flapping wings of the pigeons as they fly off as sounding like applause. That struck me. At one point, the writer, Steve, managed to get a private seating to hear the symphony rehearse so Nathaniel and he could listen without him being freaked out. We "watch" the music through Nathaniel's eyes, the colors swinging and swooping behind closed eyes, much like the colors you see when your eyes are shut. He was obviously tranformed, and served to transform others at the safe house where his donated cello was stored. His music soothed the savage breast around the facility. Steve did not want to care about or for Nathaniel, starting out as "only a story" but then was sucked into his life and and and....I won't give the whole thing away before you all go see it!

*

Afterward, we met Twila and Jean at Mojo's BBQ for a wonderful dinner. They had been at the new theater with us, only saw a different movie, "Earth". Their movie began 15 minutes after ours so the timing was just right. We liked the new theater on Fleming Island although all four of us were plenty cold. Joanne and I could not figure out how to lift the arm rests but the nice young man said they do go up if you pull really hard. Because they are new, they don't operate quite freely yet. It cost twice as much for popcorn and soda than for admission, though, and I ended up bringing 3/4 of the popcorn home with me...too expensive to waste!

The weekend went by quickly

Here it is, Sunday night already. Did I sleep it away or what? No, I was plenty occupied, the days simply went by so quickly. My previous posting elicited such a great response comment-wise and I sooooooooo greatly appreciate the outpouring of concern and condolences. Just do not make me do that too often in order to get comments! That was enough drama to last me a good while!

*

Yesterday, after having Lynx put to sleep, I went on down the road to help Kris in her booth at the St. Margaret's Fair. The Art Guild also had a booth there with sufficient staffing so Kris and I held court on the opposite side of the parking lot. The weather was gorgeous all day, and I kept moving my chair further out of the tent and into the sunlight. On the way to Fleming Island I stopped to get a Route 44 from Sonic plus a plain hot dog since I had not eaten anything that a.m., with all the cat business and such. Kris walked down to get some bbq while I tended the booth. Oh, it smelled so wonderful, the smoker belching out the aroma of pork butt being roasted...mmmm......

*

When she came back, I took my turn strolling the grounds, stepped into the new church to use the bathroom and then checked out a booth two down for ours. They had leather purses on display, one of which was motioning to me...purple leather! Sort of patchworky-looking but primarily purple. And one sale at that! She was having a sale, 20% off all purchases so I came away with a lovely purse, for which I was in the market, as Justin would tell you, and saved money in the process. Since I won't be going to Florence any time soon, I had to give in and buy one 'round these parts instead. A purse is a very personal purchase, it has to be just right....being purple does not hurt either!

*

After a certain point, I told Kris I had to get going since I still had to clean at church that afternoon. She thanked me for keeping her company, so she didn't have to sit alone or leave her booth unattended for bathroom breaks, etc. It was my pleasure to do so, and I told her this. Kris then commented that she appreciated having me to herself for awhile, instead of having to "share" me with Dee and Julia. Sometimes people surprise me and that comment certainly did. It stinks to be me!

*

After vacuum cleaning the church, I was totally kaput so I rested when getting home rather than work on the newsletter as originally planned. What I had not planned on was having to have my cat put to sleep, making all other bets off for the day. After my rest I got busy with a few things, like watching TV or something until it was time to go join the Shelf Sitters on the 2nd floor deck. The ladies were still trying to make a decision on the paint and trim colors for the building, which I politely abstained being involved in. A couple reasons for not wanting to help was #1: I like brighter colors than the ones they were leaning toward, and #2: I have done that so much in my life already, including for our new classroom building at church, that I will just pass this time. It is too big a decision to mess up with, you know?

*

Joanne came home later, having already eaten dinner. She asked me if I had made something for supper and I said I had. Somehow or another, I had gotten ready for bed and left all my food out on the counter! I never do that, never make myself dinner and never leave it out! It is rare that I cook something and then to leave it out was simply senile of me. She took care of it so I didn't have to come out, but then came to tell me news which required me to stay seated: her father, an athiest, asked if he could attend church with her today!!! Joanne was right, I did need to sit down for this one! And he did join her for worship this a.m. and to that I can only say, "Never underestimate the power of the Holy Spirit!"

You have to be careful for what you wish....

......you might get it! My home is now free of pets after I surrendered Lynx to the care of the vet's office this a.m. The doctor could not figure out by physical examination or by going over the symptoms what was wrong with Lynx. She gave me the price for the blood work, $104, plus the cost of x-rays at $120....and then, what, if anything, the tests would show, the treatment would be added to that. I had already spent nearly $100 this week and simply could not justify spending more money. Since the doc could not make a determination for sure, she speculated that it might be liver or kidney trouble, with a long road to healing. I asked the technician what other people do in these cases. She said some folks would spare no expense for their pets, even if they had no chance of recovery or did not really have the money for the "repairs". Some recognized the fact that there just was not a chance for the pet and simply let them go. This was the option I chose. I let Lynx go..........

Saturday morning decision making

Morning came early today, not because of the cat, but because of the sun shining on me in my bed. Not complaining, mind you, only commenting. I found myself awake the first time at 3:45 a.m. when possibly a phone ringing on TV made me think my cell phone was going off. With my son out of town and not in my realm, it would not have been out of the question to get a call from someone in Miami, you know? I checked the phone, which was on my vanity, no calls. As long as I was up, I took care of some other business and went back to sleep. I woke up again right after 6:00 a.m.

*

The first thing I thought of was Lynx, wondering if she would still be alive this morning or would she have breathed her last behind my closet door during the night. She poked her nose out, meowed at me, and then laid back down. Lynx is certainly not right! I dumped out the milk I gave her last night which she merely tasted, and put clear water on the saucer, which she also tasted. And then started to spit up again. Nothing!

*

I called the vet's office this a.m. and they have an opening at 10:30 a.m. so I am taking her in again. I don't know what will happen, I feel badly for her not wanting to eat or drink anything, like we feel when having the flu. Joanne thinks she has been without food, other than the nibbles of tuna, no more than the size of my thumbnail, in about 5 days. Not right, just not right. She is thinking that since Lynx is so skittish already, going through a medical procedure will only make her moreso. Let's just see what the vet thinks about it and if she will just put her to sleep and out of misery. Like I told Suzanne in a comment on yesterday's posting, it really is all about relationships. I guess I like Lynx more than I thought, just really dislike the muss and fuss of cat boxes, food, and having someone to watch over her when I am gone....

*

A wonderful light breeze is moving through the house and I have shut off the A/C for the real thing. I put on the A/C at night for Joanne's comfort; for my comfort, I use the comforter! Justin has already closed the vents in my bathroom and bedroom so when the air is running, it will not have as much effect in my space here. The temps are expected to get close to 90, if not beyond. I am on duty to clean at church plus agreed to help my friend, Kris, at an art fair at St. Margarets. Much will depend upon what happens at the vet, and due to my discipline, I must sign off immediately!

*

I will keep you posted on what's happening with Lynx Day!

It's all about relationships!

The comments have been less and less which probably means that no one is truly interested in anything I have to say, or I have been replaced by facebook! Linda M., my sister's classmate from MLHS, asked me in a comment about the status of Lynx--I will tell...

*

Lynx is keeping a fairly low profile ever since Joanne and I wrestled her to the ground, wrapped her in a bath towel. Joanne did the holding as I attempted to squeeze the amoxicillin into Lynx's mouth, all the while she is nipping and fighting and choking. I cannot blame her, I would do the same thing! Less than 30 seconds later, Lynx was standing next to my dresser, retching it up again onto my bedroom carpet, in effect, saying "See??? This is all your fault!"

*

In the afternoon I got a call from the vet's office about Lynx, and I reported she was about the same but with less spitting up. She ate a little bit of tuna again but has not put any tootsie rolls in the cat box yet. The nice lady suggested that if Lynx does not improve by this afternoon, I should call them back because they are not in all weekend, only a half day on Saturday. I will give her until noon to show some life or I will take her back to the vet. I did manage to rub some more of the Laxatone on her paws yesterday so it is not like she is not getting any medicine into her. But, when she leaped away from me after applying the thick paste to her paws, she left a skid mark on my brand-new top. Immediately I stripped the shirt off and got it into the machine.

*

The topic of yesterday's "tour" with the professor in the DVD series, shown at Victory, was about social order. Wow! It was so powerful and half the time I had tears streaking down my face. If you had come up to me and asked me what was allowing me to cry, I would have been hard pressed to answer specifically. The group who did "The Truth Project" are from Focus on the Family, and I can certainly see how they got their name! We took a Biblical walk through what God describes as being marriage, from the creation of man, when God says, "It is not good for man to be alone, I will make a helpmate for him.." to Malachi where God says, "I hate divorce"....I am with Him!

*

Professor Taggett goes on to very emotionally describe the value of family in our lives, showing pictures of his own family and his grandchildren. We, in the class, can superimpose our own family's photos into the shot with the same result. It stirs something within us, our families, whether they are in the next room, or in the next country.

The 'tour' also includes 'man on the street' interviews with the same people each episode, where they were asked this time, "What is a family?" Such answers! Such varied answers! Who would have thought this would be a hard question to reply to? One man, covered head to toe in tattoos and obvious piercings described his mother as being a monster, an alcoholic, and had an absent father. "Clash" is father to a child whom he also never gets to see but claims to love to death. History repeats itself and the term "family" does not really apply. Biology, yes. Family, not so much.

*

Some of the interviewees mentioned loving people in their group like family where others mention having added to their family when they got married. One interviewee and his wife are now expecting their first baby. He liked having gained a whole another family when he married his wife. Others have same sex partners making up their "family" which is, of course, certainly not in keeping with what the Lord designed. My thoughts immediately went to my family, my blood family, and then to my heart family, as I describe them. Each part is valuable, some not always in "touch-proximity" but never more than a phone call or e-mail away.

*

Pastor Hoyer mentioned that this particular episode is about the best he has ever seen regarding the established order the Lord put in place. The professor demonstrated the order or picture of the Trinity, how they are together, yet separate; one, yet three; equal, yet serving each other. He also demonstrated the set up of the church with the Lord as the center and the elders and the members, all serving each other, but with an established order. Hmmm, I hope I expressed that clearly enough. Wish I had drawn the picture that was on the chalk board. Using Titus and Ephesians, the pecking order or established system for who does what in the marriage and the church. "Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord...."---how something so lovely became dirty talk by society. "Husbands, love your wives as Christ loved the church and gave His life for her." "For we are all members of one body..."

*

If you have a chance, read Malachi 2: 13-17 and you will see what made this a particularly prickly path yesterday. Pastor Hoyer commented afterward that the professor stops short in this lesson, not mentioning the sure and full forgiveness the Lord offers to His people, those who have been divorced. I am fairly certain he said this for my benefit, although I do not feel unforgiven or guilty, but I am probably the only person who was divorced in this class. There is a difference between feeling regret and feeling guilt. Or feeling loss without taking the blame.

*

One of the church leaders is in the class and he wondered if Pastor should use this episode in his pre-marital classes. Others felt it could be shown to all the members, I suggested at the St. Valentine's Day time of year or Mother's/Father's Day events. It is not a WELS or other Lutheran DVD series, being more reformed in its nature, so certainly some more thought and discussion are needed. I wonder if our own publishing house has anything that would fit the bill the way this one touched us....I am going to look, that is for sure but we already have the perfect guidebook at our disposal, the Holy Word!

Thursday, Bible study day!

As is my norm, Thursday is my day at attend Bible study at Victory Lutheran. Practicing my newly determined discipline to not go near the computer within an hour of having to be somewhere, I opted to read instead of getting up once waking this morning. Before dressing, I started to read a copy of the report from the LES Team, a comprehensive version of the slide show they presented when at my church in February. Somehow I will find a way to incorporate parts of this report into the church newsletter these next few months. Anyway, back to my discipline: Wednesday I was nearly late getting to Thrasher-Horne to meet Chris because of writing my blog posting----I hate when that happens! Once during Lent I nearly forgot to go to church because of whatever I was doing on the computer. Let us see how this works out, my new discipline, that is!

*

When I came out of my room, Joanne was in the kitchen making some coffee, still complaining about her sore throat. She was wondering what had become of me this a.m. because she had not heard a peep from me, and I told her I do not say the words aloud any longer when I read them....I headed toward Victory after stopping for a soda to-go, and called Mom, as usual, for this longer ride. She was surprised I had not gotten her e-mail telling me about the Air Force Band concert as well as the LWMS Rally, so I asked her to send it again. She also wondered why I had not posted anything yesterday in the blog, and I told her that I did---twice! She said, "Well, it wasn't there when I checked!", which naturally means I did not write! We had a chuckle over this, well, at least I did, and I suggested she check more than once a day. She said is too busy to be sitting in front of the computer all day, to which I say, touche! Good answer, Mom! She is busier than me, that is for sure!

*

Her e-mail did show up this afternoon, forwarded to me by my sister, Lori, who was the actual recipeint of the message. Both our addresses begin with the word "kim" and Mom sometimes clicks the wrong one! Good thing she did not say anything nasty about Lori in the e-mail intended for me! Plus, Mom sent a comment to one of the postings, so now I know she has caught up!

*

Just as Mom accused, I have sat in front of this computer from the moment I returned home, getting one of the newsletters out this afternoon. That leaves the church letter and the one for The Palace. I was unable to attend the Board meeting last night due to choir rehearsal so hope to get a rundown soon on what took place to include in the newsletter. When I got home this late morning, I had the chance to express my sympathies to the family of the man who died. They had busily been packing his belongings, starting already on Tuesday evening, and today, they head back to Miami. Such a sad, tragic situation for all involved, and even those not.

*

Home from the vet

Unbelievable!!!! I just spent nearly $100 on this cat!!! Am I upset? Yes!!!

*

When I got home after spending time with Chris N. today, Joanne was still here, in her jammies. Jo told me Lynx and she just sat and moaned together all morning. I decided that something had to be done with the cat before it is too late---but how? At Great Hang Ups, Julia offered her mom's cat carrier for taking Lynx in for a check-up but they were going to a funeral today so would not be available for me to stop by and pick it up. Then I remembered my neighbor, Rose, has a small dog and must have to transport it one way or another. Sure enough, I got hold of her hubby and he delivered the carrier right to my door!

*

The vet asked me if it was possible Lynx ate something she should not have, like yarn or string. I had wondered about this myself and all I came up with was Easter grass. She thought that grass would probably be too short and would break, so was not likely the problem. The vet took Lynx's temperature, which was slightly elevated, but not enough to be a "sick" problem. Regardless, the vet gave Lynx a shot for nausea and one with an antibiotic, plus a bottle of amox. to go! Can you just see me wrestling the cat to give her a dropperful of the pink stuff? I wonder if it works to pinch her nose shut so she swallows, like we did with Timmy!

*

She also recommended giving Lynx some milk or yogurt or ice cream to lick on, in order for her to get some nourishment. I bought a small can of tuna on the way home, when I picked up Tylenol for Joanne, my other sick girlie, and Lynx is actually giving it a try right now. I only hope she will not cough that up on my bedroom carpet later. IF the medicine and other TLC do not do the trick, the vet said our next step would be blood work, x-rays, and probably surgery. I put my hand up and declared, "That will not happen!" and they nodded in assent. I had already told Joanne when I left with Lynx that she should not be surprised if I came back with an empty cat crate....They can just give her a nice shot and put her to sleep, rather than have her undergo surgery on her intestines to unwrap a string or yarn wound around in there. Nope, instead it would be "good night, Lynx!"

I have two sick girlies here....

My mom used to get the occasional phone call from Grandma Sickles, who lived within blocks of our school, when one of us girls would show up at her house, claiming illness. Grandma would get us situated on her studio sofa (now called a day bed), having us take our dresses off so as not to wrinkle them, cover with a blanket, and then place the call to Mom. "I have a sick girlie here...." and her voice would trail off, as Mom tried to guess which one it was today. More often than not it was me, who simply hated math class. I was not smart like my sister, Lori, when it came to many subjects, but smarter in ways that cannot be graded. So, anyway, Grandma would call Mom to report a sick girlie lying on her sofa in her petticoat, waiting for the illness to pass.

*

I have two sick girlies here today: Joanne and Lynx. Joanne has complained of a sore throat since Monday, thinking she caught it from Christine, who is also sick. Christine is doing her finals for culinary school this week, managing to get a 98 on Monday although sick as a dog. Or sick as a cat, as Lynx continues with her malady, the medicine not really making much difference. Instead of her usual following me around the house or sitting right here in the room with me, I seek her out, finding her resting on the floor in front of the TV. This is so not Lynx.

*

Justin called this a.m. from Miami to check in, and we discussed the sick kittie situation. Apparently he read my blog because he knew about her being plugged up. I told him I felt badly for Lynx but have a real problem considering spending much money on her. Perhaps a simple enima would take care of it, but somehow I would have to get her to vet and back again without a cat carrier. Does anyone have a pet carrier I can borrow? Does anyone want an impacted cat?

*

Today my friend, Chris N. was coming over to paint with me but I have also been invited to a lecture at the Thrasher-Horne where Beth and Toni's art show is being featured. Chris is meeting over there as she has not seen their show yet. We are also planning to stop at Great Hang Ups once we are done at Thrasher-Horne for Chris to view that show. Martie is still busy with her grands and daughter-in-law who are visiting from England. The boys are named Logan and Moses---yes, Moses. This officially makes Martie Grandma of Moses!

Wedding Pictures (Forgive any repeats, please...)

In the reception hall, this table was decorated with the colors used for the wedding party. The photo, of course, is Kelly and Kevin.

The wedding ceremony is underway. Again, the blue hue is from the light coming in the windows and not using the flash.

This area is at floor height and was decorated with lighted candles. It looks like Europe to me!

After the service, Kelly and Kevin chatted with their guests at the reception in the church basement. Is she not lovely??

This is a shot of the church facade, perfectly creamy outside, not one spot of mildew to be seen.

An interior photo of the church chancel awaiting the start of the service. Notice the pipes for the organ which surround the altar area. The black wrought iron is quite dramatic, gothic-looking, and the tapestries add a sense of richness to this church.

Please visit my niece's blog: http://lisamellison.blogspot.com

I tried to do a cut and paste for Lisa's blogsite but it would not copy into the body of this posting, but would in the title box---so there it is! She has a wonderful video of Manny dancing to the New Kids on the Block, and he knows how to 'busta move'! She is finally done with the tax season rush, as well as tax season rash, as her chest lit up with hives clear up to her neck! She likes the extra money she earns but it is a rough way to go to April 15th!

*

It is a big family day for me today.....first thing this morning, I received a text message from my niece, Alayna, in Manitowoc, reporting that the 70 degree temperatures are a thing of the past and snow was on the ground again when she got up. Ugh! Next, I read Lisa's posting and watched little Manny's dancing video, feeling all warm and sentimental because I miss him so much. Finally, I sent birthday greetings via facebook to my other nephew, Jamie, who is 24 years old tomorrow. He is special to me, used to be special to "us". I was Jill's birthing coach when he was born, and at 12 days old, Jamie was spending the night at our house, where he had his own room and such. We watched him when Jill was working or had Guard duty, several days a week, until we had our own baby in 1987. I thought it would be no problem to take care of two little ones, since Jamie was sooooo good---ha! What an eye-opening experience that turned out to be! Whew! We had our hands full, especially since I not only had responsibility for babies, I also had to work all day in the office which was in our basement. Funny, after we had Timmy, he had to come to work with his mama, too! The more things change, the more they stay the same!

*

As soon as the Pet Store opened, I went to buy the treatment Joanne suggested for helping Lynx. It is called "Laxatone" which made me wonder exactly should I expect from this medicine....The tube says it aids in removing hair balls, which I thought was a coughing up problem, and not the other end. What do I know? I did not even know the pets lost their baby teeth and grew new ones! People like me do not deserve to have pets, but we get what we deserve!!! Joanne waited around the house until I got back and she applied the paste to Lynx's nose and front paws for her (Lynx) to lick off and hopefully feel better. Lynx does not like to be held so she sort of flew out of my arms as soon as she was done being treated, leaving me covered in cat hair! I may do it again later, and Joanne said once more tonight to see what happens.

*

Connie, the keeper of our property here, gave an update on the man who died in the rented unit. It seems he left a note, guess that says enough. How tragic to end ones' life, especially when he was in the business of helping others not come to this point in their lives. One of the neighbors commented that it seems to always be the men who die here, and that they were living alone, basically, when they died. She also declared that she is going to paint the blood a lamb around her door frame to keep the angel of death away, but I told her (hey, she opened the door!!!) about being ready to go when the Lord comes for me. One must take every opportunity.........

One of my neighbors who is a Realtor sent postcards advertising a Unit she has listed in our building and I used it to help show where my Unit is located. The smaller blue canopy, near center, is two floors below my river room....just picture it.......See how the palm trees are just outside my doors? At the top of the left side you will see the Unit where the porch runs from front to back. These folks lost their porch ceiling in the wind storm last week Tuesday. Some of the porches are enclosed, like mine is, but some are still open. I like mine being glassed in for additional "living room" although the majority of my time is truly spent in the room by the two palm trees, to the left of the sliding glass doors.....come visit me!

*Tonight is our usual dinner and Bible study group, with the plans to meet at Cracker Barrel this time. One of us is hungry for meatloaf again, her last time having it was Friday, leftovers from Mimi's! I hope we get more of our group together tonight, as the past few times have been fewer and fewer. One lady does not drive at night but lives wwaayy out in Middleburg by the "old" Smokey's, so if her "driver" is not coming, she can't either. Calls have been made to all involved and we can only hope they make it.

My day yesterday was full of exercise---yes, exercise---in futility! The afternoon was spent attempting to change a mess of my banking stuff from one to the other. I am changing to the credit union and must unschedule my pre-authorized deductions from the bank and get them set up with the new account. Oh, easier said than done! One place has me writing me a letter and sending a voided blank check in order to make the change. Another place I had to talk to Appleton, WI, with new information with additional paperwork required because, for some reason, my former spouses' name appears as being on the account, which he does not, and they need a formality performed to remove the name. This was set up back in 1996 when Timmy was born, and so much has happened since then! My health insurance will only make the changes via e-mail so I am awaiting a reply from someone there to switch it over or risk having a lapse in coverage. Yikes!

My, that sun feels so delicious on my arm and cheek! I will be tanned on a least one side of my body anyway. A group of us were wondering how much longer before the pools are warm enough to swim in, at least for adults to swim in, as kids do not seem as sensitive to the icy water temp. But, the sun certainly helps make it seem warmer, and we count the days until we have successive days in the 80's to bring that water temp up to "user friendly"!

Monday coming to a close

Oh, my tummy is quite full and happy after a lovely dinner at home, yes, at home! Joanne called me around 6:00 to see if I had made any plans for supper and I told her I was defrosting a container of chili from the freezer. I had no where to be tonight. I asked her why she wanted to know and she said, "Well, I was thinking some Chinese might be good...." Say no more! I hit the STOP button on the 'wave quick as a wink and called in our order. Joanne wanted to treat me and I allowed it, with Joanne and the delivery man arriving on the porch at the same moment. He climbed the steps while she rode the elevator, and it was a tie as to who got there first!

*

The sweet and sour chicken with fried rice was marvelous, a real treat since it has been ages since Justin and I had Ming Moon delivered here. My order also included cheese wontons so barely any of the meal portion was eaten, but will taste good another day. The blessing of these type of meals is that they can feed me for a couple days. Joanne complained of a sore throat this a.m., as does Christine, so Jo was here yet when I got home from Bible study and Longhorn. Another to-go box added to the fridge! She was still wearing her pj's but decided to go into work in the afternoon, as she had much going on.

*

When I got home from lunch, I saw a police car parked at our lobby. My neighbor, Tommy, was walking the dog and teased me that I should not go upstairs because the cops were waiting to arrest me! And I was just telling someone at the art show how I never had to worry about my hobbies and things I do, because I would never be arrested for doing them! And now they are at my door again....Joanne said that she thought she heard police walkie talkies outside the door for some time now, so I went back to downstairs to check it out. Connie, our maintenance lady, and Tommy were talking and I asked what was going on. Hesitantly at first, Tommy said that one of the renters in the building, on my floor, was found dead in his unit. Yikes!

*

Sadly, I do not know the man, could not pick him out of a line up if asked, and as Tommy said, they must not suspect foul play or we would have been interviewed already. Apparently the tenant was a psychiatrist at the hospital or some where, but I never made his acquaintance. They said he kept a low profile and so do I, which is why I never met him. Tommy made the remark that we had better move out of this place because we have lost four people from The Palace in a year's time: the builder who killed himself lived here only two weeks prior to his death; the elderly neighbor at the end of my promenade who died in September; Billy, who died in January; and now this man. It is sort of creepy when you think about it! I informed the two of them that I was ready to go when the Lord called me home, that I had oil in my lamp, and Connie assured me she was ready, too. Maybe tomorrow we will hear some more comprehensive information as to what happened with him, etc.

*

Lynx seems to have some sort of malady, too, lately. She has been spewing forth some frothy whitish/green spit-up, not hairballs. Joanne wondered if perhaps Lynx was plugged up (I never would have thought of that!) so I checked her cat box for evidence. Sure 'nuff, there were no tootsie rolls in it, and her food was scarcely touched. Joanne knows of a product to help cats with their digestive problems so I am going to go spend good money on a paste for cats tomorrow! Spending money on pets---indeed!

Let me try this again.....

..........at least I can write! I began my posting yesterday with that declaration, but never expounded upon it. In speaking with folks at the art show at Great Hang Ups Sunday, some were sad that I did not enter a piece in the show this time. I told some how I entered three times and was juried in three times, so did not wish to ruin my track record. Others I told how intimidated I am with the work of others and the singing I heard on Thursday at Mozart's Requiem making me not want to sing any longer....Boy, that opened a flood gate of encouragement! What a great place for me to be when I am picking on myself! The book Michael let me borrow yesterday came along at just the right time, although I do not know if he read the blog about my plans to quit everything or not. As I told those, when they offered counsel and advice, at least I can write!

*

One man, Bob, from whom I have taken classes, was most encouraging and even admitted to feeling intimidated by the art work he saw at the show. Some of the pieces were 3-D, including a dog made from parts of a garden hose nozzle, a hammer head, a big spring, and magnets. Won the first prize in that category, too! The collage pieces are quite interesting, as several collages were in this show, and many more in the show at the Thrasher-Horne. I have two months to get back over there to better enjoy the art work, as it was so mobbed on Friday night that it was difficult to take in each piece. My former spouses' attorney was there, too, so I made the tour a bit more quickly than I would have otherwise. I know, it is only business, and while she used to love me, which she declared one night at scrapbooking, I do not need that kind of love, you know? The skin crawling does not suit me!

*

Last night I enjoyed some time on the sundeck with the "shelf sitters", an informal gathering of folks from the building who enjoy some wine and a light snack before going in for dinner, or out, as the case might be. There used to be an unspoken "rule" about not staying out later than 8:30 or folks would forget to eat dinner but it was going on 9:00 before we broke up. Jessica brought out brownies which make a fine dinner if you ask me!

*

While I enjoyed my time with my neighbors, I was also saddened to hear that more units in the building are now for sale, as folks, for whatever reason, are trying to sell their condos. One single man has health problems and might want to move closer to his daughter. Another man, a newly wed older man, is selling because the market has clobbered him so hard. Another newly wed couple wants to start a family and fear that The Palace is not the suitable, safe environment for an infant or toddler, the railings and such are not within limits established for cribs and such. I had the same concern when first moving here that Memrie or Sarah would try to fit through the railing on my balcony, and easily could have if we had not watched like hawks! My sister has a family with little children living above her in a rented house and is constantly annoyed by the noise they make overhead. I can only imagine what sort of racket would emanate from above with Big Wheels and noisy toys being banged on the floor. Even though they are substantial floors between the units, sound still finds it way to other homes, and can be bothersome. I am sad to think about my neighbors/friends moving away, and am also concerned about what their pricing will do to those who are remaining for the time being....

Winding down on Sunday

Sunday afternoon finds me enjoying some down time in the family room, feet up with soda at my side. 'Tis good to be all settled in after so busy a weekend. Worship was wonderful, the sermon about being champions for the Lord, with Pastor using the Nike swoosh as his object lesson. I have a photo taken in Ephesus with the swoosh carved into rock, after the goddess of victory.

*

My feet and legs and back were weary after my greeting today, first at church and then at Great Hang Ups for the art show. Not complaining, mind you, simply remarking how it feels good to not be standing for a bit. The art show was fabulous, of course, and the gallery was just packed shoulder to shoulder with artists, their families and friends, and great food! Dee so very nicely stocked up on Diet Cokes, private stock, she called it, for me. I just love her, she is the greatest!

*

Julia's hubby, Michael, nicely delivered some extremely colorful flags that he uses at times in his color guard routines. Oh, they were splendid, and I would adore having such a flag outside my doors, as they graced Julia's today at the shop. Michael also brought me a great book, knowing I will appreciate it, and no-stop/no-start type of book about stimulating inspiration and creativity. I am not sure if he read my blog or was simply intuitive, but he felt I would certainly enjoy the time spent with this book. Cannot wait to crack it open! My bed already looks like a library with my Grandma book, splashes of joy, and the paperwork from the LES Committee strewn about, plus several days worth of mail! Add one more small book, no matter!

*

Dee is offering some classes including digital photography, drawing, and art critiquing, as some others are offering drawing or after-school art classes for little ones. I signed up for drawing and digital classes, not sure how they will work out. Melissa, a fellow Art Guild member as well as Club Continental member informed me that the two of us are going to sit poolside this summer and do some type of drawing, using a term with which I am not familiar. She said not to worry, she would show me what she was talking about. I say, "Great, let's do!" Her sons enjoy the pool and I often see her on weekends in summer. I look forward to it!

*

In the basin I hear a boat struggling to start its engine. They must have been fishing to have been so quiet until now. While at the gallery, some were standing along the sidewalk where there was shoulder room. I popped outside for a bit to chat and we heard a rather ugly sound come into the parking lot. Apparently a man pulling a boat on a trailer, suffered a flat tire on 220 and just pulled in to remedy the situation. He had several young boys with him and I am sure they were going to be quite disappointed if they could not go on. I stepped back into the store and did not see what happened with the flat tire. Hopefully the daddy did not disappoint his boys!

*

The snacks were ample at the art show but I only tried two almond cookies, as I prefer to talk rather than eat at these events. I know, strange! So, presently, I am a tad hungry, having eaten two mini-burgers leftover from last night's supper at Steak 'n Shake. The Rosses were shopping at Home Depot and when they were done, we met at S 'n S for dinner, as Jen had a hankering for a shake. She only recently discovered their shakes and is totally taken with them. As Jen says, they are cheaper than Maggie Moo's! I had the tiny hamburgers, which come three to an order, bringing two of them home, since I ate one there plus my shoe string fries. It was prom night so we saw several limos cruising the parking lots of the area restaurants. How funny it seemed to have a limo roll through the Steak 'n Shake parking lot!

*

The wedding on Saturday was simply lovely, the bride as gorgeous as her mother, as I have already noted on the picture page. Kathy surprised me by showing up for worship today in the most beautiful dress, her "Thailand dress", as she called it. She had to get up at 3:30 a.m. to get her auntie packed up and out to the airport in time for her early morning flight to Mississippi, and did not expect to be able to make it to church, but did! Anyway, back to the wedding: Justin came with me and was not quite as taken with the church as I thought he would be, and I had not even talked it up. He had a nice chat with Brian's daughters, both college girls. We also spoke with a young couple sitting near us who had relatives in Green Bay. The wife said her parents' company used to service ice machines and she could recognize the brand of ice machine simply by looking at the cubes! What a gift she had back then!

*

Once the bride and groom cut the cake and the best man doing the toast which made a tear drop down my cheek, Justin had to leave for church at Victory. Afterwards they were having a "20-Something" gathering and I rejoice that he wanted to make sure he got there for this event as well. Some former members who have moved to Morton Grove were passing through town and going to meet with Hoyers last night, so I do not know if Justin was going to see Duane, Becca, and family or not. The last time might have been when they were here for Brent's wedding a couple years ago. I hope he had a great time regardless if the Vances made it.

*

It is time for me to do something else right now or I will fall asleep here. My bed, as I mentioned, is piled full as is my desk, as usual so I may just venture in there to make some sense of it. At the gallery, when hugging Dee good-bye, she complimented me on my perfume, saying I smelled good. This young man artist, new to the group, came up and asked if he could smell me, too, so naturally I leaned in for the sniff. He liked my perfume, too, and then asked me to sniff him. I told him he smelled like cigarettes, hey, he asked! We all chuckled and then he pretended to sniff his armpit. One lady saved the day by suggesting we all know what THAT smell is like, and it is nothing like my perfume!

Saturday's events

Brian escorting Kathy from the church following the wedding service. There is no flash which makes for a somewhat blue hued shot. Brian looks dashing in his Air Force uniform and Kathy was gorgeous in her lovely gold suit. She was as beautiful as the bride!

The pastor and groomsmen await the bridesmaids and bride while the photographer holds up the entire show with his picture taking.....cause for a few anxious moments for those waiting inside the sanctuary!

Kelly is coming down the flower-strewn aisle (look at that beautiful tile!) on the arm of her family friend, Brian. So lovely! Brian's daughter, Amanda, in the black dress with yellow belt, is on the left of the photo.

All artsy fartsy!

"My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus' blood and righteousness....." "On Christ the solid rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand."

*

There! I had to say it, as this hymn was running through my brain as I showered a minute or two ago. I am not sure, since I am not an expert, but it almost seemed as though I heard some of this melody yesterday by the string quartet at Friday Musicale. Or, it could have been part of the tune from "When I Survey the Wondrous Cross"....

*

Wednesday was check-in day at Great Hang Ups for the show tomorrow. Anita and I sat at a table in the middle of the gallery and received art pieces which will be entered in the show, to be judged and prizes awarded. Sunday is the reception at Hang Ups for which I am hostess, of course! Dee calls me "the hostess with the mostess" so now I must live up to that!

*

Thursday night was the Jacksonville Symphony and Chorus for the Mozart Requiem, with the most magnificent soprano I have ever heard, even more fluid than Sarah Brightman. Yesterday I heard the lovely concert at Friday Musicale, two violins, a cello, and a viola. Last evening I attended a show opening and reception at the Thrasher-Horne for my friend, Beth Haizlip, and Toni Charneco, called "Side by Side", absolutely fabulous art, I highly recommend going to see the show. Afterwards I was invited to Beth's house for an after the show show and reception, even invited to go up to see her studio. I was too weary to climb her circular staircase in the middle of the living room to see her new digs, but will go some other time when it is not cleaned up. She said she was cleaning it up for one night only!

*

I have since made up my mind about a few things: I will no longer sing after hearing that lovely-voiced soprano. I will no longer paint after seeing the art pieces submitted for Dee's show and seeing the show at Thrasher-Horne. And I will not scrapbook any longer after seeing Beth's scrapbook about her painting career, completed with hand painted pictures on the cover! I will only listen and watch and observe and appreciate!

Friday, full of interesting turns of events....

I must backtrack a bit to catch things up. Yesterday morning I left very early to meet Kathy B. at her house to transport some ficus trees and other stuff to the reception hall. What is it with all these receptions??? The church where the wedding will be is absolutely gorgeous, Byzantine design, and being inside is like being on vacation! I sat for a few moments to just soak it in, and cannot wait for Justin to see it. Especially when our friend, Brian, escorts the bride down the aisle in his dress Air Force uniform.

The pipes for the organ are placed all around the sanctuary, including these which are operated with a pulley system, pulls them into an upright position. I cannot wait to hear it played! I got to hear the pipe organ again at the Times-Union Center Thursday night. Love that pipe organ!

*

Kathy was a bit on the frantic side as we tried getting things set up yesterday, and I pray she slept last night with all the concerns rolling 'round in her brain. I am glad I will never be the mother-of-the-bride. Wonder if I will ever be the mother of the groom.....Anyway, Kathy had ordered assorted sizes of table covers and skirts for the tables in the hall, and the girls were having troubles figuring out which tables required which cloths. I felt sort of useless as I had really no opinion or information about the tables so I simply busied myself with the table decorations and such. I proudly pointed out the Manitowoc Ice Machine in the kitchen of the fellowship hall. Man, I wish I had one of those!

*

Justin came over yesterday afternoon when he finished working to do the vacuuming, without me reminding him, so I knew something was up. He sat down and told me he messed up royally on a paper he was to submit, missed the date for handing it in and then was told by the professor, whom he had told me a couple weeks again was "lazy", that he needed to have a peer review. He finally confessed that he messed up and has now dropped out of the class....WHAT?????

*

I truly hate the lies, truly do, and he has been basically lying to me about his classes and such. He claims the grade is still going to be a C, which keeps his tuition and rent monies being paid by his sucker parents. The night of our monthly themed dinner he mentioned in passing about having troubles concentrating in school, focusing on his studies, etc. because he was concerned about the mess with the alimony and his father's financial situation. Of course, it's MY fault he could not concentrate! Nice try, kiddo! He has to take the blame or the credit for whatever he does in school and not put the blame or accountability on someone else. His usual dodge.

*

I was hoping, hoping that when he got older, a so-called adult, that these school things would be behind us, but not so. I also realize and stressed to him yesterday the influences he has in his life, the people and things are what distract him from his studies. He likes to blame having to work for not taking a heavier work load at school, but I am not buying. Joanne tells about how she went to nursing school, worked, and raised two children all at one time. It is his own fault, make no mistake about that, and I made certain he realized that.

*

His plan now is to take summer classes and get the rest of his required classes for getting his associates' degree, so that he does not lose his credits already earned. This is a good plan. He will take one class that goes all summer long plus one that ends halfway through summer, and one that starts where the other one leaves off. Originally he planned to leave the Student Suites and move back home, but there is no allowance for breaking the lease unless a death occurs.......if this keeps up, we just might be able to meet that requirement! No, I am only teasing about that, I do not want to go through that again!

*

Men! They keep their feelings and such to themselves until the world comes crashing down, and then spill their guts.....Just be honest and tell the truth, explain the situation, and face the music, instead of spending so much time and effort trying to fix it. Or cover it up! Ugh!

I am having a Mozart time these days!

First, my apologies for not posting anything on my blog yesterday.....somehow I guess the day got away from me and I cannot really account for my time. Hmmm.....what was I doing? My desk is still messy so it was not that. Anyway, perhaps if I write something today, it will come back to me!

*

Ooooh, I remember now! Thursdays are the days that I attend Bible study at Victory! On the ride over there I spoke with Mom and we chatted until it was time for me to go into class. We are on Lesson 6-History, or rather, His-Story, on the DVD series "The Truth Project" from the Focus on the Family people. It was so good, not quite as technical as it was the two previous lessons dealing with science and creation vs. Darwinism. Whew, that was deep, involved stuff! The lessons are done in a classroom with real students and we, in our chairs in the church, actually feel like we are in school.

*

After Bible study, a bunch of us ladies went to lunch at Mimi's Cafe (guess whose idea THAT was!!!) so I brought home my leftover meat loaf and mashed potatoes for another day. I really enjoy spending time with these ladies, ever widening the circle of good people around me. They really like Justin, too, and that makes me feel happy, too. I came home after lunch but the rest were going to run some errands for church before heading back to church for their cars. One lady's husband was going to be cutting the grass while we dined at our leisure....which put smiles on our faces, too. She says he would rather do that than go out with the ladies anyway....

*

Once home, I got busy with something at the computer but am not exactly sure just what, obviously it was not posting to my blog! Maybe I was reading other people's postings or something like that. When I took my afternoon siesta, gearing up for La Nopalera, I did some reading while watching TV. Talk about multitasking--snoozing, reading AND watching TV! Later in the afternoon, Martie called to ask me if I wanted to go to the symphony instead, free of charge, and of course, I said I would. It was Mozart's Requiem, with the concert starting at 7:30 pm, and her working until 6:00 pm. We had to fly, sort of, to get downtown, leaving no time for dining.

*

I drove us down there, and got a good parking spot in the garage across from the Times Union Center. We went inside and bought a drink, a very expensive one, described as being "premium". As I told the poor tarbender, the only thing premium about it was the cost! Served in the short, clear plastic cups, we each had a rum and Diet Coke, sat on the benches to chat until showtime. I saw many people I recognized from when I went more regularly.

*

What an absolutely amazing concert we heard! The words to the songs were printed on a "cheat sheet" for us so we could follow along with the Latin. I have determined that I must never sing again after hearing the gorgeous voice of the soprano soloist! Wow! At one point l found a stray tear rolling down my cheek as they sang "sanctus, sanctus, sanctus", the song the saints and angels are singing right now as they circle His throne....There is nothing I can do about that except let it happen.

*

After the concert Martie and I stopped at Longhorn near Roosevelt Mall to get some appetizers and Diet Coke. No margaritas for us at that hour of the night! We were not the last customers in the place but very close to the last. Martie and I had a great time together and it could hardly have been nicer. As I said to her, there are worse ways to spend a Thursday evening!

*

Joanne was already in bed when I got home so I pulled her door closed so the light would not bother her as I got my soda for bedtime. This a.m. I left before she was out of bed! Kathy B. asked for my assistance with transporting some items to the church where her daughter is being married tomorrow. My seats fold down flat which worked perfectly for transporting the ficus trees and columns borrowed from church. We filled in the empty spots with more things that needed to be taken over, and I followed her to the church.

Kelly surveys the room to best determine table and chair placement while her friends take care of dressing the tables and decorating. I cannot wait to see what the finished project looks like, tomorrow!

*

Kelly, the bride, was already there and helped to get the stuff carried down the stairs to the fellowship hall. Some of her girlfriends came to help with the decorating and even her uncle came to do the "man" work of moving tables and setting up chairs, etc. I had to leave about 10:30 to get over to the Friday Musicale hall for the string quartet which was featured today. At first I was warm after bustling about in the church basement, but once settled, cooled off quickly. The string quartet, all women, were magnificent, and the first four numbers they performed were, you guessed it, Mozart!