Hey, guess who is back, sitting on the flower pot holding the palm tree in the basin---the great blue heron! Or am I in the middle of Ground Hog Day?????
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Once more, my hopes were dashed by bad weather, or at least the threat thereof, as the shuttle remains on the pad at the space center one more day.....The plan is to attempt the launch again this evening but, really, we are no strangers to late afternoon/early evening rain showers here in Florida. Why will tonight be different? Evidently it is significant to the mission to launch in the evening or I would think they would try for a window in the light of day when the skies cleared. It takes a long time to prep for the launch so the astronauts cannot just go running like firemen when the bell goes off. Sitting on top of explosives requires just the right outfit, you know? If it does launch this evening, I will be less able to watch it as I will be at church for VBS.
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Normally at this point in my day I would have switched over to my on-line radio station to listen to Neal but today I have the news on TV as the Senate confirmation hearings begin this morning for the new judge on the Supreme Court. I want to keep half an ear listening to what is going on in the hearings. The sun is breaking through the light cloud cover and I am considering putting on my swimsuit rather than clothing. As mentioned earlier, Good Shepherd is having vacation Bible school this week, starting tonight, so at some point, clothing will need to be worn---but not until!
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Originally we were having a light supper prior to VBS starting to provide that service to busy parents dropping off their kids for class at 6:30. Pastor announced yesterday that due to little interest expressed in the dinners, we will only have it on Monday night, since we notified people of this opportunity on the postcards which went out. Pastor's wife, Lynn, was disappointed as she said she looked forward to a week of not having to worry about making suppers. Unfortunately, or fortunately, she is signed up to make the dinner tonight so I suggested she just make a huge amount of hot dogs (the menu for tonight was hot dogs) and have them all week long! She laughed at that idea. It makes me want to still bring/make what I was going to do just to give her a break midweek. I have sent Pastor a message to that effect and hope to hear back from him shortly.
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Yesterday I had the privilege of worshipping with Justin at G. S. as he has been staying at his father's house while he is on vacation. Mickey the dog still lives, a dog of nine lives, so he needs to be attended while his master is away. Justin complained the other day at lunch that he allowed the dog to sleep in the same room where he slept and the dog made horrible breathing sounds all night long. Justin was too "uninspired" to remove the dog to his usual sleeping spot so his disturbed sleep was his own doing. Then, Friday, Justin told me that Mickey has to be locked up in the house because he found a pile of doggy doo on the carpet in the formal living room. Not good, not good at all. Phew! Justin and I are just not pet people, and that's it!
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Back to church---Justin turned alot of heads, although he has been at church with me a few times this year, he appears to be taller now that he has lost weight. Certainly it is the weight loss that folks notice and compliment. He is gracious about accepting the compliments, and I pray it will not go to his head. We have seen that happen more than once in people's lives, when the ego inflates as the body deflates. He got to hug on his Grandma Twila and Aunt Jean Nichols, Judy J. got a couple squeezes out of him, plus the handshakes and backslaps from many others. Since the choir was quite active in the liturgy, I asked him to come and sit in the back row with me rather than alone further up. We did the Divine Service 1 from the Supplement with the choir leading this week, and next week, all of us will sing it. He likes changes but does not like "happy clappy" music in churches.
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The sermon text used was the same one Justin and I heard in late June when we attended at Victory, from Lamentations, where Jeremiah reports "Gods mercies are new every morning!" Is that not wonderful to know???? It was wonderful to have him there, and we had already discussed his not hanging around for the congregational meeting following the service. Before leaving, Justin had a chance to discuss his gym training with Robbie, but he stopped talking when I walked up. He told Robbie he does not like to talk about it in front of me because I disapprove. Really, what I disapproved of was his ignoring my admonition against spending money he does not have on a gym membership when I am already paying for gym equipment at his apartment complex. It is a done deal so go ahead, talk about it all you want! We have created monsters!
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Pastors sermon touched on that, not calling us monsters, but addressed how we, as believers, are equipped to deal with life situations when we are hit with them. Financial setbacks, failing health, huge voids in our lives that we think cannot be filled.....His mercies are new every morning. Would I dare tell the Father these mercies are not good enough? Certainly not! But we do that to each other all the time, and probably toward God as well, hopefully we are not realizing that we are doing it. A good message for us from what I refer to as Justin's favorite book of the Bible, because he likes to lament so much!!!
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After the meeting, my intent was to head straight home and get out to the pool with Maggie O. and the others, but it was just pouring rain---again! It was fine when we went into the meeting but an hour later, the heavens were open. Instead, I accepted an invitation to go to lunch with a group from church, not my usual ones, except for Judy C., and I was delighted to go! Longhorn, here we come! It was an enjoyable time with these friends and a nice to-go box of chicken fingers and onion straws for another meal or two. I shared with them the story of the spilled marsala sauce and a collective "eewwww!" went up when I told them about the sauce going all over my desk and papers. Terri asked me if my desk smelled good and I laughed, telling her it did----the first day............!
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It had stopped raining by the time I got home and I made my way immediately to the pool. Pat was the only one of our usual group still there as the rain scared everyone off. They were just closing up the cabana so I was glad I brought my own soda downstairs with me. Of course, I no sooner got situated when the sun went away so no going into the pool for me. The water reportedly was still pretty cold from the recent rains so definitely some sunshine would be necessary for me. Pat and I chatted a bit, and then noticed a police car drive in our parking area, with two of our neighbors walking around and looking at stuff. Curiosity got the better of us, and since Pat is on the Board, thought we should check it out. I saw the police car leave but Pat was convinced something was amiss so off we went. There was nothing going on, Hugh and Mo were merely checking out the paint job, so we sat on the sundeck the rest of the afternoon into the evening.
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Paul and Emily were planning to come over to watch the shuttle launch from here but Paul was not feeling well so they decided to not come. Good thing, because the shuttle was scuttled. We got a few chuckles after church yesterday when Paul handed me my heating pad which he had borrowed weeks ago. Many had complained about it being too cold in worship and I offered to rent my heating pad to whoever needed it during the church meeting! Money changers in the temple!
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