I managed to make myself sick

I had something entirely different written here but since deleted it. My heart was sickened after reading some of the reports from the trial of two men, a father and son, who killed little Christopher Burrios two years ago. They sexually molested him, strangled him, and stuffed his body into a garbage bag. He was missing for a week before someone found the bag. I remember writing about it, how losing a child is NOT a parent's worst nightmare, but actually not knowing where your child is and what is happening to the child is much worse. The report tells how he loved Batman and Spider-Man, and how his Star Wars lightsaber was found on the side of the road....

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On the other hand, the man who kidnapped and raped Jessica Lunsford here in Florida, died of "natural causes" after being taken from prison to an area hospital.

It is time for a break

How come I am perspiring while sitting in my window when it was so chilly overnight? Well, I guess you could say the weather got over it! According to the radio website the temp at the moment is 70 above zero and is expected to stop when it gets to 80. Normally 73 or there about is the low temperatures here so having that be the near high is a bit startling to some, especially me! I knew this was coming so it was no big surprise to me, as over a week ago I checked the 15-day forecast and saw the low temps. Up north, where my people live, they are experiencing near freezing temps, praying for mittens. My one sister has been pleading with her apartment building manager to turn the heat on, as it was around 62 degrees in her apartment when she got home from work yesterday. The "rule" for the building is evidently the middle of October for turning the heat on, which seems a bit arbitrary to me.

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Once again I made the serious mistake of stopping at my mail box and found just over 20 pieces of mail, of which only three were keepers. The rest went into the trash, including catalogs and the endless mailings from the financial people. My friend, Diane, who recently changed companies, told me that Prudential and the others are obligated by law to mail investors the reports and prospectus, but we are NOT obligated by law to read them!! Fair enough! A couple nice pieces I got were greeting cards, one for a baby shower and one a thank you note from one of the church ladies. So thoughtful!

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Monday night, in case I did not mention it, Twila came over to watch a movie. At lunch that day she reminded me that we had planned to watch "Ghost Town" and decided, since our Monday plans were all goofed up, we would watch that night. Pizza was ordered and delivered just as she arrived, which worked out perfectly. Wally, the computer guy, was supposed to be coming by with my laptop at 5:00 pm or so but did not come until well after 6:00 pm. Since Twila and I were just finishing up, we sent the balance of the pizza with Wally. "Ghost Town" was just a hoot, save for a few filthy words which the move could have survived without. The best part for me was the scenery because it is filmed and takes place in NYC. I got to see many familiar sights, including the Metropolitan Museum, where the female star worked. Twila did not know that the Egyptian display really existed, thought it was just part of the movie and I got very excited to tell her about it. We were just there in May, Justin and I, on Memorial Day. Man, it was great to see it all again in this movie!

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Yesterday I had lunch with Brenda and dinner with Joanne. My fridge holds the remainder of my meatloaf meal from Cracker Barrel, which is where we would have gone if Bible study would have been held. Seth, our "usual" waiter, already knew what I was having but it messed him up having someone different at the table with me than the usual Tuesday night crew. He knew to bring me the take-home box even before I had made a dent in the dinner, and kept my soda glass nicely filled at all times.

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Joanne is busier than ever in real estate, most of her struggles are with the short-sales she is handling. These transactions are the ones where the seller simply cannot continue in the home and are selling it for less than what is owed, in agreement with their lender. This is different than foreclosure, where the bank has taken back the property from the owners (as the bank actually owns the home) because of their failure to make the payments. She said she has never worked so hard in real estate in all her career, taking sometimes months to get to a settlement agreement for the buyers. The lenders certainly would rather have "some" money for the property vs. getting the entire piece back in foreclosure, but they, too, are just buried under the number of properties being sold in "short sale". It has become a bureaucratic nightmare. One of her seller packages includes 98 e-mails between her office and the lender simply to end up NOT closing!!!

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I have been working on the newsletter for The Palace this a.m. but since there was no BOD meeting, there is little to add to the letter. Much tap-dancing is going on here as I glean pieces of information from various other sources to fill the letter. At least I have two new residents to write about, not new Owners, but tenants. We need some people to come and buy our "For Sale" units because we also need to fill most of the seats on the BOD and I don't want to do it!!!! I would not like having people hate me and say nasty things about me....which is not to say that does not happen already! Just not to my face, like happens to the current BOD members. Yikes!

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My doors are in the open position, the temps are so nice, and no longer am I perspiring as the sun has moved around the building some. Tonight is a birthday dinner for our friend, Brian, at Ted Turner's restaurant, and I have to suck it up and eat there, for Brian! I can do it! Justin said he ate there once when his friend's mom treated. I hear the food is good and the company certainly will be, and then we go to choir. 'Twill be a great night, I can see that already!

A crazy, mixed up week

Only a few moments ago our Staff Minister, Mike, called to cancel Bible study tonight. It seems he needs to attend the Sunday school teacher's meeting instead because he is heading it up this year and cannot be both places at the same time. I guess Pastor must still be at the Conference. Now what do I do?? Two cancelled studies in one week, in two days, actually, and it is throwing me out of whack!

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Joanne had called me earlier today to have lunch with her but I was already out with Brenda N. at the time. As I write I am waiting to hear back from Joanne about going to dinner---oh, we are going---we just do not know the time, as she is busy working on real estate. I see meatloaf in my future....For lunch I had a butter burger at Steak 'n Shake with Brenda, and while it was simply yummy, it was not a Culver's Butter Burger, ya' know? This place is next door to her office which made for a good lunch within her time constraints. When we walked back over, I saw Jimmie W.'s truck in the lot so I went upstairs with her to say "hi" to him. Oh, it was soooo wonderful to see him again, as we sat and chatted in the lobby! Gosh, I miss those people! Brenda introduced me to their receptionist as being her former boss, although I hardly feel that way about these people, my "co-workers". We really do love each other, both then and yet!

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At lunch, Brenda told me about the goofy TV situation at home, having only analog reception, no cable service. She can pick up one local channel somehow or another which brought us to the subject of movies. She was unaware about taking movies out at the library (the bibliophiles in the reading audience will have a fit about this!!!) plus I offered to share my collection with her.

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As we talked a bit, the subject turned toward the things she has on her "Bucket List", which really got me started! It has been a Bucket List couple of weeks for me. She has only seen the movie once but it really stuck with her. Before she dies, she wants to see Greece. This was the year that three of us---Martie, Brenda, and I---had planned on taking a Mediterranean Cruise, saving money for just this event. A year ago at this time, things really changed dramatically in our nation, in our community, and in our homes, making those plans somewhat disappear. When she mentioned it again today, I was so happy, because I sort of felt like it was too difficult a goal for my friends to reach. Perhaps not! Now I am excited again! Add to that the statement Brenda made about "going over and not coming back...."

Don't you love this: Dream Houses between sky and earth......

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I did tell her about the RE/MAX office in Mykonos but she would need to get her international sales designation, which Joanne has already earned. She could be a bartender or lead the donkeys up and down the side of the cliff in Santorini! There is no shortage of restaurants and bistros in either of these two places and certainly someone who spoke English for the tourists would be most welcome! Oh, dreams, bucket lists, are what keep us going. Justin says I would be too distracted in these tourist towns to get much writing accomplished which defeats only a small part of the reason for going there.....Last night I watched "Under the Tuscan Sun" yet again, on broadcast TV, and longed to see Positano once more. When I talked with my mom last week one day, I had come upon Rick Steve's Europe on (gulp!) PBS, and he was touring the Amalfi Coast. That is what started this whole thing over again for me! Thursday at dinner Justin told me he found the entire series of Europe on hulu.com and said he got water eyes, too, just previewing it. Oh, man...................

Something to chew on today

A lecturer when explaining stress management to an audience, raised a glass of water and asked:

'How heavy is this glass of water?' Answers called out ranged from 20g to 500g.

The lecturer replied, 'The absolute weight doesn't matter. It depends on how long you try to hold it. If I hold it for a minute, that's not a problem.

If I hold it for an hour, I'll have an ache in my right arm. If I hold it for a day, you'll have to call an ambulance. In each case, it's the same weight, but the longer I hold it, the heavier it becomes.

He continued, 'And that's the way it is with stress management. If we carry our burdens all the time, sooner or later, as the burden becomes increasingly heavy, we won't be able to carry on.

As with the glass of water, you have to put it down for a while and rest before holding it again. When we're refreshed, we can carry on with the burden. So, before you return home tonight, put the burden of work down. Don't carry it home. You can pick it up tomorrow. Whatever burdens you're carrying now, let them down for a moment if you can.'

So, my friend, put down anything that may be a burden to you right now. Don't pick it up again until after you've rested a while.

Here are some great ways of dealing with the burdens of life:

* Accept that some days you're the pigeon, some days you're the statue.

* Always keep your words soft and sweet, 'cause some of them you'll have to eat..

* If you can't be kind, at least have the decency to be vague.

* If you lend someone $20 and never see that person again, it was probably worth it.

* It may be that your sole purpose in life is simply to be kind to others.

* Never put both feet in your mouth at the same time, because then you won't have a leg to stand on.

* Nobody cares if you can't dance well----just get up and dance.

* When everything's coming your way, you're probably in the wrong lane.

* Birthdays are good for you. The more you have, the longer you live.

* You may be only one person in the world, but you may also be the world to one person.

* Some mistakes are too much fun to only make once.

*A truly happy person is one who can enjoy the scenery on a detour.

Who is a hermit? Me?

Many years ago when I was buying this condo, I brought my friends, Christine and Brenda, to see it. They had spent much time with me enjoying my home in The Preserve as well as the lake house in the past years, where I liked to entertain. Having them share this home with me was simply the natural transition, or so I hoped. Once they walked through the doors of the then empty home which seemed at once more spacious and bright, they were smitten! Not that they would like condo life themselves since they live on the same road in Middleburg with wide open spaces around them, but they realized that this was going to be right for me! At least Brenda did. Christine was walking around the place going, "hmmm, hmmm" and looking out the sliding doors at the river, listening to my plans for Jimmie building a desk at my window for me. Quite wisely she turned to me and wagged her finger in my face, cautioningly, "You are going to become a hermit up here! We will never see Miss Kim again, you won't want to leave here!"

Christine, the seer!

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Well, what do you know about that? At the time this was the most ridiculous statement I ever heard, and when I shared it with others they too scoffed at the notion. Kim---a hermit?? When Joanne, Twila and I were out looking at houses together a month or so ago, the one place would have been ideal for me, except for the fact that it was "small". I told the ladies I needed more square footage to which Joanne immediately retorted, "Kim! You do not! You stay in your room all day and only come out for soda!" As harsh as that may sound, she is not wrong, and neither was Christine too far off the mark. After just more than three years of living here, both ladies are correct, it seems. At least to a point.

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We did not have Bible study this a.m. due to a Pastor's Conference taking place which I would not have even known about but for Pastor sending me a late night e-mail to inform me. Because I was not in worship, I missed the announcement. Really, only moments before I was to head out for Bible study did I read the e-mail!!! Now what? My whole day is thrown off---talk about a woman of routine! As I took care of some laundry, I had chuckled to myself about what Joanne said about my living in a only one room, having all this lovely space outside my bedroom waiting for people to come over and enjoy it with me! Tonight it will be used as Twila and Judy are coming over to watch movies, our "free" night!

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When I went downstairs this late morning on my way to meet Twila for lunch, I met Connie, the maintenance lady, working on some pipes. She asked me where I had been, and when I looked surprised, she said, "Well, I haven't seen you around in a couple days..." Hastily I rushed to my own defense, mentally retracing my steps, or lack thereof. Of course, the weekend does not count since she is not here. Much of last week was consumed by the newsletter and my church outings also take place after she has left for the day. Thursday I was gone to Victory for Bible study, plus Wal*Mart was marked by me one of those days.....I guess I had better make sure I let Connie know when I am moving about or she will think I died up here!

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The picture one gets of a hermit are hairy men sitting in dark, dungeon-like rooms, piled high with boxes and refuse, and empty pizza boxes. My home is hardly like that, except for the desk, that is, and the passenger side of my bed, busy with papers and books. Light is abundant and I do not allow for clutter, somehow not being able to control the amount of dust which finds its way to my surfaces. Will someone please explain this to me, since I am not buying Lori's theory of my dead skin flying madly about the house!

A glorious Sunday coming to a close

Well, I guess 4:30 pm counts as a close to a wonderful day. I am not expecting much else to happen or take place today so if this is how it ends, great! The desk is piled full of papers, my tummy is stuffed with food and my eyes are begging to shut, leaving no room for more of anything. The sun is shining yet after the heavy grey clouds moved on, but it is really too late in the day to head down to the pool. Perhaps I will join the neighbors on the sun deck during happy hour later on. I would have gone down last night but I had not dressed again after coming in from the pool and was not about to just for that!!

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My friend, Ellen, has her hands full, or at least, her houseful, with people on crutches. Over a month ago when her daughter, Ashley Rose, was returning to her home in CA, Ellen went with her for about a week. In the meanwhile, her friend, Michelle, had fallen and broke her thigh bone. Since her home is two-story, she came to stay at Ellen's to recuperate upon being released from the hospital. Michelle's kids came by on rotation to tend their injured Mom all these weeks, and Ellen loves to nurture so it all works out. At least it works out until Michelle's son slips on the stairs outside the condo and chips bones in HIS ankle. I saw him yesterday trying to manipulate the crutches while his sister toted the groceries up into Ellen's place. At one point he was sitting outside on the steps to smoke, and his crutches went sliding down the steps and overboard. Oh great! Now his sister had to come back outside after certainly putting the groceries away, run down the stairs to first locate and then retrieve the crutches. All this was observed from my vantage point in the pool, and I was thinking, "Poor Ellen"....

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Today I went over to Victory for Bible study and worship. There I saw many new faces, met some new people, hugged on some "old" ones, and even sang with the choir! Anne asked me to help out on the psalm since they were a bit shy choir members today and since I knew the anthem already, why not? "Oh, God, you are my God, for you I long, for you my heart is yearning...." We have sung this at G. S. first with Pete singing the stanzas, and after his time, the choir singing the stanzas. Once I sang solo on the first one, plus did the descant for the refrain---but not today. Straightforward today.

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Justin was there, too, and we enjoyed worshiping together. At least he told me so after church. He had already taken care of the "book exchange" as I had left my car unlocked on the assumption that he would take care of it before church. He has the new Beck book while I now have the Levin "Liberty or Tyranny". As I said to Linda J. the other day, I really need to settle down and read some of these books which are stacked around me! Because I had to rush right back to G. S. for a church meeting, I had to basically leave Victory without saying "good-bye" properly except to my Justin, of course. I got to the meeting only a few moments after it began so I did not miss much. Kathy B. had called me on my way between churches, wondering if I had told her I was not coming today. She said lots of people asked about me, wondered if I was sick or something. Some speculated where I was, and they were correct!

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Then I went to Winn-Dixie for a few items even though the game had already begun. The Jags were up by three points when I stopped so I ran as best I can run with my little cart through the store. They moved the soda aisle just to mess with me so I lost a little time backtracking in search of my Diet Coke, but still got home in good time. The Jaguars and Houston both played good games but I rejoice that Jags came out on top....thanks to a fumble in the Houston end zone which the Jags picked up!!! Add to that a Packer win and we call that "the end of the day"!

Shopping by sunlight

I am just burning up right now, sitting here in my window, basking in the sun. Already I have "chatted" with two friends on Facebook, one actually being my sister in WI and the other a young lady with whom I used to work and was close friends with back in my "old folks home" days. Annette now lives in Las Vegas and was getting ready to go to work, very early in the morning there. She is expecting 92 degrees above zero there today and I am expecting only a few degrees less than that. The way I feel right now, I could just dive right in (cannonball!!!!!) but I am sure the water is not quite warm enough yet for diving.

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While chatting and updating Facebook, I also did some shopping on-line at NPH, getting some more books to add to my stack. If only someone would come and read them to me and then explain it all. As I look into my river room, the sun is catching on a cobweb which has grown between the table and a chair. This is particularly troubling since Justin was here only Wednesday and had moved all the chairs from the table to vacuum, which I rarely do, but also because it means no one has sat in the chairs since Wednesday! What is up with that? It has been quiet around here. I hate it that school started again because all my teacher friends have been swept away to the classroom, leaving me fewer peeps with whom to play!

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Recently I have been communicating with someone from my WI congregation and cannot help but notice the unusual way she uses capitalization and punctuation. If she was not the age she is, I would guess part of it would come from using some hand-held communication device (sounds rather like Star Trek!) but she is not quite savvy electronics-wise. I have noticed in others' writings that punctuation has somewhat gone by the wayside, as in contractions, which are run together. While the short cuts might be suitable when using text messaging on the phone or instant messaging on the computer, it has found its way into every day "language" or usage. Linda H., at dinner the other night, declared that she never ever uses abbreviations when she writes or texts to her kids or grandkids, she always uses full words. The ladies were saying a recent study showed how few kids were being taught cursive-style writing in school any more nor were they really being taught proper grammar. The more adept people become at using these electronic tools, the "dumber" people can become. It is like a swapping of knowledge.

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On occasion I will read the obituaries on-line from our local paper where folks can post a message to the family in a Guest Book. Some of the messages are simply unintelligible and one cannot help but wonder if those leaving the message, while certainly heartfelt, did not take the time to review what they tried to write??? All capital letters, no space between what appear to be sentences, no periods or commas or apostrophes....Then there are the abbreviations and use of a single letter to say a word---UGH! Many moons ago I wrote about what my friend, Jami, was doing in the prison with the men she counseled. She was trying to teach them to read, and used the sentence in her blog, teaching them "the importance of vowels....". This phrase just caught my eye and mind because, for many of these cons, so much in their lives could have been changed or affected if they had known how to read beyond even a certain level. The things we take for granted...Yes, I am ordering these books and I swear, I will read them cover to cover!

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Just so that no one takes the liberty of pointing out flaws in my writing, please spare me, I am yet in development! I am a huge fan of the trailing thought tool of ....

Hearing the blues on a sunny day

After I watched the rocket launch from Cape Kennedy this morning, I decided to listen to iTunes instead of the speeches coming from NYC and Pittsburgh. Substituting one form of the "blues" for another as Joni sings to me from her "Blue" album. In looking through the Amazon list the other day I saw several books and DVDs about Joni on the market. While I so much more prefer to give people an actual present versus a gift card, I might possibly add "Amazon Gift Card" to mine when it comes to making out those end-of-the-year lists. Some of my family is coming down at CHRISTmas which will simply be the icing on the cake for me---will they be sporting bows???

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The river is jewel-like this morning as tiny ripples of waleless corduroy move along. Not as frantic as it was yesterday with the waves crashing against the breakwater and the winds whipping, causing my doors to slam shut. Chairs are propped against them yet in case it gets breezy again so I can keep the wind from doing battle with the opened doors. At present the palm branches are scarcely moving so it is too soon to pull the doors apart to let the breeze pass through. Again only two boats visible in any direction, and both of them just outside the breakwater. This must truly the hotspot for catching fish---or at least, for these two fishermen!

Rarely are boats able to get this close to the building due to the shallowness here, but the water was so high, covering the left side of the breakwater, that this boat and a walking-along fisherman, got up here. I heard my neighbor caution them about the sandbar underneath their boat, and the walker said that was why he was pushing the boat along, to avoid the sand getting in their engine.

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How funny for me to be writing about the waves and the wind yesterday while at this moment Joni is singing the refrain to a song, "troubled child, breakin' like the waves at Malibu...." Anyway, it feels lovely to have the sun pounding on me here. Joanne said not to be too worried about the cautions on the antibiotic bottle about exposure to sunlight, because I have already established a good tan which would prevent me from getting sunburned. Good! Today I should hear something about my sick laptop (I wonder if I caught a virus from my computer.......) with it hopefully being returned to me this afternoon. Wally called Wednesday to say they were working on it, trying to make sure it would not replicate the problem in the hard-drive...okay, whatever.....I really could have used it last week when I was busy resting, multi-tasking and healing at the same time!

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Last night Justin and I enjoyed a meal together at Outback on Baymeadows, as I had a coupon burning a hole in my pocket. As always, there is plenty to talk about, including how he thought he did on his test taken earlier in the day. I found it funny that he had to take off from work and/or Bible study to cram for this exam, when this is the only class he takes, twice a week. Once again I am glad he likes his course of study, political science, and truly hope he does well in this class. Justin is quite excited also about the next in a series of books by Dan Brown, along the lines of "Angels and Demons". I should have given him a test on that!!! He took the leftovers home with him, mine of course, plus one of their tiny loaves of dark bread to enjoy while watching a new TV show he is looking forward to watching, something about people getting a glimpse of their future.

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Sunday will be a good day with Bible study, worship, and a congregational meeting--again! But after the meeting, it is home to watch the Jaguars play! Not blacked out this time due the game being in Houston and I am so excited about this. My thoughts are to make my favorite sloppy joes and kick back for kick off!

Hurry up and wait

This morning I ran late leaving to attend Bible study because of getting the newsletter finished and e-mailed to the church secretary. The morning "mail" brought the article from the preschool teacher but none from the others I had requested reports from, so I had to improvise. Not too hard to fill in as long as I have a tidbit or two to work from. Fortunately, I had popped in at Pioneers before choir rehearsal, heard part of the talk about rockets, and then "heard" the rocket launch later on. Thump!, as it landed on the roof of the church. I knew it, I even asked Sara, wife of the demonstrator, what happens if it lands on the roof, and she just shrugged. What happens? The ladder is gotten out and someone must start the climb! Just as exciting for the kids as the launch itself is the retrieval from the roof!

Some of the Pioneer group listening to the presentation by a rocket builder, prior to the launch. One little boy listens from the back as he is facing away from the speaker.

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As it turned out, upon leaving home this a.m. for Bible study, my gas tank was lower than I like for a longer ride facing me. I called the church to let them know I was coming and Bonnie assured me they would be watching for me, and even said if I ran out of gas, she would come and get me. Now, is that not the sweetest thing?? I arrived only five minutes late and they did in fact have a seat for me. The subject matter was prayer and what a great topic it was. Pastor Hoyer, through the lesson, reminded us how we fail to make use of our "wireless" connection with the Lord, going to Him as an after-thought or only when we want something.

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At the close of the class, we took turns going around the table with our prayers, aloud, something many Lutherans are unaccustomed to doing. Some were fluid, some not so much. When it was my turn, I thanked the Lord for giving Judy R. a good report following her cancer treatment (6 months cancer-free!!!) and also asked for Him to watch over Lynn K., our pastor's wife, as she presently battles breast cancer. Rejoice with me over Judy's good news! I pray that some day I will be offering prayers of thanksgiving for Lynn being cancer-free, as well!

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On my ride back, I called Mom once more to tell her something I had forgotten to tell her as I drove over to Victory. Through the web of Facebook, I had been contacted by a young lady I knew at First German, who found me through another FG alumna. Cathy wanted to tell me how she regretted never telling my mom "thanks" for teaching the girls to sew back in their Lutheran Pioneer days. Wow! How fun to get a thank you and acknowlegement this late in the game, but how special as well! I wrote back to Cathy and told her mom was still with us and that I would share her message. She had gone on to do much sewing in her life, making wedding and bridesmaid's dresses, and other seamstress work, and wanted to tell Mom 'thanks'! We sometimes never know the impact we make on other people's lives .....

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When I arrived home again and started my computer, I had a message on my g-mail indicating my "contacts" list was not available, that Google was working on the problem. This means that I cannot send off the rest of the newsletters to the homes for a while, at least, not until the problem is corrected.

Just because I took a day off

"I have words left over", as Justin would say. I forgot to mention how yesterday I had the opportunity to spend some more money, but not nearly nearly as much as I could have. So, does that mean I saved money?

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In the spring I had gotten a booklet from the Jacksonville Symphony where I have not renewed my season tickets. The booklet showed the ticket prices for the upcoming "Carmina Burana" event to be around $450+ each and I very sadly told Justin there would be no concert for us. Yesterday I got an e-mail from the JSO promoting another concert and thought I would take a look at the schedule, etc. to see what was happening during the time Linda J. is here. Sure enough, there was "Carmina..." I clicked through the page to see what price they were. Long story short, I was able to get three tickets for less than half of what one ticket would have run. I must dig up that booklet to see what that was all about, breaking our hearts like that!!! But, now, we are healed! I sent Justin an e-mail with only a link to "O Fortuna" for him to click. He sent me a message late last night saying he had just gotten home and read the e-mail. His message, non-paraphrased, was: "Oh, thank you thank you thank you thank you!!!!!" He knew exactly what that meant, which is what I love about my boy. You are most welcome, my dear!

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He has since contacted me again today to ask about getting the new book by Glenn Beck, "Arguing With Idiots" as a shared book. He wants to trade me for one he has that I wish to read. Of course I agreed! Think I might even head to the bookstore yet this afternoon, or perhaps before choir tonight. The previous Beck book is lying on my dresser and I will give him that book, too, as I am about done with it. My messy bed and desk are starting to get to me which means I must be feeling better....The entire passenger-side of my bed is piled with books, magazines, catalogs, mail, and church materials. My spirit was willing (to deal with this stuff) but my flesh was weak. I chose sleep over sorting!

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Some of the dusting got done yesterday and I might do a bit more today after Justin is done vacuuming. One act would defeat the other. Joanne was telling me about her incredibly high electric bills at the beach, not on JEA like most of Jacksonville is, but a re-seller power company. She told me she sets and keeps her thermostat on 75 (ugh!!!!), has no TV to watch but is home so little that it does not matter. In my opinion, then, set the thermostat higher and it won't run. My suggestion to her was ask the owners if she could have an A/C man come and run some tests on it because she said it just runs and runs. I hope they say she can, or even if she hires them herself, just to see if there is a problem with the machinery. One of the first floor Owners here told me yesterday that his electric bill is usually around $300 a month, with now four people living in his house. He not long ago married a woman with two sons and I can only imagine the number of electrical devices they have making the dial spin on HIS electric meter! This is the man who plays the Jimmy Buffett music so loudly outside.

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Oh, I just knew it! The heavens have opened and giant drops are falling into the river, none on my windows thus far. Well, I guess if the rain continues, a nap will be in order to rest my eyes. Much reading has gone on here this a.m. which usually makes my eyes tired. My sleep was good last night so this cannot be the problem. I dreamed about CHRISTmas and the coming celebrations, even my niece, Tina and her family were here.....HEY! What a great idea!!!!

Multi-tasking at its finest...

....but perhaps this remains to be seen! As I am writing this moment, I am also listening to a sermon on-line about the disciple of Christ, Matthew, while also watching Fox News from the corner of my eye as notable folks are speaking to the UN. I do not want to miss the any of the blow by blow reports about this, especially when Qaddafi gets his turn to speak. He might be stiff and sore this a.m. after sleeping outside in a tent! Wait, he is accustomed to that....he did, in fact, sleep indoors at the Libyan Embassy since no other hotels or rental agencies wanted him in their establishments.

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"Jesus calls me, calls us, called Matthew, first to His side and then to His service.." I like that! Jesus attained "rock-star status" among the Jews, people hanging on His every word, but then called a tax collector to serve Him. (From the sermon)

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Today Justin is coming by after work to do some things for me, as he actually did forget all about coming on Monday. I was not so angry this time as I was still a bit weary and appreciated having the late afternoon and evening to myself. I'd had a full day with Bible study, lunch, and an extended meeting with Pastor so I did not entirely mind being snubbed once more by my son. When I called him at a little after 5:00, he was genuinely sorry that he forgot, and I genuinely forgave him. Today will work out better, but not a moment too soon since I got crazy with some popcorn in here last night and made quite a mess under my desk!

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"You (Matthew) are the perfect disciple because you are not perfect, and you admit it. I will make you perfect..." "called to be first a disciple, one who learns, and then as an apostle, to go and tell the Good News"

*

Tuesday night I met our usual group for dinner at Aron's Pizza, and it felt so wonderful to be back in routine again! Leann had been feeling poorly for weeks now but made it out for dinner, plus Linda H. and Judy J. Linda and Leann will be attending the same Bible class as the one I attended last night, only they will go on Wednesday in Keystone Heights. Mike C., with only Debbie S. and me in his class, got through the entire section, but not in an hour. Mike has the Sunday Bible study, again on Tuesday night and then in Keystone Heights on Wednesday.

*

Tonight is choir rehearsal and possibly dinner, although I cannot remember if it this week or next that we are gathering for one of our friends' birthdays. I am awaiting the word on this from Kathy B. I was a bit groggy when she told me about it so it might actually be next week. My nose will be held as I must venture into Ted's Restaurant (Turner/CNN/Fonda fame) because I would never set foot in there otherwise. Oh, the things we will do for our friends.....

*

Still I am waiting for a couple things for the newsletter although the secretary asked if she could have it early to make copies before she leaves for vacation. Um, I will certainly try but early is a relative term! I can make copies if need be but must admit to being a little rusty at doing so. Another option would be to print them at home but would eat up my ink cartridges something fierce. I will do the best I can, that is all.

*

Last week I paid my last installment for the painting project on my building. Once more a big 'ouch!' to the checking account but certainly the building looks and feels a lot nicer. It will be nice to know if our values have begun to appreciate again or not. None of the units for sale have sold, with several of them being on the market for over a year. My assessment from the County does not reflect any decrease, however, and am wondering if a contact to the Assessor's office would be in order. I should ask around to the others to see if theirs went down any. It certainly would be lovely to pay less property tax this fall!

*

The sun has broken through the clouds here and it seems as though the fog is lifting little by little. The air temperature is 80 at this moment and the humidity, obviously, is high. I hope Justin made the trip across the Buckmann safely this a.m. on his way to work. Late afternoon Tuesday I had a phone conversation with my friend, Rosalie, in Houston. She recently turned 75 and is busy as ever, with her husband, Hal, now around the house, as she put it, "24/7"! Hal is turning 70 years old soon and for his birthday is getting a brand, new hip! She told me that Pastor Schuppe is coming to their church to lead a Bible study but they will have to miss it because of Hal's hip surgery. Oh man, I wish there was a way for them to see each other....bet they will!

What else are we missing???

Since I am not at the top of my game and must concentrate on the newsletter with a deadline which looms, I am incredibly thankful my friend, Dolly, sent this to me today. I could not have said it better myself, nor could I have said it better than Joni Mitchell did in her song, "For Free". Here's the link for that song, too. Do not pass it by, because, "What else are we missing"?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HmzN1p5q2sY&feature=related

(click on this link to bring it up)

Washington, DC Metro Station on a cold January morning in 2007. The man with a violin played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes. During that time approx. 2 thousand people went through the station, most of them on their way to work.

After 3 minutes a middle aged man noticed there was a musician playing. He slowed his pace and stopped for a few seconds and then hurried to meet his schedule.

4 minutes later: The violinist received his first dollar: a woman threw the money in the hat and, without stopping, continued to walk.

6 minutes: A young man leaned against the wall to listen to him, then looked at his watch and started to walk again.

10 minutes: A 3-year old boy stopped but his mother tugged him along hurriedly. The kid stopped to look at the violinist again, but the mother pushed hard and the child continued to walk, turning his head all the time. This action was repeated by several other children. Every parent, without exception, forced their children to move on quickly.

45 minutes: The musician played continuously. Only 6 people stopped and listened for a short while. About 20 gave money, but continued to walk at their normal pace. The man collected a total of $32.

1 hour: He finished playing and silence took over. No one noticed. No one applauded, nor was there any recognition.

Findings:

No one knew this, but the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the greatest musicians in the world. He played one of the most intricate pieces ever written, with a violin worth $3.5 million dollars. Two days earlier Joshua Bell sold out a theater in Boston where the seats averaged $100.

This is a true story. Joshua Bell playing incognito in the Metro Station was organized by the Washington Post as part of a social experiment about perception, taste, and people's priorities. The questions raised: "In a common place environment, at an inappropriate hour, do we perceive beauty? Do we stop to appreciate it? Do we recognize talent in an unexpected context?"

One possible conclusion reached from this experiment could be this: If we do not have a moment to stop and listen to one of the best musicians in the world, playing some of the finest music ever written, with one of the most beautiful instruments ever made.... How many other things are we missing?

To see Bell’s performance: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hnOPu0_YWhw

Too pooped to party!

Here's the plan: I will sit at this desk long enough for a decent length of time to pass before I allow myself to get comfortable for the night. If I lay myself down too early and fall asleep, the entire system is out of control! I would much rather battle weariness at this point than in the early morning hours. However, those hours do allow for some lovely sunrises....hmmmm......It seems that after my busy day and feeling pretty "normal", my fever has come back slightly and my eye lids feel hot. I liked it better when I felt reasonably well this earlier part of the day!

*

Soon summer will be officially over in Florida and I fear not getting any more pool time. My neighbors told me last night that the repairs on the adult pool will not be completed for a month which means the water will never heat up enough for me to venture back in. Our air temps have been in the high 80's with extremely high humidity, but this does nothing to warm the water in the teen pool to a tolerable level for me. I toyed with the idea of asking my doctor, House, to send me for physical therapy again at Brooks Rehab because then I could join as a member and enjoy their aqua therapy pools and hot tub. Martie and Chris had joined once upon a time but neither of them continued with it. The cost is insignificant for an annual membership, and quite close to my home. We shall see, although I truly do miss "riding my bike" in the pool on a near-daily basis, and my knees miss it too!

*

My day began a bit later than I liked but that was mostly due to the late night TV viewing again last night. Not football this time, the Emmy Awards. Most of the programs I am totally unfamiliar with but the movie my "group" watched here, "Grey Gardens", received several statuettes. The Emmy's wrapped up around 11:00 pm and I snooped around the stations to find something for which to fall asleep. Besides a "Law and Order: CI", I found again, "Roseanne". Oh, now I can find out what happened with Dan, etc., falling for another woman and leaving his family. Wow!

*

Dan came to the door with the baby, Jerry, dropping him off after visitation. Roseanne kept slamming the door in his face until Dan finally got himself squeezed in. He wanted to talk to her, but they could find no quiet zone where big ears were not around, so they were on the porch, in the cold. He apologized up and down to her, for hurting her so badly, (she said, "It nearly killed me..."), for messing everything up with his "wanderlust" (my word of choice). She told him that yes, he did hurt her and their family. He swore he would never do that again, that she meant too much to him, and so on. He seemed sincere. She finally forgave him and agreed to go for a ride in the car to warm up. One thing they never mentioned was how the money she won had affected their lives at this point, although they had sworn it would not. Money changes everything....I should write a song! While they were in the car, they got a phone call that Darlene, their daughter, had gone into premature labor. Long story short, the baby nearly died due to respiratory problems....Okay, this was too much for me when I am supposed to sleep. Martial problems and a child dying, nope, time to find something else to watch. If only it were so simple as changing the channel.

Feeling better but still sick?

How can this be? It is possible to feel better without feeling wonderful, right? In fact, my sleep allowed a decent night's rest so I could go to church this a.m. Bible study was still going on when I finally got there, with good attendance. I was glad to offer my support to Mike C. as he gets his feet wet leading the class for us. Pastor was conducting the parenting class in the other building while Sunday school was going on.

*

Janet had dressed a table with a pretty cover to encourage folks to sit down, as at the Ladies' Group meeting it was brought up that no one sat down Sunday for fellowship like they used to do when the preschool was still there. What? There has to be at least 10 tables with chairs set up in that room now and no one was sitting in them??? Oh, that is just too much! The card tables formerly used for this are used elsewhere now so it is not possible to make it just like it was before. Janet did the next best thing by dressing a table. I did not stick around to see if anyone sat down or not! This is going too far as far as doing things "the way we used to do it"!!

*

After I had gotten dressed this morning, I began to feel weary again so sat in the family room to watch the news before leaving. The Tuesday evening Bible class covers the same study so I knew it was okay to miss part of it. Once I headed to church, Kathy B. called to see if I was on my way or staying home. Nice! When I arrived, I posted my items on the bulletin board, now in the fellowship hall, and got myself stationed in the back of the church to begin the greeting and attendance taking. Much to my delight, our dear member, Kathy R., came to church today after many months of being away. A group from church, her hubby and she included, had gone to eat at Athens Restaurant but sadly, I had to pass due to my illness. That is how you know I am sick, when I refuse dinner invitations! Whether the gang "encouraged" her to come back or if she came on her own, I was just so happy to see her in the flesh, as compared to Facebook only!

*

Kathy B. played the pre-service music which was wonderful, including "When Peace Like a River" which I piped in on, softly. "It is well, it is well...it is well with my soul"....We used the Divine Service II this a.m. and Kathy played the parts not included on the MIDI. All went well, no problems. Like I said to Pastor after church, using these other Orders of Service keeps us on our toes. Sometimes we get so accustomed to doing the service one way and not really absorbing the wonderful message in what we are doing. The joy of liturgical worship and being able to change it up a bit. The message and intent is the same, even if the melodies are different or new.

*

The sermon series is from the book of James and has provided for very timely messages. I had to chuckle right off the bat because before church began, Janet brought me a gold ring which had been left by the sink in the bathroom. She said I could track down the owner, because "you know everybody". Well, I might not know who lost a ring, but I sure can find out! The reading from James starts out talking about not showing favoritism in the church, such as asking the person with the "gold ring and flashy clothes" to sit up front, while the shabbily dressed has to sit on the floor. Here I am, holding a gold ring and wearing a brightly colored blouse!!!! Not in the front, though, which is a relief! Janet asked me about it after church and I assured her I caught the joke. Even Pastor mentioned it as we stood together at the door to greet after church. Glad we can find some humor once in a while! I think I was set up!!!

*

Judy J. asked me to have lunch after church but, believe it or not, I declined. By this time I was bone-tired and ready go lay down at home. Darwin asked me to place service folders in the mailboxes of those absent today, something new we are starting, and I did that quickly before heading for home. Momentarily I toyed with stopping to get a burger or something to have for lunch, but I still was not feeling much like eating anything of substance. Once home I did reheat some leftovers, as I promised Joanne I would eat real food, but could not eat all my food from Koko's. Right now some pork chops are defrosting on my counter and I might, just might, make those for supper. Later, much later!!!

*

Earlier I knew I felt hot inside but still had the afghan Lynn made for Timmy wrapped around my legs and feet to keep me warm. The air temp in the house is around 82 above zero (I have since opened the doors to let a breeze through!) so I should not be chilled. After a great deal of digging around, taking a trip down memory lane, I finally located our thermometer. It has been years since it was used, last time for Justin, I am sure. After shaking it down, I stuck it in mouth and walked around while the temp climbed. I was correct---although very hard to read, the temp showed nearly 100 again, as it was yesterday. My eyes and mouth are hot but my extremities cold.

*

More water, more juice, more soda (Mom asked me yesterday if the doctor mentioned my soda drinking in relation to the infection....he did not) and cool foods are the modus operandi for me so if the chops get made remains to be seen. My spirit is saddened by the game losses of both the pro football teams I support, the Packers and the Jags. I tried to listen to the Jag game on the radio but had a hard time following along, probably because I was so tired already. One thing about the cranberry juice---it makes my teeth feel furry!