Getting ready to leave

In a few minutes I will be heading to the Island to go shopping at Wal*Mart, pick up a scrip and a birthday present for Rick, whose birthday we are celebrating tonight. I am thinking he is 30 this year or maybe even 31...hmmmm, used to keep up with this stuff.

*

While waiting for "aparture", as Timmy used to say, I am watching and listening to PBS, a show about Yanni. He is on tour right now and since I will not be attending the concert when he comes through Jax, why not watch it now? His hair is cut and his handsome moustache is shaved, he is not the same anymore! And what is with that weird thing he does as he plays keyboards----is that supposed to air violin??? He always did that type of thing in his concerts but for some reason I now find it quite annoying. He has added singing to the show now, some wonderful tenors and female singers, and it is really quite a fine concert to listen to. I just do not like the little pretend orchestra conducting or arm antics...

*

The sky is a brilliant blue, criss-crossed with the white trails from jets and wispy clouds. Boats are traveling the river, some sailing while others scream from one end to the other. Earlier I heard big splashy noises so went to the patio doors to investigate, expecting to see someone walking in the water. But, no, it was the giant fish again! Joanne and I had seen them already last week, needle-nosed looking things, so big that at times their fins stuck up out of the water like sharks. Oh, Yanni is now playing his encore and it is one of my favorites from his early days: Santorini! Go figure! And I loved the song long before I set foot on the island....back in our "Street of Dreams" days in early Eagle Harbor, 1995. Wow, a long time ago!

*

There is an announcer lady prompting the viewers to call in their pledges for PBS and I thought, "Man, she looks so familiar!" It has now occurred to me where I think I know her from-----"Seinfeld", of course! The episode, I think it's called The Trip, where Kramer seeks his fame and fortune in Los Angeles as an actor and has a strange woman in his apartment building who is a "has been". She had been in a movie in the 30's and still thinks she is in the movie, complete with painted on eyebrows, just like the lady on PBS! All alone on the house and I am laughing out loud! Not only that, they are showing the people taking phone calls in the studio, also from a "Seinfeld" episode when Uncle Leo put Nana in the nursing home, Jerry was a host of the telethon and Kramer took calls, thinking he got a piece of the action. Not even a gift bag! Poor Kramer! All roads lead to Rome, all of life leads to "Seinfeld"!

What a difference a day makes...

That is what Lynn, our pastor's wife, declared last night as Kathy B. and I joined her on the bleachers at Anna's baseball game. Oops, softball, big difference, I guess. From inches and inches of rain to a bright, sunshiny day! Anna's team at school, the Yellow Jackets, did what they called " a three-peat", taking the trophy for the third year in a row. I am not sure if this was considered a State tournament or exactly what, because Monday night this girls' team also won a trophy. Last night's game was the big finish for many of the players as they were 8th graders, moving on to high school next year. The opposing team was from Lake City, and they appeared to be much bigger girls than Anna's team. It was a squeaker, with the Yellow Jackets behind 6-2 for a bit, and then rallying and capitalizing on some fielding errors to catch up and eventually win. Very exciting!

*

The Kuske's joined Kathy and me for dinner (Kathy treated me!) at Gator Dockside in Oakleaf where we had a wonderful meal and great time together. Both Lynn and Kathy are teachers and it's good for them to compare notes about what their week has been like, looking so forward to next week's Spring Break. Our church and their schools are in two different counties, basically, one side of the street being Clay and the other, Duval, so the Spring Breaks do not match up. Our preschool had break last week but this week it's Clay's turn. Many of our Sunday school students were off last week and the rest this coming week. So difficult to take vacations or what have you during Holy Week, that did not work out well in the Kuske household as far as "doing something" next week with all the extra services and activities.

*

Speaking of activities, today is our Easter 4 Kids event at church and it looks like the weather will hold, at least through the first part of the day. I have to be there to handle the registration table at 9:00 a.m. to get the first arrivals checked in and identified before the big rush. The Yard Day activities are today, too, and I hope there is a good turn-out for that, as well. Fausto called me last night to caution once more about not picking up the repaired lamb by his ears, only from the bottom or his work will have been in vain. I will inform everyone I know working there today to not pick up the lamb by his ears, and hopefully no one will.

*

Victory is having a huge event today, a Spring Festival, of major proportions. They had large-sized professionally designed post cards printed and paid the post office to mail them to the designated region around their church. One of their members busily printed and shaped photo cubes to hand out to the attendees, telling about Victory Lutheran and their Savior. He has offered me the template used for the cube and Kathy told me last night to have him send it over! It never hurts to have extra tools in our tool box, right? Victory is having jumpy rides, face painting, an antique fire truck, collector cars, food (of course!) an Easter egg hunt, and even giving away a door prize of a Nintendo DS. Something for every age group, to get attention of their church. The street reconstruction is nearly finished and hopefully the barrels and barricades won't inhibit people from showing up. I am excited for both congregations today in our Outreach efforts!

*

I would like to be excited for the job prospects of my sister-in-law in Valders but not so much. She is still without employment after being laid-off from the web design company where she used to work. Prior to that she worked in a area hospital doing payroll or something like that but when hospitals merged or were bought out, that job went away, too. She is taking part in some job search programs in the County, as she applied for food and energy assistance. Her former spouse also is laid-off so he is not able to pay his obligations for their children.

*

Around here networking is so important and when I hear about something opening up, I am sure to let my friends know about it, but I am afraid my sis-in-law does not have all that many people to call on. She is volunteering at MLHS Repeat Performance which will not hurt for making contacts, especially since I know a couple of the ladies who help out there! I did suggest she look into programs offered at the school where my sister, Lynn, works, as they help people who have lost their jobs find new skills, test for placements, etc.

*

Speaking of WI, Fox and Friends is reporting about West Allis being proactive regarding underage drinking, posting signs in the yards of those who have either had parties take place or for those planned, as the police are monitoring the networking sites to find out about the parties. Pretty good police work, and this might help parents become more aware of all the behind-the-scenes mischief going on, and who is doing it. Supposedly the parents must give permission for the sign to be posted so I wonder how that is going to work. West Allis is a suburb of Milwaukee, for those who do not know. They are also talking about more snow for WI AND a possible hard freeze in the southeastern portion of the US. Hey, that's me! I protest, and I am going to put a sign outside saying NO to the hard freeze!