I have been busy this morning....

.....and have not even gotten out of bed! Besides chatting on Facebook with WI friends, and the telephone, I have been reaching out and touching people! Or been touched! Or am touched!!! There was a "Seinfeld" episode where Elaine broke up with her perfect guy because he did not put an exclamation mark after what should have been an exciting phone message he took for her. She then went on a rampage as an editor, using exclamation marks at every opportunity. It seems I do that as well!

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Today I am helping in the kindergarten classroom to give the teacher a little break over lunch and recess, and she called to let me know that two of the kids are out with the stomach flu. Laurie thought I might not want to be exposed to the germs which may or may not be in the air but I told her I will go into battle! Using good hand washing procedures and plenty of Clorox wipes (love those things!) will certainly be my defense.

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After I am done in the classroom I will go in to the church office next door to review the Policy and Procedure book in case I am ever called upon to work in the church office again, as I did last fall when Lynne went to Hawaii. It was really last minute when she asked me and the retraining I had was cursory at best. Things were handled adequately although likely not as in the same military order as Lynne was accustomed. She is going on a cruise at some point in the summer so I am on board to grab the reins once more. Her hours were reduced in order to save money on the budget and since I have the time to donate, well, there must be something in the office that I can do. Even if it is folding or making copies or organizing....maybe even dusting!

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My sister, Jill, called me this morning on her way to work. She said Danny, her son, had mentioned something to her as she drove him to school and she needed my help in remembering. It seems he was thinking about them coming down here for Timmy's funeral and he remembers seeing a wall or balls with people's names written on them. Jill asked me what he could be thinking of, saying he thought it was next to a building somewhere. He was eight when they were here for that. In my vague recollection of those days, I asked Jill if he was at the funeral home at all and she said he did come at first. One of the assistants from Eagle Harbor Realty then took him back to my house to babysit him. I think what he saw, then, when outside walking around with his mama, were the crypts in the mausoleum next door to the funeral home. I think they are black with people's names engraved or plaques on the marble, behind which are the urns of the deceased. He also mentioned the creek behind the funeral home and the pond at the cemetery. Jill does not remember seeing these things but, as I told her, her mind was elsewhere under those circumstances. Hmmm......what things kids notice! And what made him think about it today?

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Pastor also called to see if I was still coming in today and might have some busy-work for me to take care of. If not now, he will in the future when it gets busy mid-month in February when Lent begins. I want to stop at Publix on the way through to get myself a sandwich to enjoy with the children and a gift card for Mike C.'s birthday today. My friend, Suzanne, and her family will be having dinner at Judy C.'s house for the birthday celebration tonight. Yummy! Ssshhh, they are having a beef roast as his special dinner and I think that sounds so good, I am going to get myself a roast, too! Love the smell of roast roasting!

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On the way to Bible study yesterday, I swung by the cemetery to put the flower vases back up after the storms in the wee hours. Sure enough, everything was a mess down there, but neither glass vases were broken. The Thomas balloon was deflated and wind-whipped so I took it away. In the afternoon, it got quite windy yet again so I might have to go check the vases once more as I head toward the church this a.m. The radio reported Monday that power was out in certain areas of Orange Park and the Westside due to the terrible storm and in fact, radio reports had it that we were under a tornado warning when I pulled the covers back over my head! Oh well.....

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It is 55 above zero with ten more to go until we reach the high predicted for today. My friend in Tulsa said they are in store for more serious winter weather with ice and snow accumulating, so I can tolerate the 65 degree mostly sunny weather. Last night we had our annual Owner's meeting at The Club and it had its moments. Some of the more contentious issues discussed included the budget for the coming year which adds 2% to our monthly fees. Yikes! I told the people at my table that I will only eat every other day now to make up the difference. They did not believe me.....The good news is that we had enough people step forward to serve on the Board for the next two years, I think, and I am not one of them! There are always some who make waves and listen with their mouths open instead of closed, so miss half of what is being discussed. Others demand presentation of past year's Minutes to either prove or disprove that some matter was voted on and discussed. I felt badly for the newest couple to the building, although the husband had lived here before with his previous wife. Bob and his then-wife, Jan, were quite gracious to us after Timmy died, invited us to their home and such. That is when I first saw The Palace and it never left my memory. As they took us on a tour of their home, I couldn't believe how it just went on and on....and now, I live here! When I saw a place was available in the building, I snapped it up!

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Last week I heard from an old friend, Jim, who was our draftsman and became a superintendent later in his career with my company. He is mentioned in one of the repeat postings I made, the guy who called Timmy "Hurricane Hank". He is now a married man and quite happily so. I told him I did not feel bad about not being invited to their Keys wedding since it was only his wife and he, plus the minister, their dog, and a homeless man who wandered through during their vows! That figures! Jim did my home inspection before I moved in here, arriving before I did. He was wandering aimlessly, claiming he got all turned around inside my condo! It can be intimidating at first, as Mom will attest. She got turned around herself when she stayed with me here after we moved in. Jim said he got into a closet and ended up in the bathroom, which is true! I changed that situation after moving in, so my guests can enter their bathroom without going through the closet.

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Whenever I travel, I think of Jim---he told the story about his mom who, when he was flying somewhere, would ask him, "Do you have your tickets?". In those days, we had paper tickets to use, not e-tickets. Frustrated, he would say, "Yes, I do!", except once, he did not!!! What a great lesson he learned! Good for you, mom! So, as I approach the bag check area at the curbside, I think to myself, "Kim, do you have your tickets??"