Still more thunder

In the distance I can hear thunder rumbling, which might mean another storm is coming across the river. Once already I had to hustle inside from the pool as a thunderstorm came up, just as the games and pool activities were wrapping up. Timing was everything in this case. Most of us had finished our meals from the cabana by this time, with Bob and Rosemary's son being the last one to eat as he came later. The men at our table had little trouble tackling the burgers but I generally order the hot dog because I can actually eat the entire thing. Not so with the burgers, which we estimated are about 1/3 pound or so. Delicious, yes, but just too big for me to eat in one sitting.

*

Skipper, the former lifeguard for The Club, runs the games for the kids including the favorite of retrieving the greased watermelon from the bottom of the pool. One of the melons broke open in the tussle but another one survived and was retrieved in a record time of 11 seconds! The various age groups have swimming events, dive for coins, and other pool games, even for the little ones. The moms and grandmas are very good about cheering the kids on, even though it seems they have no clue what they are supposed to be doing! Just keep shouting the kids' names and they will eventually do something for a prize!

*

Last night the moon once more peeked out and I got to take another photo of it. The camera card is in the printer connected to my desk top computer so will have to wait until tomorrow as I am not firing up the 'big one' tonight, especially with the lightning going on. Oh, oh....as I write I am also watching "Seinfeld" and the episode tonight is the famous "The Contest" show. Oh, no, again...even though it's sassy, I cannot help but laugh at some of it. Especially that Kramer!

*

Anyway, yesterday was Favorite Hymn Sunday and I was delighted to know that one of my suggestions made the cut. As I told Pastor, I hold back with my list because I want to give others a chance, since I have soooo many favorites! Among my list was "Behold, A Host Arrayed in White" and he chose it! As we were listening to the video from "Come, Worship Christ" in Bible study, it seemed that in one portion the camera showed a congregation singing and an organist playing...I strained to hear more clearly what the cong. was singing and I am almost sure it was "Behold, a Host...."! At the end of the class I mentioned that it sounded like 'my hymn' and Pastor remarked, "How ironic!" and shared with the others that this was the hymn I chose for Favorite Hymn Sunday. I told him afterward that the 3rd stanza was especially profound but we were only singing the first two, for which, I am sure Robbie was thankful.

*

So, when we sang the five hymns suggested, with CW 550 being the last of them, a tear or two had found its way down my cheek, picturing the joys of heaven. "....Now God has wiped away their tears, Transformed their strife to heav'nly life, and freed them from their fears. They now enjoy the Sabbath rest, the heav'nly banquet of the blest; The Lamb, their Lord, at festive board, Himself is Host and Guest." As we stood and proceeded with the liturgy, suddenly there was Cliff at my elbow, whispering thanks for choosing this hymn. Wow, start the water works again....After church Jen P. came up to me and said she knew which hymn I had picked by its message---a good thing to be known for. Also, Pastor said to me that he looked ahead at stanza 3 and thought perhaps we should have sung all three!

*

I came straight home after making plans with the Lawcock's for attending the Concert on the Green later on. They were going swimming at the base in the afternoon and as I drove home on Wells Road, it was pouring rain! Oh, now they wouldn't be able to go swimming! The showers were expected, sporadic, and it seems they did not have rain on that side of I-295. After all, it's Florida! At the appointed time, they picked me up and off we went to St. Johns RCC for the concert. We met the rest of the gang from church and discovered the cannons for the grand finale were going to be right behind us, as were the parachutists who jumped from a small plane. So precise in their landing, just amazing! Sarah had a great time playing ball and such with the other kids, and I am sure she slept well last night....unless the booming of the cannons still echoed in her ears! On Fox and Friends yesterday morning they were discussing earworms and my earworm is now the "1812 Overture"!!!

A full moon on the river

Last night, late, the sky broke open enough to allow for the moon to find its way out for this photo. I did not see the moon at first, but did see the shadows it was casting on the floors and walls in my bedroom. Already the night before I had the camera ready to go and tried my best to capture the full moon on the river. Well, not quite my best, since I did not bother with the gorilla tripod to secure the camera to the rail as this shot required a steady hand. The little squiggle in the water is actually a light from across the river, and I jiggled a bit when snapping. This looks pretty good though, after I figured out to hold the flash thingy down before taking the shot. It looks eerie to me but it was really more peaceful than anything else.

"Chew some gum and call me in the morning..."

Little by little I am whittling away at the 'remains of the day', or rather, of the week, my foam boxes in the fridge. Presently I am enjoying rice and black beans with pork from The Columbia. Mmmm......At Justin's urging, ahem, ahem, I am eating at home today, even though the cabana was open and food was being cooked over there. Such restraint! I was not totally noble about staying home and tackling the foam boxes, however. Starting yesterday already, I had the sensation of full ears, similar to what a person experiences on an airplane upon take off and landing. I could not really get them to clear entirely and I took an allergy tablet to see if that would help. It did not prevent me from doing normal things but the hollowness was quite annoying and not a little bit disconcerting. When Justin was here cleaning in the late afternoon, I told him about it and he was concerned, too, because of what happened with his ear. Since I had no other symptoms like dizziness or pain, I was not fearing what Justin was thinking. When I went to bed last night, I took another allergy tablet and hoped the ear would be clear in the morning. Even my pillow was noisy when I put my head down on it, such a racket feathers make when they compress!

*

This morning the situation was unchanged so I made up my mind to have my head examined at the walk-in care clinic. When I did the walk-in thing, there was no one else in the place. NOT what I expected to find at a place like this on a Saturday morning! Without too much delay the nurse took me back for a quick history and I helped her to do her job. She read me the blood pressure results and began to write them down, and then turned to me, asking, "What did I say it was?" Then she wanted me to relate past surgeries and then I had to spell the procedures for her, like she had a brain fart or something. Perhaps I was not the only one needing their head examined today! I had to spell 'hernia' for her and then 'gall bladder'. Or was that part of my exam??????? I passed the spelling test and recollection tests.

*

The doctor took a quick look into my ears and down my throat, asked me the appropriate questions, and then determined I merely have fluid built up in both ears for no apparent reason. He suggested taking no more of the allergy medications which was fine with me, but prescribed a steroid nasal spray to use several times a day. That was filled for me right there at the clinic so I was able to avoid going to the pharmacy on my way home. For an unrelated reason I was up before six a.m. and was quite sleepy yet so after a bit, I took a nap. Thankfully Judy J. called me and woke me up which I appreciate because I did not wish to sleep the day away. And guess what---my head seemed clearer, really!

*

It was extremely windy today although partially sunny, and I could have spent the day poolside after all. Instead, though, I opted to remain inside and not be tempted to put my head in the water and undo my seemed improvement in my stuffed ears. The doctor suggested that I keep doing the swallowing thing that we do on airplanes and chew gum every now and again to keep the ears cleared. A prescription for chewing gum, indeed! I wish M & M's did the same thing gum does!

*

Yesterday I got a few things needed from Wal*Mart including a package of paper for my printer and picked up a scrip. The nice man doing the 'roll-back' ads for Wal*Mart, Darrell, suggested I get the $5 box of Diet Coke which I did. Thankfully Justin carried it up from the car for me because it is not easy to handle, regardless of the price, still a bear to carry. As I was going through the check-out, the clerk struck up a conversation with me, asking what I was doing for the weekend, etc. and I told her enjoying the pool and going to a concert. She asked which pool and I told her the one where I lived and she asked more and more questions, even asking me how many bedrooms I had. The clerk at the next register sort of scolded 'Tequita', or similar, telling her not to ask those questions. But she persisted and asked me how much it cost to live here. I just looked at her and then she said her friend just bought a three-bedroom condo for $70,000. Okay, conversation over, and that really creeped me out! As I went to my car, I wondered if she was going to follow me home....not really, but it was just over the top, you know?

*

Before heading home, I stopped to see my lady friends at Great Hang Ups for a bit. They had been expecting me on the day of my haircut because I had posted that I was going to get one. Must be predictable or something, but I sure fooled them this time! As we sat there jabbering, in walked LaMora Phillips and her daughter, Mary. LaMora had the ladies stretch and mount a crewel piece which she entered in several shows and won two blue ribbons and a red. Julia took a picture of her with the piece and ribbons for Great Hang Ups website. It was so good to see LaMora and Mary, though I occasionally see LaMora and Charlie at Wal*Mart or Kohl's! Now she was on my turf. She asked about Justin and said she adored him, which is sweet. It was good to spend this special time with the ladies again (Dee and Julia, that is) and get all caught up on their news. Dee was recently voted "Artist of the Year" by the Jacksonville Watercolor Society, quite a claim to fame....and I knew her when....!

What a whirl wind week!

What a lot of 'w's in that title! I just glanced up and noticed a slow moving barge on the river, which is really quite pretty at night. They look like a stack of Christmas presents all lit up as they float along. It might not be a barge, might be a only tug, but still is brightly lit. So far I have not seen the moon rise and I hope the clouds are not concealing it. Last night when I came home from dinner the rooms were so bright, it was almost as though I left a light on or something. The Outreach meeting turned out to be a true delight with more people than usual and plans being made right along for future efforts.

*

Judy J. and I met after the meeting to enjoy a stromboli at Aron's, dining el fresco until the management began their clean up. I added the balance of my dinner to the rest of the boxes in the fridge. What a week of foam boxes! Justin looked them over today and found none of them appealing so he 'suggested' that I eat at home tomorrow and get some of them eaten up. Yes, dear.....

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We have two members in the hospital right now but Bonnie was expecting to go home this afternoon. Sue was moved to CCU overnight as she was not doing well after her surgery. She had a colonoscopy the day before I had mine and found a growth which had been surgically removed. The doctors seemed to think they 'got' all of the cancer but her future treatment has not yet been determined since she is quite weak. Her daughter is keeping close tabs on Sue, even staying in the room with her mom, except for the CCU situation. Poor Sue has really been through it these past few years and I pray she heals quickly after this bout.

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Justin and I very much enjoyed the Bible study yesterday although at first he flinched when he saw what we were studying. The topic is still our adoption as sons by our heavenly Father, but the discussion was about the many faces the devil wears. Justin said, "Oh, no! You're going to hold this over me...." What? The picture on the page showed a family sitting in the dark, surrounding a TV, totally mesmerized by what they were looking at. Over the TV was a devil mask dangling like a puppet. It was not really as 'bad' a picture/story as Justin thought it was going be, about TV watching or video game playing or other distractions. More, the lesson was how the devil disguises himself in an attractive way, attractive devices, rather than scary like the mask over the TV. No one is afraid of pretty, which the devil banks on...Good lesson.

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We met Paul and Emily at Bahama Breeze for lunch, again on the veranda. There were not so many lovebugs as there were the week before. Because I so enjoyed my Cuban bread on Tuesday night at The Columbia I decided to have a Cuban sandwich. It was delicious but only half of it was eaten, with Justin taking the rest of it home with him. He ate chicken with sweet potatoes and ate my fish chowder, which came with my sandwich. It stunk, if you ask me! Ew! Good thing he liked it. Paul, Emily, and Sarah are going to the Concert on the Green with me Sunday, and we'll be meeting the rest of the church peoples there. Can't wait to hear the cannons during the 1812 Overture!!!! More tomorrow, I am tired as can be, waking up around 6:00 a.m. today, tooooooo early!

I should have done this earlier today

For some reason I find myself extremely tired tonight. And all goofed up on what day it is today as I got myself situated in the family room to watch "Selling New York"....but it's only Wednesday today! Now I must do this again tomorrow night after the Outreach meeting. How did I get so confused?? Now must I go to a Home???

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Suzanne and I met for dinner at Panera as usual but we both ate lighter meals than normal. She had been at a baseball game in the afternoon, right from work with her boss and other staff members. Nice! She had eaten at work, they did a bbq and shared dishes before going to the ball park, all within walking distance. Cool! It was good to sit and talk before heading to choir. We had a good rehearsal singing from the Supplement and our choir anthems, but not so much with the LAPPY. Some of us have an 'issue' with using it, except that some of the songs have been used by our choir in the past in the form of sheet music. Somehow it's different that way....

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Today I was still giddy with excitement about seeing my friends last night and then had a chance to 'chat' on Facebook with Judy before going to get my hair cut. I had met Judy R. on that trip, even though we had communicated via e-mail prior to meeting the first time at the Women's Leadership Conference. We spoke there in passing but really connected on the cruise a few days after the Conference. And the rest is history! The cruise, retracing the steps of St. Paul, was organized by Pastor Jim Humann from the Seattle area, with the majority of the group coming from the west coast area and the Midwest, and then, me! I traveled alone but met up with some of the gang at the airport in New York City. I told the Hulses last night about how my cab driver from the airport to the hotel in NYC clipped a bus with the side view mirror, but said, "That's not too bad" and kept right on going. He gave me a stern lecture about going to Turkey 'alone' but I assured him I would not be alone, others were meeting me and a group was going, but he was quite concerned for my safety. Except when he was driving, that is!

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Later in August of 2007, a group from church plus my sis-in-law, Nancy and sister, Lynn, flew to Seattle for a cruise. We were cruising to Alaska and the others had flown in from Jacksonville. We came from Milwaukee since I had been up there for my mom-in-law's funeral a week or so before the cruise. How do we get from the airport to our hotel???? We were going to meet Jim Humann, my host from the previous cruise for dinner, so they offered to come to the airport to pick the three of us and take us to the hotel. Nice!!! Jim's wife was a classmate of my sister, Kerry's, at MLHS, which was cool. So, I had spent time with Jim and Beth for over two weeks between NYC and the cruise, and now we met again in Seattle!

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Facebook has allowed me to stay in contact with many who were on that trip with me and the memories of that time together are so wonderful. This summer I am hoping to catch up with Vicki, Jim's daughter, who lives in Rhinelander either when I am up in WI or when she comes down here in July to see friends south of Orlando. Neither is exactly next door, but, like with the Hulses, we can make it work!

I do not think I can sleep tonight...

.....after such a fun evening!! It was just AWESOME meeting up with the Hulses in St. Augustine for dinner at The Columbia. AWESOME!! They have a time share south of Daytona Beach and are on vacation from the St. Louis area this week. Naturally, I was running just the tiniest bit late and could kick myself for going 'the long way' instead of jumping on the freeway. As it turned out I was only about 10 minutes late. They were already seated when I came in and I found them with little trouble. It was wonderful to see Cynthia and Lynnette again, and meet Cynthia's hubby, Les, for the first time. Hopefully not my last time! Lynnette brought a friend along to keep her company and her name is Leslie. Les and Leslie---easy enough to remember. We, and I use that term loosely as I talked my head off, talked about everything. Like we never missed a beat. Les told me that after the two ladies came home from the cruise in 2007 he heard all about me....I said, "What???" and he immediately came back with, "...all good, all good..." Whew!

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I think it came up when we talked about how at the Athens airport the two young girls, Lynnette and Becky, were wanting to take in the night life on Mykonos, which was actually several days into the trip, and Cynthia said they could. but only if I went along! Wow! They had really just met me but Cynthia felt confident enough to set them free with me in charge. After she got to know me, she changed her mind about that! As it turned out no one went back to the island that night, to my knowledge, so I was not put to the test. I think the girls would have had their hands full with me if we had gone back over as even Justin had to coerce me back onto the bus in 2006. It's VERY difficult to leave Mykonos but it helped that Santorini was only a day away.

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Judy and Kim on the cruise ship (sorry, but I have no photos on this computer of Cynthia or Lynnette...)

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Back to the dinner tonight, after we shared that little story, Les shared about them talking about me...Lynnette then piped up and said that Kim and the Ruserts made that cruise special for Becky and her, and no sweeter or kinder words were ever spoken. Thanks so much, Hulses, for making my night so special and for the great revisit of memories from our cruise. I was so excited about our fun time tonight that I tried calling Judy R. to tell her but got the answering machine instead. I left such a long, excited message that I ran out of time...imagine that!

Kim and Judy at her home in Winona in the spring of 2008. Friends forever!!!

Scrambling down memory lane...

This is what happens when you have good intentions of cleaning out a closet!!!! You can click on the photos to make them larger, if you dare...

If and when I ever finish writing my book about Timmy and our lives, I want this photo on the cover. I think you can see why....Look at how that light plays across his concerned face. Cropped out of the photo is his uncle Harvey and for some reason, Timmy is not in a car seat. For room, perhaps? I just do not remember, but Justin thinks this was the time that Harvey sneezed in the car and scared Timmy so badly that he cried and cried.

This photo was taken on Lisa's wedding day, and she, looking like a princess, is surrounded by her cousins including Timmy, Dusty, Alayna, Danny, Jamie and Justin. The three in suits were part of the wedding party, sort of like zoot suits. They did not wear the fedoras or the chains until after the service was completed, out of respect. They did look dashing though.

In my younger days, I hired myself out to stand up for people's weddings, often as Matron of Honor. My friends and family liked to pair me with very tall guys, and this was no exception. It appears as though I am having a delightful time for a change, in the Grand March.

We love Christmas in our family and opening the presents was a hoot! Evidently Kerry got a funny coffee mug, although I believe she was still in high school in this photo. Jill and I have matching glasses, I see, big ole' googly eyes! I am wearing my wedding watch around my neck on my Queen's Way blouse. If I had not gotten rid of it, that blouse would still be wearable as they last forever!!!

What is with the pink poly pantsuit???? Oh, my goodness! "What Not To Wear" would have a field day with that one, for sure! Jill is watching me open something and I am wondering if it is perhaps the year she gave me a ceramic ET figure. I still have it, in a box ready for a yard sale. Sorry, Jill.....still love his eyes, though. Different glasses in this picture, upgraded to aviator frames now to go with the pantsuit!

Awwwww, so sweet! Lori and Kim, obviously different races, posed together in the snow. We usually had these knit caps, made, I think, by the next door neighbor or by Auntie Dale. Mom might remember, or Lynn does. I say this is winter but it just might be May or early June, hard to tell in WI..... I do not know why I am so much darker than Lori in this photo, though.

Kerry in her mini-skirt and me in my maxi-dress which either Mom, Lynn, or Lori sewed for me, as we posed in front of the tree. I am probably still in high school in this picture which means Kerry was at First German as I left MLHS before she got there. I remember hearing that one of the teachers, upon hearing her last name, said, "Oh, no, not another one....!" Kerry was the last Lahaie girl for a while until Lisa got there and had her father's last name for safe keeping! It was pretty hard for anyone NOT to know she was one of us!!!

"I could care less about flowers...."

Late in the evenings, I have discovered something on TV that I watch on occasion, perhaps you have heard about it, "Everybody Loves Raymond". It gets on my nerves so I do not make a habit of it and sometimes it seems like the same program every time, lots of whining and hollering. BUT, on occasion, something hits me. There is an obnoxious mother/mother-in-law who lives across the street from her son and his family. Just like Kramer on "Seinfeld", she comes and goes freely, there is never a locked door, it seems. Even finds the couple in their bedroom, which is weird enough.

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Tonight 'Marie' was all upset about getting a gift from the couple, fruit of the month club membership. Oh, she was in a tizzy wondering how in the world they would ever eat all that fruit and then to find out it keeps coming month after month after month....It reminded me of when Justin and I were giving his grandparents flowers of the month for Christmas. They would get different bulbs to plant in the provided basket with dirt in it, during the winter months. Since Arno was a retired farmer, I thought it would be a kick for him to plant the bulbs and tend them as they produced spring flowers. They would have beautiful flowering plants to grace their kitchen during the winter months and then in the summer, when the bulbs quit coming, they could then plant them outside or give them away, whatever. And only one basket came for the entire 6 months so they did not have to deal with a mess of containers. Seemed like a good idea to me, to us...

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Well, one day in late October, I got a phone call from my mom-in-law, and she asked, "You know how you get us those flowers every year for Christmas?" Yes, of course, I do. "Well," she went on, "I could care less about flowers..." What??!!?? Aside from that being a terrible thing to say, I was astounded. Who does not like flowers??? I said that I was sure Arno appreciated being able to be a farmer yet, even if it was flowers on the table, and she brushed it off, like, 'he doesn't really care'. What she was actually getting at was this coming year for Christmas, what she really wanted were gift certificates for area restaurants, in particular, Subway Sandwiches. It seems Arno was not strong enough any longer to do much cooking for them (she had sort of given up on that old 'making meals' thing) and Arno, who was older than she, just could not do it either. But really, was there not a better way to say it than "I could care less about flowers....."? So ,when Marie, on the TV show, was so upset about the fruit coming every month, it brought back the horror of spring flowers growing in the middle of winter!

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They could never throw anything away so the bulbs had to be divvied out equitably to the kids living in the area for their own planting, instead of just tossing 'em. So, stop the madness! Harv and Barb were here shortly after this conversation and we had quite the chuckle over it, and every now and then we'll say, "I could care less about flowers..." Please, in the future, tell us, me, if you do not like our gift, but be diplomatic about it. I personally would say something like, "This year for Christmas, Arno and I want restaurant gift certificates because it is easier for us to stop for lunch than make it...." There, that was nice, soft 'no', as they say in the customer service business. A soft no goes a lot further than a karate chop!

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Another thing that made me chuckle was when I had my colonoscopy. Prior to the actual 'event' I had to do some more medical questionnaire stuff and give them, somehow or another, a urine sample. Since I had not had anything to eat or drink after midnight, this was a good trick. I asked the nurse what they needed it for and the nurse said they had to do a pregnancy test. What? Any female who comes in for a procedure and is between the ages of 11 and 55 gets tested, unless they had a hysterectomy. I told her I have been single since fall of 2003 but she said they still have to do the test. So, I tested negative on two tests that day! Both of which are good things to fail!

Gotta love this music...

....as I am listening to the open tones to the movie, an involuntary smile crossed my face. Much to my joy and delight, I am able to see "Godfather III", a movie I had not seen in many many years. The beginning scenes are recaps of "G-Father I & II" to catch people up on what took place prior to this final of the series. Now, scenes from 'Italia' when Michael was hiding out...Earlier today I watched a segment of Rick Steve's Europe which took place in Milano and the Lake Como regions of Italia. It has just been a powerful past few days of Italian sites, beginning with "Letters to Juliette" movie on Thursday. Wow! And, now, I get to see this movie, at least most of it, tonight!

*

The early part of my day began with a hurried readying for a funeral service for one of our elderly members, Dave Gorman. Judy J. was going to ride with me but she was feeling poorly this a.m. Since I knew Judy and Mike were also going, I called them to hitch a ride. No sense in taking two cars to Ponte Vedra. They were leaving earlier than I had planned on leaving so I had to hustle to get myself to dress and get out the door. I did pretty well pulling myself together and congratulated myself on finding their house on the first attempt. Usually when I go there I end up getting turned around but in the light of day, no sweat! Only four of us from church were there, counting Pastor and Mike, who conducted the service. There was no singing, except for just prior to the event beginning, a recorded song was played, "I Can Only Imagine". There were hymns printed in the folder but were to be read for our private meditation. I guess we had no piano or organ player to do this for us. The readings were excellent and the liturgy was, of course, comforting and touching, with familiar verses about there being no more hunger, thirst, or tears in heaven.

*

There was a brief interment service complete with taps being played and the folding presentation of the flag to the family in thanks for his military service. The family had only 8 members which made me feel kinda sad. I thought of the words in Pete's sermon at Timmy's funeral. He said how if Timmy had lived to be 105 years old, our church would have only a handful of people in it, but instead, at age 5, it was standing room only with overflow in the fellowship hall. Pete was right, only eight people in this man's family at the funeral. Dave, when he was well enough to attend church, would like it if I sat behind him to sing because he liked my voice. I envy the singing he is enjoying now in the heavenly realms with the Lord and with his wife, Emmy....

*

Last night I slept in a clean bed, freshly remade after washing my sheets and the two blankets from the bottom of my bed. For a little while, my room seemed clean with the bed cleared off!!! When I went to bed, I put the books and periodicals back on the 'passenger side' to make it seem more homey. Ha! Earlier in evening a few of us 'attended' a wedding taking place at The Club. Hugh had the binoculars out and could keep tabs on the comings and goings. He always laments that we attend so many weddings but never get any cake. I just heard a cheer go up from outside which means another ceremony just wrapped up. I hope we did not miss all the fun...but I will bet that we did, since normally the gang does not gather until just before 7:00 pm.

*

There are no other plans for tonight unless the phone rings and when I go outside later, I will record the rest of this movie for later. Oh, there is Enzo the baker, still at it, making cakes! This is so fun to watch, but I will not allow it to keep me in the house. It was a lovely day today, in the high 80's and lots of boat activity, much of it in the basin. I saw fishers casting their nets but I cannot tell if they are catching something or not. No sign of the manatees today but the boats may have scared them. Tomorrow is Pentecost and confirmation day at Good Shepherd, with two girls being confirmed. One is the pastor's daughter, Anna, and the other belongs to the preschool teacher, Kim. The choir is singing "Take My Life" to a different melody than usual, including an a capella part. We are so daring!

"Life is about the messy bits..."

This photo was taken in 2006 by Justin when we traveled to Italy, Greece, Monacco, and points in between for his graduation trip. This is a field of sunflowers outside of Florence (Livorno) on our way to buy my beautiful chandelier! I am a woman truly outstanding in my field.....
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The title line I used was from the movie I saw with Twila and Judy J. yesterday called "Letters to Juliette". Oh, my goodness, the scenery!!! It begins in New York City and I said out loud, "I love New York!" and then the action moved to Rome and again, I said out loud, "I love Rome...". And then Tuscany, with its incredible scenery and cityscapes, and all I could do then was mourn. I am glad Twila was there with me because we saw this same scenery together when we were there in 2005. All the photos you may have seen of this region, the paintings, or the movies are not exaggerations at all, it IS just that beautiful. Like the movie, "Under the Tuscan Sun" which also takes place in obviously, Tuscany, with the ancient structures and bell towers and vineyards and olive groves and sun flowers.....

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In the movie, an elderly widow, if 65 is considered elderly, let me change that to older woman, is in search of her long-lost love from 50 years ago. She had written a letter to Juliette, of Romeo fame, and it was found by an American writer on vacation in Verona, who replied to the letter. "Clare" talked her grandson into bringing her from England back to Italy to find her Lorenzo and the three of them join forces to make her heart happy. The grandson is a rather unwilling participant in all this and behaves badly at first but eventually softens with all the talk about true love and lost ones. That is where the title line comes from, the sage Clare, in setting her grandson straight regarding life and love, it is all about the 'messy bits'!

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After the movie, which had a happy ending, we all three had to use the bathroom. Twila looked in the mirror and said, "It is good to come out of a movie and not look like heck..." since we often leave in tears after such a movie. She brought up The Bucket List and yes, that was such a rough ride, we should have had bags for our heads! It did not stop us from going to dinner at TGIF after The Bucket List, though! This time, although occasionally a tear eliciter, we looked fine and went over to Mellow Mushroom to dine el fresco. With all that delicious looking food in the movie, we wanted something Italian so we shared an order of bruschetta. My meal was the half-portion BLT on French bread (we can pretend it was Italian...). I was home again just before 8:00 so joined the gang on the sundeck for a bit. Jessica, Travis, and the new baby were out there as well as others.

*

Around 8:30 pm the people started going in to eat dinner so I came in to watch "Selling New York". Wouldn't you know it but the Realtors were showing New York brownstones in this segment. Justin and I had just discussed brownstones at lunch that day so I sent him a text message to tell him about the program. He asked what the sale prices were and the one brownstone, which was multi-family, was going for just over $2 million dollars. They were all about the same width of 20 feet but sure looked wider on TV, even the agent made that remark. My bedroom is 16 feet wide so four feet more....I don't know, it sure seems as though those houses were wider than that. Guess I will have to go see for myself, or ourselves!

*

One of Justin's favorite topics is winning the lottery, and all the things he wants to use his winnings for. He has even calculated the taxes he would have to pay and then begins the divvying thereof. Justin said if he won he could buy me colonoscopies, and I cannot thank him enough! He knows I am upset about all that mess and wants to make it nice for me. He said he would also pay my taxes, income and real estate, which makes me smile broadly. Perhaps I should buy such a ticket, the 'tax on the poor', as Neal Boortz refers to the lottery. Justin used to want to buy Good Shepherd a pipe organ but Pete told him he would also have to find someone to play it! Not easy to do any more, could possibly be extinct ability. Justin wants to make sure his cousin, Lisa, has central air conditioning and a security system in her home so the boys and she are safe and cool/warm. Soon it will be her and the children, since we do not yet know if the next baby is a girl or boy. Yesterday he said he wants to help his alma mater, St. Johns CDS, with their building project which is a million dollars behind, even suggesting that he could buy the entire school! I suggested he establish funds at the two churches to help people with their utility bills and he said, "Well, that's a given...." I do hope he wins!

*

Bible study was grand yesterday, too, discussing how our baptism clothes us in the white robe of righteousness. One recurring passage was about Christ becoming righteousness for us. What a wonderful comfort that is, our sins are cast away, washed away, and we are His! At the end of the class I told the story of when Justin's great-aunt, Dora, died many years ago. His father and I were crying and went into his bedroom to tell him the news. Justin asked us why we were crying---Dora was wearing a beautiful white robe in heaven! From the mouths of babes! At Victory this Sunday two more kids are being baptized, coming as a result of their preschool program, one a 5 year-old and her 13 year-old stepsister. Let the heavens rejoice! Get those white robes ready!

Let's take Lori and David viral!

This article was written about my sister and brother-in-law in Holmen, WI. Celebs!!!

Holmen concert series brings music out of bars, into garage

By: briana.rupel@secondsupper.com

People who call the Coulee Region home are no strangers to live music. In fact, throw a dart at a map of local bars on any given day of the week, and it's a near-guarantee that you'll find something aurally pleasing: a groovy blues show at Nighthawk's, a foot-stompin' jam session at The Popcorn, or a smooth jazz set at Bodega. Since January 2009, a new venue has been added to this proverbial map; a charming house snuggled up against the bluffs in northern Holmen, where Dave Schipper and his wife, Lori, invite nationally touring musicians to play a handful of house concerts a year, right in their living room. Pull into the driveway, and you're likely to find Dave kicked back on his porch, strumming on an acoustic guitar and occasionally taking a sip out of a glass of wine. A longtime music-lover (the guy has over 3,000 albums on vinyl) and musician himself, Dave stumbled into the house concert scene almost unintentionally through social networking sites. "I got on MySpace mainly to connect with other musicians because my hope and desire was to someday be covered as a songwriter," he explains. Meanwhile, a folk-singing friend of the Schippers was trying to raise money for a church trip to South America. When asked if they would be up for hosting a concert at their house as a fundraiser, the couple was enthusiastic to help. "I've always loved music," Dave states, reminiscing about discovering hidden gems at the music store while growing up in Manitowoc and religiously attending countless blues and folk festivals throughout the years. "So," he continues, "it was just kind of in my background. We said, 'Oh yeah, we could do this!'" Their old two-car garage, which had been beautifully transformed into a cozy great room, was now set up for a string of concerts more intimate than you'd find at any bar. A couple of cushy couches are pushed back against a wall to make room for up to 40 chairs, which are lined up spaciously along the plush carpet. Microphones are set up in a corner for the musicians, with an expansive shelved book collection as an unintentional backdrop. Also standing tall in a couple of different corners are two large speakers and a mixer, which Dave stresses is an absolute necessity. "It doesn't make sense not to have a sound system," he explains. "Without the sound, you can't just sit back and have an experience. With the sound, the whole room is full ... you don't have to stare and say, 'What are they saying?!'." With the scene set, what followed was a string of successful bookings, including Heather Waters, a self-described indie, ambient folk singer who now resides in California. "She came here and just filled the room with this really kind of gutsy country voice," Dave gushes. "After that, [the concert series] just cascaded." Now, the Schippers host around four concerts a year. The format is so low key, almost endearingly so, in that people who wish to attend a show simply place a call to the Schippers' home to make a reservation, a necessity only due to the capacity of the room. There's often some kind of homemade cookies and snacks — if not a full-on potluck dinner — on the table, and you're free to bring a bottle of wine or a six-pack of your favorite beer. Dave is also adamant about pointing out the fact that the whole experience is essentially free, albeit a $10 suggested donation for expenses. "I don't make any money on this," he says. "I'm not gonna collect tickets, I can't sell you liquor when you come in, it's B.Y.O.B...it's just a party!" Dave's main motivation, then, is solely for a more profound musical experience: hearing artists for the first time, and sharing that excitement with the other like-minded people in an intimate audience. "What do I get out of this thing," he asks, smiling. "I import [the concert] and I have a copy of it. It's the proverbial bootleg! Live music, clean as can be, and I get a great mix." Still, one finds themselves wondering: Why a house concert? Why would I drive out to a some guy's house, sit on his couch and listen to music among strangers? "Somebody asked me once," Dave begins, chuckling, "'Why would you ever open up your house to strangers?!' You finally end up saying that they're really not strangers ultimately, because they like the same music. They wouldn't be coming if they didn't like the music." The venue the Schippers have created is, simply put, a beautiful place to listen to music. "It's probably one of the better listening rooms that you'll ever get because, number one, everyone's attentive," Dave explains. Without the background din of the bars — or even a busy cafe — the experience of a house concert promises to be deliciously different than what you're used to, aesthetically as well as musically. "Some [musicians] are gonna be bluesy, some celtic, some country or bluegrass," Dave explains. "If you're a person who goes for the eclectic, just come and listen. If not, pick a show you'd like and come find out about it!" For info about the shows check out Dave's blog: www.bluffviewconcerts.blogspot.com

It's over!

I am dog tired as this whole ritual totally wore me out! Even though I did manage to sleep during the night, I did have to get up a couple times to go potty. It was funny that I was so achy, even having foot/toe cramps last night. Likely because of the electrolytes being out of whack or something. I really was not all that hungry and so far today I had some broth and an ice cream bar. It was encouraged to not eat wildly after getting home. Later I might have some of my meat loaf leftover from Cracker Barrel.

*

The worst part of this whole thing did not turn out to be the prep after all, but rather the horrible news that the stupid insurance I bought on-line will not cover my procedure. They would not begin the processing of my paperwork today until I made a deposit toward the cost of the test. Guess my new bedroom floor can wait. This news did not sit well with me, and no one would have recognized me today. Guess I can never play poker because my face evidently says it all. Besides all that drama, I was quite weak from my prepping and such and so wanted to lay down somewhere to sleep. At one point a very handsome young man in scrubs came through the lobby where Martie and I were waiting. That perked me up, and Martie said there was nothing wrong with admiring a handsome face. Well, he turned out to be my anesthesiologist and was very very kind and caring. I told them all my sad story about the insurance and the nice doctor, Michelle, said she was going to see what she could do to help me out with the insurance. And then I went into that lovely rest....

*

When I 'came to' in the recovery area, I felt like I was talking out loud about Martie, but the nurses told me I was not talking out loud. It must have been a dream and I was telling them how much Martie meant to me and she is my best friend.....So, who was I talking to?? I could hear the nurses at their station talking but since my eyes were closed, I thought they were with me behind the curtain. They probably see it all, in more ways than one!! My test was all clear, except for some age-related 'pockets' in my intestines. Oh, now what??!! Nothing to be concerned about at all, according to the doctor, but she recommended introducing fiber to my diet. Nuts and twigs for me. Time to make some changes. Using sun screen, drinking water, and eating nuts 'n twigs. Again, no one would recognize me!

*

Martie stayed with me a couple hours after we got home this afternoon. I was very much my old self by this time only still sleepy. While we were sitting in the family room my phone rang. A while back, this spring, I met some ladies at the cemetery, one who is married to our former superintendent, Scotty. One of the ladies, Helen, had asked for my phone number and today, she called me! She is going to come over one day next week to see my place and then we might do lunch or something. She might bring her sister with her, too. I am also getting together with a lady and her daughter whom I met on the cruise to the Mediterranean in 2007. They are coming to Florida for a vacation next week, coming from St. Louis, and we are making plans to get together for dinner or something. How exciting is that??!!

*

Well, my tummy is growling good now and I hope it is from hunger and not more activity. The nurse who was discharging me said I could eat normally but should avoid fried or greasy foods. I asked, "Which is it? Eat normally or avoid the fried foods?" Like Martie and I discussed, it is time to make some changes in our lives so we don't have to go through these things any more!

Oooh, it is going to be a fun day today!

This photo was taken on the sundeck Sunday evening as we enjoyed Happy Hour. From left is Hugh, Rick, Maureen, me, and 'Max', with his wife, Michelle, being the photographer, using Rick's phone as a camera. I want a phone like this because the camera made me look taller!

The great fun this afternoon and evening will be the prep for my kaleidoscope test tomorrow, with some questions on my part remaining about the prep. My sister said she was allowed to drink cola while prepping but another person said her spouse could not have carbonation or cola. My paperwork indicates yes to coffee and tea with no milk added to it, and also says I can have 7-Up or ginger ale. Now, it would seem to me, ever looking for that loophole, that Diet Coke would be considered clear liquid. Naturally I do not want to do anything to compromise the success of my test so I am now awaiting a pre-proceedure call from the nurse and will ask her about it. Justin had originally planned to be my driver and 'care-giver' after the test but had to back out. He said he might have to do some prepping himself for beginning a build-out in the office building and asked if I could get someone else to be my driver. Dee assures me I will be just fine when I leave the test, coherent and all that, but the paperwork suggests having someone stay the rest of the day 'just in case'. So, Martie, who had offered already last Friday to help me out, has stepped up to the plate for me.

*

I just had the most delightful conversation with the pre-pro nurse, Jennifer, and I was called every name in the book by her!! "Sweet Pea", "Honey girl", "Sugar"....and so on. She was not a woman of color, simply a good Southern gal. She said talking to me just made her day so we walk away unscathed. She described herself as looking somewhat like me only with bleached blonde hair, but 'not whorishly blonde', which I found most amusing. We shared several laughs, especially when I told her about wearing my swimsuit in public, making sure to get a tan, because Linda J. told me bread dough looks so much better after it's baked....She said she might request to be my nurse tomorrow but she cannot guarantee that because she works wherever they are short----and I told her that was because she WAS short. I hope I get her because I know even a colonoscopy can be a good time. Also told her how my computer spell checker does not recognize the word and wants to call it a kaleidoscope instead. She says they see all sorts of colors and shapes, but I told her in no uncertain terms that I don't want to see it, put me out and tell me later about the colors! Hopefully, God-willing, there will be nothing of note and no colors that do not belong there! The best news, however, was that I can drink my Diet Coke today but nothing after midnight, since my test is so late in the day, 1:00 pm, nothing should remain in my system and it might forestall the caffeine headache.

*

At first I had thought about not going to the kindergarten today since I am on clear liquids but since I do not begin the actual prep until 2:00 pm, it would be okay. Tonight I will miss Bible study but that is okay too, I have the homework I could work on this afternoon while I am prepping. Ever the multitasker! Something funny took place on Sunday after church which I forgot to mention---the Council and Elders were asked to meet briefly to address a couple matters not covered at their recent meeting. They gathered near the mailboxes in the doorway to the breezeway (not the best idea, if you ask me) so I had to wait to put the unused church bulletins in the mailboxes of those not in worship. You know it's a bad day when the church council meets and you hear your name bandied about!!!! It was good 'name dropping' though as it turned out I was authorized to order a second set of the same banners for the preschool and anniversary as our uprights will be modified to make a V-shape for more visibility from the road.

*

After the meeting as I was heading to my car, I noticed the broken curbing around the flower bed in the parking lot had been repaired, a hole in the lot filled-in with asphalt, and the giant dirt/rock pile left in the middle of the parking area was removed. I was blown away and thanked Lonnie and Renee until I was nearly in tears!!! I had told Lonnie via e-mail that he if he wanted me to, I would make phone calls to get help with those projects but his wife and he, both quite ambitious folks, just tackled it on Saturday and I rejoice!!!!! I rejoice!!!!

*

Yesterday I went to Wal*Mart to get my supplies for today's activities, but did not get any popcicles. I am not sure I would even like a non-colored flavor, certainly not the banana ones. Made a bowl of lemon Jell-o although Judy J. told me last night that she often had it ready to go and never touched it. So, one box is made up...really, if I make and it do not eat it, so what? I will make another bowlful. The price of 79 cents is not so bad, and I do have some Cool-Whip to use for after the test which would dress up the blandness of the flavor, right? Judy and I went to Cracker Barrel last night for our 'last suppers' as she is having a test today. Tomorrow she is taking some of our members to the airport so she was not asked to be my driver, although she would have leapt at the opportunity. She is all about it, marks other people's appointments on her personal calendar, my little Marine is downright militant about kaleidoscopes!

*

This morning I dreamed that we had manatees in our swimming pool here at The Palace and how in the world they got there, no one could figure out. Large ones, babies, and even some that looked like whales, and we were all freely swimming with them. Thankfully I do not have a black swimsuit or I would have to throw it out! Mine are as brightly colored as I can find so no one will think my dream has come true!

"Vandelay Industries...."

One of my favorite episodes of "Seinfeld" is on right now, sadly, only the first half will be shown tonight. The first time I saw it was in the living room at Prange's house in Morton Grove, the episode called "The Boyfriend". I call it "The Second Spitter" because of an event that takes place in the show. The height of humor rolled into this two-parter. "When you gonna see the baybee?" "The immutable laws of physics contradict the entire premise of your account..." Oh, man, this is so darn funny! It sounds more like the conspiracy theories around the Kennedy assassination, which is what they were 'shooting' for. "Latex. What do I say about it? I'm going to hire you as my latex salesman? I don't think so...." George tried to pass Jerry off as a latex manufacturer in order to extend his unemployment...You have to watch it!!!

*

We are having yet more rain, the second storm today. Judy J. reported over 4" in her rain gauge, and when she picked me up for dinner, it was raining again! At this moment I can hear thunder but it seems as though the rain has ended. Just to be sure and safe, I am keeping the sliding door closed tonight but it is plenty cool in here right now. It is presently only 77 out there and quite gloomy looking. I wish it would hurry up and do something like really storm, or it could wait until bedtime when it's really good for sleeping. One of the ladies at lunch mentioned how she likes to sleep during a storm, finds it calming to sleep in the thunder! Me, too! It seems in our huge downpour this a.m. that no leaking took place in my unit, no water running down the walls from above my condo. Perhaps all the sealing, patching, caulking, and painting last year might have taken care of it...Oooh, just saw a flash of lightning, this could get exciting!!!

Another Justinism

As I laid here this morning, I happened to think about another funny quip uttered by Justin. Years ago, when Timmy was still a babe in arms, our yet intact family was joining Marian and Biff for a mini-vacation in the Orlando area. These were some of my in-laws from south Florida and they did not want to leave their dog at home. So, Marian took care of the reservations and found a place where we could stay and have a dog in their room. When we pulled up to the Super 8 or whatever the name of the place was and parked the car outside the door to the room, from the backseat came the question, "What? No valet???""

The end of a perfect day

Well, nearly perfect. The weather was gorgeous today and in fact, right this minute, the most lovely of all breezes is blowing through, making my wind chimes play music. They are supposedly to play Pachelbel's Canon in D but I cannot figure it out from what I am hearing. Other beautiful music heard today was "Jerusalem, the Golden" as played by Kathy B. and somehow I managed to sing much of it, periodically sobbing. Man, I just can't do it without leaking tears, those pictures the hymn writer used to describe heaven. And the sermon text about how there are no tears in heaven...powerful readings today. We also sang two hymns from the Supplement during holy communion, one especially perfect for the sermon text about the marriage feast of the Lamb.

*

Gretchen and I were greeters and we had two groups of visitors from WI with us today. One group of six were from Lake Mills and another couple was from Racine, and their daughter-in-law's parents live in Manitowoc!! Gotta love the WELS! We had a prayer for Terri T.'s son, Christopher, who is graduating this week. She was a wreck from the hymns today, too, and all the other things going on in her life. After church she came up to Gretchen and me to ask us to lunch. Sure! Originally I was supposed to be taking our member, Clara, home from church but she was not there today so off I went to lunch. You will never guess what I ordered for my meal----fish! The others raved about the delicious pollack served at this place called 'Sam's', right across from Moosehaven. It really was good, with me eating nearly all of it.

*

This afternoon I passed up the invitation to go to the movies with Terri and her daughter to just sit around at home. Yup, that's right! I got myself situated in the family room and watched some programs on my laptop and vegged out. At one point I used the hall bath and picked up my book about friends that Martie had given me. One little section piqued me and I will write it here: Friendship is...a welcome visit! It is making time in a busy life to show that "Yes, time with you is important to me!" The pleasure of your company is a many sided affair. It includes the pleasure of seeing you, the pleasure of hearing your voice, the drama watching your actions, your likes and dislikes and adventures, the pleasure of hunting you up in your haunts, and the delicate flattery we feel when you hunt us up in ours! Warner. "Friendship increases in visiting friends" Unknown. How appropriate since Linda J. and I were 'chatting' and planning Lynn's and her next visit down here. No weeds choking my path! Emerson

*

The time spent this evening on the sun deck was also a delight. At first it was only Rick and me until Michelle and Max came out to sit. They were thinking we should sit in at Hugh's because it was so hot but we talked them all into coming outside to enjoy the breeze. It was not that hot out but Maureen seemed to think it was. She changed her mind. Rick is a commander at NAS Jax and told how he recently had to attend the funeral service of a man in his command who was killed in a car accident after the Fernandina Shrimp Festival. He told how he presented the flag to the widow and her 3 year old daughter which was just heart-wrenching to hear. I am certainly glad it was him who represented the Navy to this family. How sad for all...He asked me if I would sing if he went up stairs to get his guitar but I told him I was not confident enough to do that...What is up with men trying to get me to sing with them? Last year it was torch singing at The Club and now Rick wanting me to sing "Kumbaya" or something like that. I told him he should ask Cassidy to come and sing with him, since she plays the piano and sings beautifully. After hearing her sing, I don't want to!

*

In reading through the Facebook postings, I got a shout out from Anne H. at Victory. She stated how much she loves the hymn "In Christ Alone" which they sang today and said in her posting that they missed Kim's voice today, but they managed to sing it without me. I was singing "Jerusalem, the Golden" and they were singing my other favorite hymn. It was a perfect day and my heart is full!