Perfect end of the day

Only a few moments ago did I come in from the pool area where my neighbors were gathered, enjoying the lovely evening with gentle breezes. Most of the folks brought their wine bottles out with them and I had my can of soda. If Miss Chardonnay had not come by with her leftover sushi made for lunch at Koko's, I might have missed all the fun outside. Not only did she give me sushi, she also brought me a lovely tall blue vase complete with four gerbera daisies, artificial but gorgeous nonetheless. She told me I could throw them out if I did not want them, but, of course, I want them!

*

There were about 8-10 of us around the table, the number fluctuated as folks came and went. We had quite the conversation about dentists, with suggestions being made to 'pass the hat' to help Danny pay for his dental work. Not sure if that will pan out but I was quite interested in hearing how he was doing. My sympathies go to him, since I know quite well what he is going through. Everyone has dental stories and all have good dentists but none of them do pro bono work. There is a place in Green Cove Springs where folks can go for free care but they line up at 6:00 a.m. and get a number to be seen by the dentist. If only one volunteer dentist and assistant show up, only the first few in line can be seen. I am worried about Danny, as I told the gang, "He is my bread and butter" maker!

*

Well, I think I should not have any typos or other problems with my keyboard, now that I have cleaned it. With some frequency the keyboard is wiped as I am bit neurotic about dirty keys but today I took the pressurized air can to it and holy cow, what a mess! From the looks of it, I should be nearly bald-headed and be quite hungry from all the crumbs accumulated on the desk. It was downright gross! Most of the crumbs appeared to be from bread but some were orange which means Cheetos....unbelievable. Disgustingly so....No wonder I found ants not too long ago.

*

Well, I am having a glass of green iced tea with agava sweetener and I gotta tell you, it's not my favorite. Maybe I made it too strong, used four bags in the Mr. Tea maker, choosing that many was compared to the recommended "3 to 5", which means four should be just right. That didn't happen but I drank it anyway because I should. It truly is an acquired taste, to be sure. Guess I could use more of the sweetener which might help with the bitterness. People who drink tea really like the sweet tea from McDonald's so maybe I should try that some time. Others say the canned green tea falls short but I do like the Arnold Palmer tea which is mixed with lemonade. The only thing with that is, the lemonade adds calories. Humpf!

*

This a.m. our Monday Bible study resumed with our study being "ID-ing Worldviews" . We barely tapped the surface of this subject matter and will be taking next week off due to Labor Day. That is too bad because Kerry will be here and I would have loved for her to share in this group, the study portion and the lunch portion, too! We enjoyed our Longhorn's reunion, although our guy who managed the place, Mark, who has left the company. Rats, now we have to break in a new manager! We sure will miss him, he always took time to come greet us and made sure we were well taken care of. But those wonderful chicken tenders-----ooooooh, so good!

*

Originally I had planned on going to the pool as soon as I got home from lunch but the clouds had moved in. No sun, no Kim. After leaving Longhorn, I had to circle back to church because I forgot to collect a bouquet of flowers, donated to Timmy's gravesite by Terri T., who was not in church Sunday. She had requested them for their wedding anniversary and knew she would not be there to claim the bouquet, so she sent me a message that I should take them. Very nice, I appreciate it greatly. The previous bouquet on the marker was quite crispy and charred from the sun, in serious need of replacement. I adjusted the little black fence around the tree, snapping the connections back together, which I would guess was bumped by a lawnmower or something. I might ask Justin to go with me someday and re-do the fence all the way around.

*

Late this afternoon Justin let me know about his friend's sister's boyfriend had a serious motorcycle accident this weekend. He is in ICU and wearing a halo to support his neck which has broken vertebrae. In addition he has other bones broken and road rash from scraping along the pavement. This happened while Justin was away so he does not have all the details but does know the fellow has no health insurance and is self-employed. Now what?? His girlfriend said she wants to have a fund raiser to help with his bills and such, and I offered Justin my kitchen and equipment if he wants to make stuff for a bake sale. He neither accepted or declined, just sort of was irritated that Bill won't wear a helmet. Not sure if that would have affected the outcome or not, but Justin is correct, the riders should wear a helmet, and drivers their seat belts!

*

Another topic for discussion tonight was many of us receiving Past Due notices from the accountant who is in charge of our finances for the building. What? Past due? It is not even the end of August yet and already our September fees are considered late? We realize it was an error, of course, but I did dial the number on the statement and let them know I was not in arrears. But it sure did make me double check exactly what day it was! Only a few more days until Kerry gets here!!!

What a lazy day it's proven to be!

When I arrived at Victory this a.m., Pastor Hoyer greeted me with the words, "Oh, Kim, you braved this rainy weather to come across the bridge today!" It was drizzling but certainly not enough to deter my trip to Victory...what? I heard him tell someone else that overnight to morning they had gotten over 2" of rain! Wow, that was what he was talking about. In my sleep, I vaguely recall hearing rain against my windows but it did not seem overly 'damp' outside when going to my car. Not 2" worth, anyway. We have not had sunshine for two days and I am really feeling funky through and through because of it. No pool time at all since last Sunday late afternoon, either, with the full schedule, etc. Yet, if it had been clear skies, sunny, and hot, I would have made the time to be out there! The surfing is reported to be fantastic with the passing storm in the ocean, so bravo for those riding the waves and those bobbing in boats outside my building on this blustery, now rain-free day!

*

Justin is on his way home, stopping overnight Saturday at Grove's mom's house in NC. He sent me a number of text messages and even an e-mail greeting me this a.m. when I turned on my computer. Yesterday afternoon my sister-in-law, Mona, called me and we had a nice chat, our first since I was home in June. She was less than impressed with Justin's adventure to DC, saying it was totally opposite her politics. She was not aware this was a non-political event, but it is hard to tell from what the media writes. "Reports" would be a real stretch. Anyway, it was merely a coincidence that she called me as I had news regarding Marian, whom I heard through the grapevine, via Mishicot, that Marian was in the hospital again. Her daughter, Christina, in Palm Coast (here we go....) had posted a prayer request on Facebook for her mom as she was having serious heart troubles again. Marian's sister, Nancy, let Marcia know in Mishicot, who contacted me. Somehow or another I had missed the prayer request earlier in the day and was glad Marcia e-mailed me. Immediately I reached out to Tina to find out the scoop, but in the meanwhile, Nancy wrote me via Facebook chat to ask if I knew anything. I told her I was awaiting word from Tina. Biff evidently had seemed quite short of breath when talking on the phone which alarmed Tina and somehow she had gotten time off to go down south to see her parents. I gave Mona as much info as I had regarding that situation.

*

When Mona and I get on the phone, we make it count, and somehow I managed to change my clothes for the funeral, and drove over to Publix on the way to church, without missing a beat. Fortunately I had showered earlier in the morning (during one of the gospel songs at the event) and should have dressed in my good clothes right away---duh! Part of our conversation was regarding what Allie was going to pursue for her field of work once out of high school next spring. She likes kids so was thinking of being a teacher or working in a day care. Mona said she has to keep reminding herself that Allie in 'only 17 1/2" and shouldn't be expecting grown-up thinking from her just yet.

*

My fridge holds lots of leftovers, from Carrabba's and Longhorn, the funeral on Wednesday, and the one on Saturday. Tonight might be a good night to have the Carrabba's because I hate to have that before I am going to be around people, due to the garlic. I can brush and rinse really well in the morning and be fresh for Bible study. Afterwards will likely be more Longhorn....hmmm....I could take my leftovers along and have them reheated for my lunch! I just finished my little container of green beans brought home from last night's funeral dinner, with the bacon crumbles in, Suzanne's recipe. Pastor raved about those beans and I told him I would share the recipe, but have to clarify a few details of it with Suzanne first. The way it is with these type of things is actual measuring rarely takes place, more like a little of this and a little of that. We will figure it out and see if Lynn K. can reproduce it for him.

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Twila and I were talking at the table yesterday that is was 5 years ago now that we were on the Mediterranean cruise with Jean and her family, sailing from Barcelona. It was on this trip that I spotted my dining room light fixture but the lake house did not call for such a thing. However, only a year later, living in the condo, it did beg for such a thing. Justin searched those streets in Florence relentlessly in search of the shop, hence missing the church where Michelangelo and other famous folks were interred. And tomorrow, he is coming over to help me polish it up before all the company arrives!!!!

*

Ethel and Darwin were sitting near us, as were Judy C., Judy J., Twila, and me. Darwin pointed out that it was nearly the entire gang that took the Alaskan cruise in 2007. Sue was sitting at the table behind ours so we had well over half of us around the table. Ethel says they wish to take another cruise and I am guessing they want me to put it together (gulp!), thinking this time of going through the Panama Canal. I told them my vacations now will be to see my mom which they understand but the thought of the Caribbean is awfully enticing! I would so prefer that to Alaska, let me tell you! And we really did have a great time, even though I was cold. Really?

The age of electronics

The score is 10-6, Tampa, and the Jaguars just kicked the ball away to end the first half of the game. There was already one lightning delay and just as Scobee kicked the field goal, it lightninged again. Last week was an extended rain delay, but thus far tonight, no rain. Earlier this evening, I thought I would go right to bed because of a beastly crying head-ache, but I had taken an Advil-look-alike while still at church and had a pina colada picked up at the cabana when I came home from the funeral. Danny was fixin' to close up shop as only four people were there, and no one having dinner. He had another tooth ache, his second tooth situation this summer. Always on a weekend, don't I know that feeling!!! I offered him my penicillin but he had some at home and his dad has pain medication but I hope that holds him until Monday. Evidently he's seen a dentist already and he cannot find anyone to extract the offending tooth. The dentists want to save the teeth, of course, but he cannot afford to save it and cannot afford to loose it, not even 21 years old yet! Poor guy!

*

Since none of my buds were out there, and I was not feeling too hot myself, I took my drink upstairs to watch the Jaguar game. Once situated here and 'calmed down', my head settled down too. I am sure it was from the crying at the funeral for Mary this late afternoon, where I did well most of the time. The "....and he shall wipe every tear from your eyes...." always gets me, and add to that the closing hymn of "In Christ Alone", and I was wiped out. As we ate our funeral luncheon, or dinner, in this case, the ladies were talking about how much that hymn has packed into it, in a nutshell, as it were, like John 3:16 is for the Gospel. When we sang, I did great through the first three stanzas, and then Pastor had us stand for the 4th one, and I struggled valiantly. ".....no fear in death..." It's true, there is no fear in death, because of what Jesus did for us!

*

Another hymn sung was "Amazing Grace", which I sang for the third time this week, and the second time today. Toward the end of the Restoring Honor event, a whole team of bagpipers and drummers, associated with a fire department, played "Amazing Grace" as those gathered sang, and I sang from home. The first part of the day was spent watching the event on Facebook which streamed it live, plus watching it on C-SPAN while instant messaging with Linda who was on a speaker phone call with her sister, and I was being text-messaged by Justin. Whew! All the electronics were smokin'!!! Justin did not send many messages during the actual event but did beforehand and afterward. I kept him posted though on the number of Facebook users on-line watching the event, which was up to nearly 130,000 people at one time. He estimated that there was about 400,000 people there but I guess we will not know for sure until Monday. The area where Justin was standing, along the reflecting pond, forward from the Lincoln Memorial, holds 200,000. That area was full plus an additional lot off to the side which holds another 200,000 people. The 'news' people are reporting "10s of thousands" which is extremely modest because the other numbers are the ones provided by the Park Service, who do this all the time. No politics today, only honoring the troops, and earning over $5 million for the Special Operations Warrior Foundation---whoo hoo! http://www.specialops.org/

*

After the main portion of the program was over, three different musical groups performed as the attendees were departing, or stayed around to listen. Facebook showed folks lining up to sign the ginormous American flag that had been carried by a mess of people so I asked Justin if they were signing the flag. He sent a message back saying they were heading to the museum instead. A bit later I got a single word text message from Justin which said, "Butter". That's all. Immediately I wrote back, "Say 'Hi' to Julia", because I knew he was at the Smithsonian standing at Julia Child's kitchen. He and I just loved that movie, I saw it with him at the theater where he kept giving me the elbow when something reminded him of me! A minute later came this picture mail from his phone to mine, which I then forwarded to my e-mail, and then saved to my computer. I love electronics, Advil, and pina coladas!

Where is Mr. Sun today?

Fortunately it was not raining an hour ago when I wandered out to the cabana to get some lunch from Danny. At that time, I was his sole ticket for the day. No one was out there swimming or anything, being an overcast day with occasional drizzles. There being no sun also meant no water exercises for me, even though Marlena called me from the pool to request my presence. Sadly, I was in the laundry room and did not hear the phone ring so I missed my summons. Danny thought he might ask 'Chef' if he should stay open or what since it appears no one else was coming. It's okay with the Hot Dog Lady now that I have had my lunch! I got the recipe or what have you for making his delicious pasta salad so some day I would like to give it a try, perhaps when summer is over!

*

Today already brought several text messages from Justin, giving me a report on his activities in DC. His first one was when he was on his way to the Arlington National Cemetery, and he suggested I listen to song by Trace Adkins, on youtube.com, called "Arlington". It brought me to tears, as Trace tells the story in first person form of a man returning home from war, where he is given some land with other men.....Arlington National Cemetery! Wow, quite powerful and moving. Later Justin sent a message that he just heard a 21 gun salute, and I quoted a line from the song, ".....we welcomed another brother home....." I wrote back to Justin, telling him I envied him this, and asked him to please enjoy it!

*

Justin did report also that the weather there is amazing, 'like a miracle', I told him. He did not even try to get tickets to the Kennedy Center event tonight, knowing folks had been there long before he arrived in DC to get tickets so instead, they will do their site seeing and touring. At some point our FL congressman arranged for them to have a tour the Capital and White House. On a program I watched on the Internet this a.m. there were people from as far away as Alaska and even a student from Albania, in town for the Restoring Honor event. C-SPAN is broadcasting live tomorrow at 10:00 for which I rejoice because it was not going to be shown on the Internet, although Justin was sure it would be. Tonight's event is going to be on the Insider Extreme so I will get to watch that, either live or later on, depending upon the weather. If it's nice outside, I will be at the cabana!

*

Well, the sheets are tumbling in the dryer so tonight will be a clean-sheet-no-eating-in-bed night. I can last one night, I guess. Before the bed will be remade, I plan to vacuum the floor to get all the cruddlies cleaned up. It seems I must have more than 10 fingers and 10 toes, at least that's the way it would appear with all the clippings on the floor! Am I that untidy??? No, I say, no! I had to chuckle at myself when I stripped the bed this a.m.---seven books were removed from my bed before I could take off the bedspread. Not so many papers piled up this time, but so many books! My newest book is the "Screwtape Letters" by C. S. Lewis, an illustrated edition but I am still reading "Not Unto Us" and "The Council of Dads". It seems I, too, must have ADD when it comes to reading and OCD regarding the dust and nail clippings on the floor!

What a day, Part II

Nearly 12 hours later and I finally sit down to finish my posting of the day! My tummy is stuffed after having dinner with Martie at Longhorn, chicken tenders and a sweet potato. It was the potato which filled me up. Leftovers stacked in the fridge so no worries about dry bread and water this weekend if it rains. If it does not rain, the cabana will feed me. It seems that there must have been quite a storm while I was in Argyle because the streets were wet and my neighbor's car cover was blown off, while parked under the garage/car port! It was all clear now though I believe it did lightning in the distance since getting home. There are several boats bobbing outside the basin, likely shrimping, so it must be okay weather wise.

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Notice I am using green colored font tonight? That's because the Packer game is on TV! At the end of the first quarter, the score is Indianapolis 10, Packers 7---is that your number? Martie searched through her book collection, which rivals Linda J.'s, and managed to locate a book she had borrowed a couple years ago, which actually belongs to Linda! At long last, it's back in my hands, and I still haven't read it! The author is Max Lucado and the title is "Every Day Deserves a Chance". Now that I think about it, I never did ask Martie how she liked it....

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Today after Bible class where we concluded our study of the Kingdom of God, I pitched in to collate and fold the service folder for Sunday. I had pretty much decided to worship at Good Shepherd this week but now after seeing the Order of Service and the hymns, I want to go to Victory. Now what? They are singing many of my favorites including "Come, Oh Come Let Us Sing to the Lord" and the Te Deum "You Are God, We Praise You", a psalm based upon "Not Unto Us" as well as the hymn with the same title, and ending with "Lift High the Cross". There is no Bible study at my church this week because of Sunday school Open House so if I went to Victory I could study more of Galations...hhmmmmm.....

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When I got home again, I came upstairs and made myself a sandwich for lunch, getting right to work on the church newsletter. Pastor had called me when I was in class so I returned his call, answering his question regarding how many people he should expect for Monday's Bible Study. It will be wonderful to resume that class again, with our subject matter this time being "What in the World is Going On?", which will look at various 'world views' which can undermine our beliefs, such as 'spirituality' vs. being religious. Sounds interesting to me. I made a few phone calls to make sure all the regulars were on board to attend class, and tonight, I warned the Longhorn staff that we are coming back on Monday, as usual! Anyway, the newsletter is nearly ready to go out with the balance of the information arriving this evening in my e-mail. Perhaps tomorrow morning I can finish it up, before water aerobics. Yes, we have class tomorrow as it was postponed from today. I hope the weather holds, and that the rain did not cool the water too much. You big baby!

*

At the appointed time I started watching my radio program but had numerous phone calls and text messages coming in and things to be handled, which prevented me watching the entire program. Justin had asked me to download, or actually upload, the program today for him, writing all the directions and motions on my service folder from last week. But, it turned his friend, Grove, has Internet in his car so did not need me to do it. That's good because #1, I forgot about it, and #2, I am not sure I could figure it out! Yikes!

*

Last evening Justin and I had dinner together at Carrabba's, but first he came here to shower and regroup after work. He asked me if I wanted to sniff him, like I used to say to him when he was a kid. My former employee and dear friend, Jim Hattaway, when he heard me say that, said, "I love it when girls say that to me...." Justin reminded me of this story, and made me smile! Didn't need to sniff 'im, though, because his sweaty garments gave him away. At first we decided on La Napolera but I was so hungry for Carrabba's, which was great not only due to the delicious food, but we saw an 'old' friend there. A young lady came in, right in my line of vision to the foyer area, and I told Justin, "I think Shannon just came in..." He spun around in his seat, and asked, "Grumble Muffin???" and I said yes. At the same time the man with her asked if she knew me because he saw me looking intently in their direction. She stood up just as Justin called out, "Grumble Muffin!!" so she came into the dining area to hug and visit. She looked so darn cute, and was taking her daddy out for dinner. She used to hang out with my niece, Alayna, when she summered with us so must be about 21 or so now. Justin and she exchanged phone numbers and Facebook information which is fantastic. Shannon is the daughter of my friend, Christine, who is now selling real estate with Joanne! Small world!

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The entire first part of yesterday was spent at church, starting first with the funeral service for Kristi's mom, Jane, followed by the luncheon. Several of us ladies stayed a long time after the luncheon and clean up, hashing some things over. We did not have to tear down the tables and chairs since we will use the same ones for the funeral luncheon on Saturday. Suffice it to say, I really love my Christian sisters. And I really feel like I need to talk with Judy Rusert, since I mentioned her more than once yesterday....

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Wow, what a game this has been so far! I hope Martie can sleep tonight, as she had a terrible night on Wednesday. She finally dozed off at 5:00 a.m., so a good night's sleep is much needed. She wears a sleep mask and an appliance in her mouth to prevent grinding (a pretty sight!, no wonder she does not want to sleep over here!), she finally yanked everything off and tried sleeping the old fashioned way, giving her a couple hours of early morning rest. The rest of her day was spent shopping with her hubby and then dinner with me. Poor girl! This subject came up when I said I would be up late tonight watching the Packer game, which could be after 11:00 pm and she sort of teased me that this is not late!! Generally I go to bed around this time and if I fall asleep, no sweat, but when it's a game, I have to stay awake and attentive!

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Tomorrow I am going to wash my sheets and vacuum my floor in the bedroom, as I am tracking junk from the floor into my bed! Yech! Too many crumbs on the floor plus other stuff and this princess is very fussy about having cruddlies in my bed. My sheets have to be nice and smooth too, which you would think should keep me from eating in bed---but does not! I forgot to mention that Tuesday late afternoon I got an e-mail from my friend, Stephanie's daughter, Erica, from Victory, inviting me to go play trivia with them at Johnny Angels. Sadly, I had to decline because of attending Bible study but really want to be able to go. Justin was asking me last night where they play, as he plays at a couple places during the week, too. When I told him, he made a face and said, "That's almost to Beach Blvd.!" So? I said I would take 9-A and exit on Beach...and he said, "No, I don't want you on Beach Blvd. at night..." Excuse me? Instead, he gave me different directions to use to get to this place, should I ever get to go and play. Now, I am curious as to what is going on on Beach Blvd. at night......!

What a day!

This will be quick as I must ready myself for Bible study. I just wanted to check in and let my thousands of readers know I am alive and now well-rested after an extremely full day yesterday. It began early with a funeral service which was just lovely, for Jane. The service is actually for her family as Jane is with the saints and angels in heaven, seeing the Lord face to face. Rachel and Suzanne played "Jerusalem, the Golden" for pre-service music, and Suzanne gave me a heads' up about it, plus "I Know That My Redeemer Lives". She is so thoughtful, not wanting me to be caught off-guard. When Rachel heard Suzanne tell me that, Rachel said, "I don't think I have ever NOT played "...Redeemer..." at a funeral and Suzanne told her "Kim cries"...I explained, unnecessarily, to Rachel that there is a very good reason why those hymns are chosen for funerals, the message conveyed in the text and the tune. Another person told me she can no longer sing "Amazing Grace" since her hubby's funeral. Has to just listen. Not because she does not like the hymn, but by what it stirs in her. I get that!

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When Suzanne was practicing for the funeral one night last week, she sent me a message, "I love our hymns!". Every time she played through one, determined it was her favorite, she would turn the page and find another perfect one. "I love our hymns!", too!

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Gotta run, will write some more later, okay?

Harvesting stray thoughts today

As I was readying myself for attending the visitation and committal service for Jane this a.m., I came upon my little goody bag from the dental visit last week. There seemed to be more in the bag than only floss and tooth paste, so when looking inside, I discovered the little surprise from Peggy, my dentist and friend. She had given me a pack of cocktail napkins that state: "When in doubt, wear red! Bill Blass". She said she had seen them a while ago and picked them up for me, so at my appointment, I finally got them. What a thoughtful gift, love it that she thought of me when she saw them, and then followed through to buy them! Now I should be more faithful with my flossing to show my gratitude, making the dental work so much easier! She attended the homecoming event for the young man in Mandarin, wounded in Afghanistan, who lost both legs and half an arm. I regret now not going because I know it would have been amazing to show this young man, home to celebrate his 21st birthday, my thanks for his service. It's those little things that matter, right? I must go now because I am meeting Ethel at the Winn-Dixie and then taking her with me to the funeral home in Green Cove Springs.

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There is a lovely woman at the pool almost every weekend whom I recently learned is named Renee who always asks me how many Diet Cokes I am drinking these days. The first time this season that she asked me, I wondered if my mom had put her up to that question but it seems that last year we had had a discussion about being hooked on Diet Coke, and I forgot about it. She said she drinks two 20 oz. bottles a day, which seems to be a reduced amount from this time last year. Hmmm....that is worthwhile goal to attain. Darn this mind over matter thing!!! On a similar note, I have purchased a Mr. Tea and some wonderful smelling Lipton Green Tea to make, but have not yet opened the box.

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Running the household appliances, including the room deodorants plugged in the walls counts as doing housework, in my book. Add to that, bagging up the garbage from the rooms and taking it to the trash bin downstairs counts as cleaning. It certainly does feel that way, to have freshly lined baskets at every turn is quite satisfying! Changing the ink cartridges in my printer makes me feel like my work will go smoother, too. How goofy is that? There is something about a clean slate that appeals to me! Last night I took the last of my nighties from the drawer which means there are about a dozen of them piled in the wash baskets or still in the dryer, waiting to be shoved into the dresser. I shall count the empty drawer as being cleaned!

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Mom mentioned to me in an e-mail and on the phone how busy the good daughters were this past weekend with working on projects around Mom's house. They re-arranged furniture to allow for better viewing of her TV, plus moving some of the wall art from wall to wall. Mom had great fun shopping for different home decor items to use for filling in blank spots, and was amazed at all the pieces offered. Decisions, decisions! Kerry and Jill got busy on hands and knees scrubbing Mom's huge kitchen floor, actually a small kitchen floor, turning the water in the pail from sudsy to black. Mom was shocked to see how dirty the floor was even after having it recently washed by Alayna, with the Swiffer. My take on it is that the vinyl might be wearing out on the surface and holding dirt more readily than it did when new. Lynn took the sheets and such from Mom's bed home with her to launder and then hang on the wash line to dry in the sunshine and breezes. Floors vacuumed, sheets freshened, kitchen sparkling, things dusted, and walls decorated. BUT, did they plug in air fresheners and reline the wastebaskets??? The good news is that Kerry just loves to do this type of thing and she will have a wonderful time when she is here visiting me!

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I wish I had a daughter, at least for a little while. Alayna is getting ready for her first year of college and reported via Facebook buying such cute things for her dorm room. When I was at Wal*Mart the other day, the immediate entrance to the store was lined on both sides with school items, including colorful lamps for desks, clocks to match, throw rugs, decorator pillows, flashy bedspreads, desk mats in all the 60's colors. Oh man! I would have had WAY too much fun shopping for a daughter going to live in a dormitory. Lori, whose son, Dusty, is attending the same college where Alayna is going, reported that all Dusty was concerned with was electronics and all associated with them. Wires, cords, and pluggy-ins, his word for outlets. So, for a little while, Lori and I both wished we had girls to shop for and with, decorating a dorm room. My thought is that the rooms would look amazing for a few days and then----chaos!

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I think I am in heaven, or very close to it. Well, not really, but having my doors opened for the breezes allows for the sound of my downstairs neighbor's voice to waft this way. She is a student of voice as well as piano and cello, looking for a graduate school, but living at home in the meanwhile. She gives me the chills, and I wish I could hear even better than I do. Cassidy is singing an aria but I cannot make it out. Once I did recognize a familiar song, "La Wally", which Sarah Brightman sings on one of her CDs, but I don't think that is what she is practicing today. What could be more lovely than having breezes from the river and the music moving through my rooms?

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Having more than one funeral in a week might be common up north but is extremely rare here at Good Shepherd. Today was the visitation and committal for Jane Brown, with her memorial service being tomorrow at the church, with a luncheon afterward. This means I will not be attending the water aerobics this week at all, since Thursday is Bible study at Victory. Justin will be gone to DC already, he hopes, so will not be at class. The service for Mary Chancy is on Saturday late afternoon, with a luncheon, or lite supper, following. As I mentioned to Ethel, that will trample a bit on my cabana time, ahem, ahem.....Like a good mom would, she scolded me for that, saying I can make an exception. Of course I can and will, I was only poking her with a stick to see if she would nip! Hopefully having Mary's service on a Saturday will make it easier for the musicians to be there to play the hymns and liturgy so we don't have 'problems' like we did for Jane's. Rachel from Victory is coming over to play the piano for us tomorrow and Suzanne will play her viola. It meant a lot to Kristi to NOT have MIDI music and it looks like that finally is going to work out. Oh, for the gift of decision making!!!!

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In working on the newsletter for the coming month, on which I am lagging behind, I got a response to my looking for info about the Pioneer program for the fall. Oh, oh! The lady who basically runs the Pioneers and other kids programs has decided to take a break and try to regroup, saying her brain is fried right about now. Oh my goodness, it's spreading!!!! She said she was not sure who was going to take over these programs (gulp!) so I will have to leave that section blank for now. People are dropping like flies, in more ways than one, it seems. The teams doing the yard work were getting exhausted from mowing the lawn and doing the blowing and edging, etc., so they chipped together to hire a landscaper to do it for us. Good thing we did not use our fund raised money to buy that riding mower! The one donated by the Browns is now sitting idle in the garage. I have no problem at all with them hiring it out, and in fact, I had tried to hire the landscaper from our congregation to do the yard on my behalf one week a month, but he was too busy to take it on. My check is in the mail to pitch in for the lawn care because it matters a great deal to me how the property looks. They have the same problem with getting folks to come clean and do the yard work at Victory so it's no different there than here. It is a lot of work, especially with such large properties to maintain, with only a few willing and able folks. The amount of effort I can exert is writing the check to pay my share of the burden for the landscaper!

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My upstairs neighbors have listed their condo for sale again, saying they would like a house and a yard for their son to play in when he's old enough. In my opinion, there is plenty of time before Beckham is able to play outside but it's their decision to make. I sort of hate the thought of not having them here, more than sort of, strongly hate the thought of them moving away. With Jessica staying home with the baby, we see each other more and get to do some hanging out. As she says, we can still visit each other and all that, but I suspect that would fade after a while, too. At the pool the other day, one of my lower floor neighbors was walking in the pool, working off an injury to her back. She was telling some other Club members about how she is not fond of her neighbors and so on, while I was telling other folks how much I like my neighbors, that they would do anything for anybody, etc. I guess it has much to do with attitude and behavior. Saturday, I was at first pinned down in my house during the huge rain/thunder storm, then managed to sneak over to The Club by car. I was telling one of the guys, Jim, about feeling apprehensive during the storm and he assured me that if I ever ever need anything, I should just call him. Gus was nearby and he said, "You can call either me or Jim...." This was not news to me, but it sure was wonderful knowing I have these folks around me, offering to hold my hand when the storm prevents me attending Club functions!!!!

August photos, at least some of them

Maya's birthday party was the next day but I took advantage of being in St. Augustine for Suzanne's concert to swing over to Palm Coast to celebrate a day in advance. First I had breakfast with Marian and Biff at Perkin's (potato pancakes!!!!) and then went to Christina's from there. Justin and I gave Maya some butterfly wings to wear, fancy ballet shoes, and Play Doh toy. Rayna is checking out the wrapping paper with her grandma, Marian.

After leaving Palm Coast, where we enjoyed Tina's brand-new pool, I went to Suzanne's birthday party in Lake Asbury. Suzanne had a nice group of church family there as well as neighbors and relatives to share in the fun. Mike and Judy are in the kitchen preparing the low country boil as Phil Hoyer oversees the work. Mike also made a Boston butt in the smoker which was simply delicious. What a great time we had that evening!

Jayne came with her new hubby in tow and he is just the nicest guy! A true Southern gentleman who got along famously with John and their neighbors. None of Jayne's and Dave's kids were there, just grown-ups that night. Suzanne and Anne Hoyer are helping Jayne study the table which was laden with appetizers and such for before the big feast. Anne was astounded at what a long ride it was to their house, almost needed to pack a lunch first! It had to be at least an hour from the Southside to Lake Asbury so the great meal and fun made it worth their while!

In case you cannot make it out, the candles indicate '40'. John and Suzanne started the celebrating earlier in the day by going parasailing in St. Augustine. It was something Suzanne wanted to do but then freaked out when it was happening, laughing and being scared at the same time. The guy who took them out photographed them as they launched from the back of the boat. She made John sit still so as not to rock the boat, so to speak. It was great fun, especially after it was over!

"I see the moon, and the moon sees me..."

While sitting at the pool, at both ends it today, the wind was really blowing the palms. The way it sounded, the stuff should have been blowing off our table but it never really did affect us at all. But it sure looked and sounded ferocious! I knew this would be a good night to have the doors open and the breeze blowing through. A few moments ago I saw some of the young kids from the building out in the basin area, splashing about in the surf. It looked like two couples, older teens, frolicking in the shallow water. No manatees today, at least as far as I can see. This early a.m. there had to be at least a dozen boats just outside the basin area, apparently fishing or shrimping. Right now there is not a boat in sight!

*

My morning began with watching the fishermen, and then getting ready for Bible study and church at Victory. I arrived just as they were starting so I did not miss a thing, with only six of us in the group. I so enjoy the study of Galations, wish we could do the same at my church. I have requested it when asked. We resume our Monday study on the 29th so hopefully a decision will have been made by then. Anyway, after Bible study, I went into the church get a good seat on the organ side of the room so Justin can hear better. There was a baptism today so we sang "Dearest Jesus, We Are Here", the 'old' baptismal hymn. The other songs today were not from CW which makes them not my favorites. My problem, no one elses.

*

Justin was busy with a fantasy football draft event at his friend's home so did not have time for lunch after church. He told me this already yesterday so I was not disappointed, but was sad that Stephanie and Erica were not there today. Ed took our photo for their picture board, as "honorary members". That rascal! Oh, I spoke too soon about the manatees!!! One of the young ladies is very near to touching one of them out here by the shore!!! Gotta grab the camera!!! Oh, phoey, I think the kids scared them off, I could not get a shot of them close enough but they could nearly pet them.

*

When I got home from church, I made a summer sausage sandwich for lunch and tried to watch some news. Eventually I turned on Law & Order: SVU and made sure I did not fall asleep. I was quite sleepy! Last night was a late one with the Jaguar game delayed by lightning, so it was after midnight when I went to sleep. I had to be at Anna N-M's house at 3:00 for a Premier Jewelry party so that meant no pool time for me beforehand. I got to Anna's with no trouble and listened to the consultant try to entice us all to host a party. Not good...I did purchases a couple pairs of earrings to help out Anna, and I will simply add them to my collection!

*

The full moon has risen although it is not yet dark. Did you know we are going to have two full moons in August and that we are going to see an up-close Mars on the 27th? I have received e-mails about this extremely rare event, the 'blue moon' and Mars passing so closely to the earth. Hopefully no one will be required to lie on the rooftops to enjoy the view. This brings to mind, with tonight's moon now shining brightly, the little prayer we would say with the boys before bed: "I see the moon, and the moon sees me. God bless the moon, and God bless me. God bless everyone of us. Amen." Often more names would be added to list of those needing blessings, which really could drag on, therefore delaying bedtime. But still, in my tender memory, it was okay.

*

Tonight, at the pool, after I just missed the cabana serving, I was talking with some folks. One couple Gus and I chatted with I see there regularly, Jeff and Jill, not to be confused with the rather large, drunken Jill who had to be driven home by Gus this afternoon. Instead, this mom has two little kids, a boy aged 5 and a daughter aged 3, and is in treatment for some sort of cancer. I know not what type but heard her hubby tell someone else that she had a rough time recently so he brought the kids by himself. I wondered about that....So anyway, the little boy went running around the end of the pool and his mom said, "No running!". I said, "Can I skip?", and she laughed. I told her how my little guy said that when scolded at the pool by the lifeguard, thinking skipping might be allowed but not running. She laughed and asked, "...and how old is that little guy now?" so I explained that he would now be 14 (gulp!) but died when he was five. She expressed her sorrow and I assured her that I take great pleasure in five year old boys with lots of character. He sure had that, didn't he? "Dearest Jesus, we are here, gladly thy command obeying. With this child we now draw near, in accord with thine own saying...."

A great Saturday thus far....

....with hopes of an equally great evening. I spent the entire afternoon bobbing in the water while sipping sodas, except for when I got out to have my hot dog and marvelous pasta salad! Oh my goodness, Danny's salad is just amazing, with the curly pasta in multiple colors, red pickled peppers, and this time, green olives. Wow! And yum!! Not sure what his dressing is but I would not be surprised if it is Italian dressing. He also made me a pina colada which I enjoyed from in the pool. There were lots of folks coming and going all afternoon which made for good company. A young lady and her father were staying at The Club and he had Alzheimer's which proved to be challenge for her. At one point he got up from snoozing on the chair and headed toward the gate while she was soaking in the kid's pool and did not see him on the move. Someone else got her attention as I hurriedly, yes, hurriedly, climbed out of the pool to fetch 'Bill' back again. He was so happy to see me, complimented me on my tan, and thanked me for escorting him back toward the pool area. Like that was where he was going anyway.....

*

After about four hours at the pool, I came upstairs to dry off and even warm up since the sun was not strong late afternoon. We had expected rain most of the day and the clouds kept making us think it was any moment. The A/C was on when I came in so I shut that down and also turned off the fan in my room. Once the wet suit and cover-up were off and the nightie on, I began to warm. On Facebook I posted my hopes the weather would hold so we could dine at the cabana for our Cajun Night and my friend just south of here in St. Johns County wrote that they were having serious storms at the moment. Not even 10 minutes later, it hit---pow!!! Lightning, thunder, torrential rains, winds, power outage briefly which makes my printers go nutso...The Jaguar game was delayed for an hour and then began in the rain. Guess they had to wait for the lightning to stop before they could kick-off. Those poor folks sitting down there tonight...true fans!

*

The Cajun event was held indoors, as planned in case of poor weather, but I was pinned down in my house. There was no way I was walking across that pool area in the lightning and pouring rain so when it seemed to let up a bit, I headed to my car and drove over. I found a nice, close space and avoided getting soaked. Several folks were already inside but no one had begun eating yet. The fare included shrimp, gumbo, red beans and rice, potatoes, corn, carrots and onions, and I had great plenty to eat without the sirloin slider. There were just fewer than 20 people there, most of us around two tables pulled together, including Mary Lew, who did not have a drop of rain until she got to I-295. It is so weird the way the weather patterns move. She comes from Riverside area and was dry and sunny...huh.

*

We had good laughs and a great meal while waiting for the football game to begin but most folks were ready to go home before the game really got going. Some, as usual, should have gone home well before the delayed kick-off. It does get old, you know? Switch to soda or coffee when you have had enough Chardonnay! It was still drizzling as I drove the very short distance home and am once more in my nightie. Oh, by the way, Mary Lew told me about stopping at a re-sale shop on the way to Middleburg the other day and was wearing the lovely new top she bought for $1.50, a silk leopard patterned blouse. Kerry will love this place! And, they have shoes, too, which is what I wondered. Hopefully she leaves plenty of room in her luggage for our shopping trips! Jim, who lives on the first floor, said he will go fishing with Kerry when she is here so she will have lots of company on the bulkhead in the wee hours of the morning! I heard there are bass in the river but most question the safety of eating anything from the river. We shall see!

*

This morning I got a phone call very early from one of the members, Donna, reporting her mom had died during the night, in the Hospice Unit. Mary had taken the Bible Information Class a few years ago and I would occasionally pick her up for class. Linda H. and I alternated being Mary's driver, and now she has gone to heaven, too. We never have two funerals in one week and I am not sure how this is going to work. I called Pastor and let him know that Mary had died so he has a head's up on planning the services for when he gets back from WI. Everyone will have to step lively next week! Since I am on for cleaning it will fall to me to make sure the carpets look nice and such. Plus see to it that there is toilet paper in the bathrooms. Details, details. Others are in charge of the food but I might pitch in as well. Since I am going to Victory tomorrow, I won't be around to bounce things off of, so hopefully the other ladies will make some tentative plans before Jane's service on Wednesday. I should get Danny to make me a batch of his pasta salad to take to with me for the luncheons....hmmmm......

All talk and no action

The thunder has been rolling for what seems like hours already and only a few sprinkles to show for it. I rushed through my dinner to avoid being trapped in the cabana in the midst of a downpour, and all for naught. Instead of coming up here with the second of my sliders, I could have stayed and enjoyed some time with my neighbors. Ellen and Maggie were heading out for a benefit of some sort this evening which left me sort of on my own. Tomorrow evening is Cajun night and I have RSVPd to attend, in hopes that we are not rained inside. If the weather is threatening, we will be inside The Club for that rather than at the cabana. Marlena has arranged for me to have my sirloin sliders since I do not eat the shrimp which is part of our menu fare. The same type of meal we had at Suzanne's birthday last week, only sans the Boston butt.

*

Today I did a bunch of cleaning, without even breaking a sweat. My e-mail was loaded with excess stuff and I spent way too much time going through and deleting or saving important stuff elsewhere in the computer. Boy, do I ever have a hard time parting with things, making it extremely difficult when it comes to removing e-mails and other stuff in the computer. What ever will I do when I get to tangible pieces of paper which must be sorted and decisions made regarding their fate----like my long distance bills from 1991??!!?? Even though I chuckle about it now, when push comes to shove, will I be able to do it? At this moment, I will say 'yes' because as of tomorrow, Lisa will have my treasured record albums which I never ever ever could have parted with even two months ago. Perhaps, readers, you remember not long ago sleep alluded me, and while I was awake, had made some determinations regarding things in my life. Is that vague enough for you? So now that the e-mails have been organized a bit and have one empty bin where the albums used to be, I can next move on to going through the archive boxes in the guest room. Of course, that will wait until my house guests are gone so they do not have to try to sleep in worse disarray than is already there!

*

Unfortunately I did not have any pool time today as I put clothes on first thing this a.m. because of my plans to go run errands. It seems if I start out in the swimsuit, my tendency is to remain either in the suit or move into my nightie after swimming, not good when wanting to go out somewhere afterward. The nightie is to help transition from the swimwear to clothing. So, to avoid the problem, I got dressed right away and resisted the temptation of sauntering out to the pool. My mission was to go to Wal*Mart in search of some new capris as I had to park a couple pair on the shelf, they were too big! Now don't get excited or anything, I think they were purchased too large in the first place. Also, I needed yellow ink for the photo printer as I taxed my supply printing the posters and invitations last week for the upcoming Mystery Dinner.

*

My first stop, however, was Great Hang Ups to see Dee and Julia, to see about getting my vignettes framed. We never had finished the process the day I was there with Kris and I would like to have them done when Kerry gets here. But, Dee was out of town delivering a piece to the Florida Watercolor Society show in Tampa. Go, Dee!!! Julia and I spent a while hanging out, with her bringing up the delicate subject of Timmy's artwork. Presently it hangs in the bedroom hallway, shrink wrapped on fiber board. She said she has been thinking about it for a while, at nine years, it might be time to start permanently framing the art. Where would I begin? Justin's art hangs in the same hallway, also shrink wrapped on fiberboard....again, where would I begin? There are at least three times as many pieces of Justin's work as Timmy's, with Justin's being better pieces, given that he painted well into high school. Of course, some of Justin's are permanently framed and prominently displayed in my home, so it would not be like dissing him. This time of conundrum is the reason why she has hesitated in bringing it up, but since I told them about my lining of the chairs dissolving from the sun, she felt it might be time to bring it up. Gulp!

*

So, after leaving her, I headed to Wal*Mart for my other shopping. I struck out on the capris but did find a nice pair of stretchy black slacks that might work out for church pants. They also came in brown and grey but I did not like those colors. Navy blue would have been an excellent option but there was none, rats! My other planned purchase was a DVD, "Letters to Juliette" but the nice man told me it will not be released until mid-September. I was sure I saw it advertised as available OnDemand but I guess that does not necessarily mean the movie is in stores. Instead I got a video from the same folks who did "Fireproof" called "Letters to God", so I will have to watch that. It might work out for family movie night at church, too, which would be cool!

*

When I got home from the store and started to gather my purchases, Gus came up the parking lot on foot, having been in the pool. He was holding a small, battery powered radio, exactly what I had been looking for at Wal*Mart! The sales clerk showed me a weather radio with AM/FM features but it really was larger than what I wanted for at the pool. There is no such thing as a transistor radio any longer, I guess, except for Gus's! It is likely not a transistor radio but it was the right size, complete with detachable head phones. When I told him I had just been shopping for such a thing, he immediately offered me his. Naturally I refused it but he did tell me where to get one of my own, the drug store!! Of course, I should have thought of that. He said it was less than $10 and serves him well on his walks and at poolside when the cabana music is not playing. Exactly what I am looking for, so I do not have to miss my 'live' radio shows during the day! Bravo, Gus!!!

A dull night for a change

And there is nothing really engaging for me to watch on TV at this moment, so when all else fails--football! It has been a busy busy day so it feels wonderful to be at home and settled in this evening. My morning began as usual on Thurdays with a drive to Victory for Bible story. I tried calling Mom as is my custom but her line was busy. I think she miscalculated the time or something and was on-line when I tried calling her, which ties up her phone line. Oops! Instead I made my Prayer Chain calls to the ladies, letting them know about the passing of Jane Brown. We had no arrangements to report to folks as of this morning but since then Mike has let me know the plans. More calls were made to my folks on the Chain with that information. Pastor is out of town, returning on Monday. Carol, the 'organizer' of the funerals, is returning to town after this weekend and will have to jump right back into it!

*

We were missing a few people this a.m. but still had five plus Pastor Hoyer for the class. Victory is still looking for a few more children for their VPK as they are short of the enrollment they had last year, for some unknown reason. The congregation has hopes of adding grades in the future and I hope this does not indicate a set-back for them. Justin and I left in my car for lunch and when I suggested going for Chinese, he mentioned Mama Fu's. We did a u-turn and headed back to church to get his car, as the restaurant he chose is not far from where he is staying. (Do you remember Ron, who joined my family and friends for Easter dinner this year? His mom and grandma came, too. Well, Justin is staying with them for the time being, until November, I understand.) Anyway, we enjoyed our lunch el fresco at Mama Fu's, a place my neighbor, Jessica, raved about last night. That's why I was on board for going to eat there and it was good! I ordered brown rice and sweet/sour chicken, plus picked up some food to take home for Jessica, as she sent me a text with her desires. When I delivered it upstairs, she presented me with a plate of cookies, about a half dozen as my reward!

*

Leaving Justin, I headed toward home and called Mom, this time getting through to her. She told me about getting her auto insurance all figured out, reducing her expenses because she is not driving any longer, yet must cover her car as long as she owns it. Alayna went with her grandma to help get things figured out as it can be quite complicated. Anyway, Mom was doing well, had gone out for her walk already that morning even though it was sort of chilly. Their hot weather has moved on, it seems.

*

At 2:00 I had a dental appointment so I hung up with Mom and got myself turned around to head to the Island for my check-up. This time I had a substitute hygienist because Roblee was sick. It was my first opportunity to have the stand-up panoramic imaging done of my mouth. Besides that one, Lisa took several more using the digital x-rays with some of them giving her a hard time. My mouth is still tender from biting down on the rigid plastic thing. Ouch! There were no cavities but one area of concern above a tooth which already has a root canal in it. Peggy gave me a scrip for penicillin to have on hand in case, in case, something goes on with it. It's free from Publix so I can go anytime to have it filled and 'spend $200 while you wait", as Peggy said. Right!

*

My original plan was to go to Wal*Mart afterward but I decided to just go on home. After having my teeth pressure washed, x-rayed, poked, prodded, flossed, polished, and everything else, I was done! It was nearly 3:30 pm and had enough for one day. Later I took the food upstairs to Jessica and visited for a bit. We discussed the events of last evening and she, too, was a bit surprised at how we did not get a real dinner out of it. I told her how my friend, Penny, called to ask me how I enjoyed it and I filled her in. She said they (those at Happy Hour not part of the Scotch tasting) wondered aloud when we were going to get our dinner, as they could see us through the doors. Kerrie, the owner, told them there was no dinner, only appetizers and Penny said all were taken aback at that. We just won't do that again!

An evening of note

My very first, and I would guess, last, Scotch Tasting event! Yes, that is what I did last night at The Club. Now that I know how this all works, I will know that I am not interested in taking part in it, not matter how delicious the filet mignon crustinis are! Oh, my goodness, were they wonderful!!! The other food items, served buffet-style and on the trays of the roving waitstaff, were mainly fish-based so I feasted on the filet served with caramelized onions on a crispy tiny piece of bread. Silly me! I assumed we would sit around tables and enjoy our meal, rather than having it be served more like appetizers. After we were done with the appetizers, we were escorted into the 'fireplace room' of the mansion where we sat at tables with glasses in front of us. Each glass had a dribble of Scotch whiskey in it, on a placemat marked with its origin. Those in attendance got a history lesson and chemistry lesson on how scotch is made, how long it sits in barrels, how the barrels are made, etc.

*

Now, I used the 'we' word several times without clarifying who was with me. Sunday at the pool, Ellen, Maggie and I were talking about Wednesday's pending Happy Hour and the later scotch tasting. Neither Ellen or I drink scotch but Maggie was interested so Ellen made reservations for us. The menu sounded so delicious, except for the fish things for me, but give me filet mignon, and I am in! Only next time I will be wise to the appetizer vs. table service serving style. Ellen had other guests with her including a long time friend of theirs, Steve, and a relatively famous young man named Jasin, whom Maggie used to date. He has a long history and connections to the family and the band (Skynyrd) but he was as down-to-earth acting as Billy and Ellen ever were, are. He took great delight in mocking my accent (doncha know?) and watching my head spin around when I tasted those potent liquors. Jessica joined us at the last minute, and we had great fun as Ellen, Jasin, and I won door prizes, we ladies each getting stainless business card holders that say "Johnny Walker" on the outside, and Jasin getting cuff links!

*

While I was not a fan of LS before I moved in here, I studied up a bit so as not to be a big dumbie when talking with my new neighbors. A couple years ago Justin sent me a link to a youtube video to listen to a song originally written for Skynyrd but covered by this group called Shine Down. Justin sent it because he knew I would like the message (I know I have written about this before...) and like the acoustic version of this song. I did like it, and have already included this version of the song to be played at my funeral after-party in his honor because he basically chose it for me. And now I have sipped Scotch with the man who sings on that version of "Simple Man", doncha know?!

*

Speaking of funerals, on my way out of The Club last night, I saw a message had come from Mike C. reporting that our member, Jane, had passed away that day. Jane is Kristi's mom and has had some health problems for some time now. Her hubby, Bill, will certainly miss his Janie, as he called her, even had her name tattooed on his arm before they were even married, over 50 years ago. Heaven just got even sweeter with Jane there!

*

Later on when I was at home on Facebook, Justin instant messaged me to complain about sharing a birthday with George Bernard Shaw. Shaw is a well-known playwright who was also in favor of "thinning of the herd", being a proponent of Hitler's selective elimination of those less than perfect in society, etc. The only solution was to change his birthday. I told him about my Scotch tasting thing and he was surprised. He asked if I liked it and I told him I did not but managed to drink the last 'brand' by pouring it into my Diet Coke! I wrote that just as he wrote to me that it is okay in Diet Coke....Great minds think alike! I did that once with some cognac shared by a friend of ours from Waterford Landing and he was horrified that I corrupted his French liqueur by dumping it in my soda!