Photos from Sunday

Following are some of the photos taken at the Ladies' Advent Service on Sunday, late afternoon. While we had 22 ladies signed up to come, we were a few short. Just in case, though, I had set a 'spare table' for overflow but did not need to use it. All my stress and concern regarding this event was wasted because it came off nicely, with many folks offering their compliments. One lady asked me if I could share the program for her to take to her 'next church'. Man, I really hate to see them go but they are Navy folks and move regularly. Of course, I will be happy to share what I have and will be honored if she remembers me after they are gone.

Judy is mixing up her delicious fruit punch, taste-testing to make sure it is just exactly right. She also decorated a table and did much of the leg-work involved in making this event work out properly.

Here is the dessert table, wearing my tablecloth plus the top from my CHRISTmas tree! The happy dish of candy corn is also mine while other ladies donated the sweet treats for all to enjoy. In the background is Suzanne, prepping for accompanying our singing on her viola. Janet had brought her keyboard but just did not feel comfortable enough to play the hymns so took the keyboard back to her car. Thank you, Suzanne, for carrying the load!

Some of the ladies floated after dressing their tables, helping others get things in order. Bonnie and Donna finished theirs and then stepped up to help Janet. Sandy was going to do a table as well, but had a fall at home, requiring her to be off her feet. Glad someone stepped up to take her place.

This table bears the 'presents' used in "Anticipating His Presence", our program for the day. The gifts are object lessons of the things in our lives---some which enhance, some which distract. To name a few items: the white luxurious robe (of righteousness); a knight in shining armor (put on God's armor); "call upon me in the day of trouble", a cell phone; also a Barbie doll which demonstrates unrealistic proportions, showing the unrealistic expectations we put on ourselves. Jackie opened the cell phone box and held it up, thinking it was a clock. She had no idea it was a cell phone!

Suzanne gave Hanna her first Advent gift at the Ladies' Advent Service. She was given a children's adventure Bible, which has actual chapter and verse while also being a 'study Bible'. I think Hanna liked it!

The ladies are gathered, waiting the event to get underway. You can see from the windows that it was not yet dark out, but eventually I had a dilly of a time reading my text as the sun began to set. Thankfully I had a battery-operated candle to use to light my way!

Suzanne accompanied all our singing, playing beautifully, of course. I could listen to her play all day! And in fact, I nearly did hear her play all day!!!

Watching the news from my bed

Or, what I thought was the news. Besides the hostage situation resolved in Marinette, WI, sadly with the student trying to kill himself, there really is not much real news being discussed today. So far I have seen supermodels on two separate segments, some 'stars' of reality TV (I had heard of them but never saw them before---what makes them so famous???), plus multiple replays of a sassy losing quarterback walking out of a press conference. Yesterday there were dancers outside dressed as elves with the hosts trying to decide who would get to go outside to dance with them. Come on, guys, just report the news, okay, and leave the entertainment to the other networks. Man! We will all be fiddling while Rome burns here...

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One little byte of information that was shared today was that a report has come out saying that the medical information encouraging folks to take extra calcium and Vitamin D has been refuted. What? It seems now that taking these supplements can actually cause more problems than are helped. More information regarding this will have to be looked at because strangely enough, I take the supplements mentioned. Last night I was chatting on-line with a friend who reported that she has bone problems in her later life due to her calcium being depleted when she was bearing children. She said that she had to eat lots of red meat in those days to improve her iron but at the same time, the meat helped to deplete the calcium. Who knew? I had to follow high-iron diets when expecting, too, but fortunately I thus far do not have a calcium deficiency. My friend also had/has a dairy food problem which certainly does not help with bone building at all. Yikes!

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Okay, so now I am not as upset since the program is featuring a book with 50 years' worth of presidential photography. Now, that is a book I would read! Pictures! Linda called last night with an update for me regarding a book search she was doing on my behalf. She took her grands to The Read Apple in Two Rivers the other day and scoped out some books for my great nephews. Linda also told me about a book store she gets activity books from in Sheboygan which are nice for in church or in restaurants, and do not require batteries. The store is called Sonshine, in case anyone is familiar with it.

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When I woke up this a.m. I switched the channel to a local news station to see if my friends, Helen and Donna, would be looking back at me. I thought I missed their segment by not waking up soon enough, but then looked back at Helen's FB page to see that it is actually Wednesday they will be on First Coast News. Must set the alarm and remember to change the channel as soon as I awaken. Helen, who is Dee's daughter, and Donna, an artist, I am sure will be talking about the upcoming ArtWalk on Wednesday night, just my guess.

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This week, now that the church newsletter has gone out, I will focus on the report from the SoWE, if the other ladies are available to do so. Pastor has asked me again to set a date so we had better get our ducks in a row and be prepared before this coming month gets too busy or crazy schedule-wise. In peeking ahead at the weather page on-line, it shows up in red that a cold snap is coming, warning us all to take cover, with an expected 25 degree drop in temperatures overnight. Yikes again! At 9:00 am here is 69 degrees, with the high expected to be 83. By dinner time, strong storms may roll in and the lows in the 30's. With nowhere I need to be, besides under these covers, I am good!

“Frequent conversations will fill your heart with joy”

Gotta love those fortune cookies from Ming Moon! I was so busted because when talking on the phone with Justin, the delivery man arrived with my dinner. The guy stood at my door and I said, into the phone, “Just a minute, Sweetie…” and the delivery man, “Okay, okay”, thinking I was calling him 'sweetie'! Justin could hear him speaking to me and knew immediately it was Ming Moon. AND he knew exactly what was in the bag, that rascal! Seems I am quite predictable, too. Not long after I ate some of the dinner, Linda called me for the second time in a few days. While we were talking, I opened my fortune cookie and the above listed ‘fortune’ was tucked inside. Wow, even the Chinese know about Linda and me!

As long as I am sitting at the big desk, facing away from my room and into the river room, I do not have to look at the mess on my bed or the laundry basket filled to overflowing with stuff to be folded and/or put away. On the bed are some clothes for me to try on, bought ages ago on a shopping venture and it is now getting cool enough for me to wear them. IF they fit. But I am not sure how long I can look away so might have to address the mess, as it were.

Today before Bible study, Gretchen had me in stitches. It has been a while since I had a good belly laugh, not really been ‘feeling it’ much lately, but today, she got me going. After I had gotten settled into my seat next to her, Gretchen leaned over and asked me, serious as could be, “Have you started your baking yet?” I just lost it! She seemed surprised at how funny it struck me, and she added, “I haven’t started either…” which just made me laugh more. Once I had calmed back down again, she asked me if I had ever been a CHRISTmas baker. Hmmmm…..anyone? Can you answer that? Really, what is the matter with me? I simply cannot remember being much of a baker except for making the cookies with the Hershey kisses pressed into the middle. My favorite memory of that was when Lisa was a little girl, perched on a stool at my counter, unwrapping the foil from the chocolate. She heaved a great sigh and announced, “Whew, this is almost like working…” I can still hear her saying this and remember losing it that day too!

My mother-in-law was an incredible baker, her method of choice was baking as compared to meal prep. She would make pan upon pan of bars, treats, sweets, and cakes to serve over the holidays, plus making the caramel corn I loved so much, and Chex party mix. At my house, cut-out cookies, my all-time favorite, were made and frosted and decorated. Certainly cookies were made in my household, but I am guessing (remember, the memory of doing it myself has faded) my former spouse did it, with me as the helper. Yes,that I remember. And we would gather at the home of the Petskas, my in-law’s in-laws, to ‘color’ cut-out cookies with an egg white mixture. Those are fond memories but still, I laughed so darn hard today, and I thank Gretchen for that. Love it and love her!

Let me recap my day yesterday---after church, I came immediately home as Justin was coming from his service to help me haul my stuff to the car for delivery to church. It surprised me that he beat me home, having to drive about a half hour to get here. He said that Pastor Hoyer has to keep the two services pretty much the same, since the 9:00 a.m. one has to wrap up without going too long after 10:00 a.m. The next service begins at 10:30 with folks arriving early and socializing in their kitchen. Therefore, Justin got out promptly at 11:30 or earlier to make it to my house by noon. My neighbors were using a dolly to unload 1000 bins from Pat’s car, decorations galore. Her friend, Nathan, was taking a load upstairs so I had to wait for the elevator and as I talked to Pat, we heard a horrendous crash from above. Oops! The shattering glass we just heard was the top bin toppling from the dolly as Nathan tried to move from the elevator. Eventually the elevator came back for me with Nathan in it, and a sick look on his face. When I got up to the 3^rd floor, I looked down to the 2^nd and saw red and black ceramic-looking pieces lying around the landing. I felt badly for them both.

Jessica came out on the 4^th floor to ask me what happened, whispering, and I announced in my regular voice that Nathan had a spill with Pat’s CHRISTmas decorations. Evidently her baby was sleeping with the sound of shattered glass coming over his nursery monitor. Oops! Once in my house, I told Justin that we should wait just a couple minutes to allow them to finish getting this batch of bins from the lobby up to Pat’s unit. Good, we can sit for a minute. He was torn as to where to go to watch football and since I was going to be home until at least half time, it worked for him to stay here with me. We switched forth and back between the Packer game and the Jaguar game (both teams ended up losing!) until it was time for me to head back to church, and he headed to his father’s house.

Once at church, the great unloading began. And I worked up a powerful sweat carrying all my bins and boxes into the fellowship hall, hauling in the lectern from church, marking the presents with the corresponding numbers, and setting the spare table. I wanted to have an extra table in case more ladies came than signed up, because as it was, we might have only two seats to spare. Whew! The ladies were good about getting their tables ready, and the 'floating ladies', my favorite kind!, were able to step and fetch for things, including trying to get the battery candles to operate. I gave up with about a half dozen and suggested putting the rest away, not worth the frustration. I could have used a couple more on the lectern, however, as night fell and light faded. The booklets the ladies were using were printed in dark print to make it easier to read, but mine I did in blue, not very dark at all. Oops! Suzanne scooted over to me with an additional battery candle to cast some light on my page. It went well, and I am thankful for all the help and contributors to the event. And was thankful for my bed and nightgown when I got home!

My heart hurts this a.m.

Not actually like chest pains but the other kind. There is sorrow that Kerry, my sister, is again suffering with her excruciating back/leg pain. She was waiting for her spouse to get up and ready himself, wanting to wait until it was light out. I asked Kerry to make sure the doctor's knew how the cortisone injection helped her so greatly last time, so that she can get to work tomorrow. If she does not, Kerry would lose her holiday pay. This is policy, and I lived under those guidelines when I was working in the telephone company business.

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Today instead of Bible study we are again rehashing the experimental services we had at GS. Last week's session was difficult, to say the least, and was hoping this week we would move on to our study of Luther and the Confessions. Most of me wants to skip the 'class' but the other part thinks I should be there to witness, in more ways than one.

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Judy C. had told me that she was going to stay after church to set up for Ladies' Advent Service since she also has Fellowship Sunday today. I called her yesterday to let her know that I would be going home in between church letting out and come back about 2:30 or so because I would need to rest a bit. That would be too long a stay for me, starting at 9:00 a.m. and going home after 5:00....nah! Especially because the Packers are shown on local TV today as well as the Jaguars, and I will at least be able to see parts of the games before going back to church. Justin is coming here after his church service gets out to carry some of the items to the car for me, since he was not coming last night. The young lady with whom we ate lunch a couple weeks ago after Bible study, Sarah, had to suddenly move, so the guys were helping her last night instead. Makes no difference to me when my car gets loaded but I sure would like to have help carrying things into the Fellowship Hall later on! Either way, he would not have been available to do that for me. So, I need to store my strength for lifting and toting and standing later this afternoon. Does that actually work, though?

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The good news is that by mid-week we will see temperatures in the 80's again, but right now, there is frost on the pumpkin. Well, perhaps not THAT bad, but showing presently at 37 above zero. My understanding is that this cold front has affected 3/4 of the nation and I will appreciate it when it is over. Last night was pretty cold for those watching the boat parade downtown, the TV news showing folks wrapped in comforters, enjoying the boats and the fireworks. Two nights in a row with fireworks, first for the tree lighting on Friday night and then last night again. The Lawcock's stay downtown the night of the parade so will not be at church today. They are teaching Sunday school this year and I wonder who is taking their class. It is hard to plan for SS since sometimes a class will have three or four kids, and then the next week, none show up. Soon their class time will be taken up with preparations for the CHRISTmas Eve service, with CHRISTmas4Kids happening next Saturday. Where did the time go?

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After today, rather, late afternoon, the time will be more free for me. The church newsletter is nearly ready to go, so I might e-mail it tomorrow morning, or perhaps even tonight, depending upon how I feel. Pastor called me with the missing information regarding worship times and Bible studies. Next, the condo newsletter must be put together and sent out, requiring less from me than does the church letter. Monday will be Bible study and lunch, Wednesday evening is choir rehearsal. Justin and I will spend Thursday at Bible study, followed by lunch at Maggiano's being provided by one the investment folks, Diane; and seeing "Broke: The Movie" at the Orange Park AMC 24, also with Justin. Thursday is "Justin Day"!!!!! I am so darn funny! Saturday night is the "Messiah" downtown which I will attend with Suzanne plus the choir from Victory. Very nice!

"Write what you know"

In watching a movie tonight on TV, one I have seen multiple times in the past and actually have in my collection, it occurred to me that the playwright, or screen writer, as the case might be, may have done that with this movie. In "Something's Gotta Give", a playwright, Erica, has an unexpected love affair with her daughter's gentleman friend, twice the daughter's age. 'Marin' has moved on, leaving Harry at her mom's beach home to recuperate from a heart attack. The two older folks hit it off but then Erica has her heart broken by the playboy, Harry, when he recovers. Erica, in mourning, proceeds to write the whole story into her play, which then becomes a smashing success on Broadway. So, here's my question: Did this happen to the person who wrote the screenplay for this movie in order for it to translate so perfectly to the big screen? Wow!!, if it did! When talking with young Timothy at Victory the other night, I tried explaining how I can write about something every day as I do, writing what I know. But, it seems I do not know the origin of the screenplay for the movie about a playwriter! Huh....go figure!

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In a totally unrelated event, my upstairs neighbor, Rosemary, with whom Justin and I shared ThanksLiving dinner, called to ask if I had any rosemary she could borrow. What? As it turned out, I did, indeed, have a jar of rosemary in the cupboard, and have absolutely no idea how old it would be. I expect it would predate 2003 since I was separated that year and would not have had any need at all to buy rosemary thereafter. She invited me to her place for dinner, steaks on the barbie, but I graciously declined her invitation, having made a box of mac 'n cheese for my dinner. My tastes are rather simple and do not require seasonings! Rosemary can keep the rosemary....

Not a slow news today!

Just cracked open an ice cold Diet Coke for breakfast, having finished the can begun last night, and it tastes so good! Only a year ago I was determined to wean myself off of Diet Coke, and up until the Great Flood, I had done quite well with the water drinking being added to my consumption of beverages. Somehow I do not drink fewer sodas during the day and do fully intend to add the water back in, one of these days. Perhaps I should begin with bottles of water and see if that helps. Judy J. has encouraged me to taste Propel but it is not that much less money than soda, and given the choice of funky flavored water or soda, I take soda! There is also the Mr. Tea maker on my kitchen counter which could make me flavored water as well. Jessica asked me one day which I prefer to drink: tea or water? Oh, water, hands down. She said, "Well, then, drink the water instead!"

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More than once I have 'complained' about the non-news items on the weekends on "Fox and Friends", but today is jam-packed with news. War games in Korea, a terrorist bombing attack foiled in OR, and PresBO getting an elbow to the face requiring stitches. The last item is right up there with choking on a pretzel when watching football like happened with W.

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Another interesting subject was a study showing folks entering midlife crisis mode much earlier in their lives than in previous studies, and the 'doctor' being interviewed attributed this to stressers. It would seem that folks find themselves under a financial burden from the sad state of the economy, are depressed, and what not. So, between the ages of 35-40, which is younger supposedly than typically recognized as being 'mid-life', men and women are experiencing their crisis. I wonder, then, what differentiates a financial crisis from a mid-life one? The interviewer made the quip about going out to buy a Porsche, which would not be possible in a financial crisis. Calling depression something a bit more socially acceptable is not the wisest way to handle it, if you ask me. People just sort of dismiss mid-life crisis when it is often an offshoot of some thing deep-seated and troubling to the sufferer, causing them to make foolish decisions. Usually not funny decisions.

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Justin found an interesting product on-line the other day. Leave it to American ingenuity to come up with special undergarments to wear when going through the new scanners at the airports. When viewed by the screeners, the text of the 4th Amendment is able to be read due to the type of ink used when printing it on the fabric. This was available on T-shirts and men's undies, which would cover your private parts, so to speak. In case you did not remember, the 4th Amendment deals with 'probable cause' and unlawful search/seizure. It was touted wildly when AZ supplemented the federal illegal alien laws with one of their own, but now, that amendment is being sort of forgotten, all in the name of security.

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In other news----not too much is being made of the brewing problems in Korea, nor with the devaluing of our currency in Russia and China, but yes, please, let us see the Victoria's Secret Holiday underwear. This stuff is making me grumpy, perhaps I need to go back to sleep for a few more hours. But, I am done, waking on my own around 6:30 this a.m. which is much later than the last two previous mornings.

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On the bright side, I had the most marvelous conversation with Linda J. on the phone last night, as I had soooooooooo much to talk to her about! Much of the day yesterday, for me, was spent catching up on missed programs and such while working on the Ladies' Advent Service, hearing interviews with two authors on two separate programs, plus one I heard a second time on a radio show when I was heading to lunch at La Nop (no tow-away this visit!). While I stink at reading, I am determined to get and read these books, one written by a West Point graduate who lost his eyes due to a bomb blast and how the Lord has gotten him through and to his present role as instructor at WP. The other book is by the governor of LA, talking about leadership and such. My kind of reading! Linda is a book collector AND reader, having about six different books going at one time.

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Linda told me about the great fun she had with her three granddaughters during ThanksLiving, keeping the older two through the weekend. She might be taking them to The Read Apple, owned by a former teacher at FG, a shop which sells learning tools and books. Linda is going to look for a certain type of Bible story books and if she finds them there, will pick up a couple for me to give Gabe and Manny. Her little grands, 7 year old twins, were very much enjoying some books they found at "Nina's" so Linda is going to check with Pam to see if they came from The Read Apple.

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Part of the day, besides my lovely lunch with Tracy, Cassidy, and MamMa, was spent getting the last things ready for the Ladies' Advent Service. Today I will put the items into gift bags, even getting a nice bag from Jessica when I picked up her lovely white robe last evening. I feel badly saying this but I sort of cannot wait until this event is behind me. It has been quite stressful and I came very near to cancelling when only 4-5 names were on the list to attend. Miss Carol persuaded me to continue with the plans, that even a couple ladies gathered together would be a lovely event. We now have enough names on the list for three tables so I am going to do an extra table just in case folks come who have not signed up. I am also hoping Justin will come by today to help me carry some of the items to the car.....and then come back on Monday to help me put them away again!

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When I notified folks of my flight itinerary, including Justin, he called me to ask if he should take me to the airport. Sure!!!! And then he said that he would come to church with me, and we would leave from there (thinking the Advent Song Service that Sunday was at GS). I was incorrect about it being at GS, the service will actually be at Victory that day so he can take me from there. I wonder if he knows he will miss the football game that day....or perhaps it's an away game. One second, I will check----yes, it is an away game. No worries then, he can listen on the radio until he gets home again after 'dropping me down' at the airport. Timmy used to say 'drop me down', so it stuck.

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Besides wrapping up my 'presents' for tomorrow's event, gathering table decorations, and such, I plan to go out to Great Hang Ups in support of Small Business Day. Likely I will not stay for an hour as I usually do, but at least lend them some support in a small way, or a large way, in my case!

Another gorgeous sky

My niece, Alayna, meets her new cousin, Angelo, and snuggles with him on ThanksLiving Day!

What in the world was I doing awake at 5:03 a.m.? I don't have a baby, or a pet needing to be let outside and yet, there I was. The strains of the M*A*S*H theme were playing, perhaps that is what woke me up. In my dream at the moment, I was pouring someone, who may have been my former spouse, a glass of water. Aha, I must get up and go to the bathroom! Love how that works in dreams! I did serve water in real life to Joanne last night which is why I have water on the brain, so to speak.

After the fog lifted yesterday, ThanksLiving Day, it became quite steamy outside, by some standards. It was about 80 above zero and my neighbors were deep-frying a turkey in their courtyard, in shorts and a T-shirt. I walked that direction when I heard the talking and Joe asked me where I was going 'all dressed up'. His family and he were sort of surprised when I told them I had just gotten home from church. I know of two churches in my area that had services on Wednesday night instead of on the actual day. GS had decent attendance for a holiday but there are some who simply will not come because of getting their meal prepared. In my mind, having the feast later in the day (gasp!) would yet allow for worship time. But, I guess....

Upon getting home and settled at the desk, I worked on a few more things for the Ladies' Advent Service, which reminded me that I must come up with a bag of potting soil, a shovel, pot, and seeds for one of the "presents" which will be opened at the service. I might have the soil, pot, and shovel but might have to go and look for seeds. BUT, do I want to do that today? The worst (or best, depending upon how one looks at it) shopping day of the year....I wonder if the drug stores have seed packages, or is this not the season? One of my friends on Facebook, Ed from Victory, reports that even the home improvement stores are having big sales today so I would hesitate venturing there today. However, this is not something to leave to the last possible moment, either. Or did I already do that?

The expression: "I will clean your clock" often means something involving violence but in my house, it means calling the repairman to see why the grandfather clock has stopped chiming. Of the three weights that get cranked every week, only the one in the center is actually moving downward. This is something new, as the last time I wound the clock, everything was working properly. It has been a while since the fellow has been called to set the clock, and I cannot remember if he came here to start the clock for me or not. I know that he did at the lake house, and at The Preserve house. In fact, "Dick" came to start our clock at The Preserve January 13, 2001. Somehow, I remember that...

When Mike was here on Wednesday to grout the floor in the back bathroom, he was going to rinse the sponge in the 'new' sink, but there was very little water coming through the faucet. Oh, oh, now what? When the plumber, the not funny one, was here the previous Friday, he had to shut off the brand-new valve, and discovered the handle was not on properly, and told me he would change it. This made me quite nervous, of course, and when he left, told me he had re-installed the handle. Well, Mike turned the handle and it was in the open position, so there should have been water. The toilet flushes and such, so I wonder how in the world did Sherri not notice there was no water from the faucets, and where is it? My downstairs neighbors had one of their shut-off valves replaced, the second time in 4 years, on Monday so I am wondering...I will call the plumber today to schedule for next week because the last thing we need is a problem on the Friday after ThanksLiving!

Justin and I went over to The Club for our lunch, with reservations for 2:30 pm, but from the looks of it, we could easily have gone sooner. Justin's tummy was still a bit full from his brunch at The Hilltop so going earlier would not have worked for him. We were seated with Marlena as our waitress, but before we were settled in, Rosemary, our neighbor, came over to invite us to their table. After Justin and I discussed it briefly, he said he was fine with moving so Marlena made that happen for us. 

The buffet was wonderful, and I am sure many folks enjoyed the variety of sidedishes and salads offered. Being a meat and potatoes girl, I had mashed potatoes, prime rib, a broccoli cheese dish, something with spinach on top, and cranberries. Justin might have had some of the shrimp, I did not even note what he had on his plate. The turkey looked good too but I knew I would not eat both meats, nor did I have any of the smoked salmon. Danny, the cabana boy, was working the dessert table, which matched any lovely display seen on a cruise ship. From his table I took a champagne glass of creme brulee for my dessert. I had baked two pies when I got home from church so I had plenty of sweets coming my way. Oh, and Justin brought me a box of dark chocolate covered cherries, too!

We came back home after our feast and sat around in the family room. Justin was excited to show me a clip from Conan's show regarding the new pat down procedures by the TSA. He thought it was hysterical but I was not blown away by it. Might be his age....or mine!!! After the Conan clip we turned on the football game, muted, and listened to the radio show that we both enjoy, from the day before.

Joanne came by after feeding the 5000 at the Rodeway Inn down the street. Her church group served the free feast using the former dining room for this Inn which used to be bustling. No longer, but some of the rooms in the Inn are now used for homeless folks long-term, and the occasional truck driver. She told us that the old Holiday Inn, near the freeway, is going to be reused as a homeless shelter, if that is the right name for it, when it is taken over by the County. I know of an area police sergeant whose task force periodically does sweeps of the woods and other out-of-sight areas for homeless people, trying to get them to the shelters available. So often it is by choice to live that way, but the County strives to get folks the help they need, whether they want it or not. Joanne said they were told not to overdress for the serving, so as not to appear 'superior' to those partaking of the free meal. She was exhausted after standing so long behind the steam table and serving folks, it felt good for her to sit and be served her pie!

Justin left for his next feast so he did not get to see Brenda N. when she came. We ladies had a great visit and enjoyed our pie. Her son was not able to come as he was concerned about his mom having to drive him home in the dark, so she had dropped him off at his house before coming over to my place. It was a different ThanksLiving Day for me but it was just fine, you know? My family was gathered at Lisa's house in Sheboygan, first for the feast and later for the birthday celebration for Gabe, who is Jesus #1 Fan!

Happy ThanksLiving!

Last night when I greeted Pastor Hoyer at the doors of Victory, I wished him a happy ThanksLiving. He hesitated a split-second and then said, "Yes, happy ThanksLiving." All through his sermon he was using the phrases 'thanksgiving' and 'thanksliving', connecting the dots in our lives with lines, to see what picture is made. Of course, the picture should be Jesus when we are done connecting the dots. After church, I said to Pastor, "You must think I peeked at your sermon!" and he said, "Not really...it's the natural thing to say..." I thought so, too, only never heard anyone else besides me use this expression!

Wednesday began very early for me, for some reason, as I found myself awake and awaiting the sun. The sky before the sun showed up was so magnificent a color, or colors, I should say, that it could have stayed that way all day! It looked like sherbet, the red and pinks, with some gold along the edge. (today is extremely foggy, not nearly as lovely to look out the window!). As the light made its way into my room, I could not help but notice that my bedroom floor was not what I would refer to as being clean---at all! I tolerated it staying that way until about 7:30 before fetching the dust mop and swishing it under the dresser. And then ended up seeing more and more and more that was missed the day before by Miss Sherri. The vacuum cleaner was hauled from the closet to finish the job and now all is well. The dust from the floor boards which were cut and put into place, added to the drywall finishing dust makes for dirty floors and dusty furniture. AND I have come to the conclusion that cleaning the room I spend the most time in for the last was not the best way to go! AND, as I have told Martie regularly over the years, if I wanted my house cleaned perfectly, I would do it myself!!!! On the upside, Miss Sherri, when presented with her check at the end of the day, gave me a big hug and said, "Now I can pay my utility bill.."

Sherri also told me I could call her if I found some things which were missed so I will give her a call to have her come back to put the finishing touches, or the beginning touches, on areas missed. The floor in the back bathroom, the scene of the Great Flood, is still dirty with saw dust, which I noticed behind the toilet the same day as the cleaning, and Mike found saw dust behind the bathroom door when he was grouting the crack between the threshold and tile yesterday.

Once I had my blog posted yesterday from Tuesday, delayed due to technical problems, I spent the rest of the day at the desk. Work was progressing on the church newsletter. Judy C., my BFF, was going to get me information she had written up about chrismons, which we wanted included in the newsletter. Judy, a novice when it comes to using the Internet and doing e-mails, had me talk her through how to attach a file to an e-mail but it still would not work. Later, her son came home and showed her how it is done. Once the article arrived, I was able to add graphics of the some of the symbols used for chrismons, which will hopefully allow folks to better understand why 'we' do the things we do. Our Ladies' Group had a few heated discussions regarding when and how to decorate the sanctuary this year (yikes, what next?) so this might serve as a bit of enlightenment regarding the importance and value of the ornaments used on our tree. For the newsletter, I am yet awaiting times for special services for CHRISTmas and if I do not hear otherwise, will simply put the time in the newsletter as TBA. The candlelight service time is different just about every year with the children's service staying the same. Also waiting for the information regarding Bible study for the rest of the year and into New Year.

One of the people hosting a table for the Ladies' Advent Service, Sandy, called me yesterday to report she had taken a tumble and has to stay off her feet for a week. Oh, oh! I sent out a special request to the congregation for someone to take up Sandy's table hostessing duties, with Janet coming forward. She is already playing all the music, some with Suzanne, for the service, but since she volunteered, well....It is great to have it now covered, one less thing with which to concern my head.

Late afternoon Mike came by to finish some grouting, as I mentioned earlier, and then asked if we could have a talk. You have to be nervous when your Elder requests a meeting, but not really. We talked for over an hour, perhaps longer, time flies when having good discussions. It was great to share some of the important information garnered from the School of Worship Enrichment, discussing the value of education and the need for successful communication, etc. He said he would like to look at the information and the report we ladies are putting together, and I hope he can. We also compared some notes on the folks who receive contact through me as well as from the Ladies' Group Sonshine Committee. As best I could, I introduced him to some of the names on his contact list, some of whom are shut-ins or members away. Time flew by!

After he left, I had to get myself ready for church, but did have plenty of time before leaving. On the ride over, I called Mom, who was just getting into the house with some purchases. She had sort of forgotten about celebrating Gabe's birthday later today at Lisa's, after the feast, so Lynn and she went shopping when Lynn was done working. Instead of going out to eat for dinner, though, Mom opted to go home and just have something there, as she was making her dish to share for today's feast. She did not know who was coming when, as Kerry and Lori with family are heading toward Manty or Sheboygan for the holiday. Kerry does not like to drive at night so she might not head out until first light today from Oshkosh. Alayna made it home on Tuesday night already, and was waiting for her daddy to get home from deer hunting. She reported last night that he did not get a deer yet this season.

At Victory last night, following the service, they had a pie and ice cream social. Oh, yum! I sat with Stephanie, Erica, Megan, and a nice young man named Timothy. Stephanie brought raisin pie, which I dearly love, and I was able to bring a couple slices home with me, plus a pumpkin bar for Justin. We were talking at the table about my blog, with both Stephanie and Erica reporting that they read it. I had no idea! Timothy, about 15, could not believe I write a daily blog of what goes in "A Day in the life of .....Kim!" but the ladies and I assured him I have no loss for words. Well, hardly ever...Erica, a lovely young woman in her last year of high school, claimed her life was so boring that she would never have anything to say. Timothy was still in doubt about how there can be enough to say, but somehow, I manage to drone on and on. As Stephanie wrote on Facebook Saturday, "You have the most adventures of anyone I know..." after Judy and I were towed off.

May you all have fewer adventures but make great memories today! "Oh, give thanks unto the Lord, for He is good, for His mercies endure forever"!

Having a great morning, so far, on Tuesday

In September, right after Lynn and Linda left here, I wrote in Facebook that I had not had so wonderful a September, starting with Kerry’s visit and then the two ladies, in a very very long time. It was great---awesome! But only two days later, tragedy struck with my water leak and the destruction it wreaked in my building. And the angst remains as the dust is settling. But, speaking of dust, Sherri is here today, busily cleaning up the bathrooms at this writing and changing the color of the fixtures from dust-covered and stained to sparkling white! The product she is using is called Kaboom, with foam spraying out blue, turning to white as it ‘cleans’. Things smell nice and clean, and look clean as well. As the day progresses, she will dust everything and vacuum the floors , “mopping her way out the door”, she says. AND, I told her she cannot leave here without me paying her. Last time she escaped and would not allow me to pay for her time and efforts, and then came back with flowers and cookies when Kerry was here.

Justin and I were going to have a little feast on ThanksLiving Day, but plans are changing. Last night I told him the time I was planning the dinner and he asked, “So late?” He told me he was doing something earlier with some friends at a brunch so I figured he would need cooling off time between meals. Silly me! He informed me that he was invited to the beach to celebrate ThanksLiving for dinner (supper) so….Brenda and her son are coming by later in the day for pie and ice cream as will Joanne, then. Instead of my cooking for only the two of us, I had the brilliant idea of going to The Club for their buffet. As I explained to Justin, I was not being lazy about the cooking, it was just the timing was going to be goofy for trying to get the bird prepared in time for 2:30 serving. Not with church getting out at 11:00 (“…but, what if you stand around and talk???”)It is a bake-in-the-bag turkey breast, over 5# (it’s got me beat!!!) but requires baking of 3 hours, plus sitting for 20 minutes. Oh well, I just suggested to Justin that I change our plans and he was on board for it. My friend, Penny, who works for a shelter for abused women and their kids, is picking up my festive bird late this afternoon Yes, I know it would keep but I also like the idea of feeding these poor folks no longer in their homes for most unfortunate reasons.

So, pie is good and I will have some friends with me in the later afternoon—sweet! In more ways than one! Today I am taking myself to the groomer and then stopping at Publix to get their new sandwich recommended by Justin---turkey, bacon, and cranberry sauce! One for me and one for Sherri. Plus I need the scrubbing pads for the Swiffer and another can of Kaboom for Sherri as she is using hers rapidly! But I must not delay in coming back because Sherri will be waiting for me, probably as hungry as a bear! What I could do is go to the store first and then get groomed, coming straight back afterward. Hmmmm….

Battling with my laptop

Not really the laptop but the blogging program, the battle continues. This machine in hand does not have a word processing program loaded on it so my idea of e-mailing the blog written on the other computer to this one did not work. I figured it would be simply a finish typing, cutting, and then pasting to the blogpost but not so much. Too mumbo-jumbo for you? Me, too!

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I have a perfectly good blog on the other machine but do not wish to fire it up anymore tonight so will add a few lines from here and add the already written text tomorrow when I am at my desk. Lots of time was spent at the desk again today as Sherri was here cleaning. When people are in the house and working, I do not like to lie on my bed with my laptop, as I typically would do mid-afternoon. Happiness is a cleaned-up house, to be sure, with things nearly back to normal, like they were before Kerry arrived. Only now, it is primarily 'wood' floors throughout, a brighter, cleaner feel to the place. Mike has installed the thresholds (I call them dams) and for all intent and purposes, is done. A few tweaks here and there, but mostly cosmetic touching up.

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My Tuesday was a bit different this week due to having choir rehearsal tonight instead of tomorrow, as folks who are traveling would not be there Wednesday night. We also met at 6:00 instead of 7:00 pm so Carol and I had a bite afterward at Panera. I got excited when I thought there was a molasses cookie in the display case but it turned out to be 'only' chocolate mint, which Carol found to be quite wonderful. My usual there, the 4 cheese mac 'n cheese, of which I took the small portion this time, was delicious as well. She had to get going to meet Laurie so our visit was quick. The parking lot there was just packed as well, as I first pulled into an Applebees To-Go spot, and thought better of it! No more towing for me, I hope.

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This late afternoon, Justin came by after work and Sherri was still here. She told him that she knew who he was from the photographs in the house, as she dusted them all. Between Justin and I, we got the cardboard boxes and other trash hauled to the dumpster, which Connie had left unlocked for our purposes. We have a bit more organizing to do in the back rooms including making the daybed up again and getting some of the CHRISTmas items out. I am not sure if I mentioned that there was a cardboard box left on the shelf in the Timmy closet which had yet to be transferred to a bin. Justin had me leave the room while he did this, a box marked "Timmy's Shoes", and I love him for that. It was likely as much for him as it was for me, because I rub off on him. Justin is a trouper.

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He had called me several times in the course of day, once to report locating his ticket stub for the night we went to hear Zell Miller speak at The Florida Theater. It was tucked in a book, serving apparently as a marker for him, and he just wanted me to know he found it. Justin said, "I was still in high school!...", amazed that he was interested in the political scene already then. I sort of miss attending the Florida Forum series but it is expensive, even for general seating for the season tickets, and that is the only way to buy them. I would very much enjoy hearing George W. when he comes to speak in March...

and the funds support the Wolfson Children's Hospital, a worthy project. So, as Justin is cleaning out Suite 5 at our 'old' office, he is taking trips down memory lane as well. I love it that he appreciates those things he and I have done together, even the transferring of his brother's shoes from a box to a bin!

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The rest of this posting will be posted on Wednesday

At the movies

As I have written in the past, it used to be a struggle for me to go the movies and just watch because I would feel as though I could be doing something else. At home or at someone elses house it was easier but I had to have a catalog, magazine, or some other project to work on at the same time, could never just sit and enjoy.

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This has changed me for me, though, in these more recent years, feeling the ability to just view, especially when I have friends here to watch with me, or Justin, of course. Now, I have a nice collection and have even loaned them out to others like a library does. Brenda N. likes to do that, as Carey and she have no cable at her house so between the public library and me, they are kept entertained. Of course, a man is not going to like the same type of movies that Brenda and I do, so my selections are not always the best for Carey!

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A couple weeks ago I was at Hugh and Maureen's house, telling them about getting the DVDs of "Casablanca" and "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington". They were interested in "Casablanca" and mentioned watching "Out of Africa" many years ago, indeed, 'arguing' about whether or not they saw it. Turned out that I had that movie, too, so loaned them both. The Africa one was still in the wrapper and I truly do not remember buying it. Wonder if someone gave it to me as a gift or something. Anyway, he brought them back to me last week one day, saying they will borrow again when they return from CT.

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This weekend allowed for some great movie viewing but not new ones for me. "Pay It Forward" and "The Bucket List" both played more than once with the latter showing back to back some nights. "Pay..." is the story of a young boy in a troubled home striking out to make a difference in the world, an offshoot of a challenge from his social studies teacher. "Trevor's" project was to do something 'good' for a stranger, and the only compensation was for the person assisted to do something good for another stranger. It was cool how it played out, how it came around, so to speak, even going national as a phenomenon. The mom turned her life around and became involved with the teacher, who had been set on fire as a boy by his own father and had scars. Some scars were visible and others, invisible, as you might imagine. I love the part where the teacher, Eugene, distributed dictionaries to the students on the first day of school with instruction to carry them every day. He would throw out words throughout his classes and the kids would have to look them up. Very good movie, with a horribly tragic but uplifting ending, for a change.

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The other watched movie I have written ad nauseum about in the past, "The Bucket List". Seeing it first in the movie theater with Linda, Martie, and Justin (poor Justin!). The closing lines, read from a letter to Edward, Carter urged him to "find the joy in your life....open your heart (come to faith)" At the end of this monologue, Carter reports "Edward Cole died on a Sunday afternoon....his eyes were closed, but his heart was open..." My friend, Jami, who used to be a prison counselor, would have her 'pod' of inmates watch this movie, would lead a discussion about the important, valuable points made, and then have the inmates write their eulogies, after hearing the one made by Edward at Carter's Christian burial. I would have so loved to read what these hardened criminals wanted said about them when they died, likely far too young, in our minds....

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In recent days, with the dismal prospects for our nation, I have been remembering a movie seen years ago when I was still married, I believe. It is a boxing movie, but not really. The true story is about a fighter from the 1930's, "Cinderella Man", played by Russell Crowe. His wife was played by Renee Zellwigger. He went from being a prize fighter to falling from grace, with his promoter living high on the hog in his fancy apartment in New York. Somehow the bosses of boxing association cut off Jimmie Braddock, the reason I cannot recall right now, and his family was suffering. He would pick up fights here and there to make some money plus worked on the docks, this being during the Depression. The family of 5 ended up living in a hovel, like a ground-level basement, and the parents would not eat so their kids could share a bowl of some kind of gruel. So tragic.

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At one point, their son stole a sausage from the meat market, and the parents made him take it back because it was wrong to steal, no matter what. Then, when the power was shut off, Jimmie finally gave in and went to get 'welfare', very very embarrassed and ashamed to do so. At one point, he went to see his promoter in his fine upper class apartment to get some financial help, only to discover they only had a table and two chairs left in their posh digs. They were selling things in order to survive, too. Huh...When Jimmie made a come-back in the boxing ring, and earned some money again, he went back to the welfare office and paid it all back. True story, and well worth the watch!

Enjoying some cookies…

…as I watch the Jaguar game. We had a bake sale at church today and it pays to shop at the end of the sale. Although most of the gooey stuff had already gone out the door, I came home with 18 cookies, divided between three plates, and man, are they delicious!!! It turned out my BFF, Judy C., made them, called Fingerprint Cookies or something like that, with strawberry jelly on top of them. LuAnn told me to take all three plates for a dollar, too good to pass up! She suggested I share with my neighbors and I am going to do that after the football game is over. Think I will walk over to see MamMa and take her some special treats. She does not have to know the cookies are only a nickel apiece!

Having spell check is such a blessing as I type and look at the TV at the same time. All the boo-boos are illuminated and sometimes there are more mistakes when I am not watching football. No rhyme or reason to mistake making, it seems. This game is back and forth, the Browns have taken a liking to our quarterback and accepting his passes as their own, or pulling the ball loose from my little sweetheart, Maurice Jones-Drew. They are beating the Jags at this moment but that can change, unless the Jaguars quit fighting.

We had a ‘meeting’ instead of Bible study today where we were to go over the two recent ‘experimental’ services conducted at GS. I had to take an aspirin about halfway in, let’s just leave it at that. The good news is that next week we get back to our study of Luther and the Confessions, perhaps even getting to The Smallcald Articles, which I believe we had studied about 5-6 years ago, when Mom used to winter with me. Now this is what I’m talkin’ about!!!

While everyone else was buying their bakery, I was in the church office stapling the Ladies’ Advent Service folders together. Today I encouraged more ladies to sign-up with several bringing desserts so now I am not even considering cancelling like I was as of Friday. Thus far we have enough names almost three tables so I need another person to host a table, or I will need to. Already I had planned to do the dessert table but might have to reconsider. Since I do all the readings and lead the music, I really will not have a place to call my own as far as sitting down goes. No room in the inn for me!

It seems this game is requiring my attention as the Jaguars are intent upon giving the ball to the other team. Again and again and again with the turnovers! Once, you can overlook, but my goodness, this is like the fourth time they took the ball away from us. The Jags will need an aspirin, too, like I did earlier today!

Do I have a story for you!

Friday was a busy busy day around here. The morning began with me getting up early to make things ready for our meeting, and to dust the table in the dining room where the ladies would sit to work on the report. We needed room to spread out our papers in front of us. I had a breakfast bread to serve, cranberry pecan loaf which was so good. It turned out, that was all we ate for the rest of the daylight hours. Should have ordered pizza but we had to keep going on the project. Anyway, for background music, the CD player played discs from the 2005 Worship Conference, a two-disc set. Part of it has sermons on it, so I will have to listen to it again more closely some time.

Since Mike was coming to paint, I had put the A/C on but closed the doors to the dining room so we could have privacy. Eventually we did get a bit chilly as the sun moved around from shining in the doors. Before this, though, I had gone to get something from the cabinet over the washer and discovered that there was wetness on the shelf, making brown rings under all the bottles sitting on it. Of course, it freaked me out at first, assuming the very worst, but none of the other areas were 'wet' so it must have been one of the bottles leaking. I spread a towel out on the washer and moved the bottles onto it, in hopes of figuring out the offending bottle. Tomorrow I will need to climb up on my step stool to wipe the shelf clean and put the stuff away, to leak another day!

The ladies arrived on time and we got right to work with three fourths of the table covered in papers. My laptop was standing by in case we were ready to type something up but we did not get that far. We had lots of ground to cover from two days of sessions at the SoWE with some adventures into digression. At a certain point, the plumber arrived who was to evaluate my water heater replacement, so I excused myself to talk with him. Mike was also on the job, painting in the hallway. When I went the hall to speak with the plumber, somehow I got paint on my pants and on my bosom, which means the hall is just too narrow. Mike had a hard time deciding which color to paint the door frame to the laundry room so ended up doing that one twice so it would match in better. It seems there was more than one color used, not surprisingly, over the years.

The plumber did little to comfort me, and, in fact, threw gasoline on me and lit a match, figuratively speaking. Mike could see he was upsetting me, so in Mike's words, he tried to turn my attention away from the failed attempts at humor from the plumber. When I called the plumber's office to find out if there was a price change at all, she told me he was the boss (WHAT???) because I was ready to ask for another guy instead. She said he was low-key and very quiet, which might be true over my screams of terror. Every time the plumber said something to me, I would look to Mike for interpretation, and I am not a stranger to plumbing and other home related things. This guy totally whacked me out with his less-than-calming flat statements regarding the replacement of this water heater. Glad that is over, with no incidents, and no increase in price. They should pay me for that guy making me so nervous. Water leaks are not funny, sir, not funny!

So, we ladies worked and wrote, wrote and worked, and talked, getting our report to a certain point where I can now type it up for our own review. They were here a full 8 hours with only that coffee cake to eat. I had asked about ordering a pizza but they declined, wishing to press on with the project. At one point I received a text message from Cassidy inviting me to lunch at La Nopalera but I had to explain that I was having a meeting and would not be available today. Maybe tomorrow I will walk over to see MamMa to just say "hi" since I missed her today.

We wrapped up about 5:00 or just after and decided to go have some dinner. Judy suggested we got to La Nop and called Michael to join us. At 6:00 pm, the parking lot was just packed and with two cars to park, not good. After three times of snaking through badly parked cars, some pulled into spots not really spots and such, I drove out of the lot and into the parking lot of a restaurant next door, called "Waters". Judy followed me in and parked next to me, and we walked over to the other restaurant. Mike eventually found a place to park in the lot to the east of the place, where there used to be a dialysis center, known for having cars towed away.

There was a short wait inside for seating, and I saw many people I knew including my painting friend, Chris, and her family. Judy asked me if I ever go anywhere and not know someone and we had a good laugh over that. I told her that if I don't anyone going in, I will meet someone going out. Not always, but it seems that way to others. (An aside: When the group from church plus two of my family members took the Alaska cruise in 2007, sure enough, there was John and Linda, builders from OP, for whom my friends Jimmie and Brenda N. now work!!! No one could believe it that even in Alaska, I knew somebody!) Anyway, my strawberry margarita was just delicious and I ate my entire meal of a beef quesidilla, which means I must have been hungry. As we stood up to leave, the entire lobby waiting area was simply packed with people, being it was now more dinner time than when we arrived at 6:00. Judy said, "I wonder where THEY parked...." as she and I walked toward the place where we parked.

Oh, oh.....where are our cars????? Towed away!!!! Both of them removed by Water's Restaurant's request. We were just sick and incredulous that this actually happened to us. Only after the cars were towed did we notice the sign in the driveway indicating Tow Away Zone. Evidently we are not the only ones who have helped ourselves to their empty spaces and I am sure this restaurant is bitter that all the diners choose the Mexican place vs. theirs. Often, one of their wait staff is standing outside with a "Now Open" sign, trying to lure customers to their dining establishment. They have certainly not endeared themselves to Judy or me.

Mike does not carry a cell phone so Judy had to keep calling him at home, waiting for him to answer. He came back to get us and then had to drive us to an ATM so we could get the necessary cash to get our cars back. Cash only, and it was not cheap. Judy rode on a little jump seat in the club cab of Mike's pick-up truck, knowing I likely would not fit back there and off we went in search of the cars. Sure enough---there they were. The guy parked his tow truck across the entrance so no one can come with their extra set of keys to get their cars back. The couple who ran the place were so nice, felt badly for us old ladies getting towed off, and then had a hard time trying to come up with the change for our fines. You would think that taking cash only they would have the resources for making change, since ATMs give cash in round numbers only. Guess they will have to raise their fees in order to avoid giving change.

As we walked to our vehicles, I kept apologizing to Judy for leading her astray but she assured me that she did not notice the sign either. She gave me a big hug and we chuckled about it. Somehow I will have to make it up to her but she won't like that either. On the way home, I called Justin to let him know I got my car back, having spoken with him earlier about it. He told me he was watching TV with 'the family' at his friend, Ron's, house. Tomorrow he is laying ceramic tile in his 'new' place at Jesse's house, the beach cottage he will be renting. This has been a good experience for him, working for his father, because he has learned these skills, such as tile installation. We will see what he has to say about it after he is done!

From now on, Judy and I will have to have 'bail money' on hand when we go out to eat! That will be our standing joke from this point forward. I let my neighbors know, the ones with whom I dine on Fridays at La Nop and Tracy said via Facebook that she told Jeff that would happen if they tried parking up there at Water's. Now he is a believer! My other friend, Jen, from church, reported they got towed last CHRISTmas from the same restaurant. Believe me, I am telling as many people as I can about this happening at Water's Restaurant, and Jeff, Tracy's husband, says Water's will be out of business in six months!!! Not wishing evil on their business, but, they need to be towed!!