Today I am determined to get to the store to buy some athlete's foot ointment because my itching toes are making me wild! When Lynn and Linda were here visiting me, I got what I thought was an ant bite on the ring toe, left foot, which I treated with antibiotic ointment and a band-aid. One day I even posted on Facebook how hard it was to put a band-aid on my toe when wearing tight jeans. The owie had pretty much healed, the skin around it sort of flaked off (am I making you sick yet?) and I thought the worst was over. Upon closer scrutiny, it appears there is still perhaps a stinger in my toe and it itches. Perhaps it was not an ant bite after all. The past few days I have been wearing my little red shoes which fall right across the toes, or rub on the toes, and aggravated the bite. My thought is that some Dr. Scholl's might take care of it, or Gold Bond Medicated Cream. No matter what, the itchiness is most annoying and maddening!
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So, here I am up, not wide awake but up nonetheless, when it is still dark outside. Not because I went to bed too early, actually quite the opposite. My day began at a decent hour, waking on my own after having fallen back to sleep in the wee hours, when I had forced myself awake to get out of a horrible dream. It used be mouse dreams that did that to me and now it was alligators! In the dream, I was lying on a bed in a sort of dormitory where other folks were also on beds in a scattered fashion, not lined up, and it seemed to be somewhat outdoors. As I opened my eyes in the dream, I could see Justin on the floor, curled up, sleeping, with his deaf ear facing up, which meant he could not hear me if I called to him. There, on the edge of the water (why was there water??) were alligators, which also seemed to be sleeping, or something. How could I get Justin's attention without startling him and then startling the gator?? I threw something his direction, like a shoe or a book, and then decided that might not be best.I remember telling someone to throw something over the gator which might prevent it from seeing where it was going but my heart was pounding so hard, I had to wake myself up to get over the dream. Thankfully, I did go back to sleep and not dream any longer about my son being in danger from the alligators!
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When it was time, I did wake up and even had time to write my blog posting recapping the Rally and events before getting ready for church. The last thing I did before leaving for church was make a sign-up sheet for folks to indicate if they are going to Victory for the Reformation service and dinner. Rarely do I get to church in time for the opening of Sunday school but somehow I managed to yesterday. Three kids were there and in fact, Lynn K. did not end up teaching at all since she had no kids. We are working through what started as "Come, Worship Christ" but makes little forward progress. Somehow the program and such does not resemble what we had studied in the past or perhaps we never got this far before, but I do know we have the student version of this study and not the adult's version because 'ours' got lost when the office was moved from the trailer into the classroom building. We had started this course in Monday's classes and now are plodding through on Sundays, starting over from the beginning, which is appropriate. I do hope we get through it because this study is so very interesting.
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After class I served as greeter as the Kelley's were not there to do so. A young man came to church on his bicycle, with a backpack and helmet, looking like a guy who might be doing some heavy-duty biking. His name was Sterling and looked like a Sterling! Suzanne was playing the pre-service music which I got to hear when folks went through the doors. Taking attendance did not take very long and I had little trouble finding a seat. Before noon I was back in the car and heading for home while listening to the Jaguar pre-game show. Too bad that Twila did not ask me about lunch because I would have had plenty of time before kick-off. Jean and she left right away so they might have had something to do with the family after church. I had been saying 'no' lately, since The Flood, but yesterday, I would have been game.
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On the way home I grabbed some McDonald's and ate at my desk as the pre-game show continued on TV. Whoo hoo!, I love Sunday football! During the rotten first quarter, I fell asleep, no longer at my desk, and when I woke up just before half time, the Jaguars were nicely ahead. It was time for me to go back to sleep so they would keep winning! Instead I did stay awake and watched them win handily over a team with no wins at all this year. That's why the first quarter started so awfully, with the other team, Buffalo Bills, capitalizing on the Jags' turn-overs, etc. That little power nap was enough to make going to sleep at a regular time difficult. My sleep has not quite returned to normal since The Flood but was getting close. Oh, I talked to my mom for nearly an hour after the football game. My niece, Lisa, was at the hospital in Labor and Delivery after having contractions, but the medical folks were able to stop them and she could return home. The anxiety is getting to her and she wants to him delivered, via her planned c-section. Her substitute in the office is relieved, knowing Lisa will be at work with her yet today.
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Last evening I attended a house concert up on the 5th floor balcony at Michelle's, where Kort McCumber and his band were performing. They are on tour and what better a venue than that open porch on a warm, some would say hot, evening! As I was nibbling from my plate of appetizers, I saw a lady whom I recognized come through doors ----Carol, my massage lady! She had seen a small ad in the local paper about the house concert, and decided to come. We stayed together all evening and even took a tour of my place during the break. I introduced her to three of her future clients for whom I bought gift cards for her services as my 'thank you' for helping with the water mess. Carol told me she is flattered that I gave her as a gift to them----Tracy, Cassidy, and Maggie. How fun that they were able to meet each other prior to their treatment.
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After the concert, Maureen asked me to come to their place for a drink as our friend, Sharon, was going to stop by as well. She is truly a delight, has a rich full life with so many interests. She lives at River Oaks on the opposite side of The Club and we get to see her in the summer time at Happy Hour because she is 'off' then. Sharon leads the bell choir and chorus at OP Methodist on Wednesdays so misses any other events that take place that day. She is a professional freelance photographer and is an artist of some sort, also a part-time student at UNF, auditing classes as well as credit classes. She can audit for $20 a class because of being over 60 years old. We talked quite alot last night about our trips to the Mediterranean, visiting many of the same places. Hugh and Maureen want to take a Greek Island tour so we really talked at some length about what there is to see and do.
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As we sat talking around the table in their river room, we heard a voice at the door and here came Judee from the first floor. "Are you receiving?", she asked. How funny is that? She joined us and I thanked her again for bringing her grandson, Brooks, to the concert. He always greets me with a hug, which warms me greatly. Brooks and his friend, Wyatt, were classmates of Timmy's, with their names showing up on the painting in my hallway where his classmates all signed the art work. Sweet! At one point Hugh called Michelle and invited her down, now that her condo was all cleaned up after the event. What a nice evening we had, especially after I asked that we stop discussing The Flood and its aftermath. They offer their regular and constant insistence that this was NOT my fault and I should stop feeling sorry for my neighbors. I appreciate this encouragement but there is little I can do to reverse my concern for displacing my neighbors, you know?
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Maureen kept my soda glass full and while normally that would have been great, I had pretty much stopped drinking the diet Coke at bedtime to help ease myself into sleep. I was good and tired when it came to bedtime but it did take me just a bit to fall asleep. The events of the day and especially the evening were stirring me yet when I went to bed, and how much I enjoyed my evening listening to the lovely music, over the river, on a glorious evening with my great neighbors. Which brings us to this morning......good day!
