A birthday hang over

Today is the day after my birthday and I am still enjoying all the greetings and good wishes extended. My friend, Dolly, presented me with an extremely touching card and treated me to breakfast at Fork and Knife today. Loved our time together, but as I stated on Facebook, sadly, I had words left over. Two hours (slightly less) flew by for us, and even a few tears were shed. The mark of a good visit is shed tears!

My sister, Kerry, was expected this weekend but opted to wait until later in the week to manage a visit this direction. She might get an extra day or so, which will be her birthday. A cake for the two of us is in the air, so to speak! Jill and her son, Danny, are down-state this weekend to visit her other son and his family, which leaves me without a car to use. Lynn is our wheel-man for church and other outings until Jill returns. We are going to church this evening and again in the morning. Football tomorrow afternoon for which I am making the advertised recipe of Velveeta cheese-food and Ro-tell tomato dip for nachos. I am quite excited to try this, my first effort!

Back to the CHRISTmas Day celebration: Justin and I made the meatballs with sweet/sour sauce and two people made ham. There was cheese ‘n sausage as well, snacks, teeny hotdogs in bbq sauce, and a cookie/candy tray. Very nice selection! The boys enjoyed their gifts, except Gabe tossed one book I gave him off to the side. Humpf! Lori loves the book as well, suggesting it needs to be read to him in order to be appreciated. It is the story I used for the memoir writing class I held for the church ladies a couple summers ago—“When I Was Young on the Mountain”. Otherwise, they were happy, and we were, too!

The adults did our first ever white elephant gift exchange and it was a hoot. Some of the presents were goofy and some not, just unwanted or unneeded items. The one I got brought down the house, though, as it was a car magnet in the shape of an extremely muscular arm, like a body builder would have. If attached properly, it would appear that the driver of the car was a big hunky man instead of a short, chubby 56-year-old woman! Nice going, David! Justin’s donation was an ice scraper that fits over someone’s hand like a mitten, to keep it warm while scraping ice. We thought it was funny, but is actually quite practical.

On Monday, Justin and I went to visit my 90-year-old auntie, Marie, and my cousin, Barbie, who had stopped by. We had a very nice time with them, and my other cousin, Jon. Auntie gave me a framed photograph of the five Lahaie sisters, posing at a fireplace after Lynn’s surprise birthday party two years ago. Very nice and much appreciated! Auntie mentioned not having one single CHRISTmas cookie this season, “not a one!” As we drove off, Justin mentioned how sad he was about that and asked if we could go to the store for some cookies to bake. Sure! We bought a couple packages of break ‘n bake cookies, made them up, and were delivered the next day along with some leftover chow mein noodle chocolate candies Lori brought. She was thrilled and I hope she saved one or two for Barbie!

Justin was to be taken to the airport by Lynn and I (after she offered to drive instead of me alone in Mom’s car) on Tuesday, but then my sister and her husband offered to take him along as they were going back to Holmen. Nice! Justin and I talked it over and he was fine with it, although he had expressed the night before if they took him, he would not get to say good-bye at the airport. (I had not suggested this to anyone else, it was their choice to offer the ride) I left the decision, then, up to him, and said our farewells at Mom’s instead of me bawling at the airport. Lynn, Mom and I went to Sheboygan anyway as Lynn had a return to make at Boston Store. We went to the Christian bookstore next door to it and did a bit of shopping there. I was privileged to explain to the nice clerk in the store what Epiphany is, surprised that she did not already know.

The status of the young traveler, Justin, was updated via text message as he was extremely frustrated about delays leaving MKE. It seems the delay originated on the inbound flight from ATL and he feared missing his connection once there. It did all work out but far too close a time frame than he liked. His father picked him up at the airport and dropped him off at the condo. Justin had to work for his father the next two days and then for the landscaper on Friday.

After he was home, I enjoyed a great day having lunch with Linda, her sister, Georgia, and my sister, Lynn, at Harborside. What great food we had! I went with Linda across the street to the nail salon as the other two ladies went on their way. We had a great visit there, as usual when I am in town, and I even got a bottle of hand cream as a gift for making them laugh. Linda still cannot drive after her knee replacement so I took her home afterward. We sat and schnuddered for a couple hours and then the call came….

My upstairs neighbor/friend, Randy, called, hating to disturb me but, there is a leak! He had seen/heard Jessica out in her courtyard, upset because she had water coming into her place from above, and she knew I was not home. YIKES! Randy said he had met Justin down in the parking area 5 minutes earlier, so I called him to go back home and deal with it. Also, I called Hugh, my 2^nd floor neighbor, who would secure the key and get into my place before Justin got back. He had met Jeff (my downstairs neighbor) on the stairs so Hugh went to my place as Jeff went up to investigate the source of the leak. It seems the ice maker line let go in 504, leaked into their home, and then down into Jessica’s unit. But, their quick action seems to have prevented it from getting into mine. Thank heavens! Justin called to let me know it was okay and promised to check it again in the morning. This is getting to be too much already!

Once calmed again, I went to my in-law’s home for a family get-together with John, Mona, Sharon, Harv, Barb, and Allie and JR. Mona had all the standard holiday goodies, home-made, and I enjoyed it very much.

Since I had not gone home in between the day’s visits, I did not have the presents with me, so have made plans to distribute them next week. Mom would have to buzz me back into the building as she had the house keys so I left there at a reasonable hour in order to not keep Mom up late. Barb’s mom, Clara, had ended up in the hospital CHRISTmas Day evening so Justin and I were not able to see her before he left. I did see her in the hospital yesterday and today she is moving to my old place of employment, Shady Lane, to recuperate and get her strength back. She is in good hands there, as she worked next door at Park Lawn for 17 years herself!

Last night my family took me to Sheboygan to have my birthday dinner with Lisa and family at Shuff's Resort and Bakery. What a wonderful meal it was, and Lynn treated me. She also got me a small box of the hand-made chocolate covered cherries from Beernstein’s Confectionary. Talk about deliciousness! I am pacing myself on them to have them last a few days. She spoils me! Once home, I will include a photo taken with my camera phone, which is dark and unclear, but a photo nonetheless. It was excellent and want to go there again some time!

A sneak peak at what I am enjoying

This photo was taken at First German Ev. Lutheran Church on CHRISTmas Eve during the candlelight service. We were singing "Stille Nacht" as the church lights were dimmed, lit by the tree and our candles. It was glorious, just like I remember! Justin helped light his grandma's page so she could see better. Love it, love it, love it!

Trying to catch up this blog!

Finally, I get to sit down at the computer to write! What a rapid-fire visit it’s been having Justin here, but today, he returns to Florida so he can work tomorrow.

We have spent time with family and friends since we arrived on Thursday evening, beginning with Lynn collecting us from the airport. Our dinner was had at the Green Street Tavern, my first taste of perch! Friday we did some shopping at Copp’s, got my favorite sugar cookies plus some other unique to the upper Midwest baked goods. The evening brought a sacred concert presented by Manitowoc Lutheran High School at the Capital Civic Center. Awesome!

After the concert, Justin and I drove to see Linda, in a snowstorm! Yikes! At least it did not last very long and we made it safely home again. He was glad to see his friends, Linda and Tommy, and enjoy a delicious cherry cheese torte made by Georgia, Linda’s sister. Yum!

We went shopping at Kohl’s the next day as Justin needed to replace a couple items he returned for credit before we left FL. Two of my other sisters were there as well, doing last minute shopping. I saw a coat there that Justin would like, checked for the right size, but walked away. Later, with Lynn, I went back for it, but the right size was gone. Lynn said it was not meant to be, someone else needed the coat. Later, as I walked the aisles looking for Justin, he directed me to the coat section and I told him there was none in his size. He reached into the rack and pulled one out. It seems he had it with him in the dressing room when I went back to get it. Great minds think alike! I did get it for him, for no particular reason, on sale, mind you.

We went to church on CHRISTmas Eve at First German and it was glorious. The candlelight service was edifying and tears flowed from some in our row, for various reasons. I remembered Timmy not liking the ‘new’ version of “Away in the Manger” and how Miss Clara would let him sit on the bench with her as she played the original version for him. “Stille Nacht” always stirs tears, the candles and the pipe organ combination, evocative. Back home to bed and a good sleep after worship.

Justin and I enjoyed our time together here, got to eat the good food, shop at Copp’s, make our celebratory foods, and even have a visit from the fire department after setting off the smoke alarms in Mom’s building when frying bacon on Saturday morning. Such excitement! At least the bacon was crisp! And today, he leaves me to fend for myself---I think I will manage! 

Ready, set, GO!

Whew! I can now rest at just after 6:00 pm, almost entirely set to go for the trip tomorrow. All I need yet is for Justin to get home to stand on the scale with my suitcase to determine if I have indeed over packed. It would be awful to be told I am overweight! I can always pull some clothes out if it's too heavy and possibly replace them once in WI. Items needing to go, the presents and such, can stay, but if no one is concerned about me wearing the same outfits over and over, well, good!

For some reason, waking up so blame early to take Justin to work is making me tired! I don't think I sleep as well, fearing I will over sleep and cause him to be late. We had to leave earlier today as the boss asked them to begin about 15 earlier, for some reason. I dropped him off at the McDonald's as he was grabbing breakfast for Jesse and him, and his buddy would swing by with the truck to collect him there. 

When I got home again, I went right to my desk and got to work. I watched the rest of the news and was so drowsy, I wanted to put my head on the desk. What the heck? I will take a nap! My radio guy was on vacation so instead of listening to the radio, I found something to watch on TV during my rest. Imagine my joy of seeing "HOUSE" was on! I fell asleep about 30 minutes into the episode and slept through the other half and an entire next one! I was out like a light. And such dreams I had---oh my! One segment of the dream had a child getting his foot bitten by an alligator. It must be connected somehow with the HOUSE episode I slept through.

Plans had been made to meet my downstairs neighbors for lunch today at La Nopalera. Oh, it had been a long time since we ate there together and it felt so good. I enjoyed a strawberry margarita and half of my beef quesadilla. We discussed books and Tracy told some stories about a couple of her clients, young teens who made her laugh. Don't worry, she breached no confidentiality. Tracy is going to do a study on poverty, somewhat related to her class, and it sounds like it will be extremely interesting She is going to share the book with me when she is done. I had better get going on my own reading in that case. 

Tracy had to go back to work this afternoon and Cassidy was coming home to make cookies. She was making Justin's favorite, snickerdoodles, plus some others which are her dad's favorites. While I was in the restaurant, I got a phone call from a number I did not recognize so let it go to voice mail. Later when I checked it, the call was from my other neighbor who had a present for me. It seems she had been at a party with her lady friend, a chef for the Crown Plaza hotel, and won a drawing. She won a two night get-away at the C.P. hotel in Madison, WI. She has no use for such a thing but knew I was from WI, so she gave it to me! I have someone in mind for it once I get to Manitowoc. What a nice surprise it was. When I told Justin about it, he chuckled, saying it was like I live in a movie where people just come up and give me things for no reason!

I got the newsletter for church done as far as I could and e-mailed it to myself to finish when I get up north. I decided against taking my laptop along since the new battery I bought makes it quite heavy. The battery weighs as much as the laptop alone does, but holds a charge like it is supposed to do. I will have my phone to check e-mails and Facebook but will have to use Mom's computer to post my blog. My phone was not working properly so I got on-line with a technical person via a live chat. The first guy I had 'ended the chat' before we got anywhere so I tried again with a nice lady. The long and short of it was I had to shut off the phone and then she did a refresh from her end, which allowed once more for Internet connectivity. Yay! I kept chatting at her and she would send some pre-programmed answer to me. That only egged me on until she wrote her own sentences to me. Eventually I wrote, "I will shut up now so you can do your work". 


Justin was dropped off after work which freed me from running to get him. He sent me a text message saying I could take a nap before Trivia since he was getting a ride. Nice! We took 2nd place last night, but almost ended up being in 3rd. There was a new team playing across from us, a gaggle of young ladies who did not appear to be as wise as their score indicated. At one point toward the end of the game, Erica told us that one of the girls had her cell phone on under the edge of the table and was looking up answers. This happened once before where one of the teams was caught cheating so they quit coming. Anyway, this time, it turned out the guys sitting behind their booth turned them in. We moved up to 2nd place fair and square and had a ball doing it! It was nice having Erica, her friend, Chantey, and Erica's boyfriend, Justin, play with us. My Justin gave Stephanie a shopping bag full of DVDs for her to give Ed and Judy A. at church. They will then take them to the USO to be donated to the wounded warriors. A roundabout way of getting the DVDs where they need to be!

Since hearing the news about Justin's car troubles, I have gotten names and phone numbers of various places where we can take it for an estimate and possible repair. Just this evening I heard of two places including one where the cost would be less than a hundred dollars, if that is an accurate quote. Seeing is believing and we will take care of this once I am home. Thank the Lord for friends with connections and those with hope that the car is salvageable.

Tuesday was an action-packed day beginning with taking Justin to work in the wee hours of the morning. I got home again from there and worked on the newsletter until it was time for me to leave again. My first stop was the UPS store to mail my niece's camera to her in Palm Coast. She had accidentally left it at her uncle's wedding last September and the 'responsible one'---Justin---had collected all the abandoned items after the reception. Hers was the only item unclaimed and she wanted it back before CHRISTmas. Yes, I know, it was not my responsibility to get it back to her but she asked me as a favor, so I did. 

Once that was taken care of, I went toward the beauty shop for my grooming appointment. It felt so good to get this mop taken care of, I had delayed going due to being away when it's time for the next clipping. Plans had been made to meet Judy J. and Terri T. at a new place called Manny's Bistro, owned by the folks who formerly owned and ran Sarnelli's, around the corner from me. All the family was there and to a person they asked about Justin. I must take him in there some day, when I get back from WI so they can see him! We used to go there often when he was younger, and charmed the ladies. My friends treated me for my birthday and Terri gave me a lovely tea towel for my birthday. She said she looked my kitchen all over when she cleaned up after the Ladies' Group party and decided any color would work. So thoughtful! We all stunk of garlic and I tasted mine all the rest of the day!

From lunch I went to visit one of our members, Bonnie, who is undergoing chemo treatments at home. She went in to the Center for the initial treatment the day before and then has to wear a pouch of chemicals which continue to pump into her system for a couple days afterward. She looked good and was glad I came to visit as long as I did. I left her one of the books of prayers I like to use when calling on sick folks. I hope she finds some comfort in it. Only a couple months ago she lost her son and now all this...she can really use the prayers. Justin had let me know he would need a ride home from the DeBarry area but not for a while so I went back home to await his summons. As I mentioned before, he had a ride home so I could rest before Trivia. 
Once home from Trivia, we opened our gifts to each other. this was my idea because I wanted him to have his new outfits to wear to WI. A long day to be sure! No wonder I was tired last night!

We celebrated early!

 Justin 'presented' me with The Complete Trivial Pursuit book, about 1 1/2" thick, page upon page of trivia questions and answers. He snapped that up when in New York, 'totally on impulse'! He also got me a CD titled "Concerto" by Andrea Bocelli which was recorded at Central Park. He bought the CD in New York, as well, found while standing in line at the Starbucks on the corner (one on every corner!). When shopping recently with his friend, Sarah, she needed some lotion from Bath and Body Works. He went in with her, saw the bottles of hand sanitizer ("My mom loves hand sanitizer!" he told Sarah) and got me 5 little bottles for my purse, plus a larger one for the counter, in my favorite fragrance of Warm Vanilla Sugar. It not only cleans, but leaves the hands smelling nice and feeling soft!

Justin is now an official owner of the Green Bay Packers! He is holding his stock certificate with his name on it. We both got a bit teary-eyed, as expected. I loved getting it for him as much as he enjoys having it. Besides the stock, he got several new shirts, plus I am getting him new glasses, via a bargain through Groupon!

We celebrated 'early' as tomorrow we will be packing our bags for the trip north. Besides the stock certificate, I got him a mess of shirts he 'hinted' at on sale from Old Navy. He is going shopping Wednesday night so he can exchange a couple of them. I ordered as requested, but they fit a bit too snuggly and he wants them for the trip. Justin will exchange for a larger size so he can layer, which is wise. He was going shopping anyway to that same store, so it's no trouble for him to swap them out.

Sunday photos

This Sunday was dedicated to Fellowship where we, as a congregation, lend our support to two students at Luther Preparatory School. Sandwiches were made and cookies enjoyed!

 Katelyn is lighting four candles on the Advent wreath

 

 The Cookies by the Pound sale taking place. I liked to tell people this is their weight BEFORE consumption. On the right side of the photo is Amber, the shared friend of Judy C. and me, enjoying some shopping!

 This beauty is me! Justin took control of the camera to free my hands for selecting cookies. Behind me is Jayne and Brett, regretting getting in line behind me!

 One of the two bouquets in the chancel was for my birthday, which is at the end of the month. They look perfect for CHRISTmas, decorating the grave site for the holidays. My friend, Carol, had been at their son's site also and noticed there was nothing on Timmy's---we must have just missed each other! 

 Young and old gathered to prepare the church for CHRISTmas, including Darwin on the ladder, Gretchen reaching up to afix an ornament, and Teresa, in blue, supervising

Following the decorating, The Maestro played the piano while we sang carols and some secular 'holiday' songs. Carol had the idea to stand in the open doors of the church to sing out to the passersby and those coming for the chili supper. We sang two hymns and it was wonderful to do that!

A Sunday wrap up in pictures

 The chancel is decorated for CHRISTmas Eve's worship

Once the decorating was done, we enjoyed a wonderful chili supper

 The tree is dressed and ready for CHRISTmas worship!

 

 Paul, Emily and Sarah came by see the tree but didn't stay to have dinner with us. Justin and I had lunch with them at Chili's and they were still full from that! Sarah is the goddaughter of Kim and Justin, just so you know....

I am so blessed! (WARNING!)

This morning I was reading a blog posting written the father of a not-yet born baby girl, diagnosed with Trisomy 13, a chromosome problem. The parents are not sure how much 'damage' their baby will have, once born, as her mom did not miscarry which more often happens. The dad wrote about his serious breaches of faith and even considered momentarily terminating the pregnancy to avoid the 'burden' of having to care for this child possibly all the days of their lives. It was a heart-warming yet tragic read, as this man recounts his feelings through the pregnancy, mixed excitement with dread, and so on. The recurring theme, however, was how his wife and he rallied in their faith in the Lord and His providence, trusting He knew how this would work out. Toward the end of his posting he wrote how glad he is that the Lord is trusting his wife and him with this baby, knowing they will be the best parents for her. 


As often happens, my mind went to my own situation when I was expecting Timmy at the ripe old age of 39-40. Despite the concerns of the medical folks, the pregnancy was nearly flawless--no diabetes even though I was fat. There was one episode of 'morning sickness' after taking my horse-pill vitamin (I never missed a beat as it happened in the shower and I just kept washing!). From that time on I took the vitamin at dinner with food, solving the problem of taking it on an empty stomach. Never missed a day of work at Sprint, quitting just a couple weeks prior to his planned delivery. He jumped the gun by a few hours when my water broke the night before he was scheduled, which should have tipped us off to how much of a rascal he would be!


So much could have gone wrong but did not. He could have been born prematurely and suffered with deafness or respiratory problems. He could have had Down's Syndrome and been dependent on me all his life. Instead, though, he was almost perfect, could turn his bottle inside out when drinking, and he did his best snoring during church. He was alive with character, that guy!


At age 3 months he was in the office with me nearly full time, walking at the horrendous age of 9 months---yikes! "Hurricane Hank", as our purchasing agent, Jim, liked to call him. Timmy's job, once ambulatory, was to press buttons on the computers and tear open archive boxes, distributing files around Jim's office. They loved each other!


Jim, who did not work for us anymore when Timmy died, took the death very hard. His co-worker at the time, named Betty, told me about it later, how he came to her house after hearing the news, needed to be with someone to mourn. I did not know Betty and she did not know me, but we felt like we did after the conversation! He told me he nearly passed out at the funeral service, but thankfully did not.


Yesterday, I had to ask my friend, formerly of GS, whose son is a month older than Timmy would be, what grade her son is in. Tenth grade, really? A sophomore, with his learner's permit for driving. The Lord, in His mercy, took Timmy home almost 11 years ago to spare him and me all this, whatever 'this' might be. He is now enjoying the bliss of eternally being able to see the Lord's face and circle the throne. And I am left here with tears running down my face, wondering what I missed out on with him on earth...

A hot time in the kitchen

I am not crazy, though some might dispute that, about this new or different composition page for the blog. I put in a complaint on the feed back site to see if that garners an answer. If this is improvement, they need to think again.


Justin left bright and early with my car to drive to Green Cove to get his father's car. He needed the larger vehicle to move his stuff from the bungalow at the beach house, and made two trips back to this side of town with his belongings, finishing the project. Not only did he accomplish that, but was able to meet his friends for lunch (he sounds like me!). Much of his stuff he unloaded at the office in some unused space for the time being. It is funny how he asked for clothes for CHRISTmas, yet he is buried in clothing in his room now! Will the new pieces see the light of day? I do hope so.


Last night we had dinner at Koko's, making up for last week's missed lunch on Saturday when Koko's was not open. From there we stopped at Publix and he offered to just run in for the couple of items needed. The bag of coconut was used then, once home, to finish the last batch of cookies for the bake sale at church tomorrow. We are having a "Cookies by the Pound" sale and we will have four different types to donate and possibly re-buy from the sale!


Earlier in the morning I got busy in the kitchen with the baking, taking my laptop with me to hold me there. I caught up on my Internet radio programs as I stirred, rolled, and baked. For the brownies, I used muffin tins to bake them, placing a dark chocolate kiss in the middle of them. Later I thought about using the paper cups in the muffin tin and kicked myself for not thinking of it sooner, as they got a bit knicked up coming out of the pans. Next time, will use the paper liners!


Besides the brownies, I made oatmeal scotchies plus peanut butter cookies with the same kiss on top. I had mixed up the sugar cookies already and was waiting for Justin to bring me the coconut, thinking he was going to be back before noon. The break from baking was welcome, and it only took a few minutes to finish the last batch. I mixed the coconut into the sugar cookie batter, then shaped them into balls to bake. Yummy! I learned this from my friend, Julia, at Great Hang Ups. And now I have 3/4 of a bag of coconut left. Pina coladas anyone?


My upstairs neighbor, Randy, had expressed interest in the bake sale some time ago and I had planned to bring him a pound. When he saw that I was baking he asked for some pre-sale samples as well as an order from the sale. I already had him covered but told him I would bring him some samples which were edible but not presentable. When I got up to his place, he answered the door but stood behind it. He said, "You should know by now that I don't wear pants..." as he reached around the door for the plate. Now, I had already told him I would bring him a plate as he commented on FB "delivery is always good..." I had to chuckle about that. In a few minutes, he wrote that he loved the treats, especially the oatmeal scotchies. 


My other neighbor, Tracy, had left me a card with a bag of oatmeal scotchies on my window sill this past week and I went after those cookies like mad. I let Justin have a couple but the rest were mine. Hers were much more dense than my cookies turned out, almost like mine had too much butter. I followed the directions and used the entire stick. Hers were like a meal, but mine, a treat.


Judy C. told me that Betty was bringing frosted sugar cookies ("which put mine to shame" according to Judy) so I will look forward to buying those tomorrow. One lady usually makes candy but with her spouse being ill, she might not be able to do that this time. But, if she does, look out!!!


Not only do we have that sale, but we are also decorating the church and chancel for CHRISTmas and having a chili supper afterward. Our two chefs, Mike ' Mike will handle the food portion which will be wonderful. I have a container of dinner rolls in the freezer, an extra from ThanksLiving, which I will take to have with the chili. We usually carol but am not sure if that will take place or not, depending upon The Maestro's availability.


Justin and I have a disagreement. When I checked the TV listings for Sunday's football games, the Packers did not show as being the game aired. I was sad but knew I could watch upstairs at Randy's if I wanted to see it. At dinner, Justin checked the listings from his phone and it showed the game being aired on FOX at 1:00 pm. What? He said I looked too soon, too far ahead and that the network might have switched the games around. We shall see just who is right, because as I look at it now, it still does not show as being on here. Does he have an inside line on this or what? I hope he is correct though because I would not wish to go up to watch and then have to leave to go back to church for the rest of the day's events. My allegiances might be dallied with!


Judy J. is on board to take us to the airport Thursday which will save us the parking fees. She is a doll for offering and I will bring her something nice from WI. She brought me a jar of Saunders ice cream topping when she came back after ThanksLiving. MI is known for this topping as well as Vernor's Ginger Ale. We can get the soda here but not the chocolate topping. Connie, the maintenance lady, said it is cheaper to use a taxi for the airport runs than to park one's car at the airport. Of course, this would depend upon the length of the stay but she might be correct on that. Getting picked up at the curb is very nice too!


The last of my mailings went out in today's mail so I can cross that off the list. Work has begun on the church newsletter, working as far ahead as I can before going north. I can put the final touches on it at my sister's and e-mail from there. Now, to clean off the desk and get things in order before we depart...I have books stacked all over the place which not only makes me look crazy but feel crazy at the same time. Whenever you see a movie about a mad man, he is surrounded by dusty books. At least mine are not usually as dusty as they could be!

Full Friday

This morning was the Meet, Eat and Play breakfast at The Club so I was up and at ‘em earlier than normal. Justin came in to give me a hug and kiss good-bye (bet he missed that when he lived alone!) after we made the arrangements for his ride home from work. Jesse was picking him up with the landscape truck on their way to the job. I just had to get him home, at a yet undisclosed time.

We did have five show for breakfast, including a new participant, Stephanie. She is very nice lady and will be a welcome addition to the circle. Retired from the phone company and collecting some disability after a serious surgery, she now has time for enjoying the benefits of The Club. Stephanie told us about her move-up career at ATT (BellSouth) which was an inspiring story to hear but it has a tragic turn to it---when the markets collapsed a few years ago, her 401-k investments took a $300,000 hit. That sort of changes everything for her, and I’ll tell you, it made me feel a bit sick to my stomach! But, at the end of her story, not told with a sad face, she remarked, “God is good!” Yes, I think I will enjoy visiting with her some more. But no game playing as we chose to talk instead!

I had taken a couple movies along to share with Andrew, whom I met last week, but he did not come today. When I got home later, he had left me a message saying he had to ‘go to town’ for a doctor appointment, as he is recovering from a back injury. Sad we didn’t get together, and I would have loved for him to meet Mary, who treats people with his type of injury. I sent him all her contact information so perhaps they can get together. She lives and works within walking distance of The Club, more convenient than going downtown. Oh, it’s funny that the pool guys are always doing their work when I walk through for breakfast. Yesterday one of the guys asked me if I worked for The Club, and I said I live at The Palace but dine at The Club. A new wardrobe for me might be in order if I look like a staff person---hardly!

Once home again, I got busy on the church newsletter, working as far ahead as I can before leaving for WI. I will send it to myself via e-mail and put the finishing touches on it at Mom’s, and then at Jill’s house. Jill has the high-speed Internet needed to transmit the document, it chokes Mom’s dial-up service. I sent a couple e-mails to folks in search of information for the letter and managed to make forward progress. Judy C. was able to answer some questions I had in regard to upcoming events and we shared the concern of just whom was getting the tree for church. We are all set to decorate said tree, we just don’t know who is going to obtain it. More e-mails addressed that and were answered late this evening. Whew!

Justin was going to be ready for pick-up in the OP Country Club around 5:30 so I planned my trip to the store for prior to getting him. There is a Publix at the entrance to the OPCC where Robbie works where I got my supplies for making cookies, which I will do tomorrow. We are having a “Cookies by the Pound” sale at church Sunday and if I want to buy some, I should bake some! I hope someone makes frosted sugar cookies for me!

Tonight Martie and I attended the Clay County Christmas show at the Thrasher-Horne Center. It was absolutely fantastic and we enjoyed it very much. The closing act is a live nativity which featured a new shepherd this year, Robbie! Judy C. and Donna W. rounded out our group, with Debbie S. being a no-show. We had arrived early enough but the parking lots were getting full and she would have had a really long walk once parked. Debbie’s health is not wonderful, having to use a cane to walk and has problems breathing. Her mom, Arlene, is near death so we speculated if that might be why she did not come. Mike C. had visited her mom in the hospital and she was not aware of his visit this afternoon. She is 90 years old and not strong enough to endure the surgery needed for her heart. She was a charter member, or very near, of Good Shepherd, the last one still at the church.

Martie and I got back here just after 10:00 and she headed for home, having to return to the office tomorrow to finish a mailing she was working on. If I wasn’t busy in the afternoon, I would help her, having done my share of mailings in the past. In fact, I have one of my own, on a much smaller scale, to take care of tomorrow! Justin was quite chatty when I got home, offering to dish me a bowl of ice cream so he could have some. He did not want to violate the fresh container purchased earlier so waited patiently for me to get home before having some ice cream. Boy, is ice cream ever getting expensive! I bought Blue Bell Creamy Vanilla, promoted as ‘still being a half-gallon!’.

Justin asked if he could use my car on Saturday for getting more of his belongings and I said he could since I will be making cookies and staying home. It will be so nice when he is moved entirely and settled in---right now, it’s a mess in there!

p.s. My apologies for the uniform size and color of font...this blog page no longer allows me to vary it, not even by typing it first in Word and transferring it. I might have to make a change of blog pages after the New Year! I gotta have more colors!

A great evening tonight!

Justin and I were treated to dinner by my dear friend, Joanne, at Carrabba’s. Not only did we dine together, but I will continue to enjoy the deliciousness at a later time since I brought home the ever-present to-go box. Justin had wisely asked for more bread which we also put in the box to come home. Yum! It has been a long time since we’ve seen each other, likely about six months ago. We talk to each other on the phone or via Internet but sometimes, no, often, we need to speak face-to-face and let the electronics rest. I will make sure to get in touch with her as soon as I get back from WI, entice her with some cheese curds! She is going to Atlanta for some CHRISTmas time with her two sisters, but coming back on the 25th to spend time with her dad, in the Memory Care Center. A sad situation for them both. * Justin had originally planned on using his father’s car to move more of his stuff but I guess they did that together earlier today when checking on a house being built out toward Justin’s place. His bed has now made it as far as the office and hopefully this weekend he will get his bed home and set up. First he will have to move the day bed to the other spare room in order to clear floor space for his double-sized bed. He is sort of tall for the daybed so have been using the trundle where he can hang over the ends! I never had that problem. I have let my downstairs neighbor know about the moving in racket, in case they wonder what the commotion might be. MamMa’s room is directly below Justin’s and she would be accustomed to no noise at all from that part of the house. He told me that last night he dropped a coin on the floor and it sounded like a gunshot in his room. He hoped it didn’t startle the grandma downstairs. I wonder if we should get an area rug to soften some of the sounds… * Besides our wonderful dinner, Justin and I sat in the family room to watch the Jaguar game. We were torn between the Jags and the debates, flipping between the two until I figured out to stream on my laptop and watch the game on the TV. The football game was going horribly and Justin said he was sick of the game, as we switched to the TV for the debates only. At halftime, the score was 27-0 in the favor of the Falcons. Bad news! Around the same time the 3rd quarter began for the football game, the debates took a break, and Justin went to bed. He has a long day doing yard work, from just after daybreak to just as it gets dark. I will have to pick him up after work before I go to the Thrasher-Horne Center for the Clay County Christmas. The Maestro, Robbie, informed me he is taking part in the live nativity that concludes the program. I am very much looking forward to my evening tomorrow night! Breakfast and game playing tomorrow morning at The Club, which Marlena believes will have six joining the fun. I am just delighted about that, looking forward to more visiting and taxing my brain.

Let’s hear it for the sun!

Hip hip hooray! Hip hip hooray! As I drove home from Trivia last night, the moon was beaming brightly off to my left, showing me the way. Nancy told us at Trivia that Thursday was when the sun last made a showing. Cary said he did not see the sun when he was golfing but Ed, near Mayport, rode his bike in the sun. That is how weird the weather can be. I reported that only once this cycle did I see the moon growing full. And now again, last night! For sure I know it’s haircut time! I have that internal clock like Kramer has, but, like him, I sometimes hit the snooze!

Yesterday I heard some heavy-duty helicopters going up and down the river, not my usual traffic. Ed reported that the Marines were doing some maneuvers out of Mayport and this might be their equipment. They sure looked like Marines---the choppers, not the crew members! Usually I can doze right through the helicopters coming and going, but these demanded all my attention!

Justin rode with me to Trivia, after I collected him from the office. He brought me a treat of a caramel apple coated with mini-chocolate chips. Oh, yummy! The last time I had such a thing was when Billy Powell, my neighbor, brought some to me as a special treat. Talk about sweet---in more ways than one! The box it came in shows a pattern for cutting it into segments, not really meant to be eaten in one sitting by one person. Before we left for Trivia, he helped me make my bed again, making sure everything was nice and even, smooth, and no sheet edges exposed. Fussy, fussy, fussy!

Jesse was able to join us for Trivia since he is done with his classes at UNF for the semester. Rita was not able to make it so we still had six players, with Nancy, Cary, and Stephanie rounding out the team. We stunk on ice! Sometimes everything just falls into place and sometimes it doesn’t. Last night was a “doesn’t night”! But we certainly do have a good time, good food, and a good workout on our memories.

Justin rode to the Beach with Jesse after Trivia, in his mother’s Suburban, borrowed so that Justin could load it up with more of his belongings. Jesse, then, dropped him and the stuff off at home this a.m., on his way to work. They are not doing yard work until a full day on Friday so Justin is working at the office in hopes of using his father’s car to move the bulk of his belongings. He needs to move his dresser, bed, night stand, etc. which is more than will fit in his car, or mine. I wish we knew someone with a pick-up truck to help him but neither of us are friendly enough with anyone to ask for such a favor. It is really up to Justin to work this out but I cannot help but wish I could help more. I have offered repeatedly to help him organize the room but until he gets his stuff over here, well, it is of little point.

Today he got brave and started his car, venturing out to Fleming Island to the RPM shop for his repairs. GULP! He was a nervous wreck, fearing the very worst and having to face the ‘bad news’ of what is actually wrong with his car. He did not want or need me to go with him, but asked me to have my shoes ready in case the car died on the way to the shop. Twice he came back for hugs and kisses before he left, and then sent me a text message informing me it was running fine. Whew! Since then he reported that he dropped it off and was walking to the office. Now, we wait….

Justin told me he would stay here with me until such time that he’s paid off the debt he will owe for the repairs. As much as I like the prospect of having him here, I will also need to have the other guest room ready for more friends coming from Rocky Mountain Lutheran High School in July, to help with VBS. Last summer, the teacher had trouble getting names for doing this, and brought all three of those who applied. After the kids got back and talked about their great experience (ahem, ahem), Kerri now has ten students vying for an opportunity to come help out. Wow! The kids who came last summer are not eligible to return, sophomores only. I will take as many as I can house, as requested, but might have troubles taking them all if Justin is still here. I guess I don’t have to be a hog and host all the students but I think their friends really talked up the place here!

A couple weeks ago Judy C. did the great favor of shortening the sleeves on one of my fleece tops. I have had it for a couple years and wore it with large cuffs, as the sleeves are terribly long on me. She cut off 4” and then hemmed it by sewing machine another inch or so. The sleeves are now the perfect length, coming just passed the wrist and will work nicely with layering a T-neck under it. Last night I did the same type of thing with a cotton top, putting up the length by approx. 4”. When I finished it, my thoughts were, “Mom would have a fit!” because any sewer worth her salt would have cut off the extra length and put a decent hem. I am still proud of my stitching ability after all these years, not using ‘horse stitches’ as Mom used to call them. Now, two more items need my needle and thread, both being sweaters. One has a fraying edge (not really a repair that should be made with thread, but oh well…) and the other needs a button sewed back on. Then, I will ready to set up the card table to start packing for my trip to WI!!!

It stopped raining!

Yesterday was a soaker with nearly constant precipitation, varying degrees from a heavy downpour to mist in the air. The wind is quiet too but yet no sunshine. I will wait!

During the night I remember being warm, sticking my foot out to cool off. This morning, I am chilly again, even under the covers. I think I will wash my sheets today as Justin will be home this late afternoon to help me throw the bed together again. It all depends upon how my back feels—it gets angry on sheet-changing day sometimes. There is hardly anything as nice as sleeping on freshly laundered bedding. Life’s simple pleasures…

Justin was dropped off at the office in Fleming Island yesterday, back in our original building next to the daycare center. I took him up there and then went to Bible study. He asked me to please be careful when driving to church because of the crazy rain and puddles on the road. When I got to church, I sent him a text message reporting my safe arrival. Worry wart!

He would go home from work with his father, then, and make CHRISTmas cookies. Since he is working again today, he simply stayed overnight and will ride with his father. Tomorrow, we plan to take his car in to the shop to find out what is going with it. The car makes a rattling noise which might be a simple fix, like a badly needed oil change or an adjustment, or………………$$$ worth of repairs!

I think I might need to go to Sears to get vacuum cleaner bags for my canister vac. The last time Justin cleaned, it didn’t seem to get all the dust..hmmm. If the bag is full, the suction would be affected, or perhaps the floor brush is too worn to handle the dust. After I showed him the residual dust, which he sometimes finds a bit too fussy on my part, he had to agree that it wasn’t doing the trick. The sun is not kind when it pours across the floors and shows dust where one thinks there is none.

My chandelier, on the display at the Murano Glass Shop in Florence, Italy 2006

The other day Connie came in to see my tree and decorations, after the Ladies’ Group party. We were looking at my chandelier, which she just adores, when I noticed a cookie or something on the Turkish rug. I bent over to pick it up, but only part came with it. The rest, caramel, stayed on the carpet. Yikes! Thankfully no one had walked it into the rug but I keep forgetting to try getting it cleaned up. This might be a good project for Justin to work on. I believe that ice will work for making the caramel less sticky so it should be, should be, a simple matter---right? Where are those ants when I need them?

The needed supplies for preparing the First Time Visitor bags for church have been obtained, so there is nothing stopping me from getting them done. Then, why aren’t they done yet? Probably for the same reason the Inreach letters have not been mailed or my CHRISTmas cards not finished up….distractions!!! Or procrastination? I am also working on the little tags to attach to the candy canes for the kid’s bags for church. Also, we are including a card with “Stille Nacht” printed on it, if not for the kids, then for their parents, to enjoy. “An old-fashioned Christmas”, according to Cindy. Guess I could walk away from the keyboard for a bit, right?

p.s. In checking the vacuum cleaner situation, the bag is, indeed, ready to burst open! And the good news is that I have bags on hand, no need to go to Sears!

Where were you when the lights went out?

Oh, the excitement of being able to watch two football games on Sunday afternoon, back-to-back viewing of the two teams I support. What could be better? Well, for starters, having them both win! For another, having electricity at all times to allow the TV to air the game. Oh, is that asking too much? It seems it is!

I got home from lunch with Judy and Terri T. in time for the end of the second quarter, where the Jags were up 28-14. This cannot be, but it was true! No nap for me during halftime or third quarter as my eyes were glued to the set. The Jags did a very nice job of defeating the Buccaneers, a team which was less than challenging, according to Justin. But, for a short-sighted girl like me, it was fantastic! Backing up a little bit, when I got home, immediately I turned the TV to CBS to watch the game but it was not there…hmmmm…..where could it be? I found it on FOX instead, strangely enough. Okay, that’s fine.

Next it was time for the Packer game to begin, and instead of being shown on FOX, it was on CBS. The world really is upside down! I settled in to watch, and about 10 minutes in, got a phone call from Patti, my next door neighbor. She wanted to know if I had electricity in all my rooms, as it seemed she lost power in some of hers. That’s odd…She was going to call the others in her tower and I gave her my best wishes for solving the problem. About 5 minutes later, poof, mine was gone. Okay, now it really mattered to me!

Within seconds of this happening, my phone was going off, with Randy calling to see my electricity had gone off too. He wondered if there was a main circuit anywhere to check and I told him it was in Connie’s maintenance office. Hopefully someone had keys to get in there to check it but then he said, “I hear voices outside…” so he was going to check. I called JEA, after getting the number from Patti and went through the touchpad of commands in order to report an outage. It seemed to be aware of the problem, but I also pressed the ZERO to speak to a lady. She was very nice and told me 225 homes were affected by the outage, caused by a transformer fire (it was quite windy out there). While I talked with her, Randy came to the door to find out what I knew. She nicely told me it might be 6:00 pm before it’s fixed and I whimpered that the Packer game might be done by then. She apologized for the inconvenience and I asked her if I could go out there to cheer the workers on. I was told I could do whatever I wanted to do…

When I hung up with her, Randy asked, “Wanna go find a sports bar?” and I said, “YES!” He asked what I needed to do to be out the door and I said I’d put on shoes and grab my purse, as I was still in my church clothes. He told me to do that and he’d pull the car out of the garage. I dreaded having to do the steps, but I got ready like a fireman, and as I locked my door, Randy yelled over the railing not to be in rush, he’d been upstairs to lock up. As he got to the 4^th floor, we heard shouts from the neighbors that the power was back on, so he headed for the elevator and me back up the steps. Before he got in, he said, “Hey, if something happens, I’m in the elevator…” He told me he had his cell phone with him but there are also emergency buttons and a phone in there. No problem, he got back to his place to watch the Packers win, and I got back to my room to watch the same thing. We missed about 20 minutes of greatness but I will simply rejoice having the power back on, especially for my heater!

Once more, angry seas!

It sounds downright wicked out there, as another nor’easter makes its way through. Some of my Victory friends, some formerly from GS, were camping this weekend at a park in our county. My friend’s pop-up camper is on the fritz, won’t pop-up!, so they opted to tent camp. Not the best weekend for sleeping out in the elements, as it were. According to the reports on Facebook, all had a marvelous time, the weather was favorable, and best of all, the kids had a great time. Little Daniel is celebrating his birthday with a camp-out plus later this week, a dinner at Golden Coral. That reminds me so much of Timmy, he just loved to eat at “Golden ‘Ral”. Happy birthday, Daniel, my dear!

Tonight, though, the wind is whipping wildly and it was misting most of the afternoon. Likely it felt cooler than it actually was, with the temps in the 50’s. Only once did Justin and I see the moon of the river this cycle which makes me wonder if it really is time for my haircut or not….It is, actually, but I am holding off as long as I can so it’s nice for CHRISTmas.

This morning I had a nice chat via Facebook with Linda J. who had a better nights’ rest than the one before. She is recuperating from knee replacement surgery at home and sometimes experience leg cramps after her therapy. The doctor said it’s not unexpected but it is quite unpleasant.

Linda told me she went to sleep thinking about my friend, Amber, who was coming to church today. Amber is a friend of Judy C.’s, a former co-worker, and what a surprise it was years ago to hear that they knew each other!!! I had not seen her in ages but Judy kept me up-to-speed on what was going on. Amber’s spouse, now separated, used to work for us with Michael, whom my auntie referred to as the house boy. Frank was the one who would ask Timmy, who was a free spirited child, “Dress yourself today, Tim?”

Amber recently experienced serious health problems and out-of-the-blue asked Judy about being baptized. Holy cow, so to speak! I wept when Judy told me, since we could count on one hand the number of times she’d been to church in her whole life. In fact, while she carefully tended the kitchen and helped out with Justin right after Timmy died, she was unable to attend the service. She stayed behind to keep an eye on the house so no one robbed us. Today, she came to church, with Judy!

Last night Judy called to say Amber was coming but was concerned her clothes were not good enough for church. Judy told her not to worry about it, but told me not be surprised if Amber came in jeans. I said, “I can wear jeans tomorrow…” and after a brief pause, Judy said, “So can I!” And we did, with Justin teasing me a little bit this a.m., as he also tickled Amber was going to church. Sure enough, when Judy and she walked in, Amber was in slacks! Judy and I in jeans and Amber, dressed for church! Oh well, we were prepared for 'just in case'…After taking attendance, I had sat down in the pew behind them, but after the sermon, Amber patted the seat next to her, that I should come up there to sit. I did! She told me she was so nervous, like everyone was looking at her. I told her they were looking at me, so not to worry.

Judy came back to church for the Annual Meeting after taking Amber home, reporting she wants to come back again next week. Baby steps to having her baptized, let the Holy Spirit do His work on and in her heart. Amber did not realize I lived so close to where she works so she said we should get together some time. Certainly! No problem!!!!