A lovely day

This is how it began today, with this glorious sunrise. I also grabbed a shot of the sunset which I will post later on. Because Pastor H. is away on vacation we had no Bible study on Tuesday night or this a.m., freeing up my time today for water exercises and lunch!

Dearly would I love the water to be warmer but eventually those of us doing the hard work in the pool (ahem, ahem) get accustomed to it. The sun on us really helps to warm the skin, so much that we have to dash from the poolside chairs to the pool to cool off again! I imagine myself making a sizzling or hissing sound when the hot skin meets the cooler water.

About a half dozen of us enjoyed lunch poolside, but it took forever for our meals to come out from the dining room. There is plenty of activity going on at The Club in preparation for the big wedding this weekend, the one which takes away access to the pools for much of Saturday. Boo! Windows being washed, light fixtures cleaned inside and outside, polishing, etc. I hope The Club got a substantial deposit from the groom for all this effort!

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Amber was able to make it for our Bible history class the other day, at long last. Her husband was recently hospitalized, diagnosed with COPD, added to all his other ailments---oh my! AND, he found out the same week that his mother had passed away and he was not notified. Another oh, my!

A couple Mondays ago we had some serious weather move through and Amber reported to me that they lost their electronics including a newer TV. Right now they are using an older model with no cable so can only watch a few channels which come in rather fuzzy. When it rains, it pours, literally and figuratively speaking.

During our discussion we talked about the 'singing church' as the Lutheran church has become known. Amber is concerned that she won't learn the hymns and other music quickly enough, not sure how to follow the notes. I showed her the melody line and how to go up and down with the notes. 

I explained to her how the hymns chosen for the given Sunday correspond with the readings appointed for the day, and retell the story of Christ and the reason that He came. I read through a few hymns to have her listen to the text, and told her how the music only serves as the backdrop to the text, the delivery system. At that point in the service, during the hymns, we are like the pastor---delivering the sermon in song! This is so much fun!

Amber was assigned two worksheets from the accompanying workbook, beginning with Creation. She is excited because she said it feels like being in school again---and it is. This will be beneficial to me as well, make no mistake about that. Much has been forgotten over the years, or details blurred, so this exercise will be a blessing for us both!

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We have had a couple interesting meal adventures in my house this past week. On Tuesday, Justin went to the grocery store after work. He needed Doritos for a recipe he was making, plus came home with some additional food items for our consumption. Besides the Doritos which were crushed to coat chicken fingers for our dinner, he picked up some pork and a pre-made meatloaf from the meat department. My mouth waters in anticipation for these delights.

The chicken tenders were quite delicious and so moist. We had baked potatoes as our side dish. The next night he made the pork, of which he accidentally got the jerk flavor (I won't say another word about that!) It ended up being far too zesty for my tastes. As soon as he put the spoon to his lips to taste it, he said, "Oh, oh...." and had me try the sauce. That's okay---I had some of his Dijon potato salad and some macaroni salad instead. The sauce on the meat even made him choke a bit!

                                               

He and I decided to rely on the playbacks the next day of the DNC speeches, reading the transcripts easier than sitting through the blather. My friend, Kathy, again sent text messages of encouragement (ha, ha!), wondering how I was holding up. Had to tell her I was watching reruns of some other programs while listening to radio podcasts instead. I am weak!

"...and the evening and the morning were the third day..."

I love Publix!

This past week or so I have had several occasions where people offered me compliments which make me feel quite good. Some ladies at the pool today were talking about how tragic it was for my dear neighbors to have had to bury another of their children. Denny was 'only' 55, just a bit younger than I am, and had suffered for years with various illnesses. His sister, Molly, was killed 20+ years ago in a car accident in Ireland. 

One lady stated that it is unnatural for a parent to survive their children, and I agreed. Another lady said, "Your son was quite young, wasn't he?" and I told them he was 5. Another lady, Susie, said to me, "You are always so cheerful and bubbly, you handle it so well..." I thanked her for that, and was able to tell the group how I can rejoice for him, having what I long for---seeing the Lord face-to-face. Yes, I miss him, I miss what I remember of Timmy, but the tears are for me, not for him. And I told them the same was true for Denny, that I knew he was a very faithful Christian, and this gives comfort to his parents as well. 

Last weekend Jacquie told someone else at the pool that I "made their summer" by being so friendly to them, as newer folks at the pool. This is Mark's and her first summer season and how I have enjoyed getting to know them. This couple is one who also lost a son to a motorcycle accident ("the club no one wishes to join..."). That touched me because I really did nothing exceptional to make them feel welcome, just treated them like I do others. It's nice to be thought of in that regard!

After my grooming appointment late this afternoon, I stopped at Publix to take advantage of the soda special. Justin had stocked up yesterday and suggested I go back today to get some more. Buy two/get two, can't go wrong! 

As I wheeled my cart around the store, I heard a man talking behind me, who was using a blue tooth-style phone, telling someone he loved them. This fellow, an older but not elderly black man, gestured to me that he was on the phone, and I smiled at him. Later we met again in an aisle and he said something to me this time, but I didn't understand him, but I smiled again. 

                                           

In the ice cream aisle, he came up again, and then circled away from me. Then, he stopped and came back, saying, "Excuse me, I am not stalking you, but I have to ask the name of the perfume you are wearing. You smell so good." I said, "Of course you're not! It's called "Obsession"", and thanked him. He took a few steps and came back to ask the name again. I told him and he asked if I get it at Belk. He looked surprised when I told him I get mine at Wal*Mart but certainly he could look at Belk. Bet his wife is getting a bottle of perfume for her birthday!

I was in the mood for ice cream bars, similar to an Eskimo Pie but store brand or off-brand was fine with me. There were Dove bars, Nestle Crunch bars, various other types of special treats, including ice cream bars with no sugar added. But no regular ice cream bars to be had. 

I left empty handed from the ice cream aisle, and at the register, when asked, I told them I could not find the ice cream bars. After I paid and the young lady was ready to push the cart out for me, a manager asked me if I found everything alright. I told him my problem with the ice cream bars, and he was on a mission to find some!

He parked my cart to the side and off we went to find the right bars. I told him that my mother might have had something to do with there being only NO SUGAR ADDED ice cream bars in this store, which made him laugh. He dug around in the stacks in the freezer and finally, at the bottom, he found some WITH sugar added, and we rejoiced! I begged him to not tell Mom we found them...te he he! 

The young lady resumed her position of taking my cart to the car, after I paid for the ice cream bars, and off we went. When I popped the car open, we were greeted by 6 cases of soda from the day before! She had to laugh about that, but said she, too, takes advantage of every soda sale she can find. I told her some of us share our good fortune with others via Facebook.