She's here!!!

                               

Linda and I posed at Victory in front of Hannah's memorial palm tree, basking in the sun. She is dressed for summer and me, for winter!

Justin was in demand this morning prior to class starting, helping Wayne get his Facebook page established and figure out some intricacies of his iPad. After he did that, he showed Lucy how to adjust the volume on her cell phone. I have told him more than once that he could start his own business, doing this for people. He could conduct tutorials and hands' on instruction for the pre-electronic generations!

Linda bestowed some gifts upon me as a Thank You for my hospitality. She said she spotted the reed and scent dispenser, complete with bling on the vase, and determined it said "KIM!!!" on it. She also brought me a tube of hand cream from my favorite salon in Manitowoc, Rose Colored Glasses. The fragrance of the lotion is rosemary mint and makes my hands feel silky. Might cure my frequent handwashing habit because I hate to wash it off!

Getting ready for my friend

Well, while my family and friends wake to nearly a foot of snow, I am enjoying the sunshine. It is playing a game of peek-a-boo but at least we know it's there. It does not seem 'fair' to have this while they are shoveling and taking a snow day but there is no control over weather.

As you may recall, much of my weekend was spent at church for a special meeting  Saturday and a guest preacher on Sunday. The potluck we enjoyed for lunch was simply delicious, with some folks being mildly surprised by my beans. Even I was surprised, and pleased, at how good they turned out. Mike S. got up from the table, came around, and gave me a congratulatory hug for my successful offering. Nice! I finished the leftovers yesterday for lunch---a meal in a dish! That's all I care to say here about the gatherings.

Justin's friend was at last able to close on the purchase of his home in Mandarin so Justin is all sent to move over there. Well, perhaps 'all set' is an exaggeration but in his head, he is all set. Justin picked up a bottle of champagne to enjoy as a celebration but I am not sure if they popped it open or not. He sent me a text message when touring the house reporting the toilets leak at their control valves. Just what he needs---more leaks! Oh, the joys of home ownership....

He has the measurements for his room and is trying to figure out the furniture placement. Yesterday he picked up a paint chart when at Home Depot and asked my opinion for the color. Of course, I chose the more bold color on the strip, especially since he has to paint over pink stripes already on the walls. He opted for the shade just above the one I chose, in the gold family, which will go well with his comforter and such. 

He is so funny! He made dinner for us last night. At first it smelled really good in the house, but then, he got distracted watching "Seinfeld" in my room, and burned his onions. I mean burned, like having ashes in our mouths. He was sauteing peppers and onions to have with some leftover teriyaki chicken, which we ate on big tortilla rounds. Definitely needed a scoop of sherbet after that meal! Once in a while it's good to have a mishap to remind one to remain vigilant at the stove...

He did a very good job of making room in the guest bedroom for Linda. In fact, I was surprised and very pleased at his progress. The washer has busy with laundering some of the clothing items which had been packed away since he moved in. I helped him out by folding the clothes for him, but am not sure they stay folded once they leave my custody. I used to have laundry baskets but they are all being used elsewhere, shall we say. Might have to treat myself to a new one when he leaves. 

Marlena came by in the afternoon, after work, to do the vacuuming, since he was not getting to it. She does a very thorough job when she does anything, plus she polished up the bathroom Linda will use. Justin got home from work and stopping at the store, passing Marlena on her way out. 

She brought me 'old' flowers, red roses, used in The Club dining room and put together a lovely arrangement with them. They are from St. Valentine's Day and still look marvelous. She said they have the longest life of any flowers they get. It's her job to care for them and when the new ones come in, she is free to take the 'old' ones. Glad she shared with me! Also, she brought a bag of bread they usually serve with dinners, day old now, which I repackaged into ziplocked bags and froze. Will be good on a soup day!

This morning I went to the car wash and finally got the sand, most of it anyway, removed from my car, and it's all polished up for Linda's arrival. (As of this writing, she is on her way to MKE on slippery I-43 and tonight, if the Lord is willing, I will pick her up at the airport.) It is so nice to have a clean car, inside and out, aside from my Bible study materials in the backseat. Even the steering wheel felt nice and polished. 

The young lady who did the cleaning complimented me on my hair, as did two different ladies at Winn-Dixie. Last night Justin complimented me, asking me if I had done. What? Murphy's Law says it often happens just before you're due for a hair cut, which is exactly where I am in my routine. Guess I will wait now until Linda is gone to go to the groomers. Unless I cannot stand it any longer, and go in!!!

More lists!

The other day a 'friend' of mine from Facebook, a personality on the Internet radio show I follow, posted an article from The Guardian, a British publication. The article was a compilation of the top 5 things people who are facing immanent death have stated. The author is a palliative nurse, one who is there in the last days of the person's life, who serves as a companion for the ill person and their family.  

Over her 12 year career, she kept track of folks' dying epiphanies and has released them in a book called "The Top Five Regrets of the Dying". I hope you do not feel like this is morbid, because I do not find it that way at all. Instead, it might stimulate some action on someone's part, to do something or not do something, as the case might be, before the end comes. It is a fascinating exercise and read, anyway.

The #1 thing was they wished they'd had the courage to live a life true to themselves, not the life others expected of them. The person feels they missed something, have unfulfilled dreams or goals, or are left wondering if they'd done enough. Good health brings with it the freedom to realize dreams and goals, but folks don't appreciate the opportunity until it's too late. 

Item #2 addresses working too hard or too much. The author said every single male patient she cared for expressed the same refrain. They missed milestones in their kids' lives as well as time spent with their spouse. Not as many females expressed this sentiment, but her patients were primarily a different generation where the husband was the primary breadwinner. 

Being more open with their feelings made the list at #3. In order to keep the peace, many folks kept their feelings to themselves which resulted in a mediocre existence, and tended to fill them with bitterness and resentment. Unexpressed emotions....

Here is my favorite: #4 "I wish I had stayed in touch with my friends". Oh my! It is often too late, when facing death, to catch up with your old friends. They have left the friendship slip for their own life, the comfort of familiarity taking precedence over friendships, and let the friends slip away. Many on their deathbed have things left to say to their friends and harbor deep regret for allowing this to happen. "Everyone misses their friends when they are dying."

The last item on the list, #5, is that folks, on their dying beds, wish they allowed themselves more happiness. This one seems to be very similar to #3, with the 'fear of change' being the prevalent sentiment expressed. They don't realize in time that "happiness" is a choice, but the fear of stepping outside the comfort zone restrained them. The dying wish they had lived, laughed, and loved more, and had more 'silliness' in their lives. You can't go wrong with more silliness, if you ask me!

As you can see, this is written entirely from a human standpoint, as the list nowhere mentions the value of living our life as a reflection of Christ. One who is a believer in the Lord and Savior knows the source of our joy is not necessarily from others, but often involves others, which is an additional blessing. 

It is my hope that all who read this will find something they can do yet, take care of, before they die, so the palliative nurse will have no regrets to record about their lives. "I'm but a stranger here, heaven is my home..."

There is rain!

This morning when I got to Bible study, I snapped this photo of what is affectionately, and sadly, known as Good Shepherd Lake, formerly our parking lot. I nearly had to pull into a handicap spot but did find a space dry enough for me to get out and keep my shoes dry. 

I woke to thunder and lightning, and a light rain. It had rained much of the night, starting again while we were in Bible class. Mike was our leader again today, covering the topic of "Angels and Demons". The chapter we discussed was about spiritists, the New Age movement, so-called 'near death experiences' and so on. Good discussion again today! The weather kept some folks away and they were missed. We can be thankful there is no snow to deal with....

Linda is hoping she won't encounter any travel complications on Wednesday, either leaving from MKE or getting out of Atlanta. She would rather go to jail than go to Atlanta! (Inside joke...). We are expecting to have below freezing weather for the lows here on the weekend and she will have to take some ribbing for that. Saturday we are going to the Alhambra Dinner Theater for the matinee and will need our snuggies, with the high expected to be in the 50's that day. She will be comfy, I will be frozen solid!

Ready for the rest?

21. You do not have to win every argument. Just accept you are not in agreement, and you can agree to disagree.

22.  Make peace with your past so you will not ruin your present.

23.  Do not compare yourself with others for there will always be greater and lesser persons than yourself.

24.  Only YOU are in charge of your own happiness.

25.  Remember you don't always have control over what happens, but you do have control over what you do with the experience.

26. Learn something new every day.

27. What other people think of you is of no concern to you!

28. Love your body, and respect it

29. No matter how good or bad the situation is, it will change

30. Your work will not take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will!! Stay on good terms with them

31. Get rid of everything that is not useful, beautiful, or fun

32. Envy is a waste of time. You already have everything you will ever need.

33. The best is yet to come

34.  No matter how you feel, get up, get dressed and be there

35. Have wonderful friends

36. Call your family often and send them messages that you are thinking of them

37. Every night before going to sleep, say the following: I give thanks for ________ Today I succeeded in ___________

38. Remember that you are too blessed to be stressed

39. Enjoy life---you only have one opportunity, make the best of it

40. Life is beautiful---enjoy it while you can!

On this list, I think #35 is my favorite one, but many others are excellent choices as well. #37 is similar to what Linda J. and I are doing with our blessings jar and basket. 

The original e-mail included pictures of animals and insects in nature and since I am not particularly a fan of such things, I did us the favor of not including them. 

From my friend, Linda M.

                  20 Pieces of Advice

1. Walk 10 to 30 minutes each day, smiling while you do so!

2. Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day, locked away if need be

3. Listen to good music every day; it is true food for the spirit

4. Set a goal for yourself each morning when you awaken

5. Live your life with the 3 E's: Energy, Enthusiasm, and Empathy

6. Play more games than you did last year

7. Read more books than you did last year

8. Look at the sky at least once each day and realize what a magnificent world you live in

9.  Dream more in your waking hours

10.  Eat more natural foods than manufactured ones

11.  Eat berries, nuts, and drink green tea, plus lots of water and a glass of wine each day 

12.  Try each day to make at least three people smile

13.  Eliminate disorder in your home, your car, and your desk, and let new energy flow into your life

14.  Don't waste your precious time gossiping or regretting the past or in negative thoughts, or in worrying about things beyond your control. Better to convert your energy in that which is positive in the present.

15.  Realize that life is a school and that you are here to learn. Problems are life's lessons from which you learn.

16.  Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, and dinner like a beggar.

17.  Smile and laugh more

18. Do not miss an opportunity to hug somebody you appeciate

19.  Life is too short to waste it by hating someone

20.  Don't take yourself too seriously---no one else does!

There are 20 more to come, but this has to be digested in smaller bites. Some of these are really great ideas---worthy of consideration and implementation! Can you guess which ones are my favorites and which ones apply to me? (one mentions my desk!!!)

Another marvelous breakfast

It was so marvelous, in fact, that I don't even know if I ate anything. I did, actually, because the nice lady clearing things away after the buffet was closed brought me a to-go box of bacon to take home with me! It seems they had a bounty leftover even though I had done my best to make a dent in the stack. No broken up pieces today---nice, full strips, oven baked to perfection!

                                      

When I walked over this morning, the fog was thick on the river. When I walked home, the sun had burned it off and all was clear again. The dining room was busy with hotel guests coming and going for breakfast, and poor Kathy was running ragged. The Rotarians had finished eating already when I arrived. As soon as they left the garden room, the staff was busy taking down tables and dressing others in lovely silver/grey tablecloths. Must be a weddding!

Much to my delight, Pat showed up for breakfast, the two us eating and talking for nearly two hours. It is amazing how quickly the time flies by when we're together. As the two of us were about to wrap things up, Pat told me she enjoys our time, that I was her 'counselor', which was flattering to hear. I feel that way when talking with her, not necessarily counseled, but rather, inspired! 

It seems my friends, the ants, have left me. When I opened the second Terro trap, I cut it too far down, and the liquid ran out of the container. Fortunately I had a plastic sandwich bag within reach to catch the drippings and sort of feed it back into the trap. The original trap which was nearly dry was crowded with ants, doing a seeming happy dance in and on the container, as if to spite me. I showed them by pouring the poison all over the place! Have to be careful not to lick my fingers or mess with that stickiness next to me.

                                             

Oops, I spoke too soon....there they are, back again. I might have awakened them with my canned air, dusting off my window shelf and the lamp. I have to get the dust wand to clean around the windows before Linda arrives. It still puzzles me how spiders can get up here this high and busy themselves making webs to hold my dust. They can stop any time they want as far as I am concerned!

Last night Justin came home after helping his father, and he was bearing gifts. He stopped at CVS for soda which was on special, and found my favorite Easter eggs. Bless you! He gave me one and put the rest in the fridge for me. Also, he bought a bag of robin's eggs, malted milk balls, of which he took a handful, leaving the rest in my room, out of his reach. He is doing so well with his diet and weight loss, it's just falling off of him. I have to watch where I step so I don't slip and fall on his lost weight! 

I figured he could use my nice bacon in his next batch of cooked cabbage that he loves so much. A couple months ago, my neighbor, Maureen, told me how she makes her cooked cabbage. Justin made his first batch using her recipe, loved it, and has made it many times since, varying some of the ingredients to change it up a bit. He thinks Jesse and he can live on that when they get moved into the 'new' house together. They will have to get a large fry pan to use for it, with a lid, or an electric fry pan like Maureen uses for hers. 

We are looking for temps today in the low 80's while my family is being buried once again in a snow storm. The schools are closed, so many snow days this year! Mom was supposed to go for a hair cut today and I hope she is able to get there. Linda J. usually takes her but she was planning to go to Shawano for card making class. Not sure that will happen for her either with the snow covered roads. 

My poor sister, Kerry, is at home today not due to snow but due to having a medical procedure yesterday. She will recover this three-day weekend after having skin cancer removed from her cheek, and a sort of graft put in place to cover the hole left by the carving out of the cancer. My heart hurts for her and I hope the recovery is swift and the scarring minimal.

                                   

                        Sarah with her grandma, Sue

It looks bad now, as any surgical site would, and from that I have determined I will wear a hat in the pool this summer! My goddaughter, Sarah, was sporting a lovely blue 'picture hat' with a fur border the other day when shopping with her grandma, and I think that's what I would like for the pool! The color would coordinate with my swimsuit, and look stylish besides. It is all about the accessories and all about being careful now in the sun. 

Thursday on the river

As I sit here enjoying the view from the window, I am also enjoying (not really!) the sight of teeny ants storming my window shelf. Now, where did they come from??? One second, nothing, and the next, a swarm! I have already placed a Terro trap there to entice them to their demise and hope in no time at all they will be gone. I wonder if my dusting the other day stirred them up or something.

                      Yesterday morning's sunrise

Bible study this morning was excellent, as expected. We are nearly finished with our study of Definitions, begun last fall, before our Advent study which we finished well into Epiphany! There was less digression today but still enough to add interest to the class. Next week when Linda is here we will finish this book and then start the very last in the series. This publishing house is switching to electronic studies for this Good News periodical. 

Last night I had orders to let Justin know when I was leaving church so he could put the finishing touches on our dinner. He wanted to wait for me to eat because he said it had been a while since we had a "nice, sit-down dinner". Aw, so sweet! He made a brown fried rice with whole kernal corn in it, plus teriyaki chicken. It was delicious and I even had a small second helping of the rice. So good! 

While he changed a light bulb in the hall (I didn't have to 'hold up the prophet's arms', as he thought at first) I emptied the dishwasher. He refilled it and wiped the counters off while I put the remainder of the food in the fridge. Quite a team! Tonight he is going to help his father again and likely have dinner out so I get the leftovers from last night's feast!

The closing for the home he is moving into takes place tomorrow and he is quite excited. Justin thinks there should be a celebration but is not sure one will happen. His primary job  is to ready here the guest room for Linda, who arrives Wednesday night, but he also has work to do for Ron at his new home. Not sure how he's going to work all that out but Linda is Priority #1!!!

Worship last night was marvelous, with Pastor H. serving as our guest pastor. I was sad when the service was over, so sad that tears ran down my cheeks! For our final hymn we sang "Abide With Me", stanzas 1, 5, and 7, with the last one getting me. I like that one the best and use it often in my life: "Hold Thou Thy cross before my closing eyes; Shine through the gloom and point me to the skies. Heaven’s morning breaks, and earth’s vain shadows flee; In life, in death, O Lord, abide with me." Yes, Lord, please...

Pictures of my home

Some of my friends on Facebook have asked about my home, so I am going to post some photos here for their perusal. Unfortunately, I cannot post very many of them because they would appear sideways on the page! Sorry!

My kitchen, in case you could not tell. I don't usually have items on the counter, but see an ice tea maker and a vase out, which means I might have been entertaining when this was taken.

This shot is looking from the river room into the dining room and toward the kitchen. Justin and I painted these pictures, except the ones over the arch. 

This view looks south down the river 

This console blends with the mural on the dining room wall. The red cake plate is special to me, as is the candlestick, which was a gift from my friend, Christine. In the frame is a picture of Timmy plus the long version of his obituary, which I wrote. The blue flat bottle and the plates were purchased in Winona, MN, shopping with my friend, Judy R. The blue dish on the cake plate is a gift from Olivia, a family friend. 

This is the window looking out over the river, from my living room. My friend, Terri, took this photo in August. From the left is an orb made of blown glass (Great Hang Ups), a blue water bottle from the Cummer Museum, a heart shaped vase, a set of candleholders and a spire which I bought at The Honey Pot in Two Rivers. Then the blue bowl with a white 'foamy' edge, a birthday gift from my scrapbooking lady friends, and blue bowl I bought at Great Hang Ups. The item suspended over the top sort of matches the edges on the foamy edged blown glass, with a bird hanging from it, made by the same artist. 

Life is but a dream

Oh, I was so glad to wake up this morning!!! A couple nights ago there was a "Frasier" episode on that began with his complaint about Martin's chair being squeaky. Martin wanted to keep the peace so got out the oil to lubricate the chair. Meanwhile, Frasier is planning a major social function at his home including bigwigs and society folks. He wanted Martin's ugly chair out of the way, so when they picked it up to move it, a spot on the carpet was discovered, made by the oil which had dripped. Rats! Now what?

Let the race against the clock begin! Frasier decided that instead of simply cleaning the carpet, they would replace it. One thing lead to another and a crew of workers came in to replace the carpet, and sand the floor which was scratched when moving the chair out of the room. 

Then a leak was discovered in the gas line to the fireplace so it had to be repaired "before the explosion" as Martin said sarcastically. Time was running short before the party....oh my! Mom knows this feeling as this was typical "Kim and Roger party planning"! Now it makes ME nervous! With 45 minutes left before the party, Martin bribed the guys to be out the door in a very short time, leaving the house as though nothing had gone wrong. 

Well, I had that same feeling this a.m. when waking from my dream. It seems I was taking a trip to a foreign destination, though I didn't know when or exactly where. My spouse was acting quite blasé about the whole thing, sort of mocking me for being concerned about the frenzied bag packing thing and about the time we were departing. Sweaters? Or summer wear? So frustrating!

My sisters were there, it seems we were in Rome but I can't be sure. Some of the group whom I did not know went ahead, leaving us in the dust, as it were, seems we were in search of something. Jill and I were walking through European streets and shops, including one with the old fashioned typewriters and beautiful glass. I got distracted by the glass.   

We lost Kerry because she took off in search of whatever it was we were looking for. I thought about standing on the street corner and shouting her name (having totally lost the others in our group) but thought that was not cool to do in a foreign country. 

Somehow Jill and I found ourselves at what seemed to be an airport (as happens in dreams....), standing with a guard before a giant steel door. In my mind I was going over everything, wondering if I packed more than sweaters, etc. I was thinking I was above reproach for having done everything right, aside from losing my sister. 

It suddenly occurred to me that I had not brought my passport which was, in fact, expired. (This is true, mine is expired, the end of an era!) I was crying into the guard's shirt, begging him to let me travel without it, and asking if my spouse had renewed his passport. He couldn't leave without me, right? Besides not knowing where I was going, I had no idea what time the flight was or anything, not being allowed to view the tickets. Sort of like a game where I was already the loser. 

I have no idea what happened to the rest of the group, or to Kerry, who was roaming the streets of Rome. How did we get to Rome in the first place, with no passports? All that rushing about and the sense of frustation left me weary this a.m. and feeling like I needed more rest. But what if the dream came back again? Would I find Kerry, who ditched Jill and I in search of something we had no idea we were looking for??? 

Life is like that sometimes---we get ourselves all in a lather and are not even sure what outcome to expect. And, would we recognize it once it came?

It's President's Day

No school and no government offices open today but great buys on furniture and mattresses in this area. I suppose that is nation-wide too, in keeping with the holiday. I hope that school children are still taught about the two important presidents being celebrated today---not all lumped together with "lesser" of our nation's leaders.

                          

Michael lead our Bible study again today and we were joined by Mike S. who is working less these days in his landscaping business. He remarked at how the time flew by (just over an hour) for this class while the Sunday one of 45 minutes seems like it has no end. He said that now he might adjust his workweek to include Monday mornings off so he can attend this class. We would be so glad to have him! 

We have one other man join us since the Christmas break, a son-in-law to Donna W. Ricky was baptized in mid-December and is taking BIC privately. He brings much to the class, being knowledgeable about the Bible. His wife comes too so we often have a dozen or so around the tables on Monday mornings. Love that!

Six of us ladies went to lunch at Longhorn, arriving just before the rush, it seemed. When Fred, the manager, came around to greet us, he said that due to the holiday more were expected to come in today. He estimated 100 additional meals would be served simply because of no school or work for gov't. employees. How about that?! To switch it up, I ordered the new sandwich on the menu, sliced sirloin on a roll, and a bowl of baked potato soup. Half of each came home with me to enjoy for lunch tomorrow!

Justin made it home safely from his weekend adventures. He was telling me about going to Busch Gardens, a decision made without his input, but he was a good sport and went along. He said they were the only English speaking people there, and I told him I remembered that from the last time I was there, many years ago. It's a big draw evidently for European travelers. I think this was the place where men and women were confused by the "international" signs on the restroom doors. Awkward!

It was cold for them, but not miserably so, and the group enjoyed mini-bonfires two nights of their visit at their friends' house. Justin told me they made s'mores and risked life and limb to toast the marshmallows. Guess they didn't have the first-class forks like we used at Linda O's condo the weekend before! 

Justin came home with more of his 'traveling pains' (Justinism) including having stepped on a landscape rock while wearing rubber-soled shoes, bruising his heel early on in the day. Also, his hips ached after riding the roller coaster and sort of getting knocked around in the seat. In addition, he had to sleep on a sofa which ached his back. Typical fun weekend for Justin!

He was off work today but had to go to help his father get a mattress and spring to replace one which has left his house. It doesn't show well to have an empty frame sitting there, and in my mind, I would simply remove the frame and call it a day. But, anyway, they are off to Sam's Club tonight to make the purchase. I hope all goes well with this outing. 

                    

Justin spent the day going through things in his room, showing me his collection of iPhone boxes and accessory packaging from which he simply cannot part. I sort of get that, but also hope more than these boxes got packed up today!

So glad the sun is back

Friday afternoon was a grumpy weather day, in addition to the terrible ruckus going on overhead in the unit being remodeled. This stormy sky looks a whole lot worse than it was, but it did bring some rain with it. I knew some people who were doing a camp out with their Scout troop and I hope this did not wash them out. Since they are Girl Scouts, they might not be as willing (macho) to wait out the storm. 

Yesterday and today we were blessed to have the sunshine back with us in this part of the world. My friend, Paul's, mom is visiting here from MI and I so wished for better weather for their time in the Sunshine State. We came through with the sunshine now, but on cloudy days, Sarah will provide the needed sunshine. Sadly, the gang is off to Disney today so I won't see Sue in church. The last two times I missed them under these same circumstances. 

Judy C. called me last night to say she was not going to Bible class today because she was buried under her grandson's laundry. David came up from Gainesville bearing three week's worth, and his grandma is happy to take care of it. The ironing portion is the the worst of it, though, as he wears dress shirts for school, which require ironing. Hence, she has to get them done before he goes back to school this afternoon. 

Since she wasn't going to class, I opted to stay in as well, but made sure I was there in time to rehearse with the choir, all three of us! It was a red coat day today, temps in the 20's when I first woke up. I summoned Carol from the class to come into the church but Sterling did not pick up on Carol's signal. Robbie went in to class to get him. We were singing the psalm from the Supplement as an introduction to the congregation, as they would join in on the 2nd half. We also sang one stanza of a hymn to introduce that as well.

After worship our group went to Chili's for a change (ha, ha!), without Justin. He was still in Tampa with his friends. David ordered the meal Justin often gets, while Michael ordered a giant burger. It was so tall, we thought there was no way it would fit into his mouth. He did it, because he loves the challenge. It's as tall as the type sold at Charcoal Grille or other up north places with cheese curds and fries on the burgers. Terri took a picture of it----that's how tall it was!

Terri and Judy were set to count the offerings today, but chose to do it later so we could go and have lunch. Then, they decided to go to the movies, seeing "Safe Haven", which I declined to see with them. Linda and I might go when she is here as we like to do when she is in town. Most recently we saw "The Help" for which Linda hurried to finish the book before seeing. I gave the book away after seeing the movie, never finished it!

I got home in plenty of time for Fox News Sunday and then watched a bit more news before switching over to Internet lectures. TV was quite dry today! What a mistake it was to use my can of air AFTER I had vacuumed my floor...I scared up some dead love bugs from my window sill behind my desk shelf so now must vacuum again!! It's all about scheduling, the heart of any project...

My little space heater is hard at it trying to keep my room warm for me. The thermostat in the hallway shows 71 in the house which is bitter cold by my standards. One can actually feel the cool breeze coming in when I open the bedroom door! It's remarkable! Justin likes to sleep in cool rooms, so he will be absolutely gleeful tonight. Praying for his safe travels back home from his time away....

Good use of my day

Today was a good Saturday-type day. Justin has gone downstate to visit his friends, riding with Jesse and his girlfriend, Chelsea. She had something to take care of at UF first and then they drove south to Tampa to visit a St. Johns friend. 

Last night, for some reason, I went to sleep really early, but woke at my usual time. Linda was awake fairly early, too, so we had a chance to chat, having to catch up for the lost time spent in Chicago. We watched Fox & Friends together and I so  loved the time! After she logged off to go and have breakfast with Tommy, I got up and dressed myself for the day. First order of business was my walk. Yes, my walk!

The elevator takes me up to the 5th floor, where I walk end to end on the prominade before going down the stairs to the 4th floor. Once again end to end and down the stairs, using the handrails on both sides of stairway. This way, I take one step per foot instead of my usual both feet on the step as I go down, bending both the knees. This continues to the bottom floor and over to the mailbox, which today was empty yet. Or, did that start already to not have Saturday delivery?

                                     

I rode the elevator back up with my neighbor, Rose, and then took an Aleve, knowing my legs would be angry with me. For a while I worked at my desk before getting busy with the vacuum cleaner which Justin had gotten out for me before he left. I vacuum cleaned my bedroom floor, once I used the shammy mop under the bed and dressers. Lots of dust bunnies hiding under there---I knew it!! I just so prefer Justin would do this instead to spare my back.

Then I took the Swiffer and washed the traffic area of my floor. What a great smell that product leaves in the room! Besides working at my desk, I took time to clear things away in order to dust the top of my desk. Moving piles around, filing it after the dusting was done---hmmmm. Just when I thought I had it all filed, I noticed another stack which had been relocated. Shoot!

                   

BUT, on a brighter note---I opened mail which had been ignored or buried on the desk. One was my statement from The Club, which I prefer to not look at but did anyway. The newsletter comes with the bill and I read it cover to cover to see if my account number showed up anywhere. And, sure enough, my account number was hidden in the newsletter!!! This means I get $25 off my statement. A note to The Club was quickly sent off to let them know I saw my number. Might never happen again so I will rejoice in it!

Another piece of mail, dated December 19th, featured a refund check for an over-charge on a fund transfer with one of my investments. It was non-specific to which transaction, just had some dates between August of 2011 and prior. Okay, I don't really care, but thanks for coming clean with me. I call that one successful day!

I could have done some more vacuum cleaning but will leave it for tomorrow.  When I do that, it warms me up, and I will need that with our temps expecting to drop remarkably. One of my Facebook friends, Jay, reported we have a 10% chance of snow flurries. Oh my! This is terrible. 

                                 

My meals since Justin left are leftovers, as I whittle away at the brats with peppers and onions Justin made Wednesday night. One more left for tomorrow, if the mood hits me. Also ate my remaining meat loaf from the Ale House with the homemade mashed potatoes Justin made for me the other night. What a guy!

There is still a container of cooked cabbage in the fridge, but I have decided to leave it for Justin, so he won't have to make anything more when he gets home. I hope he is able to keep to his diet while gone this weekend but something tells me that will be hard to do on a trip. Tomorrow will be a new start, with his cabbage waiting for him. I get the brat!

Breaking up housekeeping

Even though it's a bit chilly by Florida standards today, the sun has nicely warmed my room. That's the good part. Unfortunately, I believe the workmen upstairs are trying to break up a cast iron bathtub or tear something apart which they tore out, using a sledge hammer. Wow! It made such thunderous BANGs when he hit it, the blades were shaking on the ceiling fan. Remember when AJ said I should tell him if something fell off the wall? He was not kidding! Nothing did fall off the walls but I can certainly hear stuff, cruddlies, falling from above onto the ceiling of my bathroom. It's hollow over the bathroom to allow for the dreaded plumbing which also allows for extra storage for loose cruddlies.

                          

The noise of the sledge hammer and the saw was so terrific that I took my little laptop to the living room for more quiet. It worked! I think they went to lunch! Whatever was so noisy earlier has ended so I am back at my desk in my warmer bedroom. 

The other good news is that the water for the building was turned off for a couple hours this a.m. to allow for a control valve (yes, like mine!) to be replaced upstairs. I feel better knowing they have a new, modern device for preventing the flow of water. Once the water was successfully restored, I sent out the e-mail at Connie's request alerting everyone it was safe to flush the toilets again. We did not need little red bags to go potty in, like on the stranded cruise ship. That had to be wildly inconvenient!

                                  

Yesterday was St. Valentine's Day and I celebrated hardly at all. I did, however, have "breakfast on belly" as we used to call it when the kids were little. Justin made me a breakfast sandwich of grilled cheese with Spam on it, served to me in my bed. 

Last night he made dinner for us, chicken Marsala with gnocchi. His remark? "It's not Carrabba's...." No, it wasn't but it was decent nonetheless. We ate in my room because the TV is not hooked up in the living room since Justin switched the Spanish-speaking box with the one from that room. 

We had spent the day together, complete with Bible study at Victory. I love this time together in the Word. It was a marvelous class, with it taking nearly an hour to cover the first half of the lesson for that day! We tend to digress in this class, and Pastor H. is a lively participant in the digressions. 

Justin was soaking it all in, and once or twice, added his two-cents to the conversation. Part of the discussion was about the Pope resigning and how this affects the Roman Catholics, and the world in general. Over a billion people are Catholics. Also one lady told about her neighbor who was raised as a Jehovah's Witness, and now resists anything resembling church. She might arrange her schedule to join our class one day, according to Judy.

We went to lunch at the Ale House in Mandarin, originally intending to eat at Bonefish Grille, which was not open for lunch. (I dodged that one!) Thursday is meat loaf day at the Ale Houses and it was quite delicious. And huge portions. Half came with me, plus the green beans served with it. Justin had a bowl of clam chowder into which he squeezed some lemon and added Tabasco sauce. I did not teach him that! 

He has begun dieting and last night reported losing 10 pounds already in a week's time. Good for him! He's getting his 'beach body' back for when he moves that direction again next month. The closing date is approaching, and then the painting  and new carpeting take place, before they all move in. 

To facilitate his move, we stopped across the street from the restaurant at Wal-Mart where he bought yet more plastic bins to put his stuff into. One cannot walk across his floor but something MUST go into the bins at some point, right? 

                            

The other night he announced to me that he will never, ever purchase another souvenir on a trip. He said he would never buy another 'violin' from a street vendor in Jamaica or the little native statues which are now displayed on my shelves. He must have encountered something in his room that set him off! He loves the things we got on "our" travels to the Mediterranean but some of the other stuff he got when he was little has to go! Just like that (finger snap). 

He made me laugh when at the store yesterday, making the pronouncement that he is fond of organizers. Oh heavenly days! As I mentioned earlier, one could not navigate the floor in either of the two rooms at the end of the hall, yet he is fond of organizers. So am I, Buddy, so am I! I am so going to miss him terribly when he's gone.....sniffle, sniffle.

Fond remembrances of my trip

Judy resting on a wall in Corinth

In 2007 I took my last 'big' cruise with a group of mostly WELS folks from around the nation, most of them from the West Coast. It was on this trip that I officially met and became friends with Judy Rusert and her husband, Jerry. It was more memorable for them since they never got their luggage the entire trip---eventually did get it once back home in MN, a week or so later! The others shared with them as best we could, plus the gift shops provided the needed items they were lacking. 

The daughter of our tour organizer, Vicki, took this photo from the roof top bar/restaurant of our hotel. See the cross which shows up in the doorway? We stayed in such lovely hotels on this trip, when we were off the ship. Also had a first-class guide who made the entire adventure that much more wonderful. Thanks to the Internet, I am yet in contact with many of the fine folks met on this trip, and still exchange greeting cards with Marion, the lady who traveled alone to Athens, celebrating her 80th birthday! This year she will be 87 and still going strong!

This photo was taken looking up at Santorini from the dock. The trail snaking its way to the town is the one which the donkeys walk up, carrying passengers. Folks can also walk on this path, at their own risk, because the donkeys have the right-of-way and don't care where they drop their dung. It might be a bit slippery, and more than a little stinky! I have always opted for the tram which travels the hillside nearly vertically to the top. 

Whenever I have spent time in Mykonos, I would get my photo taken at this same boat. Note the octopus hanging from the ropes above the boat. 

Before I left Mykonos, I managed to find a music store which provided me with a Sarah Brightman CD to enjoy in my ship's cabin. On the path back to the ship is this wonderful ice cream shoppe where Justin and I have enjoyed a treat on previous visits. I had to do it this time, too, even though he wasn't with me. Note the can of soda next to the bottle of soda. The bottle went back to the ship with me for another time. Look at that marvelous ice cream treat! 

Later, the above mentioned Marion came to my cabin to listen to the CD with me, and when I played "Con te Partirò" for her, she said she never wanted to hear it again. It moved her in a such an amazing way. The song, its English title being "Time to Say Good-Bye", was first enjoyed by Justin and me on our cruise in 2004. We were swept off our feet, both of us, by Sarah Brightman and her version of this song. Marion, however, was swept in a different way, moved by the haunting melody. In fact, so much so that she can't bear to hear it again.