Company's coming again

I am so excited because I have been in communication with my friend, Linda O., formerly a member at GS. She sold her house in town and is living full time at her condo in St. Augustine. Linda recently became a grandmother so this is even more exciting!

When Linda and I were together the last time, she was about to leave on a trip to Antigua to 'hang out with' some folks she had met at the LWMS Convention last year. Her booth in the mission displays was near theirs and they made fast friendships. For two months Linda was able to spend some time scoping out potential for helping soon-to-be mothers as part of her mission work. She has worked at the home for mothers our church body supports in CO so this is a natural extension of her gifts and abilities.

She wants to hear all about the Convention I recently attended as well so we will compare notes, though I am more interested in what she has to say to me, I think. We always have such good visits, and I am sure this one will be the same. When we were both working with Hospice, she would come over here after work (if she was in OP) and go for a dip with me. We plan to do so again when she comes on Thursday. 

Today at the pool, the water exercise folks were introduced to a very nice couple who were staying at the hotel. They were on vacation, touring FL, fell in love with the place and went looking at available homes on the property with Pat A. Wow! They are retired and are in no particular hurry otherwise to make this move. He is retired Navy so the advantage of having the base nearby for services is appealing. Pat G. and I asked them to join us for lunch and how fun that was!

Both Mary Ann and Pat are first generation Italians, both blonde and hazel eyed, from the northern part of the country. They got to compare notes on their ancestors and immediate relatives yet in Italy. Pat, being a former drama teacher, was able to inform them on the area theater options and other cultural opportunities. The quiet of Orange Park (off the main drags at least!) plus the other entertainment options might have helped to sell the place. I hope so, anyway!

Our time poolside was cut short by an early afternoon storm, so Dick, my upstairs neighbor who had joined me at the pool, and I went inside just as the rain came. Before long it was just pouring, thundering, and lightning, which lasted for hours. No splash and dash storm with time. Poor Justin had to work in the rain but he said he was soaked in sweat already so it didn't matter. 

                        

There was no Happy Hour this week so I made sausage, peppers, and onions for dinner. Just before it was time to eat, Justin got a phone call from his boss and his wife to join them for the evening. He followed my lead of turning off the stove and leaving, which he did. I did not mind one bit since I was going to be watching the Synod convention proceedings in my room anyway. Nice that the boss called him to go out, even if it was for sushi! 

A sticky mess

The other day I posted on Facebook about my multi-tasking skills of being on hold with AT&T, eating a bagel, and writing at the same time. My comment included the need to clean off my keyboard which had been made sticky from the topping of my bagel. That day I chose the apple and cinnamon bagel, and it was so tasty! I am making that baker's dozen (minus the four I gave to Connie) stretch, since purchased last week. As of this a.m., there are four left. So filling!

On Sunday, Justin made a frozen treat to take along to his friend's mom's house for their dinner. Often they gather there for family dinner, and that night was featuring Justin's favorites. He made a root beer sherbet in a Carbonite form he bought on-line, using the ingredients purchased on Saturday for which he used his new Jaguar cooler. Everything went nicely when making it but he ran into trouble trying to get it into the freezer.

                  
This is the form, and the impression is that of Han Solo, from Star Wars. Anyone who is a fan of this series recognizes this as when he was caught in lava. I do not know it, so will take Justin's word for it. Glad it was root beer sherbet and not lava in my freezer!!

My freezer is a drawer-style...picture this not-yet-frozen delight being shlossed around as the drawer went shut. In hindsight, it should have been placed with a cake pan under it, but space in the freezer is limited. Well, what a grand and glorious mess this was!! This evening, Justin finally had time to pull out the bottom baskets to access the mess which was frozen to the floor of the freezer.

                 

As a team, we lifted out the baskets, and then he laid down on the floor, working around the opened drawer front and the braces to reach into the freezer. I kept the hot dish cloths coming, swapping them for his now cold and sticky cloths. For a big fellow, this was NOT an easy task and there is no way I could have cleaned this up myself. I could remember when the repair man was here, he got the whole drawer off, but I was not about to tackle that project and possibly not get it back together properly. 

                           
Because my fridge is against a wall, we can only open the door so far. Not wide enough to get at the floor of the freezer from both sides. Extra tight for an extra large mess!

After he had it all cleaned up and put back together again, he came into my room to report the smell of the sticky mess remained on his hands. Sort of a sour smell, which is odd, since it was frozen probably immediately. My suggestion of using salt to wash his hands worked and he came back to thank me. This was learned years ago when we would have the gas smell on our hands from playing at the neighbor's gas station. 

For our dinner tonight I made fried potatoes with roast beef cut up into it. Justin had made this roast last Thursday, using the three envelope method. Oh, my, it was tasty! This evening we finished it off. He offered to clear everything way from the table so I could back to my room to watch more of the Convention. What a sweetheart! 

As it turned out, the Convention was on dinner recess yet, so I was able to oversee the polishing of the kitchen. What I did notice, once the counters were wiped and the dishwasher made busy, was the way my feet stuck to the floor in front of the fridge. Even though the sticky mess in the freezer was wiped up, some remnants of this grand and glorious mess still grab my feet. Time for the Swiffer!

Oh, by the way, his Han Solo root beer float dessert was a huge hit with the folks at the dinner. At least that part went well! In the future, he will use a cake pan under the form, due to the sloshing caused by the freezer drawer closing! 

Pickin' through some thoughts...

...before I begin watching the WELS Synod Convention online. Justin accidentally flipped the switch in his room in which is plugged the gateway modem for the computers. Oh oh...He apologized immediately but it took forever (almost 20 minutes!) to get everything up and running again in my room. I operate under the direction of the booster which is on the curio cabinet in the dining room. I did not have this problem before but am trying to not be too grumpy about it. I just have to learn which buttons to press on which device and he has to learn to put tape over the switch in his room! Of course, this had to happen right when I was chatting with Linda during The Five, and only a couple minutes before he was leaving for the baseball game downtown. 

As I looked out my window a bit ago, I spotted two guys walking toward the building, along the breakwater, with a cooler floating between them. They have fishing poles with them as well. The water was only waist deep or a bit less than that, but no sign of a boat. I wonder where they left it...

*

Well, I am disappointed...the Live Streaming from the convention is not working. I was so looking forward to it but the chat going on along the side of the page was amusing. Seems this problem occurs regularly, according to the posters, as few are surprised by the failure of the system. Some are more angry than they should be, while others are enjoying the conversation. According to the counter at the bottom of the screen where the picture should be, it says 117 people are viewing. We are looking but not seeing or hearing! (Later, we were directed to another site where a limited number of folks could view it---me among them!)

*

Today I stopped at the Sprint store to have my phone looked at, see if someone could shut off my notifications for me. The place was packed and I had to basically take a number. There was a mom in the store with three children, one of whom was hollering and making lots of noise. 

When I was at the counter, the mom with the disorderly children left, but I did not see her go. My lady helping me did...she said, "Her kids are nowhere near her..." I turned around to look outside, and saw the youngest one walking along the sidewalk but the mom and one kid were in the truck (Suburban). The little guy was not even up to the vehicle yet, and she opened her door to yell to him to get in. Oh my heart! He was so small and that parking lot was nuts. 

Then, after he was in, she started to back out and my lady helper gasped, "She doesn't have all her kids!" Halfway in and out of the spot, entirely blocking the pathway, she stopped and her daughter came running, having been left in the store, and had to try a couple car doors before finding one to open. She got in the backseat, and off the mom went. 

I don't know if she left the place angry or what, but my helper lady and I seemed like we were holding our breath the entire time this transpired. I can still hear the little girls' hair beads clanging together as she ran from the store. The two older ones had been playing games on the demo phones and seemed to not even notice their mom had left. I gave the helper lady a big hug. I am a nut about parking lots and now I remember why!

An action-packed night!

You would think it was football season around here with all the excitement on a Sunday night. But, nope, not watching football on TV this time. Instead, I am wading through hours and hours of a recent County Board meeting on the Internet, which lasted 7 hours in total. Some huge topics were discussed at this meeting, and my friends, Jacquie and Mark, live in the community being discussed for a re-PUD. Watching all this would be considered torture in Guantanamo Bay but it does have its interesting moments. Especially when several of the speakers who address the Board are folks I know!

One of the Board members, Diane, is a personal friend of mine, and handles some of my investments for me. She was the sole Commissioner to vote against the measure. 

The homeowners on both side of the issue spoke bravely when at the podium, all with great passion, and one could sense the high levels of frustration these folks have, facing the prospect of additional construction going on in a built-out neighborhood. When Justin came home, I sort of expected him to tease me about my exciting night but he said, "Hey, I listened to three hours of CPAC speeches from three years ago this afternoon!" Yeah, I think we're even!

The night to myself

Justin is off with his friends to have a light supper and then attending a Jacksonville Sharks (arena football) game downtown. Even though I was invited to join my friends out around the pool for the evening, I opted to stay in and just hang out by myself. Not being anti-social but just not inspired to get dressed again after coming in from the pool late afternoon. 

This morning Justin came to my room and was recapping his enjoyment of the time spent at Whitey's with his friends and me. Last night in a text message he said something about me not having folks of a certain "ilk" but rather I had folks who were "peeps". We had no sooner arrived at Whitey's than did one of my neighbors come running up to say "hello" to me. I told Justin, after I introduced him to her, that this was the lady for whom he carried a bottle of tequila down to the pool for me one recent Saturday. 

Here is that story: My friend, Lee, has a sister in the liquor business, and had given Lee some of her 'extras'. Since neither Lee nor I have use for the tequila, I offered it to Julie and Patty to use for their making of margaritas. I sent Justin a text message asking him to carry that bottle down, which he did, in a plain cloth bag! It was sort of comical, being all secretive about it like that. Anyway, that was our first sighting when arriving at Whitey's! And by a peep, not an ilk, mind you. Justinisms!

We decided it was too late to go get breakfast but if we got ready quickly enough, could do our store errands and then grab lunch. Usually I have my lunch at the pool with my friends, but it was still Justin's birthday weekend so off we went. We hit two stores including one offering Diet Coke for a good price. He needed ingredients for making a special 'sherbet' dessert. Because of buying 'cold' items, he pressed the Jaguar cooler I gave him into service!

                  

As we were driving out to the Island, I got a call from my friend, Jacquie, who was already at the pool. I assured her I would be there as soon as we were done with our errands. Justin laughed knowing I was "expected" at the pool. I sent Lee a text message telling her Jacquie was there already, before 11:00 a.m. We got our needed items and went to "Koko's" for a quick lunch. Oh yum! Happy birthday, Justin!

When we got home, he offered to run everything upstairs by himself, if I wanted to just go and sit. The sky had greyed up, looking threatening, but I opted to help carry our stuff upstairs and got changed very quickly. It was so good to have our group together again around the table, gabbing and laughing, the others enjoying their lunches. Bob, sitting nearby, referred to me as the ambassador for the pool and I am cool with that!

The skies cleared and we got into the water for a bit. Betty and Kathy came out, along with Kathy's brother, Gary, our usual later afternoon group. Some folks peeled off of the gathering as others joined. After all afternoon in the pool and around it, it feels good to stay in tonight and marinate in these very enjoyable times!!

Justin's birthdate

Something is funny with this picture---my son, the birthday boy, is already home and in bed for the night. On his birthday! At 9:30 pm he is done for after a long day at work. His boss, who joined us for the birthday celebration at Whitey's, said they cut 19 properties today. No wonder they are weary! 

He left for work about 6:30 a.m. as he stops to get a coffee at McDonald's on the way to the shop. When they mow residential lawns, 8:00 is the earliest they can begin so on Friday, they start at an area restaurant. Then, they go to mow the yard of our former neighbors, Jessica and Travis, whose two boys absolutely LOVE to watch to work going on. They refer to my boy as Mr. Justin---how about that?? Their whole family was at Whitey's tonight as well, celebrating Jess's dad's birthday! 

***

I had to take my car in for the brake and rotor job, going back to Sun Tire without getting the 2nd opinion. My appointment was for 8:00 a.m. and after about an hour, I went outside to stand in order to warm up. As I walked around, I looked into the garage and saw my front tires were off, too. Oh oh....now what? The tech told me it is customary to look at the other brakes as well as a safety aspect. Sort of like that...

When I got back home again, it seemed like I had the whole day ahead of me yet, but wanted badly to take a nap. It is newsletter time, however, so sat at my desk composing as I waited to get the last of the submissions for the newsletter, about the preschool and VBS. I could have put my head down on my desk but instead, I went outside to swim with my neighbors. 

The night before I had gotten a text message from Kathy saying I should could to her mom's unit for a pina colada around 4:00 pm. Okay! Kathy's brother, Gary, is known for his blender skills, as Betty will tell every time we get together. Kathy told me Betty was 'not having a good day' so she asked me plus Hugh and Maureen to come over to cheer up Betty. She really has the best kids, I must say. Kathy has a home on Fleming Island as does Gary, but she stays with her mom to keep her company. Gary comes every day for a visit as well. This time, the neighbors got to help keep Betty company!

Kathy, Betty, and Gary were going out to the pool and sent me a message to join them this afternoon. Just what I needed---an excuse to leave my desk! The water was, of course, a bit chilly for me, but the others all found it quite refreshing. The air temp was 90 which makes all things right! 

I saw Justin come home from work about 4:00 pm, and then leave again. Oh, oh---had I missed my opportunity to greet the birthday boy? No, he was going for a haircut before we were together celebrating his birthday. He sent me a text request to use my car, as his has no A/C at this time. 

Once he got back from the groomers, we left for Whitey's in order to get a place to park---both our car and our butts---before it got crazy down there. Half price appetizers and discounted beer is a big attraction, but only lasting until 7:00 pm. We took a table far from the musician and waited for the rest to arrive. Justin's boss, Will and his wife, were coming, as were Jesse and Michael (both those fellows former housemates of Justin's) and then Caleb, Justin's underling at work. He is 18 and a VERY ambitious young man. I am so impressed by him. He brought along his 6 year old sister so I knew everything was going to be okay for us. Later, Justin told me he was so glad I came along, and that just made my day. I was glad to be included, enjoyed the company and excellent appetizers, and celebrating my son's birth. I was home by 8:00 and he was basically right behind me, being dropped off by Michael. 

                       

Justin and I participated in his giant birthday cookie which I had gotten for him and he opened his presents from me. In conferring with Jesse, I ordered Justin a Jaguar jersey only to find out that player is no longer with the team. Explains the sale price! I can easily send it back, no worries, but he absolutely LOVES the soft-side Jaguar cooler. It is wheeled, like a suitcase, and will hold their beverages, meat, etc. when they tailgate. Also, he liked his new Packer t-shirt and Packer flip flops! 

Saturday is the big day of movie viewing and attending a Jacksonville Sharks game with his friends. Tonight was a blast, though, as I got to know his boss better and meet his co-worker. I had not seen Michael in ages, probably since we attended a Glenn Beck event at the AMC a few years ago! He was away at school and recently moved back to JAX. Jesse is working as an intern for a government construction company so is busy all day long when not in his classes. Good to catch up with the guys and even the little girl, Skylar.

Sunrise greets me

This particular morning I found myself awake before 5:00 a.m. for no particular reason other than viewing this lovely and magnificent sunrise. There is a barely perceptible line about halfway across the photo, almost like a before/after affect. Very cool!

Happy after Happy Hour

Yes, I did enjoy a nice adult beverage with my neighbors and friends, but that is not what is making me feel happy. It is just such good fun to be with them all. It was pointed out to me that I was missing last week (ahem, ahem) but I reminded my friend, Kathy, that she was missing the week before! We do keep track of each other---ha, ha!

Hugh had an envelope with him and was showing some documents to our fellow Member, Bob. Both gentlemen are doing research on ancestry which is fascinating in itself, but Hugh found something worthy to share with his friend. I like that! Researching their heritage from the British Isles back to the Magna Carta, and beyond!

Maureen sent word from her side of the table (she assigns the seats...you have to see it to believe it) to her hubby to share some poems with me. From the same envelope he extracted two poems written in 1983, one of which cautions about the dangers of our TV programs. I found it prophetic. The second poem was a cuter one about the woes of being the youngest in the family. Who would have thought there were woes attached to it? Molly did, missing her siblings when they all went off to school or were married. "Not really an only child, just the youngest..." Molly was killed in a car accident in Ireland many years ago, and H. and M. are quite comfortable talking about her with me. And sharing her poems with me. I like that!

This morning we had a huge downpour and it wasn't long before I heard the kitchen door open, bringing Justin back home. He worked about three hours before rain dampened their work. The boss said the fellows should stay ready to go back if the day improved, but he never did call them to go back, even though they could have. Now, the rest of the week, weather permitting, will be a tough one, making up for the lost time on Monday and Wednesday. Justin did accomplish much in his room, got some of his artwork and other wall decor hung up, really looking good in there.

Justin also prepared a recipe for our dinner tomorrow night---a roast made with three envelopes of mixes including brown gravy, ranch dressing, and Italian dressing. He added to that some fresh onion petals and for the juice (instead of using water or broth) used beer. I like that!  It is my job to plug in the slow cooker in the morning so it roasts all day long and makes the house smell great.

While I was gone to Happy Hour, Justin made a batch of dinner rolls with one of the two bags of pizza dough we bought on Saturday. Between the bagels I got at Panera and the rolls....oh my! AND, we are having such a time with the teeny tiny ants. Even though I have ant houses, poison, and threatening letters out for them, they are still strolling about my cabinets. I have e-mailed my neighbors to see if anyone else has a plague or if it's only me. Makes me wonder if something (ants!) came in with Justin's belongings, though he doesn't have them in his room at all. Nor I in mine. Hmmmm....

                               

Tuesday I had a three hour meeting with my friend, Carol, with the intent of catching her up on the LWMS Convention. I had such a nice report to present to her but unfortunately, my printer was not speaking to my laptop so I could not take her a copy. I did pull it up on my phone to read to her but that's not quite the same. I had to give her a piece of paper so she could write down some notes, thoughts, which occurred to her as we spoke. She remembered how excited her mom would be after returning from the Conventions and enjoyed seeing it in me, all these weeks afterward. Since we met at Panera Bread, I took advantage of the baker's dozen bagel sale at half price. Those bagels are so large, they are a meal. I like that!

Carol was glad to get out and was happy we met somewhere other than our homes. Her elderly father lives with them and when someone comes over, he goes to his room. He doesn't have to, but he does. Three hours would be a long time to be remanded to ones room! Of course, we had more to discuss than only the Convention since we had been apart for well over a month. 

                               

This photo is from the WELS Worship Conference 2011 which Judy C. and I attended

Carol wondered which I would choose in the future----the Worship Conference or the LWMS Convention, for comparison sake. I told her I was planning to attend the Worship Conference in 2014 so that answers her question. It is in WI this next time, south of MKE. Her husband had said that the next time he would attend, so we shall see!!! I would like that!

That's the brakes

This morning I foolishly scheduled an appointment, at long last, for an oil change and tire rotation. The soonest I could get in was at 9:30 so I grabbed it. This worked out okay since it rained during the time I would have been in the pool with the class. Sadly, the fellow reported that my brakes were worn down and rotors needed attention. Hmmm....I am just not sure about this. These were not my usual guys with whom I have dealt so my eyebrows are up.

I have contacted my 'friend', Vince, who checked out my transmission and such for free not terribly long ago, to see if he can take a look at them for me. If he thinks they need work, and is not more expensive than the other place, he can do the work. I trust him! And, don't want to be ripped off OR put myself in danger. What a dilemma, to be at the mercy of mechanics!

                                 
While waiting for my car, I was cold so told the fellow I was going to sit at the picnic table while I waited. He said it was not too hot out yet, and I explained I wanted to be hot. But, then he warned me the table was rickety and to be careful sitting on it----yikes!!! There was NO WAY I was going to put my bulk on what was left of the benches. It needed to be hauled off, not sat upon! 

The appointment was made for me to return on Friday for the brake work, which leaves me time to get another opinion on them. I took the earliest appointment, 8:00 a.m., when the brake technician comes in. My comment was that I should make the appointment for later so I could sit at Aron's Pizza to wait. The guy said, "You could make it for 11:00 when they open, but you don't want the first pizza of the day; you want to wait for the second or third one..." Immediately I replied, "I am getting the first brake job of the day by coming at 8:00!" and everyone laughed. I guess it's okay to have the first brake job (life vs. death) rather than the first pizza out of the oven....

Like old times

This morning I heard Justin leave for work---nice to have him back and in his routine again. If it was not for the sound my kitchen door makes when being opened, I would be nearly unaware of his comings and goings when my bedroom doors are closed. He did not wake me, I was already this way.

An upsetting dream left me feeling sort of anxious, but it was not a 'bad' dream necessarily. Those early morning ones are the worst for me, it seems. This time, the dream began with Justin and me in the backseat of my bro-in-law, Harvey's, car with my former spouse as the passenger. The streets could have been those of my hometown, crowded with cars as we were making our way to a theater to see "The Phantom of the Opera" show!!

At one point, Harv bumped the car in front of ours, heard metal crunch, but in his earnestness to get to the theater on time, kept right on going. He is quite proud of his cars so this was a big deal for him. At last we arrived and parked in this huge field, sort of like a county fair instead of theater-type parking. My sister, Lynn, was then with Justin and me, searching for the right door to go into the building. We were behind stages, not the right ones, asking for directions but not getting good answers. Not sure about our tickets (I think at some point the men found us and had the tickets in hand), but before we knew it, the play/show was on intermission before we even found the right theater. Around every corner was more confusion, and it was a relief to wake up and hear Justin leaving for work!

***

Late morning I went outside to enjoy the pool, finding only one lady out there. She lives in my building and walks back and forth in the pool to exercise. She said the water was perfect (my opinion was different) but was not bad when the sun shined on us. I did a few rounds of the pool and then got out to call my mom. I had almost finished my soda and was glad to see the life guard come down to unlock the cabana. Though not officially open, we can still get sodas and snacks as needed. Danny gave me a soda and I settled in to chat with Nancy who had come to swim some laps. Cindy had also arrived and did some laps as well.

As Nancy, Cindy, and I were chatting, I pointed to the sky at the dark clouds. We knew it wouldn't be long before things changed but wow!, it came by storm! Ha ha! 

Since I didn't have shoes on, I had to proceed more slowly on the slippery brick walkway back to The Palace. On the other side of the pool, branches were falling down from the palm trees with a thud. Danny was running around trying to gather up pool toys and such, and close the umbrellas so the tables wouldn't flip. 

Once more I was chilled to the bone, but my house was nice 'n warm since we had to turn off our A/C due to pump repairs. The rains continued and before long, I heard the door open. Justin had gotten rained out again today, this time right after noon! Usually it's later in the day. He said they, too, were taken by surprise at how quickly this storm came up.

After getting showered, he got busy in his room, organizing and straightening, etc. He asked me to fold his clothes and put some on hangers for him. My pleasure! So very badly I want his room all set up. My living room table is yet laden with his belongings, and hopes to soon get that cleared away. He is asking his friends to come by on Friday night after his birthday dinner so that is his goal, to clean off the table!

                                  

Saturday we had gone grocery shopping. We bought some chicken, which he marinated for making teriyaki chicken and fried rice. He did so tonight for dinner, wishing to time it just right so it was done in time for "Jeopardy!". "Like old times..." he said. Yes, like old times (three months ago). He has also said he missed watching part of The Five with me, sitting in my room in my office chair to do so, and also missed watching "Jeopardy!" while we eat dinner. And then, O'Reilly....

Sunday's update

Justin's original plans for moving back home were to do so today, but he actually decided to pack his car on Thursday night and move back home for good. He allowed me to help him unload the car, making several trips up and down the elevator with arms laden primarly with his clothing. (Why did I buy him clothes for his birthday???) Justin gave me the privilege of carrying what he described as his most valuable possession, NOT his Packer stock certificate, but rather, his gold laurel wreath which I brought back from Santorini for him in 2007. It is his most valued possession in several ways! (I just spent far too much time in my photo archives looking for a picture of him holding the wreath when he opened his gift that Christmas...)

He was busy in his room when I left for Bible study, as I told him prior to his coming back that I needed to see the floor this time. No more of that mayhem, please. I can't bear having a 'swirling vortex of entropy' in his room. Thank you for the quote, Sheldon! 

During Bible study, I noticed my phone was nearly dead so sent him a text message to please grab my charger, which he did, plugging it in to recharge during worship. My job today was to collect offerings at the door for the Befriend a Mission donations so after worship, he fetched my charged phone for me, and then left to go off with his friend, Jesse.

Judy had more family in town because of a friend's wedding so we had a nice group going to Chili's for lunch. Terri T. and her family were going their own way, however, as it is her birthday. She was missed but certainly enjoyed her time with her peeps. Summer has been hard on our church family lunch gatherings, however.

Upon getting home, I immediately changed clothes and got into my swimsuit for pool fun. At last I had a chance to tell Ollivan 'thank you' for the lovely lovely card she sent me during the week, for the cheese curds I brought back from WI. Her comments about me in the card just choked me up, and as I told Linda, really give me something to strive toward, to live up to her compliments to me. Plus, Ollivan sent me two gift cards to Mojo's BBQ, to boot! She was concerned that I had not gotten the card but I just had not seen her to thank her for them, and had not mentioned it to Lee at all. 

The sun played peek-a-boo with us who were floating about in the water. At one point I was getting gooseflesh when the clouds took the sunshine away, and made my way out of the pool to dry off. Lee knew it was going to rain, but said she wouldn't run for it until the last moment. All of sudden the wind let loose, and we could tell it was time to depart. (My friend, Kelly, formerly from church, wrote about a water spout which occurred about this same time further south on the river....). Got back upstairs and out of my cold, wet suit, and then could not get warm again for nothing!!!

When Justin got home from his outing, he got busy again in his room. He asked me to tackle the folding of his clothes and put the hanging stuff on hangers for him. Only then did warmth return to me, which was a good thing. He had a coupon to use before expiration from Papa John's pizza and instead of paying for delivery, he drove up to Fleming Island to get them. Yes, he bought two, because he likes leftover pizza. The ones he got are thin crust, not my first choice, but hey, if he's buying and flying, he gets to choose!

                                 

He also took the time this a.m. to assemble a gift he brought me---another battery-operated vacuum cleaner! This one is more like a "bust duster" with a beater bar on the end of it, on a stick! I had originally told him about the one Mom got with a bust duster attachment, but this one with the beater brush will not work well for cleaning up the whisker mess from ones' sink. But he is also watching out for my poor aching back, and since the battery is good for 15 minutes, that is only the length of time I need to expend. He is so very kind to me, and I love that about him!

Crazed vandals strike!

Friday, Michael C. sent me a text message with these photos attached. It seems some one saw fit to ruin our church sign plus that of the church down the street from us. What saddened me, besides the sign being damaged, was that the apparently very strong vandals used one of the statues dedicated to Timmy's memory to do so.

There lies the little boy reading a book statue between the two glass walls of the sign. It is quite substantial, and was a gift to us from the Douglas' family. Michael wanted to leave it in there until all the paperwork was handled but someone else evidently reached in and extracted it, putting it back in place. What possesses people to do such damage? Shame shame shame!

Rain, rain, go away!

This late morning I went out to the pool which was fairly deserted, strange for a Friday. Only one lady was sitting out at a table, already eating, so upon ordering my food, I joined her. Cindy was having the lunch special of Shrimp Louie, a favorite of many. I ordered my usual of a cheeseburger with pasta salad as the side. 

                                       

I had had a brief chat with Cindy a couple days earlier as she reconnected with a former co-worker of hers, Pat G., with whom I was having lunch. That was fun to listen in on, retracing their steps after being apart for so many years. It was good that she came again so we could visit with each other by ourselves.

She felt quite comfortable bringing up the topic of faith in the Lord with me, asking me about mine, etc. It seems her husband and she had talked about me at home, and were fairly certain I was 'in the Lord', as she put it. He is in me, but I was not about to argue that point. 

We talked at some length about how the Lord's hand directs our lives and paths. She had been dedicated to caring for her ailing elderly parents and lost them both as of last November, missing them greatly. She said she has good days and not so good ones, and asked me if I had them. I told her I have bad moments, usually not entire days, and reminded her the tears are for me, not for Timmy. She actually knew of Timmy, since she was a teacher at St. Johns at the time. Knows Justin better, of course. 

Her grief is compounded and much more new than is mine, but she assured me she knows where her parents are and takes comfort in that fact. Glad to know she has this comfort to help her get by. Also glad I could help in whatever small way I could. A good friend told me once that you can't go wrong with good Scripture text (or a memory to spew it forth when called upon!)

After she left, as if on cue, my new friend, Nancy, arrived at the pool. She had already eaten lunch but did order a Shrimp Louie meal to-go. We chatted a bit, and she told me had gotten my message Wednesday night when I had to break our date. I now have her phone number and she mine, so we don't have to go through bartenders to convey information!

We were in the pool a short while before we noticed the grey clouds moving in. Nuts! The wind changed, and we could sense the rain was coming. Both of us got out of the pool, grabbed our stuff and dashed for our respective homes. Hope she got her Louie before she left though! This is happening far too often now and I am tired of it! I got upstairs and out of my wet swim suit, and put on my cotton knit housedress instead of getting dressed.

Justin came home from work and settled in his room for a rest after taking a shower. I heard the doorbell and dashed to see who was there. It was my new airbed, parked outside my door. I had to wrestle it in out of the rain, not wanting the box to get wet and weak. 

Later, just as The Five was wrapping up, I heard the doorbell yet again. I dashed out to see who it was, finding Debbie, my upstairs neighbor, waiting at the door. She asked me if I had plans for dinner and if not, would I like to join them. Sure!!! Justin declined to come along but that was fine. I told Debbie I would hurry up and get dressed, which I did, showing up at their door in less than 10 minutes!

First I looked at Dick's photo book from a safari he'd been on, and then off we went. They had not entirely decided where to go, thinking of a sushi-type place in Oakleaf Plantation. By the time we would have gotten out there, we figured there would be a line, so at my suggestion, we ate at Koko's! 

                                               

They were nice and busy, like in the old days, with some folks even waiting to be seated. Due to our small number, we were seated immediately and served by AJ, our 'old' waitress from Koko days. We enjoyed a great meal, their treat!, and wonderful conversation. We are on the same page in many ways, which works out great! Debbie gave me her leftovers, too, for Justin. They got a kick out of my plans to be buried in a foam to-go box, perhaps even one with the brand name of HEFTY stamped in it! "Oh, Kim, you're too much!"

U-Verse Part II

Let's see--- we left off with the second visit from Scott in one day, leaving behind the white contraption for Justin to install at a later time to boost the signal to my room....

Terri had been keeping up with me via text message and Facebook as to what was going on, signal strength and all that, like a good friend and customer service person that she is. Wednesday I went out to the pool for water exercise class as usual, complaining the whole while because of cold water mixed with hide 'n seek sunshine. No sooner did I pop out of the pool than did my phone ring---it was Connie! I could see her on the deck at The Palace.

She told me I had two gentlemen callers from ATT, some VIPS's, waiting to speak to me about my service. Wow! I had no idea they were coming so I scampered over there, dripping as I went. (Hopefully, Marlena had written down my lunch order already!). These two fellows, nicely dressed, were the area supervisors and had been made aware of my situation. Thanks, Terri!

I showed them where the modem was located and why (proximity to where service came into the house and to where no extra cable had to be run). Also I showed them the white box left by Scott #1 last night for my son to hook up. They were also made aware that my son had a wireless device, and was able to pull it up on my computer to show exactly what he had. They could see my weak signal strength on both machines and were brainstorming as to different places to put the modem should Justin's solution not work. 

"Mike" had opened the phone jack in the kitchen to check it for something and when he tried to put it back on, the anchor fell into the wall space. Nuts! The other fellow teased him about forgetting what real work is like, but assured me a new screw would be coming that day yet and would be installed for me. No outlets left open! 

                                   

Justin came in after work, found his wireless device and placed it on top of the curio cabinet in the dining room. Almost out of site, but enough so that I could see the lights were lit. I like to see the lights! It worked! The signal is now full strength on both my computers and enough for Justin's purposes (as far as we know) in his room. 

I was told someone would be here before 6:30 but Scott #2 called to say he was running late, which seems to happen alot!, and it would be closer to 7:30 pm. My original plans had been to go to Happy Hour and meet my friend, Nancy, new to the pool and Club. But, since 'their best man' was coming over to fix that open outlet, I wanted to be here to show him our improved signal and all that. So, I called The Club and left a message for Nancy about my change of plans.

At last, Scott #2 showed up. He was a friend of Terri's stepson who also does installs and had trained this man. Nice! All in the family! He had to use a different type of plate to cover up the hole and managed to get the phone jack closed up again. He took a picture of it to brag to his boss who had lost the screw in the first place. Scott #2 was also impressed with Justin's booster and signal strength, and took the box along that Scott #1 had left here. 

Justin said it was like the joke "How many ATT people does it take to get Ms. Kim's Uverse connected?" It took four people five visits but it was Justin who saved the day! Thanks, my dear!

Contacting you from Uverse

Things have been a bit hectic around here, especially with the comings and goings of the Uverse guys. Sounds like something from outer space, but it's actually from just down the street! It seems ATT has a shop just across Kingsley Avenue near the new entrance to Moosehaven. Good thing it is so handy for the guys to get their equipment, etc.

Because Justin 'needs' more signal strength than my existing service allows, he agreed to cover the cost of upgrading to a faster/better Internet program. We decided that U-Verse was the way to go, and a young lady from church, Erin, was able to help me get set up. Terri, also from church, was extremely instrumental in getting the ball rolling as well, making sure the supervisor for the job was ready for dealing with the likes of me!

My "VIP" status got me set for installation on Tuesday between 1:00 and 3:00. I made sure I was upstairs from the pool and had my desk plus surrounding area clear of stuff to allow the fellow ready access to my equipment. That, however, did not prove to be the work area---oh, my! 

The first order of business, once the guy, Scott, arrived closer to 4:30, after being contacted about the delay, was for him to do something at the terminal out at the street. Then, he had to come inside and locate ALL the phone jacks in the house. This meant he had to have access to them first. Oh, boy! I had to wrest furniture around the spare room, which had been moved in there rather indiscriminately to make room across the hall. Oh, heavenly days! Not only that, but there were three phone jacks mounted in there!!! The previous owners had their office back in that room, accounting for all the jacks. 

Then, in Justin's room, climbing between plastic bins which had been pulled apart in the search of my extra set of keys (he later found them in a pants pocket once he got to his father's house!!!), and move a bookcase out of the way. I don't work that hard in a month, and did it all in one day!

(As an aside: Scott had told me that his son had also requested to come back home to live, so was sympathetic to my situation of living in upset. The difference is---Scott lives in a one bedroom apartment! That is going to be tough.)

Scott got it hooked up, leaving the modem device on the bookshelf in Justin's room, which saved running cable anywhere, nearly impossible to do so without it showing. See, I have concrete block walls here, so it is difficult to add modern conveniences such as Ethernet cable or whatever it is. He got my computers connected with the new modem info, etc. and was on his way to yet another job. 

                              

BUT, as I shared with Terri, the signal strength to my little laptop was extremely low, and had trouble connecting at all. I had only two 'bars' of connection at best, more often only one. I found myself lifting my laptop up into the air, like the Lion King lifting Simba to the gods!! Good strong arms for this, or from this...Terri got hold of the supervisor who had Scott turn around and come back to my house. I sure did not expect him due to the lateness of the hour.

                     

Scott brought along a hard-wired booster for Justin to hook-up the next day. Justin had already told me he had a booster which would do the trick, and was wireless but I accepted Scott's device anyway. I felt badly that he had to come back, but while he was here, he got a phone call saying he was not to go to his next appointment. It seems that those in charge of scheduling vastly overbooked the installers and the powers that be wanted to make a point with the schedulers. At the expense of the customers, as I pointed out to Scott. 

My desktop computer worked fine though had a diminished signal and probably my little laptop, used from the bed, would have worked better in the river room or family room, but, we will never know! At least my forearms were getting stronger raising my computer to the signal gods.

More later....

Men in trees

 This morning I heard noises outside my windows, and this is what I saw!

It is just amazing how much difference it makes to have these trees trimmed. When I came in from pool exercises my rooms were so very much more bright. This project is a bit later than usual due to the concentration on the sundeck project. 

That project, by the way, is delayed due to the imported ceramic tile found to be contaminated with some strange insect. It is being held in quarantine by Customs in Miami for a period of 6 weeks. Hence, the delay in completion of this project. 

Morning musings

Saturday as Justin was going through the bedroom closet where my supplies are stored, he extracted my stack of artwork. As he shuffled through them, he said, "These are good---you should have them framed." Wow, high praise from an art history student! 

Thursday we pulled out my underbed bins in search of a particular piece of artwork he did in school. It was my hope it had been unframed or unmounted, and was just buried in the bins, but nope, not there. It is a painting of a woman and for some reason Justin was particularly proud of it. And why can we not find it? It is such a mystery as to what became of it. 

We did, however, come up many other treasures including a piece I have had in mind, if not in hand, for some time. Justin did it in pre-k and it touched me. His teacher wrote for him, paraphrasing, how Justin loves his mama and how she calls him Sweetie Pie. 

Also, we found Justin's "hug", a partner to Timmy's hug, but written in his own hand!! Guess where I am going tomorrow!!!! Julia will know just what to do with this giant hug, to help match it to Timmy's or to contrast it. This will be interesting and oh so fun to work with.

This morning I took my bedspread outside and draped it over the railing. First I shook one side of it, and then the other, making it look like a snowstorm down to the first floor! My dryer would not accept such a large comforter and has no fluff cycle, otherwise I would use that. To launder it would be silly because it would cost as much as I paid for it to do so. A good, solid shaking will suffice!

On Friday, my teenaged guests had a free day which they enjoyed in the pool. Despite the rain, they stayed in the pool and had a good time. I, on the other hand, chose to come back over to The Palace and hung out with Connie. She went to get me a deck chair from those being stored on the 1st floor due to the sundeck project, and there was I, situated just outside the lobby. From there I could keep an eye on the kids and not get rained on. The mailman pulled up and told me I looked like a queen sitting there outside The Palace. Yes, parked in front of the garbage room door, where I reign!

No Chantal, per se

Tropical Storm Chantal which had threatened to ruin our weekend and possibly our homes did neither here in North FL. At least not directly. The storm itself lost strength and became what is called a tropical wave (?) after crossing Hispaniola. The rain we did have might have come anyway and I dislike  that rain did dampen some weekend events for folks.  

Saturday, as Justin was unpacking some of his bins and moving the furniture around from room to room, I was busy cleaning the three bathrooms after my guests. The house smelled of cleaning chemicals the rest of the day. All the towels and sheets were done, folded and put away. I am more accustomed to dragging this out but not this time---swept through and got it done! Speaking of sweeping, I did lots of that as well, plus using the wet Swiffer on the bathroom floors.

After moving my furniture pieces from the room, Justin set up his bed, using a twin-sized mattress from the day bed on top of his full-sized box spring, as his mattress is yet in storage down the street. He made it work. He has to arrange with Jesse to get the mattress moved over here, about 4 blocks, but is a major undertaking!

                         

At one point I looked at my phone and saw a text message from my friend, Lee. She had sent it around noon, wondering if I was at the pool and what the weather was like. Two hours later I replied that I was not out at the pool (gasp!) and the blue sky was dotted with white clouds. I had heard it was raining fairly steadily in Middleburg but thus far nothing here. It turned out she was already at the pool, so my boss gave me permission to go out and ease my aching back in the water. That lasted less than an hour but felt good while I was out there. The skies turned black and started to rumble, and folks scattered madly for their homes. "Bye, Lee!"

***

I wrote a letter to Frontgate catalog to tell them about the failing of the air mattress, less than 30 nights of use, and already leaking. Today I got a reply apologizing for my inconvenience and their offer to replace it for me. I accept! Love good customer service! They will send me a new bed and I (Justin) can use the box from the replacement bed to send the damaged one back again. Frontgate is covering the shipping so this works! I cannot carry the bed/box and UPS will come and get it from me. Love that!

***

After worship today, Michael showed the slide presentation the husband of our member, Tamara, put together wrapping up VBS. I had seen it the day before on Facebook and 'shared' it. The closing slide is of the art piece Justin and I donated in Timmy's memory which I absolutely loved.

                                   

Mike S. had to stay after worship for Outreach Sunday so the rest of us went ahead to Chili's to wait for him. There were 'only' seven of us this week, half of what we had last week at La Nopalera! The waitress wondered where we were, and we told her about our extra large number at La Nop, so were excused. She had asked about my absence the previous week, which was very nice, being missed. 

Regrettably, I forgot my leftovers in the car overnight on Thursday, so made sure I carried my Chili's leftovers upstairs while Justin toted yet another basket of belongings. He watched Fox News Sunday with me before going back to his father's house, where he plans to stay until next Sunday. While some would think he is homeless, he actually has two places to go! He is a wanted man!

...and they are gone.....

The good news is that Justin came in right behind them! My rooms smell of chemicals which I used to clean the bathrooms in preparation for the return of Justin to his room, and for guests using the other bedroom. I wanted Justin to start with a clean slate (bathroom) so he has an established goal to maintain. The washer and dryer are busy as well, and I ran a load of dishes through that machine already this morning. I am busy like Linda is on her regular days!

Before they left this a.m., the group presented me with a lovely photo collage featuring the kids from the past three years of helpers coming from CO to work our VBS. I love it, just love it! The battle to not cry was lost, especially saying good-bye to the guys. 

Yesterday, Michael got me two 12 packs of Diet Coke and this morning he declined my offer to reimburse him. He said it was his thanks to me for housing the kids. It is so truly my pleasure to have them here but thanks for the soda, Michael!

Here is the collage, presented to me from the group, with photo assistance from Kari Muente, who usually accompanies the students from her high school. We missed her this year...

 The young men and I posed on the walkway outside my condo: Jayson, Jackson, Jacob, and me

 Here are the guys with their fearless leader, Michael, who really does not like his photo taken

How glad I am this photo is unclear because then my tears don't show so much. I am not ashamed of them, but don't want to be an ugly crier with my guys! Just love the gift!