The life of an optimist

The other night after dinner, Justin and I were clearing the table and getting things put away in the kitchen. We had some mashed potatoes leftover so I fished a plastic container from the drawer and began the transfer. I am not a good estimator, apparently, because it was immediately evident that I was overly optimistic about the amount of potatoes left by choosing a much too large container for them. Justin chuckled with me as I put this single serving of potatoes in a container which could easily hold 4 times that. I just hoped for more mashed potatoes to be leftover, I suppose. 

Today I did the same thing with my ham salad made on the weekend. I bought crackers to eat with the salad but when I opened the container, I realized I had less salad remaining than I thought. So, I fished out a smaller container to transfer it to and again, chose one too large for the job. Back into the drawer I went to get the properly sized piece. Now I will be able to dip my cracker and not touch my hands on the sides of the container. I am funny that way! I have something in common with Howard Hughes...

A few weeks ago Justin and I were watching Jeopardy! and the one category was children's literature. I answered "Pippi Longstocking" but the right response was actually "Pollyanna". Justin said to me, "You should have known that one---that's what Pete called you." Yes, he did, a long time ago, my friend referred to me as Pollyanna for not seeing things the way they really were. Others accused me of having rose-colored glasses back in the day. Time has allowed me, or ruined me, to not wear them as often these days. 

When reality hits, one ends up with a sinkfull of containers which weren't quite right. But I really thought they were!

Burney's birthday bash

If you can call it a bash---it was only him and me in the entire dining room for the first hour and half of our meals. We had extraordinarily attentive service under these circumstances. In the other part of The Club an event was going on at the same time so staff members were walking through the dining room regularly as well. He got a chuckle out of a few things, commenting on how 'everyone' seemed to know me and that I had a 'special' glass in which my soda was served. First the special hot dogs at the pool and now this. They do this to shut me up---as much for their benefit as mine! 

This was Burney's first time eating indoors so this was extra special. Since neither he nor I liked the appetizer offered, we were treated to a wonderful substitution---beer cheese soup! I could not have been happier.He used his card for the free meal, getting the Delmonico upon my recommendation. He did not have leftovers like I did, though, eating his entire steak. For not generally being a meat eater, he did okay. Because we went early at his request, I was home before 8:00 pm, foam box in hand. Glad to help Burney celebrate his birthday this way!

Nancy W. and Burney poolside last fall. Nancy was invited to help celebrate Burney's birthday but had reserved for the other event at The Club. She's already been to Casual Grille Night once this month when Linda was here so she was excused!

Still stewing about those %@#& cats!

This afternoon when I got home from the luncheon with the Over 50 Lunch Bunch, I decided to water my plants in the pot outside my doors. In the planter are growing what will someday be, I hope, day lilies. The bulbs were a gift to me from Ed, a Victory friend. They have sprouted nicely sending up tall green fronds which are now bending over from their weight. No flowers or even blossoms in this, their first season, being planted. As I poured water over them in this particular pot, I could not help but get irritated with our cats. You are right, we have no cats in this household any longer---so why I am upset with them?

When Justin and I moved here over 9 years ago (I know, that's a long time for me to stay in one place this long!), we brought along several planters containing plants and a tree we'd had since Timmy died. The tree was grown from a seed he'd planted in pre-k at St. Johns. It had sprouted after he died. Justin and I stopped in to his classroom to pick it up, grown in a styrofoam coffee cup. I was so glad to have it. The seed grew into a plant and eventually it was transferred into this large planter presently on my porch. 

The lemon tree flourished on the patio at both The Preserve house and the lake house, living in a screen enclosure. When we moved here, my friend, Rick, moved the plants in his trailer, carefully putting a bag over the lemon tree so as not to lose any of the fruit from it. The tree was placed in my river room where it got plenty of sun and light. The other planters had peace lilies which had lived all this while, about 5 years, and were flourishing in their pots in the river room. They seemed happy there....

But, now come the cats. We had Boots and Lynx who evidently did not like moving to this new house or for whatever reason were behaving badly. Instead of using their nice litter box, one or both chose to use the soil in the planters instead. Ugh!!!  Justin and I tried to correct them of this practice but they were so sneaky. I could not tolerate this so we moved the planters into the courtyard by the doors. The lilies lived for a while but they missed the sunshine and direct light, eventually needing to be removed. 

A lemon on Timmy's tree

The lemon tree did okay at first but then started to lose its leaves. A friend from church, a Master Gardner, came over to examine it, and cleaned the leaves one by one with a cotton ball and soapy mixture. Under his microscope he could show me the 'little bastards' which were affecting the health of the tree. Pests outside on the open courtyard had a field day with my plants and eventually the tree died. I was wounded then, and still now, that the tree died. 

I had grown some seedlings in the past using lemons grown on the tree and gave one sprout to his father. But, I had none, having now only two lemons saved in my freezer for however long I choose to keep them. My friend, Cindy, thought perhaps she could save the rest of the tree after it was trimmed back, but, alas, she could not and gave it a decent burial. If only those blasted blooming cats would have left my plants alone, they could have stayed indoors and away from the 'little bastards' that destroyed them. 

I am still not over it, not yet. I DO keep a record of wrongs (I Corinthians 13) especially about this and the other havoc they wreaked around here. Those darn cats!!! I don't miss them one tiny bit!!

Go Pack Go!

The Jags won a game!!! Yay!! Whoop!! Whoop!!! Excuse me, but we Jaguar fans are entitled to  rejoice over a victory when it happens. And what a victory it was, too. Won by a field goal with less than a minute left in the game. Talk about edge of the seat wins! I know my friend, Gretchen, is going to be beside herself with joy. The Jags had lost the previous 10 games in a row so today's win was a tremendous blessing, long awaited!

This morning we had Bible study and worship, followed by lunch with our usual group plus some extras at Chili's. Judy had some of her family in town, hielping David move into his new place in Tally, so they joined us for worship and lunch. I was in my happy place with 9 at the table. I was sorry Justin missed it by being at the game but he was in his happy place AT the game! 

I did get to the pool for a little while this afternoon but as predicted, the water was cold. A group of us huddled in the deep end of the adult pool where the sun shined on us. We must have looked so silly. One by one we got out as the sun moved behind the trees and we enjoyed poolside ice cream treats at buy one/get one prices, as Marlena is trying to get rid of her supply. As ungrateful as I am, I settled for the drumstix since she was out of the usual Oreo sandwiches which Burney and I get. Patty treated us today, which was a delight no matter what type of ice cream it was. 

This evening we are watching the Packer game and I know I won't be disappointed. After a Jaguar victory today I will be thrilled to be watching the Packers play and win as well. Go Pack, Go!!!

The sun is back!

Having had so many days of cloudy weather every all or part of the day makes me rejoice to have had the sun back with us. At one point it was so bright that I couldn't see my computer monitors on the desk! What a marvelous 'problem' to have!

This afternoon I got shout-out from our pastor's wife, Lynn, who was dining for the first time at 4Rivers. They are sold! Lynn said she doubts they will ever enjoy bbq anywhere after eating at 4Rivers. They ordered their meat from the lean portion of the brisket while mine comes from the moist end. 

Lynn sent me this photo of their tray. She shared it with her husband. I do not share my brisket, ever!!

I made dinner for Justin and me this evening. We had ham, mashed potatoes, and green beans, a veritable feast!  I got the ham on sale at Winn Dixie, a nice hunk for $5 and I can easily see getting several more meals from it. My house smelled wonderful, too, like a holiday! Because of the rain during the week making for shorter days for Justin, he had to work all day long today to catch up their schedule. That guy is bushed, and I can't say I blame him. The rain makes the pool water cold and without the solar power to warm it, well, not swimming temperature for me. I hope to get one or two more days poolside with my friends, at least, before the cabana closes at the end of the month. 

I'm tired of complaining...

...but one more time I will grind about the rain!  This a.m. we woke to rain which made me feel like just going right back to sleep. Justin still went to work as they simply cannot afford to get too far behind on their schedules. Especially so for the commercial jobs they have, needing to always look their best no matter what the weather holds. Thankfully it didn't last all day, but did remain overcast and threatening which made the idea of going to the pool out of the question. 

We have enough to grumble about the rain, but add to that one of our owners needing a plumber last night. A lady on the 5th floor had a 'slight' problem which the plumber was summoned to correct, only to discover the problem was much worse and required an emergency shut-off of the water for the entire building. This was discovered by us when Justin went to the kitchen to fill the Brita pitcher and found reduced water pressure. He checked the other rooms and found the same to be true. 

I called the lady in charge of maintenance in our building and she checked her water. They had none at all and set out to see what was going on. She found the plumber in the parking lot and got the scoop on what was happening and where. She stopped at my door and asked me to send off an e-mail to everyone reporting the emergency water shut-off and gave the approx. time frame for getting it back on. That's my part of the job here---communication. Meanwhile my downstairs neighbor was out on the sundeck talking with the plumber, after having discovered the reduced/no water situation. He asked me if the plumber was working in my unit, and I assured him that no, not me this time. I would certainly let him know if I was having a problem water-wise, believe me!!

I no sooner sent off the announcement before I was informed the water was back on again, so another notice went out behind the first one, with a generic apology for the inconvenience to folks. It was right around 7:30 when we discovered it, dinner time for many so I am glad we were all set before this happened. Jeff said to me, "Good thing I wasn't making soup!" which made me laugh. He regularly makes kettles of soup which we can smell up here, wonderful aroma, for his vegetarian wife to eat when he is gone flying. No water? No soup for you!!! 

What? Rain again?

 I am so glad that I got home from Victory's Bible study before this storm got fired up. This is the view looking south along the river, right after 12:00 pm. North FL is no stranger to summer storms, usually later in the afternoon for an hour or so, but this is now getting to be ridiculous. We have even been having rain or its threat in the morning hours when normally the rains would start after the hottest part of the day. Scratching my head....One good thing is that the FL aquifer is being replenished and even some of the lake beds in Keystone Heights have water in them again. The docks built many years ago now won't look so foolish going out onto dry land. 

Another repercussion of the rains is that Justin and his crew struggle to get a full day's work in, being caught in regular downpours which makes lawn maintenance difficult if not impossible. The other day he was telling me how he needed to hook ropes to the ride-on mower to pull it from a muddy yard, feeling a muscle strain  in his neck. The next couple times he got stuck, the guys instead put ropes around their middles and then walked backward to free the mower. Smart!, but working like oxen is not what they signed on for. The lawns water logged but still need attention. It's a royal pain to tend them when so soft. Other areas in our nation are begging for this rain, and I wish for their sakes that they get their wish!

Thinking of my auntie

Back in 2002 when I was still married and our family lived in The Preserve, my mom's older sister came for a visit for Justin's confirmation. Aunt Marie was quite a character, I really got a kick out of her. This was her first visit to FL, and quite possibly the furthest away from home than she'd ever been. It was great fun having her because this trip was so special to her, all that we did with and for her being greatly appreciated.

One reason she has been on my mind lately is because I had to search through old photos to find a baby picture of myself for a Ladies' Group event. In that search I found a photo of Mom and Auntie Marie looking at a scrapbook together at a picnic we'd had. It was the first scrapbook I'd ever completed, one made for my Auntie about her visit to FL. It was special to me and I hope it was to her, as well. 

My friend posted on FB this a.m. about being lulled to sleep by the frogs croaking out in the yard. That, too, reminded me of Auntie Marie. When Auntie was here in Orange Park, she was simply blown away by the racket the frogs made. They especially enjoyed our pond which was still getting finishing touches put on it before the confirmation party. She would go onto the back patio to listen to them start their singing and then to hear them end their song as abruptly as they'd begun. Once when talking with her daughter in WI on the phone, Auntie took the phone outside so Barbie could hear the frogs, who were, of course, quiet. So my auntie tried to coax them into singing for my cousin to hear. She'd go, "Ribbit! Ribbit" and wait for them to join her. They failed to join her song but she kept it up. Talk about funny!!

Barbie with Auntie, Justin, and me in 2011

Because work was still going on outdoors to ready our property for the pending celebration for Justin's confirmation, workman would be wandering around outside the windows. Auntie and Mom would sit at the table in the dinette and watch all the activity from there. Mom knew our guys, especially Michael, who'd been with us for a while already. He was around so frequently that the ladies got used to having him there. At one point when my relatives started to arrive, my brother-in-law looked up and saw this man in our yard. He wondered who it was  and Auntie said, matter-of-factly, "Oh, that's Michael, the houseboy..."  To this day I cannot think of Michael without thinking 'the houseboy'! He got married a couple weeks ago, which brought my auntie's description of him to mind yet again. Isn't it funny how these thoughts come in groups?

Chuckling away

Oh, that Justin---he just makes me laugh!

Saturday when I came in from the pool, I took off my swimsuit and left it on the floor after I got dressed. Earlier when I put it on, one of my 'old' ones, the determination was made this would be last time I wore the suit. The elastic was not doing its job well any longer, the suit and its occupant were both quite saggy. It was simply time to put it down. A couple days prior to this outing, Justin had sadly announced to me that my pool days might be numbered as record low temps were in the forecast. This does not help to warm the pool water one bit. He genuinely felt badly for me while rejoicing for himself, preferring much cooler weather for doing yard work. 

Back to my 'old' swimsuit---once I was dressed again, I gathered up the wet suit plus grabbed my wastebasket, and marched to the kitchen. Unceremoniously I stuffed the swimsuit and emptied my trash over the top of it in the kitchen basket. There! Justin looked at me and said, deadpan, "I guess pool season really is over..." Tore me up!!  

A day of remembering

This head cold or whatever it is is taking its toll on me. This might add to my tiredness as well, my body is sore from the non-productive hacking I am doing. My mouth is tender from sucking on lozenges which Justin provided me. He also shared his throat spray and I really like having that to calm my irritated throat. My friend, Ollavan, said her daughter-in-law has this now, too, so this makes us both think I am not suffering from an allergy. It might be something in the air, just not pollen or other irritants. Just a bug Patty and I have to suffer through. My nightstand looks ridiculous with bottles of cold medicine, throat spray, lozenges, and chap stick. You'd think it was a hospital room with all the junk needed to help me feel better. At least I can sleep fine and look forward to that shortly!

Some of my time today was spent watching commemorations of the terror attacks on the US in 2001. Across the bottom of the screen ran the names of those killed in the buildings and on the four jets which took people with them when crashing. I remember where I was that day and who I was with. In particular, I think of our former neighbor, Dan, having to work many hours as a traffic controller, trying to get the planes which were still in the air to airports when travel was being restricted. Dan and Lynn hosted a game night the following Friday evening for the neighborhood, to tear us away from our TV screens.

I tore myself away from the screen this afternoon and enjoyed a couple hours at the pool. Strangely enough, my cold or whatever it is does not bother me as much when outdoors. This would make it surely not an allergy thing since most irritants would be outside, I would think. It felt wonderful to be out there and soak up the sun with my friends around and in the pool. I went upstairs to watch The Five with Linda. 

Before that, though, Nancy W. called, wanting to go to dinner. I explained that I had a cold but she said some soup would be the right thing to fix me up. Off we went to Sweet Tomatoes, and she was right---the soup was wonderful!! I even had some salad, especially love their pasta salad with tuna and tarragon in it. The thing which really helped the most was the soft serve ice cream with sprinkles on it. I was so thankful she suggested it and that she came to pick me up for our outing!

Bible study day

This morning I headed over to Victory for Bible study. We had a nice group gathered, with Rita treating us to special bakery from Cinotti's near the Beaches. I've eaten there (they also have a dining room) and enjoyed their wonderful sugar cookies. Today we were treated to assorted doughnuts which were also wonderful. Our study proceeds through Isaiah, nearing the end with only four more chapters to go. This has been one of the finest studies I've ever been through, and I appreciate so much Pastor's style of leading. We are allowed and even encouraged to tie today's events and situations to the circumstances about which Isaiah was writing. Love it!

 

A haunting sky this a.m.

Justin and I had been thinking about our dinner tonight for a while, having purchased the green beans already before Linda came. It was time to use them up! He really likes my meatloaf so that's what we had tonight, plus baked potatoes to go with our green beans and carrots. He added some honey to the veggies, just enough to add a bit of sweetness to them, but not sticky. So delicious!! We have two and a half of the mini-loaves left for another time, and I look forward to a meatloaf sandwich for lunch tomorrow! 

Another Bible study for me today was the one from last night, broadcast from Martin Luther College. I was to be a host for a group of those wanting to take part in this online study which happened last night. When afternoon came and went with no one indicating they were coming, I just assumed it wasn't going to happen. Justin and I went ahead and had our dinner, following our usual dinner routine. I was pretty tired after my early start to the day with the airport run so going to bed was quite appealing. I could watch the Bible study the 2nd time it was aired last night, not LIVE, but opted to do so today instead.

How interesting this study of Elisha is! I have worksheets with which to follow along but I didn't access them, satisfied to simply listen and watch. Much information is covered in just over an hour's time. This is going to be good! I told Pastor that I was not available to host next week due to Trivia at The Club (passing on Bible study for Happy Hour---sad, yes?) but it would appear that no one was going to come anyway. Nor did anyone show up at church for the session. Hopefully folks are tuning in from home, I had sent out the information and links to access the study earlier yesterday. It would be sad to miss this study when it's so simple to just do from the comfort of one's desk chair, or bed, in my case. 

A dramatic change in plans

Oh, I am so drowsy but should not complain knowing my friend, Linda, is even more tired than am I. She did not sleep well last night fearing she wouldn't hear her alarm clock or that her suitcase would be overweight....Yes, she slept in my home one more night!

Yesterday afternoon, Justin was home from work due to the heavy rains, and agreed to drive us to the airport. I was going to treat him to Longhorn since he's been hungry for it since we last ate there in January when he picked me up from the airport. Linda had stripped her bed and deposited the towels and bedding in the laundry room for me. She is a champ! Before we headed out, I decided to check her flight status to make sure all was on time. And it was a good thing I did! It turned out that her flight coming in was delayed by two hours. Oh no! If she caught that flight she would be late getting to ATL and miss her connection. There were no more flights going to MKE from ATL for her to catch.

It was pretty upsetting for her and she immediately jumped on the phone to try to reach her travel agent, Tom. He didn't answer either time she tried, not even at the office. She was getting panicky, wondering what to do so I got her the phone number for Southwest Airlines. They had a recording taking the calls which was frustrating. Meanwhile, Justin found a number where he could input Linda's phone number and the airline would call her back. 

While we waited, Tommy called her back and wasn't sure what he could do on his end. I heard him ask where I was. I was right here, trying to be a helper. The SW call beeped in on Tom's call (thanks, Justin!) so Linda hung up with him and got help from the agent on the line. The only solution was to have Linda leave this morning, so she took that. The flight was leaving around 7:00 which meant a very early morning but no sweat, I was going to get her delivered and that's it! I asked her to find out what the delay was and the agent said it was a mechanical problem on the flight coming from Chicago. Glad to know it wasn't our stupid stormy weather holding up the show. 

Once the arrangements were made, Linda calmed down. I remade her bed for her so she'd be cozy one more night as Justin served her a nice adult beverage to settle her nerves.  Linda asked if La Napolera would be open and I said I would think they would be, after our false alarm Monday night! Justin said he thought it would be a good night for Ming Moon delivery and Linda agreed with that, because the rain was still coming down quite heavily. She treated us to dinner and it was wonderful. 

We all went to bed early due to being worn out and knowing we have to get up before the sun for our airport run. We planned to leave around 4:30, probably closer to 4:40, and we were right on the dot. Linda told me she didn't sleep well because of her concerns so I suggested she sleep on the plane. I hope she can. 

I went back to bed when I got home again at 6:00 a.m. (imagine that---gone and back before 6:00!) and dozed a bit before going out for exercise class. We were free-lancing again today, 9 of us, since Marlena is gone. At least the lifeguard was there to put the music on for us. All the rain made the water temperature go down but the sun helped keep our bodies warm. What was extra fun was having a friend of Ollavan's join us for class and for lunch. It was just a delight to spend the time with her again after a year between visits! 

Me posing with Sistie

I am thinking that a nap or two might be in order for me, and I hope Linda gets a snooze in before she arrives in MKE. She has to drive back to Manty once back to her car and has a long day in front of her yet. She should get home, Lord willing, mid-afternoon today. I am sorry she had to cancel some appointments from today, and miss a breakfast with her classmates, but it sure beats sitting in the airport in ATL overnight!  Good night, all!

Labor Day recap

Today is the day that Linda goes home, actually departing late this afternoon. We are going out for water exercises one more time before she leaves. Marlena is gone on vacation but we ladies can have a fun workout with her gone. Since The Club was open yesterday (normally closed Mondays) for the holiday, they are closed today so we'll have to make do otherwise for lunch. 

Yesterday morning we had a fun adventure. Justin had to work again on the holiday, sad to report, but Linda and I were planning for fun at the pool. While we sat and watched the news, I got a text message from a young friend, Brandon, who moved to OP from south FL a few months ago. He touches base periodically asking for suggestions for school for their son, different contractors for services at their home, and so on. He is a son of First German and my niece, Lisa, used to be his babysitter. 

He wanted to know where on the Island to get breakfast and I answered him either IHOP or Panera Bread. I asked him then if he knew Linda was visiting me and he said he did know, seeing my postings on FB. He said if we'd thought about it, how fun it would have been to get together, especially since his parents were in town for a visit. Wait a minute! Mike and Jody are here??  Brandon asked if we had breakfast, just as Linda was taking a bite from a bagel. I told him we had not eaten and we agreed to meet them all for breakfast at IHOP. Linda and I threw ourselves together, dressing as fast as firemen!, and got there before they did. How fun it was to see our former church friends again, a mini-reunion, and meet Brandon's wife and son. LOVE it!  I had sung an anthem with Mike and Jody for my niece's wedding and had seen them last at the School of Worship in 2011. So good to get together again, and on the spur of the moment. We can do it!

After our wonderful breakfast and time with this FG family, Linda and I headed back home to get ourselves suited up for pool fun. We had reservations for the noon buffet at The Club but I figured we would go eat toward the end of the serving time since we'd just gotten up from the table. We sat with Bill and Nancy and enjoyed time in the water. Bill was hungry and not going to wait for us to be ready so they went up to the building to get their food. Linda and I went a bit later, when the kids' pool games were getting underway. We ate up on the patio instead of carrying our plates back and forth. The buffet offered us burgers, hot dogs, pork, chicken breasts, two types of pasta salad, baked beans, plus other salads and condiments. It was delicious and most enjoyable. Linda had an ice cream Drumstick for dessert but I was too stuffed. 

We walked down to the pool area again and settled in with Bill and Nancy, watching the games. And then?? Giant rain drops started to come down, and away we all went. The rain would last the rest of the afternoon, off and on, but Justin managed to get a good day in. They are playing catch up from the week of rain shortened days. 

On the weekend we had talked about how we had hit all Linda's favorite (and ours!) dining places. We left no stone unturned, or so we thought. In the afternoon, I got a text message from Justin saying, "We haven't been to La Nap!" so that became our plan for dinner. As we drove down Kingsley, he pulled into the turning lane, he asked, "Well, where should be go for dinner?" What? It seems on our American holiday, Labor Day, the Mexican restaurant was closed!!  Since we were right next to it, I suggested Metro Diner, so in we went. Not too long a wait either. The manager stopped by the table and shook my hand, as they are becoming familiar with my face there. I told him my patty melt sandwich was the best one I'd ever had---and I wasn't kidding either. Wow, it was great!  More leftovers to be enjoyed another time. I guess on Linda's next visit we will have to go first to La Napolera and hopefully catch them when open!

Reprint from two years ago

This time I am the one with head cold/junk instead of Justin having it!  Plus Linda is here visiting. We look forward to going down that slide....

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 2013

Labor Day fun

Here is the giant-sized slide The Club put up for the Labor Day events. Folks with kids told me this was the best thing yet, and I shared that info with the folks who run things there. This slide scored a home run with the kids and their parents! I had a great time with my friends at the pool before the rains came.

My poor boy had a rough, rough start to his day today. For the first time since he's moved back home, I stuck my nose in his room at 6:35 to see if he'd left yet. Nope, he was wrapped in his sheet, fast asleep. Even on this holiday he had to work and was about 20 minutes late picking up his co-worker, who had no phone or other communication device. In 5 minutes he was out the door---amazing!

I went back to my room and was getting settled with my laptop when he called me. Justin asked me to go look in his room for his wallet, telling me it should be on the foot of his bed. Nope, no where to be found. He then asked me very nicely to go outside to see if it was lying on the ground near his car. I told him I would go and look after getting my caftan on.

Sure enough, I rode the elevator down with my neighbor (at this hour of the morning???) so explained my situation. He helped me look, as did my other neighbor who was leaving for work. No wallet. On the way back up, I called Justin to report my sorrow, being quite upset about this. He does not travel light in his wallet---besides cash, he has a debit card and ID. 

Justin's thought was he put it on top of his car and it toppled off when he was still on the property. I offered to go and look which gave him some relief. I took my purse, thinking I might drive it, but instead went up the battle-field driveway on foot. Wearing my Jamaican caftan, red shoes, and my purple purse, I hiked up the hill toward Astor Street. What a sight I must have been!!! Should have left the purse in the car, in hindsight.

As I neared the top of the hill, to the tennis courts, Justin called me to report he located the wallet in his work bag. He dropped it in a 'different' pocket on the bag when he put his cough drops into it. I was so very glad to hear that, and he was thankful to me for going on an early morning jog, carrying my full-pack, like a soldier would do!

He is suffering with a sore throat, itching ears, and other 'cold' ailments, like strangling on stuff in his throat. He stocked up on remedies at the store after getting home from work, to knock this thing down. 

I offered to make dinner for us, since I bought some chicken at Winn-Dixie the other day when we stopped to shop. He requested my 'Lazy Ass Chicken', which makes me roar with laughter whenever he calls it that. The actual name is Busy Day Chicken but he likes me to roar! I had all the ingredients I needed, only using brown rice instead of white.

It bakes for about an hour so I began the process of putting it together right away, before The Five came on. I measured out the rice and water in the steamer, plugged it in, and waited to hear the wailing it usually makes when at work. The red light did not turn on...hmmm....now what??? It was dead!! NOOOO! 

                           

This is only the 2nd steamer 'we' have had, this particular being one we replaced after the 1st one quit. Lynn, my sister, had given one to us many, many years ago, and when it quit, we immediately had to replace it. Now, this type of steamer is no longer available new, only used on e-bay. Shoot!

What is going on with my small appliances around here? First, Linda and I had to go to Wal*Mart for a new coffee maker. When I had gotten it out to clean it for her visit, the on/off button popped right out of the machine! I have never bought a coffee pot before, so that's how old this machine was...pre-dates my singleness. It only gets used when company is here so not like it's worn out or anything. Only $9 for a new maker and it worked just fine for Linda. And now the rice/veggie steamer quits. Are they trying to tell me something???

Rained out!

This morning we ladies went to Bible study where Linda was reunited with many of the ladies. She got many hugs and distributed some at the behest of my mom. Justin joined us for worship and lunch. We were all there today minus Betty who has tummy troubles which prevent her dining out at this time. It was fun for us to be gathered around the table at Chili's with our group, Linda is comfortably one of them!

Sadly, by the time we were leaving the restaurant, it was heavily clouded and beginning to drizzle. Nuts! No pool for us today! Guess that means nothing but movies for us and TV viewing while we schnudder. Or work on our iPads. 

Justin took this panoramic view of our counter with our buffet laid out on it. Hard to believe we were not able to polish it all off!

When it was time for dinner, Justin laid out a marvelous buffet for us using our leftovers from previous outings. I see mac 'n cheese, a Monte Cristo from Metro Diner, pancakes from Pengree's, shrimp from the Breeze, plus other delights. There was plenty for us to choose from and then some! Later Justin will make us a root beer float if we're hungry!  Linda and I will have time to watch two movies tonight before bed. All this rain is wearying and wearing! Ruining my weekend plans but we are managing. 

Ringing the Beall

This morning Linda and I both slept later than usual, not getting up to watch for the sunrise. After watching Fox & Friends for a bit we decided to go to have breakfast. I chose Pengree's for us, having already dined at Grumpy's and at Metro Diner. I'd never had breakfast at Pengree's so it was sort of new for me as well as for Linda. I brought home my leftovers to enjoy another time---the short stack being a bit much for one sitting. 

As soon as we got back home again, we changed into our swimsuits to get out to the pool before it stormed. There were a few people out there, mainly in the kid's pool and the teen's end. Linda and I paddled around and around the pool, doing 'my laps' as I call them. About 45 minutes into it I heard thunder so we sat out to drip off before heading upstairs. As we dripped, Mo and Ro showed up, just in time for the thundering to increase. I got a few minutes to discuss the Presidential race with Ro while Linda and Mo talked about surgeries and her daughter, Danielle. She had a similar abdominal problem as Linda's so the ladies compared notes on that.  

While we were chatting, Justin did a Face Time call to me from the river room, showing us what the sky looked like to the east, fearing we weren't aware of what was coming our way. Those with me were tickled that he saw fit to let us know, being concerned our well-being like that. Mo and Ro decided to leave, too, and come back tomorrow, weather permitting.

Linda and I got our clothes changed yet again and headed out to go shopping at Beall's. We beat the storm by only a few moments. As we browsed the racks, we heard great cracks of thunder and the roar of rain on the roof of the store. At one point the lights clicked off but came right back up again. Such things did not deter our searching, though, as we made our way to the fitting room. Both of us were successful in finding some new tops. Mission accomplished! My friends and others who see me will be glad to have me wearing something different for a change!! Our purchases earned Beall's Bucks which we are giving to Janet B. at church tomorrow in hopes that she will have time to spend it!

The rest of the afternoon was spent at home watching "Blue Bloods" and some other TV until it was time for dinner. Linda and I had picked up some Papa Murphy's Pizza for our dinner since I had some coupons to use. One had already expired but the rest were still good. Justin took care of baking the pizza while he made up a batch of his apple dumplings which we had for dessert later. Linda and I watched "The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel" this evening. She brought along several movies for us to watch and thanks to the weather, we are getting them watched!  

Our hopes are that after church and lunch tomorrow we can get out to the pool again, but the forecast is not promising. The thunder storms here are not calming, I refer to them as window rattlers, because my stuff hanging in or on the windows rattles when it booms. And then, the storm is over---just like that! Summer storms....

Gearing up for the weekend

This morning Linda and I joined my friend, Ollavan, for a late breakfast/early lunch at Metro Diner. She wanted to treat us because Linda had brought her some cheese curds at my request. O. just loves them so it's such a special treat for her that she chose to take us to eat. 

But first, Linda and I stopped in at Basketique Tea Room to do some shopping. I had a gift certificate (also from Ollavan) to spend and Linda needed a few things to take home with her. She is in love with the muffaletta which is served at the teas, as does Tommy. Pat had two jars on hand---one for Linda and one for Tommy!

Back to Metro---O. was already there but we were seated just as we arrived at the Diner. She had breakfast food but Linda and I chose from the lunch menu. We had excellent food and great conversation. One 'bad' thing about Metro is that people are always awaiting a table so one hates to sit around talking too long, which would be rude to those waiting. Still, we enjoyed our time together. I had another to-go box with me when we left.

Since it was such a lovely day (no rain yet!) we went out to the pool. Oh, it was great! My hopes are that this being the first day of our long weekend at the pool we will not be rained out. We paddled around as people came and yet, including Nancy M., Mark and Patty, and later, Burney came out. I was glad to see him again before he left for vacation. His family and he is going on an Alaska cruise, his first. I advised him to dress in layers, but he is tougher bird than am I. He is the last one out of the pool in the fall and the first one back in. Sometimes I think he can swim all winter long. Like I said, he is a tough bird from ND!!!

Linda sporting my white hat to provide extra shade. We are careful with her delicate skin.

While I can easily stay out there most of the afternoon, my friend cannot so we went upstairs and changed into our loungewear for the evening. Having no other plans for dinner, Linda and I ate leftovers.  After watching Jeopardy!, we watched some TV before heading off to bed. The rain and gloomy skies makes us groggy. Thanks to the more than regular rains, we've gotten plenty of movie and TV watching in. I discovered that "Last Man Standing" is being shown on the county music station so we've been enjoying episodes of that. Can't wait until the season resumes later this month---about the only show I watch 'fresh' as compared to rerun!!  

Enjoying the Breeze

This morning Linda and I drove over to Victory for Bible study, our last time meeting at the tables in their kitchen. Next week their VPK program resumes, so we'll meet in the back of the church instead. Anyway, they had been 'warned' that Linda was joining us this week so there were plenty of seats at the tables. Linda even got a chance to read a portion of the text for which we'd done our homework yesterday afternoon.

Stephanie, Erica, Jean, and me at my home in 2013

The study was good, even better today because it's Stephanie's first time joining the group since retiring in June. Almost immediately after retiring she headed to her mom's house in WI to be with Jean through her knee replacement surgery. What a good daughter she is! A few years ago we played trivia together once a week at Johnny Angel's Diner but that ended so our visits were fewer. Later, we attended Bible Information Class together at Victory. Now, they will be weekly again!

I had pre-arranged with Dawn and Stephanie to join Linda and me for lunch at Bahama Breeze. Oh, I just love dining here alfresco. It's like being on vacation which I know is silly because I already live in FL. What was somewhat odd was that Stephanie and Dawn, both members of the same congregation, had to basically be introduced to each other. This is a problem when church's have more than one service, ending up with two separate congregations. I was unknowingly playing match-maker for these two and now they've gotten to know each other a bit better. Dawn lives in St. Augustine so doesn't come to church more often than worship and this study on Thursdays. I can't imagine the class without her!

The breeze was nice, in keeping with the name of the restaurant. Linda and I enjoyed adult beverages (Stephanie abstained because she wanted to do some things around the house this afternoon, and not sleep!) which helped to get Linda even warmer. It was 87 above zero outside which is just right for us who live here but too hot for my friend. We left the restaurant and stopped at Target in the Town Center to get soda and hamburger ($3.99 a pound!). She greatly appreciated the A/C in the car on the ride home. 

Because we were going to dinner tonight at The Club, we opted to not go out to the pool, which would have helped us to cool off. Instead we watched some TV and worked on our iPads until The Five. There may or may not have been a nap in there, too........We must be fresh for lovely steak dinners later at The Club!

Nancy W. met us two ladies there. We all ordered the steak from the special grille menu. The waitress boxed up my salad for me and was going to keep it in the fridge in the back to send home with Nancy later, but we forgot about it when we left. Shoot! I had about 3/4 of my steak remaining plus half my potato which will be good another time. Linda had leftovers as well to add to our collection in the fridge. We just need a day or two to polish off our leftovers until we start again!

Rain on our parade

This morning Linda and I were greeted by this lovely sunrise. I am thrilled that she is getting to see some this visit, as compared to last September when it was too overcast in the mornings to see such skies. Even caught a fish jumping, or finishing its jump in the near center of the shot. 

This morning we ladies went out for water exercise class, having great fun laughing and talking during our routines. I am mainly at fault here, as you might guess, But we have the ability to multi-task AND get a workout accomplished.  

Here is Linda at the pool. Again I caught her in the middle of something, perhaps sticking her tongue out at someone! 

The weather did not encourage us to remain outside for lunch today so we came upstairs and enjoyed leftovers instead. Our plans were to go to Target for soda and hamburger, plus I wanted to get a pedicure (something I'd planned to do before Linda arrived). As we walked out of the condo, the heavens opened and it began to pour. We turned right around and went back into the house. The sale is still on tomorrow so why go out in a storm?  

Instead of shopping and my foot grooming, we spent our afternoon hunched over homework for tomorrow's Bible study in Isaiah 60. I had an extra folder with the worksheets in it which Linda used. We alternated reading the passages and looking up the references, etc. for answering the questions on the sheets. That was fun to do, as Kim and Linda would. 

Speaking of Bible study---a week or so ago, I had been contacted by the pastor, asking if I would be willing to host a midweek Bible study at my house. This would take place during the time of Linda's visit, and because I'd already made other plans, I told him I'd have to clear it with her first. She said it was fine to do that so let him know we were good to go. The study was being aired from MLC and would be a on-line live, interactive session. Folks could come here or to church for the class, using the small group theory of study. 

Linda was surprised she had not heard about this class and later asked her pastor if FG was not going to participate in the Synod-wide study. He said they were but it didn't even start until the 9th. Oh my! So, after announcements had been made, emails sent, and promotions done in the newsletter, etc., it came to light that the class did, in fact, start later in the month. I let Pastor know this and he was glad I did, saying he must have written down the wrong dates at Conference. Oops! Good thing Linda asked her pastor or I could have a houseful of people here tonight (ever the optimist!) and no study to do.  Not that I mind company, of course, but still...

Therefore, our plans for tonight did not need to change and we walked over to Happy Hour at The Club as originally planned. It had rained this afternoon, of course, making it quite steamy outside. The AC was on in the Garden Room so Linda was comfortable. We shared a table with my friend, Kathy H. and her mom, Betty, plus others. For our dinner, we ordered the grilled cheese with bacon from the tapas menu which was extraordinary. I ate the whole sandwich, plus some of the homemade chips. So very delicious!

Tonight we are watching a movie I like very much, "Tea with Mussolini", continuing our Holocaust-theme started with "Woman in Gold". It is an all-star cast and is also based on a true story, as is Woman in Gold. This a great way to end our day!

Activities are underway

Yesterday Linda and I had a fun and full day of events including going to Grumpy's for breakfast and to the movies in the afternoon with Judy C. Today we started out with water exercise class with the ladies, all of whom knew well that she was coming. They did not know (unless they follow on Facebook) that she arrived ahead of schedule! So she was able to join our class a day sooner than expected. It was an absolutely lovely one, too, with no hurricane or tropical storm to affect us. Thankfully, Erika broke up after she hit land so never amounted to anything in the US. 

Ellen, my neighbor and friend, sent me this photo she took from river room window last evening. It is amazingly beautiful!

So, after our exercise class, about six of us stayed to have lunch around the pool. Marlena took our orders and got us our meals from the kitchen in The Club. Oh my gosh, the most delicious beer cheese soup! I ordered a bowl portion as did Linda so I had some to share with Justin. Linda and I shared a beef and Swiss wrap which was out of this world, too. Oh, my, so very good!

For dinner tonight we went to Koko's, another favorite place checked off Linda's list. They were a bit short-staffed but we didn't really notice. At least, not until I realized they forgot to serve us our cheese rangoons. Theirs are the best rangoons in Orange Park in my opinion. The waitress put in the order but somehow they got missed. No worries, Jimmy cooked us a wonderful meal and all was well with the world. The fridge is full of white to-go boxes! 

Linda brought several movies with her for us to watch. Already we watched "Woman in Gold" which I had purchased after seeing it in the theater. I look forward to sharing it with friends after pool season is over. We also have both movies from the "Marigold Hotel" series to watch, plus she brought "The 100 Foot Journey" which I'd also seen in the theater. We watched that one last night, and it's so good. Love movies with happy endings!