Getting ready to leave

In a few minutes I will be heading to the Island to go shopping at Wal*Mart, pick up a scrip and a birthday present for Rick, whose birthday we are celebrating tonight. I am thinking he is 30 this year or maybe even 31...hmmmm, used to keep up with this stuff.

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While waiting for "aparture", as Timmy used to say, I am watching and listening to PBS, a show about Yanni. He is on tour right now and since I will not be attending the concert when he comes through Jax, why not watch it now? His hair is cut and his handsome moustache is shaved, he is not the same anymore! And what is with that weird thing he does as he plays keyboards----is that supposed to air violin??? He always did that type of thing in his concerts but for some reason I now find it quite annoying. He has added singing to the show now, some wonderful tenors and female singers, and it is really quite a fine concert to listen to. I just do not like the little pretend orchestra conducting or arm antics...

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The sky is a brilliant blue, criss-crossed with the white trails from jets and wispy clouds. Boats are traveling the river, some sailing while others scream from one end to the other. Earlier I heard big splashy noises so went to the patio doors to investigate, expecting to see someone walking in the water. But, no, it was the giant fish again! Joanne and I had seen them already last week, needle-nosed looking things, so big that at times their fins stuck up out of the water like sharks. Oh, Yanni is now playing his encore and it is one of my favorites from his early days: Santorini! Go figure! And I loved the song long before I set foot on the island....back in our "Street of Dreams" days in early Eagle Harbor, 1995. Wow, a long time ago!

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There is an announcer lady prompting the viewers to call in their pledges for PBS and I thought, "Man, she looks so familiar!" It has now occurred to me where I think I know her from-----"Seinfeld", of course! The episode, I think it's called The Trip, where Kramer seeks his fame and fortune in Los Angeles as an actor and has a strange woman in his apartment building who is a "has been". She had been in a movie in the 30's and still thinks she is in the movie, complete with painted on eyebrows, just like the lady on PBS! All alone on the house and I am laughing out loud! Not only that, they are showing the people taking phone calls in the studio, also from a "Seinfeld" episode when Uncle Leo put Nana in the nursing home, Jerry was a host of the telethon and Kramer took calls, thinking he got a piece of the action. Not even a gift bag! Poor Kramer! All roads lead to Rome, all of life leads to "Seinfeld"!

What a difference a day makes...

That is what Lynn, our pastor's wife, declared last night as Kathy B. and I joined her on the bleachers at Anna's baseball game. Oops, softball, big difference, I guess. From inches and inches of rain to a bright, sunshiny day! Anna's team at school, the Yellow Jackets, did what they called " a three-peat", taking the trophy for the third year in a row. I am not sure if this was considered a State tournament or exactly what, because Monday night this girls' team also won a trophy. Last night's game was the big finish for many of the players as they were 8th graders, moving on to high school next year. The opposing team was from Lake City, and they appeared to be much bigger girls than Anna's team. It was a squeaker, with the Yellow Jackets behind 6-2 for a bit, and then rallying and capitalizing on some fielding errors to catch up and eventually win. Very exciting!

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The Kuske's joined Kathy and me for dinner (Kathy treated me!) at Gator Dockside in Oakleaf where we had a wonderful meal and great time together. Both Lynn and Kathy are teachers and it's good for them to compare notes about what their week has been like, looking so forward to next week's Spring Break. Our church and their schools are in two different counties, basically, one side of the street being Clay and the other, Duval, so the Spring Breaks do not match up. Our preschool had break last week but this week it's Clay's turn. Many of our Sunday school students were off last week and the rest this coming week. So difficult to take vacations or what have you during Holy Week, that did not work out well in the Kuske household as far as "doing something" next week with all the extra services and activities.

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Speaking of activities, today is our Easter 4 Kids event at church and it looks like the weather will hold, at least through the first part of the day. I have to be there to handle the registration table at 9:00 a.m. to get the first arrivals checked in and identified before the big rush. The Yard Day activities are today, too, and I hope there is a good turn-out for that, as well. Fausto called me last night to caution once more about not picking up the repaired lamb by his ears, only from the bottom or his work will have been in vain. I will inform everyone I know working there today to not pick up the lamb by his ears, and hopefully no one will.

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Victory is having a huge event today, a Spring Festival, of major proportions. They had large-sized professionally designed post cards printed and paid the post office to mail them to the designated region around their church. One of their members busily printed and shaped photo cubes to hand out to the attendees, telling about Victory Lutheran and their Savior. He has offered me the template used for the cube and Kathy told me last night to have him send it over! It never hurts to have extra tools in our tool box, right? Victory is having jumpy rides, face painting, an antique fire truck, collector cars, food (of course!) an Easter egg hunt, and even giving away a door prize of a Nintendo DS. Something for every age group, to get attention of their church. The street reconstruction is nearly finished and hopefully the barrels and barricades won't inhibit people from showing up. I am excited for both congregations today in our Outreach efforts!

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I would like to be excited for the job prospects of my sister-in-law in Valders but not so much. She is still without employment after being laid-off from the web design company where she used to work. Prior to that she worked in a area hospital doing payroll or something like that but when hospitals merged or were bought out, that job went away, too. She is taking part in some job search programs in the County, as she applied for food and energy assistance. Her former spouse also is laid-off so he is not able to pay his obligations for their children.

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Around here networking is so important and when I hear about something opening up, I am sure to let my friends know about it, but I am afraid my sis-in-law does not have all that many people to call on. She is volunteering at MLHS Repeat Performance which will not hurt for making contacts, especially since I know a couple of the ladies who help out there! I did suggest she look into programs offered at the school where my sister, Lynn, works, as they help people who have lost their jobs find new skills, test for placements, etc.

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Speaking of WI, Fox and Friends is reporting about West Allis being proactive regarding underage drinking, posting signs in the yards of those who have either had parties take place or for those planned, as the police are monitoring the networking sites to find out about the parties. Pretty good police work, and this might help parents become more aware of all the behind-the-scenes mischief going on, and who is doing it. Supposedly the parents must give permission for the sign to be posted so I wonder how that is going to work. West Allis is a suburb of Milwaukee, for those who do not know. They are also talking about more snow for WI AND a possible hard freeze in the southeastern portion of the US. Hey, that's me! I protest, and I am going to put a sign outside saying NO to the hard freeze!

Hey, the rain stopped here!

The weather people have gone out on a limb and announced there will be no rain today, we can put away our umbrellas. So far, so good! Actually, I am sweating from the brow as I sit here in the window with the sun beating on me, and loving it!

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During the night, I understand, there were storm warnings and announcements on the TV but neither Joanne and I were aware of it. She did mention waking a couple times to the pounding rains but went right back to sleep. Evidently I slept right through the whole thing, with my full tummy and content heart.

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My lady friends had been here for dinner, enjoying "Breakfast for Dinner" and oh, what wonderful foods we had! As I was dressing the table and got wine glasses out of the cupboard, using my hot dog tongs to reach them, my phone went off. It was Justin, asking me if I needed anything from the grocery store. Huh? Why are you asking me this???

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At the head of the table is Sandy, next, her daughter, Jen; then Christine and Martie. In the kitchen you see Justin, perhaps getting some champagne for the cranberry juice. Glad someone thought of that, because I did not!
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He was coming for dinner! I never even invited him or sent him the memo about it, but he was coming anyway! Well, blow me down! I asked him to pick up some mayo, a jug of water (for my guests!) and of course, what else?, soda. Justin said he wanted to see Miss Brenda, so decided to come. The rest of the ladies then? Chopped liver, I guess. It turned out both Brendas were able to come, with Brenda W. arriving late as she was in the midst of preparing for an insurance audit.

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I made my frittata in the afternoon and had it ready to put into the oven when Christine arrived to mix up her quiche lorraine. I think I might be able to make such a dish as that, it did not take her but a minute to put together. The baking is what takes so long, nearly an hour. My dish was ready sooner which made room in the oven for the biscuits and quiche. Joanne arrived in time to reheat her sausage gravy which she made the night before.

My back to the camera (my best side) and to my left are Brenda N., Joanne, Brenda W., Sandy, Jen, Christine, and Martie. Justin took the photo which is how he avoided being in it!

My slow cooker in the middle of the table in the photo is ancient, possibly even 25+ years old and still does the trick! In fact, three times we had to reset the breaker for my kitchen with all the appliances hard at work at one time, including the slow cooker. My kitchen was huffing and puffing when it was all over!

Besides my frittata, the quiche, and sausage gravy, we had French toast, hash brown casserole, Cinnamon crumb cake, mixed fruit, and the delicious cranberry/champagne mixture. Oh, my, delicious! Justin was delightful as usual, and made a joke about getting me to eat breakfast by having it at supper time! Thanks, kiddo! He received many compliments for his more clean look, the super short hair and shaved face except for his chin whiskers. Wednesday we had forgotten about changing the light bulb in my bedroom so we did that real quickly last night before he went home. He can reach the fixture by standing on my bed, but I could not reach if I put the foot stool on the bed.....not a good idea!

The ladies are so good about clearing the table, too good in fact, but I have learned to not say anything about it any more. Just let them go, even though I tell them I have nothing else to do the next day but clean up the kitchen. I hate it when they have to go home but last night I gave them a pass as the storms were brewing and the rain had begun. Many had miles and miles to drive home so they were excused.

This a.m. I read an article in Forward in Christ about a lady whose mission is to distribute "comforters" to women battling cancer, started because a friend had given such a comforter to her years before. She provides a journal for the woman, Bible passages for support, and follows up with periodic newsletters, etc. She has quilting clubs making the "wraps" and sharing in the ministry. For some reason this made me think of my friend, Judy R., and her knitting. My childhood friend, Susie, is a quilter in Manitowoc, and I wonder if they do anything like this as part of their club. Hmmmm, such great ideas for reaching out with the Word, you know?

Oh, I am crushed!

Here I had myself all psyched into getting out the paints, brushes and canvas this morning, and then, Chris called-----she is feeling quite achy and sore from the rainy weather plus had a bout with vertigo.....okay, I get it, she is not coming today. Rats! This also means that Martie will not be coming because Chris was going to bring her as Martie's car is in the repair shop. Rats again! Chris gets a huge pass from me, though, as she is rife with rheumatoid arthritis and is really quite the trouper. When she says she cannot do something, you had better believe her! We are going to try again for next week when hopefully the barometer will be just right for her to venture out. Some areas of town have had more than three inches of rain since it began yesterday, with chances all day long for it to continue.

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In her mid-50's now, Chris has had many operations and procedures to help her get along better, and I like to tease her that she has no original parts! Most recently her throat was operated on, making the opening larger, preventing her from choking as often when eating. RA is a sneaky illness and affects people in different ways, not every patient the same. She also had back surgery recently and foot surgery, to replace a portion of her ankle. Chris keeps on truckin' and forbids any one from feeling sorry for her. Of all the ailments and things she experiences, the ONLY regret she has in her life now is that she can no longer run......can we say as much? Martie and I often express to each other what a great inspiration Chris is for us. She would flip if she knew that! I mentioned her name once in front of Kathy B. and she knew Chris, too---actually had sung in choir with her at a Baptist church in Oakleaf or Argyle in the past. Small world!

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First thing this a.m. I checked my computer as best I could to make sure I did not have the virus we have been warned about. Suzanne sent me info from her IT people plus what I garnered from Fox and Friends this a.m. about how to detect it, who is vulnerable, and such. It seems that home computers are not as likely to be tapped, but mainly people using shared files and servers, those in business, and those who do not have regular security updates, etc. Since I was able to type http://www.symantec.com/ into my browser line and had it come up, no virus is yet in my machine. If one cannot open the above security sight, the virus is preventing it and you might have a serious problem.

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Last week I took advantage of a 50% off coupon from Coldwater Creek and ordered a few tops to use for the summer months. Just because they look nice on the catalog page or on the models, does not mean it will look nice on me! Ugh! The styles I chose seem to be quite clingy and you would think in my size of garment, clingy would not even be an option. The fabric is such that it sucked on like cling wrap is supposed to do, not one bit flattering. A couple tops worked out okay, not fabulous, but okay while the rest can be returned at the store at Town Center Mall. At least I do not have to ship them all back.

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Poor Joanne! She has the most incredible things happen to her, or around her...Sunday night she got a phone call reporting that a house she has listed near Palatka, which has a fully-executed contract written by her as well, had burned to the ground! Never before has she had this happen and how to proceed?? First order of business is to speak with her Broker and then with the Real Estate attorneys in their association.....unbelievable! The good news was that no one was living there and the sellers had much of their belongings out of it already. It seems another agent had shown the property Sunday afternoon as a back-up contract in case the first one did not work out, but when they left the house, all was well. Fire investigators have been on-site and a detective interviewed Joanne over the phone to see if they can piece things together. How this all plays out is yet to be determined but I felt so badly for her, as she had both ends of the transaction, and now basically had it snatched away by a disaster.

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It seems I neglected to mention what I got in the mail the other day----no, still waiting for my money awarded by the Court----two boxes with my name on them! Mom sent me a dozen sugar cookies from the wonderful bakery in Sheboygan, Johnston's. She did not send the frosted ones like those I get at Copp's or at Johnston's when I am down there because she was not sure the frosted ones were sugar cookies, since the sign did not specifically say so. These are so delicious, and when Joanne munched on one, she was oohhhing and aahhhing about how good they are, declaring them to be "the real deal"! That they are! I even bought milk yesterday just so I can dunk my cookies and enjoy. Thanks, Mom!!!!

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The other box, obviously book shaped, was sent to me from Linda J. A couple weeks ago she mentioned reading a book about splashes of joy that reminded her of me, so she had one sent to me!!!! I tore it open and started reading, even though the pages are dated, figuring, "hey, it's MY book!!!". Oh, it is rich with Scripture and good advice, fun stories, uplifting verses, abundant joy. Thanks, Linda!!!! Not only I am now enjoying dunking cookies, I am splashed with daily doses of Joy!!! I am no longer crushed.........it passed!

Fun and tears on a rainy day (Warning)

This afternoon went by quickly as I put the finishing touches on The Palace Press and got it sent e-mailed to my neighbors. Only one man needs it printed off as he has no computer so I did that. As it printed I went into the bathroom to put on some lipstick and fluff my hair so I could deliver my newsletter to Gus. You never know who you will encounter in the elevator or at the mailboxes, to say nothing of saying "hi!" to Gus, right?

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Just as it finished printing and I stapled it together, I heard a funny noise from the kitchen. The door? Maybe the wind pushed it open---after all, it's been storming most of the day. Then I heard footsteps in the hall and my door pushed open----Justin! Poor Lynx freaked out and flew under the bed for safety. We were not expecting him so early and I was delighted! He remarked that his stomach was bothering him so I coaxed him to sit in the recliner while I went downstairs to give Gus his newsletter. As I went outside, he came right behind me, remembering he had something for me in his car, so we went down together.

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I wasted my lipstick because Gus was not home and no one besides Justin was in the lobby. He brought me a gizmo for my laptop to help with reception for in the family room, the wireless connection I use. My mailbox was empty yet, nuts!, so upstairs we went. Mom would be so proud of me, checking the mail now every day as I await my money awarded by the Court. Still nothing. Nuts! To make me feel better, Justin told me he ordered some flowers for me and they will arrive next Thursday. Guess the suspense was killing him, because he blabbed!

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When we got back up here, he made himself comfortable in the family room where he had the TV set up to watch "Seinfeld". He is a convert! His choice used to be "Frasier" but he began watching a segment here and there at his place and is now hooked! Justin's biggest problem with the show is Kramer, who he thinks is just the worst possible neighbor or friend you could have. Today we saw "The Roaster", one of my favorites, and the one where Kramer finds himself cooking for a Jewish singles group but does not know what he is doing. I warned Justin that I have them pretty well memorized and laugh ahead of time, but he is used to that anyway. When it was done, we watched the outtakes portion of the DVD where Jerry is trying to talk to Kramer who has taken up smoking and made himself look even more hideous. I just roar and hoot in that episode, and now, so does Justin! He made the remark, "These are the ones you are always talking about!". Yeah, that's right!!! That was good, I really needed the laughs today...

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After we were done watching, and he was contacted a couple times via cell phone, we went into the back bedroom to dig around in "the closet". The V-PK at Victory is looking for certain types of toys and there just happens to be some Legos in the plastic bins in "the closet". Justin pulled several bins out to sort through and gather the Legos together, and I did really well with that, as Lisa's boys only last summer played with many of these same toys. A cardboard box a bit deeper in, however, I did not fare as well. I pulled out a large plastic bag, unsure what was in it. I set it on the floor and then continued pulling stuff out. An ark! A yukky ark! It looked like melted candy or something all over it and sort of moldy looking to boot. We both went "ewww!" and I put it aside to wash.

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Justin's giant checker set from Cracker Barrel was in the box as well as the board from his Jumanji game. He said he had recently thought about the game because the movie was on TV not long ago. He had me put it back into the box, with the large plastic, noisy vacuum cleaner his brother loved so much. I was struggling to get stuff back into the box in tight quarters and Justin said, "Let me do it." I stepped out and he put his arms around me, saying, "I think you need this" as he saw the silent tears rolling down my face.

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He wrestled the toys and such back into the box, but we forgot the bag. Cautiously he peeked inside, determining these were the birthday presents I had bought for Timmy but never got to give him. There was a V-Tech carry along computer to help him learn to read. A pair of Dragon Ballz slippers, with what Justin described as cool toes. A Scooby Doo towel, wash cloth and soap dispenser that was shaped into Scooby Doo. Oh, man! At first I had him put the bag away but then stopped, thinking the VPK at Victory could use the computer thing, or maybe I should give it to Manny for his birthday at the end of the month.

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Wow! This was huge for me!! Why not give the whole works to Manny, a special special birthday present for a sweet little guy!? Not really hand-me-downs because they have never been played with, still with tags or in the boxes. Justin said there is a Dragon Ballz movie coming out soon so the slippers will be perfect. He wondered, though, if we should get Gabe a matching pair.....don't know if I am up for that or not................

A quiet night at home---with the "Godfather"!!

Yes, normally I would be at Bible study right now but just before 5:00 pm Pastor called me to report our class is cancelled tonight. Oh, man! Next Monday no class because of it being Holy Week and now this! Pastor asked me to call the others and let them know, but three of us decided to still meet and have supper anyway. What? We still have to eat! And, once more, The Godfather I and II is on tonight.....great!!! No "Dancing with The Stars" for me---not when I can have a mob hit and horses' head in the bed!

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Linda, Judy J. and I met to have stromboli and spaghetti at Aron's where the waitress scolded us for missing last week. I very nicely explained that once in a while we eat somewhere else before Bible study, spreading our good company around the area. Leanne and Carolynn were both feeling poorly and might have missed class anyway so it probably worked out for the best having it cancelled. Linda ate all her stromboli but I brought about one third of mine home with me. I had to chuckle as I carried it upstairs in the aluminum pan with plastic domed cover. My plan to reheat in the container was "foiled" by the foil!!! I laugh at my own funnies!

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I just spent an hour and a half talking to Mona, my sis-in-law in WI, finalizing some of the arrangements for Justin and my trip to New York in May. They are taking their car so therefore can help get us from point A to point B once we arrive near West Point. It will be tight so I will skip a meal or two a week before we go so we all fit in their car!

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This early afternoon I went to the travel agency to get some help with the arrangements for the trip to West Point. One of my neighbors works at the agency but she was not available so another lady told me to come in and she would take care of me. I told her I would be there in a few moments and I was! She, Janice, was on the phone but motioned me to sit at her desk as she finished with the other client. I took out my blush and put the finishing touches on my face, which she scolded me for messing with perfection...well, almost. Janice asked me if I was wearing Mary Kay and I told her the blush was Cover Girl, all the while she complimented me on my make-up. When she finally understood I was not wearing any foundation (remember now, we had not officially met yet), she said she was going to reach across and slap me in the face for having such great skin! I knew the two of us were going to "hit it off" just fine!

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Competently and quickly, Janice found a hotel in the small town near West Point plus arranged for one-way airfare to the "international" airport serving this part of New York. Then she reserved a hotel and airfare for New York City, missing only the ground transportation between the airport and hotel in Newburgh, and then to catch the train to NYC. Mona said they will be able to haul us around so that is all set now too! We had to pay a bit more for the hotel in Newburgh due in part to the big weekend as well as wanting a non-smoking room. I want to keep the things which would give cause for murmuring to a minimum--and I do not murmur. My traveling companion has been known to, however....

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The only portion of the trip not paid for yet is our hotel in NYC which is reserved with a deposit to hold it. We are staying on Times Square which Justin will absolutely love and we got at an excellent rate. She mentioned a place across from the Waldorf-Astoria, explaining the par excellence of the Waldorf. I told her we had stayed there a couple times in the past but those days were now behind us----oh, shoot! She said, wistfully, "I only walked in the lobby...." Yeah, well.......Anyway, our place is the one where Ellen and Billie Powell stayed when they went to NYC so I took it! Now I am getting really excited----to see JR's graduation and the whole experience, plus a brief stay in The City with my favorite traveling companion!!!

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Once finished at the travel agency, I went next door to Winn-Dixie to get the ingredients needed for my egg and cheese frittata planned for Thursday's "Breakfast for Dinner" here. Again, I am excited about that, too! Such great food we are going to have! Joanne is making sausage gravy with biscuits plus my dish, so the house will smell extra good that day. In the morning I have Bible study at Victory and then am to attend a seminar at Edward Jones. Now I am wondering if I am allowing enough time to make my food and dress the table, etc. Might skip the seminar, and get a private class like earlier this month when Frank prepared my recent statements for me to take to Court. Hmmm...

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It has been raining or threatening all day, quite the gloomy Gus out there, but I know that is better than snow any day. As I told Judy R. in an e-mail, I can take gloomy all day long, as long as it is not snowing!!! Right now it is lightning and rain is pounding on the windows, which should make for good sleeping weather. I do not have to be anywhere until church tomorrow night but Chris and Martie are coming around noon Wednesday to paint. I will have to see if I get the paints out again or stick with the scrapbooking....Chris is a good influence on me so I may just get the paints out and see what happens. Dee is hosting an art show at Great Hang Ups in April so maybe, just maybe, I will enter something new!

A Beautiful Mind is a Terrible Thing to Waste

My friend, Cindy, sent a Comment about her attempts to save Timmy's lemon tree which died of consumption---it was consumed by some "buggies", as Cindy referred to them. Fausto, the Master Gardener, had a more technical, clinical name for them---"little bastards"! As we looked at them through his microscope, he said, "See the little bastards?" and sure 'nuff, there they were! That day he gently washed each remaining leaf with a cotton ball and water, and then sprayed them top and bottom with a mix of Dawn soap and veggie oil, which would suffocate the "buggies" and hopefully spare the tree. Sadly, that was not to be the case, and Cindy tried her best to save what was left after the dead branches were trimmed away. I greatly appreciate the attempts my church family made on this for me.

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Cindy mentioned that her hubby's favorite movie is "A Beautiful Mind", of which I watched portions on Saturday. It is really a great movie, a true story, but I must say, I would go bonkers if I had to work with theorums and calculations all day long. It seems as though "John"'s natural calling was doing the math, as it were, and eventually he won a Nobel prize for his work. This movie, plus "Good Will Hunting" feature men with the brilliant gift of figuring out the math in life, while struggling with a mental illness. I wonder, which came first......???

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Besides trying to rescue the lemon tree, Fausto is also busily working on another project for me. One time he had asked about the lamb in the flower bed by the church sign, wondering if he should paint it. I told him it was my lamb and if he wanted to freshen it up, he certainly could. One of the ears had come off, which was already glued on, and was probably the reason we got him at a discount originally. He repaired the missing ear and painted the lamb all fresh and new. Fausto has excitedly tackled the job of painting all the little garden decorations in that bed including the statue of the child reading a book which was a gift from the Douglases; plus a turtle, as well as a baby's head cradled in angel wings, donated by Cindy. He even brought me photos of the finished work, but is not bringing the pieces back to church until Yard Day to put in place once the mulching is done. Cindy's daughter, Tara, has mulch for the flower bed where her family and I attempted to plant bulbs (so far, nothing!) and then Fausto will replace the decorations. All will be fresh for Easter, even if no flowers bloom there!

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Already the sun is beaming on me, making me squint, adding character to my face through the wrinkles around my eyes, and I rejoice! Today is Bible study, our course in worship practices. Always makes for good discussion, especially when adiaphora is involved. Of course, lunch afterward at our favorite Monday place and then home until meeting Kathy B. for a baseball game. The manager at Longhorn gives us a 10% discount for being frequent shoppers plus some of the ladies order from the children's menu which means they get out of there for around $5-6.00 for lunch. Since I order the adult menu portion, mine probably equals theirs because half comes home for another meal.

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My time this afternoon will be used to put the finishing touches on The Palace Press and get it out to the Owners and residents. I need only print one copy for Gus, who has no e-mail. He just got back last week from CO where he spent the winter (backwards, I know!) and the first thing he asked me was "where is the lemon tree?" I had to tell him and he got a bit misty eyed, since he knew the value it had to me. A while back he had wanted to do a graft from his tree to mine, but then chose not to in case the graft harmed my tree. I am guessing he is thinking he made the right decision since it died anyway.

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Now I must send out my reminder to the ladies for our monthly dinner this Thursday, "Breakfast for Dinner". I can smell the bacon cooking already!