The fun in full

Linda and I are sitting in the living room watching "Grey Gardens" and resting before the guests begin arriving for the dinner tonight. The turkey is roasting in the oven and the mashed potatoes are ready to go. Linda is not satisfied with the way the rolls came out which I attributed to the lower altitude but she blames the flour. Regardless, the butter will make them just fine and if there are leftovers, well, I shall simply enjoy them at my leisure! The patio doors are open which aids in the comfort of my guest and is making my wind chimes sing. While my feet are cold, my slippers are doing their best to warm them. Linda is wearing her nightie so she would not get her clothes full of flour so she is as just comfortable as can be!

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This morning we went to Bible study at Victory where we met Justin and all the other attendees. Linda had quite a time chatting with Pastor Hoyer, comparing notes, as it were, regarding the news from First German. They shared people in common, as is normal in the WELS, and discussed the Hmong congregation active at FG. We talked about how Loren Steele started the ministry to the Hmong in our community while serving as vicar, and then carried on with it in the Twin Cities. It was just wonderful to share in the excitement, hearing the statistics and such about FG.

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Justin, Linda and I went to the Cheesecake Factory at the Mall for lunch. We found a good place to park which did not make for a long walk for us. Justin was going to drop us off and then park the car but we were blessed to have handy parking. When we got out of the car he thought I should take my "dinner jacket" along but I was sure the sun would be sufficient to keep me warm, and it was! I was glad they had the heaters on the patio but we did not need them. In fact Linda was burning up! It was "only" in the mid-70's but the sun made it tolerable for me. Justin did not want to go to Mimi's again so picked the Cheesecake Factory---and ordered the very same thing he orders at Mimi's! Made me laugh but this was a good idea anyway to eat there. I had the mini-chicken sandwiches, eating three of the four because they were just so good! Justin took the remainder home with him. The other two ate their food but none of us ordered dessert, although this place is known for their sweet treats.

Well, the ladies are nearly coming so I am going to sign off for now. Perhaps more will follow later but then again....tomorrow?

So much to talk about today

How do I decide, since I am all over the place in my mind? Sleep was hard to come by at first last night which I attribute to the time change. A young boy at church asked his mama why we had to save time....good question, Daniel! Part of my pre-sleeping time was spent writing the Ladies' Group Minutes, which somehow my "Minutes" are anything but! Next year there is a new Secretary (yippee!) so the Minutes will be shorter. Kelly T. has agreed to take over for me and LuAnn is going to return as President, giving Twila and me a break. The Treasurer's job is too hard to switch out---first of all because no one wants it and secondly because Judy C. does such a good job with it!

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In between the writing there were chats and other "conversations" on Facebook. One of my scrapbook mentors sent me a status update to copy and paste onto my page, which starts a thread. All that lingo! What it means is I put something on my page and then people are prompted to respond. The idea for this particular one was to have people write back about what their first memory was of the two of us---sort of like how we met or whatever. What a wild, fantastic trip THAT ended being down memory lane! One young lady remembers me chasing Justin through the playground at church calling "Lambie, wait for me...." Some were childhood remembrances, some were church, some were siblings, some were grade and high school friends, while others were from scrapbooking. Great fun!

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Other thoughts scampering in my brain were about choices. We often do not measure how a decision made long ago affects what happens today. The question arises whether hindsight would affect foresight but I rather doubt it, since we tend to live so "in the moment". The immediate gratification we desire seems to be more powerful than common sense or a clear conscience. I LOVE it when people express how much they "deserve" something because really, if we truly got what we deserve, what a horrific shock that would be! We do not deserve the love and mercy of the Lord, but yet, we have it. Thank you, Jesus, for not giving me what I deserve. The things we thought were so vital years ago are not so important or even in the picture today when we could really use them. The shelf life was too short or our attention span was!

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A year ago at this time Judy R. was here with me above the river, enjoying her time in the sun, as it were, reading in the river room or knitting in the family room as we watched episodes of "Seinfeld" together. We also went to see Jerry Seinfeld perform live downtown with Justin and Emily. Paul opted to let Emily go with me to see Jerry because he got to go along to the symphony for the John Williams/Star Wars-themed night. The moon was just rising over the river when we ladies headed downtown and we snapped a shot of it. Gorgeous! On our scrap booking night, we also got to watch the shuttle launch from my railing. Tonight Linda and I will enjoy the moon on the river, as she arrives around noon today. I love having my friends and family come for a visit!!!!

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My niece just sent a text message that it was only 30 degrees above zero in the city Linda just left. Alayna is not wearing a jacket yet, but is sporting her snowman socks in my honor! That kid! The comforter is over my feet and legs and I dread having to get up, but must. After a shower, I will go down to the car for the rest of my groceries so I can fit Linda's luggage into the back. I am usually good for one trip up from the car, especially when carrying a frozen turkey AND a gallon of milk besides my other fridge or freezer foods. My arms stretched an inch each carrying those heavy bags. Again, the idea of the luggage carrier Judy C. has for the soda cases sounds better and better!

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Justin was here on Monday after work and got lots accomplished in a short period of time. Strangely enough, he showers before he works in my home which seems like something to do after the fact. Besides the cleaning, he installed my router so now I do not have to borrow from my neighbors for Internet service on the laptop. It was a straight up exchange at Office Max, the computer bag for the router. When the building was being painted, I had to remove my courtyard art as the painters took out the nails and caulked the holes. No more hanging stuff outside, no breaking the seal of the paint finish. So, I figured out how to display some of it---a large glass plate hangs on my front door below my Greek evil eye. Justin wanted to display the two crosses somehow, working on that after I left for my meetings. When I came home I saw my kitchen light was on, and then realized he did that so I would notice the crosses he hung in my kitchen window! Very nice---at least from outside! The crosses are brightly painted Spanish-style decor on their faces, but stark white on the back, which face into my room. Maybe I will get used to it, or maybe I can paint them blue!

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Time to throw off these covers and get showered for the day. The lady at Publix yesterday wondered about my purchases of turkey, potatoes, pumpkin pie, etc. as I told her my friend from WI was coming for a feast. I told her how excited I was about Linda's visit and as she handed me my cash, said, "I like your attitude!" What a nice thing to say...I told her that we laugh so much we need to sit on towels, and the lady in line behind me said, "I hear that...!" Great times soon to be had by all! When I go to get the rest of the groceries from the car, I must check all my tires to make sure none are flat, like happened last February when Linda came...she came "home" in a taxi, all New Yorkish!!!

Have nothing to do with them!

"But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with them." - 1 Timothy 3:1-5

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How much more clear can it be? This morning our area again awoke to a tragedy, only two weeks since the disappearance of Somer Thompson. In an equally horrific situation, a man apparently went off the "deep end", killed his teen aged son and 11-year old daughter, and then himself, while the mom was in the shower. Hopefully the kids never knew what hit them but oh, the poor mom when she discovered what had happened. It seems they were getting a divorce but still lived under the same roof in an upscale community on Fleming Island. Coincidentally, it is the same neighborhood where my former spouse lives. Besides the horror the mom and extended families are experiencing, the detectives and sheriff's office are just about stretched to the max with all this. A few weeks ago there was a double homicide at a club on Fleming Island where two 24-year old men were stabbed, not necessarily by each other. Law enforcement is pulled every direction with these deaths in our bedroom community, and my heart hurts because of all this!

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In order to be a suitable hostess to my friend, Linda, I went to Publix and stocked up on groceries. While waiting in line at the deli to get my Johnsonville Summer Sausage sliced, I met up with the two attorneys we had done business with for many years, our closing agents. They also rented from us. They still handle my closings although it has been nearly four years since I had one! Anyway, it was nice to see them again. John said he had seen Justin several months ago at a Taylor Swift concert and reported, without my asking, that he was "very well-behaved". What mother does not mind such a report?

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As the young lady unloaded my purchases into the back of my car, I spotted a lady I knew from my neighborhood in Woodlake, Eagle Harbor. We greeted each other, saying how nice it was to see one another again. She asked about my family and I reported how Justin was 22 now and taking classes and working. Sheila asked me about Timmy and then suddenly remembered, but I told her not to be upset, that his situation was far superior to ours! And then, she made a comment which rocked me back on my wheels---she said it is wrong that we have to bury our children. I agreed and she told me that since Sharon died, she makes dinner every day for Jeff and the family.....wait wait wait a minute here! Sharon died???? I had no idea! She had a brain aneurysm while taking a shower and her daughter found her when she got home from school. Wow! That is what I get for not reading the paper! Sharon was only 47 and left three daughters, her youngest graduating from high school this coming spring. Jeff had given up his job, as he had been asked to take a step back in his career and used the year to pick up the pieces and grieve for his wife. Thankfully, Sharon's mom, Sheila, who lost her husband only two months to losing her daughter, lives on the Island and can step in to help like she has.

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Our fun story about how we met Sharon began when we bought our first lot in Eagle Harbor and had our two-story home under construction. My former spouse and Justin, then about 6 or 7, had climbed up into the house and were on the second floor but Justin froze when it was time to climb back down again. What to do??? The neighbors had just moved in across the street and I spotted Sharon in her garage. She let us borrow an extension ladder and that is how Justin got down from the rafters in the house. He played with their kids as long as we lived there, since once we moved in, it sold seven weeks later. Then we had to rent over in Peters Creek, where Judy J. lives. I had seen Sharon at the airport one time when Mom was heading back to WI and we chatted a bit. She and her co-workers were traveling for business, I think, and it was just so fun to run into someone you know at the airport. I get a kick out of it anyway, and I remember Mom saying something like, "You can never go anywhere and not know somebody!" Small world and fond memories. Sheila was not aware that I was not married any longer so we each had surprises today. Some good, some not so good---life on Fleming Island!

Brrrr....it's cold out there!

This sounds like two weeks ago when I posted about the "cold" weather but today is not nearly as bitter cold as that day was. We are supposed to touch the low 70's today, much to everyone's (except me!) delight but right now it not quite there. It is obviously more chilly than it has been lately, except for the day two Mondays ago when it was 44 in the morning. Folks are glad to be able to wear sweaters for a while but that will get old, too. By the end of the week, I hope the temps prove more hospitable for my visiting friend!

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Justin is coming today after work to do some cleaning. I want things to be nice for Linda's visit and he will do his share to make this happen. He might still be working when I leave for my meetings tonight at church but that's okay, he knows where everything is and all that. We are having a brief Outreach meeting before the Ladies' Group meeting so I have to be at church earlier than usual. Tomorrow is the day to go grocery shopping to lay in supplies for my friend's visit and for the dinner on Thursday night. I have four replies in the affirmative already which makes me quite happy.

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Last night I cleaned out my fridge, and filled up the kitchen waste basket in no time flat. There were several containers from juice or lemonade (make a note, I need more lemonade and some Firefly for Linda's visit....) so mostly I made sure there was plenty of room for my purchases. Today Judy C. hauled in eight cases of soda into the Fellowship Hall, using her former luggage cart with bungie cords to hold them in place. Hmmm, now there is an idea! It folds up completely flat and the straps wrap around so they will not dangle....I could use that for my purchases of soda instead of bringing them up one at a time. Good idea!

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This morning was Bible study and we had a full house around the tables. A member who has been absent for a long time with health problems was finally given the go-ahead to drive so Cindy made it to class. Our study is of the Gospel in the Psalms and is more in depth than I would have imagined. As we left, there was a great deal of discussion regarding whether or not to return to Longhorn for lunch, our usual place. Since Patty had been let go, we had other servers taking care of us, and somehow the bills for the meals were going up and up. It seems she gave us a rather sweet deal, not the reason she was let go, however, and these other people are not honoring the deals we had become accustomed to getting. Some would order from the kids menu and had their drinks included in the price. No longer---the drink is billed separately plus the tip is automatically included in the price because of the number of people in the party. A deal breaker to most of them. Next week, we are going to Steak 'n Shake where some will have the $2.89 special of steak sandwich, fries, and drink. I will have the Wisconsin Butter Burger, of course!

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It was a good thing we decided to give Longhorn one more chance today because when we walked up to the door, there was Patty, waiting on the bench!!! She was having lunch with us! Let me back up a bit: during the conversation at church about where to go, Jackie suggested that I call Patty some day and we can invite her to lunch with us, but not at Longhorn, so she would not feel bad. I thought that was a great idea and said I would give her a call, as the Hostess had given her cell phone number to me the week before. Sure enough, there was Patty, waiting to have lunch with us, on her old turf! She is going to go with us next week, too, and I invited her to Bible study as well. Others did too so she might be there--we shall see! My guess is she was raised Roman Catholic due to her Italian heritage, but may likely not be a regular attender. Outreach at Longhorn---it's a beautiful thing!

A wonderful day seeing friends!

After church today, I had a chance to take a few photos, or rather, let Terri use the camera and she snapped away! Here are Carol, Laurie, Mark, and Dawn. Carol is holding one of the lovely Mexican sunflowers which are blooming along the building. Laurie's kids took great pleasure in pulling the 15' tall plants over to pick the flowers for their mom and Grandma!

Here is am, posing with Mark and Dawn, long time members now living in the outskirts of Milwaukee.

Kelly is the daughter of Mark and Dawn, and a daughter of our congregation. She was a teacher in the preschool when Timmy was a student there. When Kelly went to Martin Luther College, she kept a photo of Timmy tucked in her mirror, telling me he was her inspiration to be a teacher. When he died, Kelly wrote me a letter, and said she was naming her first son after Timmy. And she did! Her son, Alexander Timothy, is standing in front of me with his brother, Aaron. Kelly's husband, Paul, is on the right side. They are off to Disney as part of the Make a Wish Foundation's treat for them, because of Alex's disability. Kelly's next son is due in February---My Three Sons!

Happy All Saints Day!

But lo! there breaks a yet more glorious day;

the saints triumphant rise in bright array;

the King of glory passes on his way.

Alleluia, Alleluia!

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My day began with moist eyes, make that soaking my cheeks, as my sister, Lori, sent me a message. She reported lighting a candle at an All Saints' Eve service at their church last night in memory of Timmy. Wow, what a way to start the day!

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Besides sniffling this morning, I am also chuckling as I am watching "Roseanne". I don't know how I can find this funny especially since this episode is one where Dan loses his business and had to have a fire sale at his motorcycle shop. They are in danger of losing their house and the cable is getting shut off....and so on. Besides all that, their daughter and her boyfriend sneaked off and got married because her boyfriend lost his job at Dan's shop. He was offered a job in Minneapolis and wanted to take it, but did not want to leave his girlfriend. One disaster piled upon another....Yet somehow these people manage to find humor in things. "You know nothing of my powers, do you, boy?" as Roseanne has a nose to nose chat with her new son-in-law. Funny stuff! Now the two sisters are saying good-bye to each other, in a tender moment, telling each other they love them. Darlene asked, "Did you ever know that you're my hero?" to which Becky replied, "You are the wind beneath my wings", which reminded me of Lori and me! Oh, no, not again!

Eureka! I have found it!

Did you realize my desk is white? Neither did I! Well, I actually did but since it has been ages since the top was visible, well, it is certainly nice to see! One or two items remain for pending use but the files have been filed and the threshing machine (a.k.a. shredder) is smokin'! Bravo for me! This project was on my to-do list for before Linda arrives Wednesday and although she told me it did not matter to her if it was cleaned off, it did to me! It is important to set short-term goals when faced with "challenges" such as this. Next? My closet?!?

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The moon is nearly full and I was looking forward to seeing it reflecting on the river but sadly, a huge grey cloud moved into position to prevent it. The temperatures got up to 84 above zero today, making it one of the hottest football games played between the Gators and the Dawgs. When last peeking at the score, I saw the Gators were ahead 24-10 and had recovered a tipped ball. Earlier I had heard the jets roaring overhead, figuring they were lining up for the fly-over at the beginning of the game. I spoke with Joanne about that time and she, too, was having an "at-home day"! How funny is that? As I dressed in my less-than-presentable shirt this a.m., I thought to myself, " I can wear this because I am having an at-home day today..." and then to have her tell me she was doing the same thing just made me chuckle. The streets are just crazy out there, according to both Joanne and Justin, who called me late this a.m. Last night it took him a long time to venture between Jax Beach to his own home and today he was going back that same way to watch the game at his friend's house.

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I have done alot of laughing in my house today, all by myself....is there a pill for that? First thing this morning, I was chatting with Linda via Facebook when the Fox and Friends anchors came out dressed as the "Seinfeld" characters. It was just a hoot! They really pulled it off. Dave dressed and did his hair like Kramer, Clinton was Jerry, wearing his "dad jeans", and Allison came out looking like Elaine, complete with a headful of long dark hair. The Kramer character was dead-on, even when the camera was not specifically on him. Then, I had to chuckle when I got deeper into my pile of papers, many which had been here since before the great washing of the marsala sauce on my desk. They were crisped together, some of them somewhat important pieces for my own files, and I could not help but chuckle, remembering that horrible mess!

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Just because the desk is cleaned off does not necessarily mean the passenger side of my bed is clear...In fact, extra stuff got placed on the bed in order to accomplish the desk cleaning. As often happens, things moved from pillar to post. I made a pile of stuff to go to church with me tomorrow and stuff to be put into my closet (so much for tackling the closet any time soon!). There also remains a pile or two on the table to be dealt with but that was NOT on my to-do list for before Linda gets here! When I folded some towels this morning, I saw some were looking rather tough and put them aside for the preschool to use. For some reason they have a use for old towels and I am glad to oblige.

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In checking the TV Guide on-line, I saw "The Perfect Storm" listed on one of the networks. When I saw that movie at the theater, we sat too close to the screen (how did we know???) and I was terribly sea-sick after watching it. Whew! If we went to eat afterwards, I cannot remember, but whenever I see the movie name listed, I remember rockin' and rollin' in the ocean, feeling quite urpy. Like watching our home movies!

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Don't forget to set your clocks back an hour tonight!