Blinded by the light

This a.m. as I wavered between sleep and waking, my dream had me looking into bright light, unable to keep my eyes open, although I was in a restaurant and trying to converse. It took every bit of me to keep my eyes open, in the dream, and when I woke up, it seems it was actually the sun shining into my face and I really could not open my eyes. Not until I turned my head was I fully able to wake up and realize I was not in a restaurant, dining with my former spouse!!!! YIKES!! In the 'dream' we were yet married and the bright lights/inability to open my eyes might have significance. On top of all that, my neck is quite stiff, which means I have a pain in the neck!

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On my desk is the paperwork I need to complete in order to have a background check and clearance from the FBI, of all things. The most labor/time intensive portion of Precious Lambs Preschool's 10th anniversary celebration is gathering the names and addresses of its alumni. Evidently the law requires one have their documents in order to view the files, so that is what I must do. The staff is too busy between now and the end of June to dedicate time to this entire project so between the church secretary, who has military clearance already, and me, we should be able to access the files and get the information for the invitations. In speaking with Janet last night about another matter, modeling for the Spring Fling, she offered the assistance of herself and other teachers already cleared, who are members of our congregation, one who is the Head Elder, so I can extend this offer of assistance as well. Another of the church ladies, Judy J., offered to get the background check/FBI clearance to help with the names and addresses so this might not need to be the challenge it started out to be!

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I have stacks of movies around my room which need to be put away again. My friends had borrowed some and returned the movies in two separate returns so I just put them on the table, the gathering place for things, in my room. That table must get cleaned off and put away once and for all. Thinking about it the other day, that particular table was pressed into service when I had to move my computer/office into the river room for the weeks when my bathroom and closet were being remodeled. Three years ago! Somehow that table never went away and while not piled full, still holds some items that I have no idea where I should put them. It seems THAT is where they belong! The bane of my existence, filing! And dealing with stuff.

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In one of the 'to be filed' boxes are my worksheets from the "Come, Worship Christ" class we began within the past year but never finished. I can use those on Sunday mornings as we are restarting the class. When the church offices were moved from the temporary trailers to the finished building, somehow the Bible study disappeared. Likely it is still in an unpacked box and has not been exposed yet but fortunately, the church we serve in Keystone Heights had the same Bible study which we can borrow. Just don't put it in a box! Boy, I know that feeling!

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Joanne sent me a couple e-mail messages yesterday and reports that she is getting some relief from her malady via IV bags of medication. One of the meds made her quite agitated so she is also receiving something to calm her nerves, counter-balancing the healing medication. That poor lady, I tell ya'! Yet, she felt good enough to encourage me to eat salads...unrelentingly. Okay, so I am not a salad eater, she is, and is in the hospital yet again with another strange illness. I'm just sayin'............

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Next week Tuesday is my annual check-up with Dr. House, although I have opted for the female doctor to do my exam. In preparation for that check-up, I am practicing keeping my mouth shut as last year I was charged for two office visits because I talked about things other than simply having the check-up. Can you believe it? I had taken in my reports from the Life Line Screening with me for their records, and the over-the-counter supplements I used daily. They always ask me these questions and the time I came prepared, received a double charge. That just burned my biscuits! I told Laurie that I will come on Wednesday next week instead since my appointment would not allow me to be in the classroom.

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Laurie claims the kids have spring fever very badly, as they are having troubles focusing on their work and using their listening ears. Last week I explained to the boys that I have VERY good hearing so it was not necessary to shout to me at our little lunch table.....One of the boys mentioned my acute hearing yesterday before I reminded them about not hollering in the classroom. We can holler on the playground so the cars passing by could hear us, but not at the table.

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For fun I handed out the puffy balls, koosh balls (?), each one getting a different color so there would be no fighting over the colors.....silly me! Thankfully the little girl in the class gladly accepted the pink one. None of the balls came back the color they went out as since it is so dirty on the playground. The kids faces were sweaty and dirty, I will post photos later from the other computer, from running and playing. At the end of recess, I got the little pots out, plus a cup of water. I also used the ice from Laurie's drink brought by her hubby for their lovely lunch, eaten in privacy on the playground before we came out. I had three of each flower, zinnias and marigolds, and the kids got to say which one they wanted. Of course, they were all reaching and grabbing and actually playing a bit of tug-of-war with me over the pots. This amazes me, the competition and the grabbing efforts. "Really? You think you can yank this away from Ms. Kim?" Sitting is a lost concept, the remaining in one's seat is foreign, and the chairs tipping over at the slightest provocation....

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So, as I distributed the flower pots, removing the exterior cardboard wrapper and pushing hands away, I told them the directions. Before I even finished reading the first step, some of the kids had torn open the seed packet and poured it into the pot. The directions were to soak the dirt pellet for 5 minutes and then crumble the dirt with our fingers. Two seconds and the kids were breaking up the dirt. Okay. Once the dirt pellet is broken up, open the seed packet.....Did it say pour the entire contents into the tiny pot? Nope, it said to remove five seeds from the packet and press them gently, gently, into the soil. Just picture that process, if you would. Remaining perfectly calm and talking as softly as I could, I explained that it was very very likely now that their flowers might not grow because because because they did not listen and follow directions. A life lesson. I asked them watch the plants grow, and see whose will come up, those who followed the directions, and see what happens to those who did not follow directions. It is highly possible that none of them will grow, and also possible that all of the pots will do something at first. The balance of the seeds from the packets was kept in the plastic tray I took in for the pots, which fits perfectly on the window sill. There is little sunshine there since it faces north but I hope the light will be sufficient for the seeds to grow. I am learning more and more each week I spend in the classroom, so at least one of us is coming away with something!

Starting my day off with a bang!!!

About 9:00 a.m. this morning our part of the world was rocked by the landing of the space shuttle, Discovery, announcing its return with a thunderous double sonic boom. The countdown clock showed it was still several minutes from touchdown but it must have been running ahead of schedule. On Fox News they were showing its arrival path, coming in from the west so standing in my river room to watch was futile. I decided to get back on the bed with the laptop and just as I was settling in, "BOOM! BOOM!", came the announcement of its return.

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No sooner was I getting settled in did my phone go off, with Justin excitedly asking if I heard the sonic boom. I was still wiping a tear from the corner of my eye when he called, and I told him about that. He said, "You're just like Glenn!". Some of the readers will know what that means, and it is dear. He said he called his friend, Ron, first, to find out if he heard it, and just as Ron answered did he hear the boom. It took a while for the sound to move south and east, it seems. Even though I knew it was coming, it was still a stunner when it happened, like me wondering if Jessica upstairs is tossing her washer around the house!

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Today is my day for Kindergarten and I am so looking forward to it. We are going to plant our tiny flowers which I picked up last week from the dollar bin at Target. I hope and pray they will sprout and grow, eventually, and I dread the thought of one or two of theirs not coming up. It might serve as a good learning experience. They can choose from the two different flowers making it their decision and their responsibility to tend the plants, if they come up! We will also play with the little fuzzy play balls I bought from the dollar bin, instead of the football like last week. I wonder if they played with it during the week and perhaps got the hang of it...

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While I was talking with Justin, I had another call come in so I told Justin I would call him back. It was Jeff from downstairs and I thought he was calling to see I caused the sonic boom--ha! He actually was calling with some information for the newsletter for The Palace to make sure all the names are mentioned regarding certain donations. We certainly do not want hurt feelings or anything---just like the kindergarteners! When done with Jeff, I called Justin back and was chatting with him when I heard his doorbell ring. He said he had to go and would call me back later. Fine with me...we were playing tag now and he is IT! A few moments later he sent me a chat on gmail to say he would call me later after his test. I explained that I had school and church work today, before going to the movies and dinner with Twila and Judy J. We are going to see "The Last Song", which is the book I am reading in my spare time. I am a little more than halfway through the book so it won't be a deal breaker for me if I see the movie. My reading friends would finish that book by late afternoon but I will not, and I do not apologize for it either. I do look forward to going onto the next read which is the true story of a man growing up in Manitowoc County. Fiction is simply not my forte, I do so much better with current events or non-fiction reading.

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When I showed Judy and Twila the books purchased at the St. Margaret's Fair, my little Marine tried to tell me that I should read the other books in the trilogy by this author, mostly about St. Augustine and such. Really, some day I might, but right now I am interested in the story of Fleming Island and its history. I do not mind reading them out of order at all. Twila stepped in to say that this book about Margaret Fleming was purchased at the St. Margaret's Fair on Margaret Fleming's property.......see? Thanks, Twila!

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I have exposed my tender finger which seems to be on the mend. I can now bend my pointer without the feeling of it exploding upon contact. All the remedies seem to be at work on the infection, and I will not discount the value of the 'old' penicillin scrip I am taking. Even though it is old, it might still have some fight in it against the infection! When I go out later, I will apply the anti-biotic ointment and a bandage to protect it against flying balls and the dirt in the flower pots.

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While I am complaining or mentioning, rather, my sore finger, my dear friend, Joanne, is sick in the hospital. Again. She never gets a little bit sick, she gets big sick. Saturday night we chatted on-line briefly and she reported having a terribly sore throat which she attributed to her being so exhausted. This was about 10:30 pm so I told her to go to bed and get some sleep. The next day while I was in church, my friend, Christine, who is a real estate partner with Joanne, left me a message about her being in the hospital. It seems that Jo could barely swallow and a CT scan showed a mass in her throat. This is never good and it frightened us both. Christine was wondering about getting Jo's sister to come down from Atlanta to sign paperwork or what have you in case Joanne could not and had put in a call to Toni. It turned out the mass was an infection which was being treated with antibiotics plus anti-inflammatories. I 'spoke' with Jo yesterday on-line and she said she did not want visitors, she cannot talk because it hurts like crazy without talking. I hope the treatment starts to work soon. Toni was coming in yesterday a.m. to manage the health and treatment for Joanne. I offered to lend whatever aid I could to Christine with the real estate work and I hope she lets me know if she needs help with something. Keep Joanne in your thoughts and prayers, please, for a full recovery from this malady.

Monday morning musings

"Monday Monday, can't trust that day...' is the appropriate song for this sunless, overcast morning. In fact, the space shuttle was attempting to land this morning and NASA had to wave them off for another try around 10:00 something due to the layer of clouds. I am not sure why the shuttle has to have clear skies to land because airplanes do it all the time but they obviously know better than I do. It might be because of the tiles on the exterior of the shuttle or something. It's just that I will be in Bible study learning about the millennium when it lands, likely not hearing the sonic boom.

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There is much to talk about since I missed posting on Sunday, as if anyone noticed. Saturday morning Brenda N. and I went to have breakfast at IHOP on the Island, the first time she had been there since it opened. It would be rare for her to eat out unless she is with me, go figure! We enjoyed our breakfast, mine being a fried egg served with rye toast, and hers being a funky omelet with spinach, tomatoes, and mushrooms. She grabbed the bill before I could so treated me, something which I do not approve of. Oh well, I will get even, as it were, later. While we were waiting for our meals and chatting, an obnoxious Pee Wee Herman-type balloon man came to our table to woo us with shaped balloons. He made what resembled a bouquet, all the while being giggly and annoying, certainly little children would be amused by his antics. We were not. People around us were snickering as Brenda and I would exchange looks, keeping our comments to ourselves, waiting for him to move on. He called us VIPs and sort of fussed over us, etc., while we were trying to talk. At last he was done, handing Brenda the flower. When we left the restaurant, I gave the waitress a dollar to tip the poor guy, as he was only trying to earn some extra money, right?

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From IHOP we headed to St. Margaret's for the Art Festival and were absolutely delighted at what we saw. The beautiful handmade jewelry, even handmade beads!, original designs, etc. But neither of us bought any jewelry, instead, buying books, of all things! The hosts of the event are members of St. Margaret's and dress in period clothing, even a rebel soldier or two walking around the grounds. It was a lovely day temperature-wise and I will bet those in costume were glad it was not warmer. I bought a book about the quaint churches in our area, and had the author sign it for me, as well as book written by a lady I'd heard speak at a Writer's Conference years ago. She is a local, from Green Cove Springs, and she signed the book for me as well. Later, Brenda and I both bought the book by Eugenia Price called "Margaret's Story" which is about this part of the world, historical in nature, featuring St. Margaret's church now on the cover. In a million years, I would never have expected to be buying books instead of jewelry at an art fair. Only a few artists from the Guild were there, sadly, not even Kris who must have decided against a booth this year.

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After a leisurely ride around Pine Avenue, we decided it was time for an adult beverage at Whitey's so we headed down there to sit on the deck. Besides our pina coladas, we shared a tray of fried dill pickles and the lovely weather on this porch, watching the boats coming and going. It was a great great first part of the day, and I got to grab this bill, so we were even!

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I spent the rest of the day nursing my wounded pointer finger, after I had stopped at Publix for a few items. My friends were coming over for Dinner and a Movie for which I got boneless ribs, golden mushroom soup, and green beans. I made some egg noodles and we dived into our quick supper. Our movie for the night was "Sherlock Holmes" which we really enjoyed, me even more than the others because I had neither read the books (really?) nor seen the previous movies or TV shows. Robert Downey Jr. pulled off a very interesting and amusing Holmes, with Jude Law his more level-headed reluctant partner in crime solving. Judy J. was sitting next to me and I kept jumping and reacting, which would startle her. I just get all involved and made Judy laugh, and somewhat fearful for her own safety!

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All the while we watched the movie, I was soaking my finger in epsom salts and warm water, which did not stay warm long. The microwave would reheat the water which would be too hot at first and make my finger hurt more. As the ladies were leaving, I told them I might try poking it with a needle and relieve some of the pressure and ooze but it did not seem to do much except hurt more! I soaked it in hydrogen peroxide for a bit before applying Neosporin and a lightly applied bandage. I did the same thing yesterday afternoon, except the needle thing, and today, thus far, it seems bulbous. Makes typing a challenge with the bandage in place so will beg your forgiveness if there are mess ups. I did have a mess to clean up though as the salt water leaves quit a lot of residue, including on the keyboard, mouse, and even cell phone. Clorox wipes to the rescue!

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Yesterday morning was Bible study and worship, our study wrapping up about Christians and Government. Our final session went too quickly as there was much we could have talked about, especially with the recent political events, but the clock was our enemy. Next week we begin again, "Come, Worship Christ" which I pray will be well attended given the 'controversy' going on in the congregation regarding worship styles and such. My guess is that it won't be well attended, that the regulars will be there, but it won't hurt for us to talk it up a bit. Part of the charm of this study with video is that our former pastor, Pete Prange, is shown as a student, singing in the choir.

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Our worship was wonderful as The Maestro was on the MIDI but primarily used the keyboard for our hymns. The first one we sang was "In Christ Alone" and I sang out without once shedding a tear. Yay!!! The readings were all New Testament including one from Revelation, from which our sermon text came, the first in a series from that book. We also sang a couple hymns from the Holy Communion section of the Supplement which are so lovely. It seemed like a fuller house yesterday, thankfully, as we had only 59 last week.

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Emily and Sarah have agreed to serve as models with me and the other ladies for the Mother/Daughter Spring Fling so next week after church we must go to Bealls in Oakleaf to try on our garments. I offered to model a shower curtain or a bedspread......I assured Emily they have clothes for people like us, and in fact, I used to shop there lots when Mom still wintered with us, as this was one of her favorites. We are responsible for our own footwear so I might have to get a new pair of summer shoes for this big event!

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Twila called me after she had left church and we agreed to meet at Chili's on the Island for lunch. We froze in there and cannot blame adult beverages for this problem since it was before 2:00 pm. As we were waiting for our meals, some customers of mine from the 'old days', a couple who have more than once told me that I built their house, not the company. Aw, shucks! Well, they came over and gave me hugs, and then said, "We were just talking about you!" I introduced them to Twila, of course, before they told me how they were talking with their neighbors, one of which is a church member with them, about who built their homes, etc. My name came up and they evidently shared my story with them although not saying that to me, I got the impression from things they said about the neighbor's home--"built after your time" by my former company. The husband said, "(Our house) is what it is because of who was there (my company)...." They just made me feel so good, and when Fonzie hugged me, he said, "We just love you, we just love you", as I got tears in my eyes. Wow, that was powerful! That warmed me up just fine!

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After lunch I came back home and began the finger soaking process. I sat in the family room so I could put the bowl on a hard table to minimize the mess from the saline. At one point I called my mom to see how her day was, as their church was holding a "Listening Sunday" after the worship. They had taken part in the now defunct Parish Assistance program to help rebuild their congregation and church from the inside out. Mom read to me some of the items they were to discuss in their focus groups, and she told me Tommy was in her group. How fun!

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My evening was spent with the neighbors again, first on Friday night and again, last night. The Club was holding a luau, as they do every year, and it would have been Caleb's favorite event of the year. He passed away the week after Easter, when I was in WI so I missed the funeral. I told the folks last night, who thought this was too soon for Caleb's sister for such a major event, that this could be Caleb's wake. He would have loved it, except the temperatures did not cooperate. When the party was being set up at 3:00, it was warm and still; this did not last! Our group from The Palace moved inside to the 'new room' out of the wind, while some faithful stayed outside. Later, after we had moved to our sun deck, one of the ladies reported how her plate of food blew into the face of her friend, fortunately the bottom of the plate hit her or it would been like a pie in the face! I had heard that a cold front was moving through but this was ridiculous! As we sat around the table in the dining room, Maureen's punch must have been talking because she leaned over and said to me, "You are the nicest person in the building..." and when I looked at her with wonder, she said, "Hugh says that all that time!" Wow, what an ego boosting day, and what a challenge to live up to those declarations I heard over my meals of the day! I sat on the deck with the group until about 8:30 before I just had to get warm and came inside. It was a fun night, good food with the pig roast and rum punch, and my neighbors!

Tis' a gorgeous morning!

I hope I can type okay today, playing hurt, as it were. My index finger, right hand, has a pulse in it and is red, in the area where I pulled a hangnail out a couple days ago. Infection, perhaps? There might be some espom salts in the vanity so I can soak the finger in hot water and salt for healing purposes, but not now. That would be a mess on the keyboard! My polish needs either removal or repair, not sure which I will do before heading off for breakfast and an outing with Miss Brenda today. It will be a late breakfast/early lunch as she needed a morning to sleep late, after a long day at work yesterday. Her Fridays were normally days off, not her idea, but she had a client who could only meet her on a Friday, so work she must! In the building business, one cannot say 'no' to much, not in this market.

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We are going to the Art Fest at St. Margaret's after our breakfast. This must mean that a year ago I had my cat, Lynx, put to sleep. It was the same day that I helped my friend, Kris, in her booth at St. Margaret's, the same day as Justin was celebrating his friends' birthday. He reminded me of that last week one day, that it is nearly a year since Lynx died. Justin asked me if I was mad at him for being 'short' on the text message (who can remember these things???) and I told him not really. He was busy with his friend until I told him what had happened with Lynx. His conscience must have bothered him, that he nearly blew me off. Let's not do THAT again---when your mom sends a text, you answer in full sentences! So anyway, it is a year that I no longer have anyone or anything throwing up on my carpets! I know, I know, I am a sentimental fool....

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The funeral services are taking place today in Poland for their dead president and other national leaders, and I am wondering how in the world our dignitaries managed to fly in despite the ash from the volcano. Many European airports are closed due to the limited visibility and mess from the ash, but yet people managed to reach Poland. Perhaps by flying in from the south rather than over the top like most USA to Europe flights take. It will be interesting to hear how the earth worshipers will spin this assault on the environment which humans did not cause----or did we?

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Last night was a lovely one, spent on the sundeck with my neighbors, enjoying Happy Hour. Several folks came and went, and we got the sad news some of our favorites (can we have favorites???) will be relocating to DE in June, where his job is taking him. In my time here in this building, this family has moved from the 4th floor to the 5th floor where they did much renovation, still on-going, and now they will be selling. Max's company will do a buy-out based on the original purchase price but this price will not take into account all the improvements made since they bought it. He wonders that they would realize any of the improvements anyway if they try to sell it instead of taking the buy-out, since they bought when the prices were high and would be selling when they are low. This is something all of us are faced with in this building, in every neighborhood. What a difference 5 years makes! Or even three years, in some cases. At any rate, we will be sad to have them leave us....Too bad the market is so crappy right now because I would DEARLY love to live on the 5th floor south penthouse unit. My family who was visiting during TS Faye were guests at this home for the "Insteada Dinner" event which had to be moved indoors. They got to see manatees in the basin, snuggling up to the rocks for protection from the wind and waves. This family also hosted house concerts on that lovely deck, which runs the width of the building, a perfect setting, and on the south, where the sun is the best...

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At long last the invitations for the Mother/Daughter Tea are ready to be cut and distributed tomorrow at church. My little goddaughter, Sarah, has been invited to model with me and I hope she will do it. Her mom, Emily, would be a great substitute for me if Sarah would work better with her, and I gladly yield. Bealls is giving us discounts on the attire we model if we wish to purchase it, and since Emily works outside the home, she should have first dibs. I hope Sarah does it, though, she is such a natural at this type of thing.

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Time to ready myself for the day. Tonight is Dinner and a Movie here at my house, watching "Sherlock Holmes" this evening. Not sure what I will make for dinner, though. It depends upon my time and shopping interests! Enjoy the lovely weather all, if it is lovely where you are!

Photos from the Tax Day Rally (click on photos to enlarge)

Here is my version of patriotic attire: blue jeans, red tie-dyed top, and white sneakers, and my flag! It was good to have long sleeves because after the sun went down, it got quite nippy along the river last night. My legs and hips were quite tired but a good tired, standing up for America!

Here is a crowd shot, in the center of which is the honor guard, wearing attire similar to that worn for the first Revolution, followed by a woman dressed as Lady Liberty. On the stage was a group of singers who performed patriotic songs, including one written by a man who had long been associated with communist groups. I found that amusing, figuring the organizers/musicians were not aware of the irony.

A new take on an old flag, listing the items needing the attention of the elected officials, those now in office as well as those who are going to be voted into office in November. The chant was "in November, we remember!" I am not a good chanter, left that to the others. Just like clapping in church, just can't get into it....no mantras for me.

The man in the center of this photo, holding a glass of soda (I'm sure....) is George from Victory. I saw a few other folks from Victory including a man who is in the printing business who was handing out bumper stickers, and a couple who are snow birds between Jacksonville and their cottage 'up north' in WI.

See how closely packed the folks were in the middle of this venue? The organizers had to encourage those already there to move toward the middle (this crowd wants nothing to do with the 'middle'!) to allow those arriving a place to stand. We saw two helicopters go over which we can assume were counting heads, so to speak, and I heard on the radio that our number was 'several thousand'.

My friend and driver, Peggy, and her husband, John, at the Tax Rally. They are going up to Washington for some other type of event in May, and their son is participating in an event in Washington, geared for young people, arranged through his school, which is Justin's alma mater. They will be attending the Freedom Concert in Orlando this summer, which raises money for the children of our soldiers lost in the war. Martie, Justin, and I went to one in New York/New Jersey in 2005. Orlando is a far closer a venture!

Here is another crowd shot, and from our vantage point, we could look into the plates of those sitting below us. How cruel they were to eat in front of us, or below us! When it was time to sing the National Anthem and recite the Pledge of Allegiance, these men dropped their forks and stood at their table, even singing along. I believe they were of Arab descent, and as you scan this photo, you will see many races represented. In fact, a cool thing happened on the step just up from ours: a man was coming around, asking if folks wanted a copy of the Bill of Rights. The Asian man, perhaps Japanese, refused it, saying, in broken English, "I got mine from Heritage...", which is the Heritage Foundation. It really gave me pause...

This little guy just caught my eye and made me think of how I used to dress Justin when he was a toddler. Somehow Timmy did not spend a whole lot of time in 'dress mode', all part of the experiment I guess. Justin would have been wearing his saddle shoes, though. I love this little guys' outfit and his face was so precious as he tried to chant along with the group. I think they might be Hispanic and I believe, a Navy family, as they applauded really hard when this branch of the military was announced.

A good tired

I am a bit hungry this morning, but I did have a bite to eat before going to bed. The people I was with last night were divided on whether to get something to eat after the Rally or just getting home. They had kids waiting for them to get home which was cool with me, but I think John would have liked to have had dinner. He had his own car so he easily could have stayed to eat. I was cool with however it worked out. I was very cool, in fact, after the sun went down, it was in the 60's! No tank tops for us, not those of us with the thinned blood. My hometown of Manitowoc was warmer than we were in north Florida. And only a week ago, exactly one week earlier, we woke to snow coming down in Manty! The world is upside down! One of my more recent reconnections on Facebook was spending time in the Orlando area at a timeshare. Rae Sue mentioned that this is the coolest its been in their years at the timeshare but managed to suntan her goosebumps!

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Justin was my first call of the day yesterday morning, asking me to go to the store and get him some poster board. He dictated to me what I should write on it, because my penmanship is better than his....My writing is also quite small so in that case, we could use a Post-It Note! Anyway, we made our arrangements for pick-up at UNF at a certain time in front of the library, where I used to pick him up before he had a car. Before I headed out, since I needed to pick up a scrip at Wal*Mart anyway, I began working on postcards to distribute on Sunday at church, inviting the ladies to the Mother/Daughter Tea event on May 2nd. My forte is the publicity thereof. After getting the layout and such worked out, I realized I had no white card stock paper to print them on, not even colored card stock that would work in my printer. Foiled again! Added that to my list for the store, plus ink for the desk printer, as I had enough for the auxiliary photo printer.

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Needing card stock meant I had to venture into the stationery department which can be dangerous for me but I managed to find the bulk papers in a display all their own. Whew! That was close....When I was checking out, the clerk had to remove one of those alarm attachments from the ink cartridge box so folks won't steal them. I said to her that it would be cheaper at this point to buy a new printer than to keep buying the ink! But likely not worth the hassle, plus the new printer would require ink refills at some point anyway, right?

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As I was driving out to Fleming Island, my phone went off. Once more it was Justin! I answered, "I was just thinking about you!!!", and I was. A year ago on this date, I had to meet him at the OP Hospital ER because he was having stomach pains, so we missed the noon Tax Rally downtown. Judy J. and I did attend the one in Orange Park from where I posted photos. Anyway, he started out by saying, sadly, "Mom?" Oh, oh, now what? It seems he checked his syllabus for the afternoon class he would be skipping out of for the Rally, and discovered he was being quizzed today, a grade which counts. I did not say anything one way or the other, leaving the decision entirely his, him knowing I would attend the Rally either way. Finally he decided to attend the class and not mess up his grade, and, at that point I confirmed his choice. He has a lifetime to do this type of thing but only one day to attend this class and pass the test. And I think he did pass the 'life' test in making his decision for school. No worries! I called Judy J. to see if she wanted to ride with me but she opted to sit it out, too, saying she was working in her yard, etc. I called my friend, Peggy, who was going to the Rally and she picked me up on her way through. Perfect! Only one car to park (parking is a problem downtown) and away we went!

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Although I had a step to sit down on, much of my time was spent standing up, too hard to stay seated with all this excitement and stirring speeches and the music. The honor guard was dressed in period clothing from the time of the first Revolution, followed in by a woman dressed as Lady Liberty. The band played regular music prior to the event beginning, and even played a local favorite, even in Florida it's a favorite, "Sweet Home, Alabama", written and originally performed by our own Lynyrd Skynyrd. John, Peggy's husband who had joined us, wondered why a Jacksonville band sang about Alabama and I said they were broadening their base! No one cares, you know, it's just a fun song and last night it brought the house down!

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At the Rally I was constantly on the look-out for people I knew, and did spot several people from Victory, four different folks. One guy who is in the printing business was distributing bumper stickers as he walked through the crowd and some people stuck them immediately to their hats or shirts. He is the man from whom I order the banners for church events and such, as he gives us a discount. His wife and her family were near charter members of Good Shepherd and I did get to see them at GS on Christmas Eve's candlelight service, complete with the grandpa in tow! I saw one couple who used to own a restaurant near Mequon, WI going up the stairs opposite of where we were stationed but they did not see me. Evidently they skipped bell and choir rehearsal last night!

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Our spot was directly above an Italian restaurant and we could see/smell the meals coming out for the el fresco diners. At a point before the Rally ended, a man dressed all in black came up from waiting tables to stand near us. He turned around and looked at me. I flashed him a smile and he left. Well!! I must have scared him....Nope, I did not. He came back a minute later and gave me a stack of discount cards for the restaurant to use on a future visit. I shared my booty with Peggy since it would not be likely I could use that many discounts, and since John works downtown, he might use them faster than me. I was most grateful, though, to Hector for giving those to me. No one else around us got them, only me. I must look like a pasta eater!

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I have made the appointment for my Well-Women check-up and that is what I am! My paperwork from Life Line Screening came at some point in the last two weeks and when I read the report yesterday, I did the happy dance. All systems are go, all reports are within 'normal' range, and even the one cholesterol test I thought indicated borderline is within the normal boundaries. Yippee! I AM the new normal--deal with it!

It's Tax Day today....

....and Tax Freedom Day was April 9th, I believe. Those who work outside the home and earn a paycheck with tax obligations withheld, the first 99 days of the calendar year were worked to pay your tax bill for 2010, on average. The days after April 9th are yours, enjoy!

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Well, I can now proudly show off my toes to the kids in the kindergarten classroom as I was able to get a pedicure yesterday afternoon, at long last. I had been meaning to go since before Arno's funeral at the end of February and now, finally, they are lovely. I describe them as brats with ketchup on them! Lisa had to work a bit harder on them than when I come in regularly as she had to shape the nails, do a bit of digging around, trimming of hunks of skin, etc. She was able to make the great toe on the left foot look decent despite the fact that it had broken about half-way down in early February before Lynn and Linda came, when I stubbed it against the trundle bed. Yikes!

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My tax deposit for the first quarter of 2010 is in the mail for a couple days now so it should certainly arrive, or at least be postmarked, prior to today's deadline. Last year I was able to go without making quarterly estimated deposits because I had a refund which my CPA rolled into 2009's obligation for me. Normally I do not have refunds but since my income was reduced so substantially in 2008 which my deposits did not reflect, I had paid ahead, so to speak. I would sooner write a check if my deposits are short than to have the gov't. hold my money interest free.

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Yesterday morning my first call of the morning came from Justin. He thought he woke me up but I just sounded all scratchy from not talking for a few hours. Justin wanted to know if I was listening to Neal but I was instead listening to the podcast of Glenn's program from the day before. He was telling me that Neal was talking about an illness that Justin thinks I have---Williams' Syndrome. Before you go look it up, let me tell you what Justin told me: the person with this disease has no social qualms, talks to anyone, described as a 'cocktail party personality'; makes little or no negative differentiation between races; takes people at face value; looks people in the eyes when talking with them...He said he was listening to this and thought, "That's my mom!!", and I am complimented by that. Of course, as we talked, I looked up the Syndrome and most of the other characteristics are not at all flattering, like the lower intelligence, sunken chest, wide spaced teeth, etc. But I loved it that Justin heard those other traits mentioned and thought of me. I am so glad Neal was not listing off 'short-tempered, foul-mouthed, rude, and insensitive' and then have Justin think, "That's my mom!" So, yes, I was tickled by this phone call!

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Another very bright spot of my day was catching up on some of the mail (I actually did decide to complete, somewhat, my Census form, begrudgingly) and found a lovely "Thank You" card from Ron's grammy. She had high praise for my home and all its colors and fun stuff to look at, how she felt right at home with us here and with my friends "around the table" for Easter, and, the icing on the cake, what a nice young man Justin is! He even checks in on her when he comes to visit "Ronnie". Moms like to hear favorable reports about their kids! Grammy S. also said she hopes we get to do something together again soon, and believe me, I'm in!!!

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The big news of the day is the search being resumed in Putnam County for the missing child, Hailey Cummings, missing a year at this point. It sort of sickens me as the police and investigators are searching a portion of the St. Johns near where she lived, based upon a 'tip' they received. Both the father of the child and his now ex-wife (yet in her teens) are already in jail for drug trafficking. He married the babysitter, then age 17, within a month of the child's disappearance. Just something else to give this part of the world a bad reputation, to say nothing of the sure death of this little child. If the investigators thought she was alive, would they be diving and searching the river? My heart...

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Last night I sat in the family room and watched TV all night! Of course, I had my laptop with me as I listened to the box but I absolutely did not want to go to bed too early, trying to regulate my resting, somewhat. Originally I had made plans with Ellen to go to Happy Hour at The Club where a prix fixe menu is also offered. Unfortunately, Ellen's dogs were not quite ready for pick-up from the groomer's in Avondale so she had to be standing at the ready for them to come home. No worries----I have foam boxes and a cardboard box in the fridge for my own prix fixe dinner. Normally I do not have Wednesdays at home but since there is no church service or choir rehearsal this week, I had off!

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My bed is sort of cleaned off, sort of, I say again, but my desk is piled full. Some filing needs to be done and shredding as well. Still my sliding doors are open and wind has been active all week. There was a brief rain storm on Tuesday but it did not warrant closing the doors. Nor did the rain wash away the yellow film from the concrete and tiles outside. Yesterday three more of the arms of my wind chime in the river room fell off. Two actually hit the floor and I heard a third one drop but could not find it at first. Then, I peeked into a lovely jug I have on the floor and there it was, right in the jug! I could not do that again if I tried. My Facebook friends suggest replacing the rotting strings with fish line or similar but some of the glass 'icicles' do not survive the fall to the floor so even if I did restring it, the balance would be thrown off. I have saved the ones which did not shatter and will offer them to someone with the skills to make something out of them. Linda M., that might be you! Linda J. and I got that particular sun catcher chime at Joann's Etc. at St. Johns Town Center Mall a couple years ago. Little did I realize the sun would take its toll on the strings!