I want some pancakes too!

This morning's news program, Fox and Friends, is hosting Huddle House outside their studios, complete with carpeted sidewalks, tables and chairs, grilles and griddles, with even Geraldo running about with coffee for refills. The camera man showed the plates and descriptions were made of what was served, making my tummy grumble. Who wants to go for breakfast today????? As usually happens when they have much of their program outside, a person can hear lots of horns blowing, either because the passersby know what is going on or the cabs are just telling folks, "Look out! I'm coming through!!!"

*

The other night when Peggy drove us downtown for the tax rally, she told me to hang on for dear life as "I drive like a New York cab driver", spoken like a true New Yorker, in every sense. The South has done little to dilute her accent. She was blessed and thankful that neither of her two brothers were hurt or involved in the terror attacks on 9/11/01, although both are NYFD members.

*

It was New York-themed night last night for me, much to my amusement. First of all I watched a couple episodes of "Cash Cab" which takes place in Manhattan on streets where I have been (sigh...). After that came an episode of "Seinfeld", the one where George decides to see a holistic healer (ahem, ahem) in lieu of having his tonsils removed. $4000 for the surgery versus $38 for his first visit to the healer, oh, that George!!! The healer tells George not to use hot water in his showers any longer and to cut out all dairy products.....as Jerry sat there, rolling his eyes in disgust for this faux man of medicine. George drank a funky tea made by the healer and his skin turned purple, as only his would!

*

I went outside to see if anyone was on the sundeck and there was a nice group, including the Prince in our Palace, Beckham. He is about 6 weeks old now and as cute as a button. The ladies took turns holding him, but only after they cleaned their hands with sanitizer. I can just hear Bill Cosby now making a joke about that! He had a bit where with the first baby you boiled everything; with the 2nd baby, you washed everything; the 3rd child you rinsed everything; and the next ones, you just wiped it on your pants and moved on!

*

As we sat there enjoying the last of the day's heat, I heard noise from upstairs and spotted Aaron and his team finishing up the work in Ellen's home. He had come by my house on Wednesday to introduce me to his new partner, Glen, who is also a handy-man, and brought me a bottle of spot remover as a Thank You present for referring him to Ellen. He stripped the ceramic tile and applied a sealer to her floors, and removed her 'old' area rugs. Aaron asked me to come up to see the finished project so I did, leaving dirty foot prints on the yet wet floor. He was still in the mopping process so he removed the mess when I left. Ellen was holed up in her room so I gave her a phone call to let her know he was done and needed to talk to her, as he had not yet seen her that day. Worked there nearly all day but did not greet the lady of the house---huh. She did not answer the phone so I knocked on the bedroom door where her friend, Michelle, stayed while recuperating from a broken leg. Her daughter came out and said the ladies were in the other bedroom, and since I did not want to venture further onto the floor, got her to go fetch Ellen for Aaron. Time to pay the piper!

*

Ellen called me back after I was down on the sundeck again so I encouraged her to inspect their work, etc. It seems she has injured her ankle and is using a walker to get around, and that is not good on slippery floors. I saw her Monday night at the Board of Directors meeting and she was using her cane so I wonder if the problem began then already.

*

The others at the table wondered what was being done upstairs and I told them about the tile being steam-cleaned, stripped, and then sealed. Miss Chardonnay decided she wanted her floors looked at, too, so Aaron went into her unit to check it out. He was handing out his business cards to some of those on the sundeck but I told him not to bring me any more spot remover, I'm good.

*

So, when the party broke up about 8:45 and folks went in to eat and watch the NFL draft news, I came back upstairs and put myself in the family room again. I had napped in the afternoon and did not want to go to bed too early. Since I was in the family room, I could watch "Selling New York" , which I cannot get on my bedroom TV, and was soooo excited! One particular Realtor had a guy who would come in and perform an 'energy check' of the apartment, involving incense and some sort of chanting. For real???? I wonder if this guy showers with hot water and eats dairy products.....It was just a New York-themed night between Cash Cab, Seinfeld, and then Selling New York. I did feel all "New York-ish", as Suzanne would say!

I forgot what I was going to say!

When I got myself set up here, I had some thing truly profound to say, but now it has totally left my mind. No worries, it might come back again. Mom, do not feel badly when this happens to you, because forgetfulness is not limited to the elderly...Oh, oh, oh, I remember now---the stock market eventually closed UP today with slight gains to the Dow and more to NASDAQ. As I once more changed the batteries in my wireless mouse for the laptop, it occurred to me that I should certainly be an investor in Rayovac batteries, a WI company. It seems that the batteries last only about a week or so, even though the 'mouse' goes to sleep when it is not being used, which should conserve their life, you'd think.

*

Today I had a number of wonderful things happen, not the least of which was getting a couple copies of the movie "Road to Emmaus" from Bonnie at Victory. Not only did she give one to Justin and to me, but also sent one along for Linda J.! Bonnie and her hubby bought the bulk order of DVDs and handed them out following worship last Sunday. After she gave us ours, I commented that only last night had Linda and I discussed ordering it from NPH, so Bonnie grabbed one more out of the box to send to Linda. All I have to do is get a padded envelope and off it goes northward.

*

On Easter morning when Justin surprised me at GS, he sat with me and watched as I dug fruitlessly through my purse in search of my pen. I had used earlier but somehow it disappeared. When we got home to make our feast, he saw a green pen on the counter and stuck it in my purse as a favor to me. Right after Easter was a plane ride to WI and back again which can have an adverse affect on some of the gel pens---including the one I pulled out at Bible study and made a huge mess with! Marilyn, seated next to me, noticed it first that I had ink on my hands, both of them, as well as on my leather covered Bible, my straw in the cup. Her hubby ran for a paper towel as Marilyn produced a tissue from her purse (I said, "You are a good mama....") and began the clean up. The good news was that I did not touch my face or anyone else, and it wiped off the Bible without a trace. Such excitement to start the day! Justin ran off to throw the pen in the trash, it was unsalvageable. Yikes!

*

We began a new study today using again the periodical, if that is the correct term, I think a CPH product. They evidently finished the previous study last week, the one about The Lord's Prayer. This new one is about the adoption of sons which is an excellent topic. After the class I mentioned watching the devotions from the Synod convention last year where Paul Prange did one based on the adoption of sons. It was a great devotion, all the more significant to me since I know the family and such. Needless to say, it was an excellent class. Justin did a fair share of the reading and answered several of the questions. I could die tonight knowing this....

*

Tuesday Judy, Twila and I went to see the movie "The Last Song", my first real exposure to Miley Cyrus. She did fine as far as I could tell since I had never seen her TV show or a concert. Yet in her teens, she is a singer, the daughter of a C/W musician. What I did observe was that her lips appeared inordinately plump for a teenager. The ladies did not know either if she had "work" done or not, because really, how could she? She was still in formation, right? I looked on-line and others had asked the same question regarding her appearance at the Oscars, etc. It seems she had her teeth fixed and lips puffed. She could have skipped the puffing, if you ask me. What happens as it wear off? Is it evenly done or parts at a time? Ew!

*

The other night at The Club event, I was the youngster in the group, sitting with people from my building as well as some of their friends. I had heard about women looking this way, usually TV or movie people, and have seen the politicians who had 'work' done, but see it up close was far too strange for me. This one woman who had to be in her seventies had nearly flawless skin, stretched tightly over her chin and cheekbones, but with obviously puffed lips, which were painted pink, to match her outfit. She was with a somewhat slick looking dude, whom I understand is a man of the cloth of some sort, and seemed to be younger than she. Now, what the relationship there was, I do not know, might have only been companions and nothing more, but regardless, she looked ridiculous to me. I believe that others at my table had also been worked on but none as snugly as this lady. Oh, my....It makes me think of Joan Rivers asking in her ads, "Am I smiling? I am trying to smile..." because they have little or no control over their expressions. I need my expressions, thank you very much!

*

My fingernails need some serious work and I am not afraid now of using the remover since my infection has calmed down. Not totally gone, but much much less an encumbrance than it was. The finger now bends at the knuckle when a week ago, that would have been impossible. Tomorrow afternoon I am going out to Great Hang Ups to pick up a piece being framed for hanging in the classroom building. From there I will head to get my hair cut, unfortunately later in the afternoon than I like. Maybe I should try for a Monday afternoon appointment for after our lunch...The reason tomorrow is difficult is that I would like to shower afterward, learned my lesson last time!, and am going to Victory for scrapbooking. Decisions, decisions!

*

Watching "Cash Cab" as I write, I just learned something I did not know....the clue was about an India herb, from an odd sounding name, that we know as something associated with perfume, incense, and free love. Oh my goodness, my favorite scent to use when Carol is doing my ortho-bionomy massage, patchouli oil! Free love? Really? Oops.....so now what do I do?

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!

*

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!

*

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.

*

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!

*

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'............

*

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.

*

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.

*

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....

*

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.

*

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!

*

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...

*

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.

*

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!

*

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.

*

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.

*

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?

*

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.

*

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!

*

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!

*

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!

*

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.

*

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.

*

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!

*

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!

*

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!

*

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.