What's been going on?

Yesterday morning I went to water aerobics and then came inside before getting ready for the funeral service. Let me back up a little bit: Saturday night at the cabana I had joined a table of folks including the lady who is an owner of The Club, and her friend, Lindy. We had a lovely meal and conversation, with a few others but as the night faded, some of the folks went home. Four of us remained outside enjoying the pleasant weather when an acquaintance who knew we were at the pool came to tell Karrie some news. It seems a close friend of Karrie's had died unexpectedly. That was, of course, the end of our evening, so Rosemary and I headed for home. The woman who died was the daughter on my neighbor, Kay, who owns next to me. She has rented out her unit for the time being, as her hubby and she are staying with their daughter-in-law who has a medical condition. The DIL cannot care for her children so Kay and Jim stay over there to help out. And now, their daughter died. So sad and tragic...

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So, Casey's funeral was yesterday afternoon right down the street at Grace Episcopal. The last time I was there was for another funeral where we sang all Christmas songs. That man's ex-wife was one of the ushers, as was his father, for this young lady's funeral. Casey's funeral turned out to be standing-room-only as Casey was so involved in the business and banking industries as well as community services organizations. Her obituary was quite lengthy, reporting on various offices she's held, and in fact, had worked closely with some presidents, it stated. Certainly to have a 'young' person die is tragic, only 47 years old, and the man whose funeral was a year ago was only 51. This is the same church who had the funeral services for the two children killed by their father as they slept, in the fall of last year. An awful lot for one congregation to bear...

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There was a reception afterward at The Club but just as we were leaving the church, a huge storm came up. Right----it was the start of rush hour! Time for a storm! Another of my neighbors, Judee, was there and said she was going to park her car at home and walk over but I was not about to venture over on foot in that lightning storm. Besides, the place was surely mobbed, and by the time the storm let up some and I headed over, many had cleared out already. I got to greet and extend sympathy to Casey's step-dad but was not able to get to her mom, although Kay did see me. I have a card to send them but need to get their mailing address from my other neighbor in order to mail it. At least they will know I was there to offer support, if only from afar.

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As long as I was out and about, I headed off to Publix to do a bit of shopping. Somehow or another I came home without any soda. I think I was hoping that the soda would be on special yet. The case in the fridge is nearly gone, the 24-pack my friend, Darrell, from Wal*Mart talked me into buying for $5, so needed to restock. The nice ladies in the Publix deli cut-up my stick of summer sausage for me so I am all set for sandwiches for a while, especially with a fresh loaf of Italian bread. Life is good on the river, and last night was spectacular with the fantastic lightning going on as I went to sleep. Sorry to hear about the bad weather in WI again, with some of my family being startled by the storm sirens and area flooding taking place. At least our summer storms have the good sense to stop after a while!

I found a photo

This photo was taken a couple summers ago when Olivia was part of the Debutante season. This party was at the Orange Park Country Club for three of the girls, two from one family, who were Debs. Justin was there, too, sitting across from me at the table. So, for those who wonder who My Hero is, now you know! I am the one with the soda glass in front of me....

A few observations

Today as I was getting ready for water aerobics, I glanced at my bedroom floor, noticing the accumulation of 'junk' in only a week's time. What? My hope was that the dust and such would be kept to a minimum with the use of wood floors vs. carpeting, but, apparently, not so much. This brought to mind something I would discuss with our buyers when they were making their selections for a home. More than once the comment would be made that they liked the look of the white cabinets, or at least, the lighter colored ones but hesitated because 'they get dirty right away'. I would tell them that the stained wood cabinets would also get dirty, perhaps worse, but you just can't see it as well. This is what happened with me and my floor today. Hair, fuzzies, dust, foot powder all show up so nicely on my light colored floor! This might require more frequent attention, as it were.

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After water aerobics, three of us sat poolside for a bit and enjoyed lunch prepared for us in The Club. Since the cabana is not open during the week, they are offering this extra service for us. I was even able to order a hot dog and remembered that I do not like their fries. Next time, I will have the onion rings which looked really delicious. Even ate some fruit that came with my lunch. The sad part was my bun was a little burnt which affected the taste, so I finished the dog without the bun. It's much easier to prepare in the cabana, I am sure.

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The lunch friend (the 3rd person did not stay to eat) shared with me many interesting stories about what it was like living in The Palace and being on these grounds in the early 70's. She is bringing me a book written by the matriarch of the family who own The Club. Their roots were in Milwaukee in the late 1800's as Johnson Soap, which later became Palmolive. Small world! It will be an interesting read, especially since the surviving daughter owns a unit in The Palace, (built by her father), and with whom I enjoy Happy Hour several times a week in the summer. Mom has met this lady as she helped us put together Justin's graduation party at the Winterbourne in 2006. http://www.clubcontinental.com/history.htm

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This same lady, Mary, was telling me about a used book store near the Roosevelt Mall that is like Ripley's Believe It or Not, with row upon row of books for sale. She donates her books there and then gets a store credit to use for buying different ones. As an older lady who likes to read at night, she loves the fact that this store has large print books in the genre she enjoys. I wonder if the Manty library carries large-print books....Alayna would know since she works there. Mom might like that for her night time reading too. Mary also claims that someone was selling lake perch at the Riverside Art and Food Fair near the Cummer Museum. Now this I have to see! She used to live just north of Chicago so knows a lake perch when she sees one. I have heard many good things about this event at Riverside but never take the time to venture down there. Perhaps I should call Brenda N. and see if she wants to go....

Lots going on today

I am ready to wake up today, and did so several times this a.m. At some point in my sleep I remember changing TV stations and heard the intro music twice to episodes of "Law and Order" before finally waking up. In about 45 minutes I will be going outside for water aerobics and then head to Middleburg for a pedicure. My toes will look lovely for about a day until I go back into the pool and ruin them on the bottom of the pool! The shop I go to for the pedicure is very near Owen's shop so I will return his piece of equipment left behind by accident when he was here on Friday. He said it cost about $600 and looks like a flashlight gizmo with a laser beam. By pointing the beam at something, like the river, I could tell the temperature of the water or the rocks, if my aim was bad. He uses this tool to see what the temp of the air is when it comes from the registers. Cool!

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Vacation Bible School is going on at church this week with Tuesday and Thursday being my days to work the registration table. Ordinarily that is my job all the time but I felt I would be too busy with the planning for the preschool anniversary this Sunday. Part of me hates it that I am not there every night but another part is relieved. That must sound terrible but .....Since Victory had their VBS in the mornings a couple weeks ago, the pastor's wife, Anne, reported it being the first time ever not being involved in the VBS because she was at work. She said it gave others the chance to serve the children, some new to the church and the program. Once in awhile, it is okay to step back and 'allow' others to come forward. Judy C. just told me that in regard to the anniversary preparations, that she did not volunteer for something in hopes that others would take the opportunity to do so. She will be there, for sure, but wanted the men to do the hauling and etc. Phone calls will need to be made and e-mail reminders sent. It's coming, it's coming!

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Back from aerobics, my pedicure, and meeting up with Owen in Middleburg. It was such a delight to see my friend, Maggie O. at aerobics although she has to tread lightly due to a herniated disc in her back, affecting her leg. She is hoping to get an injection like Kerry got for her back problems and allowed her to return to normal activities. Maggie really paced herself, and knew what she could and could not do comfortably. It was just so wonderful to see her!

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Now, my toes---that's another thing. In discussing the condition of the remaining polish and how abused my toes get in the pool, we decided to go 'au naturale' after the pedicure was done, though she did put a clear finish coat on them for today. If it chips off or whatever, the look will stay about the same. She used a little grinding tool on them to remove the stain of the red polish (Friar, Friar Pants on Fire) and made them all look about the same. It will take some getting used to because I refer to my toes as bratwurst with ketchup on the tips! And now, instead, they look like boiled brats!

This is a photo snitched from my niece, Lisa's, Facebook page, of her two sons, Manny and Gabe. Oh, my goodness, they are so blasted cute!!! Gabe is now going into first grade and Manny is heading for kindergarten. And in early November, another little fella is coming to their family, our family, and I cannot wait to snuggle another one!

I am ready for a nap!

It is only 11:00 a.m. but I am so ready to take a nap! When morning came, I was not quite prepared to wake up, since it was well after midnight by the time I fell asleep. Last night was the Michael Buble concert complete with his self-described major ego, and I am sorry, but while I was entertained, I was not totally blown away. Over-hyped? Ya think? The orchestra was simply amazing, the trumpeter a show-stopper, but even a reviewer from the local paper described the singing as 'adequate treatment of these standards...' It's more his charisma and flirtatiousness that attracts the females, I believe, and the appearance of classiness and style that draws the guys. There were plenty of men there, make no mistake, and Michael teased that the women dragged the men to the concert. Most of the songs he sang were familiar to me, but I was in the minority not knowing his original pieces. And yes, his voice is milky and smooth, but as I told the rest in my group, I liked him so much better before he started talking!

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The opening group was called "Naturally 7", which was made of up of seven, go figure, black men who performed music. Really? No, they performed music without benefit of instruments, using their mouths and microphones to create the sound of every sort of drum and cymbals, bass, guitar, harmonica, trombone, etc. And could they sing!!??!! Now, that was a class act! When Michael Buble came onto the stage afterward, he remarked that Naturally 7 has been fired by more groups than he can count, because they tend to outshine the headliners! I can see that, I was incredibly impressed by their show. It was so funny to me---the one man had on a sleeveless shirt and his arms simply rippled with muscles, the epitome of manliness (I guess...) but his voice went as high as Sarah Brightman's!!! Made dogs bark somewhere, I bet!

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Before the concert we met at Longhorn on Roosevelt Blvd. We enjoyed a lovely dinner in their being-remodeled dining room. From there we divided into two cars, with Justin opting to driving me in my car. We could have all fit into the car Terri brought, her father's 'old' Buick, but he wanted to go just with me. Terri drove her step-daughter, Lindsey, and Kathy B. and we met inside the arena. Justin took my photo with the cut-out of Michael before we went into our seats, plus we got a soda to share. He treated us to candy-coated almonds but I did not care for them so he ate them himself. He wished he took the pecans instead, the almonds were a bit too hard to bite into, especially for me. I have to be careful with my teeth, sure don't want any more troubles!

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We had worship yesterday morning and sang some wonderful hymns with a live organist playing for us. The Maestro, Robbie, plays the keyboard instead of the organ and can sort of mix-up the tones in the hymns, adding dynamics, as it were. We were short a few ushers and our schedule is off since we did not celebrate Communion last week. Next week we will have 4 men scheduled but no HC. After the service, Jim B. stood up and made an impassioned plea for folks to sign-up to help out with the anniversary next week, and told folks they could see me if they wished to make monetary donations. That was great! We received several donations which will certainly help defray the costs, as we have no budget room for this type of event. The church quarterly meeting came next with far less 'discussion' than the previous two. I was relieved about that although the financial news was not favorable. 'Nothing new under the sun', but getting some good news would be nice once in awhile...

Drip! Drip! Drip! Or, Owen is my hero!

Well, I had quite a morning yesterday!!! I was lying on my bed with my laptop, typing away and listening to Glenn. I was listening to something else, though, too, not really wishing to figure out what it was. The sound was like a creaking floor, the noises a wood floor makes after its been walked on and sort of bounces back into place over time. But this sound was going on too long for that to be happening, especially since I had not walked on any floors. Okay, let's go see what is making the sound.....Drip, drip, drip, drip.....Sure enough, water was dripping from the ceiling vent in the hall bathroom, landing first in a ceramic plate on the back of the toilet and then overflowing nicely onto the floor. Oh, for heaven's sake, now what?????

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Let the phone calls begin! First, I called Tracy downstairs whose spouse is the maintenance manager for the building. Jeff was asleep, having just returned from flying for Fed/Ex. I called both Travis and Jessica but neither of them answered their phones. Quickly I brushed my teeth and got dressed, planning to go out and find Connie on the property somewhere, to see if she can help me. I had put towels down to absorb some of the water, and as I stood there listening, I could hear something running above me. Like the sound a toilet makes after it is flushed and refills. In the meantime, Tracy had gotten a key to get us into Jessica's house, and I had reached Jessica. Connie went with us to check for leaking water but we found nothing amiss, nothing was running. Back down to my house we three went, and Connie climbed on the toilet to remove the vent cover to see what was going on. She could not really tell, but I was busily trying to reach Butch, the man who has done much work for us in this building. He was busy. Next, I called Steve Bradshaw, my plumber friend from the business, but he, too, was busy roughing a house and had no one to send over. Rats! I called Hugh on the 2nd floor for a plumber's name but he had none to offer me. Rats again!

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So I called my buddy, Owen, to see if he knew of a plumber who could help me out. Owen is my hero! He was coming to Orange Park anyway to check on a job and offered to come over to see what was going on. He is an A/C man by trade, but really, jack of all trades. He said he would be here in about a half hour which is more than I could have expected from a plumber.

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In the meantime, Jessica had gotten home from her walk with the baby, which ended up being more like a run since the urgent phone calls. She called me to see what was going on and it turned out the water had since started coming in through the kitchen cabinets. Yikes! She said she was going to turn off her ice machine because it had just run again, thinking that was the source for the water. She was right! What she shut off was the electricity, not the water supply, but when Owen got there, he shut it off. And gradually, the dripping subsided.

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Owen's worker, Art, got behind the fridge and vacuumed the floor after he wiped up the water. I noticed there was no cover on the outlet and brought one from my toolbox (a good builder always has extra covers!) which Art installed as long as he was back there. Nothing in the cabinets was ruined and it seems no long term damage occurred except perhaps the fan in the bathroom. I do not know yet about the fan, nor do I care really. All I care about is that it stopped dripping and it was not me dripping on anyone else. Both Jess and Travis assured me they will cover any damages I might experience but I think all is well. Except, they have a repairman coming on Monday to fix their ice machine. It is not that old, since Travis bought and remodeled when I did, and he said it cost a pretty penny. Just imagine all the goofy things that can happen in a building like this and have it be nobody's fault....

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I had sent Justin a text message telling him of my situation and how stressed I was. He offered to come over at his lunch time to help me clean up but I had things mostly taken care of, even while Owen and Art were still here. When they were up at Jessica's, I was working off my anxiousness polishing my fake fruit from the basket on the fridge, dusting this and wiping that. Things got cleaned that I never intended to clean!!! Even straightened out my food cupboard since the doors were wide open to let the water flow better...Remember the other day when I mentioned how dirty the French doors were to the guest room off the kitchen?? Not anymore!! No wonder my back was killing me....Justin suggested we recuperate over lunch because he was hungry for Koko's. All this commotion and activity took place before 11:00 a.m. so when it was lunchtime, I had collected myself already.

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I love Owen, and not only because he would not accept any money for his help---he is just a great great friend!!!!

Hanging on for dear life

There!!!! My new room---well, at least the floor is new---once clean and neat, is now trashed! Justin came over after working yesterday to put my office stuff back together and into place, including piles of paper, heaps of paper, on my desk. Nice! One thing that came to mind when Mike and Andy were putting my furniture into place and such was my office chair. It really needs something to govern it, because when I stand up or sit down, whee!!!!!, away it goes, as though trying to get away. One thought they had was to put coasters under the casters, or was it casters under the coasters??, like they put under the legs of the bed frame and dressers. I would not be able to scoot around, as is my custom, but it also would prevent scratches from marring the floor. Another option Mike thought about was the floor protector used typically under desks to protect carpet and allow for chair movement, but not the one for carpets. Some research must be done on that. Or or or I could move the round rug that I brought in from my foyer over here to the desk region and ride around on that!

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Since beginning this posting, I have been out to the pool and am back in again. It was sort of quiet today, not as full and busy as I would have liked, but lovely just the same. The greatest news was the return of the hot dogs, the same brand as last year. Yippee!! The water was the perfect temperature and the air was great, too, coming in at 97 above zero. Who could ask for better? Tonight is a mini-buffet event poolside so I changed from the swimsuit to nightie until such time as I must dress for dinner. Last night I enjoyed time with my friend, Penny, and others from the building. Once more I stepped outside my comfort zone and ordered the chicken and cheese quesadilla served with corn salsa. I ate half of the four pieces and my neighbor, Rosemary, ate one quarter, and Cassidy, my downstairs neighbor, ate the salsa. I really prefer the sirloin sliders and that's all there is to it! Even Beckham, The Prince of The Palace, enjoyed some time poolside with his parents.