Busy last couple of days!

Incredibly so! A mere mortal would not be able to do it, and I, being a mere mortal, am bushed! It feels divine perched on my bed, feet up, with laptop in front of me, watching and enjoying a "House" marathon....ahhhh! Oh, my goodness, what a wild ride it's been!

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Let's revisit that schedule, in case anything was missed in previous postings: Starting with Thursday, I did my usual ride to the southside for Bible study and lunch with Justin. After being home a while in the afternoon, Martie came over and we went downtown to a political hobnob and then had dinner. Some of my neighbors and I had made plans to watch some planets align, and meteor shower which we thought would take place around 10:00 pm but later we found out it would not be visible here until the wee hours of the morning. My understanding is the cloud cover prevented seeing it, as Ellen stood watch and could not see anything. Fortunately, it was too overcast to see the meteor shower which I likely would have slept through.

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Friday was the Chamber event at the Carmike theater which Brenda and I attended. Lunch was provided by Carrabba's and there were numerous vendors and displays set up around the lobby to catch our interest. Oh, and ice cream samples from Peterbrooke!!! Brenda and I enjoyed the movie, "Eat, Pray, Love", once I got passed the Eastern religion stuff, and just watched. When that was over, I took Brenda home and then went to my house to pack for my overnight trip to St. Augustine. Suzanne played with the Chamber Orchestra at Trinity Episcopal Church Friday night, and did very well. The place was full, and the audience even joined in singing "Happy Birthday" to both Suzanne and the trumpet players 88 year-old mom!

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From the concert I drove on down the road to Palm Coast and found my motel easily. After adjusting to the racket of staying at a discount place, I managed to get a few hour's rest before meeting Marian and Biff for breakfast at Perkin's. That is a treat for me, usually enjoyed only when I go to Manitowoc. From the restaurant and a quick stop at Publix, Marian, Biff, and I went to their daughter's home. Christina is not feeling well but managed to serve as an excellent hostess. Maya liked her birthday presents and we spent some time in their brand, new pool before heading for home again.

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Suzanne's birthday party (party, party, party!) was that late afternoon and evening, with a low-country boil and Boston butt. Talk about yum!!! The Hoyer's were at Suzanne's and we had to laugh when Anne expressed her amazement at the very long hike it was to get there! Probably at least an hour from their house to Suzanne's at Lake Asbury! Jim B. came over, as he lives in the same neighborhood, Jayne and David, and the Pate's, plus others of their family and neighbors. It was a great time! Suzanne walked me to my car and we talked for a bit longer before I said good-bye. The last thing she said was to watch out for deer-----sure enough, if I did not have to stand up on my brakes, sending everything from the back of my car flying, to avoid a deer standing in the road! I am so glad she warned me because I might not have been attentive and seen the deer standing there! I called to tell her about the close call, unreal!

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After a wonderful night's sleep in my own bed, I was up early running posters and invitations for an event coming up next month. Judy C. wanted 'save the date' notices put up for a Mystery Dinner taking place when Lynn and Linda are here next month. Done! Plus one for the congregation in Keystone Heights. Off to Bible study and worship, with several folks noticeably absent. Judy said that she is telling John and Suzanne no more parties on Saturday nights!!!

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Emily and I had communion set-up this weekend and she took care of that on Saturday. It was my job to clean everything up afterward so I got busy washing things in the kitchen. Emily helped put away the stuff in the church and came into the kitchen where little Sarah was helping wash the individual glasses by dropping them into the soapy water. Such a help!!! I excused Emily since she'd done much already, as I was prepared to do the clean-up. Judy came in and asked me to lunch, but I refused due to my kitchen duties. She said they would wait and even grabbed a towel to pitch in! Great! We went to Sam's St. Johns Seafood again, as we did last week. Believe it or not, I just love their fried pollack. It was nice of Judy to help out and to be willing to wait for me in the first place.

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After lunch, I came home and got immediately ready for the pool. It was over cast but plenty warm outside so I knew I would be okay out there. Oh, I forgot to mention that during church, I got a text message from Maggie reporting that it was a bright, beautiful day but no one was at the pool yet, and it appeared the cabana wasn't open. "What gives?", she wanted to know. Obviously I did not answer her and turned the phone off to avoid any more 'message' announcements. Oops! So, I paddled around in the water and ta da!, the sun came out! So did Maggie and later, Gus, who bought a round for the house, or for the pool, as the case might be. He brought down a mess of CDs for Danny to play while we splashed around. Later Ellen came out and Penny walked over from her townhouse and we had ourselves a wonderful, restful time. Until it started to thunder!!

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The thunder was all talk but was enough to make us come out of the water, not big risk takers we. Just before Danny closed the cabana, he made my dinner for me to take upstairs. When I got back to my condo, I called Sharon S., (she'd left me a message earlier) to let her know I was in from the pool, so I could come over. We had been trying to get together for some time and the 'stars aligned' properly this afternoon to make that happen. She has some difficulties in her life so it was good for us to talk. She has a lovely view of the river from her place, just a bit south of my building, but yet on the property. Her patio is open so the breezes were delightful, with the rain holding off until just moments before I was leaving. Sharon's place is on the second floor so I did some stairs after doing my pool laps! Wow! That's alot of stuff for a weekend, wouldn't you say?

"Are you leaving yet?"

I guess I wore out my welcome, as far as Maya was concerned anyway. Her question made me roar with laughter, perhaps not her mom who was appalled by the question, but the other adults found it amusing. Before I got to my niece, Tina's, house this a.m. after having breakfast with Marian and Biff, Maya was making those on the home front nutso with her regular questioning about when was I getting there and was I going to go swimming with her, and so on. Now that I was there, she changed her tune! She is such a bright little girl and wanted to be the center of attention, not having her mom converse with Marian, me, or her mom-in-law, Joan. I had to laugh, though, and say that this type of thing happens often to me, people asking me 'are you leaving yet"???

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Little Rayna is just adorable and napped part of the time I was there visiting. She is a bit slow with her speech development but folks come to the girl's day care to work with her, to help her catch up. Rayna, who was two on New Year's Eve, suffered with ear troubles until this past spring when she had tubes put in to remove the excess fluid from her ears, so soon talking should get underway. One must be careful what they wish for....But she is so pretty and has a wonderful smile complete with twinkly eyes. Tomorrow is Maya's actual 4th birthday and the rest of the party will take place but I was glad to be able to spend this time today and get to see Marian and Biff for awhile. Marian and Biff were both lying down when I finally DID leave but I got say 'good-bye' to Marian. While she is now able to walk without benefit of her cane, she still has back and hip troubles which prevent her from enjoying much activity. Not even the pool was fun for her because she was afraid of getting in too deep, despite having hold of flotation devices and getting dizzy if the water moved too much. Joan, the other grandma, is 76 and enjoyed the pool, aside from needing assistance getting in and out of the pool, which had no railing. She still works 5 days a week in a school library and I give her lots of credit for doing that!

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Maya enjoyed her birthday presents which consisted of butterfly wings to wear on her back, plus fancy ballet slippers complete with matching bracelet. The slippers were a bit large right now, did not come according to sizes, but the wings and bracelet were perfect. She was unsure about the Play Doh thing which was actually an extruder but once someone can sit down and show her how it works, she will have a blast! I hope....Gabe and Manny sure entertain themselves well with Play Doh and I am sure Maya will, too!

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Last night I stayed in a motel in Palm Coast after Suzanne's concert in St. Augustine. Being more accustomed to staying in a hotel vs. motel, it was tough getting used to commotion going on outside, car doors and room doors banging, people laughing and getting settled in for the night, etc. Eventually I did fall asleep in the very comfy bed and woke up around 7:15 or so, before my alarm went off. Without the sun beaming through the windows, it was hard to tell what time it was!

A photo taken with my phone at the concert last night

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Suzanne's concert was fabulous, very well done and very well attended. The audience even sang happy birthday to her, accompanied by the 25 piece orchestra. Her children were extremely well behaved in spite of the hour and the venue, and likely slept all the way home! Besides John, Judy, and her kids, the only other person who came besides me was Rachel, from Victory. That was so nice of her, and I thanked her for making the effort. She went up front following the concert to check out the pipe organ which serves Trinity Episcopal. Awesome! Today is Suzanne's birthday party so in an hour or so, I will be heading to Lake Asbury to join the fun at her low country boil and bbq! Whoo hoo!!!

Getting up early

I was soooo tired when I got home last night, although still somewhat early, that I immediately got ready for bed. Two nights in a row! Wheeee, I know I have an exciting life!

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Because I went to bed and went to sleep so much earlier than usual, I was awake a bit earlier than usual. I switched the station over to Fox News to see what was going on in the world just in time to catch Brian interviewing the Commandant of West Point, as this year's freshman class was showing up for duty. It was a fascinating interview, showing much of the campus and sights, talked about the links of chain remaining from when this gigantic chain was manufactured to stretch across the Hudson to keep the British from advancing during the Revolutionary War. Now I kick myself, as does Justin kick himself, that we did not go sooner to visit JR when he was a student there and get the full tour. Mona did say that even if we had gone we likely would have little time to spend with JR so I guess that is part of the reason we did not go. Even with their son being there, John and Mona would get little face time with JR when they would visit, due to their training. They would occasionally go to see him compete in powerlifting events which was great. The best powerlifter West Point ever had--it's true! I read it in their publications! The entire interview and glances in the 'guest book' signed by dignitaries all the way back to the early 1800's can be found at http://video.foxnews.com/v/4309704/web-exclusive-from-west-point

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Thursday began the start of a very full next few days. In the morning I drove to Victory where I met Justin for Bible study and then went to lunch. He requested Applebee's because his friend, Jay, was working that day, so I finally got to meet him. Jay is moving back home to Cincinnati soon and is giving himself a going-away party tonight. He is quite the cook so they guys will eat good. After dropping Justin off at church again to fetch his car, I headed back home to work on the computer before Martie got here. I needed mapquest directions to the church in St. Augustine (although not really because I know where it is) and then made a reservation at a hotel in Palm Coast. From the hotel I got directions to Perkin's Restaurant in PC, and then from there to Tina's house. Saturday morning I am planning to meet Marian and Biff, my in-laws from South Florida, for breakfast. They are coming up for little Maya's birthday party which is on Sunday and having them meet me for breakfast Saturday will give Tina a little break, too. I decided rather than run up and down I-95 all weekend long, I would simply stay (found a three-star hotel for less than $60 a night!) and save the wear/tear on myself and my car.

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Okay, that taken care of, when Martie arrived here after work, we headed downtown for a political hobnob where candidates from dog catcher to Senator were represented. Local and state level, and many from Duval County which interested Martie. Her hubby wanted to do the early voting which began on Monday, I think, but she wanted to wait until after this hobnob to get a better feel for things. Well, I certainly know the way downtown but somehow I ended up going a different way. It had been on the news and on-line about the lane shifts at the interchange of I-10 and I-95 but I goofed anyway. Yikes! We went across the Fuller Warren bridge, then, exited on San Marco and then headed back across the river on the Main Street Bridge, coming out right where we needed to be. On the way home, the roads were still in 'construction' mode so I knew exactly where to go! I didn't think the notices and reminders about lane shifts applied to me!

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My mom likes to remember the time we left the concert hall after hearing the symphony and I accidentally took I-95 south instead of going to I-10 west. I had parked in the handicap spaces that night instead of in the garage where I normally parked and got into the wrong lane....We added many miles to our trip home with me calling Martie's son, the policeman, for directions, but before he could answer me, I saw a sign for Sunbeam Road and knew exactly where I was! Whew! So, ever since then, Mom thinks I am always lost. When I bought my new car in 2006 (it's a 2007), a JEEP Compass, I was so surprised that it did not come with a compass. I even went back to the dealership and had the salesman look it all over to find out where the compass was! No dice, no compass!

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Oh, there is Tiger Woods playing golf in Sheboygan! Actually it is in Kohler, WI, but near enough to Sheboygan. This is big times for the counties around Whistling Straits, even bringing business to Jill's ice cream parlor, Cedar Crest, with the giant cow standing out front. Folks do not soon forget that! Dee's husband, Blair, informed us that Whistling Straits looks like Scotland but plays like America, something he heard a golf expert declare. Since the weather has been unusually warm up there, I wonder how they will fare this season, although Mom reported that the start of play was delayed yesterday due to dense fog!

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Okay, back to my early night....Because we had done lots of walking and standing as part of the political event last night, I was kaput when I got home, even my arms were tired for some reason. Plans had been made Wednesday night during the Happy Hour to watch the meteor shower Thursday from the roof of Ellen's unit, accessed by climbing over a short wall from Nancy's terrace. We were going to bring blankets and lie on our backs to watch the planets align and then the meteor shower. Well, Nancy called me about 9:30 with news that the meteor shower would be visible to us in the wee hours of the morning, around 2:30 a.m. or so. Donna, one of our other neighbors, was planning to make a night of it and stay up for the show, and offered to call us all when it was going on. I declined, nicely, the offer and breathed a sigh of relief that at 10:00 I would find myself in my bed instead of lying on the roof at Ellen's waiting for the star show! I would like to have been star-struck, but not at that hour of the morning...yawn!

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Yesterday much of the news was about the housing disaster in Atlanta, East Point to be precise, where mobs of people showed up at the Housing Authority to get put on a wait-list for Section 8 housing. The authorities 'expected' about 10,000 people but got three times that many which resulted in an angry mob, fighting, folks passing out from the heat, kids going to the bathroom where they stood so no one would lose their place in line, putrid mess left behind. TV footage taken from the air gave a better look, or worse look, with hoards of folks trying to get an application for gov't. assisted housing, just to be put on the waiting list! One of our members at church was looking for this type of housing and claimed the closest place she could find was in Middleburg. We Bible study ladies were astounded when she told us this because it seems there are several 'areas' in Orange Park and the Westside but then we found out it was because of her dog that she was having troubles. Yikes!

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Well, today is the movie premier event and Chamber of Commerce fund raiser at Carmike to which I am taking Brenda. "Eat, Pray, Love" is the movie, and I cannot wait to see Italy again. Dee thinks the 'pray' part might have to do with Eastern religions because the heroine, Julia Roberts, visits Bali and India as well, but I am going to see Italy and eat some Carrabba's, and probably do a little crying! After that, I will come home to pack for my overnight trip to St. Augustine and Palm Coast. This is the link for the concert where Suzanne is debuting---http://www.firstcoastnews.com/life/community/news-article.aspx?storyid=162871&catid=54

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Today is Suzanne's 40th birthday, celebrating on Friday the 13th with this concert appearance 'on the road' and culminating tomorrow with a parasail ride to celebrate. But wait---there's more----Sunday she is having a low country boil and Boston butt roast party at her home at Lake Asbury. Sooo looking forward to that, too, but this full, full weekend leaves me little time at my pool. I can enjoy the pool at Tina's tomorrow so I won't be totally without, but I am substituting other social time for my pool time. My knees might thank me, or not. It could go either way! Time for me to go "Eat, Pray, Love", or at least, the Eat and Love parts!

Recent photos

This is part of the pie I made from the remnants of the freezer and fridge. It scored an 8 on the ugly scale but a 12 on the tasty scale! Who says pie has to be eaten in wedges???

This is the underside of my river room chair, losing its lining likely due to heat and wind. If I tried to grab the 'fabric' to pull it off, the material dissolved in my hands, like grabbing bubbles!

Yesterday I looked up from my desk to see this lovely vessel moving past the building on the river. It put me in mind of a paddle-wheeler or river boat. There was just something majestic about it as it made its way toward Green Cove Springs....

The end of the day

Pink clouds are moving in to replace the grey ones which deposited a couple heavy rain showers in the 'hour' I was at The Club for Happy Hour. I was so cold when I got back from there that I immediately changed from my garments into a nightie to help warm myself. My feet are still cold so I turned off the ceiling fan. Next thing will be my fuzzy slippers! It is about 81 in the house but I got chilled to the bone at The Club, but it must have been chilly in there as water was running down the inside of the windows and doors.

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Earlier today I had the doors open in the front and back of the house as it was quite breezy again. When I left to run errands, I pulled the doors closed in the river room because the skies were threatening but it did not rain until evening. This a.m. I decided to put clothes on and take care of some errands rather than going out to the pool. We had no water aerobics today because Marlena was needed elsewhere at The Club and I decided to take the day off to rest my knees. They are complaining a bit today so we shall see if resting them helps. I went to the bank to deposit my check (yay!) and then went to a boutique called The Chocolate Shoe next to the nail salon in the Publix Plaza. There I was to get tickets for the Chamber of Commerce event at the movie theater on Friday, but they were sold out. The nice young lady made some phone calls to see about getting more and suggested I go to the theater itself to get mine. Now that works for me! Only, they did not have any to sell me, either, but the nice lady there made some calls, too. Her suggestion was to go to the Chocolate Shoe! I did end up going to the Chamber headquarters just down the street from where I live to get the tickets. Whew!, that was a project!

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As long as I was out, I stopped to get a soda for me, and a sweet tea for Julia, and went to Great Hang Ups. Dee has a couple things she is working on for me but was not finished yet. In fact, she asked me to come back so we can go over the 'vignettes' from my watercolor art painted with Kris a Saturday ago. The visit was wonderful though and Dee's hubby, Blair, treated me to lunch from Chick Filet. Only a sandwich for me which was a tasty tasty treat! I wonder how come I never go there....

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Last night, before Bible study, I stopped at Target to get some birthday presents for Maya, my great-niece. Tina had given me a short list of things she would like for her birthday and even with the aid of some "hosts" at Target, I was not able to find exactly what I was looking for. I did find a few cute things that she would like, including some Play Doh! Maya will be four this year which seems unreal but I guess it should not. That store is just huge, a superstore, and I had a tough time finding my way around, since I rarely shop there. Eventually I found the small appliances department where I bought myself (you better sit down....) a Mr. Tea for making iced tea! If I am going to be drinking iced tea, I will likely drink it by the gallon as I would soda so want to be prepared. It was less than $20 so it was no sweat if I do not make regular use of it. But, I tell you what, I might just learn to like it! When I told Ellen about it, she about fell out of her chair in shock. First I ate the crab dip and then dropped the bomb about the iced tea maker...Too much for one night!

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Mary Lew came for Happy Hour tonight and I told her about being half way through the book she loaned me by Nora Ephron, "I Feel Bad About My Neck" and am enjoying it. She writes about different things relating to growing into middle-age, not always gracefully, but always with humor. Nora is a great writer and finds the same type of things amusing as I do! She wrote a chapter about purses, how messy they get and finding strange things in them. She wrote about finding old airline tickets and other ancient pieces of history tucked into corners. Last night when I cleaned out my purse, I found a partial package of pretzels from a luncheon a week or so ago. It made me laugh to find it, because of reading that book!

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When Ellen and I were trying to leave The Club this evening, some of our friends lured us to sitting down at their table for a few minutes. Since I was so cold I really wished to head out but Maureen is rather insistant. The lady who runs The Club as well as owning a Unit in my building complimented me on the Palace Press I put out last week and wishes I could write for their newsletter. That was very nice and I appreciate it, but then she went on to ask me to help with a fund raiser event for St. Vincent's----a fashion show! Oh my, I hope she doesn't ask me to model!

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Tomorrow night, Ellen, me, and another neighbor, Nancy are going to be star gazers. Some of the planets are aligning perfectly in the western sky, according to an e-mail Ellen received, and then a comet storm will take place. It puts me in mind of "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" and we figure the roof over Ellen's unit will offer the best vista. We can access it by climbing over a short wall from Nancy's patio (her idea!) and we are going to lie on blankets to enjoy the show. I hope it is not raining or cold (likely it will be in the high 70's), since the meteor shower won't take place or be visible until around 10:00 pm. When we parted company this evening, I told Ellen I would see her up on the roof, and decided I should write a song about that....Oh, wait, Laura Nero beat me to it!

Sunshine on my shoulder and on my face

....and I am still in bed! Oh, the sun is so bright this morning and reflecting on the water, making me squint against the light. This is not a complaint, this is merely a statement. The water is not sudsy yet this a.m. but that may come later. Apparently a chemical of some sort has been added to the water to help kill the algae bloom, which was causing the fish to die. While I was gone to WI in June, there was a fish kill in the river outside our building and certainly elsewhere due to the algae bloom. Guess it got rather smelly for a while. I did see some of the dead fish but not the hundreds like were reported to have been there. When I was talking to my young man neighbor about fishing in the river, he said he would not eat the fish caught in the river right now because of the chemicals but in about a month, who knows?

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Most of the day yesterday I was able to have the doors opened for the breezes to move through. It must have looked funny to see me scampering through the house trying to prop the doors open before the wind blew them shut. I used odds and ends like laundry baskets and even my pool noodle for this. During the day I could hear other people's doors slamming shut, mainly their exterior doors closing with a mighty thud when the wind caught it. When I finally ventured out to the grocery store for the stamps and a few odds 'n ends, I closed the house in case of rain and put the A/C on to cure the swelling doors.

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In recent days I have been sort of cleaning out my freezer, with some of my frozen foods being in there over 6 months. This may be arbitrary on my part but it is unlikely that I will eat it so down the disposal it goes. First, of course, I had to defrost it and boy, did that bean soup ever smell delicious before I ground it up! Yesterday I removed a container of chili which I may or may not grind up because I really like my chili! In so doing, though, I unearthed a somewhat damaged pie crust. The other part of the package, I am guessing, was used for the apple and sausage pie I made for our Julia Child dinner when Lynn and Linda were here in February. Hmmm.....can I heal this broken crust and make a pie or something????

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On my Facebook page I threw it out there that I had this broken pie crust plus a partial bag of red apples in the fridge, a bit wrinkly but not yet squishy. I asked for suggestions of what to make and I got a great response, including one friend remarking that she thought Midwesterners were big pie makers. My sister sure is but somehow I missed the pie-making gene. The desire to stand in the kitchen at the stove is not there either. That is, unless I have company coming! All bets are off in that case!

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One person suggested taking the crust out of the pan and press some into the bottom of muffin pans to make tarts. I got the muffin pan out but when I looked at the crust, I figured I could fix the broken parts and make it look like a pie again. Using my handy-dandy apple slicer from Pampered Chef, I made wedges of three unpeeled apples (Linda is cringing at this point....) and put them in the crust. Sprinkled some granulated sugar, flour, cinnamon, and butter pats over the apples and baked it too long at 400 degrees. I say too long because the crust turned dark brown but does not taste burned at all. And, I must say, it is delicious!!!! Where I dropped the ball, though, was not buying some vanilla ice cream or whipped topping to put on top. I am just tickled that I had all the supplies on hand, including a crust!

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In discussing the pie crust, apples, and their uses, Lisa, my niece in WI, was getting serious hunger pangs for pie. Her hubby had her van and he came through for her, stopping at McDonalds to pick up an apple pie for her lunch. The power of suggestion. I wonder what I should talk about today on Facebook that will send Noah on a wild-goose chase....When at Publix yesterday, I was able once more find Johnsonville Summer Sausage. It pays to ask for the things you like---you will get it! More than once I have gone looking for Johnsonville products, and the meat lady said that they usually get that in around the holidays. I assumed she meant Thanksgiving or Christmas but it seems she meant Independence Day as this is the second time I have found it in a month! The lady in the deli who sliced it for me commented on the wonderful aroma and asked me about the brand. It gave me a chance to brag on WI again!

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About 6:30 or so I got a call from Jessica, my upstairs neighbor, asking if I was at home and if I had eaten dinner yet. She had kept her two nieces over the weekend and fed them Aron's pizza but with half of one left over, Jessica was pizza'd out so offered it to me. How nice! I went up to get it and took her dishes back to her, including a tea bag from a box picked up at Publix. It is green tea like she made for me last week, but it is also fruit-flavors acai and something else that smells wonderful. I have not made any tea yet, having dumped the ice cubes from the bin and starting fresh. My ice does not taste good so that is one thing standing in the way of my making a batch of tea. When upstairs at Jessica's, I saw they had a lock box on their door again which means they are back on the market. She wants to get a house with a yard for Beckham, and somewhere they do not have to be quiet. But who could give up this life, where people offer pizza and green tea and home-made s'mores???? She was making dinner for Travis and her, and she showed me the ingredients for making three chicken breasts. I told her when I first got upstairs that I had planned to have a cup of instant mac 'n cheese and she offered me the third chicken breast she was making. Of course not! She was already giving half of a pepperoni pizza, I certainly will not eat all of that in one sitting. But that girl does enjoy her cooking.

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It is nearly 81 already and I am getting antsy to be down at the pool. We have water aerobics this morning and then I have nothing until Bible study tonight. Martie is going to join me for the political hobnob on Thursday so I will not be going downtown alone. I still have the coupon given to me at the Tax Rally for free appetizers at the Hyatt so we can enjoy that little treat as well. At the Tax Rally, a young man who was waiting tables below the steps I was standing on, came up to listen to the speakers with us. Of course, I smiled at him and he then dashed back down to the restaurant. I figured he had to get back to work and not get caught dawdling, but in a few moments, he came back with three coupons, printed on glossy paper, for me. No one else around us was given any so I gave two to Peggy and John, who were with me. That was so nice of him and now I have another chance to be downtown to use the remaining coupon. It is also good for a free glass of wine but I do not drink wine, so appetizers it is!

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Besides making the pseudo-pie last night, believe it if you will, I watched the Food Network! One of the programs was filmed in Jacksonville last fall, I guess, and the host visited a couple local eateries to check out the fare. I had not heard of the restaurants, more like hole in the wall places with unique menus but on the chance that I saw anyone I knew, I tuned it. I just don't get it...

Some food for thought

In the mail the other day, which I check regularly at this time of the month as I await a check, a large envelope came from Two Rivers, WI. Oh, I was so excited! It contained two class reunion booklets, one from each year of the recent joint reunion. Plus photos taken of the assembled 'kids' from each year, 1974 and 1975. My class was less represented than was Jill's (my sister) but I guess that would be because our 35th reunion should have been last year. I will volunteer to be the detective for my class when it's time for the 40th reunion so that we can round up more folks. I will become their worst nightmare, if I am not already!

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The questionnaire originally sent was brief, with only a few questions to answer or blanks to fill in. Many did not fill in the address the info for some reason, and some did the top portion of the survey but did not do the 'fill in the blank' portion. Of those who did complete the sentence: "When I retire I want to......" the vast majority of answers from both classes was to live somewhere warm. Others mention in their list of regrets or things to do over that they wish they had paid more attention in school or that they would have spent less time working and more time with their kids. Not all of these folks are farmers but some are business owners and even a few pastors and teachers in the mix. Many wish to play more golf which really surprised me because-----I don't know why it surprised me, it just did!

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Another question on the survey was "I know I am getting old when....." and those answers are so funny! My answers were "my sisters are becoming grandmothers" and "I make my plans for the day based upon the condition of my knees". I am not alone in this, as many report their joints making sounds when they move about, and one lady even mentioned having hip and knee replacements already! Of course, you can imagine what I chose for my "If I had one thing to do over it would be....." answer would have been, but I simply referred the readers to the questionnaire portion listing "Children"....

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It seems that, to a person, all have remained faithful, as no one mentions falling away. Maybe even after reading their answers in the booklet, some would like to have a do-over for the questionnaire. It seems to be a very good witness for the Lord, and for their parents for seeing to it they attended Lutheran grade/high school. A couple did thank their parents for making sure they got the 'One Thing Needful'. Who knew it might take some 35 years to realize or appreciate it? Or to basically say it out loud for their classmates to hear? Nice!

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Today I must go and get postage stamps as I have two separate mailings to go out, one for Outreach and one for Inreach. When at the grocery store the other day I simply forgot to ask for the stamps so now this mailing is going out later than I like. Friday when I saw my BFF Judy at La Nop, she asked me if I heard from anyone regarding the purchase of a used soda machine for the Fellowship Hall, as our existing one has expired. Oops! I totally forgot about it so, once home, made phone calls to all I could reach on a Friday afternoon. Those in the Ladies' Group whom I did reach were in favor of the purchase if Judy thought the machine was right for us, but when she went to look on Saturday, it was not what we needed. The used machine not only dispensed sodas but also snacks and Judy did not want to get into that! But, in seeking approval for the purchase, I got to talk with my friend, Janet, who is vacationing in WI and MI. She was in Rhinelander when I reached her, and rejoicing over getting to wear long pants and a sweatshirt when sipping her morning coffee on the deck in 57 degree weather. That rascal!

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Once more Evelyn made it to church yesterday, making four in a row, and I was able to grab her, so to speak, for a photograph. I will post it another time when I take the memory card out of my camera. Evelyn said, "I believe she sleeps with that thing", in her strong Southern drawl. Those around us laughed at that because it seems I am always snapping away at something!

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There is a newly-active couple involved in the Outreach committee now and much of the conversation is regarding the attempts to revive the website. I have tried to connect Terry with Chris D., who is in Afghanistan, but so far I am the only one who gets through, via Facebook! He sent me a better address to use this a.m. which I forwarded to Terry so her co-worker can attempt to resuscitate our now-deceased website. It is my hope that the original site can be updated/revived rather than having us spend money we do not have for starting over from scratch. I think it is lame to still pay for advertising in the Yellow Pages when most folks use the Internet for church finding, and we could so use that money for other Outreach efforts. Just my thoughts on this...

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This is going to be a very full week for me, starting with water aerobics on Tuesday and Wednesday, Bible study on Tuesday night, and Wednesday night is Happy Hour event at The Club. Thursday will be Bible study at Victory and then later, a conflict between the Outreach meeting and a political hobnob.....with my leanings toward the hobnob. Friday is the premier of the movie "Eat, Pray, Love" starring Julia Roberts with the Clay Chamber of Commerce sponsoring an event at the Fleming Island theater to raise money for breast cancer research. Food will be provided by Carrabba's, with the highlight being the movie. My friend, Sharon S., the facial lady, asked me to go with her and I think I might do just that! It sounds like just the kind of movie I would like, I hope it is, anyway. My friend's daughter, going through a divorce, was recommended this book to read to help her cope with some of her stress. I wonder if it did.

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Friday night, then, is a trip to St. Augustine to see/hear Suzanne play with a chamber orchestra (it is a big "chamber" day on Friday!!!) at Trinity Church. Saturday I am going back that direction to Palm Coast to see my niece and her family, as well as Marian and Biff, who are coming from South Florida for Maya's 4th birthday. Her official party is the next day but I prefer to come on Saturday instead of find myself in an uncomfortable situation. Saturday night is Suzanne's birthday party, a low country boil plus smoked Boston butt. Whew! When will I get pool time??