It's a dress up day!

Yesterday as I walked up to Chili's for our after worship lunch, I told the man holding the door how glad I was to not have worn a dress. Man, it was so windy! He laughed and said he was glad he wasn't wearing a dress either...Good thing he was not wearing a toupee or it would have gone flying. Whee!

                         This is what the parking lot looked like again today

Today it is just as windy, up to 30 mile an hour gusts, but fortunately, at this writing, the rains have ended. All the cars had to park on one side of the parking lot for Bible study as the lot was again flooded from all night's rain. Ethel picked up Gretchen which was nice as Gretchen doesn't care to drive in the rain. It was so very windy as well, which would have added even more excitement for coming across the bridge. 

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Yesterday's worship was so emotional again, as we recognize Good Shepherd Sunday. I knew the hymns were coming, and we had rehearsed some of them in choir, but yet, they caught me. The reading from Revelation 7 has been known to put me away and then we sang a canticle with the choir based on this Scripture. I told Robbie I had to sing it without reading the words in order to get through it! Those pictures of heaven blow me away..."how my heart yearns within me".

In chatting later with Linda, and with Lisa, I was not alone with the waterworks. Linda remarked that their sermon was so good and the hymns were especially moving for her. The friend she was sitting with wondered if she was alright and Linda assured Joanie she was fine, just fine. Linda told me she couldn't wait to tell Pastor today how much she got from the sermon.

My niece, Lisa, wrote about sitting in church where her sons go to school, as Manny had to sing with his class that day. There was a guest musician and right off the bat sang, "I'm But A Stranger Here". This put Lisa away as she recalled hearing our friend, Pastor Prange, sing this hymn acapella at Timmy's burial. 

A few years after Timmy's death Lisa presented me with a counted cross-stitched piece showing Timmy in Jesus' arms. On the back she had attached the text for the hymn mentioned above. When I had it reframed a year or so ago, Dee made sure to attach the hymn to the back of the new framing. Yes, Good Shepherd Sunday was a day for mourning, and for rejoicing in what awaits us in heaven.

It's been this type of day....

From a friend:

Recently, I overheard a mother and daughter in their last moments together at the airport as the daughter's departure had been announced. Standing near the security gate, they hugged and the mother said:

"I love you and I wish you enough."

The daughter replied, "Mom, our life together has been more than enough. Your love is all I ever needed. I wish you enough, too, Mom." They kissed and the daughter left.

The mother walked over to the window where I sat. Standing there, I could see she wanted and needed to cry.

I tried not to intrude on her privacy but she welcomed me in by asking, "Did you ever say good-bye to someone knowing it would be forever?" "Yes, I have," I replied. "Forgive me for asking but why is this a forever good-bye?"

"I am old and she lives so far away. I have challenges ahead and the reality is the next trip back will be for my funeral," she said.

When you were saying good-bye, I heard you say, "I wish you enough." May I ask what that means?" 

She began to smile. "That's a wish that has been handed down from other generations. My parents used to say it to everyone." She paused a moment and looked up as if trying to remember it in detail and she smiled even more. 

"When we said 'I wish you enough' we were wanting the other person to have a life filled with just enough good things to sustain them". Then turning toward me, she shared the following, reciting it from memory,

"I wish you enough sun to keep your attitude bright.

I wish you enough rain to appreciate the sun more.

I wish you enough happiness to keep your spirit alive.

I wish you enough pain so that the smallest joys in life appear much bigger.

I wish you enough gain to satisfy your wanting.

I wish you enough loss to appreciate all that you possess.

I wish you enough hellos to get you through the final good-bye."

She then began to cry and walked away.

They say it takes a minute to find a special person. An hour to appreciate them. A day to love them. And an entire life to forget them.

I wish you all 'enough'!

I need my windows washed!

Oh, I am so ready to have my windows washed!! UGH! As if the cobwebs were not bad enough, now the webs hold thousands of these dead, teeny bugs that were trying to get into my house. This is just so gross, right next to my head and in my view to the river. Not sure if even wind would move this web along. The rain has not even affected this drape of insects. What I need are some of those crazy birds which like to snack on just such tasty creatures, but the birds make me wacky too when they flap around my head!

This is not a picture of the river and grey skies but rather of the webs of bugs draping my windows! The insects are attracted to the lamp on my ledge, used when at the desk at night.

See the gob of bugs just below the horizon line? Gross!

A tense situation

For over 12 hours I have been glued to the set, figuratively speaking, or listening to the radio, following the news in Boston and surrounding areas. Starting early this a.m. Kerry and I were chatting about the events which had unfolded during the night regarding the two suspects in the bombings in Boston. Kerry, and as it turned out, two of my other sisters, were up well before me and watching this play out. That's what I get for sleeping!

It seemed that once their photos were flashed around, these two guys were easily identified. In the local paper here, a man from Jax Beach, who was in the race, actually provided one of the photos used in the press conference. He said it didn't occur to him at first how strange it was for that guy to drop that bag there until after it exploded. Just a few feet from the little boy who was blown to bits...

                          

People like this, these radical Islamists, if this proves to be true, have veils over their hearts, not allowing them to feel compassion or sensitivity for others. Their judgement is clouded by the mission, to kill the infidels (believers) or is clouded by the hatred they have for mankind. One thing about this event, the bombings, and the terrible fire in Texas, is that people are once again praying, hopefully to the one True God, who is our only hope and our only refuge!

Feels like summer today!

According to the radio website, it is 82 above zero here and no apparent wind chill to speak of. The palm tree branches are scarcely moving which means no breeze. I am a bit sticky while sitting here at the desk, wearing long pants and a long-sleeved shirt. I dressed for Bible study which is held in the normally chilly sanctuary. It doesn't pay to heat/cool that area along the rear of the room just for our hour+ class. 

On the way home from Bible study, I stopped at Winn Dixie to pick up a few things. There I met a friend from the pool who has been doctoring with her eyes since the end of pool season last fall. She had a macular hole repaired, and then a cataract removed. The doctor goofed and broke her lens so another surgery was required to remove the fragment which was drifting around in her eye ball. She hated to be suffering with this, but she said so many others have worse things with which they are dealing. She is quite right!

Having the messiest part of the sundeck project completed, I have my doors open again. But, I am hearing once more the sound of air hammers at work out there. Now what??? Did they goof, I wonder? I can't see where they are working or my questions would be answered. I was just in the kitchen, preparing my dinner for tonight. Yes, I am making a nice crock pot dinner for myself!

                             

My friend, Jennifer, posted a recipe on Facebook this week which looked delicious to me, and oh, so simple. At the store I picked up the needed ingredients of chicken breasts, cream of chicken soup, chopped onions, and canned biscuits. It has to cook now for 5-6 hours.  At about 30 minutes before serving time, the biscuits are cut up and added to the mixture. The biscuits become the dumplings, which I think is a marvelous idea, if they go along with it!

Last week I made dinner when Martie was here---the sausage, peppers 'n onions. I messed up by not adding more onions than what came in the prepackaged veggies I bought. Next time I will! Yesterday I borrowed from my food storage and made a small bowl of tuna salad to have on crackers for my afternoon snack. Once again I am free to eat crackers, having been on restriction since the surgery. Dr. Smith gave me a clean bill of health when I saw him for the post-op. He said he couldn't even tell anything had gone on in there. The dental assistant laughed when I asked her if the scar would show when I wore my bikini this summer....I'm sure they hear that kind of thing all the time.

Probably I say this every year but it seems too early for the manatees to be back. But, they are! Connie reported that the Canadian geese seem to be settling in as they have laid an egg out in the basin area. I am not sure how common it is to lay only a single egg but certainly she will keep an eye on things and give me a report when it hatches. That is, if the cats or other animals don't get it first. I would hate to make those geese angry....

Tomorrow I am having a celebratory lunch with my friend, JM, going to the newly reopened Saigan-Tokyo Bistro (Koko's). My mouth waters in anticipation! I haven't seen her since before Christmas and look forward to spending some time face to face again after this long absence. Seeing my friend in the store today, having had lunch a few weeks ago with Lee, and now my lunch tomorrow makes me long even more for pool season when I get to see my friends again. 

I saw my neighbor, Betty, this a.m. as I was leaving for Bible study, and she said, "Oh, I forgot about you!" It's been so long since she's seen me, since before Lent when choir started again. She is on the 2nd floor and has kept a low profile due to the renovations both on the sundeck and in her unit. She is 82 so I give her a break! Summer--come quickly please!

Those rascals!

Earlier today I was talking to my mom, explaining the situation with the concrete being poured and how I had to move my car away from where the concrete truck was being stationed. She asked me about the 2nd floor dwellers, how they were able to come and go during all this. I told her they could not, for 24 hours they were house bound or else had to stay elsewhere. Later, I found out it was only the end two units who were housebound as the concrete was poured up to their doorways. The other units would still have access to the stairs if they needed to go out. 

This afternoon, I got these photos in my e-mail, showing two rascals who simply could not bear to be housebound all day long. As Hugh wrote, they were lucky to not end up on the front page of the paper with the headline: "Two people in their mid-70's too cheap to pay for a hotel room...."

At the bottom of the ladder I see Cathy and probably the legs of Miss Chardonnay waiting for Maureen to come down with the bottle of wine. Those rascals! They would have been the first ones all over me if I tried something like this but somehow they can pull it off. They eloped when they got married as teen-agers so I guess ladders are not foreign to them! They leave soon for an extended trip to Turkey and the Mediterranean. No fear!

The next step in the project

 The concrete truck is in place and the hoses are run to pump the concrete into the recesses of the sundeck

These fellows have the job of supporting the hoses as the concrete makes it way toward the courtyard near the elevator

This is the south end of the sundeck which will be poured tomorrow. See my red car down in the parking lot? Connie is down there giving the job boss his instructions for supervising this pour

This guy had to move the tools away for the area being worked on so the project could progress

The two men standing near the elevator are supervising the concrete being poured

...and here comes the concrete!