Oh, by the way-----I just found out this is my 500th posting!!!

I forgot to mention earlier that I am meeting one of our younger moms at church tomorrow to work on Timmy's flower bed! She volunteered to pull weeds and help make our church property look presentable so together we are addressing the front flower bed by the sign. In the past week one of the male members trimmed back the lantana which is planted in that bed so all that remains now are the trunks. Lantana is good for attracting butterflies and looks quite pretty when it blooms but also tends to grow a bit wild and looks unkempt if not kept trimmed. I must confess that I have basically been ignoring the flower bed since none of the flowers I would plant in there could live without irrigation, which has been out of service for a long time. There are a couple statues in the memory garden, including one donated by my friend, Cindy, plus one the Douglas family gave us on the first anniversary of Timmy's death. It had been at the cemetery all the while until I had to remove the decorative pieces last July. Now it sits in the flower bed at church in a somewhat obvious spot.

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I had some flower bulbs in the freezer since leaving The Preserve house so I hope they are okay, Joanne seemed to think they would be okay to plant. Tara and I are meeting at church after lunch to stick some bulbs in the soil and wait to see what happens. For some reason, I cannot recall what type of bulbs they are, some sort of lily, I think. In a few weeks there will be an official work day to address the property and get things in order for Easter and at that point mulch can be added to help dress up the flower bed. Tara is taking this bull by the horns and I am privileged to witness to it! She made me chuckle by saying she would use duct tape to secure her young daughter to the lamp post so we can work! Hopefully she is willing to do the bulk of the bending and kneeling work as I am so out of condition for doing this type of yard work anymore!

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It is my opportunity to serve as church cleaner with week so will take care of that before Tara gets there. Judy J. wanted to come with me to see what is required to clean the Lord's house but she might still be keeping her neighbor company on Saturday. We are in such need for volunteers to clean, and even though it kills my back to do it, I will keep my name on the list. Our little vacuum cleaner is so nice, lightweight with a beater brush attachment, but according to Judy, vacuum cleaning is the worst things on backs. Mom will attest to that one! Hers has bothered her for years, and it's all she can do to vacuum her floors.

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One of the ladies who is again serving on the Building Comm. was there last night and asked if there was anything her granddaughter could do to earn volunteer hours needed for school. I guess the criteria is only that it be unpaid service so it was suggested she help with the painting on the classroom building, helping with the Spring Cleaning day, volunteer in the nursery on Sundays, maybe watch kids while their parents are planting bulbs in flower beds....There are many serving opportunities for young men and women, so many that I had a hard time coming up with them on the spur of the moment! Justin earned his hours helping out in the preschool during the summer, but I think that won't work now since the State has more stringent rules in place for the preschool.

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The weather has been most pleasant here the past couple days, with high today being in the mid 70's. Tara and I might be sweating bullets Saturday as it's predicted to reach 80, but then plummet as thunder showers roll through. My friend, Julia, is in Atlanta a potter's workshop and might have to experience driving in snow on Sunday, as foul weather will be passing through there on its way here. I hope the snow stays north where it belongs, and that she gets home safely! Joanne is going up there on Monday as she has a "meeting" planned with King Tut! She asked me to go along but we had already spent time with the King in Chicago a couple CHRISTmas's ago. The first week of the month is too busy for me to go bumming anyway so I will stay here and hold down the fort while she ventures north into snow country!