You can't hear me yawning, I hope!

All of a sudden I am bone weary! Justin and I had a great day today, worshiping together at Victory, seeing many folks I hadn't seen in a while (probably since Lent!) and singing with an exquisite pianist. It was "Favorite Hymn Sunday" where we sang hymns chosen by members. Rachel played the entire service on the grand piano this week.

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I didn't have to raise my hand, because, guess what! My favorite, from the short list of "my favorites", was already printed in the service folder....."Be Still, My Soul". Justin knew this my favorite, also knew it would make me cry....but not until the 3rd stanza. BUT, I choked my way through:

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"Be still, my soul: when dearest friends depart, And all is darkened in the vale of tears,Then shalt thou better know His love, His heart, Who comes to soothe thy sorrow and thy fears. Be still, my soul: thy Jesus can repay From His own fullness all He takes away."

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Not only the surrendering of Timmy to heaven, just, other things, other people, other situations, and the calming reminder about just who's in charge around here! This was also the theme of Phil's sermon today: Bring it On!!

Justin knows this hymn is one of 25 or 30 that I've chosen for my funeral, but is mostly likely #1 on my hit parade of hymns. You will need to set aside at least a half day for my funeral, as I've picked so many hymns and all of Philippians 4 for the readings......My downstairs neighbor plays piano and I can often hear her playing "Finlandia", the tune for this hymn. "Music hath charms to soothe the savage breast"---not a simple task in this household!!!

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Years ago when we had a regular "live" organist at our church, I'd ALWAYS request "Be Still...." as my favorite. Kathy would usually play it for me either before worship or during, and when I'd turn to look at her, she'd smile the acknowledgement, knowing she knew it was my favorite...and she often played "Amazing Grace" for Bruce, again, knowing it was his favorite. I mean, really, can you go wrong playing either of those two hymns for worship?

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So, anyway, about our day.....we rode together to Joe's Crab Shack and had to wait only a short while before a table became open on the deck. It was well into 80 degrees and I was loving it! Ah, yes....Joe's in the sun---it's a beautiful thing!

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Justin ordered from the new menu and I had, of all things at a seafood restaurant, a cheeseburger! Yesterday I was dying for a cheeseburger but couldn't go out until late in the day, so today was the day! I didn't care for the fries, but did see a young lady with an ear of corn. Our waitress very nicely provided me with an ear at no charge-----she lent me an ear!!!! Oh, brother!! I wasn't ready to leave my table in the sun yet, so we ordered a dessert...for me, a root beer float and for Justin, key lime pie. He likes it so much better than the Publix version with nuts on top.

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On the way out, I ran into someone I knew, go figure! Judy J.'s grandson and his uncle, along with some of his uncles' concrete crew, enjoying a day at the beach! I didn't recognize Louis at first with his dark glasses on, but once I did, he got the stuffings hugged out of him! It was his sister and her husband who stayed here while I was in WI. Small world? Maybe....

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Once home, Lisa called to fill me in on Manny's party for his 3rd birthday. His pirate-themed decorations and cupcakes were a hit, and he loved his gift from me. It's supposed to be used for displaying or storing stuffed animals but he'd rather play with it his way. Okay! While talking with her, Gretchen beeped in so I spoke with her for a bit. She was wondering why I wasn't at Good Shepherd today---hoping I wasn't sick or something. Sweet Gretchen, checking in on me! She also complimented me on this month's newsletter which is being sent to her sister in CA as we speak.....Her compliments are sincere and much appreciated!

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Off to bed to watch the next video in the series of "Pirates of the Caribbean"...Linda H. loaned me #1 and #2 so I can catch up and when I am, Leanne and she are coming over here to watch #3 together. I finished the first one today, had the tiniest bit of trouble keeping the ships apart, and who was who in the sword fights, but in the end, I got the gist of it. Let me ask you this: "Why is the rum gone???"

The day begins and closes with tears!!!

...both times tears of joy!
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Yesterday Justin and I were talking about going down to visit Rafa in Mexico City, since I'm not taking a cruise this summer. And then this a.m. as I speculated inwardly if I should clean off the fridge for the repairman, I was looking at the picture of Rafa and family posted there. The thought went through my head that I should write a note to Rafa and say "hi!", but I didn't do it immediately....

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Well, when I got home from the grocery store, I came back in my room to work a bit. The first thing I saw was an e-mail from Rafael (the daddy)!!! He said they read my blog and he loves my painting "The Doors of Santorini"....I cannot even express how delighted I was to read his note! His wife and he are in Africa for a month, with the kids back at home with grandparents. Apparently they'd have to be 12 years old to go where Mom and Dad are in Africa. Wow, I love it, just love it!!!

This happened once before, not too long ago, when I was going through the process of transferring data from one computer to the other. I expressed to Justin my concern that I might lose Rafa's e-mail address and his other letters to me, and that very same night, I got an e-mail from him! The Lord is looking out for our friendship!

Here's the picture Rafael included in his e-mail, taken of Rafi in Acapulco....he's getting so big!

Thumbs down for the refrigerator...It seems that the freezer is not defrosting, hence not sending cold air up into the fridge portion. I don't need to understand it, only have patience since a part needed to be ordered, with them coming back on Wednesday to make the repair. On the bright side, of course there is one!, "Bob" lifted out the two shelf/drawers in the freezer portion to access the panel in back, making it possible for me to FINALLY clean up the mess from the spilled cookies, referenced in a previous posting. It's a good feeling to have the crumbs and sprinkles wiped away. It will cool now, as he defrosted the coils with a machine but suggested I not buy too much perishable stuff just yet. I already tossed most of the opened items such as mayo, Italian dressing, coffee creamer, and so on, and can live without those items at least until Wednesday!!!

Fausto would have had a field day today, if that's the correct expression, watching all the sailboats enjoy the river. It may have been part of some regatta but I couldn't find anything about it on-line. If there was 1, there were 100 boats out there at times, not obliviously racing but certainly much motion. All different colored sails and sized vessels, making my imposed captivity quite delightful today! I probably wouldn't have minded having to stay home all day if it were my idea instead of A & E Appliance Repairs'! It's different when it's your own idea, why is that?

Tomorrow Justin and I are attending Victory so don't look for me at Good Shepherd. We want to go to Joe's Crab Shack for lunch and spend some time at the beach enjoying the lovely 80+ temperatures. Twila was sick last Sunday and Monday, so I haven't seen her since getting back from WI. We'll have to see each other Monday at Bible study. Good thing we ladies were planning to crop here this Wednesday, since I have to wait--again--between 8 and 5 for the repairman to come back. Held hostage by an electronic panel, but at least I'll have co-hostages to keep me company!

I see now a good deal of grey/black smoke rising over Mandarin. Hopefully nothing terrible is going on. Lori called earlier this a.m. to report David and she heard something on NPR about Clarks' Fish Camp and an interview of the official alligator trapper in Duval and Clay Counties! How cool is that? It was on the program "Wait, Wait, I Know....." that I listened to with Judy and Jerry in Winona. By the time I got the message, the show had moved off onto another topic. Nuts! I don't know where I'd find a "public" radio station on my equipment, can't say I've ever listened to it on purpose! But, I would have loved to have heard my "community" discussed on a national radio program!!!! Especially Clarks'! When Judy comes down in October, we absolutely MUST go there to eat!

The ups and downs of refrigeration

Right off the bat this morning I am mopping up tears! Cindy sent some photos taken for Mike's and her 30th wedding anniversary. Tara's friend is a photographer and an amazing one at that. There is a slide show on the photographer's website and I simply adore the photo of Cindy laughing, head thrown back---ala Cindy-style! Love it! Great shots, great subject matter. Shiloh is Miss Photogenic, wearing her grandma's veil and posing on her gown!

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Well, the wait is on for the repairman to come and see what's wrong with my fridge. Yesterday morning when I went for a soda, it seemed to be nice and cold again. Great! I decided that something was still wrong with it because turning the temp up as high as it goes before it'd kick in......that's not right! So, today, between 8 and 5, I can expect company!

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I had good company yesterday afternoon as "Dr." Colon and his lovely wife, Marilyn Julaine, came over to look at the lemon tree. I had moved the tree outside by the front door since I knew chemicals and such would be sprayed on it. Fausto first used clear water to wash the leaves, picking off those destined to fall anyway, checked the soil acidity (which tested okay) and then sprayed it with a mixture of Dawn soap and veggie oil mixed with water. Under his microscope we could see "the little bastards", which are normally called 'mites', the guys wreaking all this havoc. The soap/oil mixture suffocates them as well as sealing the leaf from disease. He also left me printed materials and a book about Florida plants for my perusal. We shared a lovely lunch at The Club which brought back many memories for Fausto, as he used to keep a boat at the marina here and also held Club membership. His son and he made sure they had their "required" meal each month, never let the opportunity pass, something which I cannot claim.

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I told them how at first Justin and I ate at The Club frequently, loving the food and the whole idea of it, but gradually quit going more than once each month. Often when it's getting close to the end of the month, Pam will call and say, "I haven't eaten at The Club this month--wanna meet for lunch?" What's nice about summer is that our membership obligations can be fulfilled at the Cabana where I can have a nice cheeseburger and pina colada on the weekends without having to dress up! I can drip and order my food at the same time, and then rinse off in the pool!

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I've tried my hand at using the old-fashioned method of recording the "old" TV programs with VHS in my room. Skillfully I set the machine to record about 8 episodes of "Seinfeld"; however, when I tried to replay them this a.m., to see if it worked, I had several episodes of "Reba" and one of a show called "Still Standing". Ugh!!!! Please!!!! It's not a productive time for me to go sit in the family room and watch the DVR recorded programs so am ridding myself of the digital converter and HD thingy. Most of the time I'm in my room at the computer, during the day listening to talk radio, but I'd hate to miss my re-runs of Seinfeld and Frasier. As Justin said the other day, I'll probably get the DVDs anyway and can watch them at my leisure, sans commercials. I will keep trying my hand at mastering the remote control to record on VHS. Talk about living in the past!!

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Work has begun on the marina which is being re-built since the destructive Hurricane Jeanne took it out in 2004. The barge with the scoop shovel is idle today but during the week was busily pulling sand or silt from the basin area in preparation for the docks to be put in. I hope the manatees still come to do their thing out here by my window, as they put on quite a show for us. Pretty? No. Interesting? Oh, yes, they are! Here is a pile of manatees, doing whatever it is that manatees do......

The rumor mill claims the marina spaces will sell for $100,000.00 American money, which is wwaayy too rich for my blood! Let's say they are offered at that price---is this the price people will wish to pay? Having the marina will improve the property value, of this we're sure, but there is some question about the parking situation and so on. I'm not concerning my pretty little head about it, but do look forward to hearing the clang, clang, clang as the sailboats bob around in the water, the sail hardware hitting against the mast.....At my lake house, a friend, Alan, had his sailboat tied up at my dock and I loved hearing the clanging from his boat.....I grow nostalgic for the lake house, but not when I think about all the extra work there was to keeping a big house on the water like that. My condo on the river, as Fausto said repeatedly, is perfect for me!

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p.s.: My friend, Brenda, with whom I had drinks and chips at Whitey's, reports my "pool boy", Jeff, has broken up with her daughter and is no longer in the picture. This makes my heart heavy because I care about both of them. I used to say that Jeff woke me every Saturday morning, bright and early, when he came to clean my pool. My room was on the patio level and the bank of windows wore no curtains..... poor guy!

A rude awakening this morning

Only yesterday I was telling Martie and Chris about how much I enjoy having the sunshine wake me each morning, that I don't mind finding myself up early, and so on. Well, Lynx evidently caught wind of that and decided 5:20 a.m. is not too early to release a hairball while sitting at the foot of my bed....hack, hack, hack...Excuse me, Lynx? There is a huge difference between sunlight waking me and you coughing up a hairball, okay? Got that? Here's the bad news---I found no hairball, it was all an act!

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On the bright side, however, I was able to see the moon reflecting on the river at that hour. No, it was not full, but actually was a sliver, yet, it reflected quite nicely. That's the type of moon I used to ask, "I've lost my fingernail...does anyone know where it is?" And the answer would be, "It's up in the sky!" Those were the days!

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Well, I have a problem, folks---my fridge is ailing. Yesterday I noticed that my soda wasn't quite cold enough to suit me, but thought perhaps because it had been in the car for a while, it would take longer to get cold, like overnight?!?! As I was gone much of the day doing lunch and cropping, I wasn't around to check the fridge temp, and frankly, wasn't even thinking about it at all. Until after getting home from choir, when I went to get a drink, and sure 'nuff, it was still warm!

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Oh, brother! Immediately I checked my ice maker and it was fine, cranking out cubes like nobody's business. It seems only the upper portion was affected by solar flares or whatever is causing my fridge not to cool. Too much carbon in the air or something. I did make the futile attempt of turning the temperature up, just to see if that would affect it any, and, as of this a.m., no such luck. My butter is getting soft! At least the freezer is up and running at this point, and I put whatever I could in there for the time being. The milk went down the drain, as did some juice that Judy's family had left here. I think the beer and Smirnoff Ice will be okay, and I can put a can or two of soda in the freezer for my use during the time I'm home.

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The repairman is due to come on Saturday between 8 and 5--one of those deals. Which brings to mind a Seinfeld episode where Kramer and the cable company engage in a cat 'n mouse game of making appointments and then not keeping them. I hope the repairman won't chase me down the street like happened to Kramer--believe me, I'll be waiting for him with open arms! Some of my salad dressings and such might have to go away, too, sort of like back in 2004 when we had to dispose of the entire refrigerator contents TWICE when the hurricanes took out the electricity. Glad the freezer is okay, otherwise Justin and his roomies would be eating pretty good, or at least, storing my stuff in the meantime. I still have some meat left from the County Fair cow we bought and shared last year.....might want to sort of let that disappear, right?

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Tonight is the themed dinner and I am making the famous taco salad (I heard the ooohs and aaahhhs go up!). I'll have to wait until the last moment to prepare it as the fridge won't work to keep it chilled. Could ask my neighbor to keep it for me, or use the ice bucket to keep it cold. Justin and I are having lunch together at Great Hang Ups, as he wants to meet there and catch up with the ladies. He loves them, and they, he. I think he also has his art project to bring along for Show and Tell. Something about crash commercialism, I guess. He could major in that!

Two blessed days in one week---so far!!!

Just before 10:00 am Julia called me from the road to report that Dee got through her cardiac cath procedure with flying colors! Yes, she was scheduled for that yesterday but got bumped over and over by heart attacks in other folks....When she called me last night to tell me, she said she didn't know why they always came and got her doctor for this, and I said, "Because you wanted the best man, and evidently, he was it!!!" She agreed with that....guess you wouldn't want the least desirable man of medicine to do YOUR procedure, right?

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So, Dee was first on the list this morning, and with no muss, no fuss, came through with a perfectly clean bill of health. The doctor even commented that her arteries were so clear, she didn't even need to take cholesterol medication any longer! Wow! Makes me want to go have a cath just to make sure everything is okey-dokey...well, maybe not.....

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Dee will be home around noon today and might be laying low yet tomorrow. "Might" is the key word here, as she'll most likely be ready to jump right back into work. Our prayers were answered, God was with Dee and guided the hands of the medical folks and we can breathe a sigh of relief and offer a prayer of thanksgiving for my dear, dear friend's good report!!!

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Earlier I was invited to attend a breakfast at my friend, Pam's, office but sort of was a lazy bones and really didn't want to be far from the phone in case Julia called. It would have been nice to see the presentation from an area builder discussing the growth of Clay County and so on. Joanne had seen it before and said it was quite interesting but my heart and mind were elsewhere. I am meeting Martie and Chris for lunch in a few minutes and then going to Martie's to crop and work on cards. Yippee! It's great to be back in the swing of things again!

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Two blessed days so far this week---let's go for a record!!!

Something I forgot to mention

This is something that happened several days ago but I just now remembered it: I stopped at the cemetary to check on things there and discovered that the Matchbox cars, usually kept in a ceramic dish, had washed or blown out of the container. They were in close proximity to the dish but when I tried to pick up one that used to a truck, it simply crumbled in my hands. Now, normally this would send me into a tailspin but really, now, these vehicles have been exposed to every kind of weather, some of them for the entire 7 years....(seven years sounds like a long time, but in this case, it isn't). Something was bound to happen to them. Heat makes them brittle as does other nasty weather.

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I couldn't help but wonder to myself how much longer I'd keep this type of thing on his site, what difference did it make to have the cars and the angel statues and the praying hands? It would be significant to NOT have some evidence, some physical above-the-ground reminders of what type of person is buried there. A child, my child....

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Sure, I have the bench there to mark the spot and all that, and his tree, but the cars being left there, some by us, some by unnamed visitors, some by those who knew him....yeah, I'll keep the stuff there. I just wanted to talk about it some today.

It's a blessed day!!!!

I rode in the new elevator tonight!!!! It smells very new and I hope it stays this way for a while... such a joy! The "car" seems quite modern with tiny lights on the ceiling, like spot lights, instead of the fluorescent tubes that used to illuminate it. Nice, very nice!

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Some storms passed through the area late today but let up in time for Brenda N. and I to enjoy an evening sitting on the deck at Whitey's. I'd wanted to sit on the "new" deck but it's closed due to the construction of a permanent roof, so settled for the other one instead. She loved her birthday necklace purchased from Lori, a pearl-looking blue/pink disc with a multi-strand beaded necklace holding it. You get the picture...She is quite impressed with Lori's craftiness, and wondered how come I didn't get into beading. I explained not needing another hobby at this time---let Lori, Lisa, and Linda make beautiful things for me to wear.

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Looking around my room tonight, I can't help but think back to the old days when we'd be hosting a party or some gathering at our home, and my spouse would go clean up the garage or the basement instead of vacuuming or dusting the rooms where we were actually entertaining. Junk would be piled in the laundry room or brought up from downstairs, making more of a mess than we started with upstairs. This is how my room looks after emptying the suitcases and putting them away. Now the contents of those bags is scattered or piled on available flat surfaces, waiting for someone to put them somewhere......It always gets worse before it gets better! At least my clothes are put away, now it's just papers and mail and purchases and scrapbooking supplies...

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....which reminds me----just before I left tonight, my doorbell rang and here was the delivery man with my purchases from The Honey Pot! I said, "Don't tell me you just carried those up the stairs!?!" and he replied, "Yeah, and they got heavier the closer I got to the top!" He then said, "They are from Two Rivers. I know where that is!" This guy is originally from West Bend, and his accent was exposed. He said it gets stronger when he's talking to someone else with this accent....a very nice guy! Little did he know that 20 minutes later and he'd been able to ride the elevator instead of hike the stairs!

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When I got downstairs, I went over to see how the elevator was coming. Three workmen were standing there talking to Jeff, my neighbor, who ran the job. I told them all how tickled I was to have the elevator back, that it was a long climb up to the 6th floor. One guy looked at me and said, "There are only 5 floors" and I said, "Oh no, don't tell me it doesn't go all the way up!?!" I had him going there for a minute........

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It's still drizzling a bit out there, but at least my car looks better than it did. Most of the yellow accumulated pollen washed off in the rain this afternoon. Julaine left me an hysterical phone message, accusing me of trying to steal her husband, telling me he was still too new to let go of...This was in response to my request for Fausto, the Master Gardner, to make a house call for my ailing lemon tree. Yes, my tree is sick, so I am sick, too. Last year we had the same thing, a white yukky fungus gunk appearing on the leaves and the lemons...sticky feeling and leaves falling. I am scared about something killing my tree, can't bear the thought of a disease bothering my precious lemon tree. I told y'all about the history of the tree. He's going to come over, and bring his bride for safety purposes, to check on it for me. I thank God for all the good people in my life!!!!

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While thanking God for these people, I must also ask for His guiding hand as my dear friend, Dee, undergoes a cardiac cath. procedure tomorrow. My "job" is to make sure that Julia gets lunch, and I am so qualified for this responsibility. It will be good for Julia to have a bit of company midday, so she doesn't have to think about her mom all by herself. I can wring my hands with the best of 'em----but, of course, that's not necessary, since the Lord has Dee fully in His! We'll just enjoy our sandwiches and leave it to Him!