Oh, my heart!

This is a photo taken in late summer of 2007 of Billy Powell "modeling" my beautiful red leather coat purchased in Ephesus, Turkey. Ellen, his wife, has such gorgeous shawls and coats so I went to show her my latest find. Billy felt left out of the fashion show so took a "turn" trying it on. Ellen took the photo with her cell phone and sent it to me. In his hand is a fancy walking stick, so he reminded me of Kramer when he was wearing Joseph's technicolor dream coat in "The Wig Master" episode! First, Billy had grabbed a guitar out of the display thing but Ellen made him put it back because it was too valuable to fool around with. It had signatures and such all over it, so I imagine it was quite valuable. Behind Billy on the wall you can see gold records hanging. Billy usually always wore colored glasses which he explained to me this fall, when he brought me some chocolates and caramel apples, that his eyes are sensitive since the plane crash, because he nearly lost them. That day he also played a private recital for me of classical and original music he had composed, being a trained classical pianist. Now that time spent with him is that much more special to me. And I hope it was to him, too!

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I just got back to my house after having lunch with my friend, Christine, over at Pengree's. I had made up my mind not to let the phone interrupt our time together as so often happens but when I saw Justin's name come up on the screen, I opted to answer. He is the one who told me that Billy had died last night!!! What???

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Apparently Billy called 911 reporting chest pains and shortness of breath, as Justin heard reported on the radio. Justin was distraught. He and I both think the world of Ellen, Billy's wife, and only this a.m. I had thought I should give her a call to see how she was doing. Ellen was staying at their daughter's house for a while to help out with the dogs, leaving Billy here with only one dog. I just had a visit with him last Wednesday and now this Wednesday, he has gone home, too.

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On Wednesday, Billy told me about the good time they had on the recent cruise tour Lynyrd Skynyrd took. The first time they had a cruise tour like this, he told me it the easiest money and the best, he ever earned because it was so simple to do. The downfall was that he was given one of the best cabins on the ship which offered no privacy from the other decks. So, unless they wanted to be called to, waved at, or observed from vantage points, they had to stay inside with curtains closed. I understand there are no fans like Skynyrd fans! It was the same day when he told me about this cruise that I expressed to him, apologetically, that I was not a Skynyrd fan, sorry. Billy told me not to apologize and that it was actually refreshing to have a friend who was NOT a fan, but just a good neighbor!

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This Sunday after I left the bouquet of flowers at the cemetery, I drove out past the big marker where the bodies of Lynyrd Skynyrd band members were buried in 1977. Almost daily is someone there with a piece of paper and a pencil, tracing the names and dates of the lead singer, another member and his sister, a back-up singer who were killed in the plane crash that Billy survived. Sunday was no exception, and as I got closer, could see a man at the grave, paying homage. I sort of snickered, inwardly or outwardly, that the guy was wearing a stars 'n bars T-shirt, typical of a Skynyrd fan. (Sorry if I offended anyone by pointing this out...) This group was known for their Southern rock so it was nothing unusual to see stars 'n bars all over the place.

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When Ellen met Billy he was with a Christian rock band, Vision, prior to the group having their reunion tour after the plane crash. He had expressed to me his belief and faith in the Lord and His work so I am comforted thinking of him in heaven. My heart aches for Ellen, though, and I cannot wait to talk with her. When I went to the door after getting the news, her friend, Maggie, who took water aerobics with Ellen and me, said Ellen was resting but would tell her I had stopped by. Their daughter, Maggie (not the same Maggie as above) had gone home to rest, too, and the other daughter, Ashley Rose, was flying in from San Francisco today. I only know Maggie but look forward to meeting the rest of her kids.

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A while back I wrote a posting about listening to Skynyrd music after Justin had sent me a link to a re-make of a song called "Simple Man". He felt I would like the song because it talked about the things that I admire. The song, re-done by Shinedown, tells about not being hung up on rich man's gold, to remember God above, to be content, and to be 'a simple kind of man'. Do you know what I loved about that song? I love it that Justin said it made him think of me!

My neighbor died, too, last night.................

Skynyrd Keyboardist Dies
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One of the last remaining members of Lynyrd Skynyrd passed away early this morning at his Orange Park home.
The band's original keyboardist Billy Powell dialed 911 shortly after midnight, complaining of chest pains and shortness of breath.
Police and Rescue found Powell in his bed room where the musician was pronounced dead.
He was 56 years old, and he was one of the band members who survived the band's 1977 plane crash that killed lead singer Ronnie Van Zant.

I started to write this the other day

Between the blog site and facebook I have had some interesting discussions regarding life, death, and the parts in between. One thing came up recently when my friend, Cindy, had a close-call with the safety of her little grandson, CJ. He had found a way out of her house and walked around toward the backyard in the direction of the pond. His escape and the danger was thwarted by a vigilant grandma and mama but it scared the daylights out of Cindy for days! This made Cindy remember Timmy's accident and the times that followed, and she stressed that his influence remains in the front of her brain and on her heart to this day.

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This brought to mind another scary story we experienced after Timmy's death in our pool. My former spouse installed a pool alarm that would make a huge noise if some one or some thing landed in the pool and caused a wake. The security people installed window and door alarms on the pool-facing openings which would make a loud signal if they were opened when they should not be. This type of accident was not going to happen again.

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Meanwhile, there was a young father at our preschool named Jeff who had a darling son named Thanos. Jeff had asked me to babysit for a weekend when he had to go out of town for a meeting and I agreed. Justin was not happy about that situation because he had already told me once, "No substitutions!". He was afraid I was bringing Thanos in to replace his brother, as though that could ever happen. I assured him I was only being helpful and instead of putting Thanos in Justin's room in the bunk bed/futon, I put him in the first floor guest room. Proper distance from Justin's room, and from Timmy's, which was still untouched.

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My former spouse was working out in the yard or something into the late evening and was still outside when the rest of us had gone to bed. He came into the house to change into his trunks, saying he was going to rinse off and cool off before coming into the house. Forgetting all about the pool alarm, he dived into the pool and the alarm fired up. I sat up like a shot and heard Justin's feet hit the floor and come flying down the stairs. He was hysterical, thinking that Thanos had gotten up and was in the pool. Thanos never stirred, thankfully. My former spouse was incredibly sorry for freaking us out, and bringing all that back to us like that. Poor Justin!

"Welcome to heaven, Rick!"

My niece wrote a little comment on a photo of Timmy's posted on my facebook page, saying she missed him but knew he was having a ball in heaven. I wrote back that Timmy and the Lord got some more company from Good Shepherd tonight as one of our members, Rick, went home. He had put up quite the battle these past couple years with the most recent illness being the one to wear him out. Pastor got the phone call during our Bible study and opted to take it, expecting to hear the news we did get about Rick. As recently as Sunday yet Pastor was able to have a devotion for Donna and Rick, through blinking and head movement could they tell he could hear the Message.

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"Good night, Rick, and welcome to heaven!"

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Love,

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Shorty

Happy Birthday, Mom!

I just tried the second time to call my mom to sing Happy Birthday but her line is tied up. Either other folks are calling to sing and wish her well or she is on the Internet reading the newspaper and hopefully my blog! She is 84 years old today, and when you are this age, it is not embarrassing to have those numbers noted.

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So, when does that happen? When are women, or people in general, not hesitant to share their ages? My blogging friend, Jami, had a real hard time facing the onset of age 40, but has since realized it is not such a big deal. In fact, she is meeting her friends in Las Vegas to celebrate this rite of passage. I like to remind her that I had a baby at age 40, so it is not so bad! When people are "back on the market" doing the whole dating scene, are they going to be straight forward? Girls wants to appear older so they do not get carded, and when they are older love the fact that they are still carded! Old guys going out certainly do not want people to know they cannot sleep through the night because of prostate troubles.

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Someone I used to know made the comment once that "age was just a number", but that might have been when no back muscle spasms have occurred for awhile. Nothing reminds one of their age like a health problem, as I mentioned about experiencing the sciatica problem which kept me homebound for a couple weeks. Oh, I hated feeling like that. Thanks to Dee and Julia for getting me fixed up with Carol, the massage therapist!

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One time when I did a huge amount of pressure washing at church, getting ready for our 25th anniversary, my hands and arms were affected by the vibration. The doctor sent me to have "shock treatments" (now it all makes perfect sense, does it not?) to determine why my hands and forearms were feeling so funky, and the tests showed I had carpel tunnel syndrome, a result of the lengthy pressure washing. It was so worth it, believe me, to have things spruced up for our big event! I got braces to wear on my wrists and had to use them whenever I used the lawn mower or blower or my beloved pressure washer. My former spouse did not like that, I think he associated the wrist band wearing with his sister who has numerous ailments. We certainly did not want to show signs of human fraility, now did we??!!??

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Surgery was not required for the carpel tunnel syndrome and although it has been years since I moved into the condo and was not able to use the pressure washer or blower, I have my wrist supports standing by for when the occasion will arise again. I sold my "old" pressure washer at the church yard sale, because it was losing its ability to perform and plan to replace it for church use once we have our garage/storage ability back again. Until then, I look sadly at the stuccoed sign in front of the church, covered in mold and mildew, and sigh that I have no pressure washer to clean that off!

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My sister, Lori, who is a few years older than me, had her first and only child at age 40. She is a real trouper, that Lori, strong like bull! But one day she told me a sad story. She knew she was getting old when David and she were trying to carry a sofa from their downstairs up to the living room and she had a terrible time trying to support her end. In her younger days, she could pick up her little hubby and carry him across the threshold, as it were, but now, it was all she could do to hold up her end of the sofa. It was a humbling experience for her to realize she was not as strong as she used to be. Perhaps if they moved furniture up and down stairs more often, she would build up her muscles!

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A p.s. to the original posting: My sister, Lynn, sends the most beautiful greeting cards, and her birthday card to me was no exception. The message was perfect for this posting today and I will include it:

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You'll always be young in spirit, no matter what the years may say, if you live life to overflowing and with joy, embrace each day! May your birthday be blessed to overflowing and may God give you the gift of a spirit still growing!

Taking a break from the newsletter

This afternoon as the time eased by, my friend, Kathy called me. It appeared she was coming back from a school board meeting and asked if she could drop by with some more surveys for the Synod Team. Since I will be at church tomorrow night for Bible study, she asked if I could just take them along. Sure! It was a welcome break to have Kathy come by and enjoy some time on the river with me. I mixed a drink for us and we discussed a few of the items on the agenda of the School Board tonight. Nothing good coming as far as the budget discussions go. Hopefully the powers that be will come to a favorable agreement regarding the teachers and the funding.

We sat and discussed many other things including music, which is particularly close to her heart as a musician and singer. Another topic was about fixing up our homes, the timing thereof of projects and the lengths of our do-it-yourself updating. It was perfect timing for this conversation as just this afternoon I was wiping things down in the kitchen and tried to wipe finger prints off the door frame around the pocket door. When Bruce replaced the trim, the painter had already left, which means the frame was never touched up. I just may try it myself, because, after all, I used to do it for a living! Why does it seem like a much bigger job now, merely touching up, than painting an entire house inside and out used to be???

Ever since Suzanne brought up this subject in her blog the other day, I have been pondering the age factor in my life, our lives. As I walked from my car this afternoon, carrying my grocery bags, and wishing Dave the Doorman was still here, I considered my age. Exactly at what point do we (I) cross over from being one of the young ones to being the same age as the ladies 20 years older than I am? Like some of those with whom I have lunch on Mondays. Would I be their age if I still had a 13-year-old to raise? I will bet not. My point of reference would be entirely different, my focus redirected, my 'freedoms' limited. Physically, if I lost some weight or grew taller, perhaps I would have increased stamina or an interest in running or riding bike, like my church friend, Jennifer, does. Bearing in mind Jen is much younger than me and has young kids at home.....

Kathy and I talked about when people, such as parents or in-laws, no longer are interested in receiving things as gifts ("I have no use for flowers") and start to purge their homes of as much as possible. For years and year now, Gretchen has been going through stuff in her home, sorting and getting rid of things, and coming up with fun pieces or articles to show us. People at her age like to say they don't need another thing in their homes, like my mother-in-law used to say when it came to gifts. I just wonder when that will happen for me, if it will. I remember my mom did not like it when I moved my rooster collection to a back bedroom here, but, for me, I was done collecting roosters, I had enough. I hope I never get tired of colored glass!

Sure, blame me!

Yesterday morning when Joanne was making breakfast, I came into the kitchen for a soda as she was putting a dish in the machine. She said, "Here! Look! If there is any doubt we have a problem....." and let the comment trail off. She was gesturing at the row of bowls in the bottom rack as well as the silverware rack being loaded with ice cream scoops. What was she getting at? What problem? Well, it seems that since she moved in here, and in spite of shopping for unusual food items at Whole Foods, she has fallen into the habit of eating ice cream with chocolate over the top---daily! In my own defense, I told her one of the bowls had held my rice from dinner the night before.........But it is my fault she is hooked on ice cream. At first I would pin her down and force the ice cream down her throat, but now she comes willingly, and even in the wee hours of the night for her fix!

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Joanne is taking part in a weight loss contest at her office (New Year resolve and all that) and has lost several pounds already, in spite of living in what I describe as the "carbohydrate capital of the world". She knew this coming in so it was not news to her. Joanne is often "forced" to dine out with clients and her buyers' agent when they are out and about, and then comes back home to tell me what wretched meal she ordered. Never a big juicy hamburger or a plate of fried chicken---no, she orders some sort of fish prepared in a way that I would never even imagine. My face screws up when she tells me what she ordered and ate, but she loves that and I am quite happy for her!

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Boy, this morning I woke up with a jerk, and I haven't done that in a long long time! Ha ha ha! In my early morning dream state, I was being attacked by aggressive alligators, while seeking shelter in a raised structure at the beach. What in the world??? I was not alone in this structure, Martie was with me, talking on the phone and totally oblivious to our situation. In the dream I was screaming at her to hang up and help me throw these corn cobs at the alligators so they would not attack us. It seems when I awakened, I just may have been hollaring out loud, because my mouth was so dry and my throat sore. Wow, what a weird dream! I am hungry now for corn on the cob!

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Mike and Cindy in my river room

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My friend, Cindy, called me late last night to share a scary story with me. Her recurring theme through the story and following conversation was that no matter what, Timmy was still influencing us. Her grandkids had spent the night this weekend and while in the course of getting things together, car loaded, and good-byes being said, the older toddler of the two opened the front door to her house and went outside. Only a moment passed before Cindy realized that CJ was absent and she shreiked, "Where is CJ???!!!???" Everyone hustled to locate him as the little guy had headed around the back of the house toward the pond where he usually feeds the geese with his grandpa. Cindy said they are so incredibly careful to secure the back doors and windows to prevent access to the pool area but CJ chose the front door instead! This totally freaked Cindy out but she was impressed by how coolly and calmly Tara handled CJ. Cindy was a mess the rest of the day, although nothing really happened, other than him getting away from their normally watchful eyes. It only shows how quickly things can happen, or nearly happen, but sometimes it takes a tragic accident like Timmy's to bring it all home!