Yes, once more, I am cold!

The A/C ran this morning in order to cool my house for the cleaning lady and tonight the heat is on for me! Baby, it is cold outside, thank you very much, Ida! Last night I drove home in heavy drizzle and in chilly temps and today more wind to go with the cold. Mid-50's around here is bitter, no matter what you say! Justin said it felt "nasty" (say it with a drawl) but said it would be a summer day in WI! We went to Bible study at Victory this a.m. and then had lunch at the Japanese place at the Mall. At the next table one of the former chefs from Koko's was cooking and we were so happy to see each other.

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My fingers are icy and have been all day. When Patty was cleaning today, I saw she had opened the patio doors which explained why my feet and hands were so cold. This must be my day for former waitresses or chefs! Patty used to work at Longhorn but since she lost her job is cleaning houses to make some money. She took good care of all my precious glass, making it all shine nice 'n clean. Mostly she cleaned my wood blinds and French doors which still wore some of the dust from the remodeling done in my bathroom and closet! The lady I used in those days was less than thorough but now I am totally confident in the work done today. I actually did go around and wipe my hand along the shelves and such to make sure all was gotten and did, in fact, find a missed section of shelves.

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Frustration of frustrations! Justin was going to swing by yesterday to get my ladder out of the storage cubby for us to use today but after at least 9 trips forth and back trying to find the key for the closet, I had to call him back and tell him not to come. Where is that key??? It has been forever since we did anything in that cubby area so cannot say what has happened to the key. In my opinion, if the keys I ran back and forth do not open the church door or my doors, I do not need them. I should trash the whole works! Those are the only doors for which I need access, plus my car, of course. Hugh, my neighbor, opened the door this morning and brought Patty a ladder, though not my own. For his troubles, I left him two bags of cheese curds. Later he came by with a new key of my very own for the storage closet door, saying it was "a key for curds" program!

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Patty was too cheap for all the work she did for me but I told her that I would tell others about her services so she can keep busy until she finds another job. Her daughter might be able to get her in at the bank where she works but Patty wants something where she can be on her feet and running, not sitting at a desk. That woman! She is a ball of fire, that is for sure. So, any of the readers of this site from OP and Jax, have I got a cleaner for you!

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My dear friend, Brenda, just called to ask for a ride to a medical procedure in the morning. It will be my privilege to make sure she gets there safely and home again. She will have to be doped up and I have never seen her subdued, so this will truly be a treat! While she is being MRI'd, I will go to the pharmacy stores to take advantage of the soda deals my friends told me about via Facebook. I had a 24 pack in the back of my car which I had broken into, and as I drove today, I could hear the cans escaping and rolling madly about in the back. I feared all would be loose but only about eight found their way out of the opened box. Can't wait to pop one open and see what happens! I might have to have Patty come back to rewash the cabinets and touch up the ceiling, too, while she is at it!

Happy Veterans Day!

Oh, it feels so wonderful to have the sun back again! It has been gone since Sunday afternoon when we enjoyed our lunch el fresco at Aron's after church. Oops, I spoke too soon---the clouds have regained their strength and covered the sun again. That is what I get for dilly-dallying! My rhythm was interrupted because Justin sent me a text message to report he had water eyes listening to a tribute to the Veteran's on Neal's program. Then Justin called me while driving to tell me about his full day in front of him, readying a home for closing. Good, love to hear about those closings! He was also a bit upset because he got a chip in his windshield and is concerned about it breaking. Evidently he has huge speed bumps in his parking lot at home and is afraid it will shatter. I assured him the insurance will cover replacement or repair....that is what I pay for, anyway!

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I read him the menu for the ThanksLiving Feast at The Club and he thought that Jesse and he should come over here to eat that day. Both the moms have memberships there so they could certainly enjoy this marvelous menu. Almost made me want to cancel my trip to WI---NOT! I would miss too much by staying here, but I also have lots to do before I go. Thankfully Mom has Internet at her house so I can work on a few things from her house. I also look forward to seeing Judy R. in Winona when I up north, as well as hanging with my sisters and Mom. And Linda! We will enjoy the Ladies' Advent Service on the 29th at First German, and a couple days later, another one back here in Florida. Victory is hosting ours this year, and hopefully we can return the favor next year!

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I woke up to a JAG this morning, not on a jag, but to one! I had never seen this episode before and almost wonder if it might have been an episode made after the series went off the air. I will have to ask Jill if she knows. It has been forever since I last saw an episode so it took me a while to get my thoughts together when I first awakened.

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Last night at Bible study, it was only Mike and me at first, as Debbie had forgotten about the class. She arrived a bit late but in the meantime, Mike and I reviewed some of the information the Long-range Planning group is putting together. Oh, goody, more committees! 'Running in quicksand', I liken it to. Anyway, he showed me what they have so far, with some fine-tuning going on yet. Hopefully it will not take too long to get it ready for presentation. He did tell me that the meeting I had planned for Sunday was postponed to January since we might garner more Greeters through the Time and Talent sheets. Okay, then. I was also waiting to hear about the banner for Christmas 4 Kids but it was suggested to get a changeable date sign so we do not have the expense every year. The banner people already told me that they cannot recycle the banners so I am not sure how to do this....Maybe I need a committee!

Here I am!

Some have been looking for me today but time escaped me, in a good way. Earlier today I had to go to the dentist for a teeth cleaning followed by the finishing of the tooth that had the last root canal. I had to wait in between the two appointments which was fine as I realize the dentist was having troubles fitting a patients' crown. I would certainly want mine to fit perfectly, too, so I waited. When it was my turn, they decided to try a new product on me, calling me a guinea pig. So far, so good!

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When I went up front to pay, the doctor gave me her special pricing, a discount for being 'conservative' (just teasing) as Justin and I often see her at political functions. I have known her husband and she since before we built our office buildings on the Island, where she rented space from us in the new building. She takes good care of me when I have my regular emergencies....Justin is going in just before ThanksLiving for his cleaning and I cannot wait to hear how they go nuts, seeing him looking so svelte with his new physique, to go with his beautiful smile!

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After the dentist I went over to get a soda because, obviously, my mouth tasted funny from the cleaning and then funky new product they used to seal my open tooth. Ahhhh, that was good! From Wendy's I went to Hang Ups to return a plate prop I borrowed and stay to visit for a bit. A man had brought in his mom's bottle collection, miniatures she collected when living in Alaska, including one tiny bottle used for opium! There were also ink bottles and other pretty colored glass, plus a pan used for mining gold. Neat stuff. Dee is going to photograph them for posterity purposes as he is writing a book about his parents. And Dee will be part of that, I guess, by taking the photos!

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When I got home some time just after noon, I sat down at my desk to eat my lunch and work on the newsletter for church. Several e-mails went out in regard to the newsletter but none came back...wait, I had better go and check that tonight.....I have to work ahead due to my trip to WI later this month. Boy, I hope no one feels pressured by this pending deadline!

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When my radio shows got done, I decided to rest and do some work on the computer other than newsletters. Kathy B. called to say she was on the Island and wondered if I was home and available. YES, come on up! We had a great visit, enjoying the river room although without sun due to the tropical storm passing nearby. She stayed until just before it was time for me to leave for Bible study. We found out our friend, Gordy, is back in the hospital, and Kathy told me she had gone to sit with him for a couple hours at his house so his daughter could go to work for a bit. Prayers for Gordy's return to health are in order....and for strength for Terri as she tends her ailing daddy!

You call this resting?

At this moment I am inclined on my bed, computer wobbling about as it is precariously perched where I can reach to type on it. Again I thank my typing teacher in high school for making us touch type! Maybe Justin will get me one of those desks that wheels up to a chair or bed, like in a hospital, for working on. I bought him one years ago and he said he uses it every single day! When he lived at home, he would set up a card table in front of his chair, which looked really trashy in the family room, so I got him the wheeled laptop desk.

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I am supposed to be resting my writing hand but I guess instead typing is working it differently. Joanne's envelopes need to go out in late November but since I will be gone then, am working as much ahead as I can. That way her other staff members will not have to do it all. But my hand gets weary from writing the addresses on the envelopes, so this is my "break". Justin called earlier while I was working so I was distracted from the tired hand---hope the addresses are correct, though.

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He was venting a bit on his long ride from Fleming Island to the gym, as he was cold, wet, and had his face stung by riding the jet ski to the boat launch in the rain. He was helping his father get the skis out of the water because of the coming storm, Ida. Of course, the whole enterprise took way too long and he was late for his appointed time at the gym with his friend. He was supposed to be doing this jet ski riding earlier in the day but there were "delays" in getting started so they ended up doing this when it was nearly dark. Justin knew he was going to be busy late afternoon with that project, so he came by at noon to do the vacuum cleaning here, while I was gone. The kitchen looks again as though nothing happened---just the way I like it! When I sent him a text message to thank him for doing it, I also reminded him he forgot the window sill in my bedroom. He wrote back, "Ach tu lieber!" which made me laugh. Only he would send a text message like that! Next time.

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This morning was Bible study but with only six of us in the class today. I went earlier to re-do some of the bulletin boards and such, finishing just as the ladies began to arrive. During the class, a man came into the hallway and when I looked up, it seems he heard that there was a class going on, and put his hand over his mouth. I got up to see what he wanted and he apologized for interrupting but wanted some directions. (Funny, but when I order pizza there, no one can find us----only when they are lost can they find us!). He said, "I have to take my old lady, no, not my old lady, my grandmother, to the doctor, but I can't find it." I tried to help but I was not sure which way the addresses go, up or down as one gets closer to Blanding. The young man thanked me and left. When I came back to the table, Pastor said we should set up an information booth outside our church to help people find their way, and Bonnie piped up, saying, "and Kim can man it!" Thanks, Bonnie, only again, I do not know which way the addresses go......! Just another service I offer! Make them feel good even if they are lost! The name for the booth can be "We help the lost"....oh, the ideas are rolling around in my brain now...

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Instead of going to Longhorn, due to the cost increases, we went to Steak 'n Shake. Funny, but the two who complained the most were not with us today....I had the Wisconsin Buttery Burger and Judy C. had the special, which came to just over $3.00 including the drink! The other ladies had their burgers, but Donna complained the fries were cold. I do not complain but since the waitress gave us two free plates of fries plus cheese dip, I enjoyed them. Wow! Now we had a ton of fries in front of us. My guess was the glass plates chilled the fries because in no time at all, the fresh fries were no longer hot. I like nothing better than excellent customer service and I left her a nice tip to show my appreciation for her service.

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While we ate, the heaven's opened again, a driving rain which certainly soaked the front seat of the car parked next to mine with the driver's window opened. Oooh, I hate when that happens! Glad my windows were all closed. Hurricane Ida is supposed to bring us more of that, plus high winds. Excuse me, but did not the season end on November 1st??? Someone did not get the memo, Ida! From the restaurant I went to the cemetery to deliver the bouquet of flowers from church since Linda and I did not take it yesterday. The stark white flowers looked gorgeous and bright against the greyness around it. I hope the winds and rain do not beat them up too badly.

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Speaking of Linda, I no sooner had spoken her name to the ladies than did she call me from Nevada, asking what the poor people were doing today. I laughed and told her we were talking about her! Donna asked if Linda was my sister, and while she easily could be, I explained Linda is my friend. And then the phone rang, with her on the other end! She was letting me know she arrived safe and sound, had a good night's sleep, and Tommy and she were now heading for the north rim of the Grand Canyon. The poor people were eating cold fries under cloudy skies and watching the rain pour.......

I am just the saddest girl

My friend has left my house and I am so sad! I miss her already as she is likely boarding her plane right this minute. Her fun continues though as she meets her hubby in Las Vegas tonight and tomorrow will celebrate their wedding anniversary. They have plans to visit the Grand Canyon, Death Valley, and possibly the Hoover Dam if time and ambition allows. Through her conversations with Tommy these past couple of days, it seems Linda had far more fun here with me than he did playing cards in LV. OF COURSE she had more fun than he did regardless of how he did at the tables!

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We had lunch at Olive Garden and enjoyed social time at The Club Wednesday; Bible study and lunch with Justin on Thursday and then our feast for supper; Friday was Wal-Mart, Hang Ups, Koko's, Target, and the Symphony, with Justin; Saturday was the Pampered Chef party, Steinmart, and then church at Victory with Justin, followed by supper at 5 Guys; and today, Bible study, worship, lunch el fresco at Aron's with Kathy B. and later, Judy J., and then late afternoon, the airport. Full fun days, with our down time taken up with talking and movie watching. Since she got here we watched "Freedom Writers", "Grey Gardens", "My Life in Ruins", and "The Women". We do "down time" very well!!

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I am yet waiting to see the moon rise on the river although it may be too cloudy tonight. It got quite windy later this afternoon and grey clouds moved in, which I guess may be hints of Hurricane Ida coming up from the south. At least the weather stayed decent while Linda was here and we did not need either the heat or A/C, keeping the sliding doors open for ventilation. I just love my fuzzy slippers!

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For some reason or another I am weary tonight, all the emotion and drama of saying farewell to my friend, I guess. My supper tonight will consist of leftovers from the feast including mashed potatoes and gravy with some cranberries on the side. Mmmm! Some of Janet's wonderful apple crisp from Thursday will make the best dessert. I can barely close my freezer as Janet brought 2 containers of ice cream to go with the pie, plus the 2 I had gotten when shopping on Tuesday. Oh my! Where is Joanne when I need her?? I miss her too!

A Saturday like none other

Linda and I watched some news together this morning before starting our day. Once we were ready, we headed over to church to dress the altar for worship. The flowers had not been delivered so I was not able to put them in the vase but hopefully one of the others on my team did it or we can simply do it when we get there in the morning. From church we headed to Rachel's house for the Pampered Chef party. Justin had googled the directions for me and it was quite simple to find her home. We arrived too early but Rachel's sister-in-law encouraged us to come in to wait.

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The party was very nice with a roomful of Victory ladies, all of whom seemed quite familiar with the products being demonstrated. Since this was a brunch-themed party, the demonstrator prepared an easy recipe of calzone. I was blown away by the prospect of getting ready-made pizza crust dough in a cardboard can, like the kind crescent rolls come in. Shut up! (By the way, I asked Justin if he knew about this pizza dough thing and he did not either!) Linda, who owns nearly every piece or tool in the catalog, assisted the demonstrator, shredding the Swiss cheese. I was so proud!

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In response to my amazement at the pizza dough in a can concept, one of the ladies declared that they were going to make cook out of me yet, that this so-called party was indeed, an intervention!!! Oh, how I laughed about this---so funny! In reflection, I have cooked more in 2009 than I probably have the previous ones, due in part to the monthly dinners, more eating in than out with the depressed economy, and my hosting of movie night for my lady friends.....But really, there is no need for additional tools or implements to make the meals. PC does offer some nice recipe cards for single-dish meals which looked simply marvelous so I bought that collection as well as few items to be used for gift exchanges coming up. For an appetizer, Rachel served some apple and Brie tarts made in pre-formed filo bread tarts. Oh, my goodness, they were "stick to my teeth" delicious!!!! The appetizer cookbook I ordered will be a blessing if I only make these little tarts!

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Before we headed for home, Linda had spotted a SteinMart near Rachel's so we stopped in there to check it out. The Fleming Island store is no longer in business so it was ideal for us to hit it while right there. Linda found a dressy jacket to wear for the holidays and I found a couple items to put in my closet, saving as much money as I spent. While we would have liked to shop a bit longer, Linda had to use the bathroom and, of course, they were out of order. I asked a clerk if there were other restrooms but nope, that was it! So, we went to the registers to check-out. The clerk there encouraged us to go to CVS to use their restrooms and then come back to shop some more. Thank you, no....

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It was a "relief" to get home again and settled in the family room once more to get her feet up. We watched "My Life in Ruins" before heading back out to Victory to meet Justin for church. Saturday evenings is more like a brief devotion and hymn, and then Bible study with The Truth Project, which I studied with this group last spring. Tonight's lesson was the one that was my favorite from the class, Social Order. Wow! Talk about powerful, and moreso because my son was sitting next to me. The value of life, the roles assigned by God at creation (and who are we to try to change them?), how the concept of 'submission' became a negative one by society, and so on. Portions of it really touched my heart, in particular when the segment came on where various people give their definition of "family". The responses flow from extremely pleasing to heart-wrenching, almost tragic, ideas of what our society now considers to be 'family'. Naturally, my eyes overflowed and Justin reached over and snuggled me close to him. I was not sad by myself and that is what I love about my Justin!

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Afterwards, we were pleased to be graced by his presence yet some more as his friends were out of town Friday night through today. He missed out on that particular "fun" because of Carmina Burana on Friday night....oh, well! Earlier I had mentioned to Linda about being hungry for some fries and we ended up going to 5 Guys for a hot dog and fries. We ate outside which was about the same temperature as inside. We enjoyed our nice meal and great conversation before Justin said his good-byes to Linda and we headed home. He will not see her again until she comes back in February because he is not going "home" for ThanksLiving, nor are we going up for CHRISTmas. The time will go by quickly, as did this visit, because tomorrow, she is leaving already! Rats!

What time is it anyway?

It is actually bedtime, just past it, but I am still too keyed up to sleep. After tip-toeing to the kitchen to get some ibuprofen and waiting for it to kick in, I decided to post. My ankle is aching me as though I twisted it or something but did not, so I do not know what is going on. My brain is not ready to sleep yet because we attended the symphony presentation of "Carmina Burana" at the Times-Union Center with Linda and Justin. The chorus and soloists were amazing, with the orchestra simply phenomenal. The text of the words was provided at each seat so we could follow along with the story but it was hard to read the words while watching the musicians and conductor. Simply put---WOW! Kathy B.'s daughter, Kelly, was there and it was great to see her again.

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We ate at home for dinner, leftovers from our feast last night or from Koko's at lunch time. I was not really hungry since I was still full from lunch but the other two found something good to eat before we headed out. We took only one car so only had to pay for one parking space. The drive was smooth and we arrived in good time before going to our seats. We were in Box 10, comfortable chairs and good views, except for not being able to see the children's chorus.

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Linda's and my day began with cleaning up the kitchen after the mess of the feast last night. In no time the dishwasher was busily cleaning the dishes, the counters were wiped off, food placed in the appropriate-sized storage dishes, and the tablecloth laundered for the next use.

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We went to Wal*Mart for a few things where I ran into Charlie and LaMora, former members at my church. So nice to see them again, always when we are shopping! Linda and I were in search of the perfect receptacle for storing my DVDs. Linda uses one of her Longaburger baskets for her movies and I thought this might the solution for me. But, here is the shocking news--Wal*Mart no longer "carries" baskets! Justin needed some new under garments and socks which I picked up while there, making sure I had all items the same brand, as he declares himself "monkish" in that respect. In search of the right-sized basket, off to Target we went, via Great Hang Ups! Of course, once in the vicinity of Hang Ups, the inevitable occurred and we found ourselves around the table at Koko's with Julia joining us!

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After our lovely lunch and lively conversation, we eventually got to Target. As I expressed to Linda, I do not know why Target is not my store of choice in the first place. I guess I use Wal*Mart because of the pharmacy in order to pay only $4 for them, on recommendation Dr. House (his real name!). Regardless, I found so many wonderful things to consider for when I make up goodie bags to give the preschool and kindergarten children after their CHRISTmas program. The bags can include tiny flower pots which contains a seedling for a CHRISTmas tree! In the dollar aisle! I had already decided to do a candy cane with the story of what they mean attached and then to have something to watch grow, hopefully, well, terrific!

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We did find a suitable basket for much less money than a Longaburger one while Linda found some books to take home for her grandkids. When we got home, I put on a movie while we rested before getting ourselves ready for the symphony. "The Woman" proved to be a fun movie to watch and I think Linda saw the entire thing with her eyes open rather than closed! She said it always a good movie to laugh and cry at the same time. Amen to that!