To complain or not complain?

That is the question....I guess I will not complain but simply mention that once more my part of the world is facing record cold temperatures this morning. And will continue to do so through the weekend. The only outside activity I performed yesterday was to walk down to the lobby to get my mail since at the beginning of the month, I expect a check. It was worth the walk yesterday but my pace was quicker than usual. Not only was it cold out, but also wet. Fortunately it was not slippery.

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Jen and Memrie came by in the afternoon so Mem could pitch her Girl Scout Cookies to me. When they came in, the little one was wearing a short-sleeved T-shirt and a windbreaker, which surprised me. Jen said she had a sweatshirt in her backpack but Mem assured me she was warm enough. They were not playing outside at all so I guess she was alright. I ordered a couple boxes of Thin Mints, like a good friend would. I showed her how to play the new travel version of Scrabble that I have which kept her busy while her mom and I chatted. They had to pick up Chris at school, having stayed after for Game Club. Board games only in this middle school club and has such great attendance and involvement that storage for the games became a problem. I like to hear that, and it also helps the kids develop their interpersonal skills, with which Chris has problems. Recreational therapy, I believe it is called.

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When they left, I got busy putting away about three loads of laundry done since my guests left, one of which was towels from those two bathrooms. It upset me a bit because I am still mourning their departure, but then got cheered up again knowing in a month, people will be back in those rooms and beds again! Justin is already slated to come and remake the beds next week sometime so they will be set for the guests and out of my laundry room. Last night Justin and I took the tree down, implementing my new ornament case bought at Joann's before CHRISTmas. It held all my ornaments, plus the blue ice garland. Since we are having a yard sale at church in the spring, he will need to come back to go through my remaining decorations and help decide what to keep and what to sell. Gulp! This will be killer for me because I have deep emotional attachment to some of these things, including a table top musical snow globe from my first married Christmas (keeper!) and a ceramic nativity set given to me by Jimmie W. one year. My heart says to keep it all, but my good sense says I need to clean it out, let go. The good news is that I have a few months to steel myself for this clean out!

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At Wal*Mart the other day, the main aisles were piled full of the plastic bins in all shapes and sizes, as usually happens after the holidays. I should have grabbed some, and still might do that, because Justin, Martie and I have a huge project to take care of after Lynn and Linda are gone home. We are going to tackle what we call the "Timmy" closet in the guest room. Those boxes and such were packed for me by Tinker, a church member and housekeeper whom Joanne paid to pack up The Preserve house when Justin and I were on a cruise in 2004. That spared me the agony of having to go through Timmy's things myself, and the fact that she did almost the entire house for us was an extra blessing! But, the boxes and containers are not uniform and therefore do not stack as well as they could. I also think that we can use some of those shrink bags for fabric items and stuffed animals, making more room in the bins, making for fewer bins. I already have the bags so that is no worry. Martie knows this is a tough one for me and has offered to help, and we especially need Justin for the lifting and toting, as well as some of the decision making. He is a great hugger!

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You know I have been housebound too long when I start talking to the TV! This a.m. on the news, a 911 call was being replayed about some actress who died recently, and the caller is her mother, begging for help. As they replayed the call, the Mom told the dispatcher that her daughter is passed out and they are doing mouth-to-mouth, please send help. The 911 operator asked if someone was with her, and the mom screams, "Yes!!". Then the operator asked how old the daughter was and the mom says, "She's 30!!", frantically. The nice male operator told the mom, "You don't have to yell..." He then asked, "Is she awake? Is she breathing?", where, at that point, I said aloud, to the TV, "You idiot!!" because the mother already told the 911 operator that her daughter was passed out and someone was doing CPR. Ugh! This might be a device they use to keep people focused or what have you, but from my perspective, it sounded idiotic. I need to go out! Next I will be throwing a shoe at the TV, or worse!

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Some might think the radio would be better, but I get frosted at that, too, sometimes. I listen to the radio from about 9 to 5 most days, over the Internet primarily, which means I do not get the same type of advertising as heard over the air. Instead, I listen to tons and tons of PSAs, (public service announcements) with well over half of them being sponsored by one organization or another that ends in 'dot gov'. Not good, not good by any means! It is incredible to know that tax dollars are being spent to promote these programs for what??, after school boxing lessons or sports training to keep kids off the street. Or, adopt a foster child, or become a child advocate, or make use of one government program or another. Do we really need a PSA to tell us that families who eat together three nights a week will have better communication? I don't think so, and that is not the government's job to tell us that, either. Ugh! There are programs upon programs out there, advertising on the radio via these PSAs and the stations have no option but to play them, to balance the paid advertisements. Not to be a conspiracy theorist or anything, but in listening to these PSAs, one could think about all the many ways that the government already infiltrates our homes and lives, and it is more than a little frightening!

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I might get in trouble for this, but one of the paid advertisements about drives me coo coo---a local jewelry store with several stores located in elite areas, has the owner come on and do the ad. His Southern accent is so annoying that I claw at my eyes when it comes on, but to turn it off would be a pain, too, because I would have to pull it back up again to hear the program! I am getting too crotchety in my old age, I guess. Would this be called 'my last nerve'??

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I was thinking about this cold weather earlier this a.m., remembering a time back in 2002 or 2003 when we had record cold temps and high high winds, at about this same time of the year. My former spouse was gone to a convention or someplace, and our employee, Mike, was left in charge of covering the plants and trees around our pool. Mike, the house boy, as my auntie referred to him, had the queen palms covered and all the others, attempted in vain to hold the tarps down with rocks and concrete blocks, but the wind still got under the covers and damaged one of the expensive palms. My spouse was upset to lose the tree, but not being here to see or feel the wind, he did not appreciate that we attempted to save the foliage. I just remember that episode, and thought that now, it would be Justin, the jack-of-all-trades 'houseboy' who would be running about, trying to secure things during a storm or icy blast. Some doubt that it gets cold here, but I beg to differ. I do get to wear my red coat on more than one occasion and although we might not have to shovel, the cold still bites!

This was sent by my friend on my birthday:

HOW TO STAY YOUNG
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1. Try everything twice. On one woman's tombstone she said she wanted this epitaph: "Tried everything twice, loved it both times!"

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2. Keep only cheerful friends. The grouches pull you down. (Keep this in mind if you are one of those grouches!)

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3.Keep learning: Learn more about the computer, crafts, gardening, whatever...Never let the brain get idle. 'An idle mind is the devil's workshop.' And the devil's name is Alzheimer's!

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4. Enjoy the simple things in life.

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5. Laugh often, long and loud...Laugh until you gasp for breath. And if you have a friend who makes you laugh, spend lots and lots of time with this friend!

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6. The tears happen: Endure, grieve, and move on. The only person who is with us our entire life, is ourselves. LIVE while you are alive.

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7. Surround yourself with what you love: Whether it's family, pets, keepsakes, music, plants, hobbies, whatever. Your home is your refuge..

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8. Cherish your health: If it is good, preserve it. If it is unstable, improve it.

If it is beyond what you can improve, get help.

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9. Don't take guilt trips. Take a trip to the mall, even to the next county, to a foreign country, but NOT to where the guilt is.

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10. Tell the people you love that you love them, at every opportunity. Say: "I love you, my special friend."

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11. Forgive now those who made you cry. You might not get a second chance. Remember! Lost time can never be found.

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Again, this might not be perfect for everyone but most of it was perfect for me! As you read through these suggestions, not entirely about staying young, really, but about living a decent life, you will notice that the Lord Himself provided us with commandments to match up with many of these scenarios. Huh, go figure!

No wonder I have so many problems!

I have no "Normal" setting on my dryer! Linda! I have no normal setting on my dryer!!! AAAHHH! Really I do not have many problems at all, but discovered how limited are the features of my dryer, which was really how I bought it. Basic, give me a basic dryer, no bells or whistles, or fluff cycle for me---basic. No normal, either, it seems. The sweater I had worn to Bible study today and to church Sunday was leaving tumbleweed-like fur balls wherever I went. Even my car has fuzzies on the leather seat, car door where my arm rested, and on the visor above my seat. You know how I feel about dust in my room, and now the dust is purple and rolling along the baseboard in my closet!

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Ugh! So, I decided to de-laminate the sweater by bouncing it about in the dryer on fluff. Only, there is no fluff cycle! So, I put it in twice on the shortest setting for heated dry, twice removing handsful of purple lint from the trap. Is the problem now solved? I don't know for sure, the sweater felt considerably lighter weight than when I tossed it in. This is the 2nd piece purchased in WI when shopping with Lori after ThanksLiving that went bad on me, and she has taken one piece home with her to see if they will either refund me or exchange. What the heck? It is worth a try, right? The sweater she took back had begun pilling already and obviously it was not overworn down here in Florida. It just really was not holding up for the price I paid for these sweaters. Go, Lori, go!

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My eyes feel awful and my nose is running from crying this afternoon. As I pulled in the driveway after Bible study and lunch with Justin, my phone rang, bringing news that my dear friend, Gordy, had entered heaven. Only yesterday he moved into a Hospice facility and this early afternoon, he left there to be with the Lord. He is getting his wish, dancing with his wife in heaven. Most of my afternoon has been on the phone, making the Prayer Chain calls, arrangements to be made for taking down the tree at church and getting it cleaned up for the funeral service, whether or not to have Bible study on Monday......Plans are not yet finalized but seems to be tentatively scheduled for Monday late afternoon or early evening. I wonder if Gordy would give me a pass for the visitation on Sunday evening since the Packers are in the playoffs, which starts at 4:40 pm here..................bet he would!!!

Happy Epiphany everyone!

My family and some of the Facebook readers recognized today as being Epiphany, which also doubles as my youngest sister's birthday---today, her 50th! Wow! Now she could be a wise man, or woman, as the case might be! She is spending her day fishing (ooops!, I was not supposed to let our mom know that!) Certainly the lake is plenty hard to allow for ice fishing and I even think the St. Johns River would work for that, too, today! Kerry very much enjoys fishing and reported on her first outing this a.m. that she caught only one tiny perch (awww....I want some!!!), had come home to warm up, and was going out once more this afternoon. Good for you, kiddo, I wish you good fishing and a happy birthday!

This is a photo of Kerry in Lori's kitchen in Holmen, getting things ready for Dusty's graduation party. Oh, we had such fun that weekend!

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As for me, Justin recommended I not get out of bed today because it is terribly chilly 'round these parts. In fact, Kerry reported this morning that a quiz on the TV news showed that Jacksonville was actually colder than Sturgeon Bay, located on Green Bay. Now, that is just messed up, as Suzanne would say! Many are anticipating the possibility of snow falling here this Friday, as the weather situation looks like this could happen. I will not starve or thirst to death by staying in, because I have several pizzas in the freezer, some from my 'bonus' shopping at Winn-Dixie plus one left from my family was here. My "shopping like a rock-star outing" at WD the other day garnered me another fantastic deal--get this---buy two Tombstone Pizzas and get frozen cheese sticks, frozen garlic bread, Breyer's ice cream, and a 2-liter bottle of Diet Coke for the price of the pizzas! Wow, by any standard, wow! I must have about four containers of ice cream in there now from previous deals like this, plus some leftover from when we had dinner here in November with Linda J.!!! Lori had some when she was here but not nearly enough to make room in my freezer....

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Justin came by quite early to carry up my purchases from yesterday, and told me he did not need to refrigerate the soda or water because it was already quite cold. He has to mow lawns today and that might help him to warm up some, at least, I hope so. I would think the grass would be crispy enough to just snap off rather than be mowed. We will be at Bible study tomorrow at Victory before his class in Local Governance. Sounds interesting to me, and he plans to talk with my upstairs neighbor, Travis, about this. Travis recently ran for and was elected to local office and certainly loves to talk! Justin's Earth Science professor is not a follower of the 'global warming' theory and spent their first class debunking the 'science' used to make the claims. Finally! Justin was quite excited about his "first day of school" experience in 2010!!

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I was in school a bit today too, as I did not vacate my bed until absolutely necessary. I read an interesting article on the back cover of the January "Forward in Christ" magazine about the game of "Sorry" and a child's death. The author uses the example of playing this board game, moving the tokens around to get to "HOME" the fastest. This is how it is when a child dies, they achieve their place in heaven sooner than expected, but in God's time. How appropriate an article for 'this time of year' for me. Even Pastor K. mentioned it to me yesterday on the phone, about this time of year, and he was not even around here when Timmy died. That means a great deal to me, as one would imagine. Since Justin does not get the magazine, he asked me to make a copy for him and bring it along to Bible study tomorrow morning.

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Mom sent me an e-mail today reporting that a former co-worker of ours had died, that her picture was in the local paper in Manty. I went on-line to read it and found myself reading more than I expected to read. There is a quilt show at the Rahr Museum until this weekend which I hope my family takes advantage of, since our family friend is a competitive quilter and might have one there. Also, I read through a couple discussion threads, one being about people's favorite bars around town (yes, this is beer country, folks!) and surrounding areas. Oh, how fun! While I did not attend these bars, my sister and Linda did, so many of the names were familiar to me. The only bar I remember going to was on 8th Street where my future bro-in-law was a bartender....can't recall the name, though. Of course, the Green Street Tavern does not count because I am not there to drink!!!

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The other 'thread' I read was about the characters of old and now that roamed the streets of my hometown, and the neighboring community of Two Rivers. What fun that was!!!! Many I did not know, since we lived in the country, but many I did know, and one I know well---Tommy Drill! He got rave reviews throughout the thread, many kudos for his generosity and good nature. Others did not fare as well, mostly due to their being a few pickles short of a jar or similar descriptions applied to them. Many commented on Mike, the window washer, who took care of business' windows in any kind of weather, working off his bike. "Hector the Inspector" was the way he was addressed. I learned lots of Manitowoc history plus got a link about an area author who wrote about growing up there. Amazon will be bringing it to me in a less than a week, and can be my first book read in 2010!

No desk for me

At least not the bedside one I was looking for! I went to a different Walgreen's, on the counsel of my friend, Dee Dee, and looked at the computer table. Nuts! It is actually the type to pull in front of me in a chair or if I sat on the side of the bed, instead of what I was expecting. No wonder it was so much less money than the ones I saw on-line! My friend, Martie, bought one and loved it, but also told me that she had no place to really use it the way it is intended. Guess that should have been my clue, right?

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We have some sorrow going on in our church family right now. One of our members, Gordy, is failing fast, moving into Hospice tomorrow. He has fought valiantly to regain his health since a fall over a year ago and is at the point where he just wants to go home. On New Year's Eve, one of the nurses said something to him about going out dancing and his daughter said, "Maybe next year....". Gordy said, "I will be dancing with your mother next year..." so he is ready to go. Now, just to get his family and the rest of us on board with this. When I called people on the Prayer Chain today, I could barely hold myself together. This man is dear to me, to our congregation, and will be sorely missed, when the Lord ends his days.

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So, anyway, today was my appointment for a haircut, made last week when Lori and I were in there for her cut. I guess I could have had mine done right then and there, my mistake! So, in the bitter cold this early a.m., off I went to the booty shop. I had to buy a bottle of hair gel this visit which added to my expense, but the previous bottle has lasted me over two years so I cannot complain, I suppose. The price we pay for beauty....Since I was already out and more cold weather is coming this way, I decided to pick up a scrip from Wal*Mart right away, plus a few other things I needed.

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While in the aisle, I was bumped from behind by one of our members, Bill, who may or may not have hit by accident! He told me he has hired a company that has ladies to come out and sit with his wife for a couple hours so he can go out and do stuff, and not worry about her. Bill described the lady as being very much like me, in his words, full of life, and about my size and shape! Thanks, Bill-----I think! He loves her, so that is all that matters. And he loves his wife which is why he hired nice ladies to come sit with her.

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Wal*Mart is good for running into people and besides Bill, I met up with a former member. We shared our news, or in my case, lack thereof, and she showed me photos of her grandkids. She had come up to see my place here before I moved in but I was not here when she came. Dean, my wallpaper/painter friend, showed her around and now she would like to see the finished product. Sure!!!!!! Gloria gave me her card so I can call and set up a date to get together. She would also like to see Judy C. again, too, but if we want to have lunch at The Club, we would have to work around Judy's schedule. We will have to see what can be worked out. Otherwise, both Gloria and I like Cracker Barrel, because we see each other there on a fairly regular basis!

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I somehow managed to get the items I needed from the store including the ink cartridges for printing the newsletters. Most are done at church in black and white, but I have a few special folks for whom I print copies in color. They do not have computers, believe it or not, and would not see the pretty colors in the photos and such otherwise. As I made my way to the grocery department, I spotted a cute pair of slip-on shoes for only $9, red ones! It was time for me to not wear my summer shoes, especially when it is only in the 30's outside....a fashion faux pas!

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The Pepsi products were on special this week and while I do not like to buy a 24 pack, that was the way they came. Ugh! Too heavy for me to handle very often, and fortunately the clerk told me not to lift it onto the counter for scanning. I also bought a case of water, believe it or not, in 10 oz. bottles which will make it more portable for me to use in the car. The water was on sale too or I would have taken the store-brand in smaller bottles. Nestle makes water????? Who knew??? One of my former employees had made the remark many years ago about refusing to pay for water, and then she did anyway. I joined those ranks today....

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Instead of going over to Hang Ups for a visit, I took myself home. First, though, I stopped at Steak 'n Shake for a sandwich, since it was after noon already. They offered a tiny sandwich called a 'slider' and a snack-sized fry for $2, hard to pass up. The man taking my order asked me, "Only one?" and I told him one would be enough. And it was! I did not even finish the fries, although they are on par with McDonald's fries. Must keep that in mind for future lunches! I passed Dee in the parking lot at Steak 'n Shake so I know she was not even going to be in the shop right now. Perhaps later in the week I will go up there with my trusty Windex, as once more, Julia says I can dust! She finds it quite demented that I like to polish in her shop, but I have a thing for glass, what can I say?

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Tonight was Art Guild, yet here I am in my room, snug and warm. Oh well, they will manage without me being there to mentor. I do not know if Martie was going or not since I have not heard a peep from her since my birthday. She had her grandson with her, and had lots going on family-wise so likely kept her mind busy with other things than Art Guild. We would usually meet at Dairy Queen, next door to her work, to have a quick bite before attending the meeting but it would have been too cold to sit outside tonight!!!!

What in the world is going on out there????

Certainly the painters must be happy this project is completed, painting our building, because they would be freezing their fingers off if trying to work here today! The low temps are in the twenties over night with the high today being only 48. Wow, by any standard, wow!!! On the bright side (ha, ha!) the sun is shining which really helps with my room warming, as does the electric radiator creaking and groaning to spit out warmth for me. At first I stayed in bed under the covers with the heat pad going but since I had to do some work on the "big" computer. I forced myself to get up and dressed so I could stand, or sit, the chilliness. My other rooms are about 72 degrees, although the hall thermostat shows air temp of 74. The warmth from this room must be going under the door and into the hall!

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The other day, when David was bustling about to get them out the door, said he does not normally complain, but it was just too hot in the house for him. I went to check the thermometer, which read 74 but the heat was not running, set on 72. He was running, not the HVAC. In consideration of my guests, I did turn on the air conditioning and got the rooms cooled to 72 while they enjoyed their hot breakfast!

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From the comfort of my bed this a.m. I called Mom to complain about the cold. They are also experiencing cold weather in the upper Midwest and I figure I have a lot of nerve even mentioning our cold snap. One area in MN had actual temperature reading of minus 31 this a.m.! Yikes! Like Suzanne said about her yard, everything looks ghostly out on the property, wearing their sheets and towels to protect the foliage from the nip. I did not cover my Boston ferns or my other plants and I pray they will be alright. Being in the "shelter" of my courtyard might spare them the nasty bite of the cold.

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Yesterday's e-mails brought some wonderful photos taken at Judy R.'s anniversary party and CHRISTmas celebrations. On the 27th, Jer and Judy celebrated 40 years of marriage with all their kids and grandkids. She had it catered by her favorite soup-for-lunch place, usually visited after she finishes at the YMCA. The photos were fantastic, capturing the moments and faces especially of the little ones. It appears lots of book reading went on in Judy's household, as expected, since many of the adults are teachers besides being parents!

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My worship on Sunday was at Victory once more, as I knew the parent Vance's were going to be there and I wanted to see them. They had come to GS in early November with Kelly and family but our chat there was cursory at best, with yesterday's visit being better. Dawn is working in the Orlando area and Mark is spending January with her, taking care of Synod business at the same time. His mom lives not far from Orlando so he gets to see her and his sister as well plus visit the area churches. I wish Justin had come to church to see them too but for some reason was absent. Hmmm......

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Rachel sent along home with me a piece from Janet B.'s keyboard which she had borrowed to play at a wedding over the weekend. Suzanne accompanied on the viola and she reports that the bride's father wept on her shoulder about how lovely their playing was! Nice!! Pastor Hoyer gave such a wonderful sermon about wisdom, based upon when Jesus went to the temple at the age of 12, 'being about His Father's business'. Good encouragement for us as well, as "Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men." So should it be for us!

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After the service and socializing, I headed back home, listening to the pre-game show on the radio, excited to watch football one more time. Instead of heating up leftovers for lunch, I stopped and got a special treat from McDonald's, a Big Mac and fries. When was the last time I had such a thing? I cannot remember....but this time was so good! Messy, but good! All my stuff was arranged around the loveseat in the family room---foam plate for my food, napkins for the mess, laptop plugged in, soda ready to go. Play ball! Or, kick off!!!

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It was NOT a pretty sight watching this pathetic demonstration of football. Ugh! The Jags played the Browns in Cleveland, on frozen turf, and I think their cleats froze tightly to the ground. It was so lame a presentation, except for my main man, Maurice Jones-Drew, who did very well despite the others on the team. At the highest point of my frustration, Twila called to invite me to the movies. YES!!!! I will be glad to go, and not watch the end of this horror show. When I left home, they were down 30-20, which was not quite as bad as it had been. Rumors circulating again today about the owner putting the team on the auction block, moving them out of Jacksonville, etc. That would distress me greatly because I have become quite the fan, but not being able to see the home games on TV due to blackout does not please me. With the games being played mostly at 1:00 pm on Sundays, the time just does not allow for getting downtown, parked, and seated in time for kick-off. The option would be to attend Victory on Saturday night but then I would miss something at my own church......Go ahead, then, Wayne, and sell the team, I guess. Maybe then I would get to see more Packer games!!!

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Walgreens is not carrying the laptop tables right now so I will hold off with getting one. Other stores carry them too but are much more expensive than for what Walgreens was selling them. Mom asked me today if that was a bit slothful, to lie in bed with the laptop instead of getting up like I used to do before I had this notebook computer. Well, perhaps, YES! She said Alayna and Dusty were watching the History Channel on Saturday which had an episode on about the deadly sin of slothfulness. Guess I can be glad I do not have that channel here. Anyway, that is what brought this to Mom's mind.

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I mentioned that I went with Twila, Jean, and Madeline to see a movie Sunday. I had wanted to see this movie but was disappointed about the rating. At my birthday lunch Wednesday, Kathy B. assured me the rating was 'over-rated' and that it would be "safe" for me to see the movie, "It's Complicated" with Meryl Streep and Steve Martin. We howled, at least Madeline and I did. Oh, my goodness, it was so funny in parts. Other parts stung me a little bit and I added a tear to my laughter because it hit too close to home. The story is about a divorced woman, single for 10 years, accidentally finding herself re-involved with her now remarried cheater husband. So she herself becomes what they all hate, "the other woman", with her ex! While it is wrong on every level, sex outside of marriage and the approval thereof, some of the circumstances and such were quite amusing, including a future son-in-law seeing them having a rendezvous at a hotel where his fiance and he are making wedding arrangements. "Harley" stole the show, with his facial expressions and antics to help cover up what he saw, sort of slap stick in some parts. No filthy language which is a comfort to me and aside from a view of gross ex-spouse buttocks, it was okay. But funny as can be!

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Afterwards we went to have dinner at Chili's where I ordered the chicken crisper meal. Twila and Jean had the ginormous country fried steak dinners, but I am the only one who took food home. Madeline has tortillas and licked hers up too. All I ate were three of the six fingers, and took a row off the ear of corn, did not touch the mashed potatoes, which means I have a lovely lunch in store for myself! I had several Diet Cokes with my meal to make up for the very expensive bottle of water purchased at the movie theater. Madeline, that law breaker, carried in a Route 44 cup from Sonic, under her coat. I think from now on, I will bring an empty bottle with me, fill it at the bubbler (water fountain for those of you not from WI) and save the $3.85 for the small bottle!

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As I waited for the ladies to get there, I met one of my former customers for whom we had built our house plan in The Preserve. They had sold it not long after moving in there and now live in a subdivision in Green Cove for several years. She told me her hubby has been out of work now for over a year and a half, being in finance somewhere, and they are living off their retirement funds until he finds something else. Wow! How tragic is that!?! One moment you have the world by the tail, and then next thing you know, no job and living off of savings....She has a strong faith in the Lord and knows He will provide, and must remain patient. Mary had given me a lovely book when Timmy died and I cherish it to this day, one of the few I actually got through. I will get through some more books, as this is one of my goals for the coming year. That, plus adding more water to my routine. Which means more bathroom trips for some reason or another....I am sure there is an explanation for that. Soda does not bother me in the least, but water, well.....................

A rerun of a posting......from Feb. 11, 2008!!!

It was appropriate for me to find this when looking for something else, since I watched "The Bucket List" this evening on TV. How funny to come upon this now! Kindly note the comment I made about it affecting our lives for the rest of our days......Through this movie, I "met" my dear friend, Jami, in Amarillo!!!

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Linda set the "Kramer" clock inside her head to wake in time for sunrise this morning, her final opportunity before heading back to WI today. The Lord painted a lovely picture for her, for us, minus the dramatic clouds which help diffuse the gorgeous colors. We both photographed the beginning of the day to help capture the memory of this wonderful long weekend together.I am a bit dehydrated as I've had nothing to drink (no Diet Coke!!!) or any food until after Justin and I get our blood work done. We were npr (a little medical lingo there) after midnight, and I do so enjoy my soda first thing in the morning, as one does coffee. Once back from the blood work Linda and I will be heading off to Bible study, as Justin heads to work. He's been staying at his father's house watching Mickey the Dog, at least letting Mickey out at night and setting him free in the morning.

Last night Justin joined Martie, Linda, and me for a movie and dinner. We saw "The Bucket List" which will probably affect us the rest of our days. Two terminally ill men meet in the hospital, make up a list of things to achieve or experience before they 'kick the bucket'. I think we'll never forget that movie or its message. Justin may not have the same appreciation for the prospect of facing ones' demise, but for us "older" women of faith, oh yeah.....we were hysterical at times, both with laughter and tears, while being filled with contemplation.

Jack Nicholson's character was a wealthy man with no room in his vast intellect or bank account for faith in the Lord, and expressed envy for those of us that do. The other man was a believer in God and an honorable family man of modest means who had to make many compromises due to his circumstances. The wealthy man helped him realize his dreams, while being influenced by the "faithfulness" of the poorer man.....I am trying not to give it away!!!

As I am writing this, a finger of the sun's reflection is stretching across the water toward me, as it were an arrow. It's lining up directly at my window, moving closer, inch by inch. Majestic! In last night's movie, one of the wishes of Morgan Freeman's character was to view something "majestic" before he died. I get to enjoy something of majesty every single day, particularly on days when the sun isn't dimmed by fog or clouds. The river is majestic on its own; therefore, I can cross 'see something majestic' from my Bucket List!!

I'll be catching you up with a moment by moment "visit with Linda" but not today. We have to capitalize on the last of our time before she heads back to WI. I pray the weather will be okay for her travels once back on the Frozen Tundra!