One more thing......

Justin and I were discussing things the other day, after Suzanne and I failed to come up with the answer. Attribute it to age or having had too much happen since then, but neither she nor I could come up with what started the crash in 2008. I knew Justin had the answer since he is a student of this and has a fresher memory. The long and short was consumer confidence wavering (ah, yes, I remember now.....) prior to the elections, and the dominoes started to fall. He told me about people we know in common who wisely cashed in their investments the day of, or the day prior to, the lowest closing of the markets in a decade. Yikes!

*

As we talked, I reminded Justin how glad I was for not cashing out back in 2006 after he graduated from high school. My thought was to cash out, move to Greece, and live happily ever after, rather than face being an empty-nester. Well, none of that came to be, since he was accepted to UNF, a local college and was not going off to some far corner of the USA for school. And he lived at home with his mama at first, too, where I became his college roommate! Fast forward to the present, where Justin is now living in student suites and I am here, not in Greece, which is bankrupt!

*

Justin at first said, "That would not really affect you...." but trailed off, realizing just how miserable life would be without government services. No ports, no electricity (if it's publicly run), devalued currency, no services, no police or fire protection, no airports....I need the airport so that my downstairs neighbor, Jeff, who flies for FedEx, could bring me my summer sausage every couple weeks! What else would I eat???? When Twila and I were talking about it yesterday at lunch, she said, "You would have had to learn to fish and eat it raw!". Yech! Thank you, Lord, for guiding me properly in this decision-making!!!

I guess it worked! (Warning....)

Last week I chanted "No Snow!" and it worked, at least here it did! Now it is sun shiny and bright, warming me nicely in my chair. The palm trees are moving ever so slightly, not quite as wild as they were last night. It can be calm everywhere else but along the river, regular gusts are funneled from one end to the other. It sounds cool to hear the trees being rustled, much like falling asleep to thunder. The helicopter traffic has increased again lately which might mean training is in session or a squadron came in.

*

So far no boats in sight but to look, I turn my entire chair instead of only my neck. My shoulders are achy on the left side which I am attributing to my new throw pillows! The comforter set came with three throw pillows, one of which I propped behind my shoulders when using the laptop in my bed. I think I will return to Plan A for doing that as it seems to cause some discomfort later. Last night when I decided to turn over for sleeping, I piled the pillows on the passenger side of the bed, atop the two bed pillows and the sham pillow already in place. The stack of pillows stood almost two feet above my head and I feared them tumbling down and smothering me as I slept! It made me chuckle yet once more before dropping off to sleep....would my death be ruled a suicide, self-smothered by the pile of pillows???? Or, murder, caused by the people who sent me the pillows in my order...pre-meditated, reckless endangerment! Or, that girl watches too much TV!

*

Last night the late episode of "Seinfeld" was the infamous "The Chinese Restaurant" which was performed entirely in a restaurant, waiting for a table. This was something never tried before in a sitcom format and the creators had a tough time getting the producers to go along with the premise. It worked, it really did. There is much drama waiting for a table and twice as much comedy, too. After the group has waited wwaayy too long for a table that they were told would be available, "Oh, 5, 10 minutes" more than once, they finally decide to leave. As they leave the restaurant, we hear the words from the maitre D: "Seinfeld, four!" It is so funny! Guess you had to be there.....or here!

*

My breakfast this morning consisted of the second last of my hot cross buns, no longer hot. I have been nursing them along so they are not gone too soon. Ordinarily not a breakfast eater, for some reason I awoke simply ravenous, making it necessary to eat something earlier than usual. I did have a glass of V8 Fusion at bedtime which is not normally when I drink it so I wonder if that stimulated some hunger for the morning. For lunch today I will make a sandwich to eat with the kids in the classroom as this is my school day! My favorite day of the week, besides Sunday, is the one spent with the kids.

*

It occurred to me last week when one of Laurie's boys was reading his classwork to her---I never heard my little guy read to me. Since he was in pre-k, he was getting better at figuring out sounds and such but had not progressed to being able to read. Nor had any wiggly teeth. For Timmy's baptism celebration, Laurie's grandparents, Shirley and Joe, gave us a silver mini-compact engraved with the words "First Tooth". Instead of a lost tooth in that compact, a lock of Timmy's hair is enclosed and sealed tightly.

*

Lying to my children came quite easily, only I did not consider it lying, more like retaining control, at the time. I would rejoice when I found a stray shopping cart handy to the car to off-load Timmy from the carseat into the cart, strapped into place for our trip for groceries. The notices on the walls in the lobby I would read to him as "All small boys must ride in carts" no matter what it said. Hopefully Justin, if he was with me, would not blow the whistle on me! Not long before he died, our yet-intact family was dining at our favorite Chinese buffet. Timmy pointed to a sign near the restrooms and asked what it said. I read it to him "All boys must sit quietly". As we sat there, enjoying our meal, he suddenly piped up, "There is no 'qua, qua' in that word!" Busted!!!!! Darn that pre-k!!! Thinking quickly, I explained to him that it was written in Chinese............whew! Good save, Mom!

*

Same restaurant, possibly the same visit.....His father had to take him to the bathroom (which is what was actually pointed out on the sign...) where there was a rather large wall mural, a mermaid in the water with fish, I think. When Timmy finished going potty and washed his hands, he asked his daddy to pick him up so he could touch her top! What??? His father thought that was so funny, and it really is, but where did that come from?

*

How does one have their day made? Getting a G-chat from your 22 year-old son, out of the blue, saying, "Wuv woo".....awwwwww.

Just call me 'Auntie Em'

Much of my afternnon has been spent chuckling, sometimes more than that. The occasional guffaw escaped me as I went about my duties while listening to "Seinfeld". Today it was "The Wig Master", another classic where Kramer comes strutting down the street wearing the technicolor dreamcoat from "Joseph....", a white fedora fur hat, and carrying a fancy walking stick. He went to get his car from the parking area and found a hooker in it. As he tried to wrestle her out of his car, the police pulled up, and arrested him, thinking he was a pimp. Really? In an outfit like that??

*

Parts of Glenn Beck on the radio made me laugh, too, but right now I cannot even remember what it was. Sometimes the guys get going on a tangent and we get to go along for the ride. Tonight I was watching "House" on TV and had to roar with laughter when the doctors went to a medical conference where a dance was being held. The theme was dressing like in the '80's complete with music for that era, and House came in wearing clothes and a powdered wig like the 1780's. When Cuddy asked him why, he said, "They didn't say which '80's..." Of course, they meant minuets and the George Washington look. Why not---it IS President's Day! I just busted out laughing at a commercial for Bean-O where the lady is reading the benefits of taking this little pill to avoid bloating and gas, and then says, "I would not have to find a different yoga class......" Ha! I know what happened there!!!!

*

Some of the wash got put away but I undid myself by doing a couple more loads. The baskets did not have time to cool off before getting piled on again. I thought Justin was coming today to do the cleaning but he did not, only stopping by to drop something off and grab some nourishment while heading to the gym. His next opportunity will be Friday and I won't be here, unless I can get him to come over here after his class on Thursday. He still needs to wipe the interior of the microwave from the marinara sauce spit. Thinking I was going to be home all day due to no Bible study and lunch following, I stayed comfy in my bed later than usual. My phone rang and brought Twila to me, asking where everyone was, since she was all alone up at church. Oh no! She was not at Bible study last week nor at church yesterday so did not know there was no class today. She had been at the doctor that morning and would have been late to class anyway, so we made plans to meet for lunch. Yay!!! We met at Miller's Ale House to have our shared favorite of cheddar and bacon fries. Elaine, her sister, had her travel altered by the weather so did not fly out of Jacksonville until yesterday, arriving safely in the afternoon. I heard Nebraska had some heavy snow again so she is fortunate to be in Kansas without delays or complications.

*

Speaking of Kansas-----why should you call me "Auntie Em"? Because, that is what Maya calls me, how she refers to me even when I am not around! Isn't that just the cutest thing? Tina told me how much Maya enjoys "The Wizard of Oz" and instead of saying Auntie Kim, uses "Em" for my name. I love it! Maya is also a huge fan of "The Sound of Music" and enjoyed hearing me sing a few lines from 'the hills'. As we left the restaurant, she was singing lines from "Mamma Mia!". Oh, she's a charmer all right. "and your little dog, too!"

"You're my brother, Fredo, and I love you....

....but don't ever take sides against the family again---EVER!" Yes, folks, another marathon of "The Godfather" for the weeks leading up to the Oscars. It is so funny that it's on because either Friday or Saturday I watched "You've Got Mail" yet again, and there are references to "The Godfather" in that movie. It made me wish Godfather was on TV and ta da, here it is! Sometimes it is complicated to follow but reading the on-line threads really helps, as would reading the book, I suppose! Oh well, I will simply watch the movies, shown back to back and enjoy.

*

Today was a mixed up one, temperature-wise, as the sun finally came out and warmed things a bit. The Fellowship Hall was on the cool side when we gathered there for Bible study but the church was toasty warm for worship. Some thought too warm but I was perfectly fine. In the car, driving home from Palm Coast in the full sun, I had to turn on my A/C for a bit to cool off!

*

We had some minor excitement as one of our senior members had a problem addressing his folding chair in Bible study and very slowly sat on the floor. I was right there and saw it happening but could not get there in time to catch him. As I began to help him up, Pastor and Mike C. came around the tables and helped stand Andy back up again. It was obvious he was not hurt, as gradually as he went down but it sent a ripple of concern through the group. It seems, upon further inspection, that the chair he was trying to sit down on had no rubber tips on the legs and would not yield when he tried to maneuver it. His wife said he has troubles at home, too, with the dinette chairs because they are on wheels, which is not a good idea for the elderly. Oops, down we go! We had some visitors today whom I recognized when they came in. After I said 'hello' to them, the man asked, "Are you still here?", as it seems they had worshiped with us last year about this same time. They are retired snow birds from the Dells area of WI and bounce around the country, the 'warmer' states, going to various time shares they have. From St. Augustine, they were heading to Myrtle Beach, getting into snow as they go!

*

From church I headed south to have lunch with Tina and the little girls in Palm Coast. We were meeting at Ruby Tuesday, our usual place, and I hoped it would not be too busy with the holiday and all. It was not overly busy and I arrived nearly on the button for our meeting time. Maya was so darn cute, as Tina described her, "she's a real person!", only miniature! Rayna could sit up in the high chair, has a mouthful of teeth, and is a picky eater, just like her sister. Tina said she is knocking herself out trying to find foods with sound nutrition that the girls will eat, becoming quite the expert in her research. Rayna, who turned one Dec. 31st, likes food with crunch and slimy fruits so that tells her mama that she does not have sensory problems, but she will not eat meat. Guess meat is not crunchy enough for her. We grown ups enjoyed our meals, as I had the cheeseburger quesidillas, half of them, and Tina, a pasta dish with chicken. Her hubby, Keith, is the food and beverage manager at a country club and has to work most weekends so rarely do I get to see him.

*

The girls opened their Christmas presents, and it appeared that Maya liked her ladybugs game. It might keep her occupied for a while anyway, and Tina said they will share the bathtub bubbles I gave Rayna since they bathe together. I also got Rayna plastic dishes with fun monkeys on them. They were going to an indoor playground after our lunch as I opted to come back home instead of going to their house. I should try harder to get down there and will add that to my list of things to do in 2010! Certainly I love the company, and so does she!

*

My fridge is telling me that I need to eat at home the next couple days as it is full of foam boxes! Last night our church group went out to eat at the Japanese Steak House where we had simply a wonderful time. It was not Koko's but I adapted to not having my every whim met. Extra charge for teriyaki, indeed! Forget it then, I will eat it plain! Or, rather, take it home to eat it some other time, when I have my leftovers from Friday's lunch from Koko's. Enough for four meals in those two boxes alone, plus today's quesidillas, and a mystery box that I cannot recall its contents. Another aroma emanating from the fridge is the sliced Johnsonville summer sausage from Publix. Yum, gotta love that smell! It reminds me of Christmas for some reason.

*

There is no Bible study tomorrow as Pastor took off for President's Day. The government schools are closed so his wife and children will be home. A family day is planned then to enjoy the time off. So no chicken tenders for me, one less foam box in the fridge, but I miss the fellowship with the ladies. We can make up for it on Wednesday as we recognize Ash Wednesday, having a cookie social after the service, and then choir rehearsal. I hope we have a good turnout for Ash Wednesday, I might send out a reminder about the service if Pastor does not. I will see him Tuesday when I am done in the kindergarten classroom and go to work in the office. I am going to do the administrative work for outreach, preparing maps and such in advance of teams going out to make calls. Legwork, as it were! Monthly mailings will be prepared and so on, much of which I can do from home if I have the information. I like doing things like this and especially if I can do it from my desk. The secretary's hours were cut to allow for the budget cuts so there is work not being done by her that I can do. I asked for the mindless jobs but am not sure that is how it is working out!

*

Next Friday is a concert at Victory by a group from up north, "Koine", made up of WELS-trained musicians who do songs from the hymnal using band instruments, and I don't mean trombones and clarinets. I got talked into going and hope I like it, but know I will enjoy our meeting for dinner beforehand at Mimi's Cafe with a bunch of members from GS. Another group, called "Branches" is coming down to our church in March and Jim B., our congregation president, asked me to spearhead the publicity. I will certainly do that but will not be here when the group comes. I will be with my own 'group' in Wisconsin and Minnesota enjoying the musical "Mamma Mia!" with Lynn and Lori and her church ladies. I am starting to write in Italian now so I had better let this go and pay attention to my movie. Buona Sera everyone!

Saturday morning under the covers

My new comforter is incredibly warm, heavier than the one I replaced. It won't let me get up out of here so I am stuck under the covers until I just cannot handle it another moment. Two weeks ago, or was it three, I went to Office Max for a new mouse and now it quit working already. This one actually does use batteries so I may try replacing them before I decide to go buy yet another device. It might not help that I dropped it last night, the mouse, NOT the laptop, and may have jarred something but it seems to start out working and then freezes up. Truly sounds like a power thing to me!

*

This morning I saw the weather man from Fox and Friends, Rick Reichmuth, broadcasting live from Daytona where he was freezing his buns off! He said it was usually about 73 and sunny when he broadcasts from here, but expects only a high temperature of 50 and no sun likely this year. Rick also said he will be eating plenty of meat this weekend as he visits all the bbq set-ups around the grounds. I wonder if the Woodruff's are down there with their bbq team....

*

Another report I heard on F&F was about proposed 'meatless Mondays' in Cambridge, Mass., where one of the anchors declared he could never live, as he enjoyed a plateful of sausage links on the 'curvy couch'. Another community was banning disposable bags for groceries. Super Bowl Sunday had an advertisement where the 'Green Police' sweep through and arrest people for using plastic bags, throwing out a battery, using the garbage disposal, and even the police got arrested for drinking coffee in foam cups! Somehow, that is just NOT so funny, it is happening already. When I saw the ad, I sent Justin a text message and he wrote back that it really ticked him off. It is more scary than anything and it's getting closer and closer to being true. Time to start hoarding meat, folks!

*

In fact, I had this conversation with my sis-in-law, Barb, last week. The grocery stores that use the frequent shopper cards for discounts, etc. can use that information gathered to determine shopping habits and such. It is about marketing and pricing and inventory and all that. But it can also be used to monitor, can being the key word, what an individual buys and what they eat. In my case, the Winn-Dixie card would show my primary purchases are soda and corn puffs and the occasional loaf of bread. Aha! I could be so busted!!! Publix does not use the tracking cards, offering good prices all the time, or rather, competitive pricing, so that is my shopping place of choice. Barb is a shrewd shopper and is not yet concerned about her purchases being tracked. She will be plenty paranoid when I am done with her!

*

Today is the day Twila's sister returns to her home in Kansas after 5 weeks or so here in Florida. What some wild weather we had while she was here! Twila said yesterday she never dropped below freezing on the lake where she lives, but I find that difficult to believe when we had temps in the 20's on and off for two weeks every where else. Regardless, it was not much fun weather-wise for Elaine but we sure had some good times. Saw several movies, ate out more than once a week together, church events, and so on. I wish her safe travels, if she can get out of Atlanta, that is. With the snow and icy conditions up there, it would be dreadful to get that far and then have to sit in the terminal! She is nearly 87 years old and in excellent shape except for her knees which she has had replaced.

*

There are some reports that all 50 states have snow now, since the panhandle of Florida reported flurries yesterday. Justin said he heard that Hawaii did not have snow so I am not sure why the reports claimed 50 states but still, it is interesting. Areas of Texas have snow but no equipment for dealing with it. Justin was here when I came home from my afternoon activities yesterday, snoozing on the sofa under my Packer blanket. He said his dad closed the office early so he came over here. Justin helped me, or rather, I helped him, flip my mattress and put on my new bedclothes. We bagged up the 'old' comforter, dust ruffle (alot of good that dust ruffle did!!), and shams that the new set came in. His suggestion was to keep the old set to use on the air bed in the guest room but for now we bagged it up. The air bed will come down for when we work in that room organizing the closet. This new comforter is darker in color and might show crumbs more than the old one did. I sabotaged myself!

*

Our group from church is not going to eat Greek tonight as one in the party does not want to go there. Instead, we are staying on this side of the river and going to Sushi Rock. I cannot imagine that the one not wanting Greek food would consider sushi to be acceptable, but I am all about it. It will be just as easy for me to stay in Orange Park, especially since I will be cleaning first. The teachers and students have a three-day weekend with President's Day Monday so this is a good way to kick it off. Kathy B. called me yesterday to ask if I wanted to go to see Michael Buble with her but I said no. She was disappointed but that is just not my genre. She told me then that the tickets were $112 for the best seats in the house and I told her, for that money, I would rather go to the opera! Kathy then asked if Andrea Bocelli was coming to town would I go, and I said, "YES!!!, Is he coming?", and Kathy said, "No, I was just testing you." Now that is just plain mean! I gave her some names of people she could ask to go with her but I think the price might be a deterrent.

*

Well, I am going to venture out into the colder rooms of my house to get some soda and fresh batteries. During the night I awoke to hear the sound of my heat running, which is unusual since it is set on 68 degrees. It ran in the afternoon yesterday, too, and I thought Justin might have turned it on, but he did not. That is how cold it is outside, started to affect the inside, too! I turned it down to 67 then because my bedroom is really plenty warm and that is all I need. But it makes 'running' to the kitchen truly that!

No snow! No snow! No snow!

Can you hear my chant? There are some predictions again for snow flurries tonight in our area, not the first time this winter it has been suggested. Right now it is pouring rain out there and I read on the Internet that some parts of town had sleet. I am guessing those areas are further away from the water, more inland.

*

Atlanta is bracing for a snow day today, closing their schools in advance of the storm. Anticipation is high for power outages and traffic snarls so folks are getting things ready for what could be a long, miserable weekend. Right now the weather people are saying the snow might be as close to us as Waycross, GA, and would likely have a stray flake or two overnight when the temps are around freezing. Should not have an adverse affect on our roads or take down our power lines with freezing rain. I think there is a race in Daytona this weekend and would that not be funny if it was called on account of snow?! I am going that direction to Palm Coast to see Tina and family so I hope there are no traffic jams affecting my travels, either going or coming!

*

Last night was an Outreach meeting and it went really well. I was delighted to have the Elder there which really makes a difference, in my opinion. Of the five people there, four of us are already involved in Outreach, or want to be. Hopefully this will not be another false start, especially since we planned to have monthly meetings at Cracker Barrel! I will miss the next one due to being on my way to Holmen with Lynn but that's okay. One of those at the meeting was quite excited about going to Cracker Barrel, saying how much she loves going there but has not been there in years................Mom, you know who this is!

*

I worked on a few things for the bulletin boards at church to post either tomorrow or Sunday before climbing under my covers to warm up. Just as I was settling in, my friend, Jen, called to fill me in on her art experience from the day. A somewhat famous artist did a presentation at her son's school and she was blown away by what she saw and heard. Evidently the artist cannot read or write so he uses his art to express himself. She said the kids, junior high ages, loved this guy because he kept calling the bathroom "the crapper", being from Great Britain. Like he said something naughty! A great way to engage the kids and the parents. I had sent her some info on another artist who is going to be in Middleburg tomorrow who uses his paintbrush in his mouth to create wonderfully detailed pictures. Lots of art going on around here! There is a Vincent van Gogh show at the IMAX-World Golf Village and that would be fun, too.

*

This morning on Fox and Friends they featured a country singer who is gaining great notoriety for a song he wrote, supposedly people are saying his song saved their lives, or at least, changed them. The theme of the song, "Glad You Called" is how a phone call coming at just the right time changed the course the person getting the call was going to take. One, a man was about to shoot himself when his friend called to invite him out, saying it would not be the same without him. Another scenario was a young woman sitting in the waiting room to have an abortion when her boyfriend called to ask her to marry him. I wonder what the Planned Parenthood people will have to say about that! If they were opposed to the Tim Tebow ad, which was somewhat benign, they sure will not like this song! I did like it and wanted to get busy calling people to say "hi"! The telephone companies sure will not mind that one bit!

*

Oh, I was so mad at myself last night after the meeting! My plan was to stop at the store on the way home to buy some toilet paper and after I was home realized I had totally forgotten to shop! The good news is that I have extra bathrooms in this house to snitch from but it just frosts me that I forgot. Now, if it was soda I needed, I'd have been in the car and down the road again. I cannot help but think the being out of toilet paper and the water drinking are directly related. Some folks tell me it is just the opposite for them, that soda drinking makes for more potty walks, but not for me. It is heck to get old on so many levels.

*

Speaking of being old, today I am meeting my friend, Maggie O., for lunch at Koko's for my birthday! She has been waiting for me to be free and the weather cleared up (ha, it's pouring out there!!!) to venture out. She has had quite a cough all winter long, having a doctor appointment yesterday. I have not seen her since last year so it will be great to get caught up again, and have some fried rice! Of course, I will stop to see Dee and Julia after wards, having to discuss some art business with them. Joanne has some pieces that belong to her parents' collection and she wants help trying to find a market for them all. Dee or Julia may know who to contact about them, but I am not really interested in marketing them for Joanne. Later in the afternoon I am getting my hair cut, as Barb is squeezing me in between stylings. I am so late for my haircut this month, in fact, the waitress at Longhorn asked me if I was growing it out! I told her I was just late for getting it cut and she said she was, too, as hers is shorter than mine is. I look shaggy and this rain does not help with maintaining the style.

*

Must go to Wal*Mart also to pick up a refill of a scrip and get some more ring binders for filing my paperwork. Lynn and I were talking about this the other day, getting all the prospectus from the investments and what to do with it all. One of mine, a lady whom I love, told me that the law requires them to send the investor the monthly reports, but the law does not require us to open them! The same was true for the statements which are a bit easier to look at these days. Last year at this time, not so much. I keep the statements in the ring binders, one for each firm, so they get full quickly. Due to the rain today, I may not get the plastic bins needed for cleaning out the Timmy closet, this can wait for a non-rainy day so I do not haul rain upstairs with me!

*

This is my weekend AGAIN to clean at the church so will do that tomorrow at some point. A group of us are going to eat at a Greek restaurant for dinner Saturday night so I might do the cleaning, slowly and easily, before it is time to go eat. The gang is gathering at church first to carpool so if I pace myself, won't get all worn out before dinner! Opa!!!

The height of laziness

That is me....I am the height of laziness because instead of going back out into the cold kitchen for a knife, I am gnawing my piece of steak off the end of the fork! Hopefully, and gladly, no one can see me in the privacy in my room because it feels 'caveman' to eat this way. The way I remember this steak when I first ate from it at Carrabba's, it should just fall apart, but not so. Likely it dried some in the fridge waiting to be eaten and now I pay the price. If I was a bear cub I would be holding it with both hands and tearing at the chunk of meat, but being very ladylike, I simply tear it from the fork end!

*

Thinking about the fun time spent in the classroom Tuesday, I remembered a time when I worked for the preschool in administration years ago. The soda machine was in the classroom so I had to go through there to get at the machine. Ms. Deb was teaching the kids about having a good breakfast in the morning to help them be a better student and as I came through, she drew me into the class. Big mistake! She asked, "Ms. Kim, can you tell the class what you had for breakfast this morning?" and I told the truth----Cheetos!!! They all laughed but I jumped in, explaining it is cheese and bread, like a grilled cheese sandwich might be! Actually they use corn meal in making them but that is neither here nor there to little kids. I should have lied and said an apple, yogurt, and English muffin....Deb never asked me that type of question again! It is like the Bill Cosby bit where he describes giving his kids chocolate cake for breakfast and how they loved him for that!

*

Last night for dinner, before choir rehearsal, I met Suzanne at Panera Bread where I had their wonderful mac 'n cheese. The cheeses used make it white and creamy instead of yellow and gummy. The order taker told me they were out of French baguettes but offered me sliced bread in its place. Sure, makes no difference to me. Suzanne got a bag of chips with her meal but wanted bread, so she went up to exchange the chips. She came back to the table with a look on her face, the chips plus a chunk of bread, saying, "How can Panera Bread be out of bread?" We found this quite funny...I thought they might have to change their name now....She did get bread but it was not the usual stuff they give out. She wondered what would have happened if she ordered soup in the bread bowl....It would just be ladled out onto her tray and slosh all over....Yes, we had way too much fun with them being out of bread! I ordered my mac 'n cheese to-go, knowing that I would never eat it all, which worked out nicely.

*

Rush just made the remark that he was going away tomorrow through the weekend because it was only 46 this morning when he got up. I know that feeling! It was 30 here and Justin sent a text message saying he did not want to get out bed. We did though, meeting at Panera for breakfast (different location, with bread!) where I enjoyed a cherry pastry and he, a cobblestone muffin. Usually we go to lunch after Bible study but he had to go home and study for a test he is taking in his afternoon class. On my way home from Bible study, I called Mom and reported our cold temperatures. As I drove southbound on 9-A, the car thermometer was climbing, getting up to 43 as I went along. Laughingly, I told Mom I was going to keep heading south until I got warmer temperatures, probably getting to Miami before it would be warm enough for me! I wonder where Rush is going to find warmer temperatures, since he almost to Miami in Palm Beach!

*

It is that time of the year again---time to gather the tax information and take it in to the CPA. Ugh! He always send a packet at the end of the year to use to help his clients organize their paperwork, a checklist of sorts, to help streamline the process but I do not use it. As each year goes by, my returns are less and less complicated, especially with no real estate transactions to account for in recent years. I have been staying put in one home since 2006! Imagine that! Since I am going to WI and MN a month from today, I had better get a move on organizing my stuff and get it submitted. Hopefully I do not have to pay additional taxes but will not be surprised if I do. My income has, of course, been dramatically diminished which was taken into account when we did the estimates last year and the investments have been returning toward health which may offset the decrease in income.....Glad I pay some one else to figure this all out, money well spent!

*

This evening is an Outreach meeting at 6:30 and I expect to be home again in no time at all. There are only a few of us who come to these meetings and usually do not run long. This Saturday I was planning to go to Gainesville for a Digital Outreach seminar but have since changed my mind about it. If Paul or Brian or Rick (Outreach Elder) was going to go, I would be all over it but that is not the case. Hopefully it will be taking place again, perhaps at Victory as was originally thought, and then we can all go. Our website is not working and no one seems to know how to prod it to life again. Everything costs money, that is the long and short of it.