So much for Cyprus

The other day when Justin was here, we were talking about the Mediterranean region and how I am so glad that I chose not to go over there to live. Not even for part of a year. I mentioned that I would not have to be glued to touristy Greek Islands, although my heart is there already, but why not consider one of the other islands we or I have visited such as Crete or Cyprus? He agreed and even other lesser known islands would be okay except they MUST have some sort of government in place for safe living. Now, Cyprus is in the news for various things including turning away the terrorist vessel heading to Gaza. Yikes! Waayy too close to the volatile middle east region and still under the European Union which might face dissolution with the falling Euro. I think that is just a pipe dream for me anyway, I had better just hunker down and hope for the best in the motherland!

Taken this afternoon as a storm was coming up the river...it never arrived here. Love the colors and dimensions of the sky and water, though, plus the white cylinder of light on the far right-hand side....

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Today Justin and I enjoyed a wonderful lunch at Koko's after he was finished working in the office, but before he was off to more busy-work. We stopped in at Great Hang Ups, me both before and after, so he got a chance to say 'hi' to my favorite glass artist, Kevin Eagleton. Kevin had brought in some lovely new pieces, and I must admit that one of his pieces has now found its way into my possession. It was a 'must have'---what can I say? I have a place in mind for it to be suspended but will need assistance from Justin in doing so. First I must have a piece of fish line. Or the 'e' string from a guitar! I might have better success obtaining a guitar or violin string than a fish line. Unless my downstairs neighbors might have some extra fish line to spare. Dee offered to help me get it affixed securely so that nothing more comes crashing down from my window displays!

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Justin and I discussed the census at lunch, and its taking which recently took place. I shared with him some information learned Monday at the pool. One of my neighbors has a son, aged 24, who worked for the Bureau of the Census for a few weeks this spring. What I heard was outrageous and have heard similar reports from other sources as well. His son was hired to follow up on those who had not yet completed their forms, hired to work primarily in their own neighborhoods, his being in Eagle Harbor. Their compensation consisted of $18 an hour, I believe, plus time and mileage paid for a half hour commute coming and going from work. Well, if they are in their own neighborhoods, basically speaking, an hour paid commute was totally unnecessary.

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The team would work a couple hours after their training-talk in the morning, take a couple hours for lunch, and then get back to work for a few more hours at the end of the day. At best, a 5 hour work day but paid for the entire day. The Team Leader would scold the workers, telling them to slow down and not work them all out of a job. But, what are you going to do when you are working in these upper-end neighborhoods where people mostly had completed their census forms? He worked himself right out of this cushy job! After Bob told us this story, those of us around the table just shook our heads collectively, and then I said, "Well, that explains alot, doesn't it?" They all agreed, even though some in our little group there do not usually think the same way I do in these type of things. Interesting.....

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This afternoon I worked on The Palace Press and have it about ready to go, except the name and info of our newest tenant on the 2nd floor. Miss Chardonnay has the tenant's pertinent information and is going to get it to me this evening so I can finish either later on or tomorrow afternoon. We might go over to the cabana to have some dinner as they begin their new feature of having light meals and cocktails available on Friday and Saturday this summer. Well, it's about time!! I will do whatever it takes to get a story, you know?, even if it means going to the cabana on a Friday night. Tomorrow morning I am attending a wedding brunch for one of our members, Jayne, who was married last Saturday. Her former mom-in-law is hosting the event and Judy J. is my driver as parking is limited where we are going. I am very excited to be invited and share in the joy with Jayne and my fellow members!

"Cruisin', on a Thursday afternoon......"

This is not something one sees every day on the St. Johns River! My guess is this cruise boat, a small one, is heading to the repair shop in Green Cove Springs for some refitting or something like that. It sure looked pretty passing by and I hope my neighbors all saw it, because no one would believe me if I told them! Guess this photo will go in The Palace Press newsletter this month!!!

One poor lonely shore bird is standing on the exposed sand in the basin, likely watching for the manatees to come back, as am I!

I just remembered something (warning...)

When I was at the pool today, for some reason or another, a picture flashed into my mind. An old memory from the days not long after Timmy died. My mom had been with us since just after Christmas, actually arriving in town the wee hours of my birthday morning. I had to drive downtown to the bus depot to pick up Lynn and Mom because I was certainly NOT going to allow them to sit there until a 'decent' hour----not in the Jacksonville bus depot! Lynn was coming along partially for a visit and partially to help Mom out with the kids while I was having my surgery on the 11th of January. Lynn left on the Friday after my surgery, with Roger having taken her to the Orange Park bus depot. Less than a week later and she was back for Timmy's funeral.

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All the while after the funeral, I should say, the first full month after the funeral, my neighbors in The Preserve made a meal for us every other day, as a show of support for us. All we had to do was set the table and wait to see what was coming for dinner, and wonder if we had room in the freezer for yet more ice cream. We could not eat some of our meals fast enough, especially the ice cream, believe it or not.

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While I cannot remember the date Mom flew back home to WI, it was some time after Timmy died. The sad reminder that flashed through my brain was of the night Mom left, when I was setting the table, I accidentally set four places. It then hit me like a ton of bricks that from now on, we would only need to set for three of us at the table. Upsetting not because Mom was gone, that had not sunk in yet, but because Timmy was gone and an empty space was at the table. Like a ton of bricks....What made me think of that today when I was at the pool? I have no idea but fortunately I was mostly by myself and could cry without drawing an audience. Maybe it was because I had an earworm of the hymn "Jesus, Thy Blood and Righteousness" rattling round in my brain and out that memory popped.

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This type of thing happened once more to my knowledge, sometime later when Harv and Barb had come down for a visit. We were enjoying a meal cooked on the grille and I gave Barb the plastic pink flamingo patio dishes to set the outdoor table. In a few moments she came in with an extra setting----seems I had once more counted Timmy in our number. He was enjoying a feast much better than what we were having, but those tons of bricks on earth are a little hard to take sometimes.....

An exciting morning

This morning as I was just about waking up, I heard my telephone make a beep at me. Oops, I had left it in Quiet Mode since Bible study last night. As I reached for it, I heard Justin yelling, "Mama, Mama, wake up! You gotta call WOKV right away because you just won a trip to St. Petersburg!" He gave me the number because I couldn't think of it and made the call. Whew!! The nice man who answered told me that I actually won a trip to Adventure Landing Water Park BUT my name is being thrown in the hat for the big prize of a resort stay in St. Pete's Beach. I am still a winner, no matter the prize. I called Justin back and told him my news and he was disappointed, saying, though, that I have a 1 in 15 chance of winning the other trip yet. While I was talking to him, my friend from church, Tina, beeped in, asking if I heard my name on the radio. She was excited for me and wanted to make sure I get my prize.

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What a way to begin my day! I had only yesterday entered the contest which was e-mailed to me as an 'Insider'. Good thing Justin and Tina were listening that early in the morning. Supposedly I should receive an e-mail from WOKV with the details of my Adventure Landing outing, wondering if I can take folks with me or what. If so, I might even save it until Kerry comes down here to visit me in early September to enjoy the wave pool and lazy river with me.

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Pheewww! I need to empty my wastebasket in my bedroom/office. It seems the foam boxes and their uneaten remainders are decaying, as one might imagine. Particularly bad since it is warm in here, and the early part of the day when the sun bakes it a bit more....Last night Judy J. picked me up for dinner and Bible study. We ate at Panera and she greatly enjoyed her salad. She even had me rub my finger in the bottom of the bowl to taste the delicious dressing left there. The salad was called a strawberry salad but it also had lettuce of some type, blueberries, mandarin orange segments, and this lovely poppyseed dressing. She was in heaven, so to speak. You can guess what I had...predictable me! I did, however, buy a loaf of bread made with nuts and twigs, as per the doctor's orders. Actually it is a dense seeded rye bread and made a great slice of toast for breakfast. Might even have a peanut butter and jelly sandwich later---that's how good it was! Last week I threw out almost an entire loaf of bread as it turned green on me, and yes, Judy, I DID have it in the fridge!

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Last night about 11:30 pm, I was sitting in bed with my laptop when I heard what sounded like a gun shot, very close gun shot. Oh my! I listened closely to see if I could hear any follow-up noise or more fireworks to follow this first one. But there was nothing more, only the one shot. Earlier in the evening, however, I had placed a can of Diet Coke in the freezer to speed the process of chilling. Well, can you guess what the gunshot was? This a.m. before getting ready for the pool, I opened the freezer to get my can holder out and discovered what appeared to be pieces of chicken, dark meat chicken pieces. Yikes! It was Diet Coke blown all over the interior of my freezer! The side was blown right open on the can and I picked up chunks of soda and put them into the ruptured can. They were still fizzling as I dropped them into the sink. I knew this was going to be a mess but not a problem unless I let them melt.....I did clean up some more of the shards of shattered soda (I cry over spilled and exploded soda like some do over milk!) and then mopped the floor where the pieces fell out of the freezer drawer. I will need assistance from Justin for cleaning up the rest because he will have to lift the basket off the floor of the freezer to get inside to wipe it out. Worse mess than when the Christmas cookie container opened up and made crumbs all over the place in there!

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At the pool there was only one lady, a former stranger, reading a book. I greeted her and determined I did not know her and then got into the pool. At first the water was cold but I got used to it quickly. A man was using a leaf blower over at The Club and it was getting quite annoying. When there was a break in the noise, I said to the lady, "I hope he is nearly done with that" and she agreed, saying it was an obnoxious noise. Aha, I was in! After introducing myself, and she to me, Katina, I told her my story of gunshots in the night and the mess I was facing. Her hubby and she were in town from Tampa, he was an architect who specializes in church rehabs and such, and she came along for the ride. They had seen the place, The Club, on a previous visit and decided to stay here for this overnight trip. So, we had a nice chat, talked about our entitlement-raised college kids and then she had to leave. It was check-out time and she had to go pack. Rats! Anyway, it was nice to meet her and have some new ears to tell my story to!

Another attempt at shooting the moon!!!!

Fewer squiggles this time as I balanced the camera carefully on the rail, with the strap securing it to my neck, taught to always secure the camera by Tommy J.! Is it my imagination, or does it look like the water is moving??? This shot better shows the breaks in the breakwater. In the daytime, you can see the sand peninsula at the furthest break where the manatees like to hangout. As I write this on Tuesday morning, the manatees are frolicking in the basin almost straight out from that break in the wall. Such wonderful things I get to see and experience----we have such a good and gracious God...

Still more thunder

In the distance I can hear thunder rumbling, which might mean another storm is coming across the river. Once already I had to hustle inside from the pool as a thunderstorm came up, just as the games and pool activities were wrapping up. Timing was everything in this case. Most of us had finished our meals from the cabana by this time, with Bob and Rosemary's son being the last one to eat as he came later. The men at our table had little trouble tackling the burgers but I generally order the hot dog because I can actually eat the entire thing. Not so with the burgers, which we estimated are about 1/3 pound or so. Delicious, yes, but just too big for me to eat in one sitting.

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Skipper, the former lifeguard for The Club, runs the games for the kids including the favorite of retrieving the greased watermelon from the bottom of the pool. One of the melons broke open in the tussle but another one survived and was retrieved in a record time of 11 seconds! The various age groups have swimming events, dive for coins, and other pool games, even for the little ones. The moms and grandmas are very good about cheering the kids on, even though it seems they have no clue what they are supposed to be doing! Just keep shouting the kids' names and they will eventually do something for a prize!

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Last night the moon once more peeked out and I got to take another photo of it. The camera card is in the printer connected to my desk top computer so will have to wait until tomorrow as I am not firing up the 'big one' tonight, especially with the lightning going on. Oh, oh....as I write I am also watching "Seinfeld" and the episode tonight is the famous "The Contest" show. Oh, no, again...even though it's sassy, I cannot help but laugh at some of it. Especially that Kramer!

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Anyway, yesterday was Favorite Hymn Sunday and I was delighted to know that one of my suggestions made the cut. As I told Pastor, I hold back with my list because I want to give others a chance, since I have soooo many favorites! Among my list was "Behold, A Host Arrayed in White" and he chose it! As we were listening to the video from "Come, Worship Christ" in Bible study, it seemed that in one portion the camera showed a congregation singing and an organist playing...I strained to hear more clearly what the cong. was singing and I am almost sure it was "Behold, a Host...."! At the end of the class I mentioned that it sounded like 'my hymn' and Pastor remarked, "How ironic!" and shared with the others that this was the hymn I chose for Favorite Hymn Sunday. I told him afterward that the 3rd stanza was especially profound but we were only singing the first two, for which, I am sure Robbie was thankful.

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So, when we sang the five hymns suggested, with CW 550 being the last of them, a tear or two had found its way down my cheek, picturing the joys of heaven. "....Now God has wiped away their tears, Transformed their strife to heav'nly life, and freed them from their fears. They now enjoy the Sabbath rest, the heav'nly banquet of the blest; The Lamb, their Lord, at festive board, Himself is Host and Guest." As we stood and proceeded with the liturgy, suddenly there was Cliff at my elbow, whispering thanks for choosing this hymn. Wow, start the water works again....After church Jen P. came up to me and said she knew which hymn I had picked by its message---a good thing to be known for. Also, Pastor said to me that he looked ahead at stanza 3 and thought perhaps we should have sung all three!

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I came straight home after making plans with the Lawcock's for attending the Concert on the Green later on. They were going swimming at the base in the afternoon and as I drove home on Wells Road, it was pouring rain! Oh, now they wouldn't be able to go swimming! The showers were expected, sporadic, and it seems they did not have rain on that side of I-295. After all, it's Florida! At the appointed time, they picked me up and off we went to St. Johns RCC for the concert. We met the rest of the gang from church and discovered the cannons for the grand finale were going to be right behind us, as were the parachutists who jumped from a small plane. So precise in their landing, just amazing! Sarah had a great time playing ball and such with the other kids, and I am sure she slept well last night....unless the booming of the cannons still echoed in her ears! On Fox and Friends yesterday morning they were discussing earworms and my earworm is now the "1812 Overture"!!!

A full moon on the river

Last night, late, the sky broke open enough to allow for the moon to find its way out for this photo. I did not see the moon at first, but did see the shadows it was casting on the floors and walls in my bedroom. Already the night before I had the camera ready to go and tried my best to capture the full moon on the river. Well, not quite my best, since I did not bother with the gorilla tripod to secure the camera to the rail as this shot required a steady hand. The little squiggle in the water is actually a light from across the river, and I jiggled a bit when snapping. This looks pretty good though, after I figured out to hold the flash thingy down before taking the shot. It looks eerie to me but it was really more peaceful than anything else.