Wrapping up the day

This morning I was catching up on the radio program I “watch” on the Internet, since I dozed off yesterday afternoon during the first playing thereof. Good thing Justin and I subscribe to the On-Demand feature of this program. One of the fellas got his lunch delivered during the fun fourth hour of the show, something he is slightly embarrassed about having show up on “TV”. The timing is just right that it comes when the camera is on him. The female producer orders his lunch for him because he is on a diet right, a program to lose 5% of his body fat, and Stu is also a vegetarian. When he opened the lunch ordered for him by Sarah, with his health in mind, he showed us a roasted vegetable sandwich. I threw up a little bit in mouth thinking about eating that! Blech!!

As I sat at my desk, eating my nice breakfast (a.k.a. Easter leftovers), I looked through the sale ad that came via the mail from Winn Dixie. They have great Buy One/Get One deals, and the meal deals. This week they are offering a deal where I would buy two Stouffer Family Size Entrees, and get free garlic bread, Steamin’ Vegetables, a Mrs. Smith bake-at-home pie, and a bottle of store brand soda. Nice! I believe that would be something I could share with Justin, as he could take one of the entrees and the garlic bread, and I would keep the rest! Another ad that came was from Hardee’s where they have introduced beer-batter dipped onion rings, for which I have a weakness, as well as a variety of sizes of (gulp!) turkey burgers! Yikes! First Hardee’s has the artery-bursting Angus burgers, far too large for me to manage, and now 500 calorie or less turkey burgers. Market-driven offerings. What happens if a person orders the turkey burger AND the battered dipped onion rings????

My other friend, Linda M., sent me a recipe for making onion strings at home and it looks fairly simple to do. That might be worth trying, all I have to do is buy an onion. I have the oil and flour, but am not sure I have white pepper. Any spices in my cupboard have been those that moved with me from The Preserve house in 2004 and are likely older than that yet!

At choir rehearsal Wednesday night our small group gathered to run through a few pieces for upcoming services before summer begins and we recess. Robbie had gone through the music files in the church office to come up with something for Ascension. As he distributed the sheet music, he tried to match us up with the names written on the covers. It was truly a trip down memory-lane for many of us, including one marked "Shirley", who was Robbie's dearly departed Grandmother. Another had the name "Sharon" on it, and Kristi knew right away who that was. I told the group how on Monday our Bible study class watched the old video made about our congregation called "A Mission Grows", made in 1981, and Sharon was featured in that recording. It was not really a video but actually a narrated slide-show, quite state of the art for 1981! Many of our older members were in the video, including Evelyn who had a speaking role, and whose sheet music I was given. Sharon and her Naval officer spouse now worship in Palm Coast, where we saw her when attending the School of Worship Enrichment event.

Our tenor, the one who nearly missed singing with us Maundy Thursday, is leaving the area, moving up to New Jersey to live with his mom who needs some extra care. Brian is also our Head Elder so another vacancy occurs when he is gone. He is retired Air Force and is presently a teacher at a local government high school, the same one where Maggie O. and her daughter work. Not sure yet if he will work once back home in New Jersey or not, depending upon the needs of his mother. What a good boy he is!

After choir I did not stop at McDonald's as is my usual routine, on cheap cheeseburger day, because I had so many Easter leftovers to consume at home. It will be a treat when it happens again. When we have choir recess I will certainly miss them!! Justin told me at Trivia the other night how the leftover ham he took home with him was scarfed up rather quickly, with the lady of the house making herself four sandwiches from it. Guess it was good! And not all that expensive either---I paid right around $20 for the spiral cut ham which we baked after adding the brown sugar glaze, Justin dripping the glaze between the slices as an added touch. Part of the ham went home with him, some stayed here, divided between the fridge and the freezer, with the meaty bone waiting to be made into a kettle of soup some time in the future. Glad I took the small ham!

The hot cross buns on the counter are a week old now and I think the ones remaining in the foil pan will have to go into the trash as I have been unable to finish them all. Too bad they come a dozen to a pan, a few less would have worked better for me. They always remind me of my working days at Shady Lane Home when we would serve those at this time of the year. Perhaps I will have one more before I throw them out, and buy fresh next year!

A brief recap

There is a half-written blog posting waiting for me on the gas-powered computer but I do not feel like waking up that sleeping beast any more tonight. The information will be good yet tomorrow afternoon when I get home from Bible study and lunch with Justin. In fact, I had lunch with Justin today at Mojo's, as he was hungry for brisket. Me, too! Love their brisket! He suggested I call Twila to meet us since he did not get to speak to her at church on Easter Sunday. She was tired after being there for breakfast and then for worship so left just as quickly as she could afterward, with Aunt Jean being her driver. Today, she drove herself, the second time since she got home from the hospital, to meet us. And, she loved the brisket, too! Unfortunately, just as Justin dug into his plate, he got a phone call indicating the ATT people were coming to the new 'old' office to hook up the Internet so had to gulp his food down and run. In the meanwhile, Twila Squared joined us at the restaurant, but missed seeing Justin.

Twila Sr. was planning to go to Wal*Mart after lunch but then decided to just go back home, feeling a bit weary. It will take her a while to get her steam back, baby steps. I asked her if there was something I could pick up for her and she told me she was going to buy "The King's Speech" dvd. Twila Squared said, "Don't you watch it!" because they plan to do that together next week when they go to the time share at Sanibel. I am so happy those two have each other. I was going to Wal*Mart also and offered to get one for each of us, but she declined my offer saying they would go shopping next week to get supplies for the trip, etc. However, I DID go to get my copy plus I was looking for new cropped jeans since my old ones look that way!

Before lunch I stopped at Great Hang Ups to drop off some of the paper bags left here by Cindy when she cleaned out her scrapbooking supplies. Julia was happy to get them and I was glad to drop them off. The ladies said they had not seen me in awhile, not counting the Art Guild show on Palm Sunday. Since I was meeting Justin and Twila, my stay was shortened but I will go back again another day when I can stay. They did have a minute to tell me about the lady that helps out in the shop periodically, off now because strangely enough, she had gotten a virus in her ear! Just like Justin had, only Penny's has instead affected her balance. Justin's manifested itself with both the deafness and the vertigo but fortunately the vertigo abated. The ladies said that Justin should be thankful to have 'only' deafness resulting and not have the terrible problems learning to live like Penny has. She has a steady horizon with one ear, and a 64% 'vision' with the other ear. Therapy is taking place right now but for her to try to see straight, she moves her head either up and down, or side to side, and talks as though she's inebriated. It is hard to believe that Justin is considered 'lucky' to only be deaf...

More tomorrow, okay?

More photos coming your way

On Maundy Thursday, the Altar Guild ladies participated in the stripping of the altar. Sorry about Paul's head in this shot, but behind him is Ethel receiving the stole from Pastor as Bonnie and Donna remove the candles and paten. Terri, Ethel's lovely daughter, is in front of Donna, folding the communion cloths to lay them across Ethel's arms. It is quite moving to watch, and to be a part of. As they progress, the lights are dimmed. Betty, one of our newer members, remarked yesterday that this was the first time she ever attended a Maundy Thursday service and was totally blown away by what she saw and heard. Could barely get through the hymns, she said....

Mike C. leading the service on Good Friday. Note the black paraments, altar clothes, drape on the 'old wooden cross' as well as the crown of thorns over the top of the cross. There are seven candles on the table in the foreground, which were extinguished one by one as the service progressed. The Christ candle remained lit, was carried out, and then replaced at the end of the service in the darkened sanctuary. It was a highly evocative service...

Weekend photos and then some

It is such a beautiful morning today! Some fishermen pulling in their nets, reminding me of the Bible story when Jesus appeared once more to the disciples after His resurrection...I don't think these men caught 153 fish, though...

Marky came to Easter breakfast and I got him to pose with his grandma, Twila. The Lord works in mysterious ways, as Mark is fairly regular now in attendance for worship

Before the choir rehearsed for the Festival Service, I was able to snap a few photos of the now resplendent chancel, redressed after the stark, black backdrop of Good Friday

He is risen! He is risen indeed! Christos anesti!

Maggie O. and her daughter, Marissa, joined us for sunrise worship and even had time to stay for breakfast. After eating, they were heading to their own church for Bible study and more Easter worship. We have made tentative plans to watch "Waiting for Superman" on Saturday, as both are in the teaching profession. Marissa has decided, though, to pursue the law for her career when this school year is out. Good for her!

The Easter cross, fashioned from the trunk of a Christmas tree, sporting fresh cut flowers for the celebration of the resurrection!

Ron, Sarah, and Josh at the dining room table. Sarah is looking up a word in her Spanish to English translator to come up with the correct description of a certain restaurant, themed around various meats. Apparently English has no such word...It's a restaurant at the Beaches, though, that sounds quite delicious to me! Ron and Sarah are a couple, and Josh is a classmate of Sarah's (therefore defaults as friend to all), both of them studying to be doctors!

Justin and Jesse trying to help Sarah figure out the correct word for this type of restaurant. I guess that is why so many places have foreign-sounding names---English simply does not have a word for it!

Easter Monday

What an awesome day I had yesterday! It just was such a great, great way to celebrate the Resurrection, starting with sunrise worship which was downright pleasant temperature wise. No need for wraps or anything like that during the service. Robbie played the hymns for us, I could hear the pre-service music from the parking lot. Just prior to the service, I got a tap on the shoulder and turned to see Maggie O. and Marissa, her daughter, behind me. They even stayed to have breakfast with us. One of the segments of the service was split between prayer and stanzas of "I Know That My Redeemer Lives" which Ethel coaxed me through. I sang part of it, but for the verses that touch me personally I simply have to listen. Terri T. was a few rows in front of me and she told me later that she was listening for me, and sang when I would sing, and choke up at the same point as me. Since her mom's funeral 5 years ago, she can no longer sing along either.

The breakfast was divine---egg casseroles, fruit, and muffins, plus Judy C.'s home-made sausage gravy over biscuits. Wow! Every year fewer and fewer people attend the breakfast so this plan to not make the pancakes and such is working out better time-wise and money-wise. I did get a giant hug from little Mario, Twila's great-grandson, when he came running straight toward me after breakfast. "I haven't seen you in a long time!", he gushed to me. Absolutely made my day! The choir had to practice our two anthems so I went into the church and was able to get a few photos of the chancel with the lilies and other Easter accoutrement's. Gretchen came to the church as we were going over where to stand and such, and looked so sad. She came over to tell me that her sister had died during the night, someone for whom we have been praying for several weeks. What a great day to go home to the Lord!

We sang two anthems for Easter, the first one as the service began, the last one as the recessional. Justin arrived a bit late, missed hearing the choir sing but stood with me in the back to sing "In Christ Alone", our first hymn. We found a seat and were able to worship together and take the Lord's Supper as well. Several guests worshiped with us, some from Fond du Lac on vacation, and others via friends in the congregation. One lady said she was a former member of GS, had been here with Pastor Prange but got orders away from Jax. Now they are back and will be worshiping with us from now on. How nice is that? Her daughter was able to go out for the Easter egg hunts after church was over. At one point, during Holy Communion, I looked up and saw the next table being served was three generations of one family, including the grandpa who is about 92 years old. It was heartwarming, having them all together again this day!

Right now I am listening to my radio program and laughing my head off, as two of the guys are discussing the devalued dollar, escalating food prices, inflation, price per barrel of oil, and so on. In the meanwhile, the other guy is supposedly broadcasting 'live' from Westminster Abbey, raving on and on about the royal wedding. It is hilarious, the contrast between the reality of the world markets in jeopardy while folks are focusing on this goofy wedding week events. Last night, after all my company was gone, I sat outside with my neighbors for a bit. Some of the ladies are making plans to get up very very early on Friday to watch the wedding. I find this so incredible, because there is little else about which I could care less. I mean, really??? The radio show's point is well taken, noting the fiddling while Rome burns, the world watching this wedding....

Back to yesterday now---after church was done, Justin had to leave for his brunch at The Hilltop, and I took my bouquet of flowers to the cemetery to leave them at Timmy's site. It was quite busy there, many folks visiting the sites of their loved ones. "Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here, He is risen!"

Once home, my shoes could not come off quickly enough as my toes were complaining greatly against my shoes. Since we were not dining until about 4:00 pm, there was plenty of time for me to rest my tired bones before the festivities began. Justin came over when he was done with lunch, eating lightly, and did the vacuuming in my room. He put away the scrapbooking paper and such that cluttered the river room and tidied up a bit. That was all I had him do since the rest can wait until he has time. The two grandma's who were coming cancelled but Justin's friend, Josh, came with Ron and Sarah, which was great! He was so thankful to have a home-cooked meal again, and told me, "This was not what I expected to be doing today!" Love it, love it, love it!

Justin took home some leftovers, including most of the sweet potatoes since no one else wanted them. He cleaned the ham from the bone and we divided that up as well, with me planning to make a kettle of soup from the bone sometime later. I gave him some rolls to eat the ham on, but kept some rolls for me to have sandwiches this week. The family he stays with will certainly enjoy him having leftovers to share at the dinner table. The Jellos and such stayed here, as they were mostly enjoyed by me, it's a Lutheran thing! Well, I guess I cannot truly say that as the young people did like the raspberry Jello made with sherbet. They questioned eating it with the main course, thinking it was dessert! Cottage cheese salad was not popular but that's a couple meals for me this week. And what's the difference if I have to throw some out, it does not cost much to make.

Justin served the pumpkin pie (his favorite!) for dessert and all left the table well fed. The kids helped us clear the table and then retired to the 'drawing room' to relax after the sumptuous feast. They stayed a couple hours and we had wonderful conversations, with me getting to know them all a bit better. Jesse has been in my life for many years but the other three not as long. As I mentioned, when they were gone, I went outside to spend the rest of the daylight hours with my neighbors before I retired for the night. Exhausted, full, and quite quite pleased with the day. "Welcome happy morning, age to age shall say...."!

Kicking back a bit

Most everything that can be prepared ahead of time has been, and I am now resting my poor, tired bones. The dishwasher is hard at it taking care of the dishes used to cook with the balance of the pots ‘n pans ‘n spoons waiting in the sink for their turn in the machine. My kitchen looks none the worse for the wear! Since then I have also dealt with a basket of laundry plus washed another load which is safely tucked away in the dryer. Later I will grab my choir pants out of the dryer for tomorrow but since they are a stretchy fabric, wrinkles are not a problem. Some recently hatched ducklings are swimming in the still water below my window, not quite ready to venture further without their parents. They are not yellow like when Cassidy first saw them, and they are not goslings, either, which we originally thought.

Earlier there was a good deal of boat traffic but right at this moment only a few are going up and down the river, with one stationery vessel apparently fishing off the breakwater. Soon it will be the cigarette boats tearing it up and there is no mistaking the noise they make! Sounds like a jet airplane engine as they race past. When I see those boats I often think of the time Tommy and Linda were here and we found ourselves almost in the middle of a poker run on Doctors Lake, when Twila’s grandson had us out on her boat. First Linda was crying going down the dock because she was apprehensive without handrails, and then the actual getting into the boat freaked her out. I believe she liked it once we got going, and then we had to get back to avoid the racing boats coming our direction. One of the entries always has a tiny helicopter escort, matching the boat, which is fascinating to see and hear. Twila’s dock is just before the entrance to Swimming Pen Creek where the boats pull in to get their playing card so we have cat bird seats for that annual show. (Ooooh, there go two bright yellow jet skis shooting out from a nearby dock!!!) I miss that!

It seems I did not say much about the worship on Maundy Thursday. Pastor was the officiant that evening, and we had a nice number in attendance. The tone of the service was appropriately somber, and when the choir members had all partaken of the Lord’s Supper, we were encouraged to sit together toward the back of the church, as it was after the distribution and prior to the altar being stripped that our anthem was sung. Robbie had us work and work until we didn’t know what we were singing anymore, but it certainly paid off when it came time to offer it. Many came up to me (and I am sure the others) to let me know how beautiful it was, thought-provoking and such. Even Robbie’s dad reportedly got misty-eyed and afterward gave me a hug outside of the church in thanks. Of course, we thank Robbie for his efforts with us, and the glory goes to the Lord!

The stripping of the altar in the dimly lit chancel area was beautifully dramatic with Robbie on piano and Sterling on bassoon playing “What Wondrous Love is This?”…The congregation joined in to sing the stanzas and then left in silence. Quite moving and edifying an experience. Later Robbie met me outside and gave me a hug too, saying, “Y’all sounded awesome!” This was not my favorite choral piece when we first began working on it, feeling uncomfortable singing a capella through parts of it. Based on Psalm 130, in fact, almost word for word, with a haunting melody, it turned out just lovely. Fortunately Lynne called Brian to remind him about church as he had forgotten and was just then paying his tab at Ted’s Restaurant on Blanding. Yikes! He is the Head Elder besides our head tenor and was badly needed. Glad Lynne got a hold of him!

Judy J. and I went out for dinner after church, each of us ordering the small stromboli at Aron’s. Man, that was delicious! Perhaps I will eat those leftovers for my dinner tonight…mmmm! We actually dined indoors because we were so warm from church, even me! The A/C was on the fritz and with the day’s temperatures over 90 degrees, well, it was toasty in there. The little boys all came dressed to cute in matching vests but Laurie had to peel them off, as the kids were sweating in their sweaters…So, back to Aron’s---we very much enjoyed our quiet dinner after the service, and were the last two out of the restaurant, even though they close at 10:00 pm.

Friday’s service also lovely and meditative, with Mike C. as the officiant this time. He had handled the service at Keystone Heights on Thursday so they traded for Good Friday. The chancel was dressed in black paraments and banners, the wooden cross draped in black and the crown of thorns over the top of it. On a table before the altar was a tray with seven candles, plus the Christ candle off to the side near the lectern. (I just got gooseflesh when I typed that!). The acolyte lit all the candles but as the service progressed, one by one the candles were extinguished. Very significant and moving. After the last candle on the stand was put out, the lights were turned off and a loud sound was made to indicate the rolling of the stone across Jesus’ grave. (More gooseflesh…) Then, the acolyte carried the Christ candle, still lit, down the aisle and back up again. At that point Robbie, The Maestro, sang a stanza from a hymn, a cappela, and when he was finished, we sat in silence, leaving when we were ready. When Robbie sang, my eyes overflowed, the significance of it all, the lone candle lighting the sanctuary….very very nice!

This a.m. I spoke with Judy C. who was at church getting things set up for Easter breakfast tomorrow. I had gotten an e-mail last night from one of the preschool ladies informing me that the playground would be off limits on Sunday due to new sod being laid on Thursday. Oh oh! Alternative plans would need to be made for the egg hunt which takes place after the Festival service. There is a grassy area between the Fellowship Hall and classroom building where the little ones can look for eggs, although there is little area there for hiding them, and the older kids can go in front of the church for theirs. I am glad that is someone else’s job, to hide the eggs---fortunately.

So, now the meals preparations for tomorrow have me quite weary so I will rest. “House” marathon tonight! Whoo hoo!

Moving the dust around

Patty is busily dusting the surfaces and my collectibles around the house in preparation for Easter. At long last! If she gets done in time, I will be able to meet my neighbors for lunch at La Nop, but if not, no big deal, I would rather have the house dusted than a margarita. Did I really say that? Besides enjoying the social opportunity with Tracy, Cassidy, and MamMa, I also enjoy the beef quesadilla and strawberry frozen drink. I should probably avoid eating the nacho chips with salt because afterward, I swell!

This afternoon sometime Justin will be stopping by to vacuum, a change in plans from the original, as often happens. He has to come to OP to have lunch with his father and his lady friend so instead of having to vacuum on Sunday, he will do it today. He is now going to have brunch with his friend Jesse’s family at an area restaurant after the Festival service on Sunday, and then will come over here to help me get things ready. The original plan was for him to vacuum Sunday since we’d have time before everyone arrived. Today is better yet! Even though I have been invited to an event at UNF with some of my neighbors, I believe I will make use of Saturday for my festival meal preparations. Must pace myself, you know.

Back again---Patty ‘swept’ through the house like her pants were on fire- I do not know how she does it!? I won’t look too closely because certainly some dust will be visible. As I used to tell Martie when I had regular housekeepers coming, “If I wanted it to be perfect, I would do it myself…” After Patty left here, I settled in at my desk once more, only to get a phone call from her. She was still in the parking lot, her car empty of gas! I was going to take her to the gas station to get gas, but neither of us had a can to carry it in, thinking we’d have to buy one. Along came Connie who went to the work shed and came back with a can of gas which she dispensed into Patty’s car. Connie told Patty to pump the gas pedal three times and crank it, and sure enough--it started! I then lead Patty to the Gate Station just over Doctors Lake Bridge so she could fill up. Connie would not take any money for the gas, it was the condo’s anyway, but I will make it up to her somehow.

Since I was out anyway, I went on down the road to Publix to get the fixings for our Easter feast. As I headed into the store I was greeted by some little Boy Scouts hawking some discount cards to be used at area stores, including Publix. At first I declined but then recognized the daddy sitting there with the boys. Of course, I had to buy a discount card from Kyle and Kasey, how could I not? For $5, I got this card of coupons, including the $5 coupon for Publix. I could not go wrong with this and made points with my friends’ kids! As little Kasey told me, “You can go to Chili’s to get the free chips and salsa for lunch!” But not today…I’m busy.

A poor lady was frantically searching for a certain type of ham in the bin, a full-boned ham without any brown sugar coating or something like that. The man came out with boxes of more hams and she was asking him about it. She claimed her father would kill her (yikes!) if she came home with the wrong type of ham. That would not be so far off---a few years ago a man killed his son on Thanksgiving Day when battling over the cable bill! Not sure I would kill over a ham bone or partial ham bone situation. You gotta roll with the punches, so to speak. The meat man then found for me a smaller spiral-cut ham and told me that I could serve it room temperature or bake it for a short while to use the brown sugar packet which comes with the ham.

Also, I got several other items for my menu plus stuff not on the menu, including these little cups of instant mashed potatoes not unlike the mac ‘n cheese cups that I like so well. (From the Buy One/Get One bins). A man was looking at them with me and neither of us had heard of them, although they are Idahoan Brand, so I told him I would be the guinea pig and try it. Hopefully they taste decent because that would be such a blessing for a single person---single-serving meals. Plus, I got some frozen veggies to prepare for our feast and pre-made sweet potatoes over which I will place marshmallow Peeps, as I did last year. Justin’s friend, Ron, loves Peeps so I do this for him!

Back again again! Just got home from lunch with my neighbors, joined this time by their other daughter, Courtney, in from GA for the holiday. She is going to help her mom write a grant for a homework assignment as Tracy works toward her doctorate degree. She took a technology class which included starting up a blog, also kicking her butt. Hopefully Courtney can lend her a hand with this.

When I got back home, Justin was just leaving, even though he did not do the vacuuming. He had to get back to the house at the beach to check the final inspection information and await the delivery of pavers. Justin offered to forgo his brunch with his friends on Sunday to take care of the short list of chores but I assured him there was time between when he gets done there and coming over here. He can fly around just like Patty did and get things presentable before our guests arrive. So, now, I must take my rest before getting ready for church tonight. I hope all are nourished and edified by their Good Friday worship!