I love Publix!

This past week or so I have had several occasions where people offered me compliments which make me feel quite good. Some ladies at the pool today were talking about how tragic it was for my dear neighbors to have had to bury another of their children. Denny was 'only' 55, just a bit younger than I am, and had suffered for years with various illnesses. His sister, Molly, was killed 20+ years ago in a car accident in Ireland. 

One lady stated that it is unnatural for a parent to survive their children, and I agreed. Another lady said, "Your son was quite young, wasn't he?" and I told them he was 5. Another lady, Susie, said to me, "You are always so cheerful and bubbly, you handle it so well..." I thanked her for that, and was able to tell the group how I can rejoice for him, having what I long for---seeing the Lord face-to-face. Yes, I miss him, I miss what I remember of Timmy, but the tears are for me, not for him. And I told them the same was true for Denny, that I knew he was a very faithful Christian, and this gives comfort to his parents as well. 

Last weekend Jacquie told someone else at the pool that I "made their summer" by being so friendly to them, as newer folks at the pool. This is Mark's and her first summer season and how I have enjoyed getting to know them. This couple is one who also lost a son to a motorcycle accident ("the club no one wishes to join..."). That touched me because I really did nothing exceptional to make them feel welcome, just treated them like I do others. It's nice to be thought of in that regard!

After my grooming appointment late this afternoon, I stopped at Publix to take advantage of the soda special. Justin had stocked up yesterday and suggested I go back today to get some more. Buy two/get two, can't go wrong! 

As I wheeled my cart around the store, I heard a man talking behind me, who was using a blue tooth-style phone, telling someone he loved them. This fellow, an older but not elderly black man, gestured to me that he was on the phone, and I smiled at him. Later we met again in an aisle and he said something to me this time, but I didn't understand him, but I smiled again. 

                                           

In the ice cream aisle, he came up again, and then circled away from me. Then, he stopped and came back, saying, "Excuse me, I am not stalking you, but I have to ask the name of the perfume you are wearing. You smell so good." I said, "Of course you're not! It's called "Obsession"", and thanked him. He took a few steps and came back to ask the name again. I told him and he asked if I get it at Belk. He looked surprised when I told him I get mine at Wal*Mart but certainly he could look at Belk. Bet his wife is getting a bottle of perfume for her birthday!

I was in the mood for ice cream bars, similar to an Eskimo Pie but store brand or off-brand was fine with me. There were Dove bars, Nestle Crunch bars, various other types of special treats, including ice cream bars with no sugar added. But no regular ice cream bars to be had. 

I left empty handed from the ice cream aisle, and at the register, when asked, I told them I could not find the ice cream bars. After I paid and the young lady was ready to push the cart out for me, a manager asked me if I found everything alright. I told him my problem with the ice cream bars, and he was on a mission to find some!

He parked my cart to the side and off we went to find the right bars. I told him that my mother might have had something to do with there being only NO SUGAR ADDED ice cream bars in this store, which made him laugh. He dug around in the stacks in the freezer and finally, at the bottom, he found some WITH sugar added, and we rejoiced! I begged him to not tell Mom we found them...te he he! 

The young lady resumed her position of taking my cart to the car, after I paid for the ice cream bars, and off we went. When I popped the car open, we were greeted by 6 cases of soda from the day before! She had to laugh about that, but said she, too, takes advantage of every soda sale she can find. I told her some of us share our good fortune with others via Facebook.

Here come the words....

...left over from earlier!

Try as I might, it was simply not possible for me to watch all the speeches at the DNC tonight. My friend, Kathy, was text messaging me, to see how I was holding up, as I'd told her my intent. The answer was 'not good, not good at all!' The 6:00 pm news program interviewing Dick Durbin (Turban, as Rush refers to him) put Kathy away right then and there. I did not fair much better, but watching the networks with added commentary helped greatly.

Justin brought the mail up again today, which means he is waiting for something to arrive. Now that I have ordered the new airbed from Frontgate, I am back on their catalog list as well as some others who are tempting me at least twice a month to buy something. STOP! No more catalogs!!

                                                        

Justin and I must hustle about in the morning to ready things for the annual visit from the pest control people. In years past we were advised to remove the items from under the sinks and vanities but when I inquired of the person in charge of this, she said no such request was made this year. Cool with me, except that was one time a year that the area under the sinks was cleaned out completely. Guess there is nothing stopping us from doing it anyway, right? All that's missing is the desire to do so! Justin has far more work to do in his room than needs to be done in the entire household because he is less than tidy...

                                                      

Justin has purchased additional storage bins to start the packing process. He is optimistic about the closing for his friend's house happening any day now. Supposedly the negotiations are proceeding but my guess is it will be at least another month before anything happens. I will still encourage him to continue his packing up however, which allows for less on the floor. 

The vacuuming is all done in the rest of the house. He will take care of his room before he leaves for work in the morning. On Wednesdays he helps his father so does not have to leave quite as early in the a.m. I could fuss and tidy a bit more tonight but I am weary and need to rest my peepers!

Glorious sunrise

                           This morning's sunrise was so amazing!

A great day at the pool

I am still thinking about how the congregation sang two hymns, the first and the last ones, a capella on Sunday. (When I told Justin about it last night when he got home, he asked, "Did you lead it?" I told him I sang out to help others along...) It reminded me of the time I attended the funeral for the dad of my friend, Louise, married to Fred, who used to work for us. Fred was the guy who did some of the remodeling for me at the lake house, as well as repairing the A/C upstairs. Somehow, the house filled with smoke and a foul aroma just prior to the Super Bowl party! 

Back to the funeral---Louise's dad had made arrangements in advance for his service and stunned the family with the service that was held. He was a primitive Baptist, but apparently his family was not. The music, the singing, was done by about four or five men, with one humming a drone sound in the background, almost like a organ pedal being pressed. It was amazing, something I had never experienced before, or since. I wonder if they ever take turns being the drone....My hope is that we don't have to get accustomed to singing without accompaniment. 

***

I did not go out to the pool until around noon and missed some valuable time with Pat and Maggie O. For no other reason than waiting until it got warmer outside, I was inside watching the news. At least we got to eat lunch together. My lunch came from the cabana instead of the buffet, my tastes being more simple. When I went in to order it, Julius said, "It's already on the grille..." Love that! 

The two ladies had gone through some of the exercises while the pool was yet their own. Maureen and Roland were out there already, too, but did not stay much longer after I arrived. They returned the book and the DVD I loaned them last weekend, Roland getting through the book in two nights! Maureen, Pat, and Maggie are all teachers, discussing education and such prior to my getting out there. Shoot! I learn so much about the govt. schools in listening to them talk! 

Maggie and Pat left, but then Jacquie and Mark came over after having lunch at The Club buffet. Some others came out for the special events held at the pool for the holiday. At a certain point, the adults had to get out of the pool to allow its use for the kids' games. The adult pool allows for ropes to be strung, making swim lanes for the races, etc.

It was getting hot out there and the water warming back up nicely after the rains earlier last week. When I couldn't stand it any longer, I got Jacquie and went down to the teens' pool to bob around. Other adults had come down also, being too hot to just sit and wait it out. 

Much of the chit-chat today revolved around the pools being closed next Saturday between 10 and 3 for a private party. A wedding, of all things! The groom, described in decent terms as being difficult to deal with (ahem, ahem), and wanted no one else to be around during his wedding. Well! The money charged for such allowances makes it well worth The Club's interest to allow it. 

Folks are making plans to go use another pool on the property, north of where Justin's grad. party was held. Some were hoping for rain! Not me, of course, no more rain, but if the weather stinks, no harm-no foul for having the pool closed. 

                           

Others suggested a counter party be held on the sundeck at The Palace to watch the goings' on at The Club! The groom has rented every hotel room and all the facilities on the property for their exclusive use, except the River House bar, which is not owned by The Club. River House anyone????

Sunday events

Oh, boy, do we ever miss The Maestro at Good Shepherd!!! I know it feels good to be able to dedicate himself to his studies and his work now. He is attending our sister congregation as a worshiper instead of the active role of playing and planning. But we most assuredly could have used his skills during worship when the MIDI was acting up. The first and last hymns were sung acapella. We did okay, but still.....if Robbie had been there, he could have jumped on the piano and helped us out. Good thing they were familiar hymns and not too many stanzas!

Rachel was confirmed during the service, with Jackie standing with her. Rachel comes from the neighboring apartment complex and attended most of the BIC with Amber, Judy, and me. Speaking of Amber, she is going to be back on track as of Tuesday, and she says she has more questions for me!

Here is Rachel posing with her cake served for the reception following the service. Judy served it, and I helped with the clean up afterward. Judy's grandson, David, was in town, joining us at church and lunch, with our group going to La Napolera. Both Judy and I had gift cards to use, so I treated Mike S. to lunch. Now he says he owes me a lunch and I might take him up on that....like something he's barbecued??? Such an excellent cook is he!

When I got home, I tuned in for Fox News Sunday, missing the first 15 minutes. After three o'clock I decided to go out to the pool and had a grand time as long as there was sun on the water. At a certain point the entire pool was shaded and my teeth were actually chattering as I got out. Takes me a long time to warm back up again after being so cold. 

                                                    

The rest of the day was spent in my room, as I can't stand being in an undone room, where the vacuum cleaner is standing at attention, begging for use! Ugh! My helper left in too much of a hurry on Saturday, the Dawdler King, so did not finish. Justin has no problems usually with getting up on time for work in the early morning hours and likes to fly around with his yard equipment to tackle the job. It's just at home where time gets away from him. He plans to complete the task Monday afternoon when he gets home. He must do a good job, since company is coming! Linda will be here the 12th so it might even need it again before then....

From the week

As I write this, moonbeams are flowing in my window from what remains of the blue moon. It is absolutely gorgeous to see it, a perfect match to the day. Once tonight I had "turned in", as Justin likes to say, but it seemed to only be a cat-nap needed. I have powered back up and am good to go for another couple of hours!

Today was a marvelous one, starting with a chat while watching Fox and Friends with Linda. In a few days, she will actually be in the same house with me, but for now, we use the Internet to speak. 

                                                

Justin came into my room with a present--he bought me (himself) a Swiffer vac. It is both a dusting device and a mini-vacuum cleaner, battery powered. Guess he grew weary of my observing the dust accumulations under my bed which he is responsible for cleaning up. He is of the opinion that I need a longer dust ruffle and that I was in need of this device for attacking the dust. Don't get me wrong---I am grateful for his present, but I expect him to use it more than will I!

Justin went to the rally downtown today to welcome the Romney/Ryan team and from there Jesse and he were heading to Tampa. They have friends there and having dinner made by a professional chef they know. I am not sure if the plans are for dinner tonight or if it's going to be tomorrow. Regardless of that, he said to me, "Before I leave, I am making you a pie." He had the ingredients to make another raspberry cream pie so away he went. 

After a certain point, I went into the kitchen to see what was happening. There was some trash to be disposed of but he'd removed the full bag from the can and not relined it. I got the fresh bag from under the sink and proceeded to grab the raspberry bag. Juice went running down the bag, onto the floor, and all over the outside of the bag. I grabbed the dish cloth but it smelled so he got me a fresh one. 

Both of us were laughing at the franticness of it all. He wanted to wipe the floor first but I was trying to clean the bag off. I said, "Justin, if I ever stab myself or anything, please do not try to stop the bleeding with a smelly dish cloth. Get a fresh one..." As he was laughing he said, "You don't see yourself, do you?" Here I had red juice down the front of my nightie, as though I HAD been stabbed! Oh my!!

                                                       

Since I was getting ready for the pool anyway, I sprayed the stains on my nightie, and stuck it in the washer. No big deal if the night gown has to go away. We sure did laugh though! Besides the pie, his plans were to take the car for some gas, since he used it last night and it needed some to get me to church Sunday. While getting gas, he would pick up soda too. Justin concerned himself with making sure I had enough provisions to get me through his absence, including reporting three slices remained of our pizza from the other night. I am all set with pizza pie and raspberry pie!

Justin also planned to vacuum all the floors but it seems he ran out of time to finish up. The vacuum cleaner is yet plugged in in the family room and there are potato chips on the carpet in the dining room yet from Mom's luncheon! Guess he will finish up on Monday when he gets home from Tampa. 

Linda J. let me know this afternoon that her hubby's business partner and friend had lost his battle with illness and died. I had sent a card to the family which they got earlier this week, and according to Linda, was appreciated. Hopefully they find comfort in the Bible verses included in that card now that he is gone. Thankfully, Tommy was with Gary and the family when their husband and father breathed his last, and was staying to help them until things were settled for the night. 

Thursday after Bible study I went to Bahama Breeze for a quick lunch before going to Jacksonville National Cemetery for a committal service. A son of our congregation died a year ago and his ashes were being taken care of at this service. When I got to the cemetery, I went in to use the restroom and then waited in my car for the rest to arrive. I knew it was going to be one of those days when the tears started to flow when the Marine Honor Guard got out of the van at the headquarters. They just look so ceremonial and serious....

                                                                            

There were about 9 of us from church there with the family of four. We were greeted by a very nice hostess who turned out to be the mom of one of our former members who now reside in NC. When she identified herself, both Carol and I leaned in to hug her. She told us her son, Ed, is coming to town this next week.

Pastor had prepared a brief service with some Bible readings, and then told us Bonnie requested we sing some hymn stanzas. Oh, here it comes....We sang three stanzas of "I Know That My Redeemer Lives". Those of us who could sang it, and I managed to conquer my fears (He lives to silence all my fears...) and sing out. Afterward a couple folks thanked me for carrying the group, including Bonnie. What else could I do, right? Besides cry....

Some of the ladies wanted me to go with to lunch but I had already eaten. That same day was the one with high winds so I am glad I got home when I did and avoided having to come so far in a storm. Hope the other ladies got home safely, as well.

Today I had a marvelous time at the pool with my friends. I heard from one or two of them before going out, making sure we were going to find each other. The day was good weather-wise and even I felt a bit crisp about the face. I had applied sun screen more than once but that blasted stuff ended up in my eyes and burned like mad.

As the fun around the pool drew to a close, Jacquie, one of my newer friends with whom I have something in common (we have both lost children), paid me a high compliment. Another couple had joined the circle, and Jacquie said to them, "This lady here has just made our summer!", gesturing at me. What a wonderful thing for her to say, and guess what---the feeling is mutual for all the friends at the pool!

Blue moons and sunrises

Here is the sunrise from Friday morning. I was chatting with Jill, my sister, and told her I had to go take a picture of the rising sun. It was so gorgeous, but sadly, sometimes the photo does not do it justice.

I was ready to capture the blue moon rising over Mandarin

There it is!!! That tiny dot is the blue moon!

The tiny dot grew into something quite spectacular. It was so lovely it might have made noise!

 

                        

This morning I was met with the sunrise shown above....