More Bucket List stuff

The other night at Bible study Pastor H. told one of the class members how learning to surf was on his bucket list. Today would be a good one for trying his hand, or his feet!, at surfing, with the wickedness of the waves with this passing storm. But, I simply cannot picture this grandpa on a surf board! 

A couple days ago my neighbor, Gus, came up for a visit. At first he came with Connie to see a large sea creature floating on its side in the river. She determined it was a large red (red what??) but it could have easily have been a small dolphin. The fish is presently being bashed against the rocks by the wild river we are experiencing today. Gus was just coming back from lunch with his friend and decided to hang out up here for a bit. 

He kept telling me how he's been in my home before but never really looked around very much---likely when I am having a flood! Gus insists I get the paints out again, trash my river room with the supplies (my words, not his), and start cranking out some work. I would sooner do that in my room than in there, because I can close the doors to this room!

He enjoyed the art work, the glass, the collections, and my stories of where the various pieces came from. I enjoyed his company! Gus promised to come back some time to look at my scrapbooks, as he is Greek and would like to see the photos. 

Gus mentioned how getting some Chihuly glass was on his 'bucket list'. He told me how he came close to buying some expensive pieces of glass a couple years ago. He passed up the opportunity then and is glad now he did, due to the market falling apart. I hope someday Gus can get a nice piece of glass and not too far off, as he is in his mid-70's already!

Sweet Gus---sadly he told me he has trouble remembering the dates on his parents' grave markers, and that of his wife, but he remembers the 'dash' in between. He was happy that I knew of the poem about the 'dash'. 

The Dash

By Linda Ellis

I read of a man who stood to speak

At the funeral of a friend.

He referred to the dates on her tombstone

From the beginning…to the end.

He noted that first came the date of her birth

And spoke of the following date with tears,

But he said what mattered most of all

Was the dash between those years.

For that dash represents all the time

That she spent alive on earth

And now only those who love her

Know what that little line is worth.

For it matters not, how much we own,

The cars…the house…the cash.

What matters is how we live and love

And how we spend our dash.

So think about this long and hard;

Are there things you’d like to change?

For you never know how much time is left

That can still be rearranged.

If we could just slow down enough

To consider what’s true and real

And always try to understand

The way other people feel.

And be less quick to anger

And show appreciation more

And love the people in our lives

Like we never loved before.

If we treat each other with respect

And more often wear a smile…

Remembering that this special dash

Might only last a little while.

So when your eulogy is read

With your life’s actions to rehash

Would you be proud of the things they say

About how you spent your dash?

Part of my 'dash' was spent with Gus, and with various lady friends this past week. And, of course, with Justin. He is likely going to be moving next month and I am adjusting my mindset to that fact. I can swallow the larger electric bill and eating home cooked meals for a bit longer.....

My new burger

Last night I went to The Club for tapas during Happy Hour(s) to try the new and improved Lahaie Day Slider. As per my request, Chef changed it up to these, pictured below, and made me extremely happy. The sirloin burgers came topped with a dollop of spinach, spread with corn butter, and embellished with onion straws. That's good eatin'! I took these photos before eating but a few moments later, Chef came out and also took my picture! Suitable for framing....

The accompanying side dish was the onion straws, and oh, my!, they are amazing! As you can see in the shot, Justin's meal is already packed in the to-go box on my table into which I piled more than half the straws and poured the dipping sauce into one of the recesses in the box. He declared them as being amazing plus the dipping sauce was the best he ever had! Chef will receive now a follow-up e-mail from me telling him how much I appreciate their efforts and the great honor!

No wonder I couldn't sleep the other night!

The news (you 'new' I'd get to it!) is all about the information being released regarding the terror attack at Benghazi. Perhaps Mitt was right in letting the opportunity pass to clobber PresBO with the facts and let the media do it. Nearly 6 weeks after the event, it comes out only now that there was LIVE footage being streamed to the White House and other points taken from the unmanned drone. In addition to that footage are the communications from the compound reporting being in fear of attack, actually under attack, and who was eating dinner with the ambassador just prior to the attack. NO youtube video was mentioned in any of the communiques---how about that??? 

Who stayed up to watch the footage and carnage unfold, and who went to bed instead? Who failed to order the military to scramble to the rescue as this scene unfolded? With US bases located just across this narrow portion of the Mediterranean Sea, less than 500 miles from Benghazi, help could have been rapidly dispatched. 

Who still has their positions? And who lost their lives while others sat on their hands, or actually watched!, to protect the pontification that we have 'Al qaeda on the run'? That phrase has been pulled from the stump speeches, in case anyone has not noticed. Oops! Presidential race or not, this is serious business, folks, and our attention must be directed to this fiasco.

At least one war has somewhat come to a close, that being the fallacious 'war on women'. This past week the now infamous spokeswoman for nationally funded birth control managed to gather 10 people in a parking lot in NV to hear her speech about this subject. 

Her parents must be so proud of their 30+ year old daughter on the public forum begging for birth control---first before Congressional committees, then at the DNC, and now parking lots in NV. The war is actually evidenced at the gas pump, grocery store, and utility bills. People in the real world realize this, I pray.

I think I'm toasted!

Justin and I bought a loaf of bread at the Fall Festival on Saturday from one of the stands. Slicing bread is not my strong suit but somehow I have mastered it, cutting pieces for my breakfast. Who would think two slices would be so incredibly filling?? Wow, I feel as though I had a four-course feast instead of my buttered toasted bread! We have one more piece of bread left which will work well for my leftover meatloaf sandwich at lunch time---if I am hungry enough by then!

When Justin baked our meatloaf the other night, he had a problem getting it from the oven. The foil pan the loaf came in had a little flex to it. When he grabbed it, some of the juice/grease schlupped onto the floor of the oven, and beyond it. The next morning I saw streaks of grease down the oven door and, yes, onto the floor. This calls for an oven auto-cleaning! So, so thankful for this feature on my oven. Plus some wiping up with a hot, soapy cloth, my weapon of choice!                                  

                                   

Even though the sudsy water is my favorite, climbing inside the oven to wipe up the residue is NOT my favorite. This is where a young and able son comes in. He is so achy and sore all the time but is still more nimble than am I. When I got home from Bible study, I checked the inside of the oven and found it somewhat sparkly, but failed to check the drawer below the oven. I had asked him to wipe that out as well, since it is also a collection point for residue. My oven has been used more in the nearly one year he has been here than it has since I moved in!

Last night at BIC, Pastor mentioned that next week we will not have class as he will be in MN to meet his soon-to-be born granddaughter. He offered to send the lessons via Internet to those interested in order to work ahead. I mentioned that by tonight I would be caught up (I had missed several classes last time through due to being in WI), so I did not need the lessons. He also announced no Thursday classes for two weeks at which point I put my head on the table in sorrow. My spirit will starve!!!

When the class was over, Pastor leaned forward and asked, "So, Kim, does this mean you won't be joining us any longer?" Oh, my! Emphatically (really???) I expressed my desire to continue the class, claiming it to be the highlight of my week. The young couple in the class looked at me, and I told them, "I have a boring life!"  Pastor H.said he was glad I enjoy it so much and am willing to make the trek across the river twice a week to be fed with the Word.  "Please, sir, may I have some more?"

A busy head

Not like I didn't expect this to happen to me but I dislike it nonetheless. I cannot get to sleep! Justin tried going to bed, too, but got up again. He has to work early in the morning. I think he did manage to go to sleep, having taken a Mucinex and perhaps something else to stop his sniffling. He blames it on the fresh air, since we had doors and his windows opened. Not mentioning the fact that he is out in it all day long! Ever since he lost his left ear's hearing due to the virus, he experiences post nasal drip. Very annoying for him, and for those who listen to him trying to keep his throat clear. Usually he takes a 12 hour medication and he is able to manage but the pill wears off!

Both of us were keyed up before and during part of the debate but we faded fast. What we had hoped to hear was not there in the force expected. As I told Justin, we got spoiled in Debate #1, thinking they could all be home runs. The spin doctors will lay it all out tomorrow (or rather, later this morning) but most consider it a tie for now. Nothing huge or game changing happened, which is, I guess, a good thing. The undecided and independent voters likely won't be swayed by foreign policy any way. The one focus group of undecideds were wildly impressed with Mitt's performance which gives me hope.

*****

The other day Twila asked me how much longer we'd be studying the psalms on Monday mornings, and I told her I had it written down somewhere at home. In cleaning off the desk, I found the paper, which showed two more psalms to go through yet, including Psalm 119!! That should take us well into November! 

After Bible study, only four of us went to lunch, Judy C. being absent due to it being picture day at her grandkids' school. She is helping with that and might get a deal on the picture packages. Anyway, I decided to change it up a little and ordered what I thought was a BLT with sirloin steak on it. What actually came out was a salad, with sliced tomatoes, bacon, and a couple hunks of sirloin with a heavy seasoning on the exterior edges. Boy, did I drink soda with my lunch!! I had to laugh at myself because this was so not what I wanted or expected! Should have read the menu better. Jason offered to get me something else but I struggled through, enjoying the potato soup that came with it. Won't make that mistake again!

After lunch I went up to the Publix nearby and got rolls for our sliders. Justin planned to make them for our dinner, adding chopped onion and hand-minced garlic for flavor. I am still tasting my sirloin from lunch plus now the sliders from dinner. My friend, Linda M., sent me a recipe yesterday (actually Sunday!) for an easy refrigerator pie. I got the ingredients for that plus a few other items and then went home. 

Looks good enough to eat!

The pie needed to set for 4 hours so I mixed it up. Gotta love no-bake desserts like this! It used sweetened condensed milk, lemon juice, cool whip, and a bag of frozen raspberries, in a graham cracker crust. No fuss, no muss, and so delicious!

Now I must try to calm my brain and get some rest. Tuesday night is BIC, and I have some homework to do at some point during the day. Amber has quit coming for a while, which makes me frightfully sad, but perhaps someday, she will return. Things are tough for her right now and hopefully soon she will have a bright spot. I certainly do miss having her here for Bible history and miss spending that time with her. A prayer or two on her behalf would be appreciated. Remember one for our nation, as well...

Fall-like weather

After a certain point in life, it all comes down to the weather. There was even a song written about it with the lyric: "I get all the news I need from the weather report...." Always a conversation starter, stating the obvious, or asking the obvious, such as "Cold enough for you?" At church yesterday Gretchen asked me why I had no jacket because it was substantially more chilly than previous Sunday mornings. I told her it felt like Alaska out there but many folks countered this statement, claiming they like this type of weather. Not me! (By the way, it's mid 70's during the day....)

In a couple weeks I will be having my nasty windows cleaned from the outside.  The lady just called me to confirm the appointment. It makes my stomach feel queazy just thinking of the guy standing on a ladder this high up but it is too hard on my window hardware to have them wrestle the panes from the frame to tip them down. The company which made these windows is no longer in business and the guy who makes the repairs for them is running short of replacement parts. I cherish my windows and want nothing to happen to them as a result of having the glass cleaned. It has happened before so I am not being overly concerned, just properly so. 

It is a long way up there....

When they use the tall ladder to wash the sliding glass doors, at least they have the railing to offer some 'assurance'. That 'safety' feature is not available at the windows, however. I get the willies just thinking about it now, and hope I am not home when they do it!

Sailboats on the river

This is what a beautiful day looks like!