This is riveting!

Justin went reluctantly to work this a.m., sure that the heavens would open again and make today a wash-out. At nearly noon, it is yet dry here, but extremely overcast. Yesterday afternoon the rains had let up but they knew the yards would be nothing but standing water or mud, so it didn't pay to go out and dig up people's yards with their equipment. I hope today is better working conditions for them.

I am watching the ongoing speech/filibuster by Senator Ted Cruz before the Senate, having gone on since 2:41 pm yesterday. I did go to sleep but woke up when the station went off the air during the night. I don't know what that's all about with Comcast, but I had a tough time finding a station that was not off the air. This normally happens in my room, not in the family room. Is it my receiver box or a connection outside, I wonder...

...and it's over. The Senate leader has taken the podium from Ted, and now more discussion and conversation will take place before the vote. Reid said Ted just wasted a bunch of time--by listening to the voice of the people these bills will affect? That speaks volumes about those elected folks so wildly out of touch with the citizens. May the Lord guide their deliberations and decisions today.

Yvonne and me reconnecting after decades of not seeing each other. Photo taken at First German right outside Linda's office door, by my cousin, Sandy. We were communicating for months via Facebook, but were able to touch each other after she moved back to Manty and I came up for my Christmas visit (note the red coat!)

My family experienced the sudden loss of my oldest cousin over the weekend. My friend/cousin, Yvonne, let me know late Saturday morning that her father-in-law did not wake up that morning. At least, Ronnie did not wake up in his bed, but rather, in heaven. Only the night before his wife and he dropped off a bucket of plums at the pastor's house and some at his mother's house, before going to dinner. He got up to use the bathroom around midnight, and then, woke up in heaven. 

While this is very hard on the survivors, especially his 92-year-old mother, I can't think of a better way to go. His wake is tonight, and his service tomorrow, at First German. I wish I was there to throw my arms around my auntie and my mom as they mourn this loss. And, of course, to offer comfort to his widow, Sandy. Ronnie was such a character and easy to be around---he will be missed by so many.

                                      

This morning I was awake quite early, due in part to that goofy TV going in and out, so I watched a Compline service from MLC, recorded on Monday evening. Oh my...It really sets the tone for the day, besides the 'filibuster', as I consider my family and their dealing with this funeral and its build-up. Through my head goes the refrain again and again: "Into thy hands I commend my spirit...." 

A day of knowledge, information, and a goof up

It was a rain day today, or at least, it began that way. When Justin should have already left for work, I heard in my waking moments his laugh wafting down the hallway. I scooted (that is exactly what I do!) off to his room, concerned that he was late for work. Nope, he was not going to work today, but he was up and dressed for a day at home. Because it was so dark out yet, I could not see how gloomy and stormy it was at present, and was going to be. His boss had already given him the heads' up on the nasty weather coming our way, and sure enough, he was right!

Justin was laughing at his early morning radio show on The Blaze. Tonight he reported to me that a tweet he had sent to this humorous morning team was re-tweeted several times by others. He is famous in the world of tweeters! In the Twitter world, that is significant. 

Around 7:30 a.m., to the sound of falling rain, Justin came to my door and asked me if I would like some homemade pancakes for breakfast. Sure! Normally not a breakfast eater, I was pleased to be served 'breakfast on belly', as we used to call it when the kids were little. Perfectly shaped pancakes plus two sausages, which were located in my freezer. I have never been able to master round pancakes and beige ones, instead of burnt ones!

Since today was an in-the-house day, I was able to catch up on some reading, the best article being sent to me by my friend, Mo. She is a teacher, extremely frustrated by the new education program instituted by our State and County School Boards, called Common Core. Many folks know nothing about this program, good or bad, but those of us who are following this know it is not good. During the summer I tried to warn her but she was not to be dissuaded---she was ready to go!

At first she was enthusiastic about this new uniformity of instruction, etc. but it didn't take but a few weeks for it all to become perfectly clear---disaster!! More questions than answers, and certainly no grades. Every paper is considered good whether the student grasps the concepts or not. This week the administration was having meetings where the teachers can come and present their grievances. 

Today she sent me an article telling how the Governor has withdrawn our State from the government program overseeing our education, to get us out from under the control of our schools. What a relief!!! 

Another article I read was about evangelicalism, written by a theologian in 1984. It has proved to be prophetic, how some in the church are denying the efficacy of the Scriptures, saying the historical portions of the Bible don't add up. So, is it God's Word, or is it not, if you don't believe it is inerrant?? Very interesting article. A friend had posted about a book she was reading and that's how I got taken to this article. 

Our congregation is being visited yet again by our 'mentor' the first week in October so the Elders are cramming through a book they were assigned to read before he gets here. In fact, they were to discuss it tonight at their meeting but several had not delved as deeply into it as they should have for discussion. They confessed this to me so I am not speculating. I hope they got some good reading time in after our building committee meeting last night!

Not only did I get breakfast served to me, but Justin also presented me with a grilled cheese sandwich for lunch. He knew I was busy reading, and writing, today! About midmorning, I went to the kitchen to cut up some chicken breasts and put them in my new steamer/slow cooker with bbq sauce to cook all day. 

                     

Since it was new, I was not sure about the settings, and found out the one I chose brought the sauce to a boil, cooking the chicken very quickly. Justin turned it down but I guess the damage was done---the chicken chunks were on the dry side. Nuts! I have decided to mulch them tomorrow and make chicken salad out of it. And hope it tastes okay. Hate to waste such nice chicken breasts, you know?

Church family photos

Cliff served as worship leader yesterday due to Pastor being gone to his daughter's school (LPS) for homecoming. Cliff did a very nice job of it. Sterling played two hymns on the piano for us, including "Be Still, My Soul", one of my favorites. Justin is visible on the right hand edge of the photo.

Here is our group at lunch at Chili's yesterday, taken from each end of the table. I was seated between the two birthday boys!!

On this end you can see David's sister, Jessica with her boyfriend next to her, and her mom next to Ethan. Then David, me, Mike, Caitlyn, Jacob. You can't see Kristin or Sue from this end, but can see Justin, Michael, Judy, Betty, and Terri.

"Happy birthday, and thank you for taking me to Carrabba's"

My former neighbor, Dan, and his family are still on my mind, which happens to me quite often. Can't shake 'em!  They live now in Utah, having taken a transfer there several years ago.

My family moved from the neighborhood in early December of 2000. Shortly after we got settled in, we invited their family to come to The Preserve to have breakfast with us. Dan worked nights so the earlier we got together, the better. As my spouse prepared the food, I got busy setting the table, with Timmy as my assistant. He put packets of fruit snacks at each place, which was not really on the menu. 

Once their family arrived, and they were done looking around at our home, we prepared to sit at the table. From the kitchen came the food, and Timmy, carrying a can a beer for Dan. Oh, how we laughed! No one asked for a beer, or even offered a beer, but his little buddy knew that Dan should have one!  It got put back in the fridge, "for later".

The summer before we moved, the four adults and a friend of their family, a former foreign exchange student, Phillipe, took dive instruction. The man from whom we took instruction ran the local dive shop, and for the life of us, we could not figure out how he did it! Steve was so incredibly odd, he tried to speak Spanish to Phillipe, who is French. The first night after our class, we five went a few doors down to Sorbello's for a bite, and we laughed until we cried at the absurdity of it all. This was going to be such fun!!

A few weeks into our training, the group went for a test dive, and afterward, the entire families met at Carrabba's to celebrate my spouse's birthday. We invited Steve to join us. For all the rest of our time together, he never stopped wishing him happy birthday, and thanking him for the dinner. To this day, Dan and I wish each other "happy birthday", even when it's not. Lynn is a neo-natal nurse practitioner, but Steve absolutely insisted it was my car he often saw at the hospital. Pretty soon I was convinced!!

Another time we were all going on a dive, our two families in Dan's big conversion van, and Steve in his, by himself. No one wanted to ride with him. By this time in our training we had gone over and over the rules about staying with your buddy, taking a head count when you get back to the boat, etc. many times in class. We got it. 

                                 

Well, we headed south on Blanding toward the dive site, Steve in the lead van with the equipment. All of a sudden he pulled off into a turning lane (it was quiet this early Saturday morning, thankfully), so we pulled over too. We were not far from The Golden Corral on Blanding. He got out of his van, came back to ours, and proceeded to take a head count of everyone in the van. We had only just left the dive shop and not made any stops, so had not left anyone behind. 

It was absolutely incredible, and we laughed all the way to Ginny Springs, and back, and for months afterward. I am throwing my head back in laughter as I recall this now. We were so stunned at this man's ridiculousness, his trying to appear in charge when it was so obvious he was not! And, by the way, I never did take the certification dive test because I did not feel well enough trained by this goofball to risk my life just to prove something. I learned how to do it, and know I can, and will chalk it up as done! And have a long time of laughing and fun to reflect on!!!

Happy birthday!

While I am thinking of it, I should mention that my friend, Dan, has recently retired from the FAA. He is still a somewhat young man but he was always working toward this goal as long as I have known him. In 2012 I was able to spend some time with him when he was in town for business.  

Me, Dan, and Lynn at Clark's Fish Camp

Dan served as one of the pall bearers for Timmy, as he was quite fond of that little guy. We lived next door to Dan and his family, took dive classes with them, and had marvelous laughs. He is soon to be a grandpa, any moment now, actually, as Amanda is ready to deliver. And he is barely 50, retired, and nearly a grandpa...seems hard to believe!

*

Tonight I was at the Chappell home for a birthday party---a double birthday party. Judy had told me she was having a dinner for Mike S. and David, her grandson, inviting our usual lunch group to the celebration. Well, David, a law student at UF, was getting a surprise visit from his mom, sister, and her boyfriend. This came about after Judy's original plans so she had to kick things up a notch. As you might guess, she rolled with the punches.

Joi, Jessica, and Ethan drove down from North Carolina and arrived at 3:30 am Saturday morning. Michael kept David up playing board games until they arrived. Wow, nice going, Michael!! David was surprised, which worked out well, except they were all pretty tired.

We had Mexican food, which Judy is well-known for, and it was delicious. A bit messy, but still very good. Betty could not make it and Justin had made other plans to go to St. Augustine with his friends. He said he wished he had not paid the money already because he would have really enjoyed the birthday celebration. This makes me happy, knowing he is so comfortable with our extended church family. Mike S.'s birthday is actually Monday but we can celebrate him ahead of time if we want!

This afternoon I spent at the pool, the teen's end of the pool, as the pumps for the adult and baby pool have quit. Parts are on order and we should be up and running on Tuesday. Only one child came out and she was simply adorable. The water is colder than I normally enjoy but the air was hot and it felt good to get in to cool off. We had a nice group gathered, even Debbie, my neighbor, stopped by after work to chat. 

I was lamenting to some folks that once summer is over (i.e. pool season ends) we will not see many of our friends again until next summer. Some do come periodically to The Club to eat but others primarily having pool memberships. One lady, Cindy, and her hubby, have decided to host a going away party for Lee, and if she does not actually move to CA, we will just have a party. The conversation evolved to having gatherings once a month thereafter so we can all stay together and in touch. Now I am excited!! I chose November as my month and can hardly wait.

This morning I met Nancy W. for breakfast at Grumpy's. She had left me a message the night before saying she and the seller had reached an agreement on the home she is buying, so let's celebrate!!  It seems that my little handyman, Butch, is on board to make the repairs, or most of them, and Nancy can close on the purchase November 1st. 

Betty and Robin C. in my river room

While we were talking and eating our breakfast, my friend, Betty, came in with her sisters. Betty used to work for/with me at Rosewood. It was great to see her again, and I told her how only the day before Brenda N. and I were talking about having a get-together for the ladies again. So, now I am making plans for that dinner too! Love to have my place as the gathering spot, and since it's a private home, no hurry to run off and give up our table, like at Grumpy's!

"The Big One"

             

The following wall displays show some of the things the students have learned in the first weeks of school, which began for them on August 19th. They are doing remarkable work for their ages, and I am glad to see this. 

Learning better their shapes and colors, practicing scissor skills, pasting, and organizing. Oh, the things grown-ups take for granted!

The students presented a number of songs they learned thus far this year, all of them "Bible" ditties, including "This Little Light" and "Jesus Loves Me" among others. They really get into the arm motions and know when to emphasize! 

The most special moments for me, watching from the back of the church, was hearing the little ones recite the Lord's Prayer. Michael taught them using pictures on his laptop, graphics which showed each portion of the prayer, to help to remember it. Even as I write now, tears roll down my cheeks, as they did that night to hear the kids praying what Timmy referred to as "The Big One".

These are cookies and snacks made for the kids and their parents. Mine came from Publix, the rest are homemade by Betty and Judy C.  

Judy made the 'acorns' using Hershey Kisses, tiny wafer cookies, and a butterscotch chip. Betty used fig newtons to decorate Bibles for the kids, with fruit roll ups to fashion the book mark. I find the ideas on Facebook and share them with those who can do this!

Deeply going to study!

Today at Bible study we finished the last of our booklet from Good News dealing with repentance. For the next course of study, Isaiah, I had ordered the study books from the publishing house for two other ladies at Victory, and for myself.

The two-book set about Isaiah have been received and delivered to church, but Marilyn was not there to receive hers. Pastor handed out folders with worksheets in them, for the first half of the study. I am so not accustomed to this type of preparedness, and have not done homework in some time. 

In the Bible Information Class we had work for at home but that was more along the lines of fill-in-the-blank. These worksheets really will make us dig deep and think!!! I am so looking forward to this.

*

Justin was a hero last night around the table at Happy Hour and trivia. He enjoyed the buffet while I had my Italian sliders and special ordered onion straws. When I saw the menu, I thought I might not like the chicken, but upon seeing it, could have choked it down. But I am happy with what I had, and Dawn even gave me a piece of tiramasu for dessert.

We had three teams and Justin was captain of ours. Thanks to me, we blew the Jaguar question, the very first one. And it was worth 5 points at that!!! Shoot! and I was so sure I was right, too. Justin knew many of the answers that no one else had and we won! One lady told Justin she would pay for his dinner if he came again the next time. People were fighting over him! Love it!

This evening he is making beer cheese soup, the simpler recipe (he said that even I can make it!). He made some when Linda was here but it had the cut-up brats in it. They added little to the flavor, and are best eaten on the side. We are eating a bit later because I have the preschool open house at church tonight for which to serve. My privilege, with Betty and Judy, to serve as hostesses for the parents and family members of the students. Betty is making a cookie treat that I sent her from Facebook and I can't wait to see how they turned out!

Judy made the acorns and Betty made the Bibles. Judy's are kisses, tiny wafer cookies, and a butterscotch chip. Betty's are fig newtons decorated with frosting crosses, a fruit roll up fashioned into a bookmark.