Hey, where's my sunshine today?

So far today there's been no sunshine for me to wallow in, even sleeping later than usual because of it.

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It's warm outside, even without the sun shining, low 80's and muggy. Justin and I had lunch at Mellow Mushroom, a place where we can dine al fresco. We shared a small, meaty pizza with even a slice leftover for me to take home. He's watching his diet right now, including going to the fitness center at their condo a couple times a week. Good for him! I wonder if I should take the bag of cast-offs to the Clothes Closet, in case he can fit back into the discards.....He says "no" to that idea, would want new things instead of dressing from the back of the closet. Of course he does!

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So far I haven't spotted any manatee in the basin but the dredger has finished its work for the day so perhaps now they'll venture in closer. I did mention to Justin about rotating my desk but am afraid it's a bigger job than I even imagine, what with running the wires and all that. I definitely need my wires!

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After lunch I went to Publix to get butter, which I forgot earlier in the week. One can never go to the store for only a single item, must always grab something else besides--it works that way for me, anyway. I've been in search of pretzel mustard and possibly found something which might work, if it's not tooooo spicy. There's a delicate balance between sweet and spicy, to suit my tastes. The pretzels are warm because they sit next to my desk on a counter. They are the chip-style, better served with a dipping sauce.

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One of the "funnest" things at Publix is the area with the "buy one, get one" free stuff. Today I got two cans of veggies, two cans of chili beans, and 5 cases of Diet Coke! There was a coupon for the Coke...what a score! Justin will have to tote that upstairs for me, but I have enough up here to last me through tomorrow. I could bring up a couple when my hands are free of other junque from my car. Once I get the enormous bag of Justin's clothes delivered, all I'll have left in there are some painting supplies and an Advent banner. I've been hauling that around since the beginning of December!!!!!

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When I was in Manty/'Trivers, I bought some flower seed balls at The Honey Pot, one of sunflowers and one of wild flowers. Today I planted them in my courtyard pots, and am praying that they'll do their thing. The seeds are actually a ball, about the size of a walnut, and must be left partially exposed above the soil. Of course, when I watered them as directed, the soil floated over the top of the seeds, so I had to re-expose each one. Seemed a bit pointless to me.

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While working out there, I swept up the mess of leaves from my poor lemon tree which has insisted on dropping its leaves 'til the branches are bare. I have one lemon hanging in there and I'm always thrilled when I come or go and see it still holding onto the branch. I liken it to when a mother goes into premature labor and drugs are administered to help the baby stay put just one more day, one more day.....hopefully it will remain attached long enough to produce seeds from which I can grow some more seedlings. Please, please, please!

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The winds from last week really blew a mess of leaves and such behind the planters so I tried to get behind them all with the broom. It looks a bit neater now, and I have one planter waiting to be adopted. I'm going to ask my neighbors with the full-width patios if they have a use for a large plastic planter.

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As long as I was outside, I washed my pretty ceramics which hang near my doors, even gave my little angel statue a nice bath using a bleach/water mix in a spray bottle. He looks much nicer without all the black filth and mildew, and smells quite lovely to boot! My upstairs neighbors are having their kitchen re-done and the drywall man was rinsing something with a hose so I felt at liberty to wash my courtyard to get rid of the potting soil, dead leaves, and other debris. My kitchen floor is quite marked up from my trudging forth and back with water, and through the water. I'll use my Swiffer later on when the floor is more dry.

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Here's a photo taken of my courtyard, on Super Bowl Sunday, where you can see some of the ceramics. Off the picture to the right is the one clean door. The flag was a gift from the Hilchey's for my birthday.

It's sort of okay that the sun wasn't out because I worked up quite a sweat out there---sweeping, toting, moving, and bustling about. Whew! Hadn't done that in quite some time. Another thing I took care of was cleaning my metal doors, trying to squeeze the cloth between the wrungs on the door to remove the built-up pollen and other soil. I did only one door and figure the other two can wait until my poor, tired back feels like cleaning again. The wet cloth worked okay, but am wondering if the vacuum cleaner brush might do the trick.....

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So far no one's called about dinner which means I'll be going down to join the Shelf Sitters, bringing my cheese curds and perhaps, the pretzel crackers with spinach dip from Publix. The mustard was for me!

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Wow, the sky is quite dark and now the heavens have opened with much needed rain. Maybe, just maybe, the rain will pound my windows, knocking down the nasty cobwebs and yuck around the frames. And wash my car to boot! I'd better shut down so the lightning doesn't harm my precious wires!

AWESOME!!!!!

"New links of note
One of my favorite pastimes is to surf around the Internet, looking for new sites and blogs that might be of general interest to either myself and/or others.I've added one recently I wanted to comment on and draw your attention to.A Day in the Life of Kim. Well, actually, she found me by doing a blogger search on "Bucket List." Because I had that listed in my profile of favorites, she found me. We've been visiting each others' blogs and realizing we have several things in common. Thank you, Kim!"

I found this reference when visiting Jami's blog tonight and am totally blown away.....not easily done for a girl my size! Thanks for "advertising" for me, Jami!

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Only a few moments ago I came back upstairs after spending time with the rest of the "shelf sitters". We had a good group tonight, some coming and others leaving, some of us staying the entire time. I'll have to go to the store to get a snack to share, as I don't have anything on hand. One person asked me about cheese curds tonight so I'll have to defrost some and warm in the sun before taking them along down the next time. We are reconvening tomorrow night so will plan to do just that, unless someone calls to do dinner. I'm nothing if not flexible.....

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Justin came by after work rather brokenhearted. He's afraid he wasted MY money getting the contact lenses which he cannot get into his eyes. Some of the others at work encouraged him, as did I, to not give up so easily. I suggested practicing tonight at home but claims he doesn't have anything non-linty to use for his fingers. Justin truly has buyer's remorse but I think it would be best to keep trying at least a week. Justin claimed his cheeks were sore from him trying to pry his eyes open while inserting the lens. Poor guy!

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On the bright side, he got a dramatically shorter haircut, very similar in style and length to his St. Johns look. He is darn cute, even with the glasses. Jesse and he were carpooling today and stopped by here before picking him up. My Mother's Day presents finally arrived so he wanted to give them to me, nicely wrapped in the packaging they shipped in. And, and, and, what is it???? Two more seasons of "Frasier"!!!!!!! What a fantastic Mother's Day present! Thanks, Justin, for adding more laughter in my home!

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Earlier today I stopped in for a brief visit at Great Hang Ups to see my favorite ladies. Dee is having a bit of back trouble, and was massaged by our mutual therapist, Carol, yesterday. The plants she was fighting with in her yard seem to have won this battle!

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Her young neighbor kid is lending a hand now with the manual labor. Seth also works next door at KoKo's and Dee is going to ask him where our personal chef, Matt, has gone. He told the ladies one day he wasn't working next door anymore, but since they had clients, weren't able to determine where or why he was going. He can't go too far, as he recently bought a house in the area. I'll have to keep my ears open to find out where he went. I get those chefs trained just exactly right and then they leave me!!! Huang is still cooking there, at least, as far as I know. He always makes sure to cook extra onion for me. I am wondering if the new Japanese place down the road lured Matt away.......

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Jen and I had lunch at Longhorn this afternoon, a nice relaxing time. She didn't have to pick up Mem until 1:30 but we were too cold sitting inside after finishing lunch. It was much warmer outside on the benches. I had my "dinner jacket" on, but Jen didn't have anything for her arms. It's always so cold in there, we even told the Manager when he came around to ask how everything was. He gave the impression the temp was being adjusted but we certainly couldn't tell it. It's one thing when I'm cold, but when other diners were going to their cars for jackets and sweaters, it's no longer just me! I saw two different people go out and then return with sweaters or jackets. What's the deal with that?

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Plans are in the making for our Saturday concert at Times-Union Center, perhaps meeting for dinner somewhere first. We also discussed Christopher's upcoming birthday party to be held at Dave & Buster's. She reserved for Justin, too, and he's glad to be invited. It should be a real fun time, hopefully for Christopher, as well. He's going to be 13 years old this year...WOW! I knew him as a toddler at Childtime when Timmy was there. He's going to be a teenager!!!!

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Besides visiting and dining today, I somehow managed to get the Art Guild Minutes typed and sent off for delivery. I have no more General Meeting Minutes to write, only a couple remaining Board meetings. At some point I'll have to train my replacement and turn over the books. This means I'll have to get everything into proper order....better get busy!

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But, before I go, I have one more thing to report tonight: When Justin was here, he spotted a frolicking manatee out in the basin. Someone from upstairs said they saw four "couples" out there already this season. I think I'll have to turn my desk around to face the south, as I appear to be missing all the action! Mom got such a kick out of watching the manatees a couple years ago when she was here in spring. I nearly missed it myself this year!

Justin has a fresh outlook!

Justin and I had an understanding----until he no longer needed to be reminded to brush his teeth, he was not ready for contact lenses. It's as simple as that. Really now, could one be expected to know how to care for/maintain contacts while letting their teeth become as brown as their eyes? I think not! Well, now Justin flashes a dazzling smile, and has for sometime, so today we went to see my friend, Dee's, husband, for Justin to be fitted for contact lenses.

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Ta da! Justin looks great, has beautiful eyes, a bit red-rimmed now, but still gorgeous! Blair put the lenses in the first time, but then Justin had to work with a technician, practicing to remove one and then re-insert. Oooh, that took some doing! They worked and worked, getting him to calm down and not blink while inserting the lens. She was quite patient with her patient! Finally, he got the lens back in. When I got my first pair of hard lenses when I was 16 (I brushed my teeth without being told!), the eye doctor commented that it seemed like I had them all my life. I just took to them. This might not be the case for Justin but is something he has to work on himself. He knows how to get to "Carnegie Hall"! In a week we need to return for a follow-up check-up to see how he's coming along.

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On the way home we stopped at The Mall to buy a pair of American Eagle sunglasses, which delighted him almost as much as having contact lenses. He simply LOVES that American Eagle product line! Inexpensive clothing with a youthful style, a step-up from his usual Wal-Mart taste! Anyway, sporting his new shades and new "eyes" we came back here to my house where Jesse, his driver, was picking him up as they have classes this afternoon. By the way, Justin was accepted into a math class after being on a wait-list, so now he'll get caught up on his math credits....we hope.....

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Justin nicely carried a terribly heavy box of cat litter upstairs for me, got the litter changed out and floor cleaned up. Whew, what a mess a cat box is! He then played for me the hit parade from American Idol (American Eagle AND Idol---what's going on here?) on my computer so I could hear the ones he loves the best. He asked me to help him vote next week, which I really hate to do, get involved in the craze, but will for his sake. Oh, brother, this is really getting out hand. But, let's not get started on "reality TV"....which reminds me--Sunday morning I caught part of "The Truman Show", the original 'reality' show!

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I spoke on the phone with Dee yesterday to ask about the traffic and such for getting to Blair's office. We didn't want to get caught in a jam or anything. She asked me when I thought I'd be coming by for a visit so perhaps tomorrow I'll go over. Last week I only dropped off the art pieces and left because they were busy. The timing has to be just right for a visit, you know! Pam called earlier, asking me to go to dinner with Paul, Joan and her since Raymond was going with his father. Nuts! Tonight is so terribly busy with two church things and then the Condo Board meeting that I just can't make it. Nuts again! Tomorrow would be much better for me but they'll have to just go without me tonight.....I hate having to turn down dinner dates.

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I've been invited to a couple graduations this spring, one in Onalaska, WI, and one locally for a Jones' College graduate. The local one is for a lady who comes to our church, found us as she walked by one day. Now that school is out, Sheila may become more regular in her attendance and activities with us. I've sort of taken her under my wing and am thrilled to be invited to her ceremony. Unfortunately, that is the same day as our BIG JSO concert where they'll be playing the music of John Williams so only one trip downtown per day, and I choose the concert! We have a large group going with us (Justin and me) and we're still waiting to hear if Robbie can join us, has to check his work schedule.

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We saw this same concert last season and it knocked our socks off! Before playing the "Star Wars" music, the little robot, R-2D-2, came out on stage and delivered the sheet music to the conductor. Then, as the orchestra played, here come all these characters from the movies, some coming out right beside us. I leaned over and said to Justin, "His uniform is all dirty!" and he said, "It's supposed to be". Apparently some sort of warrior, wearing all white, metal-looking armor...Justin knows who it is. Anyway, the theater is ALIVE with creatures and characters from the Star Wars movies and it's fantastic! Rick is a huge Star Wars fan so they are coming with us, too. It's going to be a blast!

Photo taken with the cell phone after last year's "Star Wars" concert. I got Justin a two-end light saber for his birthday when he turned 20.

I have a guilty conscience...

Yesterday Judy J. called to ask if I ever got the bouquet of flowers her son sent me as 'thanks' for letting them stay here when I was in WI....Well, yes I did, but I never mentioned it in the blog, where Judy gets her information, nor did I mention it to her in person. What I meant to do was get their e-mail address and send them a thanks for their thanks....My mama brought me up better than that!! Sorry!

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Here's the deal: a couple days after I got back from WI, a lady from the Orange Park Florist called to ask when they could by with a delivery. I said I was home now, and she said the delivery person would come back as soon as he got back to the shop. The lady said a card should have been left telling me a delivery was attemted, but I saw no such card. A bit later, here comes a nice lady trudging up the stairs (still no elevator at this time) with this magnificent bouquet of flowers for me! At this point I had no idea who'd send ME flowers, and I was tickled to pieces. I asked the lady if she'd like to come in and sit down for a bit and catch her breath, but she refused, saying she was on her way home and would rest there. The good news was the someone else had attempted the delivery earlier that day, she didn't have to climb twice!

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So, yes, Jeff, the flowers came and were beautiful, lasting about two weeks until the daylilies started to drop their petals. The yellow roses left us earlier but the rest hung in a good, long time. Thank you both very, very much for brightening my day and my first weeks at home!

What’s up with the birds today?

Maybe it’s because the palm trees have been cleared of their fronds and berries, because this afternoon two birds so far have thrown themselves against my bedroom window, scaring the dickens out of me. I cleaned it up both times!!!

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Perhaps it’s time to have the window cleaner come again, as the windows have cobwebs and other air-born yuckiness around them, making it appear as though I’m looking through broken glass. I won’t ask Matt to dangle from the railing again outside, those doors can wait. But I can’t seem to tolerate the webs and bug residue where I spend the majority of my time, at my window. How and why do the insects get up this high in the first place?

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We had a most stimulating Bible study this morning, as we discussed at some length the "worldly" distractions that rob people of their time with the Lord. Some offered their own personal experiences of how they dealt with their kids’ extra-curricular events, balancing them against church and related activities. Some wondered how come sports groups are practicing or having “tournaments” on Sunday mornings now, luring folks and their kids away from worship. It came down to parents/kids determining before signing up for an activity or making it clear where the priorities lie. Easier said than done in the employment field, though. Some are required to work on Sundays and have to discover whatever alternative time in the Word is available at church or at home, set aside that time for the Lord. Excellent give 'n take, but probably preaching to the choir on this topic.

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We had our regular scheduled lunch at Longhorn, only four of us today as some had errands or work to do. There are only a few more classes left for summer, actually taking off June only, and with all the discussion today, we might not make it through the end of Ruth. We are visiting all the Judges, which is an interesting journey. I hate it when we don't have our Monday class, it feels as though something is missing......isn't that just what we talked about today? Hmmmm.......

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I just got back upstairs from sitting on the sun deck with some of my neighbors, known as the "Shelf Sitters". The deck is really shelf-like so the nickname suits. It got a bit chilly out there but my feet stayed warm as the tile soaked up the heat in the day time. The majority of the sitters enjoy wine while I have my soda. People take turns bringing a snack which tonight included peanuts in the shell and some mixed nuts. I had a couple cashews but that's all. I am awaiting the arrival of Ming Moon so I can have some of their delicious sweet/sour chicken and fried rice. And cheese won tons.....yummmmmmy!

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Wednesday night is a Condo Board Meeting but I have choir first so warned that I'd be late getting to the meeting. Certainly there'll be some lengthy discussions, particularly with the amount of updating and repairs that need to be done on our Palace. We have a number of terribly costly expenditures in front of us as well as those we've already paid for. As much as I love my place...........I really hate having to pay for these costly maintenence items!

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Oh, these cheese won tons are fabulous! It's been a long time since I've had Ming Moon food, sort of spoiled by Koko's fried rice. It tastes like old times, when Justin and I would order and the guy knew the address before Justin finished saying it. My leftovers from Carrabba's didn't really taste good so I tossed them, opting to order Chinese. I'll get two or three meals off of this. Plus I got to meet a new person delivering the food!

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It's a slow week this week, no meetings other than the condo meeting so my life with be fairly dull event-wise. Linda H. from church was having a cardiac cath. done today and I haven't heard how that went. She was the one who called me with an "all clear" last week and now had a cardiac procedure---that rascal! Perhaps the good news is that there is no bad news to be shared!

Happy Mother's Day

I hope all the mom's out there have had an enjoyable day being "celebrated"!

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Justin came to Good Shepherd today to worship with me. I asked him to take a picture of our mass choir; adults, Sunday school kids and their moms. He said it was too dark and didn't turn out but I haven't checked to see how it looks. The song went just fine, and after losing a drop or two during the practices, I did okay during the actual singing. Justin asked me when he arrived how many times I'd cried that morning, because my eyes looked puffy. Can't get away with a thing around him!

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As you may know, it takes me some time to get away from church, which was okay since Justin was finally getting to visit with Paul and Sarah while waiting. Paul is going to assume the duties of maintaining and filling the soda machine, something which Justin used to do when he was still a member at G. S. Thanks, Paul!

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Once things were wrapped up, the two of us headed over to Carrabba's to meet Pam and her two boys. Supposedly we were to have an hour and half wait but it was not nearly that long. It was absolutely freezing in the restaurant, even the boys complained their toes were frozen! Our meals, of course, were fabulous and service was good despite the great rush of people. Carrabba's usually doesn't serve lunch but on special days like this one, they make an exception. All of us had to-go boxes, as though we hadn't eaten a bite! Jesse said it looked as though we were all on diet the way our plates looked!

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Justin came back here after lunch, having carpooled to Orange Park with Jesse. Pam and her boys weren't sure what they were going to do, but Justin and I planned to go to the Mall a bit later on. Still hadn't gotten to The Pottery Barn! First, we sat on my sun deck and defrosted. My neighbor, Maureen, brought a chair over, as the wind was simply wreaking havoc with the patio furniture. She reported the elevator would be up and running again in 20 minutes....good!

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I had to go down on the stairs this a.m. carrying a bag of garbage, three sign-up sheets, my camera, purse, and, goes without saying, a bottle of diet Coke. Would much rather have had the elevator! Maureen told us how last night, a young lady and her date came home from prom and were stuck in the elevator. Maya called her mom, the lady who pushed her bike up 5 flights of stairs, to report her situation. Mom then called my downstairs neighbor who managed to free this couple from the brand, new elevator-------by climbing on top of the car, and lifting the two kids up through an access hole in the ceiling!!!!!!!!!!!!! Don't anyone ever worry about me in The Palace--I have extraordinary neighbors here!! Thanks, Jeff, for going "above" and beyond. If it ever breaks down with me inside, don't try to get me through the access panel, I'll wait. Just drop me some soda and diaper or two!!!!

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Justin and I had a nice day together, did lots of talking and just hanging out. He was trying to coax me into buying pretty trinkets, colored glass and other lovely things which said "Kim" on them, but I "exercised" incredible restraint!!! I exercised on Mother's Day! Which reminds me of a time on Kel Lane, when I broke my pinkie toe as I carried a wash basket from the laundry room. I was scolded for folding wash on Mother's Day but, in my defense, I could do whatever I wanted to on Mother's Day, including folding wash!

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Okay, so our time at the Mall was over, the wind making it incredibly difficult to walk much less sit on the bench and get sandblasted. I dropped him off at home, and headed back to Orange Park....oh, oh, I forgot to mention---as we left my house earlier, there was a police car blocking part of the road, and we could see wires lying across the street. Justin saw that a tree had fallen down and took the wires with it. Told you it was windy today!!!

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As I am watching "Forrest Gump", the weather service keeps breaking in with tornado warnings for counties further north of us. The forecast had been for severe thundershowers, possibly hail here, but so far, it's only windy as can be. One of those counties is where Martie is going to be, but I'm sure she'll be fine.......

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As far as Mother's Day goes, Justin gave me an absolutely perfect card, couldn't have been better if I wrote it myself! He said is was the first one he picked up and knew he had a winner! My presents are being shipped and should be in some time this week, and I won't let him tell me what they are, love to be surprised!

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I'm tired tonight, not having a good sleep last night. My neighbor told me yesterday that my next door ones were glad to have the palm trees trimmed as they had problems with mice or rats climbing the trees and getting onto their porch!!!! My #1 phobia---I was wakeful all night! Every time my upstairs people walked across the room...........anyway, I need some sleep! Judy R. wrote that when they were in Hawaii, they heard a story about how they trim the trees there and have to beware of large rodents living in them......and I thought palm trees were so pretty!!!!

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Good night all and joyous Mom's Day all!

Life is just a day at the beach

The day began early as Martie and I headed to the beach, stopping first at Publix for sandwiches and other refreshments. We'd decided to go early in the day as she needed time later for preparing to go to her son's house for the week. Mark is in Washington, D.C. participating in a police honor guard competition. She says the Jax group usually gets quite high "marks", (little play on words there) so I'm anxious to hear how they do. Martie plans to use her time away for reading, doing some water color painting, and basically, taking care of the kids when they get home from school. Like old times for her!

Here's a photo of Martie, mixing paints on her pallet in my studio
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So, anyway, there was plenty of room to park on the beach, as we arrived well before noon. Once set up, the two of us settled in to soak in the rays. The sun actually played a bit of hide 'n seek for us, which was sometimes welcome. Our sandwiches were delicious, nothing like a Publix sub! After a certain point, it became necessary for us to make our way into the ocean to.....let's see, how should I say this?...warm the water in a couple spots. One of us made it out far enough to take care of business but the other, who is not fond of water, sort of didn't get out deeply enough. I made sure she got 'flushed', you can't go around without flushing, this would be bad manners! Somehow this sounds "Seinfeld"ish.....

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Once back home, she left to take a shower and I carried my stuff upstairs. Grabbing a book and soda, I made my way back down to the pool where I could rinse the sand off. This water, too, was still cold-feeling to me, although a lady last night claimed it was "warm"....it's all relative. Lisa called while I was in the water so I called her right back. She's wanted me to listen to her message but instead called without hearing what she had to say. Seems she tried my trick of using her 'shelf' to hold her MP3 player but it kept slipping out! Funny! Somes got it, somes don't!!!

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I called Linda back, too, after she'd left a message while we were beaching. She's celebrating the graduation of Jennifer from nursing school with a special dinner tonight, going to Court House Pub. Go, Jen! She is moving to Madison, taking her husband and twin girls with her, but Linda is comforted knowing they'll have frequent visits down the road. My heart hurts for Linda--she just adores those girls, and was happy to be there to help out while Mason and Jen were in college.

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Before Martie and I headed out this a.m., my downstairs neighbor approached me in the parking lot, trying to entice me to serve on the condo board. Just like Frasier! Well, this does not interest me in the least--if the Art Guild Board was affecting my bliss, what would happen being on the condo board??????????????????? Instead, though, she offered some alternative committee (there's that word again) work to be done, suggesting social planning or newsletter writing. Cha-ching! We have a winner! I'll be more than happy to publish a newsletter for The Palace. Now, to come up with a catchy title and tag lines. What's one more newsletter?

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Judy R. in Winona wrote me how much she enjoyed watching "August Rush" so I rented it later this afternoon/evening. Wow! It was fantastic, VERY moving and full of hope. I loved it, loved it, loved it! She downloaded some of the music for her iPod already. Where they got that precious child who played August, I don't know, but the casting was absolutely brilliant. Four thumbs up on 'August Rush'!

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I'd been considering going to see "Made of Honor" but Justin warned me the reviews had been just terrible, so guess I'll wait 'til it comes to TV. Too bad, because it looked like it might be cute. According to Justin, the movie is promoted as being a "chick flick" but then ends up being something guys would lean toward. The reviews all claimed it was predictable, and more than a little bawdy. Hopefully by TV time it will be cleaned up and presentable enough to merely entertain, rather than only titillate.