I've been thinking about something

I forgot to tell you all about my Sunday spent in Two Rivers with Dolly and her family! Again, because of the weather, our plans to get together narrowed to a corridor of "do or die", so I simply joined them at her house to enjoy the Packer game. I used to hang out regularly, when younger, at their house in Mishicot and also their cottage in Door County in the summer time. The only person I didn't already know was Tommy's wife, Debbie, but I know her now----she's a real hoot!

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Dolly's son and his girlfriend were at the game on this absolutely frigid day but they had no idea where they were seated. The stands were full regardless of the weather as folks gathered to watch the Pack whup the Lions, but I'll tell you what, when the game was tied, the room got a bit quiet. Wouldn't that have been just the pits to have the Packers be the one to break the losing streak of the Lions??!!??

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Dolly's hubby braved the elements and proceeded to run out of propane in order to cook our brats for lunch. Her kitchen table was dressed with holiday finery and full of dishes with special treats, for pre-game, or rather, pre-lunch! Dolly's parents were there also, such nice folks are they! Dolly and I went to see them after dining at Harborside in September, and had a terrific visit with them. Or at least her mom, Joann, because Don was watching baseball. Nothing gets in the way of baseball season for some folks.

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There is a giant dog living in Dolly's house, treated as though he were a child instead of a pet. I amused them by barking at Tyler in my inimitable dog bark, totally confusing the dog. They were all surprised to hear a woman barking just like a real dog. And they didn't even have to walk me! Our lunch was delicious: brats, beans, German potato salad, and a pasta salad with schrimp in it. Perfect picnic/football foods, marvelous company, and a winning team!

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The only way to finish this day was to go have perch for dinner at the Green Street! Lynn and Jill joined Justin and me for dinner, and who was sitting in the dining room but my cousin, Jimmy! Sadly, he was nearly finished with his meal or we could have shared our table with him. He'd gotten a certificate for CHRISTmas and had to use it immediately, I guess. Jimmy works part-time removing snow which is really a full-time job this winter. When we saw him, winter was really only a week or so old and already he'd made almost as much money as he did the entire season last winter.

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My auntie reported that my other cousins were also dining recently at the Green Street and had an unusual encounter while there. Evidently this older gentleman who looked somewhat familiar had engaged them in conversation and after some time, my cousin realized just who this guy was---my former spouse! I'd just seen my cousins at Lynn's birthday party in September and they knew what I look like, but.....................te he he!

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It's "froggy" outside this a.m.

I can see as far as the trio of palm trees at the edge of the basin but that is it! Pea soup, frog, covering the river. It's eerie looking but yet bright, which means the sun should be along shortly to burn away the frog. What child hasn't called fog "frog"?

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Before I tackle the mess on my desk and surrounding areas in my room, I've decided to do a posting to help get me centered. I've been watching and listening to the news this a.m., before Joanne even left for work, as she had an early appointment at 8:00 a.m. That lady works some long, long hours but swears she is taking off tomorrow, with plans to attend church and perhaps a movie in the afternoon, since there's no football anymore.

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The national news is reporting about the unrest and bombing in the Gaza strip area of the world as well as the entertainer who's son died. Both stories get equal time-----get that? Our culture will put the same value on a story about a Hollywood star's son dying as they do on the potential for a huge war taking the place of the war in Iraq. Scientology is going to get thrown under the bus again, as it appears the Travolta's son suffered from untreated autism, and followers of L. Ron Hubbard don't recognize psychological disorders as being legitimate. Remember when Tom Cruise got into the face of Matt Lauer on the TODAY show about Brooke Shields suffering from post-partum depression? He was all upset because she took medication to help her through PPD, treatment which dismayed those who don't believe in mental illnesses. This just strikes a cord with me, since my blogging friend, Jami, works with sociopaths and other mentally-affected men at the prison where she is on staff. I've learned much from Jami already in our blog-sharing history!

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Tomorrow is going to be a great day as I get to see many of the folks from church, some for the first time since getting back from WI. Maybe we'll even go to lunch after church, as we'd sort of gotten out of the habit, mostly my fault because of getting home to watch football.....I am hungry for Mojo's because I haven't eaten there since Lynn was here and Justin joined us for lunch. That steamed corn is so delicious! But I am also hungry for Aron's stromboli, a tough decision. Justin put something in my fridge yesterday and sort of complained because "there's so much organic food in here!". Not mine, Joanne's! Even the milk and butter she picked up for me is organic. Exactly what does that mean???????????????? Talk about a racket! I'm a doubting Thomas about organic/health food like Tom Cruise is about mental illness! I remember many years ago when the low fat diet craze was going on. It was my prediction that it was merely a fad and would go away, and guess what! I was right about that one!

Orange Park and Jacksonville friends----listen up!

Helen is so good, she turned me into a thin, young blonde!! She can do the same for you, too.......Well, perhaps not, but certainly she can make you feel wonderful while you treat yourself to her tender loving care!

I don't care what the thermometer says....

......I'm cold! Certainly it won't help that I am eating some ice cream at the moment, I guess. When Lynn was here visiting, we'd picked up a carton of peppermint stick ice cream to have with our at-home dinner one evening and I'm having some of that right now. It smells so good, wish the whole house smelled this delicious!

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Some of my rooms do smell delicious as I recently changed the room freshener serving my dining room and family room---apples and cinnamon scented Glade plug-ins. It smells like pie is being baked all the time!

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Justin got a TV for CHRISTmas from his father, a sort of 'not exactly the right thing-type of gift', but now he says he'll keep it after all. When he was telling me about the TV, he admitted that he sounded "ungrateful". I needed say no more, as he's heard that speech from me more than once already. It will work out great though if he brings the "old" one back home because then Joanne can use it in her room. The "old" TV has a VCR built into the bottom which used to serve as the TV in the master bedroom at The Preserve house. Joanne would like to record some TV programs next week, Oprah, and she knows how I feel about THAT already! No Oprah allowed in my house.......not really, I simply won't watch it.

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Well, I did make some headway in my office/bedroom today, filing and sorting a mess of papers, bypassing the thrashing machine completely. There is nothing on the papers I disposed of that would compromise my identity, and besides, who'd want it anyway? Well, I can think of a couple people, especially the former classmate of mine who's been building my ego all day via facebook! I feel great after hearing from her! "Linda" thinks we are twins because she loves the same colors I do, enjoys painting, and redecorating. She also remembers one of the first times she encountered me in the halls of our high school, when someone told me I'd lost an earring and I replied, "No, I only wear one." She also remembers when I rode around my friend's hearse. Oh my, those were the days!!! This lady sounds like she's a real hoot now and I regret not keeping up over the years----my loss!

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Speaking of loss, I just read on-line that John Travolta's son, age 16, died in their vacation home in the Bahama's. Evidently he's had seizures in the past, and this one caused him to hit his head on the bathtub and he died. Such a tragedy! It made me think immediately about the young man who died a couple years ago, drugs, I think. He was the son of Anna Nicole Smith, and then she died shortly thereafter. I wonder if Lisa, my niece, knows about this. She was always a fan of John "Havolta", as she called him back in his "Grease" days.

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It was so funny this a.m. as I was getting busy at my desk...........I was wishing that I hadn't gotten rid of the shoe box from my closet because I wanted something to use for paper sorting. No sooner did I think that than did Joanne come in with a flat box, and asked me if I had a use for it! The Lord (and Joanne!) will provide!!! I used the top of the box for receipts and the bottom for church papers-----should have done it the other way! I have way more church paperwork than receipts and I've barely made a dent in the stacks. But her box came in so very handy, we just had to laugh!

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Midday I took a break and went to Great Hang Ups to see my lady friends. Helen happened to be in the shop, the sister of Julia, daughter of Dee. Helen just graduated from beauty school and is venturing out on her own doing facials and nail care. It was great to see her, hadn't seen her since Easter last year. I told her how much Joanne loves the spa at Amelia Island and am going to get information from Jo to share with Helen. Jo was just telling me yesterday about the wonderful products she got from the Spa including a eucalyptus-scented shawl thing that is microwaved and then draped around the shoulders to ease stress in the neck and shoulders. Mmm, it smells so good when she uses it. I told Helen that when I come to have a pedicure done, she's going to need a belt sander to smooth the rough edges off my feet. She thought that was pretty funny, but I was serious!

Being uplifted on what could have been a crummy day!

"I remember you from high school so well!!! I always wanted to be like you !!!!!!! You were such a free spirit, marched to the beat of your own drum. I think I became more that way now." This message was sent to me by a former classmate at MLHS. She contacted me through another classmate and so it goes and goes and goes. Such fun! My blogging friend, Jami, too, is excited about reconnecting with all these folks from her past, using the networking tool of facebook.com.

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I got a bit of relieving news this a.m. when the attorney's office contacted me about my next appointment. It seems I don't need to have everything ready for the appt. Wed., and she gave me a list of what I do need. I'll keep plugging away, though, but feel a great deal relieved knowing I don't have to do it all before midweek. I also spoke with the plumbers earlier and it seems they aren't really on duty today. Regardless of being off today, Russ said he'd come and fix my disposal. I assured him we can certainly get along without it until Monday because he was having company this afternoon. I sure didn't want to take him away from that for my goofy garbage disposal! It can wait until Monday or whenever they can get here. Last night Bruce wondered if perhaps it was burned out and would have to be replaced, by the way I described it. I hope Bruce is wrong and all it needs is the plumbers' helper!

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Mom sent me an e-mail this morning that she found two shovels in the basement stairway that we could have used to remove the snow by the doors when the manager didn't show up. A shovel would have worked far better than the house broom in a foot of snow!

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How did you all like my photos I posted of the snowfall? I think the one early morning shot of the fresh snow might work to be entered in a show, I just got a notice from the Art Guild about an upcoming show, open to amateur photographers, which would be me! I will, of course, confer with my mentor, Dee, to see if she feels it's a good enough shot or not. Maybe I'll go see her today..................

More from the trip

Justin, me, plus Clara and Harvey are a bit fuzzy but yet recognizable in this photo taken by their nephew who was not familiar with the camera. Clara and Harvey are my sister-in-law's parents and we see them almost everytime we're in Manitowoc. We did get to spend time with them, but I didn't get to spend time with her daughter and son-in-law due to weather and other "complications".

I thought this shot was so fun because it appears that Manny and Justin are dressed alike! Justin's sweatshirt is a Gator shirt, but Manny's is actually a Wall-E, from the movie Justin and I hated!!! The boys can make great imitations of the robot's voice from the movie, so cute! You can see the stained-glass window in the foyer of Lisa's home.

Noah and Lisa are just the best parents, in this photo each one has a child in front of them. Lynn's child is sitting immediately to her left, but she is talking to either Justin or Dustin in this shot. One time when we were visiting the Prange's in IL, Noah was on the floor playing with Gabe and Lucas. Lucas got up abruptly and went to tell his daddy, "Jesus is playing with me!". Lisa was worried Noah would get a complex or something, but so far he's still a pretty down-to-earth guy! Punny!

Even though I was heartbroken that I couldn't get to church in Sheboygan to see Gabe in his CHRISTmas program, Lisa was able to get it on DVD which we watched on CHRISTmas Day. Gabe, in case you can't pick him out, is the middle boy in the front row, wearing his lovely vest outfit purchased for him by Grandma Lynn. It appeared as though he knew his parts and sang his songs, but when it wasn't their turn, the kids were just a hoot as they squirmed, pulled on their clothes, gazed at the ceiling........When the kids sang "Joy to the World" in Hmong, Gabe came into the living room and sang along in Hmong, so we know he knew his part, even in a foreign tongue!

Something seems to be of interest for Manny as his mama, hidden behind him, is looking something over, as Lynn, Noah, Lori, and David look on. Lori and David live in Holmen, not able to travel on Eve due to the severe weather. We got to see them at Lisa's and then later we went to their hotel to play a couple rousing games of "Apples to Apples" on their patio. The hotel has patios which open into the atrium, WI-style, and we could watch the snowfalling if the windows weren't already snow-covered and iced up!

It's about perfection today

Happy New Year everyone! Last night was a lovely worship service, though low attended, at Good Shepherd but I still got to see many of my friends again. Judy J. had her son in church with her, which was awesome, adding one male voice to the three or four others there. Judy wept through a couple of the hymns, as did I, because, appropriately, we sang, "I'm But A Stranger Here". Pete had sung this at my request at Timmy's grave site, so besides it being the perfect message for the evening, it was also the perfect message for Timmy's funeral. Judy asked me after church why we had to sing those hymns which bring tears, but she already knew the reason why.

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I thought today was the day to start working on that nasty financial stuff but decided I'd better work on the newsletters instead. I've been sitting here at this machine all day long, but evidently not long enough to make me get up and walk away. One newsletter, for church, is nearly ready to publish save for a few pieces of information for which I'm waiting. The Palace Press letter is also at the same point, having little information to write about due in part from being gone and not having had any Board meetings in recent months. Serious lack of input going on here these days. Is that a good thing or a bad thing? Probably bad if I have nothing about which to write!!!

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Joanne and I spent much of the morning around the house, and I did even manage to put away some of the stuff from my luggage! She was trying to clean up in her room, doing some ironing, and a load or two of wash before heading off to work. We did run into a problem, however, in the kitchen, where I discovered the garbage disposal was stopped up. I pulled out handsful of garbage but nothing that should have prevented the blades from spinning. Pushing the reset button didn't make a bit of difference, nor did running hot water down the drain. A search for the little disposal wrench was unsuccessful so Joanne went to her car for an emergency tool kit she keeps. Unfortunately, the wrenches she had were not the correct size to help the problem. We were quite the sight as we each took a turn trying to work under the sink!!! I need say no more.......Guess I'll have to call Steve tomorrow for some professional help. Boy, I wish Dave the Doorman was still here!!!

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Joanne and I discussed our dinner plans, with her expressing how it used to be customary in OH to have pork and sauerkraut on New Year's Day. I mentioned that I had pork and sauerkraut in the freezer and one thing led to another.....my house is smelling just wonderful as I write! A couple hours ago Jennifer R. called to invite me to dinner at her house with her family---now what? I've always been of the mindset that if someone calls for dinner, turn off the stove and go! And I'll be doing the same thing tonight, except for turning it off, since Joanne and her father will be coming here to eat what I made. She was feeling badly for not getting over to his place to see him so this is the perfect opportunity for them to get together.

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Last night Joanne and I spent the evening, after I got back from church, dining on spaghetti and watching TV. We really tore up the condo with our wildness! By ten o'clock she was dropping off to sleep in the chair and I was ready to sleep too so we decided to go to bed. I hoped that the neighbors wouldn't keep her awake, and I was hoping the same for me, as the first floor people were having a rather noisy party. No worries, I was out in no time at all. The wind in the palm trees woke me about 8:00 a.m., and it sounded just like WI outside! Only no snow---white caps on the river---but no snow blowing. I felt badly for the football fans having to endure this chilly, windy weather but I heard one man on the radio comment that at least it was warmer here than in Nebraska!