I know I have been a slacker

A couple folks have prompted me to write more postings, and now that the paperwork and Court situation is sort of over for awhile, I can dedicate more time to this. I am behind in my reading of others blogs and do apologize for this, my friends, and will get caught up shortly----the only way I can! Ha ha ha....

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Over the weekend and on Monday, the F & F folks were replaying a fake commercial they made, poking fun of the Snuggies, supposedly low budget advertisement on TV. Linda J. ordered a couple but I never heard how they were working out. Even Justin mocked those ads, claiming the family wearing them in the stands at a sporting event look like "cult members". Well, the F & F team all sported their Snuggies for their version of the ad, doing the weather report, wrestling with the cell phone while using a regular blanket, adjusting the thermostat, etc. Evidently the Oprah Show caught wind of the mockery and mentioned it on her program. Funny! Apparently the man who marketed this product has made millions from his blanket with arms, and what can I say but, "Good for him!"

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As I waited for the sun to come up this a.m. I read my "Grandma" book and it was again loaded with wisdom. Let me just say this---if I cannot have my friend, Judy R., under my roof in person, she is certainly here in this book! When I picked up the already opened book, which was face down on my bed, the first passage that reached me was "and we know all things work together for the good of those who love God, those who are called according to His purpose." What more did I need to read? Truthfully, about three more chapters, but it just kept getting better, more 'right on' for the circumstances surrounding me.

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Suzanne wrote the other day about how she thought of me during a reading from Isaiah in our Lenten bulletin (sorry, I simply cannot find my service folder to reference it..). She remarked about how it seems that every time we hear or read the Word, it is exactly perfect for what we are experiencing, or someone else's woes or joys. The hymns work the same way and offer great comfort and support to His children. Another passage on the same page is from my future funeral chapter, Philippians 4: "I have learned to be content in all things." I hope that is so!

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Is there a worse smell than a stinky dish cloth? NO, I say, NO! Well, except perhaps rotten potatoes or a meat package in the wastebasket too long. But the potato and meat smell is not normally on one's hands like the dish cloth is. Whew! I have washed them a couple times and yet the stink remains. This must mean it is getting to be spring or even summer! My house thermometer reads 77 above zero but is warmer here in the window with the sun shining on me. Outside temp is in low 80's. Both doors are open to allow the fresh air to flow through but my slippers keep my feet toasty. Cannot stand cold feet!

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Butch, the handyman who is coming to make the plumbing corrections and re-install came this a.m. to get the pick-up ticket for Lowe's. He is going to unload another person's purchases first, then go get mine and plans to start here midweek next week. I must tell Joanne so she has her belongings moved, although Butch assured me he is "discreet" with people's things. I wonder what that means??? Just before he left Butch made a note to pick up the new valve and pipe he needs, and said he did not want to forget those things. Especially NOT since that is the major reason for tearing the whole works apart in the first place! When the plumbing was done originally in our Units, I wonder if the plans did not take into account the fact that some day we would have to access those valves.....???

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This afternoon my friend, Christine S., part of my Middleburg family, is coming over for a chat. She has an appointment nearby and the timing was perfect for a "pop-by". We were together last Thursday but with a group around, it is more difficult to just visit. Joanne and I were talking about doing some cleaning, but I expect Justin to be coming this week to take care of a few things. I like to do the dusting but have so many little things to mess with, making avoiding it easier than actually doing it. How in the world does it get so dusty up here in the first place? Really. How does dust get up here to the third floor, seemingly overnight? It will be worse now with the doors open. Perhaps it is pollen and not actual dust....since my car is always coated with it.

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On Thursday, another Christine (Chrissie) and her mom, Diane, who is Judy R.'s sister, are coming over to see my place and have breakfast. This is also the same day as Judy's procedure so I am glad we three will be together during the time that Judy is in surgery. We will distract and focus each other as needed! Chrissie is getting married on Saturday and sadly, I have other plans that day. Our LWMS Rally is in Ocala and I will be gone all day for that. In the evening our member, Kristi, is in a concert at Grace Episcopal right around the corner from me, and Kathy B. wants to meet for dinner before the concert. I might not be back here until 5:00 pm so it might be tight schedule-wise. Like I said the other day, it stinks to be me. But not like the dish cloth!

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Ladies' Group last night was fantastic, with 11 people there instead of our usual 5-6. Yippee! Even some of the young ladies came, those with ambition and good ideas. Our calendar of events became quite full and my job as promoter or marketer must begin soon so we can get lots of involvement for these things. Again, yippee!!! Just prior to the meeting, Joanne called from her office and insisted we go to Cracker Barrel for comfort food, because she knew I was upset after the hearing. Even though I had a roll with summer sausage on it not too long ago, I agreed to go. It is that "turning off the stove and go" attitude.....She nicely treated me to my favorite meal, which I am only this minute finishing, of meatloaf, mashed potatoes, green beans, and corn. Half came home with me, or with her, as the case might be, for me to enjoy for lunch today!

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Last night, after getting done with our meeting in record breaking time, I returned a call from my sister, which had come during the meeting. She was wondering how I was and all that, rehashing the events of the hearing yet once more. Lori said she had prayed for me, and for Justin, which is heart-warming. In talking with folks, there is scarcely anyone is untouched by this economic meltdown, whether they are business owners or grocery baggers. We had a great visit on the phone, so we do not forget the sound of each other's voices, as Tommy cautioned might happen with e-mail. They had a house concert Sunday night featuring Celtic music this time, and had a wonderful time in spite of inclement weather. Lori also told about how they sort of redecorated their family room with three colors of paint, one which has stones in it! Hmmm, I wonder if David would come down here and do that for me...........

Expectations, sometimes dashed

This was a most excellent morning, although sleeping and waking have been disrupted, in no small part due to the time change. Wow! And I hear it is not just Joanne and me having troubles. I want to stay all day in bed and then I realize it really is time to get up! Joanne was sitting and watching the news when I went out in the family room to chat. All of a sudden she had to fly, realizing it was time for her to get to work for a meeting. No shower for her today!

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Sunday at church, I was talking with my friend, Jennifer, about her family's trip to the zoo Saturday. Her hubby was excited to see the komodo dragon which I think is a new exhibit and was hyped to their kids. When the little guy, Caleb, actually saw the dragon which his dad was so excited about, he was greatly disappointed, because Caleb expected something bigger, greater, scarier, or whatever, other than what he saw. Hmmmm.....expectations.

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At lunch that same day, Kathy B. was talking with Lynn and Pastor about going to the big aquarium in Atlanta. They had been there, too, on vacation, and had good memories of the experience. Kathy told about hearing so many wonderful things about the penguin exhibit, how there is place where you stick your head and are surrounded by penguins as you look around. Well, it was not a very large place allowed for viewing and Kathy was so surprised at how short the penguins were! She took some teasing about how TV and movies only make them look taller, and such, but in fact, her expectations about the penguins and their exhibit were not met....expectations again!

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Many years ago a movie came out, "Shrek", and it was wildly touted as being a great movie. Justin and I watched it from the hotel room in Las Vegas on CHRISTmas Day, 2001, while his dad slept the day away, not feeling well. Justin and I found it quite amusing, especially the part about the "gum drop buttons" and "do you know the Muffin Man?" It was hyped so much to Pete that when he finally did see it, the movie did not live up to his expectations. He was, like, "What? I didn't think it was so funny" when others thought it was hysterical. I do not think I would find the entire movie to be so good but those couple of scenes just tear me up. I think it reminds me of the "old" Saturday Night Live character, Mr. Bill. Anyway, the expectation of loving that movie was not met.

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And, such is life!

I like cauliflower!

Okay, get up off the floor, it is not such a shock! Since my appetite is a bit challenged today, my search through the fridge brought nothing of interest except for the leftover cauliflower from Thursday's dinner. My dish of corned beef, cabbage and carrots was scooped into a zip lock bag (I want to shake the hand of the person who invented them!) and is in the freezer. Justin will not turn down anything, because, even if he does not eat something, one of his friends might! This dish, though, is one of his favorite that I make so my guess is he will eat it himself or at least share.

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Last night Joanne went through and purged the fridge of things which were no longer recognizable or good so it is nice and bare again. Justin has money to pick up a 24-pack of soda for me at Publix because they are having a sale. I hope he remembers to grab it on his way over here....Tonight there is a ladies' group meeting, our make-up meeting from last week, and I hope we have a good turnout. Before leaving this a.m. I sent out a reminder notice and hopefully those at Bible study discussed it as well. Strangely enough I would just as soon stay home and reflect some but it is probably best to go off and hang with my buds instead.

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While I was waiting at the Court house on a bench in the hallway, people kept walking up and down the hall, marked "Quiet Zone" but the shoes, both men's and women's, made such racket on the floor, oh my! At one point at the far end of the hall, I heard a door open and a young lady threw herself onto a bench and sobbed her heart out. It took all of me not to go down there to see what was the problem but I kept my seat. Before too long another couple people came out and there were more tears as they spoke with a man who I think is the attorney. From what I gathered, some one was sentenced, possibly a shooting incident, and the family of the shooter was upset. I am glad to not have gone down there to offer consolation, not knowing the entire story. And yes, I know, it was not my business. But seeing and hearing the upset really helps to put things into perspective.

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At church yesterday one of the ladies who regularly substitute taught in the government schools received a phone call from the schools where she worked to inform her that her services were no longer required. Over 400 teachers were "surplussed" last week which resulted in a protest rally over the weekend to bring attention to the problem. Picketers were at Blanding and Kingsley, a high visibility site. Evidently, the plan is when a teacher is out sick or for another reason, the kids from that class are put into another teacher's classroom instead of having a sub. Imagine that! Other teachers I know of are sweating, waiting for the other shoe to fall, at risk of losing their jobs. Stinks!

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It is a gorgeous day today weather-wise, in the 80's and sunshining. Suzanne reports smelling flowers and I observed blooming azaleas all along the streets. The water fowl are out and about but no sign of the lephechaun yet today. The camera is ready, in case I spot it bobbing on the water. I think I will take a nap now.........

Prayers are answered but....

....hearts are aching. As a result of sitting in chambers with the Judge for a more than 30 minute hearing, upon weighing the testimony, he did rule in my favor, but at a substantial reduction in the amount of alimony. I do not want to discuss it right now, my emotions are a bit raw. It was tough seeing and hearing how badly the market and decision making has affected my former business, my friends, my former co-workers, and probably my son....I just can't talk about it right now. But, many thanks for the great support offered and I ask for more prayers that this market comes back sooner rather than later to preserve the jobs and incomes of others in this real estate market........

Listening to lovely music while Rome burns...

....no, probably not. Kathy B. sent me a play list she put together of contemporary Christian music, as Brian and she were absolutely blown away that I did not listen to this type of music. Kathy has been working on this for some time, gathering the most excellent pieces to send me via electronics and it plays as I write. Some of the melodies reminded me of "Phantom of the Opera": "in sleep he sings to me, in dreams he came, the voice that cries to me and speaks my name....". Guess what I will be listening to in the car these next few days!

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Remember my promise to stop working early in the night so as not to interrupt my sleeping? It was a wonderful plan but it did not work. Joanne also had trouble going to sleep, too, so we attributed it to the time change. Normally by 11:00 p.m. I am ready to roll over for sleep, but I heard the clock chime midnight and perhaps beyond before sleep took over. To avoid oversleeping this a.m. I had set the alarm on my phone to wake me, but I was not ready to do that when it went off. Joanne and I had make sure we got our showers before the water is turned off again for more repairs. Brown ice cubes, here we come!

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There is a man on F & F this a.m. who is marketing a Bernie Madoff bank where you drop the money into the top but there is no way to get the money back out. The resemblance is remarkable, and I love that someone can capitalize on this tragedy. Folks are just beside themselves knowing this rascal might be making plea deals to get out of going to prison or shortening his time in prison after bilking billions of dollars from folks. Since I know of someone who was "victimized" by Madoff, I pay special attention to what goes on with this guy, plus F & F stays on top of his antics as well. "Weekend at Bernie's"....always makes me chuckle! Maybe because he lives in a $7 million dollar apartment while his family members are losing their homes to his bogus investments....oh yes, that is hysterical!

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My attorney wants to meet with me before our appointed Court time so I am heading down to Green Cove earlier than I need to be. Parking can be difficult, with some walking involved and then the inevitable but necessary metal detectors at security to go through. Time will be my friend today. I remember going to the Court House for some documents many years ago and the x-ray machine showed all sorts of metal in my purse. Upon investigation we discovered 5 Matchbox cars plus other toys and "mom" stuff in the bottom of the purse. I am fairly confident there are no cars in there any longer but might take another look at what would show up on the x-rays!

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Too bad I have to miss Bible study this morning and lunch afterward but it cannot be helped. Last Thursday I missed the study at Victory, but again, unavoidable. Tonight we have our make-up Ladies' Group meeting since last week so many were going to be out or were sick, it did not pay to try and hold a meeting. Guess I had better send out a reminder to the ladies so no one misses by mistake.

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More later!

Before I cram, a posting!

You will never guess where I just came from---the pool! Yes!!! It is 80 degrees above zero, sunny, and calm. Pat (Miss Chardonnay) called me from poolside to invite me down to play "Rumikub" with Kathy and her. I agreed to play a couple rounds but then I had to come back up to "study" my paperwork. I wish to do that now, earlier in the day, than later when it might disturb my falling to sleep tonight.

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I told Pat I would come down but was not going to put on my swimsuit, it was not THAT warm out yet, contrary to what northerners would think. She told me they were not wearing suits either and asked me to bring some Diet Cokes for them. The cabana is not open until after Memorial Day so we had to provide our own refreshments. It took me a bit to get into the swing of the game, not fully remembering how to play. I lost both hands to Kathy so if she beat Pat, too, I cannot feel too badly about my skill level.

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Thanks to my sister, Kerry, who called early this a.m., I was NOT late for Sunday school. I did turn the clocks ahead which needed manual changing but did not bother setting the alarm on my cell phone for waking this a.m. Normally the sun rising wakes me but it failed me this morning. Oh, no, the sun did rise, I simply failed to respond! Thanks to Kerry for waking me up. I was asked to help out with the music but when I sailed into the classroom, Kathy and Janet were already in place to practice. Janet said that Suzanne really covered her bases so we had extra help, and only a handful of kids. I don't know if it was because of the time change or what reason, but only five of our students were there.

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Janet offered to sing with the choir today so Kathy quickly ran through the melody with her between SS and worship. Our anthem was lovely, even with our "skeleton" choir, singing "The Lamb" from the Supplement. After church a group of ten went to have lunch at Sweet Tomatoes, including the new couple from church who are soon to become members. They are from the Chicago area originally and are familiar with Morton Grove! I am such a name dropper!! We had such a great time, lots of laughs and made good, sound connections with John and Tina, who are quite the Disneyholics! Did I hear the word "roadtrip"??? Kathy B. has never been to EPCOT for the flower show or international food and wine festival, and I already have tickets, sitting right here in front of me. We already discussed the pitfalls of staying in a "cheap" hotel but if we split the costs.....

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Once again the river is laden with boats, some moving along and others stationary, perhaps fishing, about half and half. The water level is quite low, as it is normally at full moon which looks so ugly. My eyes have to focus further out to avoid looking at the yukky stuff. Today I was telling Anna, one of the young people with us at lunch, about having eye surgery nine years ago this month, because she recently got contact lenses. When I talk about my eye surgery, the song by Faith Hill, "Breathe" comes into my mind and leaves a bad taste in my brain....and, no, it does not have to make sense to anyone else. It was popular during a particularly bad time in my family, unrelated to my surgery. Things tend to intersect, let's just not talk about the eye surgery, especially right now....

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I must get to my cramming for Court tomorrow so I do not freeze up during the hearing. Nancy says I should be very familiar with the paperwork so want to review and organize it all before tomorrow....actually, before late afternoon so that I do not sabotage my sleep tonight! Prayers, please!

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Up from my nap

I decided, upon getting home from vacuuming, to take a little rest. I had stopped at the shop to see Helen where I had an open appointment time, arriving to find someone else in the chair! Well! The customer got there before I did so I had to surrender to the "big spender". This lady evidently was having the spa treatment which would take about two hours so Helen said she would call me when they were finished. So, I answered a couple e-mails and then, I rested!

First, I watched an episode of "What Not to Wear" where Clinton nominated someone he already knew. Some friend he is! After that I put in a DVD of---you guessed it---"Seinfeld" so I could rest comfortably. And laugh. I told someone at church the other day that I gave up laughing for Lent but they did not buy it for a minute. Especially when I am watching the "The Clip Show", especially The Marine Biologist segment. Gets me every time!

When Helen finally did call back it was too late for me to go over there because of getting ready and leaving for church with Justin so we simply passed for today. I will have to go to Court with ugly toes! When Cindy took me for the very first pedicure not long after Timmy died, the technician asked me who cut my nails. When I said I did it, she replied, "You butcha, you!" Cindy and I still laugh about it to this day, calling me a butcher just because of the way I clipped my nails!!! Marked for life and forbidden from trying to do my own toe nails ever again!

The water is alive with boats today, even the noisy cigarette boats that roar from one end of the river to the other. There goes one now...What's that all about??? Tonight the moon will be reflecting on the river which will make up for all the noise I hear today. Not that I mind the sounds from the water, even the barking noises the birds make, but those noisy boats annoy me. Suzanne's daughter confuses names of things and has taken to calling pelicans by the name leprechaun. I tried to snap a shot of a leprechaun bobbing on the water but when I opened the screen door, it was spooked and flew off. Nuts! Not to worry, Hanna, I will keep trying to capture a shot of the elusive leprechaun!