What in the world is going on out there????

Certainly the painters must be happy this project is completed, painting our building, because they would be freezing their fingers off if trying to work here today! The low temps are in the twenties over night with the high today being only 48. Wow, by any standard, wow!!! On the bright side (ha, ha!) the sun is shining which really helps with my room warming, as does the electric radiator creaking and groaning to spit out warmth for me. At first I stayed in bed under the covers with the heat pad going but since I had to do some work on the "big" computer. I forced myself to get up and dressed so I could stand, or sit, the chilliness. My other rooms are about 72 degrees, although the hall thermostat shows air temp of 74. The warmth from this room must be going under the door and into the hall!

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The other day, when David was bustling about to get them out the door, said he does not normally complain, but it was just too hot in the house for him. I went to check the thermometer, which read 74 but the heat was not running, set on 72. He was running, not the HVAC. In consideration of my guests, I did turn on the air conditioning and got the rooms cooled to 72 while they enjoyed their hot breakfast!

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From the comfort of my bed this a.m. I called Mom to complain about the cold. They are also experiencing cold weather in the upper Midwest and I figure I have a lot of nerve even mentioning our cold snap. One area in MN had actual temperature reading of minus 31 this a.m.! Yikes! Like Suzanne said about her yard, everything looks ghostly out on the property, wearing their sheets and towels to protect the foliage from the nip. I did not cover my Boston ferns or my other plants and I pray they will be alright. Being in the "shelter" of my courtyard might spare them the nasty bite of the cold.

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Yesterday's e-mails brought some wonderful photos taken at Judy R.'s anniversary party and CHRISTmas celebrations. On the 27th, Jer and Judy celebrated 40 years of marriage with all their kids and grandkids. She had it catered by her favorite soup-for-lunch place, usually visited after she finishes at the YMCA. The photos were fantastic, capturing the moments and faces especially of the little ones. It appears lots of book reading went on in Judy's household, as expected, since many of the adults are teachers besides being parents!

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My worship on Sunday was at Victory once more, as I knew the parent Vance's were going to be there and I wanted to see them. They had come to GS in early November with Kelly and family but our chat there was cursory at best, with yesterday's visit being better. Dawn is working in the Orlando area and Mark is spending January with her, taking care of Synod business at the same time. His mom lives not far from Orlando so he gets to see her and his sister as well plus visit the area churches. I wish Justin had come to church to see them too but for some reason was absent. Hmmm......

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Rachel sent along home with me a piece from Janet B.'s keyboard which she had borrowed to play at a wedding over the weekend. Suzanne accompanied on the viola and she reports that the bride's father wept on her shoulder about how lovely their playing was! Nice!! Pastor Hoyer gave such a wonderful sermon about wisdom, based upon when Jesus went to the temple at the age of 12, 'being about His Father's business'. Good encouragement for us as well, as "Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men." So should it be for us!

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After the service and socializing, I headed back home, listening to the pre-game show on the radio, excited to watch football one more time. Instead of heating up leftovers for lunch, I stopped and got a special treat from McDonald's, a Big Mac and fries. When was the last time I had such a thing? I cannot remember....but this time was so good! Messy, but good! All my stuff was arranged around the loveseat in the family room---foam plate for my food, napkins for the mess, laptop plugged in, soda ready to go. Play ball! Or, kick off!!!

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It was NOT a pretty sight watching this pathetic demonstration of football. Ugh! The Jags played the Browns in Cleveland, on frozen turf, and I think their cleats froze tightly to the ground. It was so lame a presentation, except for my main man, Maurice Jones-Drew, who did very well despite the others on the team. At the highest point of my frustration, Twila called to invite me to the movies. YES!!!! I will be glad to go, and not watch the end of this horror show. When I left home, they were down 30-20, which was not quite as bad as it had been. Rumors circulating again today about the owner putting the team on the auction block, moving them out of Jacksonville, etc. That would distress me greatly because I have become quite the fan, but not being able to see the home games on TV due to blackout does not please me. With the games being played mostly at 1:00 pm on Sundays, the time just does not allow for getting downtown, parked, and seated in time for kick-off. The option would be to attend Victory on Saturday night but then I would miss something at my own church......Go ahead, then, Wayne, and sell the team, I guess. Maybe then I would get to see more Packer games!!!

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Walgreens is not carrying the laptop tables right now so I will hold off with getting one. Other stores carry them too but are much more expensive than for what Walgreens was selling them. Mom asked me today if that was a bit slothful, to lie in bed with the laptop instead of getting up like I used to do before I had this notebook computer. Well, perhaps, YES! She said Alayna and Dusty were watching the History Channel on Saturday which had an episode on about the deadly sin of slothfulness. Guess I can be glad I do not have that channel here. Anyway, that is what brought this to Mom's mind.

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I mentioned that I went with Twila, Jean, and Madeline to see a movie Sunday. I had wanted to see this movie but was disappointed about the rating. At my birthday lunch Wednesday, Kathy B. assured me the rating was 'over-rated' and that it would be "safe" for me to see the movie, "It's Complicated" with Meryl Streep and Steve Martin. We howled, at least Madeline and I did. Oh, my goodness, it was so funny in parts. Other parts stung me a little bit and I added a tear to my laughter because it hit too close to home. The story is about a divorced woman, single for 10 years, accidentally finding herself re-involved with her now remarried cheater husband. So she herself becomes what they all hate, "the other woman", with her ex! While it is wrong on every level, sex outside of marriage and the approval thereof, some of the circumstances and such were quite amusing, including a future son-in-law seeing them having a rendezvous at a hotel where his fiance and he are making wedding arrangements. "Harley" stole the show, with his facial expressions and antics to help cover up what he saw, sort of slap stick in some parts. No filthy language which is a comfort to me and aside from a view of gross ex-spouse buttocks, it was okay. But funny as can be!

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Afterwards we went to have dinner at Chili's where I ordered the chicken crisper meal. Twila and Jean had the ginormous country fried steak dinners, but I am the only one who took food home. Madeline has tortillas and licked hers up too. All I ate were three of the six fingers, and took a row off the ear of corn, did not touch the mashed potatoes, which means I have a lovely lunch in store for myself! I had several Diet Cokes with my meal to make up for the very expensive bottle of water purchased at the movie theater. Madeline, that law breaker, carried in a Route 44 cup from Sonic, under her coat. I think from now on, I will bring an empty bottle with me, fill it at the bubbler (water fountain for those of you not from WI) and save the $3.85 for the small bottle!

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As I waited for the ladies to get there, I met one of my former customers for whom we had built our house plan in The Preserve. They had sold it not long after moving in there and now live in a subdivision in Green Cove for several years. She told me her hubby has been out of work now for over a year and a half, being in finance somewhere, and they are living off their retirement funds until he finds something else. Wow! How tragic is that!?! One moment you have the world by the tail, and then next thing you know, no job and living off of savings....She has a strong faith in the Lord and knows He will provide, and must remain patient. Mary had given me a lovely book when Timmy died and I cherish it to this day, one of the few I actually got through. I will get through some more books, as this is one of my goals for the coming year. That, plus adding more water to my routine. Which means more bathroom trips for some reason or another....I am sure there is an explanation for that. Soda does not bother me in the least, but water, well.....................

A rerun of a posting......from Feb. 11, 2008!!!

It was appropriate for me to find this when looking for something else, since I watched "The Bucket List" this evening on TV. How funny to come upon this now! Kindly note the comment I made about it affecting our lives for the rest of our days......Through this movie, I "met" my dear friend, Jami, in Amarillo!!!

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Linda set the "Kramer" clock inside her head to wake in time for sunrise this morning, her final opportunity before heading back to WI today. The Lord painted a lovely picture for her, for us, minus the dramatic clouds which help diffuse the gorgeous colors. We both photographed the beginning of the day to help capture the memory of this wonderful long weekend together.I am a bit dehydrated as I've had nothing to drink (no Diet Coke!!!) or any food until after Justin and I get our blood work done. We were npr (a little medical lingo there) after midnight, and I do so enjoy my soda first thing in the morning, as one does coffee. Once back from the blood work Linda and I will be heading off to Bible study, as Justin heads to work. He's been staying at his father's house watching Mickey the Dog, at least letting Mickey out at night and setting him free in the morning.

Last night Justin joined Martie, Linda, and me for a movie and dinner. We saw "The Bucket List" which will probably affect us the rest of our days. Two terminally ill men meet in the hospital, make up a list of things to achieve or experience before they 'kick the bucket'. I think we'll never forget that movie or its message. Justin may not have the same appreciation for the prospect of facing ones' demise, but for us "older" women of faith, oh yeah.....we were hysterical at times, both with laughter and tears, while being filled with contemplation.

Jack Nicholson's character was a wealthy man with no room in his vast intellect or bank account for faith in the Lord, and expressed envy for those of us that do. The other man was a believer in God and an honorable family man of modest means who had to make many compromises due to his circumstances. The wealthy man helped him realize his dreams, while being influenced by the "faithfulness" of the poorer man.....I am trying not to give it away!!!

As I am writing this, a finger of the sun's reflection is stretching across the water toward me, as it were an arrow. It's lining up directly at my window, moving closer, inch by inch. Majestic! In last night's movie, one of the wishes of Morgan Freeman's character was to view something "majestic" before he died. I get to enjoy something of majesty every single day, particularly on days when the sun isn't dimmed by fog or clouds. The river is majestic on its own; therefore, I can cross 'see something majestic' from my Bucket List!!

I'll be catching you up with a moment by moment "visit with Linda" but not today. We have to capitalize on the last of our time before she heads back to WI. I pray the weather will be okay for her travels once back on the Frozen Tundra!

It's my party and I'll cry if I want to......

.....you would cry too, if it happened to you! If your company left nearly en mass after a wonderful week of good times, good food, good everything, you would be upset when they left, too! My people were impressed with the regular food preparation which went on here, even though often breakfast was eaten much later in the day than usual. When people are on vacation, they love the opportunity to stay up into the night and sleep into the midday----well, mid-morning, anyway! This allowed me to do my own thing in the first part of the morning, as quietly as I could, while David worked on his computer in the family room. He was usually up and at 'em earlier than the others, enjoying coffee while checking on his e-Bay auctions. His favorite part of his job is putting excess product line items up for sale on e-Bay. Last time we talked, he had been selling "old" hockey pucks, mostly to schools to use for practice. This time it seemed logo pencils were a "hot item" for whatever reason. There was another hot item from inventory that was going fast but right now I cannot remember what it was. It might come to me later....

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After posting my great sorrow on Facebook yesterday, some suggested that it will not be long before I will see someone soon to help with my loss. YES!!! Linda and my sister, Lynn, are coming down to visit in early February for a short stay which will really make up for this parting!! In March, I will be venturing north to spend some time with Lori, Lynn, and Lori's church ladies as we take a bus trip to The Twin Cities to see "Mamma Mia". This will also allow me to spend some time with Judy R. and Linda J., and especially, my mom. Since she will not travel any longer, I will come to her! A trip in June will be had for Alayna's graduation from high school. Awesome! So, yes, I will be okay, after having some chocolate covered cherries at my pity party!

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Last night I had to bag up the lovely floral arrangement given to me by the Hilchey's. The flowers caused Alayna much grief with her allergies so I had to keep the bouquet in my bedroom behind closed doors while they were here. David, who also has allergies, did not seem affected but it was a problem for Lanie. I had to wrestle the large bouquet into the trash bag, making quite the mess as I did so. As I removed this sizable arrangement from the dish holding it, I found a quite lovely cobalt blue, cut-glass dish. Just lovely, a gift which keeps on giving! Also, I salvaged two very tall red tapers from the bouquet but am not sure what exactly I will do with them. Most of the candle holders I own hold much larger around candles, not necessarily tapers. Hmmm....perhaps some new candle holders would be in order.

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I might venture out into the cold to shop at Walgreens later today as my father-in-law gave me some money for CHRISTmas and I have decided to buy a laptop table to pull up to my bedside, similar to a hospital bedside table. This one is meant for chair side or bed side, inclines to have to keyboard and screen visible plus a place for the mouse pad for the external mouse, like I use. I gave Justin such a nice table a few years ago and he said he uses it every single day so I know it would be money well spent. Also I need ink cartridges as when I began printing the newsletter the other day, I got signals that my black ink is about ready to quit. Ugh!!!

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We are expecting to have the low temperatures drop into the 20's this coming week, but thankfully the sun is shining and sky is blue. Last night, as I lay in bed, the moon was simply beaming into my face. I thought of my friend, Judy R., with whom I share this lovely moon, and of course, Linda, who howls at the moon like I do!!!

An interesting quote.....

"You cannot help the poor by destroying the rich.

You cannot strengthen the weak by weakening the strong.

You cannot bring about prosperity by discouraging thrift.

You cannot lift the wage earner up by pulling the wage payer down.

You cannot further the brotherhood of man by inciting class hatred.

You cannot build character and courage by taking away people's initiative and independence.

You cannot help people permanently by doing for them, what they could and should do for themselves."

Abraham Lincoln

Rife with sorrow, tempered with joy

They are gone, at least three of them are.....the last one is Alayna, who is presently packing her stuff. The Schippers left around noon or so, after enjoying a breakfast made by me. This late morning I made bacon and pancakes, ending up using two packages of bacon this time. Alayna made a giant bowl of lettuce salad with cucumbers and carrots added to it. Some of the others had salad with their pancake breakfast, which seems the tiniest bit odd to me, but that might just be me.....

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We just cannot believe how fast the time ran away from us, the days flew by. Lori was lamenting the same matter last night as we played "Would You Rather.....?" after Dusty, Alayna, and I got home from church. Lori and I got in trouble with Alayna for putting the games pieces in our nose or in our mouth, and she determined we were immature. No denying that, I guess. But where did the time go??? It seems they only just got here, more true from Alayna, since she arrived late in the day on Sunday. And now she leaves already!!! She was sure her tickets were for departure tomorrow but when I checked the itinerary, yes, it was today. At least she got to run the streets of St. Augustine yesterday, and it pleased me greatly to have the kids volunteer to attend worship with me....

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We had fewer than thirty people for worship last night which was too bad. Lori had to stay home with ice on her ankle, the bad one this time, because she had walked around St. Augustine during the day. They were staying home to make sure the pizzas were baked and ready to go when we came home. I had gone to Papa Murphy's after making Justin's exchanges at Kohl's in the afternoon, and ended up with over four pounds of pizza. Lori said that David and Dusty liked the five-meat pizza which I got in the stuffed style, plus a garlic chicken one Lori liked. It was either the chicken or a vegetarian-style one, and I refused to do that! We had half of each one leftover which will be my dinner tonight. I will try to enjoy it even though my peeps are gone.......boo hoo hoo!

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Alayna is now delivered to the airport and my home is empty except for me....I did stop at Winn-Dixie on the way back and picked up a few things including laundry soap which I needed since David did several loads this morning, including washing the sheets from their beds. I am wondering how in the world he could strip the beds with Lori and Dusty still sleeping in them!!! They did not get up until well after 10:00 am or so with David chomping at the bit to load the car and get going. Once his mind is in "packing up mode", he cannot rest. We are all aware of that and respect his 'drive', so to speak. Lori likes it because all she has to do is get in the car and leave! He does it all!

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So, now what to do the rest of the day?? I will empty the dishwasher, change the wash load, reheat some pizza and warm up my house! My guests really do appreciate it being cooler than do I, so now is my chance to warm things up a bit. All I need to do, and had been doing, was my own room, but if I wanted to socialize, had to rough it in the other rooms, where it was much cooler. At least, I thought it was! So funny how that works----Lori cannot help being hot any more than I can help being cold. Alayna and Lori loved for me to put my icy hands on their hot necks and faces, and I thought Alayna's hands were like waffle irons for mine!

New Year Resolve

HANDBOOK 2010
Health:
1. Drink plenty of water.
2. Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a beggar.
3. Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants and eat less food that is manufactured in 'plants'.
4. Live with the 3 E's -- Energy, Enthusiasm and Empathy
5. Make time to pray.
6. Play more games
7. Read more books than you did in 2009 .
8. Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day
9. Sleep for 7 hours.
10. Take a 10-30 minutes walk daily. And while you walk, smile!
Personality:
11. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
12. Don't have negative thoughts or things you cannot control. Instead invest your energy in the positive present moment.
13. Don't over do. Keep your limits.
14. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
15. Don't waste your precious energy on gossip.
16. Dream more while you are awake
17. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need...
18. Forget issues of the past. Don't remind others about mistakes of the past. That will ruin your present happiness.
19. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone. Don't hate others.
20. Make peace with your past so it won't spoil the present.
21. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.
22. Realize that life is a school and you are here to learn. Problems are simply part of the curriculum that appear and fade away like algebra class while the lessons you learn will last a lifetime.
23. Smile and laugh more.
24. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree...

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Society:
25. Call your family often.
26. Each day do something good to others.
27. Forgive everyone for everything..
28. Spend time wth people over the age of 70 and under the age of 6.
29. Try to make at least three people smile each day.
30. What other people think of you is none of your business.
31. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch.

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Life:
32. Do the right thing!
33. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.
34. GOD heals everything.
35. However good or bad a situation is, it will change..
36. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.
37. The best is yet to come..
38. When you awake alive in the morning, thank GOD for it.
39. Your Inner most is always happy. So, be happy.

While you may not agree fully with all of the above, most of them are really good ideas! I was sent this by my friend, Cindy, and thought it would be good to review as you begin the next decade of your life. Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, His mercy (love) endures forever!!!!!

Another day older and still in my bed

Yesterday, the anniversary of my birth, was such a flurry of activity that I did not have time to write! The morning began early enough with getting up right after 6:30 a.m. to make sure the men in my household and Justin were ready for departure by 7:00 for Orlando. Justin was driving over from his father's house, where he has been dog sitting. I made some coffee for David to have while driving and Justin put a can of soda in each pocket. It was 38 above zero when they left here but it was expected to warm to the high 60's later in the day. In fact, further south where they were, it did get up to 71!

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Once they were out the door, I went back to bed since I could feel more rest was needed. All of a sudden my eyes flew open and my feet hit the floor when I remembered Dee was coming by at 8:30 with a birthday gift for me. There was time before she was expected so I decided to make the ladies in my home a nice hot breakfast. (Yes, Linda, I made breakfast on more than one occasion, the difference being these folks get up 5 hours later than do you!) The recipe I used is for egg souffle which turned out wonderfully, but we had to pace ourselves since we were having lunch in an hour and a half! They really sleep late!!! After all, it is vacation, right?

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Dee came and we visited in the river room for over an hour. Her gift to me was wonderful, two boxes of chocolate covered cherries, which she wanted to yank away after we discussed my lifestyle changes coming up after the company is gone. She could not believe that I could pace myself with something like this, but I truly can and do, historically speaking. In fact, I have the little favor from Linda's table at Ladies' Advent Service November 29th, unopened, on my night stand as we speak. I know there is delicious dark chocolate in there but will wait for just the right moment to open the little bag and have a piece. I am so weird!

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Once Alayna and Lori got up and had their breakfast (I did not know A. won't eat eggs and cheese mixed together!) we got ready for lunch. In "Lord of the Rings" the boys referred to 'elevensies' which is what our lunch would become, so soon after breakfast. We ladies were meeting Twila and Kathy B. over at The Club where we had a very very nice lunch and excellent conversation. Lots of the latter! Twila gave me a beautiful necklace and earring set which had screamed my name when she saw it; Lori gave me gift bag, which, when she handed it to me declared she had no idea what was in it! David was the designated shopper, that rascal, and now I know why we met him on the street near Great Hang Ups when we were leaving! Dee helped him select a necklace, chain, and earrings for me from there, made by a fellow artist/friend, Sonya. He did good! Kathy had given me my present already at church last week, a long beaded necklace in purples. Brenda N. came by in the late afternoon with a present from me, made by the lady in the Bahamas who received my clothes cast-off. Brenda bought me a matching bracelet to the necklace from Joy, the lady joyfully wearing my clothes. So, my colorful collection of beads and jewels has increased once more before the end of the year!!! What great fun!

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My mailbox bore a half dozen greeting cards plus the good wishes which came via the Internet. Sadly, the timing was not right for the boys to meet us in St. Augustine for the tram ride to see the Lights so we ladies went alone. We did not hear the song we longed to, "Dominic, the Donkey" this time which was a disappointment for Lori and me---and a relief for Alayna! The driver of the tram encouraged the passengers to sing along with the songs, which we did once in a while, not as robustly as we could have, but the text messages sent to Alayna's cousins indicated that we did. I defended Lori and me when I heard about the accusation and A. agreed it was not THAT bad, just that there was a young man in the seats in front of us and she was embarrassed in front of him. Or behind him. Manufactured or faux embarrassment, I call it.

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We found our family together back at my place and had a bite to eat, every man for himself before playing a few rousing games of "Catch Phrase". Always good for huge laughs, and denials of brain activity. Justin had to excuse himself because he was meeting friends and his roommate at their place to play poker at 11:00 pm. Wow, I was ready for bed and he had walked around Epcot and other parks all day. In fact, he sent me a text message reporting he had a hitch in his giddy-up! I wrote back, asking if he was okay, and he answered me that other than some pain, he was having a great time. Typical Justinism!

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As Justin was leaving, he reported that he would be over here for church tonight because it was at 6:00 and his father's party did not start until 8:00. Victory's service is at 6 pm, Good Shepherd's is at 7:00.......oh. I think I might not see him until next year! Justin cannot miss this party tonight as it his father's 'last blast' in this residence, since he is moving out soon. Justin uses his father's place as a playground with his friends, having all the great enticements that young men, and evidently old men, enjoy such as the pool, outdoor kitchen, large-screened TVs in the media and game rooms, etc. Tonight's party will be the fireworks fun boys in their 20's and 50's enjoy, sending hundreds of dollars worth of gunpowder and noise into the air at midnight---likely before midnight. To use an expression from the banned list: whatever!

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Those of us enjoying the Eve differently will attend worship at 7:00 pm and then come back here to have Papa Murphy's pizza and play Alayna's new game, "Would You Rather...?", which Justin and I gave her for CHRISTmas. The other night we played Lori's new game, "Cranium", which was a blast once we got passed the directions. They made it seem more involved than it actually was, and David is such a hoot to play games with!! During the day today, Lori and David might go back to St. Augustine to walk around a bit, plus the young folks if they wish to go. The weather might be fine for that, possibly as nice as yesterday, as WI people go! I will remain here and put the final touches on the newsletter as Pastor sent over the information yesterday afternoon, for which I had been waiting.

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Lori and I went to get her hair cut after my birthday lunch, going to see Barb, the lady who cuts my hair. Lori looks so cute and coiffed now, making her hair almost bouncy-looking, just by trimming the back. So cute!!! We had intended on stopping at Kohl's to make Justin's exchanges but since we went home a different way, missed that stop. She wanted to see where Twila's house was, since Twila mentioned at lunch that her house is hard to find. We found it, no sweat!! Once home, I decided to take a nap before our big night in St. Augustine and Lori went for a bike ride. Dusty had parked it in my foyer, which is entirely out of our way and safer than parked outdoors (not like I live in a dangerous place or anything...). She rode once more down along the river but came back sooner than she had last time, because the wind burned her face. See? I told you it was cold out!!

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We had such a laugh last night....Lori has to wear "das boot" on her left foot to immobilize her Achilles' tendon, for now only 25% of her walking around time. She applied her boot before we left for St. Augustine and away we went. When we were walking from the car to the ticket stand, she complained that her other foot was now also hurting and then realized that oh, my goodness!----she had put the boot on the wrong foot!!!!! What??? After all this time of wearing the boot, upwards of 23 1/2 hours a day, she now put it on the wrong foot?!? She could not switch it over either since she only had one shoe along, on the goofy foot, and could not put a left shoe on her "right" foot! Hee hee, hee haw.......