Here Comes the Sun!

At this writing, the sun is again beaming across my desk, the side of my face, my right shoulder and arm, and causing me to squint a bit. And I could not be happier at the moment. Day upon day upon day of cloudiness and dankness is now relieved by the sun shining!

Last night I again ventured out in the pouring rain, making the mistake of going on Kingsley Avenue past Grace where the water is notoriously deep on rainy days. Oops! I made it through the substantial puddles and tested my brakes as soon as I was free of the water. All was well on my way to Ladies’ Group. The last time there was a Ladies’ Group meeting at church only two ladies came, and the pastor, making for no meeting at all. Since I have agreed to come back to GS, I figured it was important for me to be part of what was left of our Ladies’ Group, now down to five members, or rather, attendees. At the Christmas party there were 18, and might have been more if it was not for the distance to the event. We had only one person in office, Judy C. , our lifetime Treasurer, as no one else wanted to serve but when push came to shove, Twila agreed to be President and reluctantly, I took the Secretary job---yet again. Jean will be Vice-President and Carol is our Altar Guild chair. So, all of us at the meeting have a leadership role, to each other!

Cliff is our Ladies’ Group Elder. He showed us the proposed plans for renovating the Fellowship Hall, including the removal of the “Pizza Hut” cap which sits on top of the building. Apparently it is merely decorative, at least it was decorative at one time, and now it can be removed and the roof modified to match the sloped roof of the classroom building. As part of the plan, we will likely lose the storage closets at the end of the room, again revealing the two windows now closed off. We cannot fathom not having storage space but the idea was to open up as much usable floor space as possible in that room. Twila suggested open shelves built-in along the opposite wall but I can see that as being terribly messy looking and vulnerable to having things just piled in. That was the reason ‘we’ built the closets in the first place, my former spouse was quite instrumental in building those back in the day. Before the closets, there were open shelves which ran the periphery of the room with boxes and junque piled on them. Not very attractive at all. Cliff invited us ladies to put our thoughts together and make recommendations regarding the plans for the building. We came up with a couple ideas last night and hopefully they will work within the confines of the structure and existing laws regarding egress and such.

Yesterday afternoon I got an e-mail I had been waiting for from the head of School of Worship Enrichment . He was sending the worksheets which were covered at the October event some of us attended in Palm Coast. We had taken notes and underlined things and written all over our pages, making them not really suitable for sharing with others. We wanted ‘virgin’ pages and he sent several of them to me. Some were not included so the last thing I did before heading to Ladies’ Group was to write back to him, letting him know which were missing. I hope he has them. Another option would be to get Brian H.’s folder from the weekend because he was not there enough to mark up his pages. Our little team might be able to piece together a complete package to share with those who wish to see the options and implement them. Having Robbie serve as Maestro again is good too, because he understands and appreciates the value of solid, Lutheran hymns and music and history….and is a skilled musician. Hal and Rosalie were blown away, seeing this young man who used to sit on their knees now sitting at the piano bench, playing so masterfully! Thanks be to God!

Tonight I am invited to attend a surprise birthday party for the owner of The Club so will not be able to play Trivia on the Southside with Stephanie, Erica and the others. I am honored to be invited and hoped the party would get underway later in the evening so I could do both events…oh well, I will miss Trivia for doing something walking distance away. This morning my friend, Judy A. (another Judy!!!), called to invite me to a wedding shower for Pastor Hoyer and Anne’s daughter, Elizabeth. We are going to have it at Victory, show the gifts first, and then wrap them. Judy’s son-in-law works for UPS so he will ship our gifts to MN for her. Joel H. will video tape the shower to send to Elizabeth plus a guest book we have all signed with a message to her. It sounds like great fun and it takes place on Craft Night---a double fun time!

Thursday is Bible study and then I am invited to Maggiano’s again for a luncheon hosted by my friend, Diane, for a seminar about women and investing. I was told to bring a friend but the lady I spoke to thought that Justin might not get much out of the presentation. I feel badly that he can’t join me because we usually do something together on Thursdays. Maybe he will come over here to clean and get things ready for Saturday’s gathering. That is the day that folks are coming over for a commemoration of Timmy’s passing 10 years ago. I am hoping we have a good showing but will appreciate those who do come. Guess I should put my laundry away, as I have another load waiting to go into the dryer---have not put away last week’s basketful yet! Judy C. would be so upset with me!

Sleepy on Monday

I do not know why this photo is so small but it shows Lisa holding Angelo, with Gabe and Manny alongside of her. They are all 'sporting' their Green Bay Packer apparel, even Lisa in pink Packer wear. Angelo looks like a linebacker already! Just over three months old and looking nice and full!

For some reason, I had a tough time getting to sleep last night after the Super Bowl victory and its excitement. Add to that the pouring rain and I simply could not get settled. Eventually I gave up and decided to watch TV for a while until finally I dropped off. A few weeks ago I was annoyed by the constant wind day upon day, and now, it’s the rain annoying me---day upon day. Sometimes it is pouring rain while other times it is drizzle or mist. Certainly no sunshine. I am solar powered and fading fast---I need the sun!

When I finally decided to wake up today, it was nearly 9:00 a.m. and I had missed almost all of Fox and Friends. Rats! I wanted to hear what they had to report about the Super Bowl. Guess I will have to check it out on-line later or tomorrow. What I did have to do it get myself ready for the day in order to be on time for Bible study. As it was, I was nearly late for class, having to stop in the Fellowship Hall to get a soda. The group greeted me, excited for me and with me about the Packer victory, and said they figured I would be dragging today after the big night. I told them that even my hair did not want to get up this a.m.

Class went well, discussing the kingdom of God study, with Mike C. as our leader. Six of us went to lunch at Longhorn, once more in the pouring rain. That is really getting old, week after week, it seems to rain on Monday! No Gretchen today again because she won’t drive across the bridge in the rain. Judy and Twila told us about going to The King’s Speech on Sunday afternoon, Twila’s second time. Well worth seeing again! One lady mentioned that she had not been to an ‘indoor movie in 23 years’, and I thought she meant she used to go to the outdoor instead! Would that not flow? What she meant was, she watched her movies at home instead of in the theater.

So, I had some cool things happen for me yesterday, including the already mentioned dinner at Miss Chardonnay’s house during the first half of the game. Before the game, I got an e-mail from the other Patty, who lives on my floor. She said her hubby and she would be rooting for the Packers because I was, since they did not have a horse in the race, so to speak, in my honor, she said. Later, after the victory, she wrote again saying, “Was that exciting or what? What a fun night to be a Packers fan!!!! We enjoyed it all just because of you, Kim!! You made Packer fans out of us tonight. Congratulations!!! Display your Packers flag with pride!!!” Have I mentioned lately how much I love my neighbors?

The Packers Won the Super Bowl!!!!

I don't know how much more about that I could write---the title speaks for itself! My head is pounding from crying and the excitement and the drama. Man, that was getting pretty scary there for a while. It almost looked as though the Packers could lose by one point, if the Steelers would have scored a TD. I found the commercials to be just okay except for the Volkswagon ad with the little boy dressed as Darth Vader. Also one of the Bud Light ads was good, with the product placement in the old English movie filming. The first half of the game was enjoyed down in my neighbor's condo, Miss Chardonnay, who invited me to watch the Super Bowl and have some dinner with her friend and her. Cathy has a back problem so had to stand most of the time, even lying down offers her little relief. She is seeing an orthopedist early next week so hopefully he can help her out. We had chili as well as jumbayala which I was cautioned was too spicy for me.

At half time I came back upstairs and saw the sorriest half-time show....ew! My Facebook friends assured me that it was not because I am old that I didn't like it, the musicians simply did a poor job. I am not familiar with them, the Black Eyed Peas, but there were some other singers with the group I guess. Totally out of it when it comes to this type of thing. At least when the former Beatle performed, I knew him! Those who are actually fans of the Peas found it to be a wretched show as well, as least musically, but the special effects were fine. I am not a fan of vegetables anyway so found the halftime show dreadful. Almost as bad was the singing of the National Anthem, hollering the Anthem, messing up the words, and not reaching the final notes...thumbs down. My friend, Paul, suggests leaving the singing the most patriotic of our songs to the professionals and not these hacks! One of the Steelers shown on the sidelines had a tear running down his face during the National Anthem, though, which was moving. I was also in tears when hearing the reading of the Declaration of Independence by famous football players, military folks, and other notables. "And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor."

Facebook was lit up with Packer fans and exchanges, and even prayers to the Lord to bring the Lombardi Trophy home to Green Bay. Lisa sent a photo of the boys and her wearing their team apparel but I will have to download it tomorrow. I need to get some rest----I am emotionally and physically exhausted. Cannot wait to watch my shows in the morning and listen to the radio later on! Go Pack Go!!!

Where do you suppose the sun is?

It seems like it has been days since we saw the sun around these parts, and I must tell you, I miss the sun! Today for a few minutes it seemed to brighten up a bit but no sun broke through, only more clouds, mist, and moisture. When I took my kitchen garbage down to the trash bin, I noticed that the frame around the elevator on my floor had water dripping from it, although there is no way any rain or anything could have possibly reached the recess of the elevator lobby. It has to be condensation from the air. The high dew point or humidity levels in the air makes the walls feel slimy and cold, but the air temp is near 70. It only seems cold because it looks that way outside!

When I went down to deposit my trash bag, I also checked the mailbox as I am awaiting a nice check. Instead, I got a notice from the Symphony that "Turandot" is coming back in March. That was the opera that I took Linda to see when she was here in 2009, her very first opera! It surprised me that it was back again so very soon. The Carmike Theater is going to have an opera shown in 3D, Carmen, and I volunteered to take on the responsibility for organizing a church outing to see it. I'm back, baby, I'm back! Perhaps not all the way, as I am proceeding cautiously, but I can so easily organize a movie outing!

Yesterday when Justin and I were out shopping, trying in vain to buy him a Packer jersey, we happened to pass the Payless Shoe Store, where they had a sale going on. It was Buy One/Get One Pair at half price. When I was in Manitowoc, I lost my sole on my 'winter' shoes. Lynn and I managed to find a suitable replacement pair at Kohl's, some black suede oxfords. Fortunately I was able to get a pair of brown loafers yesterday plus a pair of red slip-ons. As I told my mom, a person cannot have too many pairs of red shoes!! Justin was greatly disappointed about the Packer jersey but we had to make a purchase in order for him to cash in a coupon for a free Jaguar polo. He got a Packer T-shirt and a Super Bowl cap, thanks to his mama.

Last night when Judy was here, she was telling how she did not have to do the laundry for John and Suzanne as she would normally do on Thursdays, because they were getting a new washer on Friday. Suzanne had told me about it, how she has to load the clothes in, press some buttons which weighs the load, and then she has to tell the washer how dirty the clothes are, etc. which determines how much soap to use. It sounds too complicated for me but I guess it must be high efficiency or something like that. So, of course, she wants to give it the first go. Judy told us how she informed Suzanne to make sure she folds and put the clothes away as well....and I told Judy, "Excuse me, but I have to go and close my laundry room door..." as I have a 4' tall pile stacked in my basket. I told them how the only thing I fold from the laundry are the towels. The rest gets hung up or shoved in a drawer, no muss and no fuss. Horror! When I die, folks will be aghast at the condition of my dresser drawers, shake their heads sadly, and go tsk tsk tsk....I will be buried in wrinkled garments. I died like I lived, wrinkled, but content!

So, anyway, tonight is "House" until I fall asleep, starting at 6:00 pm. Life is good even though it is not pleasant out side. My kitchen smells good because of my pork ribs baking. Last night I served breakfast casserole and wish I would have made the full batch because it was so delicious. If I do say so myself! I have to thank Linda J. for that recipe because it was on the same page as the Apple French Toast recipe she made for one of our church functions here. I love the casserole and its simplicity, and the delicious taste. Makes it taste like more!!!

My poor sister, Kerry, is sick with the junk, resting on her sofa at home. I hope she is feeling good enough on Game Day, would be a shame if she slept through the Packer victory! Lisa said she is feeling better today, still tired but less sick, thanks in no small part to the prayer Gabe said the other day on her bed. The power of prayer----wonder if he could say one for Kerry...and the Packers!?!

What a race!

My lady friends just left after "Dinner and a Movie" night, watching "Secretariat" and I am enjoying the last piece of my breakfast casserole which I made for our meal. Judy J. was unable to make it because she ran late taking her friend to the doctor. I promised her that I would show it again so she is not out of luck. It is worth watching over and over again, the acting is wonderful, the cast is great....wow! Two good movies in one week with good friends---who could ask for more? And a good dinner tonight, complete with pear halves topped with cottage cheese. I outdid myself!

Twila and Judy C. were here, driving in the fog to make their way to my house. Twila thought she should have brought her nightgown in case she had to stay overnight but it seems to have lifted. Judy had gotten some pork chops out to make dinner for Mike and her, but put them away as soon as I called. That's my girl! After the movie was over, Judy said, "Well, Kim, you sure pick good movies!" What a compliment, since again tonight she informed us that "I am not much of a movie person...", yet comes every time I ask her to Dinner and a Movie. Maybe she is more of a 'movie person' than she thought she was! She really loved "Cinderella Man" from last time and also "Freedom Writers". Twila and Jean are planning to go to see "The King's Speech" on Sunday after church, which Twila saw with me on Wednesday, and Judy might go too. I would like to see it again but Sunday is not good for me with the Packer game later in the day. I need to be chewing on my finger nails well in advance of kick-off. The shows are at 1:00 pm and 4:00, with the later one not working out for my 'schedule'.

My fridge and pantry are restocked with Diet Coke (is there a snow storm coming???) and for lunch, I ordered a pizza from Papa John's. They are $10 for a large any topping pie until the Super Bowl. It seemed odd to be ordering pizza after Justin and I left Winn Dixie, he with two frozen pizzas as part of their special. WD has these marvelous deals every so often, this time serving two frozen pizzas, Red Barons, plus frozen appetizers, frozen bread sticks, a bottle of Pepsi, AND a carton of Breyer's ice cream. I got the ice cream, he took the rest. We stopped for soda and came out with a cartfull, somehow or another....hmmmm....I did want some ice cream and was glad it was part of the deal.

He got everything carried up stairs that was coming up with us, and the rest he put in his car. Then Justin moved the exercise bike from my room to the back bedroom and got the 'old' TV set up so I could watch VHS tapes if and when I peddle the bike. He went to the cubby in the elevator lobby storage area and brought back the closet doors for the guest room. He had taken them off years ago when he used that room and had the 'old' TV in the built-in shelves, hence, no doors. They put up a fight being reinstalled but he managed, although they look quite tired and old-fashioned. Very 60's or 70's looking.

I think I will ask Jimmie about replacing them, when he comes for the special gathering on the 12th. He might have some free time now that the Extreme Home Makeover thing is done. Jimmie works for the builder involved plus he was doing trim work during the night. Whew! Jimmie would certainly take the measurements and such to make sure I got the right thing and then come to install them. He is quite the craftsman, came to work for our building company, when we hired him away from our trim guy, Joe. I hope Joe will come to the gathering, I invited him. Perhaps I should mail him an invitation to make sure he got it. (This is me, thinking out loud...)

When Judy arrived tonight for dinner, I was wiping my eyes from watching an episode of "Everybody Loves Raymond". The entire family had gone on a trip to Italy to visit family, and at first Raymond was a grumpy Gus. He didn't want to do anything, did not enjoy the fantastic view, missed out on the 'romance' of Rome. Then, he suddenly gets it, starts to absorb the atmosphere of living in Italy, falls in love with the idea of it, and then hates to go home. It was the scenery and the romance of the program that got to me, and I was wishing Twila had gotten there earlier to watch with me, since we had been to Italy in 2005. She was with me when I spotted my chandelier, although I did not buy it until the next year!

Twila brought a package of frosted brownies for our dessert but no one was hungry enough to have any. She told me to enjoy them during the Super Bowl but I broke into the package to have one as my bedtime snack. Perhaps a scoop of that mint chocolate chip ice cream would be good with the brownie....

Mom, I edited the blog posting where I told about my dream and tried to highlight it better so you can tell where the dream ended and real life began. Sometimes, in my life, it's hard to tell the difference!

What a cruddy day!

In the night I awoke to rain and lightning, but cannot remember hearing any thunder. What time this was, I am not sure, but had the feeling it was not going to let up. Nope, it did not, and in fact, we have had nearly steady rain since that time. At one point, there was such a crack of thunder that it sounded like a cannon going off! Thankfully there was a roll of thunder right behind it or I would have dived under the bed. Or tried to!

My bed is stripped and the sheets in the dryer, waiting to be grabbed for redressing my sleeping space. Earlier Connie, the maintenance lady, called to ask if she could use my bathroom since it was pouring rain. Of course she can! I have told her that more than once, since she has to walk over to the cabana to use the bathroom otherwise. No fun to do that on a good day much less in the pouring rain.

This a.m. I put together a small breakfast casserole, something I would have made for Monday morning if we had not gone to Grumpy’s. I want to warm the house by using the oven so I am going to bake that casserole and perhaps something else this afternoon. The recipe recommends keeping the casserole overnight in the fridge but I am hoping Betty Crocker does not show up at the door and give me grief if I do not comply.

Since the weather was so wretched and Justin not available for Bible study today, I opted to stay home under my covers instead of climbing out. There were some plans in place for me to meet the granddaughter of my friends Ed and Judy at Victory as she has a book to gift me, but I let her know I was staying in today. She also decided to forego venturing out as she has two little ones to deal with. Judy attends the Bible study, at least I hope she was able to go. Rachel and I will try for next week to get together. I am so touched that she wishes to give me her special book!

Yesterday I went to Wal*Mart for my prescription refills and found two movies to buy as well. They get me right at the door! I bought “Social Network” and “Secretariat”, which I have asked the ladies to come watch on Friday evening. They are going to let me know, since it was short notice. Twila, Judy J., Justin and I met for lunch at Mojo’s before we ladies went to see “The King’s Speech”. What an awesome story it is! The vulgar language is ‘tolerable’ (I cannot believe I am saying that!!) in the course of the movie, and it was over in no time. When the Duke would shout or get upset, he did not stammer. Also when he sang, like Mel Tillis, the country western singer, the stammer disappeared.

While the story is not entirely true historically, it is yet a wonderful tale of victory over life and what was dealt to this young man. At one point, the Duke confesses to the linguistics teacher that he had never had a conversation with a ‘common man’ nor had he ever had a real friend. It was so moving, and I reached out to take Twila’s hand and gave it a squeeze. We must cherish our friends and let them know it! It is THAT important!

Justin had to go back to work after our lunch, and could not join us. He has already seen the movie and loved it, and knew I would as well. Justin had told me that several parts of the movie were emotionally stirring and he was right. He called me later in the afternoon to ask me about it, wondering how many times I cried. I told him that I cried in several places, including in one of the previews. He chuckled at that and asked which one it was. There is a James Cameron movie coming out about some folks (spelunkers) climbing down into a cave, and it floods. Not a good movie for me to see, even though it is based on a true story.

Here comes the rain again. I guess this is north Florida’s share of what many parts of the country are experiencing in other forms, like the ice in Texas and such. Justin is helping his friend with some work up in GA today and I am a tiny bit concerned about them driving in the cruddy weather. He has already sent me a message today, telling me he loves me and yes, he will be careful. I have turned that concern over to the Lord and I will simply busy myself with bed making and baking something to warm my kitchen.

Tomorrow Justin is coming here to put my exercise bike in the back bedroom and reinstall the closet doors in his former bedroom. We are going to go shopping for a Packer jersey for him to wear to the Super Bowl gathering he is attending, as well as cash in a coupon he has for a free Jaguar polo shirt. He saw Travis’s when he was upstairs getting ice from Jessica and it is a quality shirt. Justin offered me the free Jaguar shirt but I declined, since I am not really a polo shirt wearer. Go Jags! Go Pack Go!!!

Dead whale washes up in St. Augustine

I know it’s not supposed to be funny, but I cannot help but laugh, thinking of George Castanza riding atop a whale while pretending to be a marine biologist, extricating one of Kramer’s golf balls from the blow hole. “Was it a Titlist?” Kramer asks, sheepishly. George nods in the affirmative, to which Kramer quietly replies, “…a hole in one…” Classic!!! Like Justin texted me one day, “Everything is “Seinfeld”!”