Let me give this a shot

“Kathrine, I have a sick girly here….” That was the call my grandma would make to Mom to let her know one of us girls showed up at her house (near the church/school) feeling poorly. Grandma would have us take our dress off and lie on her bed in our petticoats so as not to mess ourselves up. It was often me that was found vegging out at Grandma’s house, and today, it is me again. Beginning last night, I had a twisting, bloating feeling in my tummy, as though I had just pushed away from the ThanksLiving feast table. All night long, I struggled to find a comfy way to keep myself and manage to sleep. And sleep I did! First hot, then cold, sweating and freezing at the same time, weakness in my extremities, and so on. The only computer effort I could expend was to let my friend, Maggie O. know I was not coming to water aerobics this a.m., after I had assured her I would be there. Most of the day was spent in sleep, or rest, first with blankets on, and then only a sheet, and so on. Ugh!

I just enjoyed a small portion of raspberry sherbet at 7:00 pm, the first food item to pass my lips today. I have nursed one can of soda and one 20 ounce bottle which still has a slurp left in it. There! Now it’s gone. A shower might be in order and a fresh nightie which might help me feel better too. Depending upon how tonight goes, I might go to Bible study tomorrow but I am not sure about that yet. My eyes are like pokers so reading was pretty much out of the question for me, only able to listen to some of my shows as I dozed in and out.

Yesterday I drove to Palm Coast to see Marian on her birthday and was pleased to see Biff there, too. I gave Marian her gift but she was in a big hurry to get going, as it was bingo day. She let me play two of her cards, and she played two, with Biff’s help. Unfortunately, she kept falling asleep in the middle of laying her tokens down so Biff would keep stirring her to wake her up again. It seems the medication she takes for anxiety and for pain affect her that way. When we left bingo, she mentioned that she didn’t feel well, and could scarcely keep her eyes open, but she did not want me to leave. Biff reminded her that it was nap time and I excused myself and drove the hour back home again. Both legs of the trip were in the rain---nice! Christina was not able to come over because she had a bug, too, which makes me wonder if I picked up something at the nursing home….

Before heading south yesterday, I wrote an e-mail once more to the pastor in Palm Coast to see if he could go see Marian once in a while. He again assured me he would get there, or send the vicar to see her. Wow, he’s got a vicar already! Hopefully he does get over there one of these days, as I keep telling her he says he will come.

Well, I am still tired somehow or another so will close this and head to the shower to make myself feel fresh again. Hope that works!

Waiting for my house to smell good

Justin is coming over for dinner tonight, although he may not know that I am making dinner, and to celebrate his birthday. I have struck out purchasing a pumpkin pie, his favorite, so will opt for raspberry sherbet for dessert. In the meanwhile, I have country-style ribs cooking away in the oven, right next to a roaster with a single rib and sauerkraut for me. Justin won’t eat it but I will. All that was added to the kraut was maple syrup from Cracker Barrel plus some salt and pepper, oh, and a sprinkle of caraway seeds. This reminded me of my plan to clean out my spice cabinet, as I told Mom and Linda, some might even be from when I got married 37 years ago!

Listening the radio is no fun today as the reports regarding the falling markets make my stomach roll. I just wish someone with skill and ability would step in and grab this situation by the reins to get it under control. Calls for the resignation for Geithner are being made but that would merely pacify for a short while. The capitalist system and its management are under attack and I ‘fear the fear’ people have will allow the powers that be to step in and wrest yet another part of the private sector into government control. Or at least intervention. Yikes!

This morning I had a meeting with some folks to give a brief rundown on the WELS Worship Conference recently attended. It was exciting to again visit the seminars/workshops and special worship enjoyed, and the concerts. Wish I could put the enthusiasm in a bottle to spritz around the room on days when mine has dissipated. One of the members from GS was complaining yesterday about the music being too loud during the service, claiming her hearing aids either have to be turned off or removed in order for her to tolerate it. This is not unusual at all from this lady, it is the order of the day, unfortunately, but this time it was the organ being too loud. While others are rejoicing to have the organ operational again, some take issue with its presence during the singing. Spritz, spritz, spritz……

During my meeting with them, I had gotten a phone call from my friend, Brenda, asking me to lunch. YES! We have been having troubles getting together, and it does not help to have me gallivanting all over the upper Midwest half the summer. She is pleased to have her granddaughters for 8 weeks and is making good use of her time with them before they head back to their mother’s home in NC. Our service was incredibly slow at Steak n’ Shake as it seems the kitchen was short staffed (as I was standing at the register, saw a young man filling out an application! Give him an apron—now!!!) but we managed to get done in time for Brenda to get back to work almost on time.

Also I had gotten a text message on the way to the meeting from Justin, lamenting his sore throat and clogged airways, and he asked me to get him some medication to take to break it up. Originally I was going to take it to him on the job, now doing lawns three times a week, but he messaged me to say he will just take it when he comes over later. Poor guy! I hope it’s not allergies….we had both taken a pledge to not have allergies so that would really stink!

Last night I was on a lengthy phone call with a friend from church and while we talked, I hung up clothes and such from my luggage. It is getting there, folks, it is getting there!!! Most of what remains is stuff not requiring hangers but must be dealt with prior to the suitcase being put away. It should be retired for a few months now, God-willing, and my room returned to its normal untidiness. The only room in the house where I hang out, as a rule, and the only one allowed to be untidy. Go figure! Besides the luggage, I have two baskets of towels and other stuff to be dealt with, much of which is from when my houseguests were here!! There is just so many other things I would rather do than that!

A few moments ago I wandered into the kitchen to get ice in my glass (bought a bag at Winn Dixie the other day!) and the aroma of cooking sauerkraut wafted to my nostrils. It is starting to smell awesome in here, but I wonder if Justin will feel the same way. Perhaps his congested passages won’t acknowledge the kraut at all! I can barely see out my bedroom window right now as I have stacked my soda cans along the ledge next to my desk. Before I left for my trip, I had told Connie that I would make the effort to recycle my aluminum cans, and, being true to my word, I have them accumulated for disposal. Now I must find a way to get them down to the bin….plastic bags, perhaps? A couple months ago our building began recycling with the majority of it being glass bottles and newspapers/magazines. The cans will mostly be mine, it seems, but no wine bottles for me.

Bon appetite!

A few more photos

Angelo and his grandma Lynn, on this very warm afternoon. I know Justin would like this outfit on Angelo because of it being "Gator" colors

As warm as it was, Angelo stayed in a good mood, especially when his bottle was on the way!

"Thanks, that's better!"

Lisa with Angelo at breakfast the next morning. They were in for a long ride home since they had no air conditioning in the van (on the fritz) and Manny's tummy giving him troubles. They had to stop three times for him to go potty, poor little fella!

Now, this is more like it!

A short while ago I came in from the pool for no other reason than I was tired and wanted to rest. When I looked in the basin area, I spotted this eagle, also wishing to rest, on a stake outside my windows. Using the telephoto lens I was able to zoom in but was a bit unsteady when I snapped. Should have gotten out my gorilla to steady the camera but might have missed the shot!

Right now two smaller boats have pulled up outside the basin and people are walking around in the water, about waste deep where they are standing. Not really swimming but just wading, it seems. Maybe they simply needed to go potty. Tonight is a function at The Club, an event postponed from spring called the Island Bash, like a luau complete with a pig roast. I can hardly wait to dive into that feast waiting for us over there!

Last night Martie and I had dinner at the cabana, battling the miniature flies for our sirloin sliders. Oh, they were so pesty, like the gnats were in Holmen last weekend. And it was hot, hot, hot outside, which is why this evening’s event was moved indoors. Postponed from spring because of the unseasonably cold weather, we now have to move indoors because of the heat! I don’t care where I eat my roasted pork. Other meat offerings are chicken and fish (not really meat, I understand) plus salads and side dishes in tropical themes. And free rum punch. Many from my building are going as well as others who frequent the pool so it should be a blast. I need to rest for now so will post this and perhaps add more later.

Ahola!

Who is 60 years old???

If you look closely in the doorway at the top of the slide, you will see Lori's head poking through as she prepares to take the dive

Here she is....making her way down the slide!!!

She made it to the bottom, feet first, as is spelled out on the sign posted near the bouncy house.

David took a turn later on, and as soon as he began jumping around, a zipper on the house broke, collapsing the whole works. Two seconds later, David popped up on his feet, announcing, "I'm up! I'm up!" So funny!!!

This young man took care of the bounce house in Lori's driveway. He had no shade but I took him a chair and a soda. Later, David carried a patio umbrella up to him to provide some relief.

Love that smell and taste of garlic!

Justin, his friend, Jesse, and I had a lovely birthday dinner at Carrabba's tonight, more than a week after his big day. Justin did not seem to mind having the waitresses sing Happy Birthday to him in Italian, especially after I coaxed them all to smile, as though they enjoyed having to do this! Some old friends of the three of us were there, and joined us for a bit before our meals arrived. My jet skis had been purchased from Will, and Hailey, his wife, is the daughter of our friend, Joan, who has hosted us for Christmas and shared many meals with us. Justin recollected the time I was at Wal-Mart and ran into so many people I knew, just inside the doors. As I stood and talked with them, Will came through as well and asked, "What are you doing? Running for mayor??" It was so funny! Hailey complimented me, saying I had not aged a bit, since it's been a few years since we did stuff together, saying she missed my smile. The last time she and I did something was to go to the movies to see "Mamma Mia" when it came out. A long time ago! Warmed my heart to see them again!

Anyway, back to my trip recap: Judy and I attended several workshops conducted including one about the liturgical church year and another concerning outreach via worship. Not too sure about some of the ideas taken from the last one mentioned, but it was interesting. On the day when we went to Martin Luther College, following the worship, we attended a workshop we 'thought' was about the history of Lutheran hymns, and, in fact, it was. Finding ourselves way over our heads, Judy and I very much enjoyed this study of Praetorius' Christmas Mass, complete with live and recorded music, and analysis. Mom has this Mass on CD, I believe gotten years ago when suggested by Pete Prange, so it was not foreign to me. Seeing and hearing music from the inside, as it were, was really quite interesting.

The special services for our time at the Conference began with Palm Sunday complete with a procession, similar to what we experienced at the School of Worship Enrichment last fall in Palm Coast. Next was a Maundy Thursday service where we partook of the Lord's Supper in what is called continuous distribution, which Judy said she has done at the national LWMS rallies in the past. My first experience with it, but necessary to do given the number of attendees being served. Over 1000 were there, and I am assuming, most took communion. The 'sunrise' service for Easter was somewhat more "unconventional" (I stop short of calling it contemporary) but the Easter Festival was quite formally conducted. In this procession, a participating pastor carried a Bible covered with a very ornate gold holder, and later, when the Gospel was read, the Bible was carried part way down the aisle and read from the center of the chapel. It reminded me of Episcopal services I have attended.

The pastor from FG had a son attending the Conference and he was asked to serve in the procession. His aunt, a Facebook friend, told me he was apprehensive about it, but he did it anyway. On Easter, he carried the "Alleluia" banner in with the procession. I managed to sneak a photo of him carrying it as the procession stopped in the aisle for the photographer, but his mom did NOT wish to see the picture. She is NOT a friend of processions at all. Another friend, also at FG, reported that when she watched the service being streamed LIVE, she nearly threw her computer across the room. Her hubby, a semi-retired pastor, cautioned her about watching it, and he was right. Since we have a simpler version of a procession at my church, I was not as off-put by it. Those who feel differently, feel quite strongly about it, much as I do about the 'happy-clappy' style of worship!

I must say, there is nothing like singing, and listening to the singing, as this event presented. Wow! If I could have posted from my cell phone, after that first concert, it would have stated only "WOW!". The choirs were amazing, they rehearsed for hours and hours, different choirs for different services. Mary Prange directed the choir and some of the orchestra for one of the services. When Judy and I went into the chapel for the closing concert, we walked into the lobby just in time to hear the choir singing "Jerusalem, the Golden". It stopped me in my tracks, and immediately the tears began. I told Judy to go on in to save our seats, as I had to collect myself. It would not be good to have me sniffling while the choir was trying to rehearse right in front of us.

As I stood off to the side, dabbing my eyes, just short of sobbing, Mary came through and gave me a big hug. Another man was with her, and she told him that I was from her nephew's congregation in Florida. He hugged me, too, as she explained that I already had someone in "Jerusalem" whom I long to see again. Both of them assured me that by the final stanza of the hymn, hardly anyone was able to sing, due to the weeping! After the concert wrapped up, I saw this man again and he asked me if I got through it. And I had, through the tears, sung this anthem with the choir and orchestra! Not only that, we sang the "Hallelujah Chorus", something I thought I never get to sing again. It was 'bliss beyond compare..."!!!!

Photos from the visit north

Entirely unplanned, Lori and I both wore the same type of top for her party. People kept giving me gifts and wishing me a Happy Birthday. Man, I cleaned up trying to pass myself off as Lori!!!

Mom and Lynn sitting in the shade in Lori's backyard at her birthday party. Boy, it was hot out there!

Alayna is carrying that silly Angelo around, spending some time in the house in the coolness. The older folks stayed outside while the younger ones and those with electronic needs were inside...hmmmm.....

Even Danny came outside to participate in the kids' games where they tossed water balloons at David and finished him off with Silly String. Lori is holding that tree upright as she watches the fun.

David finally got to rest and enjoy some of the fine food prepared for the great feast. Ribs, burgers, and brat patties were served, and assorted salads and side dishes. Wonderful, all of it!

Lori posed with her cake before carving into it. The message reads: "60 is the new 40", the cake itself was just fantastic tasting. Even Angelo had some of his mama's icing, more like whipped cream than frosting.