Pool exercises in the winter

This was taken with my phone camera which is why it is not entirely clear---but you get the picture (ha, ha!). The brave ladies showed up for water exercises, but I sat out because the air temperature was only about 72 when I went out. In the foreground, left, is Sloane, a new lady, and to her left is Mary, my tall friend, about whom I wrote a couple weeks ago. Nearer to the right with sort of red hair is Mary Lew. The ladies are on their noodles doing the routines such as pushing the folded noodle under the water, and such. On the edge of the pool are the bar bells which are used to help strengthen arms and shoulders. It is quite the workout for $5!!!

Back on track

The fall routine is in place again, with choir rehearsal resuming this evening, and practicing for Reformation. Already??? We are not going to be caught off-guard and be unprepared as the host congregation for the Reformation service. Robbie, The Maestro, has suggested having some folks from Christ, Keystone Heights, which is also served by our pastor and staff minister, sing with us. Not sure how that will be ‘orchestrated’ as far as rehearsals go. There may be a man there who can lead a choir at least for a single anthem or so. Victory's choir is taking a sabbatical this year, which I am not sure what that all means, but that is what Robbie told us tonight. Perhaps just for Reformation. Another hymn we are singing is “Isaiah, Mighty Seer in Days of Old” in a couple weeks as part of the liturgy. I sang this many years ago at FG and I am sure that with practice, it will come back to me. Love Robbie’s touch on and with the services, the subtle touches enhance worship.

Another thing I love is watching the debate from the Reagan Library, as the folks are assembled beneath the body of a retired Air Force One in the library. That is some library! And some jet! I could not find the debate on TV but did find it live on-line so am watching it there. Anti-science? Are you stinkin’ kidding me?? Oops, never mind, I got caught up in the debate, which is why it is best I watch these things alone. Anyone passing my door would think there is someone watching with me as I holler at my computer (or the TV as the case might be!). One of the candidates is a believer in ‘man-caused climate change’ and while he would likely NOT be the one on the ticket next fall, he would certainly not get my vote.

This a.m. it was quite chilly here, with the high temp getting only to 80 above zero later in the day. At pool time, it was 72 so I opted to go out about half way through the class to cheer the brave ones on. My new friend, Mary, was there as well as new participant, Sloane, a neighbor of Mary Lew’s. There were enough people in the class without me. Just as I came out, the sun came with me, which is what Marlena told them was my job. Some were going to have lunch poolside but Brenda N. called me to meet for lunch so that is what I did. We met at Steak ‘n Shake, next door to her office building and had excellent service this visit.

Once home, I got busy on the computer working on my report about the Worship Conference. Strangely, I am having troubles organizing my thoughts, they are a jumbled mess. Sort of matching my desk, in fact! In the process of sorting through my brain, I am rereading the handouts and such from the workshops. The most difficult part is picking out only a few things to highlight when so much good stuff was presented. The last two newsletters had articles about the Conference but that is not ‘nutshell’ enough for the report. So my brain is going in different directions---spelling out in an article about a certain workshop and then picking/choosing important tidbits to make a less comprehensive report. Wish Judy and I could do this side by side, that would help organize the thoughts, I believe. She is very organized!

Saw the sun for a minute

Just before I rolled over this a.m.,the sun was caressing my face. Now, where is it? Gone, and it might remain hidden the rest of the week. A lady I spoke with at The Club yesterday said it was going to be stormy all week, which she is sad about, as her son is getting married in St. Augustine this weekend. Rats! I know the couple whose son is getting married from my Eagle Harbor days and usually see them at special events only at The Club. Gail and I had a serving of cotton candy together just as the man was getting ready to haul the machine off. In my humble opinion, the cotton candy machine, snow cone machine and ice cream sundae bar should have stayed in place until after the kids’ water games were over. Surely they would be ready for a special treat after working so hard to win their ribbons.

Tonight I will sleep on freshly washed sheets, always allows for a good night’s rest. Last night I had tough time falling asleep, likely because I did not have enough exercise in the pool. That’s my story and I am sticking to it! The water was chilly and it seems I can stay warmer by keeping my upper body out of the water while moving my legs but sometimes I stopped peddling and only stood while visiting. This evenings’ rest will be welcome, for sure!

When I got out to the pool, Gigi was situated at a table nearer to The Palace, and told me Frank, her hubby, stayed home that day to putter in the garage or something. His loss! Marlena had told our group on Thursday that she would reserve a table for us, since some of the older folks did not like to come to pool events when they cannot find a place to sit. ‘Our’ table had a reserved sign on it, plus she taped one on that said VIP. Gigi did not like that very well, wondering why she was not a VIP and who was, until I told her it was my table! After a certain point, I had Mary Lew remove the VIP sign, (we don’t want any trouble, right?) and invited others to sit around this table. Maggie O. came out for the sun and fun and lunch, which we enjoyed at The Club instead of from the cabana. The buffet was quite nice, and only a few dollars more than the cabana food would cost. I did not even have an adult beverage yesterday!!

As I got situated in the pool with my Diet Coke in a can cozy, Maggie remarked that she was thinking about me that morning, thinking about how much I enjoy my Diet Coke, and how that made her happy. Now, isn’t that nice? I love that!

When I look out my window, I see about a hundred love bugs flying around wwaayy up here. What is up with that? Once in awhile the bugs land on the window but do not stay very long. I would expect that birds would be in search of this good eatin’ but none have been swooping or anything, as far as I can see. The car wash places will so happy to see the squished love bugs on the front of cars…good for business!

During the children’s games yesterday, I brought a few folks from the pool, some regulars, to see my home. The ‘man’ in the group, Zach, was telling about being Italian and bragging about how clean he keeps his home. (Seinfeld episode: “He’s thin, he’s neat, he’s single…Not that there’s anything wrong with that….”) Zach is not thin, but he is a hairdresser! For real! None of us wanted to sit down there and hear that relentless whistle for the games so I gave free tours. They were blown away by the views and the glass pieces, and were most complimentary of my taste. Marsha told me that it is so homey, and this is a high, high compliment to me. No one can believe the amazing views, front and back, and I hate it that it is taken for granted by me sometimes.

Last week, when Lynn was here yet, Zach came up to me in the pool and told me once more how much he loves my hair. He did suggest that I make all my bangs blonde and not just the one section, “not anything too out there…” he said. I explained that I did not make my hair blonde, that God added the silver and the blonde, not me. Zach was astonished, thinking I was quite clever adding a touch of non-color to my hair. Yesterday he was exclaiming that I was the prettiest woman in The Palace, which Gigi fussed about, because she did not hear him say “The Palace”. She is his client, after all! It just was not her day yesterday! Of course, I declared that Pat is the prettiest woman in my building, a former Miss Orange Park and all that, but I appreciated the attempt to flatter.

Well, my desk is getting loaded down with paperwork and I am making zero progress in plowing through it. Part of my project is to put together a report to present regarding the Worship Conference but I keep tap dancing around it, much to the chagrin of my downstairs neighbors! Gave up clogging for tap shoes!

My noodle wins the games!

Click the photos to enlarge them....if you wish.....

I absolutely refused to play the water games this year, after telling Mary Lew and Marlena all week that I was not participating, They did not believe me, but I showed them! Stubbornly, I sat poolside while my noodle raced across the pool. Mary Lew thought I should be credited for winning since it was my noodle, and I said, "Why not? Race car drivers don't actually own those cars they drive!" She said, "You're the only one who would think of that!" Not sure if this is true or not, but I am correct!

Showing up as an 'also ran' in the yellow hat is my neighbor, Pat. The teal noodle, mine, can be seen in the top photo, off to the left of the frame. Whoo hoo!!!

What a difference a week makes!

It is about 15-20 degrees cooler today than it was last week at this time, but I sure would not wish to be on the deck at Joe’s today. It has been overcast and grumpy all day long, with threats of rain, but none fell here, as far as I know. I have stayed in my church clothes since this a.m. instead of changing as quickly as a fireman to get out to the pool. Hopefully yesterday was not my last day in the pool for the season!

It was a grande day on Saturday, with Lee coming out to hang with me the majority of the time. Rick and Fran were not able to make it as they had projects at home to take care of instead. Fran may come tomorrow without Rick unless the weather stinks, as is predicted. Boo, hiss, boo! There are great plans made to celebrate the end of summer including having a lunch buffet, snow cones, a bouncy house, and the best part---cotton candy! Oooh, I love that stuff! If they do not have enough reservations, the buffet might be moved to the cabana and I will be in luck with enjoying some of those foods in addition to the regular fare. Again weather permitting!

Danny was lamenting his not being able to use the Gator game tickets Fran offered him for last night’s game, as he was stuck at work, cooking for me, and a few other folks. I was so glad others did come out so I did not feel as badly about it for him. Instead, she gave him a set to use next week which replaced his sorrow with glee. The cabana TV was not geared to pick up the game so Pat and her beau went back into the house to watch. Randy and Carol came for dinner, having the fish wraps, and then came up to my house so I could give Randy the book “My Stroke of Insight” which Mary from aerobics had recommended. Finally I was able to return a video to Carol, borrowed last year, which I never got to watch as my VCR quit working. Rats! She might order it on DVD and then I will be back in business. It was about Italy but I cannot recall the name at this moment. Carol sent me an e-mail this a.m. to thank me for letting them come up to see my place. Very nice of her! She also wanted to know where I got my blue cabinet door hardware…

This morning, thinking there was no Bible study because of the holiday weekend, I stayed home and listened to a service from Morton Grove, IL. It was great to hear a familiar voice, the both spoken and sung Word. Later this afternoon, I played their closing hymn over the phone for my mom to hear, for old times’ sake, “Abide with Me”. *sigh*

Anyway, when I got to church, Judy C. met me in the breezeway and told me she missed me at Bible study. Rats! My mistake…After church, Michael invited me to join his mom and his friend, Nicole, at St. Johns Seafood for lunch. Since it was cloudy, I immediately accepted and enjoyed my fried Pollack meal. We get a discount by presenting our church bulletin and I teased the lady that she did not even check the date on it. Mike said I go only once a year, keep the bulletin to use week after week! I found that amusing! His friend is a former student from when he taught in Green Bay and she came down this way to visit her godchildren in southern GA. Her mom is friends with one of the teachers at FG! Judy laughed about that, telling Nicole that I always find a connection somehow or another. A WELS Connection!

Since there was no football today, I watched instead a very interesting program on CSPAN where books and their authors are featured. The author whose lecture I enjoyed is a guest host on one of the radio shows I listen to, and is an amazing author. I have a couple of his books on the shelf already, a captivating writer and has a charming British accent. I really was hoping to find a program about the terror attacks which took place 10 years ago but found nothing. If push comes to shove, I have my own DVDs to watch but would need to plug in the player. Such a bother!

It’s that time of the month here again…

…which is why my bed is piled with mail collected from the box in the lobby when I came home last night. Like many other folks, I look forward to getting something in the mail in the early part of the month. While normally I am not a fan of stopping at the mail box often, in anticipation of my important envelope, I will stop to check a bit more regularly. One time, I got a call from my neighbor, Hugh, on behalf of the mailman, who was wondering if I was on vacation because my box was so full. No, Hugh, I am up here in my loft, just hanging out, and yes, I will come down at some point to collect my accumulated mail.

Yesterday at the pool, I was chatting with my friend, Rick, who is a pharmacist at a Wal*Mart in this area. My friend, Ed, was reporting on the 1^st of the month that he was rehearsing being polite to people, bracing for going to the commissary on military payday to restock the shelves of their home. On Facebook, I asked him why he needed to go actually on payday instead of waiting for the fervor to ease.

Rick told me how busy it gets at the store where he works, in particular when the retired military folks come in and demand their prescriptions be refilled---and won't take 'no' for an answer. Not fully understanding how it all works with that type of insurance, I still appreciated Rick’s take on it, when he explains to the customer that they have to wait a week before ‘it is released’. For some reason their insurance does not match up with the first or 15^th of the month paydays (I guess) and the customers get ferocious about it---every month!

Rick said he will tell the customer that they actually CAN get their prescriptions filled and take them home that day, but they have to pay out of pocket for them. “Well, how much is it?” “$300 for this one, $125 for this one…” “Oh, I’ll just come back next week…” He said it’s remarkable how the attitude changes, the most challenging customer is humbled when presented with the numbers, the personalizing of the cost of the medications. Insurance is such an important factor and for some reason, the military insurance and the pay days do not coincide. Folks have to make a second trip out. My question remains though…why go on the actual date instead of waiting a week, when it all lines up?

Jerry Seinfeld does a bit about why the pharmacist is perched up higher than the customer is, like he has a lofty position as compared to others. Jerry’s question is how does the pharmacist get those tiny pieces of paper into the typewriter to put the information on the labels for the bottles. Hmmm???

A month or so ago, Justin and I were at Publix, amazed at how busy it was. He asked me, “You do know what day it is, don’t you?”, and I had to think for a moment, because half the time, I don’t!! It was the 3^rd of the month, when the State and Federal checks come out, and so do the people who get them. When it was only he and I at home years back, we would avoid the grocery stores or department stores on those days, simply because of the mess of folks. Unless it’s a soda run, however, when all bets are then off!

What a nice day it was today!

Breezy and a bit cooler outside, more temperate weather this week than last was for Linda, I am afraid. Randy, the sole man from our water exercise class, reported that the water temperature has dropped two degrees since he checked it on the weekend. I knew that it was at least two degrees cooler for sure but the sun today was so lovely, it helped to keep me warm. Rick and Fran were at the pool as well, plus a few other folks that I knew, so it was just wonderful being with them all. Danny made me a very nice hot dog for lunch, with a most tasty potato salad. Yes, I had potato salad twice in a week! The one at lunch had bacon in it, which Danny told me was made by his frying the bacon and then sautéing the diced onion in the grease. Then, he added that to the rest of the potato salad mixings. Delicious!

Before I went out for Happy Hour at the pool this evening, I was working on the newsletter for The Palace. Only a day or two late but well worth the delay! I did a bit of research when I was writing about the antique shoppe owned by one of my neighbors. In so doing, I found a website dedicated to reuniting lost photos and documents with their owners. The items on the site were found by strangers after the tornado tore through part of Louisiana in the springtime. There were family photos, school pictures, and even an intact baptismal certificate, waiting to be claimed by their owners, or by anyone who could identify the people in the photos. What a wonderful service someone is offering for those separated from their special photos and papers. Some of the items were marked as being claimed, which was heartwarming to know. Others told where the artifacts were found, often counties away from where the tornado struck. So unreal what a storm such as that can do!

Yesterday I had a long visit my sister-in-law, Mona, catching up on the family news. My niece, Allie, is about to begin her first year of college, taking classes at the local ‘branch’ of UW to get her started. She also works two jobs so I wonder if one will have to go away when school begins, or if she can juggle the whole load. My nephew, JR, serving now in Afghanistan, was able to call them last week, not an easy thing to do from there. He can Skype, which is video chatting via the computer, but that has to be scheduled so both ends are available. And there is always Facebook! After his service time in Afghanistan is over, he will return to Germany again for a period of time. Mona could not remember how long that would be but did assure me she had no intention of flying over there to visit him or tour the area.

While I was talking with her, Justin came to the door so I had to let Mona go. Justin quickly took a shower and changed his clothes for attending the Jaguar game. He loved the new shoes I got him at Payless, coating them with baby powder to soothe his hot feet. Before he left for the game, I gave him some money so he could perhaps purchase the special Jaguar t-shirt for the September 11^th game, and he was able to find one there. Saved me another trip to the Mall, which I greatly appreciated!

Back to tonight---after sitting poolside with my friends and neighbors, I went to Winn Dixie to get some soda. At first, as I told Justin, I was just going to order pizza so I could get the soda delivered, but since I was dressed for Happy Hour, decided to go to the store. Penny, my friend, laughed at me when I told her my plan, and told me she wishes for a life like mine. A couple times a week I have to get fully clothed, but otherwise, I go from night gown to swim suit and back to night gown. Unless I need soda, that is!