Rain, rain, go away

Almost all day long it's been like this---rain, rain, rain, flash of lightning, boom of thunder, rain, rain, rain. Not always hard, but pretty much steady. Those who know say this is exactly what is needed for our soil, and to reduce the fire danger. Of course, lightning does NOT help with that!

                     

Justin stayed the night at the new house, going over there almost immediately after work last night. His tail was dragging but he headed straight to the new house to help get things ready for the housewarming party which is tonight. He invited me to come to the party, but I have opted to stay in rather than brave the roads on this rain-soaked day. 

                                                    

The other night Ron and he tried their hand at installing a toilet ("We have one working toilet in the house!") and last night were installing ceiling fans and other lights. I hope they got it all ready plus had what they needed to make it a party.

This late morning my car came home to me. It was delivered to my parking space by Vince, the owner of Norris Automotive. He drove it many miles in an attempt to get it to act up but no luck. He told me that he ran all the diagnostics on the engine and stuff which came up as being in good working order. So, it must be my imagination playing tricks on me. I hope and pray he is right, have to trust him. But I also have to trust my car...sigh....

Today I made a batch of spaghetti which I enjoyed for lunch and for dinner. My, it is tasty! It is not easy to mess up such a dish but it is easy to mess up my stove, sink, and cooking utensils. Thankful for the new dishwasher to take care of the mess for me. Still in the process of deciding what to serve next Sunday for my guests...I am just so excited about having a feast. It's been a while, probably since ThanksLiving in 2011. 

Have a great Palm Sunday all! "Hosanna in the highest!"

Our merciful Lord

Once again the Lord has been merciful and spared me from a terrible expense. The mechanics, having driven my car and put about 40 miles on it, cannot find anything wrong. That is the 2nd time that I have had it checked over and nothing found amiss. Now, instead of having to replace my transmission or do other major repairs on the car, I might be replacing the entire vehicle for peace of mind's sake. We shall see! But I am offering prayers of thanksgiving to the Lord for answering mine. Earlier this week I asked Him to spare me from a tooth-ache and thus far, the tooth has been quiet. We have a good and gracious God!

Yesterday I had the distinct privilege of writing a short speech for my friend, Toni. She has to say something at her dear friend's retirement party and asked me to put words to paper for her. Not knowing the other lady at all, I garnered a few details from Toni and wrote a little speech for her to present. What a blessing it is to be able to do this for her! She said it choked her up, so I guess it was good!

                                                     

Wednesday Brenda and I met for lunch at Steak 'n Shake ("I have coupons!"). Our service, previous times not that great, was superb and we were wildly impressed. I even told the cashier how much we appreciated it. Brenda has only an hour to spare for lunch and every second matters when we are together. Her family already has plans for Easter, for which I am glad, but I wanted to make sure they were covered for the holiday. She has her hands full helping to raise her two granddaughters, and is doing a good job of it under the circumstances.

After such good news and delightful tasks, it saddens me to report the story of an area mom and the killing of her baby. She was out walking the baby in the stroller yesterday morning in a small town in GA. Two young guys, one barely a teen, approached her with a gun drawn, demanding her money. Of course, she had none, just out for a walk, so one of them shot the baby. She was wounded in the process of trying to protect the child. For what? A possible couple of bucks? Life has lost all its value....

There is a reward of some size offered for information on this crime. The police are checking with area schools to find out who was absent from class, declaring they will not rest until they make an arrest in this horrendous killing. My heart aches for the parents on the death of their little one, and sorrow for the community knowing of their own likely did this. Come quickly, Lord Jesus....come!

Waiting for the other shoe to drop

Lately my car has been acting worse and worse for me, as I have mentioned in the past, being sluggish and such. Justin freaked me out before I went to WI last December when he was using it, complaining about it acting up for him when out Christmas shopping or something on the Southside. Lately, for me, it's been idling funny, seeming to choke when waiting at a stop light. I would pop it into neutral and the idle normalized. Like driving a race car, I would have to shift back into drive and then zoom off!

Months ago I had gotten the name of a guy recommended by my friend, Betty. Her son-in-law works there and I felt confident in calling this company. I had to leave a message but in a few minutes, the owner of the shop called me back. More polite he could not be, and most gracious. He offered to come and get the car from me, which I accepted. 

He didn't have trouble finding the place as his daughter's wedding was held at The Club last year. He told me about riding to The Club to drop off a check, with his wife on their Harley, and then rode down by the river. "Some woman came charging around the building" to tell him this was private property. Connie!!! He laughed it off, acknowledging that even though he cleaned up nice, they might have looked 'suspicious' on their motorcycle!
                                              

Justin came home after work last night with an Oreo Mint Blizzard for me. For no reason! I am eating it half at a time, because it's so rich.

Vince, the shop owner, had a young man with him who would actually drive the car back to the shop. I gave Cameron the instructions for sitting at the lights, and they both assured me they would get it back to the shop without an issue. I hope they did! He is calling me later to give his diagnosis and estimate---gulp!

My sweet neighbor, Tracy, is allowing me the use of their extra car, which had belonged to MamMa, for the duration of my repairs. That is so very nice of her! I have the best neighbors! Connie also told me I can use her car during the day while she is here at work, which is truly above and beyond, for which I am grateful. Just knowing she offered is heartwarming to me. Twila had agreed to come pick me up for church Sunday but now I can tell her I won't need the lift.

We have a church meeting afterwards so doubt we will go to Chili's this week. Judy is going to Charleston for the weekend so will miss the meeting and lunch! 
                                            
The good news is that the following week, Judy and our group will convene at my table for Easter feast. Mike S. will be coming, too, and possibly Judy's grandson, David. I look forward to having a group around my table again, for Justin and David to be able to engage in conversation. That is going to be so interesting, these two political talkers. I can't wait!

The day in pictures

"What's all that racket out there????" Oh, yes, this is what my most recent assessment is paying for---destruction!  

It looks like they can keep the railings, thus far, which saves us a ton of money 

Meanwhile, back at church.....

After feeding the choir, the kitchen needed to be cleaned up again. Bruce is drying dishes as Judy washes roasters in the other sink.

The choir was magnificent! At one point they circled the chapel and sang from every corner. So moving...

At the end of the sacred concert, some of the choir members did a couple numbers from their recently presented production "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat". Used a choir gown instead of the fancy coat like Kramer wore on "Seinfeld"!

 My young ladies came off the bus to pose with me, with Jayne doing the honors of taking the picture. From left is Betsy (Watertown), me, Megan (IL), and Becca (TX) 

This picture is Jayne with the boys she took home with her. In her house, what's two more????

Here is Judy with her group of six. She said she had kids lying all over the place. Any port in a storm! The young lady in the white top, a cellist, came to us from South Korea. Our missions at work! I don't know for sure, but my guess is the young man, the taller one, is going to make a fine pastor some day. He has 'that' air about him!

Martin Luther Prep choir

I know it's not exactly correct to include the "Martin" in the title but I am an old school girl, so to speak. My kitchen is ready to go for making the lunches for the four students I will be keeping. I mixed up a pitcher of orange juice to serve them for breakfast. Hopefully the lunch bags I have are large enough to hold the stuff I bought for them. Might have to switch to grocery bags instead!

The weather is nice today so I hope whatever the kids are doing for entertainment is outdoors. They might even take home a suntan or worse yet, a burn, from their time in FL. If they are originally from "up north" our relatively cool weather is warm to them. No snow, which is a plus!

I don't know if I am getting girls or boys as my guests. One will have to sleep away from the others as the air bed, single, will be set up in the living room. The others will stay in the guest room. My suggestion for them will be to have two shower at night and two in the morning in order for there to be enough hot water for us all. 

                                        

Their bus leaves at 8:00 a.m. so it will be an early wake-up for us. Hopefully traffic will not be a concern but I wish to leave here around 7:15, just in case. Michael C. is in charge of the whole works and said he will be at church to receive drop-offs at 7:00 for those who are on their way to work. They can eat their breakfast here (bagels and cream cheese) or take it with them if time runs short. I also have some 'hot' cross buns if they prefer. Got my first ones yesterday and sadly, they are not as delicious as I remember them! I wish the buns were less dense, I guess. They are good, make no mistake, but I like them less compacted!

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Justin and I are trying to orchestrate our Easter celebration. He has plans to go to the Hilltop Restaurant with Jesse and his family, as is their custom, which would be right from church. If I have a feast, I will serve late afternoon or evening, as I will be starving by that time! I am looking forward to having people around the table again, but am not sure who will be available to come. Highways and byways, anyone?

Thinking of funny things

This is NOT so funny---my morning began with the sound of what may have been a wrecking ball on the sundeck. Bam! Bam! Bam! over and over again. Even though I was in my nightie, I opened the door to see what was gong on, but could not from my vantage point. After a certain point the sound turned to jack hammers which was somehow easier to take after the big bams from earlier. I guess the workman needed to break something up in order to get the tear-out underway. We were braced for it, but it sure was a startling beginning!

When I went down to get in my car for Bible study, I met some of my neighbors coming back from their walk. They are 2nd floor dwellers and would have this commotion right outside their door all day. I offered them some respite in my house if they wanted it. Perhaps some day they will accept my offer though, as the workers move from north to south, my place might be just as noisy.

This a.m. in Bible study, Michael began the study of Thessalonians with us. We were short a few people but still had a nice class. Ethel and her family are on their way to TX for her grandson's major swim meet, a college team. Go, Ryan! Betty has company from out of town so she was busy with that. Jackie was MIA yesterday already and am not sure what's up with that. Perhaps I will call to see if she is feeling okay.

This afternoon, I had a dental appointment. Yes, again! Last night I got a couple jabs from a tooth nowhere near the one needing the attention, not long after taking the last of my antibiotics for the other tooth. Should not have been an abscess problem, given the fact I was already taking the medication. 

                                       

                 This could easily be my own x-ray with all my root canals!

Peggy looked at the x-rays and saw nothing, except for a teeny cavity between the teeth. I will have that fixed after the other tooth is taken care of. Other than that, she can find nothing amiss. After it gave me a couple jabs last night, I flossed and took some store-brand Aleve. Of course, I was so nervous and upset about the tooth that I had trouble going to sleep so am dog-tired now. I asked the Lord to help me and thus far, He has kept the tooth quiet, even after Peggy poked and knocked on it. I have a stand-by scrip of penicillin to take in case it does act up. Ugh---me and my teeth!!!

I was sitting here late afternoon and thinking about funny things my nieces and nephews have said over the years. These might be some of those "you had to be there"-type of things, but they still amuse me:

Dustin was with his dad in an antique store, when he was about 3 or 4. David showed him the 'old' record player, the 'old' washing machine, the 'old' anything. At one point the clerk acknowledged Dusty and asked him, "How old are you?" to which Dusty replied, "I'm not old, I'm new!"

Another time, Dusty, who loved trains like nobody's business, was helping his mama pick out a new winter coat. She would ask his opinion, just to keep him entertained. At one point she tried on a denim jacket and asked how he liked it. His face lit up and he announced, "You look like a hobo on a train!", which is a good thing to him. She did not take that jacket....

When my niece, Alayna, was in Sunday school at FG, her Auntie Lynn and Grandma K went to collect her from the classroom. They asked her what she learned that day, and Alayna announced, "Well, we don't have to worry about Moses anymore---he died...." Just like that. He died. We don't have to worry about him any more! What a hoot!

When Jamie was little, my former spouse and I would keep him at our house much of the time, since we worked from home. He loved buses (bupsh), and would watch from our living room window for the school bus and city bus to go by. He was always so good for us, never a problem until his mom would come for him. Then, he'd act up like mad! One day I set him up on the counter in the kitchen to look him in the face, very seriously. I said, "Jamie, your mama is the boss!" After a second, he looked at me and innocently asked, "City bupsh, or school bupsh?" Ha, still tears me up!!! He thought I called Jill a bus! How can you stay serious after that????

St. Patrick's Day

Last night I attended a St. Patrick's Day-eve party at my friend, Peggy's, home. When I had told Justin about the invitation, he said, "YOU don't go to St. Patrick's Day parties..." Yes, dear, I know I don't, but was sure this would be a 'safe' event for me to attend. I loved being included and was interested to see a real St. Patrick's Day party.

We were asked to wear green, or green would be thrust upon us, and to bring a potato dish, or some other Irish dessert. Thursday night I was making a shepherd's pie for dinner when Justin came in to ask me to Mellow Mushroom. I took the casserole from the oven and away we went. My donation, then, for the party, was my shepherd's pie! Easy peasy...

I made sure to arrive at Peggy's right on time, being among the first to arrive. This ensured me a good place to park, not too far to carry my covered hot dish, and afforded me a smooth exit when the time came. She was still flying around making things ready and urged me to introduce myself to folks already there, which I did.

Jon had put on a power point 'show' of their trip to Ireland which was set to Irish music so I watched that from the living room. Another couple came in, a retired couple, the lady having worked with Jon years ago. They had also been to Ireland so could point out various features and landscapes. Nice, nice folks. They all were, in fact, very nice.
                                      
The table was laden with food, including Peggy's corned beef brisket which she told me last weekend would start being prepared on Wednesday. Wow! I found real mashed potatoes, plus my shepherd pie, homemade soda bread which was fabulous, and the brisket. 

Later, Jon came to find me on the porch (yes, nice enough to sit outside!) to make sure I found things I liked. Guess I made an impression last weekend with my picky eating at the Wounded Warrior event. He said he knew I was not a big drinker but offered me an Irish coffee. I refused because I don't drink coffee. Ugh, I am the worst guest! Believe me, I managed last week and again last night to find enough to eat. In fact, I left without even having a green cupcake!

The whole lower level of the house, and the patio, was decorated for St. Patrick's Day, complete with a door wrap. Most festive! After chatting with folks on the patio, it was time to depart. I was home by 9:00 pm but I was not the first one to leave. They are gracious hosts with very pleasant guests, and I appreciated being included. 

Fortunately, CSPAN was still carrying the CPAC programming (all those initials!!!) so I was able to catch a speech or two missed earlier in the day. I had missed part of Dr. Carson's speech when outside with my camera so caught it in full last night, plus a question/answer portion I somehow missed at the end. I do know how to have fun!

All day I was wondering how Justin and the guys were doing on Ron's move. At last, something was getting moved into the house! Justin told me today that he did some painting at the house besides helping with the move, this time doing the dining room. Evidently the lady of the house found the original color to be too green. Justin describes her as being the 'Lady Gaga of interior decorating'. This makes me laugh. He has said more than once that Sarah just needs to come over here and look around, so she gets an idea on what works, how things work together. She has troubles visualizing things, no 'picture eyes', like Justin has!

It was so good to see him come through the church doors this a.m. I have not seen him since Thursday night and wasn't sure he'd make it to church. But he did! He was tired from moving Ron's stuff, and from painting. 

He is not sleeping all that well at his dad's house so his sleep is off. My guess is he will go to bed early tonight. Justin has to sleep one more night over there and then he is back home to get a good rest, and then ready things for our guests. Today, after lunch and spending some time here with me, he headed back to the house to help Sarah unpack boxes. Such a guy! If anyone knows how to pack a box and unpack them, it's Justin! And his mama!