Friday and The Trip to Women's Retreat

I am all packed...except for finding something to take to the silent auction. So far, I haven't found anything suitable. I will continue looking around. Surely I can find something. I have my books for the book exchange all packed up in a book bag.

I slept fairly well considering I was concerned about how I would sleep over at the retreat. I am taking my meds and the melatonin too. I got up close to 5:00AM., dressed and ate my breakfast. I have had my coffee and the chai latte and am now drinking my cappuccino.

I will leave about 10:00AM. The dinner at the senior center is at 11:00AM. That will give me plenty of time. I want to leave my car in Karan's garage. We are forecast for rain all next week and we may get hail this weekend while I am gone.  I am always concerned about hail since I had a perfectly good Toyota destroyed by hail in the past.

I have been re-reading the Scott Peck book, "Further Along the Road Less Traveled." It is just as good today as it was in the 80's.  Our church honored him with our peace prize in 2008 for his books. I attended that Peace Colloquy. It was terrific. He was teaching folks how to come to "community" at that time and his experiment with our congregation at that Peace Colloquy was terrific. He said we came to "community" faster then any group he had worked with. I'm not surprised. After all, we are Community of Christ and are renowned for our sense of community.

More later...

I finished the book before I left for Coffeyville. After my hair appointment I went out to Walmart and  After I got to Karan's I put my car in Karan's garage. Then we went to pick up Carmen and drove to the Joplin area to go to the campgrounds. After there, I had no time to blog and took no computer so I will not be back until Sunday afternoon to finish blogging about the retreat.

More Sunday afternoon.

Thursday and Cleaning Day and Laundry

I slept pretty well last night again. I woke up three or four times but did get back to sleep. The last time, it took awhile but I did finally get back to sleep. I have dressed and had my breakfast already.

I will clean the apartment this morning. It didn't get done last week between Dean being here and the sinus infection. That seems pretty well gone now. I will continue to take my antibiotic until Tuesday just to be sure.  That's what the pharmacist suggested and he seems pretty knowledgeable. I will have to take it to the campgrounds tomorrow.  I have a list so maybe I won't forget anything.

I want to vacuum before the CBS news comes on so I will get back to this later....

I scrubbed the kitchen and bathroom floors and I got the vacuuming all done and then took the sweeper all apart to clean it well. Now the trick will be figuring out how to put it back together tomorrow after the filters are all dry. I have the instruction book out and will try to just follow the instructions. We will see.

Now I need to dust. And I will be finished.

I just called Scott. I had two spam calls and a notice from him. I wasn't sure if the calls were from him or the spammer. It was the spammer. I deleted the calls and read his message after I finished talking to him. He was out at their property to see what the progress on their home is looking like. I will check his facebook site in a little while and see what they have got done this week.

More later....

I put some cat food out this morning and for the first time I caught this skinny little kitty eating like it hadn't had a meal in days.



I think it belongs across the street but I am not sure.

I got the dusting finished.  Now the place is clean. I also figured out how to reassemble my sweeper.  I got that put away too. I finished my laundry and folded it out. I am pretty much done except for the packing which I will do tomorrow morning.

I have been reading an old Scott Peck book "Further Along the Road Less Traveled".  It is just as good today as it was back in the 1980's. Makes very good sense.

The Schwan's man came this afternoon and I bought some more of his products. I am stocked for awhile now.

These photos are of Scott and Ginger's new home. They are really working on roofing!!


Looking good!

I fell asleep while reading this evening and finally got up and went to bed!

Wednesday and Hair Day and Game Day at the Senior Center

I slept very well last night after going to bed at 9:00PM. I slept through until 5:00AM. I have dressed, had my breakfast and Chai and Cappuccino.  I have watched the weather too.

I texted Rick this morning to see if Carmen had a sleeping bag. She didn't.. so I will take both of mine. I also told Rick she would need clothes for two days and that the registration covered lodging and food for Friday evening and the weekend. I think she will have a good time. She is lonely for friends and probably feels isolated here with no other family here but Rick.  Their boys both live in Alabama.

Karan will drive this time because my little car is too small for three people's bags plus sleeping bags. I will leave it at Karan's. We will leave at 2:30PM on Friday.

This morning I printed off my list of what all to take with me.

Today, I will go to my 9:00AM hair appointment and then mess around town until lunch time. I will also need a treat to take to game day. And maybe I will visit Marilyn. After lunch, I will go to game day at the senior center. It will be a full day.  I need to leave about 8:20AM to go to the bank first and then be on time for my hair appointment.

More later...

I went over to Coffeyville in time to go to the bank and also get my hair done. Then I went out to Walmart there and bought a few groceries. Then I met Karan for lunch and  after lunch we went to game day at the senior center.

We played Skip Bo until 4:00PM and then I went out to Woodshed and filled up with gas and got my car washed before leaving town. I got home and unloaded my groceries and picked up my mail.  I had a "thank you"card from Dean for my hospitality and my two newspapers.

I will go back to Coffeyville on Friday to leave my car at Karan's before we leave for the campgrounds but first I will have the $2.00 lunch at the senior center.

Nancy dropped over again this afternoon late. David had called her again and visited with her. She told me about that and also about Sandy having a meeting and deciding to save their church. Several people who had not been to their church in ages came to the meeting last night. Sandy had the meeting well organized and with an agenda and covered the meeting well. She is going to get a new tax number and look for another pastor to lead the worship service.  She is determined to salvage their church. I gave Nancy a copy of my "Church Briefs" that I have put in the Journal and the write up I have in the Reporter and Chronicle. I thought after they found another pastor, they could write up a story about it and announce they were not closing after all. Maybe they can salvage their church that way.

After she left, I watched the "Dateline" program I had recorded today and then about 7:15PM, I took my bath and looked over my notes for the class this weekend.

I saw on Scott's facebook page that the builder is putting the roof on their new home. It coming along!



Tomorrow, I will clean the apartment and do my laundry.

Friday morning, I will pack and about 10:00AM, drive over to Coffeyville to have an 11:00AM lunch at the senior center.  Then I will take my car out to Karan's at 2:00PM and she and I will go pick up Carmen at 2:30PM and make our trip to the Joplin area to Racine/Seneca, where our campground is located... for the weekend of a Women's Retreat.

About 9:00PM, I went on to bed.

Tuesday and a Trip to Chanute

I slept well again last night. Maybe the trick to that is the 3 melatonin tablets I am taking every night.  I have read several articles now about the blue light emitted from smart cell phones, computer screens, new light bulbs and TVs that destroys the melatonin our bodies naturally make. We have to replace it in order to sleep well.

Anyhow. The cough is back (evidently the wind while mowing yesterday)and I am back to taking cough syrup and zinc lozenges. I do not want to get the sinus infection again.

Keith called me last night on his way home from work. Yesterday was his and Esther's eighth anniversary.  He has been so happy with her and she is so good to him! Her usually calls me when he's on his way home from work...before he gets into the heavy traffic. He is very good about that. 

I just called Gay to see what her weather was like.  She says they are forecast for light rain. Their hamburger place has closed there in Chanute so she wants all of us to drive over to Humboldt to have lunch.  She says they have a good place to eat there.

I plan to go up early and get those foot square pavers at the Chanute Walmart store.

I will get back to this after I return from Chanute.

So, more later...

I found those pavers in the Walmart in Chanute and they loaded them into my trunk. I forgot that John, my son-in-law, was going to be in Nauvoo, Illinois, working on the church's property there. Now I need to find someone strong enough to lift them from my trunk and take them to the back yard to set next to my small patio to enlarge it.

I had a real good visit with Gay and the two friends she had there that had lunch with us. I drove us over to Humboldt where the restaurant was located.  Gay bought my lunch there. It was a very good hamburger and french fries with Pepsi (first) and then iced tea.  I just don't like Pepsi..If I am going to have pop, I prefer Coke or Root Beer. Anyhow, we had a fine visit and I got Gay back to Chanute in time for her hair appointment.

When I texted John, he called me to tell me he was in Nauvoo, Illinois, working on volunteering for the church. That's neat! He is doing a good thing helping out there.

Even More!

Then I had a text from Leslie telling me she was on her way to my place. I asked her what for and she said John had texted her  that I needed someone to bring in those huge pavers from my car trunk.

Some years back, Leslie had back surgery and I sure didn't think she had any business carting those huge things around but here she was and she was going to do it anyhow. So she did. I may eventually get three more just to give myself more room for my chairs .

 

Anyhow, these kids obviously take care of me.

Now it is 7:50PM and I have had my bath.  I will try to stay up until  9:00PM.

Monday and Mowing Day

I slept late last night...until 6:00AM this morning. I have dressed and had my breakfast, my coffee and my Chai Latte. I have even swept off the front walk and some of the garage.

I hope to mow later this morning. My sinus infection is much better and I think I can do the front and the back and save the side until tomorrow afternoon.   I will leave for Chanute about 8:30AM tomorrow and drop by their Walmart before I meet Gay and see if I can get those foot square flat pavers there. I hope the wind isn't blowing today or tomorrow. I am still taking those powerful antibiotics to try to prevent this sinus mess from going into Erysipelas again. But I feel pretty good considering. And I have most of my voice back.

Later after noon I hope to go to the library and take back these two books I have already read. I may have finished all this author has written. These two are "Change of Heart" and "Sing You Home" and both are by Jodi Picoult. I think I have read twelve of his books now.

More later...

I got the front and back yards mowed early this morning and was going to save the side yard until tomorrow but then I saw the forecast and we may even get rain sometime today. So I went ahead and mowed the side yard too. I had spent some time picking up sticks on the side yard earlier today.

 
This is the front.

 
And this is the back yard.

Then I saw the forecast and decided to go ahead and mow the side yard too. It is the largest.





I got two bags of clippings and got them into the dumpster for tomorrow. But this is done for another week. Every time I do it I feel stronger. I know it is good exercise.

More later...

Nancy came over after lunch. She is feeling a lot better. She stayed about an hour and visited.Then she left. She said she had got nothing at all done yesterday and needed to run some errands and buy some groceries. I was glad she was feeling better.

After she left, I walked down to the library and returned those two books.

Then I went to the Dollar Store and got everything on my list except those foot square pavers. I will try to get them at Chanute's Walmart tomorrow.

More even later...

I watched Forensic Files until  bath time and bed time and went to bed at 9:00PM.

Sunday and Easter Sunday Church

I woke up about 6:00AM..late for me. I had my breakfast and coffee and Chai and finally did my dishes and came in here to catch up my blog. I have the coffeecake in the oven and the icing ready to mix. I have had the weather on the TV but have not taken the time to watch it. My hoarse voice is a little better today but still not normal.

I heard from Dean that he got home just fine...no bad weather. I enjoyed his company but he is in a lot worse shape then I am...health wise.  He has atrial fibrillation and a pacemaker. Also he has sleep apnia and uses a C pack at night. It's hard for me to realize how good my health is compared to others of my classmates. I feel blessed.

Leslie is speaking at church today. She is one of our three pastors. And this is Easter Sunday.   I don't know what she has in mind for Easter.

I will get back to this later. It's about time to get the coffeecake out of the oven.

o.k. the coffeecake is cooling so I can get back to this.  I have the icing mixed up too.

It's almost 8:00AM and I plan to leave at 8:30AM for the church. So I will need to get that coffee cake iced as soon as it's cool. I will give it 15 minutes.

I want to mow tomorrow if it's nice enough. Hopefully I will get the front and the back done. I plan to go to Chanute on Tuesday to meet Gay at Opie's. She has planned to take me to a new restaurant where we can get a very good hamburger. We usually eat at Opie's but this is a change. I am always good for a change. Maybe I can finish the side yard Tuesday afternoon.

Then Wednesday I go to Coffeyville to get my hair done. I will get any additional shopping done there as well as go to the bank.

I had a nice visit with Alice, my neighbor, yesterday afternoon. She plans to move into a house she has bought in Edna where the rest of her relatives live. But her move isn't until the middle of July. She is a good quiet neighbor. She gives me the Bartlesville paper and I give her the Independence paper. She was born and raised in Independence and I lived 16 years in Bartlesville. She also gives me the Chronicle and I take that to Bob. He is no longer online.

More.... later in the day. I had better ice that coffeecake.

We had a large attendance this morning for Easter service. It went well. 

Well, I didn't get anything I intended to get at the Independence Walmart store after church after all. The wind was blowing way too hard for me to get out in it with this sinus infection.  I will try to get what I need early Wednesday morning before my hair appointment at 10:00AM ...if the wind has died down by then.

I did get a nice pizza lunch at Railroad Inn though. John and Leslie bought my lunch. Rick and Carmen and Ramon ate with us there. I drove into the Walmart parking lot and located the twelve inch squares but the wind was blowing hard so I just drove right back out. I want to get over this sinus mess as soon as possible.Then I just drove on back to Caney and into the garage..away from all that wind.

More later...

I called Nancy earlier this afternoon. She still is feeling bad. She aches all over. It comes and goes. She thinks she needs to go to a doctor and learn what the problem is. It could be arthritis, I guess.  I told her I had brought home some coffeecake for her. She said if she was up to it, she would come over tomorrow and pick it up. I took a piece over to Alice, my neighbor. She always appreciates it.

If the wind dies down, I will mow the front and the back of my yard tomorrow.  I will try to do the side yard after I get home from Chanute on Tuesday....if the wind dies down. With this sinus problem I will not do it if the wind is still blowing. I have stayed in all afternoon.  I watched a recorded TV show this afternoon and then watched 60 Minutes this evening before I took my bath. 

I have had my bath now and will go to bed about 9:00PM.