Trip to Asheville

Saturday we got up and worked on washing down the outside of the house. It gets covered with fly spots and cobwebs. I began sweeping down the cobwebs and moving things off the porch. Evelyn took over while I went to the men’s breakfast at church. We ate and discussed a chapter of the book we are reading. We dismissed at 10, and I went to Wal-Mart to drop off my prescription refill, UPS store to mail the package to Texas Trader, and Food Lion to get some red grapes. I brought them home and Evelyn used them to finish the broccoli salad for today’s guests. They came right at noon and we had a drink before eating our venison/sausage burgers. They wanted to go to Asheville to the farmer’s market so went along, thinking Evelyn could go to a shoe store to get some dancing shoes. We never made it there. We returned home and drank a bit of Tipperary Irish creme before going to Bo Jangles for chicken. We were asked to come to their cabin for cards but declined the offer. We came home, walked around the loop 6 times and watched TV. I recorded “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest”. We talked about a place in Alabama that has a huge store selling baggage unclaimed from airline flights. We are considering going there on our way south in the fall.

Oopsy, tipsy

We had a wonderful, restful night. We wakened earlier than we wanted but moved right into our regular routine. We had breakfast and I went straight to changing oil and filter in the car. We were just over 3,000 miles and had needed to keep the schedule. I had bought some ramps last fall and this was the first time to use them. They worked well and were quite an improvement over the boards I had nailed together and used before. Evelyn had been experiencing dizziness and had to lie down while I finished. Despite being somewhat dizzy, she went with me to work our shift at the Open Door. Our church was scheduled to serve, and I was to bring the message before the meal. There were several from our church but also many from the Maggie Valley Methodist Church. Before I could get to the dining room, the pastor read some scripture and said a prayer before beginning to serve the meal. Since Evelyn was still not perfect and there were too many people there, we went to the adjoining thrift shop and bought some candle dishes to fit into one of the anniversary gifts from Tom and Stacy. We then went to the grocery to get some items for our guests tomorrow. We came home and had a sandwich before Evelyn took another nap. Around 3 we decided go to Iron Tree, rent a cart and play 18 holes of golf. It was a warm but beautiful day, and I played well again. I play 2 balls and broke 100 on both of them. I know these things come and go, but now I am in a fabulous groove. I wanted to take Evelyn our for being so good as to ride around with me for 3 hours. We went to a Mexican restaurant and use a coupon for dinner. It was 2 for 1 but required us to buy two drinks. They only served Coke, so Evelyn decided to get a Margarita while I had a large beer. Toward finishing her meal, Evelyn began to get a bit sick. She has such a low tolerance for liquor that she was a bit drunk. She walked around the parking lot while I paid the bill. I caught up with her as she staggered slightly. We went to the grocery again and she hung right on to my arm. I am cracking up most of the time until we came home. We just laid around but finally had to turn on the AC in order to sleep.

Ending a pleasant visit with the grandkids.

What a surprise! We got up, stripped the bed and dressed for breakfast. And there sat Stacy in the kitchen. We learned that they had driven until midnight and come home earlier than we had anticipated. They told us some of their vacation and even gave us some gifts they had brought for our anniversary. We didn’t even thought they didn’t know about it. We taked for a while and then we packed our things and left for home about 10:30. We drove for about an hour and a half and stopped for lunch in Cornelia, GA. ( I am to tell the menu: Evelyn had a fish and chicken platter including French fries and two hush puppies. I had 4 catfish planks (not good) French fries and two hush puppies. She also had a diet Pepsi.) As a shock we discovered we had left a large bag of items at the Georges. We had to have the items, so back we went. We called to tell them we were on the way and asked if they could meet us with the bag. They agreed and we met at a restaurant (I can’t print the menu here) which was close to their house. Tom gave us the items, and we started home once again. We saw many things we had seen twice before today and made it to Tallulah Gorge and Falls. We went to a small gift shop overlooking the Gorge and shared a Snickers ice cream bar before driving to the state park. We will return one day to see the museum. We drove on north hoping to run into rain but didn’t. We arrived home and unloaded. We had eaten “a high calorie lunch” so we just had popcorn and beer/soda for supper. We also had a few M&M peanut candies. We watched some of “Pleasantville” and the NBA playoff game: Spurs/Lakers.

48 years together

Wednesday marked the anniversary of one of the greatest blessings in my life: 48 years ago we were married in Muncie, IN. We got up very late and I made pancakes for myself (no one else was interested in any), and we ate together: my pancakes and Evelyn’s Grape Nuts. We then spent time doing some cleaning. I vacuumed the floors and then I read the newspaper, the chapter we will discuss at the men’s breakfast Saturday and went over my presentation to be given at the Open Door Friday. This took some time. I also, after more than 8 attempts, downloaded the new AVG free edition 8.0 for virus protection. We both got hungry during the time between breakfast and supper so I had the rest of the melted cheese dip, and Evelyn had half a sandwich. I have only one Negra Modelo left to drink before we leave tomorrow. The 15 yearly weds had bought 6 for me, and I have enjoyed them. We took Beethoven for a walk and then returned to get the grandkids to go to Pizza Hut for our anniversary dinner. We are upscale! We made our way to the Pizza Hut with a young friend of Olivia’s but had some trouble between the kids. It continued into the restaurant but settled down with time and encouragement. We went to Kroger to get some dog food, and I bought Evelyn some roses and other flowers for our anniversary. We were home well before dark and watched “Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End”. It was difficult to follow, but Peter explained the second movie, “Dead Man’s Chest” to us, helping a little.

Another peaceful day

Evelyn and Olivia were up at 6, but Evelyn was able to go back to sleep. When we got up at 9, there was Olivia at their computer. We had breakfast together and then remembered she was scheduled to go to another family to play with their daughter. We learned the address, entered into our GPS and followed it to the house. It was a snap and then followed it back by a different route. We returned home and waited until 1 to have lunch. Evelyn made cold meat sandwiches, and Peter not only ate with us but heated his and mine in a waffle like piece of equipment. We enjoyed our meal together. We had a problem with Beethoven, the dog, because he ran away and wouldn’t come back when called. When he did return, I whipped him. I would never do that if he had come when called because that is a bad idea if you want the dog to come next time he is called. Evelyn read the majority of the afternoon and I published the pictures I had taken of the kids. I spent a great deal of the afternoon trying to publish the video I had taken of Olivia in her play. I tried several times and was unsuccessful. I tried once more and then just went away. I thought it would publish since I was on a Wifi system but it failed. I did get a message telling me to contact support. We took Beethoven for a walk. It was hot but better than yesterday. We came back and I made popcorn for our supper, and Peter made some pasta and cheese sauce. Olivia didn’t come home until 7 and had to chase Beethoven again to get him home. We wanted to do something with the kids so we watched “Ratatouille” the movie. We had to ask Olivia to go to bed because she went to sleep on the floor. Peter went back and forth from the computer so we didn’t have much time together. I called Joe Winston from Texas to wish him happy birthday which was May 22. It is always good to talk with him. I also had a call from a high school classmate, Richard Rice, from Tucson. He told me that another friend, Wayne Norris, had hip replacement surgery last Friday. I will send him an e-card. We went to bed around 10. Tomorrow is the big day for pizza out.

Pictures from Roswell

Olivia caught by surprise while building a computer aquarium

Peter caught by surprise while making him and me a sandwich that he will heat. Can a sheepdog see through its hair? Can this "sheepdog"?

This a posed picture of sandwich construction

Peter having a cheesy melt sandwich. Does he have fangs?

Mostly eating

We slept very late today. We don’t find the bed we are in to be very comfortable. We were up at 9 and showered. I turned on a switch in the bathroom and a bulb blew. We had to get some later in the day because we couldn’t find any here. We ate Grape Nuts for breakfast. We read and worked on the computer all that was left of the morning. We then thawed some angus burgers and Evelyn fried them for lunch and Peter ate with us. Olivia had gone to a friend’s house at 10:30 so she was not here to join us. Evelyn and I went to Circuit City and Publix to get a few items like the light bulbs and some food items. We went to Linen and Things and saw a chaise lounge that Evelyn wanted so I bought it for her as an anniversary gift. Olivia was brought home around 4 and went almost immediately to the pool. She rides her bicycle even though there are many hills around here. This time, however, she called and asked me to come and get her. I put her bicycle in the back and brought her home. Evelyn had made some chicken breasts and penne but had waited until she arrived to start the roasting ears we had bought earlier at Publix. It was delicious: very sweet. The kids didn’t eat much, discouraging Evelyn from cooking any more this week. We watched some TV even though we asked the kids to play cards or watch a movie with us. They just stayed upstairs until around 9. They came down and Olivia made a snack while Peter watched Hawaii 5-O with us. Atlanta has a station called “Retro” that shows old TV shows. We see some nostalgic ones.

Another Relay for Life

evelyn signing in at yet another Relay for Life and fighting cancer. Notice how cold it was on this evening in May.

A pleasant day in Roswell

We were both up before the alarm wakened us. We showered, finished packing and were on the road by 7. We drove to Franklin before stopping for a light breakfast at McDonalds. I drove on while Evelyn slept. I got drowsy toward the end of the trip but stopped enough that I got refreshed. The 15 yearly weds were very well organized with messages and clear directions as to how things should go. They left shortly after 11 and the kids just played games. We had a lunch of leftovers around noon, and then Peter and I watched a bit of the Indy 500 while Evelyn read on the porch. Peter soon left and I dozed through some of it alone. Olivia came down and rode her bike to the swimming pool. Peter had been invited over to a friend’s house and left us. Olivia called from the pool and said she would make dinner when she got home. We didn’t even know she could cook, but she did a very good job. She cooked pasta and then made an alfredo sauce almost by herself. I shredded parmesan cheese, and Evelyn helped her blend the ingredients. Olivia had found a recipe on the computer and followed it well. She also cut and baked some Italian bread. We really enjoyed our meal with her. We went back to the TV area while Olivia played some building game on the computer. We gave up at 9:30 and went to bed. Peter had come home around 8:30 without fanfare. Tom and Stacy called to tell us they had arrived. We have to get up early tomorrow too in order to give Olivia her medicine. This time, however, we get to return to bed.

cleaning up

Saturday found us up earlier than we had planned. We began finalizing our clothing selection for the trip tomorrow. We put our clothes into the clothes bags we had brought from the Winstons. We listed some other things we can’t take until the last minute but don’t want to forget. We also worked on cleaning the car; I vacuumed and Evelyn cleaned the vinyl with some Armor All wipes. I also worked on getting some of the coffee stains out of the carpet. While Evelyn made lunch, I set up the new table for our grill. I had bought it yesterday. I like the way it looks but it had been used and returned. I think it will be all right. I worked on some computer work while Evelyn rested. Around 3:30 she decided we should go for a walk, so off to the lake we went. We were back home by 4:30 but waited until about 6:30 to eat. Evelyn is working on a project suggested by a Max Lucado book, and I helped in a small way. She cooked some sausage we didn’t want to leave until Thursday or Friday. After supper I watched the Cubs ad she talked with her brother. We wanted to retire early because we have to get up early tomorrow morning.

Exhausting volunteering

Friday we were up somewhat early. I made coffee and we got ready to leave for our service at the Open Door. But we had things to do on the way. First I called Denise and she said she would fax our X-ray results to the hospital nurse here. We went to the nearby post office and bought some more 41 cent stamps to go with our 1 centers. We then went to the oncologist’s again to get the golf permit I had bid on and won last Friday. We took our trash and recyclables to the collection point and decided to stop at K-Mart to get some towels to use as cushions on our picnic table. I also found a fold up adjustable table on special that I can use to set our outdoor grill on. We were still early for our work. There were more people there than we can ever remember and we had to work very hard. We were both very tired when we left. We stopped at Ingalls on the way home to buy some French Vanilla Cool Whip that was marked down this week. We love the flavor. We came home and took naps before going to walk the lake. It was really quite hot but a breeze helped keep us from melting. We returned home and just snacked for the evening meal. We also had some Moose Tracks ice cream. We watched “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” and some of the Spurs/Lakers game. Tomorrow we have to make sure we have all our clothes packed because we have to leave early Sunday morning to drive to Roswell for the week.

More golf and a Cajun date.

We ate our oatmeal and did our devotion before washing the car in our driveway. It was an easy job but a bit chilly. We also made some “blue water” to feed the Mandevilla and other plants. I did some blogging as you know, and then Evelyn wanted to take me to the golf course by 11 so she could get to Clyde for her permanent. It was a beautiful day and I began my first round. The course has only a front 9 and has to be played twice. I was able to take my time and played as well as I could ever hope to. I finished the first 9, went to the “clubhouse” and went back to play the second. It was only 12:30 and Evelyn had said she would probably not finish until 1:30. The course is laid out so that the 6th green is near where she would be. She was there and had brought sandwiches from Subway for our lunch. She had also brought a Pepsi for her and a beer for me. We enjoyed our lunch and then went on to play the final 4 holes. I played them a bit better than the first round. I play two balls on each hole and did well on both of them. In fact my scores were virtually the same on each ball. I score them B1 and B2. We came home and did little until supper time. Evelyn started some laundry and rested before heating the last of the asparagus soup. We finished off some other leftovers so the refrigerator will be void of spoilables when we leave this weekend. I also put our overflowing trash bag and recyclables into the car so we can take them to the refuse center on our way to our service at the Open Door tomorrow. We then watched some TV and called some women to see if anyone would run for LWML offices. We also called the dentist who bought our Cajun dinner and set up a date for the meal they bought. It will be early in June. They are very familiar with Cajun food and are the most educated people we have encountered in this area. She is reading a book on linguistics! I used to know some things about linguistics but no longer. I hope we have a good time and Evelyn is not too nervous in her preparation.

Dragging my------golf clubs

Wednesday was beautiful but breezy. We got up, ate breakfast and decided to wash the windows. I usually do the outside and come back to remove the screens several times during the process. Today, however, intelligence reared its competent head and I remembered that the bottom windows all tilt in for washing. The top ones still require my "mop and squeegee" method. I was able to remove all the screens at once, so I cut down my trips inside. I finished well ahead of Evelyn, so I came in and started around the house to meet her. We finished in record time. This was geezer day at the Lake Junaluska golf course, so we packed a lunch and went there to walk the course for $10. I would rent a cart for $15, but that course doesn't allow Evelyn to ride along free. We ate lunch at the new clubhouse snack bar and went off to play. We hadn't played the back 9 this year, so we started there. We hadn't walked the lake so counted this as our daily exercise. Even though we don't have continuous motion as the lake walk, the hills and pulling the golf clubs compensate for that. I played fairly well the first 9, and then asked Evelyn if I could play more, hoping she would accompany me. She said I could go on but went back to the car to rest. I really played well (for me) on the first 5 holes of the front 9 but then ran out of gas. Some of the hills got me, but I still had a decent round. It was now around 4:30 so we came home and Evelyn fixed a salad for supper while I tried to stay awake. After eating we both relaxed a bit before going to choir practice. For some reason several people never came. By several I mean 5 which is half of the choir. We were early so Rosalind and I practiced some of the music for the LLL convention, rehearsed some music for our regular church praising, and then finished the LLL music afterward. She is wonderful to help me with that music. We had taken the venison summer sausage to give to Jim Juhnke, but he didn't come so I gave it to Rosalind. On the way home we stopped at the Methodist Church to see if Phil and Norene could come for a dessert Evelyn had made. To our surprise they came but not until 9. I was understandably exhausted from the day of golf but struggled to be hospitable while they were here (back to my regular self after that). They left around 10:30. We went right to bed, and I didn't write this until Thursday morning. We plan to wash the car this morning, but I will tell you all about that later this evening.

More water on the plants

Up and walking early again. It was another beautiful day and quite temperate. Evelyn was concerned about being too cold but wasn’t. We seemed to walk faster than yesterday and had a little time to go to Taco Bell to say hello to the group I worked with last year. Cara wasn’t there but Stephanie, Bobbi and Stanley were. We talked a bit, and I said how disappointed I was that Cara had not even called to say she didn’t need me. We came home and had a piece of toast. It was already 10 but we still wanted lunch. We did occupy the time by my going out to plant the small asparagus ferns we bought yesterday. I put them into the Boilermaker wishing well. Our new lawn guy told me to make vertical cuts down the sides of the old fern and it might begin growing again. I did that and took it out of the plastic tub it was in and planted the new ones beside it. I also watered the replacement plants on the south side of the house and the tomatoes. There are three blossoms on two of the plants. Perhaps they will become tomatoes. I came in and we ate a South Beach Diet chicken salad. It was pretty good but came with some pita chips that were nearly inedible. We put most of them down the garbage disposal. Evelyn then left to have her fingernails retreated. I put 409 on the door surfaces where we touch it in closing, used a broom to remove some cobwebs from the carport and carried our Mandevilla that we had kept inside since we returned to its place outside. It rained a bit but not as much as predicted. Perhaps we will have some storms during the night. The Cubs were on TV again so I watched while Evelyn watched a second night of the great dancing show. These things make me stay up later than I should.

Golf is better than usual

We were up and walking by 8:30. Evelyn wanted to be in Waynesville for her weigh in with Weight Watchers. She not only maintained her free status but lost 2 pounds. We were both surprised because she has been wolfing down desserts right along. She had dropped me off at the Open Door where I solidified our serving days and confirmed my bringing the message when our church serves on May 30. I also mentioned that the Beelis might want to help when they are here on the 27th. We will see how things work out when they arrive. From there we went to the Grocery Outlet mostly looking for eggs but left with several other items. From there we stopped at Lowes and bought several plants and a valance for the window above the kitchen sink. We came home and finished the breakfast casserole from last week’s Bible study. Evelyn rested a while and then went out to Iron Tree with me to play golf. She just rides in the cart with me. On the second 9 she quit bringing the putter to the green and looking for the balls I managed to hit into the creek. She just sat in the cart. When I complained, she left me and the cart and walked back to the car. I still had 5 holes to play and continued playing. I didn’t play quite as well the second round. I played two balls on each hole and shot 48 on each ball on the first round. I wanted to play today because the predictions are for rain the remainder of the week. We drove home and worked with the plants we had bought earlier. It happened the Cubs were playing the Astros so I watched the game while Evelyn watched “Dancing with the Stars”. We also completed our favorite activity of the week: filling our weekly medicine holders. It is great to have medicine to play with.

Sedate Sunday

Sunday was a long awaited day at our church. First we worshiped and had Holy Communion. The choir sang during the offering as usual. Then the congregation went outside for a blessing on the ground breaking for the addition to the existing church building. Following this was a catered dinner for all who wanted to attend. I had written a check for a contribution but there was no basket. I don’t remember going to a church dinner where there was no opportunity to give. We came home and Evelyn realized she had left her purse at the church. We changed clothes to go walk and went back to church. The people cleaning up were still there and we got the purse and some railroad spikes from along the tracks that run behind the church. I need them to hold our cup on a stick upright in our flower bed. It keeps leaning over. We went and walked the lake. It was good that we took our umbrellas because the sprinkle we had experienced at the ground breaking developed into a nice shower. We came home and Evelyn went to bed while I watched the Cubs/Pirates game. Afterward we had intended to go to the band concert in Maggie Valley, but Evelyn was too cold and it was still rainy. By the time the concert was to start it was sunny. I made popcorn and had a beer while Evelyn drank a Mike’s cranberry lemonade. We had some rhubarb pie and watched “Must Like Dogs”, a movie about people who meet via the Perfect Match service on line. Then Evelyn wanted to watch a special about WGN TV and the Cubs. After that we watched some more and read the Sunday Asheville Citizen Courier we have subscribed to. We went to bed late.

Bread and marriage encounter

Saturday we just worked in the kitchen instead of walking. I began by writing several checks for medical bills and to support our Mexican student. Evelyn finished her glazed peanut butter bar for the marriage encounter meeting tonight. I showered and she washed and set her hair. This is a process that consumes several hours. Since she couldn’t sustain the time in succession, we made some hazelnut/poppy seed bread. We had bought the ingredients earlier and had waited to make it. Evelyn put the ingredients together and then we both stirred and kneaded the dough. We put the three loaves into the oven to rise and went back to computer and hair styling until time to bake the bread. It turned out marvelously delicious. It was time to leave and we drove to Marion, NC using our GPS which worked excellently. We were right on time. We had a nice sharing about how we as a couple reflect God’s love. The people who will loan us their motor home were the presenting couple. They had worked hard on the presentation. We shared and then had a dinner we had all carried in. We only stayed a short while because we were 1½ hours from home and Evelyn gets very nervous riding at night. We came home but stopped at the Wal-Mart on the way home to get some batteries for our timer, calculator and Road Whiz. The timer is finished, the calculator works only on solar power and I was only able to save the Road Whiz. We came home and relaxed before retiring. The spiral will be held at our house next month so we will be the presenting couple.

cold Carolina

Friday was lowering in the west even though the rain had been taken out of the picture. We walked the lake around 8:30 and were home about 9:30. I wanted to go play golf, but Evelyn wouldn’t go. It did look like it would rain and was chilly, but things cleared up. I didn’t really want to go with out her so I just did a few small jobs around the outside. Evelyn was tired and took a nap before she mopped the tile floors. We had some of the leftover casserole she had made for Thursday. It is lacking something but neither of us can determine what it is. We had a piece of the rhubarb pie she had made, and it was delicious as expected. Around 2 we lay down in bed to watch the Cubs play the Pirates. We were both tired for some reason and both fell asleep. I would waken after something exciting happened and was able to watch the replay. In reality I saw the important parts of the game and still napped. We got ready to go to the Relay for Life in Canton. We dressed so that we could go to the dance afterward. It was cold at the relay. We stayed for the survivors/caregivers lap but left then. We went to a Sonic for a hamburger and then to the Food Lion for some beer (the grocery in Clyde is dry) and strawberries. Their price was more than Ingalls grocery. We were both losing interest in the dance but did go to Ingalls to get their strawberries and some Mike’s cranberry hard lemonade. Evelyn decided she was aching too much to enjoy dancing so we just stopped at Big Lots on the way home. When we got home, Evelyn cleaned the strawberries and then did the dishes that I had volunteered to do. Instead I tried to get another couple to go to the spiral with us tomorrow evening, but could find no one. We watched some of the playoff basketball game and then went to bed---again.

Band concert

Thursday was overcast again. It did rain some but the storms predicted never came. Evelyn got up and finished baking her casserole for the Bible study. She went off to church, and I went on line to clean up e-mail and check on Emily’s ticket purchase. I found that one of the ticket charges has been successful. I couldn’t find out about the other one. I looked around for the ceiling fan duster that I knew I had bought last year and finally found it. I cleaned all the fans (5) and then used another to dust all the ceiling/wall corners where cobwebs gather. I also decided to make some burgers. Our friends, Tom and LuAnn, had brought 2 two pound packages of venison that had been given to them, and someone had suggested mixing them with sausage to weaken the gamey taste and add some fat. There was a special on Jimmy Dean sausage this week so we bought 2 one pound packages. I mixed them with half of the venison. One of the sausages was regular and one was hot. I tried keep them separate because Evelyn might not be comfortable with the hot one. I fired up the Q-grill and cooked 12 patties. We ate two and froze the remainder for another day. We both agreed that the sausage made the venison better. Evelyn cleaned rhubarb and I chopped it into small chunks so she could make a pie and save some for some rhubarb shortbread squares to be made later. I then made her rest while I repaired the spinning flower that had broken in the high winds earlier in the week. I also cut the remainder of the venison summer sausage into chunks and went across the street to give some to our neighbors. They weren’t home but have a refrigerator in their garage where I put it. We dressed and went to church to meet a parishioner who had sold us tickets to a band concert in Hendersonville. Originally, his wife was to drive and the 4 of us were to go to dinner before. She had to stay home to sit with her grandchild so we went alone. I volunteered to drive because he drives a very old car. He plays a tuba so we loaded it into the car and went off. The concert was quite good. The first half being selections by Bach, Beethoven and others. The second half was scores from Broadway musicals. We enjoyed both halves. We drove home in a light rain. The cloud cover makes blacktop very hard to visualize, and I am getting to the age where my vision is impaired by those conditions. We made it anyway with the Lord’s protection. We came home and I wrote while watching the Spurs playoff game.

Why do I play golf?

We got up and had oatmeal. We also began work on making tonight’s dinner and Evelyn’s breakfast casserole for tomorrow. I did a lot of chopping (asparagus, celery, onions, and ham) for some soup and our upcoming stir fry for tonight. We also learned that Emily thinks she has bought the airline tickets for their trip in late June, although there is a question since she used the wrong address for our credit card. We went off to the Lake Junaluska golf course and walked the front 9. I don’t know why I waste my money and time on this game. I have played worse, I think, but maybe not. It was a chilly, overcast day for a while but humid. I was a bit overdressed but still don’t know why I sweat so much. We finished the 9th hole as it began to sprinkle. I don’t think it rained much more but was ready to quit. We came home and had our lunch, including some of the asparagus soup we had made. It was rather mild. Surprising since we had put so many things in it. Evelyn continued her work on tomorrow’s casserole. We had gone to the grocery to get some of the items needed for the breakfast. We were out of milk, for example, and needed some of those things. Evelyn was understandably tired and took a nap. I tried to call TX to get the license plate for our trailer. I don’t know what happened because the woman wanted to know the weight of the trailer listed on the title and promised to call me right back. She didn’t and I fell asleep. We went to choir practice to learn that somehow water had leaked into the church basement. There is some construction beginning on the addition and the pressure had done something to the main. I practiced with Rosalind on the LLL music and then drove to Bollingers. They had called and told us they had rhubarb for us and wanted us to come and get it. We stayed until after 10:30 and ate a piece of rhubarb/strawberry pie Norene had made. Storms are predicted for tomorrow but who knows.

The trip is set in granite

We got up a bit earlier and were walking around the lake by 8:00. We were a bit faster than normal and were home by 9:00. We ate our oatmeal and then prepared to go to Iron Tree to play golf. Evelyn made some sandwiches, and I packed them and 2 sodas into a small cooler and off we went. The man who takes the money let us put the sodas into their cooler and we left the sandwich in the soft cooler on top of the cooler, and we went to play the front 9. Some men ahead of us gave me the idea of using the first hole as a practice T since there is none there, so I played the first hole twice. I did do better the second time. We went around the first 9 in good time, excelling with the new Ping putter I now own. I don’t think I missed a putt! J On both rounds I found a total of 9 golf balls that people just didn’t take time to look for. Some were very obvious and in the open. We came back about 1:30 and ate our sandwiches. Back we went and enjoyed the beautiful 70 degree weather. There was no wind to speak of either. I played better the first 9 but the second wasn’t as bad as usual. We were home by 4:00, and Evelyn began working on supper. I cleaned the wonderful new golf shoes I now have and cleaned and marked all the balls I had found before watching my sports shows. We ate and enjoyed the delicious strawberry salad again with a chicken breast wrapped in a tortilla. We cleaned up the kitchen and relaxed, watching “Dancing with the Stars” again. I had to call our mail order prescription and duke it out with the representative to get some medicine. As it turned out I had ordered the medicine a month ago, and I found it in our medicine box. I had overlooked it because it is in a different kind of bottle. We went to bed early after giving Emily our credit card number so she could order their airline tickets.

CLICK ON ANY PICTURE TO ENLARGE IT

Our friends, Mickey and Frances Monteith, went with us to Cataloochee forest to see the elk come down to feed in the evening. We took a picnic and ate chicken. The elk finally came, and we got some good pictures up close. One is racing across the field. One picture is of them grazing. If you strain, you can see them. Or you can click on the image.

Tjhese are pictures of a homestead built in 1903. It has been repainted but that is all that has been done to preserve it. The small building is a "spring house" where people kept milk and other items that needed to be cooled. There is a spring flowing through it, making it cool inside year round. There is a creek flowing in front of the house that must have provided water for the people. There was also a large schoolhouse not pictured here.

Relay for Life

Here is Evelyn at the Relay for Life in Waynesville. There will be several in this area. She is, praise God, a survivor for more than 5 years. We pray she has another good 5 here on earth. She had to miss the survivors lap due to another committment.

Rhododendron

Pictures of the beautiful rhododendron blooming around Lake Junaluska. We have seen many beautiful spring flowers we have never seen before this year.

Talk with the pastor

Monday Evelyn ate her oatmeal and then took me to meet the pastor at Underwood’s Cafe. She thought I was to meet him at 9 but 9:30 was the time. I had to sit alone for what turned out to be 40 minutes while she walked the lake. He was 10 minutes late. I had eaten half of my blueberry biscuit when he arrived. We had a very good, amicable conversation in which he seemed willing to help me get a supervised position. He can’t do it himself but said he would talk with the circuit counselor tomorrow, hoping to get some direction. As it turned out, Evelyn sat outside waiting for us to finish but I didn’t know that. I came out and we drove to pay for the items we had bought at the Relay for Life: 18 holes and a cart at Waynesville Country Club and a one day pass to the fitness/spa at the Grove Park Inn in Asheville. We also checked out the price and situation at the fitness club at the hospital. It seemed quite expensive for us. They have an initiation fee that seems ridiculous to us. We came back and made what seems our daily stop at the grocery before coming home for lunch. Evelyn wanted to frame and hang a picture of a rooster so I found a frame here with a picture of us from years ago. The rooster now covers it. I barbecued 2 of the steaks we bought last summer. We have only 2 more and 2 filets left. I don’t care much for the flavor of meat cooked on a propane grill, but the texture was very good. We also had a delicious salad with feta cheese and strawberry dressing. Afterward she cleaned the kitchen and took a nap. I try to avoid that so I don’t wake in the middle of the night. When she wakened, we watched our sports programs and then ate hotdogs for supper. Evelyn still has some stomach problems and ate only ice cream. Evelyn did some ironing and then watched “Dancing with the Stars”. I have decided to start going to bed at 10 instead of 11:30 so I don’t sleep so late in the mornings. We will see how that works. We tried to call Emily but she was with Andrew who is trying out for the basketball team. We don’t see how a home-schooled boy can legally play on a public school team. It is, however, California.

Mother's Cay

Sunday we sang praises to our Lord with the choir in church. It was mother’s day and all the mothers received a carnation distributed by the children. I knew they would not come to the choir loft so I went down to tell them that there were 3 mothers upstairs. They brought them up. One of the parishioners grows asparagus and brought some to church as he does every year. He gives it away for a donation to the building fund. We brought it to the car and then went to a fish restaurant for Mother’s Day dinner. We went to Auto Zone to get some motor oil and then to the grocery for some Nutty Nuggets. We noticed a sale at Goody’s next door and bought 3 shirts for me and a magnetic necklace connector for Evelyn who has trouble connecting her necklaces. We came home and Evelyn went to bed. She had been up for 2 hours last night and has had an upset stomach for a couple of days. I watched the Cubs beat Arizona again. When she got up I made popcorn and we watched some of the basketball playoff game. Evelyn called Linda Waters and talked with her for over an hour. I happened to find a modern version of “The Odyssey” and switched back and forth between it and the ball game. I also called Amtrak to see what it would cost to take the train to Boston for the cruise in August that Evelyn wants to take. I think it will cost more than a plane flight. I have my classmate and fraternity brother looking for transportation for us. We also make a plan to go to a Marriage Encounter gathering next Saturday. Tomorrow morning I meet with the pastor to see if I can be given an assignment so I can be put on the pulpit supply list. We must also go pay for and get our tickets that we bought at the Relay for Life silent auction. I forgot one thing. Emily sent her mother an e-card for Mother’s Day, but she received nothing from Stacy. Perhaps a card is in the mail.

playing with elk

Saturday we walked early and then went to the UPS store to see if they could tell me the cost of shipping the putter from CA. They could only give me an estimate, but I bet it is close. We came home and Evelyn was still feeling a bit woozy in the tummy so she lay down while I cleaned some coffee stains from the back floorboard carpet. I also transplanted our three tomato plants into a larger pot and tried to stake them up. I watered them and took them to the south side of the house for optimum sunshine. Evelyn got up, better, and made us a sausage with sautéed onion and bell pepper sandwich. It was after noon but we had to meet our friends at 3 so we had a time constraint. During the time after lunch, Emily called and we talked about their visit. They are now planning to arrive here June 26. We will be together with all of them 4 days or so before we leave with the boys. We packed our picnic basket with a strawberry pie she had made this morning and some other supplies. I brought in a cooler, packed it with some sodas and ice packs, and we began to leave. Suddenly I realized that we might need some chairs so I put 2 and a roll up table into the hatch and off we went. We went to the Monteiths, Mickey and Frances, and from there to Bo Jangles to get some chicken for our picnic. We drove up to a place called Cataloochee, a meadow where elk that have been introduced into the area come down to eat near dusk. The site is 10 miles up a curvy road, some of which is gravel. We got up there and looked at a house and school built by a family that settled in that area in 1903. By now it was near 6 (and still no elk) so we took our goodies to a picnic table right in the meadow. We prayed and ate. Just as we finished the long awaited elk arrived. We weren’t very close then but did see 11 in the meadow. On our way out the elk mosied over to where we were very close, close enough to take some pictures. We drove slowly down the mountain and took our friends home. We had planned to go in for coffee but were all too tired. We came home and relaxed during the evening. I wrote checks for the shipping and for the set of Ping clubs I had bought from our friend in Texas.

6 strokes off my game

Friday we went to walk the lake and run some errands. We went to the church to have copies of the music for LLL made at the church. I doubted anyone would be there but both the pastor and the secretary were. We left there and took some recyclables to the processing center and then drove to Clyde to get another gallon of strawberries ($9) that were shipped in from SC. We stopped in the Food Lion and bought some more strawberries to compare. We also bought some Dorito chips for the grandson trip. We took the music to Rosalind’s and gave Herb some of my Mighty Putty that he wanted to buy. We came home and worked on cleaning the berries and making lunch. We ate on the deck for the first time since we have arrived. It was a gorgeous, cool day. We rested while watching the Cubs beat the Arizona Diamondbacks. We had to dress up so we could usher at the Hart Theater but wanted to go to the Relay for Life first. We were overdressed for that event and couldn’t stay for the survivor’s lap because we had to get to the theater. We decided to use one of our 2 for 1 coupons for a double cheeseburger at Burger King. We took them with us to the theater and were just a but early. We ate and then went in to usher. This is really a waste of time and money because virtually everyone who comes to the plays knows right where they have always sat. This production was a series of 6 short scenarios. We stayed for the first 3 and left. The first one was somewhat funny but the next two were rather inane. We came home and watched some cooking shows. Also, the putter and shoes my brother, Stan, said he would send me was waiting on our step. It is a very good Ping putter (I doubt I will ever miss another putt again) and the shoes look very nice. They slip a bit on my heel, but I will see how they work next week on the course. It rained a little bit before we went to bed. We hope it rains more while we sleep. I also called the dentist’s home hoping to talk with his wife. She is the woman who bid highest on our Cajun dinner but, ironically, she was in New Orleans. We left a voicemail message and home she calls us back this weekend.

disappointing rainfall

Thursday didn’t give us time to walk. Evelyn had to dress for the LWML meeting and get me to the golf course by 9:30 so she could get to the church by 10. She had a good study paralleling our lives in Christ with planting and working in a garden. I played 18 holes of golf and was not as bad as some days but not as good as others. Evelyn showed up just as I was finishing so neither of us had to wait. We came home and finished the chicken/rice casserole for lunch. We then napped and prepared for our dinner out. The new lawn care people mowed today and I gave my old golf bag to one of the workers. It was old and just in our way. We met Herb and Rosalind Kraus at Snappy’s Italian Restaurant for dinner. Evelyn and I split a spinach lasagna and then we all came back here for Irish Creme and conversation. We have a good time with them. They were both professional opera singers and she currently is our choir director. We tried to contact the dentist and his wife who bought our Cajun dinner but couldn’t. We will try again on the weekend. All week and even today the prediction was for rain and thunderstorms. Unfortunately we received very little. The prediction is for rain Sunday but we can only pray that it happens then.

Some blessings about cancer.

Wednesday we walked the lake and tried to learn when the women’s club met. We couldn’t. We came home and found a young man pulling weeds in our yard. We learned he was the new lawn care man working for Luke, the one who won the contract. We had a very friendly conversation and he left but came back to replace the gardenias that have died. He planted Japanese pieris. We had never heard of them but they must be hardy and pretty. The young man, Nick, spotted some aphids on our knock-out roses. I found some spray we had bought last year and treated the roses. Evelyn worked on making a salad with chicken in it and we both worked on cleaning the paned windows inside the house. Something Evelyn ate for lunch must have upset her stomach and she had to lie down for a while. She then had to go for a second mammogram that was more painful than usual. The good news was that it seemed to indicate no recurrence of the cancer. I thought it unlikely that her oncologist had missed everything when he examined her in March. The radiologist here recommended a follow up film be made in 6 months. We will talk with the oncologist when we get back to Texas. She rested again until supper time when we had a small sandwich and then went off to choir practice. I practiced some of the music for the LLL convention both before and after our regular practice. We had planned to go to a minor league baseball game tomorrow night with the choir but there are predictions for storms so we cancelled the plan. We did make a plan to go to dinner at Snappy’s restaurant tomorrow with the choir director and her husband. We came home and talked with the Beelis for a while, trying to sort things out concerning the trip in July.

concern

Tuesday we finished the cabinets and all the wood surfaces in the house after we had our oatmeal. We went to the church to pay for altar flowers for May 25 in honor of our anniversary and donate some money to fire victims who had their apartment burn last week. We went on to the hospital for a tour. We are signing up to volunteer and were shown some of the locations to which we might be assigned. It was lunch time and volunteers are treated to lunch. We had not planned to eat there but were hungry. We came home and Evelyn took a nap. She hadn’t been able to sleep until 4 AM, and we had planned to walk the front 9 at Junaluska course. We went to the lake to take a picture to send to Janice and then went to the course. I had a few bad holes but some good ones too. I shot an accurate 46. The concerning thing was that the radiologist called and wants Evelyn to come back for another mammogram tomorrow. We went to get some plants but the nurseries were closing so we just came home, ate the left over meffelato and then split up to watch TV again. Same programs as last night.

Annual mammogram

Monday we walked the lake and then came home for a brunch. We ate some more of the chicken/rice casserole, and then Evelyn worked on treating our wood cabinets with orange oil. I worked on straightening the office and answering e-mails. Evelyn went to the hospital to have a mammogram. She went from there to Clyde to get a gallon of strawberries. She also went to the grocery to get some ingredients for the meffelato sandwich she made for supper. She cleaned the strawberries and made the sandwich using some of the venison summer sausage we had from Texas instead of hard salami. It was a pretty good substitution. I am writing this a day late and can’t remember anything else I did. Oh, yes. I did take our floor fan out to the car port to see if I could get it to run. I don’t know what I did but it now runs. Evelyn watched “Dancing with the Stars” and I watched the NBA game. And never blogged a word!

Worship

Holy Communion. Always a blessing. Our choir sang during the offering and the selection “In Remembrance of Me” was especially moving on this day. That was the theme of Jesus at the Last Supper. We had a tense moment because one of the bass singers (he is a retired doctor) became very light headed and had to go lie down in his car. He seemed to be better but was taken to the hospital anyway. I don’t know which hospital because I don’t think the local one has opened yet. We came home and ate the delicious chicken and rice casserole Evelyn had put together before we left for church. I also found a Riesling wine that Evelyn liked. We cleaned up the kitchen and then took a nap. For some reason we were both very tired and slept for more than an hour. We got up and walked around the lake but not very fast. A slow walk is better than no walk. We went to Wal-Mart and bought a corkscrew. I have driven the cork into the bottle while trying to open the most recent bottles. I had also broken one while trying to open a bottle earlier. We have at least two in Texas but none here until today. We came home and had our popcorn and some peanuts in the shell because the Cubs were playing on TV. Evelyn likes peanuts during the game.

A long drive home

I wakened a bit after 8:30 and took my shower. I dressed and was off to the breakfast. It was a pretty good one: fresh fruit, waffles, hard cooked eggs, cereal, etc. I knew Evelyn was not awake yet and would never make the 10 o’clock closing time, so I took her a big bowl of fruit and another bowl of cereal. She ate in the room and we left around 11. We followed our new GPS to the Trader Joe’s in Norcross. We bought two cases of mixed wine: white zinfandel, shiraz, merlot, chardonnay, and sauvignon blanc. Evelyn bought some other specialty items. We looked for our hazelnut/poppy seed bread there since Kroger has stopped producing it, but they had none. This store is located in a beautiful, upscale mall that was decorated with many beautiful flowers. They looked especially lovely when wet. It had been raining off and on since we left the motel, and I am sure everyone in Atlanta was delighted after last summers drought. We drove on north and stopped at the Jaemor Farm market to get some Vidalia onion relish. We also bought 3 tomato plants, a fern, and some boiled peanuts. We drove on, me eating the peanuts, and stopped outside Clayton at a “Grill and Chill” Dairy Queen. We went on through Franklin, all the time hoping to come to rain for our area but never did. We got home around 5 and watched the end of the Cubs/Cardinal game before eating hot dog sandwiches for supper. Evelyn then decided we should walk, so we did. I also went to the hotel to try to publish some of the video I had taken at the play onto the blog. I couldn’t get it done. Nor could I send any as an attachment to an e-mail. What a bummer! I know both can be done but don’t know how. We came home and went to bed. It was a tiring day for both of us. Just sitting and riding/driving is tiring.

Grandson Peter, grandpa, and Harvelina the rabbit.

Daughter Stacy, grandson Peter, and the grandparents just before dinner and the play.


Backstage mom watching her little girl in the play. I was chewed out for taking a flash picture.

The play in Roswell

Friday was the big day for us to attend Fiddler on the Roof featuring Tom and Olivia. We got up and walked around the lake despite Evelyn’s declaration two days ago that she hated doing it, implying she would not do it again. We returned home, packed the car, ate a catfish sandwich for lunch and left for Roswell around 12:30. We made good time and reached our motel around 4:30. It was 81 in Roswell. The room was small but clean. The TV wouldn’t work and there were no facial tissues in the room, otherwise things were nice. We left for the church and enjoyed both the chicken breast dinner and the play. The first act went very well but some dissension arose during the intermission. One of the cast members took issue with the speed of the orchestra’s playing of the dance numbers. A frowny face was drawn on the back of the leader’s jacket, causing him to remove it. The cast member was fired. I thought it was a clever idea albeit disrespectful. We went to Tom and Stacy’s after the show for some wine and played a little golf on their Wii. I played just as poorly as in real life. We came back to the motel around 1 AM and went to bed without plans to return to their house tomorrow.

Here I am teeing off toward the 8th green. I have driven this one before but not today although I did par it. This is at Iron Tree where I often play.

A better day on the course

Evelyn had a Bible study at the church with the women of the Lutheran Women’s Missionary League. They always have a brunch (women seem to need to do this whenever some meet together on almost any occasion), so I was left to make lunch. Evelyn promised to not eat much so she could eat lunch with me. I fired up the Qgrill and barbecued the two steaks we had thawed, 8 hot dogs and 5 chicken breasts. I just don’t like propane grills, although everything seemed to come out OK. In fact the steaks were very well done but the hot dogs always get burned. We ate the steaks and some spinach, saving the other items until later. Evelyn took a short nap, and then it was off the Iron Tree for golf. After yesterday I was apprehensive. Did I have a good round? As yesterday’s blog revealed, that is really too subjective to declare. I will say that the score was the best of the season: 99. It could have easily been 95, but the ball just lips the cup too often. I hope I can hit a good stride and perhaps even improve. We enjoyed the fabulous weather although Evelyn was certain she would be too cold. We came home and finished the leftover pizza from yesterday and had dessert. I mention this because we are limiting ourselves to dessert only once or twice each week. Today was the day. By dessert I mean sugar desserts. Sugar free jello and puddings are acceptable because they are much less fattening. Soft candy is also out for most of the week. So is chocolate, etc.