Noah preparing to shoot a musket at the Maggie Valley celebration.

The reenactor gives a talk at the pavillion.

I am blindfolded and being led to the pancake house for the surprise breakfast.


This is the cute bear pancake served to the birthday honoree. This time it was me!

Day 1 of the grandson trip.

Monday we were up earlier than expected. We went into the house and ate cereal. I thought it best for the boys to be able to say goodbye to their families. All of the Beelis were up and I am sure Olivia was up with the Beeli girls and off to see the neighborhood dogs, but when we took the goodbye picture, Stacy was in bed and Olivia must have been hiding. We hooked up the car and were off around 9. We drove through Asheville, stopped at one rest area and then also the second. We fired up the generator and made hot dogs for lunch. We carried things over ahundred yards to a picnic table and ate. We then drove on to Greensboro, arriving at 2;30. We had some trouble finding the campground but did, unhooked the car and were off to Guilford Court House where one of the battles of the Revolutionary War was fought. The British won the battle but lost so many troops that one member of parliament doubted that they could afford another victory like that one. We spent 2 hours, seeing displays, watching a presentation about the military strategery, a movie reenactment and then left. We stopped at McDonalds for the boys' meal while we went to Bo Jangles. We returned to the campground where the boys began swimming and we took a shower. We had not taken one in the morning. We got some video and watched it until bedtime. It was nice to be clean and in air conditioning.

Happy birthday again.

Sunday was Holy Communion. Emily and her family worshipped with us. We couldn’t sit with them because we sang in the choir. We stopped to get Evelyn’s potassium for the trip and got some milk as well. We rested some during the afternoon. I was not allowed into the kitchen area because there was a big surprise being planned for my birthday party. I watched some Nascar while I continued packing. We tried to carry some things to the motor home. Around 4:30 the Georges from Roswell arrived with many surprises. They had corn to roast in our new grill, they had a large case of Corona Light to drink and some ingredients for Jambalaya. It was a marvelous surprise party--the best I have had in years if not decades. Stacy had also made carrot cake at my request and Rosalie had written the happy birthday grandpa on it. I felt very special. Evelyn gave me a shirt and golf glove and a beautiful card. I wish half of the nice things it said were true. Even though I know they aren't, I love hearing them. Elizabeth gave me some coasters she had knitted. She is only 8. His family also gave Noah a gift because he will be with us on our trip when he has his birthday July 11. We continued packing the motor home, and we slept outside with the boys as we will for the next 10 days. It was cool and we wondered why. Amazingly the air conditioner was running and did not blow the circuit breaker in the house.

Happy Birthday to me--70

We got up at our leisure, packed up and went off to Joey’s Pancake House for breakfast. The little girls wanted me to go blindfolded so they led me to the car. I knew where we were going but pretended to be lost. They were just ecstatic. They led me out of the car and onto a bench outside the restaurant. It is a very popular place for breakfast and we waited more than 15 minutes to be seated. I was still blindfolded when they led me into the restaurant. We were seated and the staff came out to sing a birthday song, deliver a pancake in the shape of a bear, and take my picture with a Polaroid. We all ordered and enjoyed sharing what we had ordered. Emily and Pieder treated us. We left there and went to a history of North Carolinians in the Civil War. One reenactor gave a good talk and several others fired a canon and other Civil War rifles. Noah even shot one a couple of times. We left there and were home by 2 when we prepared and ate leftovers for lunch. We spent the afternoon relaxing and playing games with the kids. I played croquette. It was hot so we wanted to walk later in the evening. We had meatloaf because I had requested it for my birthday dinner. Afterward we immediately left for the lake for our walk. It was much cooler because there was a nice breeze. We returned home and had key lime pie instead of a cake. No one but the wait staff had sung Happy Birthday to me yet. There is supposed to be a big party for Noah and me tomorrow when Tom and Stacy arrive. In all, I had a very blessed day and thank the Lord for the 70 years He has allowed me to live and serve. I thank Him for my family and their relationship with Him, Evelyn and me.

Dance on the street

We were some of the first awake. We made coffee and started the French toast for breakfast. Everyone finally came to breakfast around 9. We all had enough to eat. The kids and I played a game of Egyptian Ambush until 11. Pieder, the boys and I went off to the Open Door. On the way I stopped to see if my pants were dry cleaned. They were clean but quite wrinkled so I left them. We went on to serve. Pieder and I served drinks and the boys served meals. There was a large group today and few volunteers. We completed our jobs and began the clean up. The boys worked quite diligently as did I. Pieder went outside to witness to and pray with some of the “clients”. We finished our work at 2 and left for the grocery outlet for more food items. We found bananas at 25 cents a pound and strawberries at 50 cents. I bought too many things but they were well priced. I even found some chicken breasts for 89 cents a pound. We barely have freezer space for them but will like them sometime this summer. We came home and watched some of the Cubs/White Sox debacle. We had our pot roast for supper and then went downtown to the street dance. We had a good time and danced with the girls. In fact we messed up the entire dance by dancing with them when we weren’t supposed to. Evelyn began our arrival by having intense stomach pain. She even vomited just after we arrived. Praise God, she got better. We came home and watched some of a Revolutionary War program I had recorded. We went to bed late getting ready for the big day tomorrow.

Some of the family arrives

We were up at 6 again but this time by design. We drove to Hendersonville to get the motor home from our friends. I had made a way to use the safety cables instead of the chains I had bought. It was easier to hook up than we had thought. We were back on the road by 10 and home by 10:45. Just that little bit made me realize why I enjoyed all the years of travel. It also made Evelyn remember all the trouble it was. Cest le gere! We parked the coach in the neighbor’s yard and began loading it. We had planned to haul much of the goods in the car but were able to find space in the coach. We took a nap and then went to the church to have our picture taken for the new church directory. The system malfunctioned and we weren’t able to choose one of the shots. We just told the photographer to choose the one she liked best. We went to Wal-Mart, hoping to get the medicine for Evelyn. It still wasn’t ready and we couldn’t wait because Emily had left a message that they would arrive at 4, two hours earlier than they had thought. We still beat them home. They arrived and unpacked their luggage. We set up a badminton set and tried to play a little. But, praise God, a wind and some rain came up and we had to go inside. Evelyn had prepared pork chops and scalloped potatoes for supper. We prayed a prayer of thanksgiving for the safe arrival of the family. Andrew cleaned up the kitchen and then we took a walk up the mountain. We had started to just take meat scraps up to the dogs that live close. But we just kept going. We came back and Evelyn took some of the kids to the Rogers to meet them and get the French toast we had taken to put in their freezer. We came in and played dominoes with the kids and then the girls and Stephen went to the motor home to spend the night. We have enjoyed the family so far.

missed appointment

We were up at 6 for some reason. We ate breakfast and left for the radiology department at the hospital. Evelyn had been directed to have a bone density test. We finished around 10, and she took me to the golf course. I paid for the round, a cart and the round I had been too late to pay for last week. I met a twosome and joined them. They were very nice and fairly good golfers. While on the front 9, I was called by the hair dresser Evelyn was going to for hair treatment. She had Evelyn for an 11:45 appointment, but Evelyn thought it was at 12:45. I told her that she would be there. Meanwhile she was shopping and just killing time before going. Meanwhile I was playing average golf for me. It was hot today and I think it did affect me a bit. Evelyn was early (we both thought she would not be there until 4) and went to the clubhouse to buy me a golf glove for my birthday. We came home and I grilled a steak on the new grill Tom Jones had traded me for. I don’t think I know how it should work. The Bollingers came a left a badminton set and a croqueted set for the kids to play with. We finished eating and went to choir practice. We stopped at the Wal-Mart on the way home so we could get Evelyn’s potassium but they didn’t have enough so they gave her 6 packets at no charge. We came home and packed food to put into the motor home and made up the bed for our family visitors. We went to bed a little bit early so we can get on the road to get the motor home.

Getting closer

I did finally get the reservations made for our flight before going to bed. This morning we got up and Evelyn mopped the floors while I watered to flowers and tomato plants. I also continued assembling things we want to take on the immediate trip. I got some of the drinks and charcoal put into the cooler. We won’t add ice but don’t want to take the cooler empty. I also talked with Sandy’s son across the street. He is being divorced and had to move in with his mom. He is nice and I offered to play golf with him either tomorrow or this afternoon around 3. We had to go to Sylva for lunch. We are also trying to get ideas for the family to do for the 5 days they will be here while we are gone. The woman of the couple we went with used to give tours at both Jamestown and Yorktown in the past. Evelyn learned a lot from her experience that we can use for next week. We got Evelyn’s sweater and went to another restaurant for lunch. We picked up my medicine but Evelyn’s wasn’t ready. They were waiting for a call from the doctor to verify the dosage. We went to Lowe’s to get some chain and hooks to make a safety chain for our trip. The law requires safety chains. I went to get the neighbor for advice and think the problem is solved. We were home by 3:30 and Evelyn took a nap. I came in and watched my sports shows. We ate Norwegian summer fruit soup for supper and settled in to watch the Cubs. Evelyn worked on making meatloaf for the company and I chopped and sliced onions. I also washed the dishes. We have most of the food prepared for the company. Evelyn discovered she was far short of the potassium she will need for our trip so she ordered some. We will have to contact a doctor to get a prescription to take to Wal-Mart before we leave. We are certain she has more around here but haven’t found it.

Doctor's galore

Monday we were up and off to the dermatologist. We had to go to a clinic because it is impossible to get in to the group I go to. I can because I have been treated before. The doctor is a devout Christian and we were blessed to be able to see him. He gave Evelyn a prescription, and we went off to the grocery, our daily duty, for more food for our family visit. In fact we went to 2 groceries. We rushed home, unloaded the car, put the things that needed to be refrigerated and went off to Dr. Lafata. Evelyn had her regular appointment with him to learn the results of last week’s blood work. She has high cholesterol and blood pressure. This was really nothing new. She also asked for a bone density test and was scheduled for Wednesday. We also need to make sure that the results of the mammogram she had administered some weeks ago. We were out a long time and Evelyn was tired. She made a salad for lunch and then began putting groceries away. I had to push her into the bedroom so she could rest. I washed the dishes from yesterday and then sat in my Lazy Boy, taking a nap myself. When I wakened we watched the sports shows and then had supper. Immediately after, we went to walk the lake. We saw our friends sitting on their porch and asked them to go to Sylva tomorrow for lunch. We want to retrieve Evelyn’s sweater from last week’s visit to Lulu’s with the Jones’. We will pick them up at noon tomorrow. We went to the pharmacy to get Evelyn’s prescriptions but found that they gave her only 2 of the 3. We came home for the evening and packed our medicine containers for next week. I also tried to book our flight for our cruise from Buenos Aries. I couldn’t get the final step completed.

Evelyn had planned a "hold 'em or fold 'em" party for our Marriage Encounter group. She had me cut holes in face cards to use as napkin holders. Here is the table setting.

This is our ME group. I had to run to the front row because I used my timer setting. That is why I am so big. Some came from 40 miles to attend.

This is Kaleigh and Kara, Evelyn's nephew Justin's girls with us at breakfast. Note the picture of the Amish children at play above them. Justin is completing his tour of duty in Iraq.

Miz and Pauline invited John, Dixie, Kaliegh, Kara and us to breakfast while we were in Indiana.

Evelyn's old old boyfriend bought the centerpiece of flowers for her. She is just leaving the 50th reunion banquet.

Tom and Luann Jones, our dear friends from Franklin, NC, are leaving with us from a lunch date. We are planning to go to South America next January with them.

Here I am outside our little cabin we stayed in at Bearcreek Farms when attending Evelyn's 50th class reunion.

Evelyn and an old old boyfriend from Geneva, IN. He was MC of the banquet.

One of the class sponsors, Ruth Kessinger, attended from Indiapolis. Evelyn was in her wedding more than 50 years ago. She is in black.

Here is what is left of Evelyn's classmates who attended the reunion. One Amish man came from Pennsylvania. Only 4, 7%, have died in the past 50 years. What a blessing from God.

Finishing the cook-a-thon

We were up and off by around 8. I didn’t think we had time to go garage saleing but we went anyway. We drove around but never saw one sign for a sale. I wanted to go to Taco Bell to get the candy ordered so the family can throw it during the Independence Day parade. I also filled our cooler with ice to cool our beer and wine. I briefly talked with Kara, the manager, about her not calling me. She said she never got the two messages I left, but I am not sure she was being totally honest. Regardless, I told her I would be available to work 2 days each week beginning in August. I doubt it will happen but my heart will not be broken. We resumed looking for garage sales with the same result. Evelyn wants to look for toys for Stephen to play with. We came home and I iced the drinks while Evelyn began ironing our shirts for tonight. We finished our tilapia for lunch before my getting a haircut. We then relaxed for the afternoon while watching the second Cubs/White Sox game. The Cubs won again! I think they will be a force in the post season. I also had 2 calls from Emily who flies out tomorrow. We finalized the directions for them to get here. She said to forget toys for Stephen because he wants to play with me. The Marriage Encounter people were right on time. We always enjoy some adult beverages before we have a sharing question that leads us to discuss some of our feelings toward each other. Our question was “What do you do for each other to help keep your Christian light on as a couple? How does that make me feel?” Afterward we eat a carry-in meal. Tonight we had the theme of “Hold ‘em or fold ‘em” with a Texas flair. We prepared brisket and others brought slaw, potato salad, Texas toast, and 1 pecan and 1 peanut butter pie. We all enjoy our fellowship in the Name of Jesus. They left around 9 and we cleaned up the kitchen before crashing. We will look forward to having a few days of relaxation.

What a Marathon!

Friday was very busy. We had to be at the doctor’s office for Evelyn’s blood draw at 9:40. That didn’t give us much time to do anything but get ready to go. Things flowed smoothly, and we went to the Weight Watchers to check in for the month. To our surprise Evelyn had lost 4 pounds in addition to the 2 pounds she had lost last month. This was a big surprise. We went to the thrift shop connected to the Open Door to look for some western wear for our party tomorrow. We found shirts for both of us and bought some plastic hangers to use when company arrives. We went from there to a shoe store to see if they could repair her leather purse and found a promise that they could. We decided to stay out for lunch and used one of our coupons to eat at the Sagebrush Steak house. We also went to the bank to get some cash for the grandson trip. We went to Big Lots to get some other travel supplies and witnessed a woman have a seizure, fall and hit her head, causing bleeding. The staff called 911 and thought the woman had died. Praise God she didn’t. We checked out and realized a credit card was missing. The puzzle was that the EMS took at least 10 minutes to get to the store and came cruising in as though they were going to shop. We went back to the bank (no card) and the restaurant where I had left it. We thank God that it was there. We came on home by 12:30 and unpacked the car. Evelyn was tired but found it necessary to clean the glass in the coffee tables. I had to chase her off to rest. I have to do this often. The Cubs/White Sox game was on, and we watched some from bed. Actually no one watched. Evelyn got up to put on make up and I slept for 15 minutes. We had to dress and go to church to help serve the VBS kids supper. We returned home, took some items to a neighbor’s to keep in their freezer until next week, and dressed for the dance. We did dance and had a good time except for the fact that the band played each song for about twice as long as they should have. We enjoyed being with the other couples, especially Don and Betty Perry. We left before the dance was finished and got ready for the big day tomorrow. Then we hope to get some rest before Thursday’s onslaught of welcomed company.

Two days of golf

We had risen so early Wednesday that I was too tired to blog, but here is what I remember. Evelyn and I worked on making French toast and sausage links for tomorrow’s Bible study. Evelyn was the hostess. I did the frying of the bread. We had a big mess to clean up. Evelyn also made Grandma Mann’s blue ribbon banana cake muffins, using some bananas that were on the way out. She let them cool and iced them. I want to take some to my Hispanic friend, Isidro, at the Iron Tree golf course. Evelyn rested and then we went to Lake Junaluska Golf Course to walk 9 holes. Evelyn was with me but a woman from Florida ( there are hundreds of them) asked if she could play with us. She was in a cart, but Evelyn walked 8 holes. We had a good time together. She was under oral chemo treatment for ovarian cancer so she and Evelyn had things to talk about. I decided to play another 9 and sent Evelyn home. I rode in the cart with Pat and we finished the back 9 in time for Evelyn to pick me up to go to tango lessons. We stayed there until 9 PM and went to the grocery to get more supplies and check on the brisket. It wasn’t there. We came home and Evelyn had to cut up fruit for her brunch tomorrow. I stayed up with her and went to bed although not as early as I should have.
Thursday we got up and did some warming of food and went to the church. I took Evelyn and helped her set things up for the Bible study. I was going to go to the golf course to play but decided to come home and do some cleaning to help for Saturday. I dusted the furniture and vacuumed the floors. I also talked with Nick, the lawn care guy, for a while about the grass that is dying between us and our neighbor. He gave me some suggestions as to how to research what is wrong. I had to go after Evelyn at 12:30 but hadn’t eaten lunch. I was sure she would have something left over. Man, did she! She had prepared for 16 women but only 6 were able to attend. We brought home a great deal of French toast and Norwegian Summer Fruit Soup. We enjoyed some of each for our lunch and then Evelyn rested until 2:30. We went to Iron Tree to play 18 holes. She just rides in the cart with me. I played slightly better than yesterday. I always play 2 balls so I really play 36 holes. No wonder I get tired. We came home around 7, ate supper of Tilapia and a rice dish she had made before driving to a local RV park to meet with the people who will show us the tricks to their motor home. Their coach was there but they weren’t. We left a note although we didn’t gain anything by going there. We came home and I called to reserve a campsite for June 30 when we start our grandson Revolutionary War trip.

Getting ready.

Tuesday we finished our walk around 10. I went to Taco Bell to ask them to order an extra box of candy so the family can throw it out during the Independence Day parade. We will be gone with the boys during that time. We came home and I cleaned up the carport while Evelyn baked some muffins out of the bananas that were going fast. We had lunch and then I made the barbecue sauce we will use for the brisket to be served next Saturday. We rested and then Evelyn made the macaroni and cheese for tonight’s VBS. We took it and served it and came back home. We still haven’t found any more brisket yet but keep stopping at the grocery. We have been promised more by Thursday. We walked around our loop a couple of times and watched TV. Stan called from CA, thinking we had been to my 50th reunion. For someone who is so politically astute, he can't remember many personal things. He even thought my birthday had passed. Wow! He called before 9 PM here (5 PM there), and I was tempted to hang up and call him back. I will do that next time if he calls too early. Evelyn did get to talk to Linda and her conversation amazed me as to how busy we are. I also tried to make plane reservations for our trip to South America so we can ride on the same plane as our friends we plan to go with.

searching for brisket

Monday we wakened more refreshed because we slept in our own bed. We were up walking the lake by 8:15 and back home by 9. Evelyn came in to wash her hair while I washed the car as I had promised to do. We looked at one of the newspapers from the weekend while doing some of the laundry we had brought home. We drove to Sylva to meet our friends at a local restaurant, Lulu’s. We enjoyed lunch together and discussed our trip to South America next January. We need to arrange flight plans while Tom books a tour for us to Azuga Falls in Argentina. We also exchanged barbecue grills and Tom found a golf ball retriever and a vent for our cargo trailer in his garage. He gave to us. It is the same type that we had on our motor home. We stopped at a grocery on the way home to find some more brisket for our Saturday party. They didn’t have any but said they would try to have some by Thursday. That may be too late to get it prepared. We came home and rested until time to go to VBS. We were there in time for the supper served to the kids but didn’t eat. We didn’t stay long because there was an excess of adults. Instead we went to our favorite location again: the grocery. Not the one earlier in the day. We didn’t find any brisket there either, and there was no one in the meat department to ask. We came home and Evelyn tried to organize her brunch for her LWML meeting Thursday. 15 women will be attending. She also has to make some macaroni and cheese for tomorrow’s VBS supper. The woman who was supposed to make it hurt her arm and would be in too much pain to stir it.

Back from a great class reunion

Sunday was boring as one might expect. We got up and had breakfast at the buffet again, packed up, and drove to I-75. We did not attend worship but listened to a Steve Brown teaching tape instead. We stopped at virtually every rest area we came to because I have twisted my back somehow. It is not good to ride or sit too long at a time. For the first time in many trips, I got drowsy and pulled over so Evelyn could drive. I didn’t sleep long but was refreshed. We had eaten a lot for breakfast so we didn’t stop for lunch until after 2. Evelyn wanted fried chicken for lunch so we looked for a KFC. Somehow we began following a sign that we thought would lead us to one just off the highway. It happened around Lexington again, where we had a long trek to find a Red Lobster just two days ago. Our Lord must have a great sense of humor. We won’t get hungry around Lexington again, unless we are staying there. We spend too much time looking for restaurants. We drove on to Corbin and went on to 25E because we wanted to go to some of the many flea markets along that road. Unfortunately, there was not one open. In fact we suspect that they had not been open anytime on the weekend. We talked with Tom and LuAnn, making a plan to meet them for lunch in Sylva tomorrow. We need to exchange portable grills and discuss more plans for our cruise to South America next January. We came on home and found Father’s Day cards from the girls. I am certainly blessed to have them for daughters. We also talked with Bonny Winston until the phone battery died in the mountains. We also received calls from both of the girls. I returned them both but Stacy must have not received her message but Emily called back. They fly out of LA next weekend. We unpacked and had some popcorn before going to bed.

driving miss Evelyn

There is not much to write about today. We were on the road by 8, driving to IN. We were glad to see some of the lakes back up to somewhat normal levels along the highways we traveled. We stopped for breakfast and lunch on the way. We seemed to drive all over Lexington looking for a Red Lobster. When we continued north, we encountered two heavy rainstorms. These areas don’t need rain at all, but we are becoming desperate again in the southeast. We called Sam who went to get some Pizza King pizza to take to his home. We didn’t get there until 6:30 but enjoyed our visit with him. He didn’t seem any less responsive to things than he did last summer. His son, Scott, and his family came just as we left. They live in AL and came for Father’s day. We drove on to Bearcreek farms where we had a room reserved for the night. They are small two room cabins on some land Evelyn’s dad sold to the owner years ago. He has built it into a campground/restaurant/motel/village. The main attraction, aside from the restaurant, is the “Goodtimes Theater” where he has many entertainers come to give shows. Most of them are beginners but some have been big name orchestras. We watched some TV and went to bed. We meet Evelyn’s last living aunt tomorrow for breakfast, but we will eat ours at Bearcreek since our breakfast is included with our room.

Hard work serving

Thursday was Evelyn’s Bible study at church. I worked on trying to scan and e-mail the product to our ME friends. I got the item into the computer but couldn’t send it. I took Evelyn to church at 10 and went on to the library to find a quote from “The Great Gatsby”. I found it and copied it to the computer. I found a man with a laptop there, and we played around until we were able to get the attachment of my scan project into the e-mail. I had to hurry to the Open Door to help serve and was everyone glad I did. I was the only volunteer server to show up. Some of the cooking crew helped serve the meals and the director and I served the drinks. Some of those we serve are rude, but I guess I am rude to our Lord too. Perry, the director, really appreciated my being there but still had to work harder than he had ever worked while I was there. About 12:45 Evelyn showed up. I was surprised she had coaxed a ride from one of the ladies at church because I don’t know anyone that lives toward downtown. We were finished so we left and came home. We finished preparations for our neighbor’s visit and then rested while watching the Cubs play. They dressed in 1948 uniforms in honor of 60 years of being televised by WGN television. Our friends, the Rogers, came and we had cheese dip and boudin and adult beverages before eating the pecan pie. That was the real reason we had invited them. We had to run them off because we had our tango class scheduled for 7. We were a bit late but learned two new steps. We will have to practice them because I wasn’t very good at them. We came home and tried to call the people who will lend us their motor home again but with the same results as last night. I sent the e-mails out with our party plans for the 21st including recipes for the visiting couples to make. Now I need to finish the sharing question and presentation. We are off to Indiana tomorrow.

Evelyn looking into Tallulah Gorge, the deepest gorge east of the Mississippi River. She also peruses the selections in the gift shop.

Peter at work and enjoying the fangs of his labors


More of Olivia's work

A new outfit from Grandma

Olivia at work.

Beethoven eying a squirrel

Casterlines visiting our home

Serving our Lord's children

Wednesday was the first day we were to serve at the Open Door. We had our breakfast and went downtown. It was geezer day at many stores and we went to Goodys for some trousers to wear to the class reunion this weekend. We found some marked about half price and a blouse for Evelyn. We went to the grocery to see if they could get brisket. They had some and we bought one for our next party. We went on to the Open Door. We were early but chatted with the others from our church who were serving until time to begin. I gave the message just before the meal was served. We take the food to the people there, including their cutlery and drinks. Some of them take the “you owe it to me” attitude but most are grateful for the food and service. They come in from 11:30 to 1 when we stop serving. We begin cleaning the tables and the floor around 12:30. Some volunteers wash the dishes and put them away. We only carry them to the area. We don’t do the cooking either. The meals have to be prepared from the food available in the pantry. The meals are made from food that has been donated by various groups around town. After leaving there we went to 2 groceries to begin buying for our next meal: the marriage encounter meeting at our home. We were home around 3 and Evelyn had to have sandwich (she won’t eat with me at the Open Door) and a nap. She gets very tired because some of the work is difficult. We had some small steaks I had bought last summer. I used the charcoal grill we had bought last week at church. After we ate, we went to choir practice for an hour. I am still working with the choir director on music for the LLL convention in July. We came home and asked one of the neighbors to come for pecan pie but they wanted to wait until tomorrow night. We returned home and watched the Cubs game, ironed my new trousers and packed for our trip to IN.

dinner guests

We slept until we wakened naturally. Evelyn wanted to do some more laundry so we gathered clothes before going to walk the lake. We were pleased that it was somewhat cooler than the past few days. I was going to post some pictures at the hotel but there was no place to park near it. Besides the inmates from the local prison were working on the grass and weeds on the hills near where we walk, and Evelyn didn’t want to go alone. I walked with her and was surprised that we never saw an inmate. We were home about 10 and started the laundry. I vacuumed the floor and then Evelyn mopped the tile surfaces. She was tired from the walk and the work so we took showers, and she went to bed for a nap. I went to the kitchen and finished the dishes from last night. We put the boudin into the steamer, made the Raman slaw, and waited for our guests. They had won a lottery for the dinner. The lottery was to raise money for Pastor Crume's daughter's eye surgery. They came fairly promptly. We served the boudin but no beer because they don’t drink beer. He didn’t drink wine either but she did. We had a nice conversation on our deck before serving the dinner. It was somewhat a curiosity that she had not taken the name Highsmith. She had kept the name Hayes. They seemed to be in love but must have a reason for the disparity of names. He is a dentist, but she must not work outside the home. We were very impressed with her. He didn't say much but had limited opportunity. We played Cajun music and covered a great many subjects, and we really enjoyed them. We pray they had a good time too. We washed the silver cutlery and China plates before watching the Cubs beat the Braves. Tomorrow we go shopping for some dress pants I can wear to the alumni banquet.

Rain at last

Monday is the only day this week we can play golf: so we did. We were up and on the golf course by 9:30. I used a new larger driver that I had bought from the church sale Saturday and had some pretty good success with it. I still have trouble hooking and topping the ball, but that is not the fault of the club. I also wore some almost new Reebok golf shoes bought at the same place. They were quite nice, so I now have two good pairs. I will take the ones my brother gave me to Texas. I won’t take the small green heel cushions because they make my heels burn. I am not playing much better, but I am not playing as badly as I had been. We were home by 2 and took showers immediately. It was very hot again today and we were ready. We ate some leftovers from yesterday for lunch although Evelyn had cooked some tilapia. We decided we would eat that for the evening meal. She then went off to get her nails filled while I scrubbed the Q-grill so it would be nice for the Joneses when they come to trade. During this time we were blessed with a thundershower. We need even more rain. We had three more showers during the afternoon and evening. Evelyn came home and took a short nap. She had also bought a pedicure in addition to the nail fill. She went to the kitchen and made a pecan pie for tomorrow. She also made some lemon/poppy seed muffins. While they were baking, we made a loop around our neighborhood. I also took the bones from yesterday’s steak dinner to our neighborhood dogs, Duke and Murdock. They help us get rid of bones and meat scraps. We spent the evening reading and watching some TV shows. We also watched some more of the Pirates movie we had started last week.

dinner and dinner prep

Sunday we went to Bible class and had a friendly confrontation concerning whether it is OK to feel deeply about a personal relationship with Christ. The generating topic was the hymn “In the Garden”. Many of our Synod question whether that is a viable song because it emphasizes the singular aspect of the Christian faith. I like that aspect. We enjoyed the worship following and then came home to prepare for guests. I barbecued steaks, using the Q-grill. I wanted to use it because it was faster and so I could clean it up for our trade with the Jones friends. Our company stayed until 3 and then we went to bed after we had cleaned up the kitchen. We were slept for an hour and then got up and began work on the etouffee for Tuesday’s dinner with the dentist who bought it. I do all the chopping of vegetables for all of our dinners and etouffee has many chopped veggies. During the evening Evelyn talked with Emily for quite a while. She mentioned that Noah was studying a bit about Robert Morris and George Mason for our July trip. We watched the Cubs/Dodgers game most of the evening. I tried to find someone to play golf with me tomorrow morning but couldn’t. Evelyn said she would go with me in the morning. It is just too hot to play much in the afternoon. The temperature topped out today at 93 on our thermometer. We will try to be on the course by 9.

A very full day

Saturday came after a poor night’s sleep. I was up from 3-4:30. Evelyn wakened at 6:45 so we got up and got ready for a busy day. We went to the local flea market and looked for balls for the kids to play with but found none. We then went to the church at 9 to help with the LWML lawn sale. Evelyn stayed for an hour but left around 10 because there were so many people there to help. She called a friend and went off to Asheville to get some dancing shoes. She found a pair she really liked. I stayed and helped people carry things out to their cars. Evelyn returned at 12, and we went to Burger King for a sandwich. There was a great deal of baked goods at the church but no real food. I had bought some lemon bars from the youth group, so we enjoyed one. I had spent the morning bantering with one of the youth girls about what to pay for some of the goods. I will give them a donation tomorrow. Evelyn and I returned to the church and began packing unsold items to be taken to the Haywood Christian Ministries. Several men brought their trucks and we loaded everything, including clothes, furniture, linens, and miscellaneous items for transport. It was 92 and humid, so we tried to hurry with the unloading. We all had to make two trips and finished around 3. Evelyn had gone home after packing, so Phil had to bring me home. I took a shower while she slept, and then I also took a nap while the Cubs played on TV. We got up and went to pick up our neighbors to go to dinner at a Mexican restaurant in a small community called Bethel. There had been many good reports about it, and we all liked it too. We came back to Waynesville and went to the second half of a flute recital by the grandson of our friends from Indiana. He is only 17 but is a multi-talented musician/singer/magician/performer. We couldn’t stay for the reception because our friends had been gracious enough to go with us. We filled up with gasoline ($53) and took them home. We came home and watched a little TV. Evelyn also began preparations for tomorrow’s dinner guests. I also got to talk with Wayne Norris, a high school buddy, who just had hip replacement surgery. He is recovering well but is worried about Sam, another high school friend who has been losing mental capacity. We will try to see him when we go to IN next weekend. We also had a call from Evelyn’s last living aunt who wants us to meet her, her husband, Evelyn’s brother and his wife for breakfast next Sunday. I am disliked by one of the six and had decided not to go. I changed my mind, however, because I have no problem with that person and won’t ruin the plan when I am not the one with the problem.

Work for the Lord

Friday we went to church to help price the items for tomorrow's lawn sale. We spent 2 1/2 hours there, and Evelyn got a bit dizzy. We had planned to leave at noon but didn't make it that far. We stopped at the grocery on the way home, but Evelyn stayed in the car. We came home and she went to lie down while I put something together for lunch. After that, Evelyn went back for a nap. I spent the afternoon reading and answering e-mail. I just lost a cousin this week and may have lost someone closer than that. I also paid some credit bills on line. This always takes me a long time because it is hard to get on the web sites necessary. We then had snacks for supper while we watched my sports shows. It had cooled off a bit from the 90 degree mark, so we walked over to our friends in Cypress Loop, the Rogers. We had not seen much of them all spring and wanted to reestablish our friendship. We took a beer, soda and some chips and salsa so we weren't just dropping in without any gifts. We had a delightful visit and made plans to go to dinner tomorrow evening. Evelyn wants to go to Asheville to get some dancing shoes with a friend tomorrow afternoon--after we work at the sale at church.

sunburn city

Thursday was hot again as it will be for the next week. There are heat records being broken. Evelyn went to the LWML Bible study at church. But first took me to the golf course and planned to get me at 1:00. I mistakenly wore a tank top, thinking I would be under a top most of the time. I guess I was--most of the time. The “less” of the time I was burning up. I had taken a peanut butter sandwich, two sodas, red grapes and some water. I consumed all of them by the time Evelyn came to get me at 1:30. She had been asked to help organize the items brought to the church for the “lawn sale” to be held this Saturday. We had to go directly to the doctor so I could have blood drawn at 2 before my appointment at 3. We finally got the paperwork and went to the lab down the hall. We then went to Arby’s for lunch and returned to the doctor. We finally saw him at 3:30. I really like him because he does take time to learn to know the patients. The blood results were phenomenal. My cholesterol and triglycerides were down. The steel cut oatmeal might have been partly responsible. My sugar was elevated, but we thought that might have been related to the grapes. We returned to the Burger King where I had left our coupon book yesterday morning. We were blessed that the workers had given it to the manager to put away. We then came home to our air conditioned home for the evening. The NBA finals were on and we watched some but fell asleep.

disappointments

Wednesday--a day of disappointments. We got up early and walked the lake without breakfast (me) so I could have a fasting blood draw. The problem was that the nurse had not got the order from the doctor even though I had asked for it on Monday. The nurse was not in Monday but had not done anything yesterday either. I was really upset but did talk with the nurse who said it would be ready very soon. The problem was that it was now 9:20. I waited 10 minutes and then left because I was to meet Shirley for a T time at 9:40. We were both late to the golf course but still got to play albeit late. The nurse called and apologized, saying I could come at 2 tomorrow for the blood work before my 3:00 appointment. Shirley and I played bringing up my second disappointment. I have been playing very well but was my old self today. I did manage a 51 on the front 9 but don’t know how, playing as poorly as I was. Evelyn brought us a sandwich lunch that we ate in the outdoor picnic area at the course. We thought Paul would come to join us but he was still upset with Shirley and stayed away. We went on to play the back 9, and my disappointing play deteriorated a bit more. It was very hot and I did get tired, but that was not the real reason for my poor play. I believe I was trying too hard instead of just hitting the ball. We came home at around 3, and I showered and we took a nap. We got up, ate supper and went to bid one of our neighbors goodbye. She is an elderly woman who is moving in with her daughter and son-in-law. We took her a piece of the cake Evelyn had brought for our lunch. Yesterday was a disappointment as well. My favorite cousin was found dead in her home near Chicago yesterday. She was one of the “large” J group of people who faithfully read this blog each day. We will miss her and pray she is now with our Lord. Evelyn did some ironing while I watched some of the NHL playoff. Later I switched to the Cubs game.

Washing down the house

Tuesday we slept until 9. We can’t understand why we are so tired. We don’t really work hard or anything. Regardless, we needed extra sleep. We decided to walk before eating and then eat only 2 meals today. We did walk and came home with a plan to shower and eat. Instead Evelyn decided we were sweaty and needed to do some of the planned work before showering. She made oatmeal and we ate, my thinking we would have more making it a brunch. Instead, we set to the task of washing grease (from my barbecuing) and fly specks from the walls on the carport. Evelyn sprayed and I scrubbed with a brush. She was so eager to work that she sprayed the suds off before I was able to move. I asked her to wait so I wouldn’t get splattered but she went on. I asked her again and even showed her that I was getting wet. She immediately started spraying again so I quit. I reasoned that I could do the deck by myself and not experience the splatter. When she finished, I took the hose and the brush and washed the walls of the deck. When I came in about 1, there she was serving the second meal of the day. I didn’t eat then because I wanted to stick with the 2 meal plan and would not be able to wait until tonight. She had showered too, but we both noticed that the thick yellow pollen from the walls had dried onto the floor of the deck. I mopped it to clean things up and then showered. Evelyn did 2 loads of laundry and some ironing. I had to put things back into the carport and deck. Afterward I watched some of the programs I had recorded and my sports shows before eating my second meal--leftovers from last night. We then walked twice around our loop and returned to watch some of the Billy Graham special. The testimonies of the love of Christ are always heartwarming and remind us of our realizing that Christ really loves us and died to bring us forgiveness. It is easy to forget; that is why we love to worship each Sunday.

Dull Day

Monday was a dull day. We arose, ate steel cut oatmeal and then drove to the hospital. We were on time for our day of orientation. There was breakfast waiting for us there followed by people from several departments telling us about regulations around the hospital. We were somewhat surprised that there were 3 volunteers and 5 other new hires in the group. Everyone from the acting CEO to the head of security spoke to us. The highlight of the day was lunch. Volunteers get a $3.50 lunch allowance. We had to return for more lectures until 3. I had called and asked the doctor for a prescription for a blood test so the doctor could see if my cholesterol is any better. The order wasn’t ready so I will have to get it the morning of the tests. We came home and went to bed. We had both nearly gone to sleep in the afternoon sessions and needed a nap. We had slept about 30 minutes when Shirley came to get her asparagus. It was good that she wakened us because we had to prepare dinner for a neighbor whose wife had gone to Florida to be with her son having surgery. We made crab cakes and fried potatoes mixed with onion and ramps. We had never heard of ramps until some friends gave us some. You will have to look in an encyclopedia to learn about it. All we were told was that they were like scallions and made things stink. There is a ramps contest in Waynesville at which people eat them raw and stink to badly that people can’t stand to be near them. He went home and we went to walk the lake. We returned and watched “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest” that I had recorded.

On the telephone

Sunday began with our going to Bible class for the first time this season. Pastor is studying the creeds we recite in worship. It might be interesting, but we will miss many Sundays in the near future. We sang as a choir and were pretty good although many of us were missing. I received Holy communion, but Evelyn was feeling upset again. She hadn’t taken her medicine but didn’t think that could have caused the dizziness. Perhaps we can work her into my appointment with the doctor this week. One of the parishioners brought me more golf balls and another brought some asparagus from his garden. He brings it and asks us to donate money to the building fund when we take some home. Shirley had asked us to get her some also and we did. We picked up my medicine from Wal-Mart on the way home. She came in and went directly to bed while I heated my lunch (no details). I also went out and used our Mexican duster to remove the pollen from the surface of the car. There were thousands of small yellow specs of pollen on the car. Evelyn came out eventually and ate a little something before sitting with me and reading the Sunday newspaper. She went back to bed to read some more and was just drifting off to sleep when Stacy called. They talked for quite some time about a party last night. I watched the Cubs win their 7th straight game. I would be excited but I remember 1969 and 1970. I cleaned and marked the golf balls I got this morning and put some aside for Shirley to give her with her asparagus. She had not arrived at 9:00. I worked on printing some pictures for Evelyn. For some reason I can never remember how to do that unless I spend more than 30 minutes of trial and error. I did finally finish the printing. Emily called and talked a long time about eating raw meat. What an interesting topic! She did ask why I was so faithful in writing my blog every day. I didn’t have an answer. I guess I just like to write and worry what trauma would occur with my 6 faithful readers if I discontinued.