Taking the family out to dinner

We had talked about walking the beach early in the morning before it heated up but slept until 8. We ate breakfast and then went outside. It was not so obtrusively hot yet so we walked down to a pier some distance away. I had not taken any money and there was a dollar charge to walk on the long pier. We went back to find the rest of the family on the beach. Peter was working on making a tank and Olivia was playing in the ocean. It looked like fun to me so I joined her. I was nearly swept away by a wave that knocked me down. I was thankful the Olivia had warned me because my back was turned when it hit. I went to the pool where there was a chair and dozed off. When I wakened, I returned to the beach and the family. Peter had gone to the room and brought some drinks to them so I had a beer. Evelyn and I came inside and she made a salad with tuna on top for lunch. We had showered before that and ate on the balcony. The others didn’t eat much lunch—at least I don’t think so. Evelyn went to bed and so did I. I don’t think I am as healthy as I would like. I took some more Mucinex and had a good nap. I got up around 4 and worked on this for a while. The six of us haven’t been together since 11 this morning but plan to go out to dinner tonight. We drove quite a distance to Nance’s Creekside Restaurant. It had been recommended by Charles and Billie from Marriage Encounter. We thought it was good but would probably not return. We came back and walked on the beach for a while because Olivia wanted to look for some shark teeth. We then watched “Cake Boss”, a show that the Georges are in love with. We prayed several times thanksgiving to God for the veterans who fought and are still fighting to preserve what little freedom we still have in America. It is God through the veterans who are keeping us free.

Arrival at the time-share

We ate breakfast at the motel and then left for worship. We found the church through the GPS and were early enough for the Bible class. The church was very conservative and the worship was almost like a Mass. Holy Communion was very reverent in honor of the real presence of the Body and blood of Christ. We left there and continued on to Myrtle Beach. It was farther than I had thought. We had decided to eat when we arrived and looked for a place we could share a fish sandwich rather than a buffet. We ate at Big Daddy’s and drove on to the hotel. I talked with the desk clerk who called Stacy’s cell phone to confirm it was all right to let us in. We went to the spacious room to wait for them. There was a large master suite and another bedroom containing a double bed and a twin. We just lounged around until they arrived at 5. We packed the cupboards and talked. Tom and Peter moved a love seat into the master bedroom. It was a hideabed and was barely small enough to get through the door. I had the idea of moving the high side of the couch through the door first in order to tip it around the corner of the doorjam. This worked so the sleeping arrangements were finalized: Peter with his parents and Olivia with us. Tom and Olivia went to the beach to play, and I followed for a walk. I went to the desk and had another key made because I thought 2 might not be enough. Evelyn and Stacy went to the local Food Lion for some kitchen supplies we had forgotten. They returned and made spaghetti sauce and we ate a late supper. Stacy, Peter, Evelyn and I played about half a game of Yahtzee before retiring around 11. I had trouble staying connected to the wifi here so I couldn’t publish the blog until Monday.

On the way to the first of many travels.

Evelyn couldn’t sleep well so she took a sleeping pill and got a good night’s sleep. She was up earlier than I and continued to prepare. We ate a muffin for breakfast and packed the suitcase. I loaded it and the cooler in the car. We could have left before 10, but I didn’t want to leave before 11. I was a bit tired so I took a nap until 11. I thought it was safer to sleep at home rather than at the wheel. We drove until just after 12 and ate lunch at the SC welcome center. It was a beautiful day to drive until around 3. We drove into 2 squalls between Columbus and Florence. We arrived in Florence around 5 and checked in to the Sleep Inn. We talked to the desk clerk who recommended Shane’s Rib Shack. We shared a delicious variety plate of pulled pork, chicken tenders, 2 small slabs of ribs and some stew and fried okra. We came back to the motel and enjoyed some of the free chocolate chip cookies the motel offers. We also watched a program called “The World’s Strictest Parents”. It was quite moving in that 2 girls were removed from their homes and placed with a family who was strict with them. The girls changed quite a bit and were sent home to sort out their relationships with their real families. We found a church in this area and will attend tomorrow before we proceed to Myrtle Beach.

Praise God, We made it.

We slept until 8 when I learned that Evelyn had been awake until sunrise despite having taken a melatonin. I finished the movie from last evening until she wakened at 9. She stayed up despite my encouragement that she return to bed. We ate breakfast and then she cut my hair. She then went across the street to ask Doris to cut hers in the back. While she did that, I carried some cuttings to the field behind Doris’. We then showered in time to go to the hospital for lunch and our afternoon service. While there I published pictures on the blog and emailed some to friends. During that process, there was a storm that knocked out the power in the hospital. Of course they have powerful generators and the services remained constant. We were both wearing down, so we left around 3. We thought it best to leave between rains since we had left our umbrella in the car. Though we were tired, we drove to Waynesville to get some oil at O’Reilly’s and movies from the library. Evelyn has read nearly all of the novels by Nicholas Sparks and wanted to see them in movie format. We came home and packed some things into the car for tomorrow. Evelyn needed to rest because she was truly running on empty. Regardless, she wanted to make sandwiches for tomorrow and food for tonight. She did lie down for half an hour while I watched the ending of the Cubs game. We ate dinner and then one of the movies, “Nights in Rodanthe”. It was really good, but we stayed up longer than we should have. Evelyn also tried get Rolene to help her with her serving on the Thursday when we return from Myrtle Beach.
I must mention how much we praise God that He allowed us to live long enough to spend 50 years together. We have had several good years and thank our Lord Jesus for them.

50th family pictures

This is the rest of the family except Pieder Beeli is pictured with Stacy but is Emily's husband. Tom Georges (Stacy's husband) took these pictures.

50th anniversary photos

Whatever hap;pened to that young couple?

We slept late again. Evelyn slept again thanks to the sleeping pill. We are both concerned that she may become addicted. Evelyn worked on preparing food for the trip to Myrtle Beach. I was still not feeling great but did work on the computer for a while. After lunch I went back to bed and watched some recorded programs and napped. Evelyn also colored he hair, which took more than an hour. Evelyn went outside and watered hasn’t rained for several days. After supper we walked the lake and then visited Phil who had broken his shoulder. We came home and put medicine the plants because it together for our trip. We then watched a movie that Tom had left here that the weekend.

What a night!

Last night was miserable. I was up often coughing and running at the nose. I kept chugging cough medicine and blowing, so I was able to get around an hour’s sleep between stops. Evelyn was a bit better because she had taken a pill. I finally wakened around 8, thinking I would get up. We ate breakfast and then I returned to bed. Evelyn worked on writing thank you notes. We discovered that the gifts and cards were mixed so that we don’t actually know who gave what. After lunch I returned to bed again. Actually I did little or nothing all day. I did receive a call during the afternoon that Phil, my golfing friend, had fallen and broken his collar bone. I pray for his comfort and quick recovery. Evelyn went to choir practice and paid our water bill. We always have to pay for the half month we aren’t here, and I noted that on the check. We will have to do it again in October when we leave before the billing date of the 15th. This in addition to the “inactive fee” for not being here during the winter. Evelyn seems to be avoiding the cold that I have, and we thank God for that. I slept through/watched the Cubs game until around midnight. I went to sleep and slept through the night.

Lobster dinner

Neither of us slept well all night. We were both up for a couple of hours until 5. Evelyn had not slept until then but did go to sleep then. I arose at 6:30 and decided to go on to play golf with Phil. I knew I wouldn’t sleep and didn’t feel too bad. I picked him up at his house and we played 18 beginning at 8 and finishing before noon. II broke 100 again but can't stop pulling away from the ball. We enjoyed a beer at his house and then parted. I arrived home at noon and ate a salad with Evelyn. I showered and then we went to bed until around 2 when I got up and watched the final 2 hours of “24” that I had taped last night. Evelyn got up and we dressed to go to J. Arthur’s for lobster. It was only $20 because we had our loyalty card. Evelyn really likes lobster and enjoyed her dinner. I am ambivalent toward it but forced it down anyway. We used our $50 gift card we had received from one of our friends at the anniversary party. We stopped on the way home for some cold remedy and were in bed again by 8:30. I hope we are better by Saturday when we are to leave for Myrtle Beach.

Reunions with friends

Rain had been predicted but nothing much had happened when we arose. Unfortunately, Evelyn had not slept well again. She did get up and helped finish the cleaning of the house. I vacuumed and she mopped the tile floors and did 6 loads of laundry. I cleared the emails while she rested. After lunch Karen called and we planned to meet at Two Guys Hoagie whether it rained or not. We were there and enjoying our reunion and supper at 5:00. We left there and drove to McCormack Field in time for the warm ups and opening pitch. Asheville pitched a rookie who signed for almost 2 million and had an outfielder who signed for a bonus just under a million. The Greensboro team pitched another high round draft pick so we enjoyed a pitcher’s duel. Asheville led by 2 the entire game until the top of the ninth when a man walked and another hit a 2 run homer. Asheville didn’t score in the bottom so we decided to leave. When we arrived at the car, the rains came in earnest and we drove in a heavy rain until we were just outside of town. Karen called to tell us that the Tourists had won in the bottom of the 10th. On the way home my head began to stuff up, and Evelyn was feeling bad too. We arrived home In the dry and went straight to bed.

Parting with the family

We were up and went to church after breakfast. I had made some eggs and served cold cereal. Evelyn came out and helped as did Emily in the clean up. We took 3 kids with us and went to choir rehearsal. They all sat up in the choir loft with us but went down for the Children’s message. The final song was “Lift High the Cross”, one of my favorite hymns. I always lift my hand in praise to our God on the chorus, and Elizabeth came to join me on the final 3 choruses. I was very moved that she was trying to emulate me. Emily and Pieder went to Taco Bell to buy many things for lunch and brought them home. We enjoyed lunch together. I gave them things from the trailer. They loaded the liquor and vanilla, the swimming noodles we had bought from Texas, a garden hose, a plastic tub with some sweaters that I will never wear again. They were too nice to just leave in our cedar chest. We also gave them a trench coat and ladies coat to be worn in cold weather. We also gave them the gifts we had brought from our Mexican Riviera cruise. Pieder was especially excited with the Cuban cigar I had bought. He also enjoyed some tequila while Stephen, Elizabeth and I played Frisbee. They left for Xenia around 3,then Evelyn and I went to walk the lake since we had missed yesterday. It was a very pleasant day. We returned home and didn’t have our traditional popcorn. I worked on getting the blog caught up before retiring at 10.

BIG SURPRISE!!!

We were up and I made omelets and bagels for breakfast. We just tinkered around until 11 when Tom and Stacy came to take us to lunch. They were dressed up, and Olivia insisted that Evelyn did too. I was evidently dressed permissibly, so we got into their van and left. I suggested we go to see the roses on the Rosewalk at the lake before going to the restaurant at the bed and breakfast where they had stayed last night. We parked at the Kern Café and began to walk toward the roses when it happened. We walked toward an open door where we saw many friends and the Beelis. They had done it again! 25 years ago they had surprised us with an anniversary party and did it again for our 50th. Evelyn was especially got, but a neighbor had slipped up and mentioned a party she couldn’t attend. There were 41 of our friends and family waiting for us. Evelyn had been against the girls throwing a party for us, but they failed to ask her permission. We mingled with the crowd for half an hour, and I led a prayer for us and our lunch. Of course I was quite choked up as I prayed, but the Lord gave me strength. It was noon so we led the friends to the beautiful spread of relish of vegetables and fruit and croissant sandwiches. We enjoyed lunch and the a program featuring scripture recitation by Elizabeth and Stephen, a poem by Tom, stories by Andrew and Noah and Peter, some comments by Elizabeth, Rosalie and Olivia, stories by Stacy and Emily, and some roasting comments by some of our friends in the group. We also spoke briefly and led the crowd to the cutting of the cake. The decorations and cake were built around a Purdue theme—black and gold napkins, a Purdue football, and yellow flowers and black leaves on the cake. Sometime later I will publish pictures of the event. We came home around 2 with huge amounts of vegetables, fruit, croissant sandwiches and cake. Andrew had accidently dropped one of them leaving only 4 left. We sat around drinking beer and eating leftover nuts. Evelyn had planned to serve hamburgers tomorrow but wanted to have something for supper, so I cooked some on the Holland grill. We ate and then cleaned up the kitchen again. The girls must have been very tired because they didn’t help much. Finally Stacy, Tom, and Peter left but didn’t take Olivia. They all wanted to walk up the mountain behind us so I went along to the first switchback and returned to the house. They continued. Evelyn and I went to bed at 8:30. The Beelis were the only ones who slept here because the Georges’ went back to their bed and breakfast place. We were asleep around 9, Evelyn had taken a sleeping pill. We thank God for our loving daughters and their families. They have gone out of their ways to honor us by throwing 3 parties for us (my 70th was the other one). God has richly blessed us through them and their Christian families.

A good time with the grandkids.

I was up earlier but made Evelyn return to bed because she had taken a sleeping pill and was too discombobulated to even walk. We went to 2 groceries to buy items for the weekend visitors. I also went to the license branch to see if I could get a temporary plate for the trailer in the fall. I was told no. We came home and dressed for the hospital where we ate lunch. We were not busy at all, so we left and were home by 2. Evelyn rested while I cleaned some things up. We then went to the lake to walk. Tom and Stacy came and we enjoyed some beer before they left for the evening. It is their 17th anniversary tomorrow, so we agreed to watch the children. They stayed at a bed a breakfast after going to Asheville for dinner. We took the kids to Taco Bell for dinner and then went to a play at Bethel Middle School. It was “The Music Man” and was good for a group of 8th graders. One girl had an especially good voice. Peter and Olivia seemed to enjoy it too. We went to the dance to talk with Dallas and Karen about our date to go to see the Tourists play next Monday. We will talk on the phone this weekend. We came home and enjoyed a brownie and ice cream. We went to bed early.

too much golf

I met Phil at the golf course for our 8 T time. I didn’t play as well as yesterday, but Phil played much better than Tuesday. He shot 80. I won't play 2 rounds so close together again. I was tired. We seem to be very quick when we play because we were home before Evelyn had returned from her Bible study. She had used the first of a Beth Moore study and had a mixed response. But it was mostly favorable. We ate lunch, and then I watched the Cubs play while Evelyn shopped for plants. She bought 4 hostas and a crepe myrtle. Unfortunately, the tree was a normal height, but we need a dwarf tree. She returned the purchase but couldn’t get another of the right size. We ate dinner and then planted the flowers. I was reluctant to do it but finally did. It was a nice evening to work out. I also cleaned some programs from my collection of DVR recordings. During the commercials, we dragged the bedding down from the attic and made the bed for the Georges when they come tomorrow.

Band concert

Here pictures of the Haywood County band at their monthly concert in May. These are former members of mostly local bands who enjoy playing. They support students who can't afford instruments by raising money at these concerts on the third Sunday of the summer months. They are held in Maggie Valley, NC.

Canton relay for Life

It was more lowering than these pictures indicate. There was spotty rain while we were waiting to start. We walked with the hospital auxillary team beside the lovely Pigeon River. We cheered as the survivors took their lap.

An extra round of golf

Evelyn didn’t go to sleep until 4:30 this morning so I planned to let her sleep until 9, but she wakened around 8:30 and got up. She wanted to walk immediately so off we went to the lake. It was a lovely morning. We were back and cleaned up by 11. We ate lunch and then I worked on finding something to do with quilts for her to use in her LWML progam next week. We found something she liked and copied it off. I decided to play golf around 2 and went to the golf course. I played fairly well breaking a hundred on both the balls I played. It was such a beautiful day, temperate with a gentle breeze that I just couldn’t stop at 9. I didn’t get home until after 6. We ate supper and went to choir practice. We came home and watched some of the programs I had recorded on the DVR. I was very tired and want to go to bed early because Phil will pick me up at 7:40 in the morning to walk another 18. In fact I will probably play much more often since I am a member and don't have to pay anymore.

I wakened at 5:40 and only dozed until 630 when I finally got up, made coffee, and caught up on my Bible reading. Evelyn arose at 8, dressed, made some toast and went with me to walk. We finished around 10 and went to see John about our being unable to proctor tests with him. We are committed to going to Myrtle Beach during that time. I did agree to proctor on June 3 because Evelyn has to be back to lead Bible study. We then picked up our gala tickets at the Folkmoot office and got some books at library. From there I paid our Belk bill and talked with them about the charge we had made to us while we weren’t here. I guess I ordered something on line. We were home by 11:30 and ate because we planned to eat some horsdoerves with Tom and Luann. We dressed for our dinner out this evening and waited. While waiting I put some brackets up to strengthen some shelves in the shed. I also fixed my golf cart so the bag will stay on. We waited until 3 for Tom and Luann to arrive. We just enjoy being with them probably more than any couple we know. We enjoyed wine, boudin, and cheese ball for a couple of hours. They were interested in our Mexican Rivera cruise and our ride on Amtrak. We talked until 6:30 and then went to Maggie’s Galley for fish. Tom is especially fond of that restaurant. We parted but planned to see them in Franklin before they leave for Alaska.

Thyroid appointment.

I was up with the alarm at 7. I quietly left Evelyn who slept until 9. I never know when she went to sleep or how long she has slept so I try to not wake her. I met Phil and we played 18. I played a bit better than usual, but poor Phil was terrible for him. We made a date to play at 8 on Thursday. Evelyn has a Bible study. While at home this morning, she worked on the weeds and flowers. She also walked around the loop a couple of times. We had planned to go to lunch in Asheville because we could not make it to the Savoy (where we wanted to go) which doesn’t open until 5. I remembered that, since our appointment was at 3:15, we would not likely be out of Asheville until 5. Therefore we ate lunch at home. The appointment didn’t give us any more answers as to whether to have the thyroid surgery or not. Both endocrinologists agree that there is at least an 80% chance that it isn’t cancerous. We will continue to pray for God’s guidance in this matter. We went to the Savoy and found it had been changed to “Vinnie’s”. It has the same owner who decided to change the menu back to Italian. We really enjoyed our veal parmesan, and our coupon was honored. We went to a Christian bookstore so Evelyn could buy some book marks for her Bible study women. We had also gone to K-Mart and bought some pocket folders and new towels for our bathroom. We came home and enjoyed some ice cream and “dancing with the Stars”. Our neighbor came over and we agreed that we would volunteer to monitor some yearend tests for her son. I also watched 24.

cool rainy weather

We loved our beautiful worship and Holy Communion this morning. We sang with the choir “Make Me a Servant, Lord” and did well. Our friend brought more asparagus and we bought some. We came home and ate our lunch. I ran the vacuum and watched the Cubs play while Evelyn cleaned the kitchen and read. We left for the Folkmoot Center and had a small dish of ice cream. We also got some more brochures and bought tickets for the gala July 22. We then walked around the lake before going to Maggie Valley for the monthly band concert. It was comprised of favorites as voted by last year’s audiences. We enjoyed the selections. The band is made up of older people who enjoyed their high school band days. They all seem to love being in this band even though they play only once each month. We came home for popcorn. Evelyn had invited 2 women for dessert that she had made. It is a rhubarb crunch and is delicious. I had to go to bed because I am to play golf at 7:40 in the morning if doesn’t rain. We talked with Emily and made some plans for their visit on the 4th of July weekend.

The first summer ME spiral

We slept a bit late because Evelyn had not slept well again. I suggested we walk before we cleaned up, so we did. We thought it would be cold but were wrong. We were overdressed by the time we were half way around. We stopped and talked with Mickey and Frances Monteith for a while. We then continued home. We had lunch and then rested. I did contact hotels in NYC where we might stay if we take the cruise in the fall. I finally got some good ideas. The hotels were close to the pier and the Penn Station where Amtrak drops people off. I couldn’t make reservations this far in advance but will try again in August. Phil Bollinger brought some rhubarb for us and I chopped it for later use. We arrived at the home of the spiral for this month. We had some wine and appetizers before our 10/10 or sharing. We had a good conversation about prayer. The sharing was followed by a meal of gumbo, going along with the boudin we had brought for the appetizer. We left and went to the grocery for some supplies we needed for tomorrow. Evelyn cleaned the strawberries before going to bed. The next spiral will be June 5 but I am not sure we will be available.

Canton's Relay for Life

We slept a bit late and skipped breakfast because we were going to eat lunch at the hospital at 11:30. I dumped my juno email while Evelyn got ready. We worked on the 6th floor OPS unit until about 3:30. There were few patients left so we came home. I watched the sorry Cubs play Pittsburg while Evelyn fixed supper that we ate when we returned from the Relay for Life in Canton. We arrived there about 6, gathered with the hospital team and waited until 6:30 to walk. I was upset that the hospital team lured us down to their spot even though Evelyn is a survivor. The survivors always walk the first lap. She missed more than half of it until I made her join in when the color guard got around to us. I stayed and walked with the team. During the hour we were there it rained off and on 3 times. We left and came home to eat. Afterward, we watched “How to lose a Guy in Ten Days” while I shelled the small peanuts we had bought to take the ball game last night. They were only good for chopping which I did. I also called Phil Bollinger to ask if he needed help with this garden tomorrow morning. He had already had it done despite having lifting restrictions due to his surgery 5 weeks ago. I then called Dallas and Karen to make arrangements for Monday’s ball game when we planned to meet. They did not answer the phone so I left a message. Perhaps they will call tomorrow.

A dining experience.

It was a beautiful morning—except for the fog. I was up making sandwiches for Phil and I when we made the turn. Evelyn took me to the golf course and we teed off into the fog. Neither of us saw our ball land. By the 3rd hole the fog was lifting. Unfortunately I played better in the fog. We finished the front 9 at 10:30, so we continued playing since it was too early for lunch. I got better on the back 9 and broke 50. I had pulled my cart this time hoping my shoulder would feel better tomorrow. Phil and I brought our sandwiches home and ate them with a beer. Evelyn had returned from her LWML meeting where she had eaten the food they always have. She went to the bedroom to read while we ate. I took a shower and a nap (I was a tired puppy) while Evelyn cleaned out the car. We picked up Phil and Joan at 4:45 and drove to Asheville for dinner. They took us to a Cuban/Mexican restaurant that was very interesting. I am sorry our camera was not with me. We ordered pork relleno that was served in a large pile surrounded by some vegetables julienne forming a spicy slaw, black beans, carrots julienne, and polenta. Of course the pork was in a roasted pablano pepper that was covered with some sort of breading. I thought Evelyn would be unable to eat it but was wrong. She did not especially enjoy it and was surprised by the presentation, but, as our dear friend John Knight would say, “There was a whole lot going on in there!” We drove to McCormack Field where we enjoyed the ball game on “Thirsty Thursday”, the night when beer is $1 throughout the game. The weather was very nice despite the prediction of rain. Upon entering, each fan is given a “program” and ours had a special marking that made us winners of a gift card to Panera Bread in Asheville. We had eaten at one in Fort Wayne years ago and enjoyed it. The game was tied in the 9th and the Tourists had not scored in the bottom of the 8th so we left. I didn’t want to stay for extra innings, and we were all a bit tired by then. We drove home without incident, delivered them, and were home shortly before 10:30. The news reported that the Tourists had lost 7-5 in the 10th. We were glad we hadn’t stayed.

Return of some friends

The weather was better today. I was up at 7 and at the hospital by 8. I subbed for the normal volunteer who had family problems. It was a very slow morning, so I was able to work a bit on my computer. I uploaded a picture. I worked with a woman who was a nurse in Valparaiso, IN for several years but moved to Maggie Valley 6 years ago. I ate lunch at the hospital and came home. Evelyn had done some sewing and had made a cover for her favorite riding back cushion. She had also planted the begonias we had bought at the high school. She ate a light lunch and then went to take a nap as I watched the Cubs play. She was gone for most of the game but couldn’t sleep. She came out and made supper. She coated some chicken breasts with some mixture we had gotten from Swiss Village while her mom was still there. We went to choir practice at 7 and walked around the lake after. We had a message from Phil saying he and Joann wanted to go to dinner and the baseball game in Asheville tomorrow night. We also had a call from Tom and Luann Jones who just returned to Franklin this afternoon. We were concerned about them, but they had just left San Antonio later than they had planned. They will come here to visit with us next Tuesday afternoon when we will go to their favorite dining place in Waynesville: Maggie’s Galley. They love the fish dinners they serve there. We went to bed by 10. I had weighed myself at the hospital and was pleased that I was only 217.6 I hope I can lose a little more over the next few weeks.

New decor

This is Evelyn's new spring creation that sits on our entertainment center.

School searching

It was cold and rainy when we got up. We slept late because we had been awake until around 2 last night. Evelyn finally took a sleeping pill, but I didn’t need one. I remembered why I didn’t sleep this morning: I had drunk caffeinated coffee last night with our strawberry pie. Evelyn worked on preparing some chicken we had bought on special last week. We went to check out a school that Peter might be able to attend if he would have to come to live with us. It would be a better school than his present one, but it is not exactly as structured as he might benefit from. We learned about a place in NC called Eckerd Camp that is a residential setting but were disappointed that it no longer functions. From there we went to Clyde to distribute more brochures. On the way home we stopped at Burger King and brought home food. After eating, we went to the lake for our daily walk. At home Evelyn continued working on the chicken. I had let her sleep later this morning so I took a nap. We received a call saying we had a place at the cancer survivor’s dinner, so we dressed and went to the dinner at 5:30. There was a good crowd, good food, and some small prizes for the survivors. We came home for Dancing with the Stars. We talked with Tom on the phone and tried to encourage both him and Stacy in dealing with Peter.

God's blessings in health.

When we got up it was just over 40 outside and 63 inside. Evelyn made steel cut oatmeal with raisins. She then watched the DVD by Beth Moore that she wants to use at the ladies’ Bible study next week. That meant we weren’t able to walk the lake until 10:30. On the way around we delivered Folkmoot brochures to some of the businesses and hotels at the lake. I also hit Taco Bell and the tack shop nearby. We then went to Tuscola High to get some plants from their greenhouse sale. We bought 7 begonias and 2 more tomato plants. From there Evelyn went to the doctor to talk about some problems she has been having. We were extremely blessed that he saw her. He gave her 2 prescriptions. While waiting, I delivered more brochures around to the other doctor’s offices in that area as well as a small restaurant. We went to the pharmacy and went to lunch at the new Wally’s restaurant for lunch while they were being filled. We then went back to get them and the one I had left earlier. We picked up some items from the Food Lion and came home. Evelyn baked some bread she had let rise all afternoon. I watched it while she rested. We baked it in three separate sessions. We ate leftovers and waited until 7 for company. I had gone to invite Jim and Kathy for strawberry pie. They wouldn’t come, but I also invited Frieda. She came and told me why they won’t have anything to do with us. Jim has lied to her and caused the rift. I will pray about how I should respond. We enjoyed our visit with Frieda who is moving to Johnson City later. We had thought of renting he empty house when the Beelis come on Independence Day, but I had talked with Sandy across the street and made arrangements with her since she is moving also. Early to bed . It began to rain a cold rain in the late afternoon, and I had to turn on the heat. It is a great night for snuggling.

A Happy Mother's Day

We were up and off to church by 10 and to choir practice at 10 after. The worship was very good with a great message from our Lord. Afterward we went to lunch at a Mexican Restaurant with some other members of the church. The meal was good as was the fellowship. We shopped for some items for making bread and came home. We planted our tomato plants and other flowers we had bought yesterday. It was quite cool and windy albeit sunny. I watched some of the Cubs and the Players tournament before suggesting we go walk the lake around 5. We dressed for the cool weather but got too hot while walking. Evelyn got calls from her precious daughters on this special day. She always enjoys talking with them each week. We watched a movie, “27 Dresses” and enjoyed it quite a bit. We went to bed after the news. I want to record how blessed I have been to have both a wonderful,talented wife and a skilled and loving woman to be the mother of our children. She still does a great job of being mother--not too much, not too little. Thank You, Jesus.

Fun in the city

We were up and headed for the flea market across the highway. Evelyn wanted to buy a gallon of strawberries. It was cold and windy when we dressed so I wore a long sleeve shirt and jeans. Evelyn wore 3 layers. We went from there to the block party in the part of town called Frog Level. We walked around looking at the many crafts and plants for sale. The sun came out and the protection from the buildings made us very hot. We bought some flowers and learned that a bank was giving away tomato plants. We walked up to the bank and got the next to last 4 pack of Better Boys. We returned and listened to a local Dixieland band before sharing a barbecue sandwich sold by some church group. We came home and Evelyn cleaned the strawberries while I watched some golf. We got ready to go to the Marriage Encounter spiral but,upon arrival at the host's house, learned it was scheduled for next Saturday. We visited a while and returned home to finish the pizza from last night before going to usher at a play called "Seussical". It was based on several books by Dr. Seuss. We came home and had hot chocolate because it had become quite coool while we were watching the play.

We were up by 8:30 and working on the black tubs we had used for our tomato plants last year. I also had to sweep up the popcorn we had dropped last night at cards. Phil and I enjoyed several Negra Modelos while playing. Evelyn also planted some seeds in one of the window boxes Frieda had given us last year. She pulled out some of the unwanted mint plants but kept some. I spent time working on our hose fitting to our hose caddy. I learned something I had missed all these years. No matter what washer is used, the hose must be very tightly connected to the spigot to prevent leaking. I had to use a wrench to attach it but have stopped the leak. We will have to find some tomato plants and other attractions tomorrow morning at the block party downtown. We rested in the afternoon until about 5:30 and then went for a walk. We decided to try a different path and drove to Haywood Community College to try their walking path. It is a bit more challenging than the lake but is not well marked. We had to backtrack a couple of times. On the way home, we delivered some Folkmoot brochures to some businesses in Clyde and the shopping center where the WalM art used to be. We were able to cover all of them but 2 restaurants. We came home and Evelyn made one of the DiGiornio pizzas we had bought earlier this week. It was very good. We talked with 1 of the neighbors across the street who is moving around July 4. We hope to rent her house when the entire family comes in July, but she may be gone by then. We watched some TV and talked with the hostess for the spiral tomorrow night and went to bed. But first we had to distribute our medicine for next week. It has been beautiful the past few days but a cold front is to come in tonight bringing rain and dryer air.

flowers in the liviing room

Evelyn took me to the golf course and I got a T time. We called Phil and he came. It was about 9 when we played. I had 3 good holes which would win me the batting title (.333) but was really terrible on the other 6. We finished our 9 holes early so Phil took me to the church to meet Evelyn. While at the course, I bought a membership for the season--$350—and made plans to play with Phil 2 or 3 times each week. Evelyn was in the Bible study for another half an hour so I just messed around the church grounds and found a couple of rocks to bring for our mulch outline. We left there and drove downtown for the gathering for the national day of prayer. There were only about 40 people there, but many churches had their own gathering. We came home for lunch and then worked on the new display on the entertainment center. Evelyn had gone to WalMart after leaving me at the golf course and found some window boxes for planting the artificial flowers she found yesterday. I cut the plastic coated wire stems to size and she arranged them. It looks nice and I will try to publish a picture of it. We rested until supper after which we went to walk around the lake for the first time since arrival. We were surprised to see how many old, large trees had fallen during the winter storms. We must have counted 8. Phil and I had counted as many on the golf course earlier. We came home and prepared for Phil and Joan to come to play hand and foot. Phil had never played before but did very well because we beat the ladies handily. Actually this is a game requiring little skill. If you get the cards, you win; if not, you lose. I stayed up watching a show I had taped in Texas and went to bed around 12.

A new drink refrigerator

We weren’t up especially early but had food for breakfast and then went off to a friend’s to get some flowers she kept for us through the winter. Then to the hospital to set up a time to volunteer. We will be back on Friday afternoons. I will sub for a man next Wednesday. We then went to Big Lots and bought a small bookcase for the office. Then to the Folkmoot center to pick up 700 brochures to distribute around Clyde and Lake Junaluska. Since the hatch was relatively empty, we picked up the refrigerator from the Sears store. I brought it home and set it up before we ate food. We both took naps before driving to Casterline’s to help them clean up the limbs of a hemlock tree that had died some years ago but hadn’t fallen until this past winter. We picked up branches and limbs and burned them in a barrel. There is much more to do. We came home and ate food before going to choir practice at 7. We were home by 8 and I went around the neighborhood and put brochures in the doors. I made plans to play golf with Phil at 9 tomorrow.

Guests from Indiana

I was up early but Evelyn slept. She had had a bad night. We got up and ate food. We then went to Waynesville for many errands. We stopped at Big Lots to look for cards and artificial flowers. Then on to K-Mart for much the same. We bought some incidentals on the way. We cashed a check from Stacy at the bank and then went next door to Belk. Evelyn was looking for a back support girdle and found something she will try. She also ran into a friend and talked for a while. I was waiting for her in the car but got discouraged and went on to the grocery next door. I shopped for some items needed for tonight’s dinner and met her before checking out. We drove on to downtown Waynesville to look for a baptismal card and then on to the library for some books. On the way home we went to the library and to Sears where we bought a small refrigerator for storing beverages. It was more than we wanted to pay, but we needed to use the rebate card we got from buying a large refrigerator in Texas. It was a close out model and had been marked down. We will have to pick it up tomorrow because the car was full of items. We came home for lunch, and then I went to the local Jiffy Lube to dispose of the used oil I had taken from the car Saturday. I returned home and washed the car while Evelyn finished the dinner preparation. We served hamburgers but were 1 short because Shirley was bringing her brother with her and Paul. I went to Burger King and bought an extra to serve. They came 45 minutes early because they had finished at Lowes earlier than anticipated. We had food for hors doerves and then ate our hamburgers. Shirley had brought escalloped corn. We talked about all the troubles they had encountered with the water in their cabin. Many pipes had frozen and they had many expenses.
They came to clean up their yard of debris from the winter storms that had broken trees into their yard. They went home and we may go there to help them some tomorrow afternoon. I went to bed early again.

A new coupon book

We wakened just after 7 and went right to the kitchen to work after breakfast of food. I stood on our step stool and handed the items on the top of the cupboards to Evelyn to wash off. It took almost 2 hours to complete this cleaning and rearranging of the items. I took a shower and then we chose some clothes to take back to Texas. We brought too many clothes with us and could hardly get the door closed. I took them up to the attic and noticed 2 winter coats we will never wear. If we continue with our lifestyle, we will always be in warm weather. If not, we will be too incapacitated to go out in cold weather. I also found many winter weather sweaters in a cedar chest. I took pictures of the items and sent them to Emily wondering whether they would use them. While I did this, Evelyn was outside working on pulling wild onions from our mulched areas. I drove to town to buy a coupon book put out by the schools each year. There are some good bargains in it, but I noticed that at least 2 of our favorites are missing from this year’s book. We ate food for supper and then went to visit one of the couples living in our Loop. Evelyn had made some dill and onion bread so we took them 2 pieces. We returned so Evelyn could watch some of Dancing with the Stars. We also called Casterlines asking them to come for supper tomorrow night. I brought some Kahula back from Mexico for her. I went to bed earlier tonight to see if that could prevent my snacking at night.

Settling in to NC and church return

We were up much earlier than necessary and dressed for church. Evelyn has decided to return to OSLC. We went there and, while looking for asparagus brought by a parishioner, the choir director saw us and asked us to sing with the choir. We were familiar with the song and agreed. Most of the people we saw there seemed happy to see us. Some ignored us as is their habit. On the way home, we stopped at Food Lion for some supplies. They had a great special on NY strip steak so we brought some home. I was going to barbecue some hamburgers so I cooked all of the meat at once. After lunch Evelyn rested and I continued changing the oil in the car. I had also begun bringing things from under the house—pots for planting, garden hose, etc. I am finally getting some things cleared from the carport. I finished the oil while going in and out from watching the Cubs game. I put some things into the trailer to separate the items we want to take to the Beelis. After I finished the work, I had to put the car ramps back under the house and put the changed oil under the carport roof. I forgot to mention that I had no oil filter in the bag with my oil, so I borrowed a neighbor’s car to get one from town. I also bought some rubbing compound to use on some abrasions from the shed door opening against the car door. We ate our normal Sunday fare for supper. Evelyn made plans for her Bible study beginning the third Thursday of the month. We really praise God for the comfort of our bed, having spent a week sleeping in motels.

Evelyn wakened around 4 but stayed in bed until 7 when I woke. We got up, visited with Doris who is grieving over her son’s addiction, ate for breakfast and continued unloading the trailer. I did that while Evelyn put the things away. We worked all morning to clear the living room of things we had brought in from the porch and deck last October. I then called DISH to get the receiver working in our home. I was successful just as the Cubs game began. We had some for lunch and continued working while watching the game. We also rested after the game ended. Then I emptied the trailer but put the things for the Beelis when we see them. I took the trailer to park it where a neighbor said we could. I came home and had some for supper. We then watched some TV before retiring. We called a friend from OSLC to reaffirm the time of the worship service. At this writing we had not heard. I am pretty sure it is at 10:30. We may go to Asheville after worship because we need to go to Sears to get a small refrigerator for our beverages for the summer.