Busy day

We were wakened by the alarm at 6:15 so we could help at the Folkmoot 5K run. I had misread our assignment, so we really didn’t have to go. I didn’t discover my mistake until we were there so we stayed and helped with registration. We watched the race and were amazed at how many were entered and even more amazed that the first finisher was more than 2 minutes ahead of the second place finisher. It reminded me of Rosie Ruiz who jumped into the New York marathon about ¾ of the way through the race several years ago. But this guy was legitimate. We left there and went to a farmer’s market and bought some roasting ears, green beans and new potatoes. Then we went to the Huddle House for a huge breakfast. We had a BOGO coupon. I had a breakfast and Evelyn had a lunch item. It was shortly after 10. We came home instead of going to the Folkmoot street festival, thinking we would go in the afternoon. So we came home and washed all the windows. By noon it was raining so we just stayed home and rested. I worked on the scripture reading for tomorrow and then helped make pica de gallo with some of the veggies we had bought. We didn’t eat anything until 6 when we tasted the pica de gallo and found it quite good. We dressed and went to usher once again at Haywood Community College. The performances were mostly different from those we had seen before. I took some pictures that I will try to post tomorrow evening at the closing of the Folkmoot festivities. We were home just in time to see the Cubs tie the ballgame in the 8th and blow it on a home run in the 9th. I also called and got us on the list to attend the late nighter tomorrow evening. Each evening, one of the visiting dance troops is in charge of a party at the place where all the dancers stay while here. They are reportedly very fun. We have never been to one of them in all the years we have volunteered. We look forward to going. We also invited several couples for lunch tomorrow but have not found anyone who can come as yet. We will know sometime tomorrow morning.

Reclaiming the cross

We got up and walked earlier than usual. We were back home by 9. We ate breakfast after I watered the plants and then dressed for the hospital. We left home early and went to Belk. I wanted to see if I could find my cross that I had left hanging on a hook while I was trying on shirts. The girl found it in a store room. Evelyn had found a bargain on a bracelet and necklace. We bought it and went right to the hospital for lunch and volunteering. It was a slow day. The colonoscopy department had no doctors so there were few patients on the floor. I worked on the computer and Evelyn taped some notebooks. We left around 3 and came home to rest. I had planned to take Evelyn to town for a piece of cake at Pheasant Hill. I had accidently eaten her piece of German chocolate cake yesterday (don’t ask) and wanted to make amends. She had changed clothes and didn’t want to dress up to go to town, so we stayed home. She did walk around the circle with Doris and Diane. I tried to work on the computer some more but the connection was messed up. I watched “Fifty First Dates”.

Unexpected volunteering

We had had some problems sleeping last night, so we weren’t up so early. We did go to the lake and began our walk when it was cool. But just after we started, the sun came out, gradually heating us up. When we got about half way around to the hotel, I sent Evelyn on and went to the hotel. I did that because I was dressed to go shopping and didn’t want to get too sweaty. She brought the car back, picked me up and drove to Belk to look for a shirt for me to wear when I read the scripture on Sunday. We found an orange one we liked but found only two—one too small and one too large. We found a blue one that fit and complemented my sport coat. From there we went to the Open Door to give a couple of items to the thrift store. When I went in, the director told me of a shortage in servers today. We decided to go in and help for a while but didn’t stay to help clean up. We came home for lunch and then I went to the golf course to meet John. It was quite warm but the price for him goes down after 2. I played very badly. I had taken 2 beers for us to drink, and they happened to be one he liked. I had paid his green fee which was about the same as the price of the beer. After we finished, he went to the grocery and bought one for him and one me. He delivered it on his way home. He was also kind enough to take the remnants of our old wishing well. He has a place to burn the wood. While I played golf, Evelyn watered the plants and warmed up the ribs for supper and rested. We ate and then went to Haywood Community College to usher for Folkmoot again. We stayed for the entire performance. Most of them were the same that we had seen before, but Evelyn liked them a lot. We were home in time for the 10 O’clock news.

A cooler day

We were finished walking by 9. We ate cereal and began working on apples. I went outside to make one more attempt at getting the hose caddy I had brought from Texas to stop leaking. I couldn’t, so I abandoned the effort. I will use the caddy to roll the hose up for the winter. I came in and joined in the apple peeling. I remembered that I wanted to take a You Tube episode about the North Platte Canteen to our neighbor. During WWII, each train headed for the west coast was greeted by some women who had snacks for the soldiers. Bill served in WWII but didn’t travel through there, but I thought he would enjoy it. He did but I couldn’t verify its authenticity through Snopes. It looked good to me. We had lunch with Doris who brought 2 ears of corn—the best we have ever had-- and then took a short nap. I then went to Doris’ to use her phone to make a toll free call. I was checking on a credit card I had ordered so we could have a free room when we go to NYC in September. Then Evelyn read and I watched Glenn Beck until time for supper. We went to choir and then came home to distribute our medicine into our daily pill boxes. I watched The Unit until news time.

Another relaxing day

We walked in the cool morning starting at 8. We had cereal at 9 and then cleaned up for the day. Evelyn worked on making some dessert to take to Ohio. I worked on the computer and then called Purdue again. I called the number given for emergencies but did finally get to talk to the account manager. She said our membership cards would be here soon. She gave us a number to call regarding our Silver Sneakers program. We had lunch and then went down for a short nap before going to town. We visited 2 groceries for small items and 2 drug stores. We got almost everything we wanted. We came home and had supper about 6:30. Evelyn wanted to give our neighbor, Bill Williams, a birthday card, so I made one using our Creatacard program. She took some peanut butter bars, and I took a beer to go with the card which encouraged him to enjoy a beer. We came home and I watched the Cubs while Evelyn read. I will try to find another date for our spiral date so we can be in Xenia on August 20.

2 beautiful children of God check in to Heaven

It is with a joyful heart that I record Christ's calling home 2 dear friends and faithful servants. Marsha Gevers died in late June. She had been a student of mine when I first began teaching in Indiana. She attended Hoagland High School (now defunct) and went on to become a teacher. She had a severe glandular problem and gained much weight during the 80's but continued teaching at parochial Lutheran schools around Ft. Wayne. We renewed our acquaintance and deepened it when she attended a Via de Cristo weekend. She became a member of our reunion group when we could meet at her house. She had become legally blind through a medical mistake but continued working for the league for the blind. She was a devout servant of Christ and loved Him and the life He allowed her to live. She was rarely complaining and brought the light and love of Christ into many lives.
The second was Marilyn Mann, a former student of Evelyn's when she taught at Woodburn Elementary. Marilyn was a true flower child of the 60's and became very rebellious--until Christ found her. After that she became a missionary and another child of Christ who brought His love and forgiveness to many. We thank God for taking both of these friends into His eternal Bosom. We are sorry you--especially those who may not know the love Christ has for you--were not able to meet these loving ladies. If you let Jesus find you, you will be blessed to sing His praises with them in Heaven.

A day at home

We slept late but walked the lake after 9. It was much cooler than it has been at this hour in the morning. We completed the walk and came home after 10. I called Purdue about our insurance but had to leave a message. I didn’t receive a return call all day. Perhaps Mike Hansen is on vacation. I am somewhat upset but will try again tomorrow. We both took showers and waited for Evelyn’s French toast custard to heat in our Brother convection oven. By the time it did it was after 11 so we just counted it as lunch. We cleaned up the kitchen from last night and then rested. We had stayed up late and needed a short nap. When we arose, we began peeling apples to make apple sauce. We worked at the sink, me helping with the peeling. We worked for nearly an hour and stopped because our backs were hurting. I sat down for my break while Evelyn spent hers standing over the counters making some stuffed bell peppers for supper. The woman is a workhorse, happiest in the kitchen. We even ate early—around 4:15. I had gone out and brought in 3 green tomatoes because Evelyn wanted to fry some for supper. She did and then had stomach trouble. We think it must have been a mild reaction to them. She walked around our loop a couple of times, and that seemed to help settle her food. She also tried to call Ryman Publications to straighten out a problem with a “Taste of Home” gift we had made to the Beeli girls. She couldn’t understand the person who was in another country. She tried again and got someone in Ohio. She learned that Rosalie’s subscriptions good until 2016! Who pays that far ahead? We will make sure that we never pay again. We watched “The Closer” and then went to bed. It has rained off and on most of the day. This area really needs it, and we thank God for sending it.

Folkmoot #2

We went to Bible class without breakfast. Pastor Crume is in Pennsylvania for a wedding and Pastor Ludwig replaced him. We sang with the choir and were blessed. One of the parishioners brought some squash as he often does. We bought some and brought them home. The money goes to the air conditioning fund. It was very hot in church, especially in the choir loft. We came home and ate some leftovers from last night. We had barely finished and changed clothes before having to leave for the lake to take tickets for the Folkmoot performance. It featured only 6 of the groups, including the first performance by the troop from Peru. We started at 1:25 and left for home at 5. E went through some of the Sunday paper before making popcorn at 6. We talked with Stacy a short while as well as Carrie Dell and Don Waters. Things are finally drying out in the Valley. We took a walk to the highway and around the loop before I came in to watch the Cubs. Evelyn continued walking with Dianne and Doris. She then came in and told me she was going to get some transparent apples to use in making applesauce.

Fun with friends for dinner

We were finished walking by 10 and then went to Weight Watchers for the monthly weigh in before going Waffle House for breakfast. We enjoyed a waffle each and then went to the library for Evelyn to get some books before going to the GO Grocery for some supplies. We returned home and Evelyn worked on some dinner preparations while I worked on trying to get the garden hose to stop leaking. I think I fixed it but we will know in the next few days. I also watered all the plants before cleaning up for the day. We had a strawberry/banana smoothie for lunch. Evelyn cut my hair afterward. Unfortunately I have been unable to repair the screen on my electric Remington razor. We prepared for Phil and Joan to arrive for dinner. We ate the smoked salmon I had smoked a couple of weeks ago and some delicious black bean salsa Evelyn had prepared. We had a good time eating and playing Phase 10 with them. They left around 10, and we happily went to bed.

A close call

We were walking by 9 this morning and finished around 10. On the way, I dropped my prescription off at the pharmacy and the trash and recyclables at the dump site. We came home and cleaned up for our service at the hospital. We were later than usual because Evelyn wanted to clean the covers on the lights in the bathrooms. They needed to be washed but not when we didn’t have time. I had some trouble loosening the tightening screws, causing us to be even more late. We stayed until 4:15, later than ever before. Early in our time my computer disappeared. I had put in on a chair in the waiting area while I went to lunch and couldn’t find it when I returned. I went to security to report it but found it in a receptionist area. Someone had turned it in. We thank God we found it. It was very hot but threatening so I had taken my umbrella which was also taken but not found. We picked up my prescription on the way. We ate leftovers for supper and then walked around the loop. Evelyn wants a recipe from one of the neighbors but had to leave a note because she wasn’t home. I put our game bag under the house, put some Negra Modello in the refrigerator and put the box that the 3 wheel push cart into the trailer to be taken to Texas. We watched a little more than half of The DaVinci Code. It was too ridiculous to finish. We went to bed around 10:30.
I also returned a call from Dr. Lafata. He had called yesterday implying he didn't think I need surgery based on my MRI results. He has gone on vacation for a week so I can't see him to learn what physical therapy he wants me to have. He did mention the possible need for a foot brace to stop the "foot slap" I have been experiencing.

Folkmoot begins at last

We slept very late this morning. We didn’t walk because we had last evening. We ate a light breakfast and then worked outside for a while. We ate lunch late because we were going to the Folkmoot Gala and would have plenty of food after. Evelyn took me to the golf course to meet John Schlieffer to play golf. It was very hot but we played anyway. I had assembled my new 3 wheel golf push cart and used it to carry my clubs. It seemed to help quite a bit on flat land and even somewhat on the long steep hills. It began raining on hole 7 but we played on. As we started hole 8, we heard thunder but saw no lightning. We almost quit but finished the 9. We had just started hole 10 when we heard thunder again. We checked out. We loaded everything into John’s jeep and drove out. It really poured down as we left. We had loaded up just in time. He brought me home but couldn’t stay for a beer. I had one alone and a short nap. We left for the gala around 6:45, stopped to invite the Ribbe’s to go Sunday afternoon but found them gone to Florida, and went on to Maggie Valley. We talked with some friends as we waited for the program to begin. There were 9 groups there, and I liked the Latvians and Russians best. I was surprised that I even liked the Jordanians too. We had a good time at the party afterward behind the Eaglenest Theater. The hors d’oerves were not very good this year, but the beer was. We watched the after performance dancing and talked with friends until almost midnight and drove home. We were blessed that there had been no rain while there.

VBS

A convoluted day

We wakened at 7:15 and I thought we would go walk. Evelyn seemed in no hurry so I took my shower. After it was too late to go around the lake, she decided to go. I refused. She went and walked only a small distance. I watered the plants. She would have been better served by walking several times around the loop. She returned and we went to Asheville for her ultrasound. It was over in very short order. I had looked in our coupon book and chose a restaurant in Hilton hotel in Biltmore Park called Roux. We enjoyed our lunch but had to wait nearly half an hour for it. We went to Cold Stone Creamery for an ice cream dessert. We intended to go to the Farmer’s Market but got caught in a construction mess and drove about 4 miles back to where we had eaten. I even missed the correct path to the market so we went to the AT&T store for some advice, a Shell station for gas, and the Ingalls store in Canton. We bought some groceries, stopped at a pharmacy for a consultation and returned home. The Cubs happened to be playing so I watched some of the final innings (12) while assembling my new 3 wheel golf push cart. We ate some leftovers and then went to choir practice. On the way home Evelyn decided we should walk around the lake, so naturally we did. It was cooler than the afternoon because we were blessed with a nice rain. I didn’t have walking shoes, so I walked in my crocs and developed a blister on a toe. We distributed medicine and then talked with Phil and Joan about going to a barbecue party in Asheville on Saturday. Neither Evelyn nor she had much interest. I watched some TV and went to bed during the news.

Tuesday

We were at the hospital before 9:30, my check in time. I had been concerned that I would not do well with the MRI since I had to go into a tube. I was pleasantly surprised. I thought the procedure would take 45 minutes, but it was only 15. I had hoped to take a nap but only had time to doze. We then went to Evelyn’s hairdresser to make an appointment for a haircut Thursday. We then went downtown where I bought some oil on special and went to the Haywood Christian Ministry to look for a razor and visor. We found none but did when we went to the Open Door thrift store. We had to cancel our service for tomorrow because of Evelyn’s appointment for an ultrasound of her thyroid. We came home for lunch and then I slept most of the afternoon. I wonder what is wrong that I am always so tired. I pray it is not something serious. Evelyn had packed up every leftover we had in the house and off we went to the weekly potluck/Bible study. I stayed after to talk with 2 divorced women who felt betrayed by Jesus in His proclamation about divorce causing women to become adulteresses. I pointed out that He was trying to illustrate how men could damage women and how we all corrupt the law because we can’t keep it. We walked around the lake and barely finished before dark. It was cooler than this morning but still caused me to sweat. At home, Evelyn talked for some time to her friend, Pauline Flynn from Ft. Wayne.

Monday

I was up and off to meet Pastor and Bill for breakfast. We had a good visit and left in the rain. We still need more. Bill brought me home and Evelyn joined us for more conversation. Bill left and I continued working on the well. I added the horseshoes and the piece to hang the bucket from. It looks pretty good but still needs Evelyn to paint some symbol on the bucket. I was tired so we took a nap. Evelyn’s was shorter, so she went to the kitchen and began finishing the preparations for Paul and Shirley’s dinner. She served smoked country style ribs and other side dishes. When they arrived, we went to the deck for some peach drink and salsa. We had dinner and then played “Phase 10” until 10. We went to bed after we cleaned up the dishes—she had used the good China. We were up until after the 11 o’clock news.

Sunday

We were up and off to worship and Holy Communion. First we went to the study on Islam. We learn more about the antichrist each week. After enjoying fellowship and coffee, we went to BoJangles for a carryout chicken dinner. We brought them home and furnished our own beverage. We rested in the afternoon before going to get Bill Edwards and taking him to the band concert in Maggie Valley. We made ham sandwiches for us and had a picnic. The theme was patriotic music and was quite good. We took Bill home and returned to our home to watch the Cubs play the Phillies. I also called Pastor Crume, arranging to meet him at 8 tomorrow morning for breakfast. I also invited Bill Edwards to meet us too.

In memory of Mitzi Edwards

We walked early again and had intended to go to Lowe’s, but I had forgotten my money clip. We came home and worked on the wishing well. We turned it the way we wanted and then I put the horseshoes on the roof. We want to attach a bucket to it and wanted to paint the bucket and the holding cross beam, but they were both too wet after we cleaned them. We left them out to dry. I didn’t water because we had a nice rain last night. We had lunch and then went to bed for a nap. After that we packed the car and drove off to Hendersonville for our spiral. We were half an hour early because we got there much faster than in the past. I helped the host, Ray, to get a recliner from one room to the nearest door. He wanted to take it to their motor home, but we decided to wait for the other man, Charles, to arrive to help us move it outside in case it rained again. When he arrived, we took it to and into the motor home. It is for Annette to ride in because she is recovering from a broken shoulder and can’t rest well in bed. Ray and I took it in and assembled it. They are going on vacation tomorrow morning. We had our spiral in honor of Mitzi Edwards and reminisced about the things that brought her joy and what brings us joy in our marriages. Before dinner we had wine and then enjoyed sandwiches Ray had cooked on the grill. We had salmon and they were delicious. We were home before 9:30 and watched “Poirot”. I am disappointed in my new air card. I connects but then I can’t go to my google account. I don’t know what to do short of going back to the store in Asheville next week. We go to worship tomorrow.

Welcome rain

We were up walking but later this morning. We didn’t get home until after 9. I watered the plants and found the hose connection was not connected correctly, so I tried to reconnect it properly. I hope I did it. We skipped breakfast and dressed to come to the hospital for the afternoon. We had little to do once again, allowing us to go home early. We took a nap and then dressed to go to the VBS. I wanted to be more involved with the crafts because Evelyn was bothered by a couple of the boys who were uncooperative. Tonight, however, they were very involved with the projects. We were glad to see the VBS end. We went home and redressed—this time for the dance. We arrived late but found only 5 couples, including us, and one single widowed woman who always comes. The dance teacher dances with her often. While dancing, there was a violent rainstorm. We have had some good rains in the past couple of days and are thankful to God for sending them. There seems to be a waning interest in the ballroom dances. This is the third at which there were few couples in attendance. We met our friends, Dallas and Karen Norris, and enjoyed their company. We plan to go to Greenville for a baseball game in August. The stadium there is a small model of Fenway Park in Boston, and I would like to see it. We helped clean the dance hall (putting away chairs and tables, folding table cloths, etc.) and came home around 11. We had to prepare our offering for the Marriage Encounter spiral tomorrow afternoon and worked on making cornbread salad. I did the chopping. We finally got to bed around midnight.

golf with Shirley

We walked quite early and then went home for an hour. I took Evelyn to the church at 9:30 and then went to Domestic Auto to have the front brake pads replaced. It took nearly 2 hours, so I walked to a local restaurant for coffee and a bout with the “tome”. I made some headway and walked back to get the car. The cost was $160 including tax. That surprised me because I thought the tax would be added to the estimate. I returned to get Evelyn and had the church secretary punch holes in the pages of the “tome”. I was frustrated because they fell out often. We went home for lunch, and then Evelyn took me to meet Shirley at the golf course. We rented a cart and played 9 holes. We were finished early so I went on playing the back 9. She was content to ride along. I played much better then, except for hole 11 where I lost 6 balls in the water. She took me to the church around 6:30 where I found supper and the VBS. We left and went from there to Paul and Shirley’s cabin for some peach cobbler. She threw in a piece of Texas sheet cake and we ate it just like thin people. We returned home and went to bed without blogging. We were asleep before 11.

encouraging news

We both got up early, and I dropped Evelyn off for her walk around the lake. I drove to Clyde to see the auto mechanic we take our car to for a second opinion on our brakes. The first opinion was confirmed—we need new brake pads on the front. I scheduled an appointment for 9:30 tomorrow morning while Evelyn is at Bible study. Then I returned to the lake to get Evelyn. We returned home for breakfast and then went to the doctor for my appointment. He is a DO which means he can do things like a chiropractor but has a medical license as well. He seemed more optimistic about my not needing surgery soon but did recommend an MRI. I also wanted my cholesterol checked and scheduled a blood draw for tomorrow morning. I always have a good time at our visits and thank God for the possibility of my not needing surgery. We returned home and I worked on the computer while Evelyn worked in her favorite place—the kitchen. She made lunch and then we lay down for a nap. I get very tired anymore and can always sleep in the afternoon given the opportunity. I watered the plants and then we went off to the VBS. Sadly, I remembered that we were scheduled to serve at the Open Door, but it was too late when I remembered. We came home and ate a small meal before watching a movie and going to bed.

Good news and bad news

We were up walking by 7:30, my left foot slapping the asphalt. We then left for Asheville after cleaning ourselves, headed for the AT&T store for more help with my air card and new telephone. On the way I stopped at Dr. Lafata’s office to make an appointment for me. I was shocked to learn that I could come at 9:40 tomorrow. The manager of the AT&T store was there and helped us by installing the new air card correctly by uninstalling the old one. She also set up our new phone, explaining how to do certain functions. We were there for another hour and a half. We then hurried to Biltmore Mall to get our oriental lunch. We carried it our because we didn’t have an appointment for our free oil and filter change. I had won one at the Tourist’s game back in May. As it turned out the man I called Saturday who promised to work us in had set an appointment for 1:30. We ate our lunch in the lounge at the dealership and were out of the dealership shortly after our appointment was to begin. We went to a local Kmart looking for a toilet lid cover to match the other rugs in our bathroom. They didn’t have any but will contact the manufacturer. We were very close to the Endocrinologist’s office for our 2:45 appointment. We were happy that the doctor seemed content to not rush into thyroid surgery. He did schedule an appointment for the 21st to have a comparative ultrasound. If the nodule has not grown, surgery might not be necessary. We drove home and stopped at Domestic Auto to have the owner check on our brakes. The Kia people had discovered that our front brake pads are worn quite low. He said he would look at them tomorrow morning early. We went to Food Lion to buy some pasta for VBS later in the week. We stayed to help with crafts in VBS. While there an ER doctor who was helping with the activities, said I have a pinched nerve and should see a doctor immediately. They say my foot flop indicates a serious problem. I have never had surgery other than on my right leg after my bout with an 18 wheeler. I have been blessed all of my life and knew that my time would come someday. I am now worried about possible back surgery for me. I hope Dr. Lafata can do some other manipulation on my back. He is a DO rather than an MD. If anyone prays out there, please pray for both of us in this matter.

A day of freustreation.

We didn’t walk this morning because we had walked last evening. We put together extra clothes and went off to the memorial service for our friend Mitzi. It was a sad but uplifting service because of her devotion to Christ in her life and let His Holy Spirit guide her life. It had rained since we left home so it was a rainy interment. We were invited to a dinner afterward but didn’t stay because Evelyn wanted to eat at the Mellow Mushroom. We went in through the rain and enjoyed a delicious hoagy. We went back to the car and drove to the Grove Park Inn. This had been one of our planned destinations. 2 years ago, I had bid on what I thought was a day at the Grove Park Spa, but it turned out that it was to a sports complex. When we learned that, Evelyn was no longer interested. As we returned to the car in the rain, Karen called, suggesting that we cancel our plans to attend the Tourist’s game tonight. We drove from there to the AT&T store. I talked with the young man who had sold me the new air card. He told me there was a cheaper, faster DSL system I could get to replace my air card that wasn’t working well. I was a bit upset when he said there was a $35 restocking fee. I wouldn’t have taken the new air card had he told me about the new product. I think I could have exchanged it but I couldn’t find the box it came in when I got home. Evelyn has wanted a new telephone, so she got one of them while we were there. We had spent at least an hour at the AT&T store and were tired, but I wanted to meet with a man who has a motorized golf cart for sale. We searched for his house for a while and then took a look at the cart. I decided not to buy it right then. We drove home, and Evelyn cleaned the remainder of the apricots while I planted many of the seeds from the earlier cleanings. We watched some TV after supper and went to bed early. We have to return to Asheville tomorrow.

Wallowing in Grace and in sin

We were at church earlier than usual because we want to attend the Bible class on the topic of Islam. We are certain that Islam is the Anti-Christ and will take over the world until Christ returns. We sang with the choir in the worship service and then came home for lunch. We left for the local civic theater to usher just before 1. Unfortunately I got the time of the production wrong and we were an hour early. We drove back to downtown and went to a new store—a catalog return store. Things were to be 50% and more off retail prices. It is a store full (and I mean full) of clothes in all 3 stories. We found some things we were mildly interested in but bought nothing. We returned on time to usher for the musical, “Chicago”. We had seen the movie but didn’t anticipate what we would experience in the stage version. We were especially disturbed that there were several grandparents who had brought their grandchildren to the production. They were all old enough to be prohibited in attending R rated movies. The play was what we expected until nearly the end when there was a song riddled with blasphemies and downright gross sexual innuendos. Some were overt. I seriously prayed for forgiveness for sitting through this after spending the morning in worship. We came home, changed clothes, and walked around the lake. We called Noah on our way to sing happy birthday to him. We both shuddered at the thought of taking him to the trash we experienced in the afternoon. We came home and ate supper before inviting Doris for some apricot pie. After she left, I sent a letter to the editor of the local newspaper with our opinion of the play.

smoking too much meat

We slept a bit late and were not at the flea market until 9. We didn’t find any visors for Evelyn there so we went to the annual Lake Junaluska sale. I bought a telephone to use with our magicjack but can’t use it. It was not portable though I thought so. I will give it away next week. We then went to Kmart and bought a shirt for me and a blouse for Evelyn. Then it was on to the grocery for chicken breasts that were on sale. We brought them home and began to smoke them after lunch. It takes about an hour to get them ready and 3 more to smoke them. I called Noah for some advice on starting the charcoal but never got to talk with him. Evelyn worked on making an apricot pie. Then she did some ironing while I napped. After supper we went to walk around the lake because it was cooler than it was earlier. We called Stacy who was on a long job with her respite care business. Despite being long, it was a relatively easy job. She often has children who are a real problem to care for. I had intended to go to the hotel to upload yesterday’s blog, but we were talking with Stacy so I forgot to go. We invited Gary and Linda Tollefson to come for a piece of pie. He didn’t want any but she ate some without ice cream. They left shortly before 10, and we went off to bed. I am quite discouraged with my new AT&T air card. I can’t even check my email because it doesn’t load correctly. I will take it back for consultation on Monday in Asheville.

Friday's welcome rain

We were up and walking by 8. We had to finish in our 45 minute time frame because we had to meet Eva to go to her friend’s house to pick apricots. We got her and drove far up the mountain where we found 6 apricot trees all raised from seeds Joseph had planted. They were loaded down. Many were not ripe yet but we picked many in any rate. We had to be home by 11 to get ready to dress for the hospital. We, again, stuck to our time frame and were eating lunch there by 11:15. We were able to sit with some other volunteers today. Usually we just don’t arrive in time to get to sit with them. We didn’t have much business, so I worked on the computer. They have WiFi and I like to post pictures. We came home after 3 and were just changing clothes when Frieda came to the door. She is selling her house and moving to Johnson City, TN. We talked about her daughter who lives near Greenville and discussed how we might get her to take us to the railroad depot and keep our car while we are on our September cruise. Frieda then devised a plan for her to stay at a Fairfield Inn in Greenville so we could leave our car in their parking lot while we are gone. She has a friend who might be able to arrange that. We might even be able to use their shuttle for our transportation. The shuttle is not the problem. We are scheduled to leave at 11:15 PM and return a week later at 4:45 AM. We can always get a taxi in case the shuttle plan doesn’t work. We get blessed by things like this most of the time and praise God for His mercy. Evelyn then took a nap before supper. We then dressed and drove to Waynesville for the street dance, but, as soon as we arrived it began to rain. We needed and still need rain quite desperately. The band packed up and left so we walked down the street with our umbrella, stopping in at the kitchen store to buy a thin cutting board. We tried to find the Perry’s house on the way home but couldn’t, despite having been there before. We came home and watched TV for a short time and went to bed tired.

Deck decorations

This is a gift from our daughter, Stacy, put up with some other souveniers on our deck.

Hot golf game.

Evelyn wanted to walk this morning, so we were headed around the lake before 8. It was a pleasant morning as usual until around 10. She dropped me off at the golf course around 9 and went home to dress for the LWML meeting. She did and then picked up Eva and Rolene, taking them to the meeting at Kay Horn’s home. Kay is 92 and hosts this meeting each year. We don’t know how she does it. I played golf from 9 until 1, and as I said it was hot from 10 on. The humidity was only 36% Which made things tolerable. I was to wait for Evelyn until around 2 when she thought the meeting would end. After eating the lunch of broccoli salad she had prepared for me, I went to the clubhouse to wait. Around 2:15 I decided to play a couple of more holes since she was late. I played 8 and 9. Then 9 2 more times. I was spent from the first 18 (I broke 100) and didn’t have much energy to hit the ball. Back to the clubhouse. She didn’t arrive until 3:45. I was almost asleep when she and Eva picked me up. When we took Eva home, we learned that her friend had trees loaded with apricots. We arranged to pick some tomorrow morning. We came home and I showered and lay down for a nap. I don’t think I slept much but got up and watched Glenn Beck’s TV show. After eating leftovers from the LWML meeting, we went to the church to help with crafts for the VBS next week . We have volunteered to help the entire week except for Monday night. We came home and Evelyn watched the Beth Moore Bible DVD she uses to lead next week’s Bible study. I went to bed even before the news came on the TV. I was a tired puppy.

Relaxing

We couldn’t sleep so we finally just got up and went for our walk by 7:30. After walking, we went to town to buy some roses for our friend, Rolene, who is recovering from a pacemaker installation. We also got some supplies for Evelyn’s cake for tomorrow. We came home for a light breakfast and shower. I watered the plants while Evelyn ironed some clothes. We then had soup for lunch. We had to use sour kraut instead of shredded cabbage, so the soup was too sour. We will add sugar to it next time. We were both tired so we took a nap. We went off to choir practice, but, when we came out, we found our battery dead. Jo gave us a jump to get home. We then went to see Mitzi and Bill. She is in hospice care but has less pain than yesterday. We came home for a light supper and then watched some of the Cubs game.
Without offense to the families we love, it is sure nice to be here alone again. We can relax and act our ages. :-)

First day alone

We got up at 7:30 and went to walk the lake. We are going to try to get back into the habit. I had to go to the hotel to use the Wifi because my air card is broken. I took longer than expected, and Evelyn had no book. She was very kind to wait while I published some pictures on the blog and answered some e-mails. We came home and cleaned up before eating what was left of last night’s dinner. Then I took off for Asheville to see if I could get my air card replaced free. I worked with a very nice young man who did just that. We also talked about perhaps getting a new phone. I drove home and relaxed until time to go to the Potluck/Bible study. There were few people there and very few dishes. The study has been rather dull but won’t meet next week due to VBS at the church. Then the pastor will go on vacation. We stopped at the grocery for some country style ribs for $1.26 per pound. We also needed some things for Evelyn to make for the LWML meeting Thursday. She had made some no nuthin soup for us to eat, hopefully to lead to weight loss. It was sad but relaxing to be alone at home again for the first time in a month. We really love our grandkids and had a great time with them, even when all 7 were here. We hope they come again next year, and we are here to entertain them.

Pictures from Independence Day

Another Rosalie creation, the Beeli parade "float", granddaughters made up, and the nationally known bluegrass band, Balsam Range playing at the after parade party.

End of a blessed reunion

We slept in this morning and ate the potato/Italian casserole for breakfast. The boys also ate more cereal. They all began to pack and say goodbye. We gathered outside and posed for a picture. We would have asked Doris to take it, but Tom had to use his timer set on the railing of the deck. They were all gone by noon, so we drove to the Open Door where we were supposed to be working. I had to ask Perry, the director, permission to put some trash in the dumpster. We had accumulated quite a bit this weekend and couldn’t leave it in the car until Wednesday. We were in time to clean up a bit. We then returned some DVDs to the library. From there we went to Big Lots to exchange a table cloth. We also had to replace our ice cream supply. The families had consumed at least 3 half gallons. We returned home and tried to watch some of the pictures we took, but Evelyn was too sleepy. She went to bed after starting another load of the seemingly endless pile of clothes. I let her sleep an hour when we dressed to go out to dinner. I told her that she wouldn’t have to cook after the intensity of the past days. We went to the hospital to visit Mitzi Edwards who is dying. We know them through the Marriage Encounter. We prayed with her and met some other friends who were visiting. We went to J. Arthur’s for what we thought was a BOGO night. Instead we found it to be BO get one ½ off. This upset me because the letter we received implied that the entire second meal was free. We came home and cleaned Sandy’s house a bit. We certainly thank God for her willingness to allow our family to use her house. We also cleaned our house too—and did more laundry. We will try to resume our walking regimen tomorrow. We thank God for our family and their wonderful visit. We will try to make one more trip to Ohio before stopping on Roswell on our way south.

Birthday breakfast

Our neighbo, Doris, Elizabeth, Rosalie, Evelyn and I praying at my 72nd birthday.

Fun Depot

Fun Depot

Elizabeth climbing the wall.

Nature Center

The Beeli girls posing as wildcats.

Grandpa's birthday

Grandpa received a free pancake breakfast and a serenade by the wait staff. Then Rosalie baked him a hummingbird cake that was delicious.

Parade Day

Stacy and I were up at 6:30 because she had to drive to Cleveland, TN to get Olivia from Extreme camp. I sent her off with coffee. I stayed up and did my daily Bible reading until Evelyn got up and put the French toast in the oven. The others got up—the Beelis from across the street, Tom from our house and Noah and Peter from the tent in the back yard. We all enjoyed breakfast and then went off to decorate for the parade. The group decided to decorate the Beeli’s Suburban, so Evelyn and I went on down the parade route to where we wanted to sit. I drove on down to the site where the lunches are served and walked back. We met and talked extensively with a couple from Maggie Valley since we had over half an hour to wait before the parade arrived. I had called Pizza Hut hoping the delivery of our candy would arrive in time to get it to the Beelis, but it didn’t. So they just waved instead of throwing candy. After the parade we met at the lunch site. They were playing Frisbee and weren’t very hungry. We ate our barbecue lunch before some of them did. We were under a tree experiencing a gentle breeze. It was a gorgeous day. We then listened to Balsam Range play before going to reunite with the kids who had gone to play shuffleboard. When we got there, we played miniature golf with the younger ones. The parents and older boys played ping pong before meeting us at home. The boys replaced the old wishing well so we can say the Beeli kids made it for us. Stacy had brought Olivia home and was too tired to come to the party. We watched “O Brother, Where Art Thou” before dinner. Evelyn had made delicious spaghetti sauce for our meal. We then started the Pirates of the Caribbean but I didn’t stay up very long. I couldn’t publish my blog because my air card is broken. I will try to go to the lake tomorrow to publish.

Family arrives

Since we had done much cleaning yesterday, we loafed a little after breakfast. The girls had slept until almost 9, giving me a chance to catch up on my Bible reading. When the girls wakened and ate, Evelyn helped Rosalie make the Reese’s peanut butter cheesecake for tonight’s dessert and a flag cake for the Independence Day dessert. I watered the plants and helped Elizabeth decorate our deck and porch. We then went to town to meet Jo for lunch at the New China Garden. She invited us there to buy us lunch, but I beat her to the bill. She was trying to repay us for pulling all her weeds last Saturday, but we didn’t want her to do that. She is a friend and needed help. We left there and made our customary trip to the GO Grocery for more supplies for the weekend. We also had to go to Ingalls for more. I had to go to the bank to get 13 envelopes containing $8 each to buy the barbecue lunch after the parade tomorrow. We came home and waited for the company. Stacy had called and said Olivia would not be with them until tomorrow because she wasn’t finished with her church camp. We also knew that the Beelis would not be arriving until 6. This gave us time to watch some of our old movies of the girls when they were young. Everyone arrived about the same time, and we began baking the 6 medium pizzas we had bought. Evelyn had also made broccoli salad and fresh fruit salad followed by the Reese’s cake. The kids had a good time together as did the adults. We even all sat around and watched more of the home movies. We went to bed around 10:30 and set the alarm for 6:15. The bad news of the day was that I had dropped the computer and broke my ATT air card. I will have to go to Asheville to get it exchanged. If they want to charge me, I will switch to Verizon.

Last game at Iron Tree

The girls and I had breakfast alone because Evelyn had brunch at her Bible study. We began cleaning the house amid watching a great musical, “Annie Get Your Gun”. They are very interested in music, especially singing. They really enjoyed the film and sang many of the songs although they had never heard them before. I vacuumed while the girls dusted. I made macaroni and cheese for their lunch. We did some watering of plants and continued some cleaning until 3:15 when we took Evelyn to Clyde to get a permanent in her hair. We returned and I took a short nap while the girls watched the final in the Pirates of the Caribbean series. We loaded our golf clubs into the car and drove to Iron Tree golf course. They get to drive the golf cart and play as well. I think they enjoy the cart most. They hit a few good shots but had some blisters from swinging the clubs. We stopped playing at 7:30 even though we had another hour of light. We returned home for a sandwich and finished the movie. I told the girls that, unless they return and want to play golf, I will never play at Iron Tree again. The greens were always terrible but there are weeds all over. In the past the mowed grass was the only thing that saved it. I really like the scenery there but not the weeds.