Two more added to the Kingdom.

Today was exciting. The worship featured the Baptism of 2 children whose parents have recently become members of our church. I also talked before the service about the Bible study I will lead beginning next Tuesday. I also asked the church secretary to fax some papers to our financial advisor so we can buy some silver and have it shipped to us. We need some precious metals in case the currency is inflated beyond recovery. We helped a friend look for her purse after church. She lost it somewhere and was very distraught. We cleaned up the fellowship area because we were in charge of bringing the snacks. We came home and ate lunch at home. We thought we might have the neighbors come here for popcorn and cards tonight, but they couldn't come. We just watched some recorded movies. I talked with Tom regarding the problems I am having with the air card and publishing my blog entries. We couldn't fix the problems, and I am afraid I made the problem worse. Hopefully I can just main the former status quo.

I have been unable to publish any blogs for a week. Here they are.

We went off to the Monday exercise class at 9. Evelyn did the stretch session but then went to walk the treadmill. I stayed. It is distressing to realize how such simple exercises can exhaust me and make me so tired. The back of my left gluteus maximus and hamstring are quite sore. It is difficult for me to go up a stairs. We did learn about the terrible destruction that occurred in Joplin, MO. It makes me more believing that our Lord has finally begun the final preparations for the second coming of Jesus. It makes me more understanding of the erroneous prediction of the end of the world. There are many signs that it is coming. We went to the grocery again for some supplies to use next weekend when our family from Roswell comes to visit. We put things away and had lunch. Evelyn then made a lasagna dish for next weekend before she lay down for a nap. While she was applying hair color, Doris came over with 2 trout fillets. We ate them and went to walk the lake. It was a very pleasant evening. We also distributed a few Folkmoot brochures. We made plans to take Tom and Luanne to look at an older Chinook at Highlands, NC. They couldn't go until Thursday.

 

Tuesday is a harder workout day. The leader plays great music and causes us to march throughout the session. She also leads us through many of the same stretching and weight routines. After that we went to our dermatologist to get an estimate of costs for removing Emily's nodules on her head and then went on to deliver some Folkmoot brochures. We returned home for lunch, and I planted the flower that Evelyn won at the dance last Friday. I also watered the other plants because we have had no rain for a couple of days. I chopped some vegetables to put into the cornbread salad Evelyn was making, and then we took a nap. I tried again to publish yesterday's blog without success. I guess I will have to ask Tom to straighten things out. Evelyn also made a rhubarb dessert, using a recipe she got from a lady at church. We decided to take some to Bollingers, friends Evelyn went to school with in Geneva. They showed us around their house and property, emphasizing their lovely garden. We left shortly before dark because we don't know the mountain roads well enough to be comfortable driving after dark. Tomorrow is the trip to the trout farm.

 

Wednesday was the day the rec center was to take us to the trout farm tour. We were to leave at 9, but a belt on the bus engine broke. Evelyn went to the regular exercise while we waited for repairs. I stayed in the lobby and waited. When Evelyn finished, we were told that the belt could not be replaced. Instead we went with Bill Edwards to Maggie Valley to find the senior center there. We found it but no one was there. We went to Ammons drive in for lunch and then went to Grass Roots to buy some blue draping flowers to put into our hanging pot. We took some more Folkmoot brochures to more businesses. And came home for awhile before going to choir practice. We came home and watched some TV before going to bed a bit early.

 

We were up and on the road to Franklin by 8:30. We bought gas at a Marathon station and picked up Tom and Luann. We drove a very curvy road up to Highlands to look at a Chinook that we thought we might buy. The man, Dave Fouser, was very nice and showed us the unit. We were not really satisfied with it much at all. It was one of the first ever made in 1977. It was a clean unit but needed some work on the engine. It also had 1977 interior design, and we are not ready to live in a time warp. The man was quite a man with hobbies. He was restoring a Fiat and had more than 20 radio control airplanes in his work area. Tom is quite a builder and is thinking he will fly planes in San Antonio where they will live fom now on. We went out for lunch in Dillard, GA and took them home. They have cleaned up their property in Franklin to sell and are living in one of their 3 travel trailers. We stopped at Sally Beauty Supply to get an on sale item for Evelyn and drove home. We planted the hanging plants and watered our plants with Miracle Grow and took things down from our deck, thinking we might have a storm. We did have heavy rains, lightning and thunder but no heavy winds. I had been up between 3:30 and 5:30 this morning, so I went to bed early.

 

We went to exercise again Friday and spent an hour. During the second hour, we used large plastic inflated balls to sit on. I had never used them before and promptly rolled backward when we began. It was funny until I landed on the handle of one of the weights we use during workout. I hit hard on the left cheek of my hip and know I will have a deep bruise tomorrow. The leader asked if I was all right and I said no. He then promptly went right on with the exercises. I don't think he cared much. I was able to finish. We came home and dressed in our hospital volunteer clothes and were at the office of the audiologist by 11. This is when she takes walk-ins. My right hearing aid wasn't working and I found the wax filter to be clogged. She cleaned them and sold me some for future changes. We went to the hospital to have lunch and work. Evelyn was able to get scheduled for a mammogram next Wednesday. We had to leave at 2:30 to drive to Asheville for an appointment with the endocrinologist. Her thyroid is in good shape, making her thank God for that news and the insight to refuse the surgery the doctor wanted her to have last year. We tried to contact Dallas and Karen to join us for dinner but couldn't contact them. We returned some napkins to Bed Bath and Beyond and then went to a Mexican restaurant for supper. On the way we found an Ingalls Grocery that had a crepe myrtle that we wanted. We had tried Jesse Israel's at the Farmer's Market but didn't buy one. They were $23 there and $7 at Ingalls. We were home around 8 and made the futon bed for Tom and Stacy. Evelyn was very tired and went to bed earlier than I.

 

Saturday marked the 51^st year of our marriage. We got up and took our items to the neighbor's for our all family garage sale. We had 2 bicycles, a recumbent stationary bike, a window fan and a few other items. We sold 1 bicycle and the recumbent bike. It was in our way and we don't use it. The sale lasted until noon, but we didn't stay all the time. Instead we came home and used my electric trimmer to finish trimming up the shrubs around our deck and the roses on the south side of the house. After lunch we showered and waited for the Georges. They came around 3:30. We enjoyed a few drinks together and then left for Asheville to have dinner at Frankie Bones. We took Peter to a nearby Panera Bread that has Wifi. The remainder of us went to dinner. As a surprise, Tom picked up the check. We really appreciate him and Stacy. We then went to an organic grocery to get a free pound of ground chuck. We had to spend $10 to get it but needed more hamburger anyway. We came back to Waynesville and stopped in at the armory just as the square dance ended. We picked up a loaf of white bread and came home by 9:15. We were very blessed with a nice but humid day and were especially grateful that we got the trimming done. I will try to get Peter and Olivia to help me pack it into a garbage can and take it to Bollinger's to burn next week.

Coming from a week behind

I have been unable to publish any blogs for a week. Here they are.
We went off to the Monday exercise class at 9. Evelyn did the stretch session but then went to walk the treadmill. I stayed. It is distressing to realize how such simple exercises can exhaust me and make me so tired. The back of my left gluteus maximus and hamstring are quite sore. It is difficult for me to go up a stairs. We did learn about the terrible destruction that occurred in Joplin, MO. It makes me more believing that our Lord has finally begun the final preparations for the second coming of Jesus. It makes me more understanding of the erroneous prediction of the end of the world. There are many signs that it is coming. We went to the grocery again for some supplies to use next weekend when our family from Roswell comes to visit. We put things away and had lunch. Evelyn then made a lasagna dish for next weekend before she lay down for a nap. While she was applying hair color, Doris came over with 2 trout fillets. We ate them and went to walk the lake. It was a very pleasant evening. We also distributed a few Folkmoot brochures. We made plans to take Tom and Luanne to look at an older Chinook at Highlands, NC. They couldn't go until Thursday.

Tuesday is a harder workout day. The leader plays great music and causes us to march throughout the session. She also leads us through many of the same stretching and weight routines. After that we went to our dermatologist to get an estimate of costs for removing Emily's nodules on her head and then went on to deliver some Folkmoot brochures. We returned home for lunch, and I planted the flower that Evelyn won at the dance last Friday. I also watered the other plants because we have had no rain for a couple of days. I chopped some vegetables to put into the cornbread salad Evelyn was making, and then we took a nap. I tried again to publish yesterday's blog without success. I guess I will have to ask Tom to straighten things out. Evelyn also made a rhubarb dessert, using a recipe she got from a lady at church. We decided to take some to Bollingers, friends Evelyn went to school with in Geneva. They showed us around their house and property, emphasizing their lovely garden. We left shortly before dark because we don't know the mountain roads well enough to be comfortable driving after dark. Tomorrow is the trip to the trout farm.

Wednesday was the day the rec center was to take us to the trout farm tour. We were to leave at 9, but a belt on the bus engine broke. Evelyn went to the regular exercise while we waited for repairs. I stayed in the lobby and waited. When Evelyn finished, we were told that the belt could not be replaced. Instead we went with Bill Edwards to Maggie Valley to find the senior center there. We found it but no one was there. We went to Ammons drive in for lunch and then went to Grass Roots to buy some blue draping flowers to put into our hanging pot. We took some more Folkmoot brochures to more businesses. And came home for awhile before going to choir practice. We came home and watched some TV before going to bed a bit early.

We were up and on the road to Franklin by 8:30. We bought gas at a Marathon station and picked up Tom and Luann. We drove a very curvy road up to Highlands to look at a Chinook that we thought we might buy. The man, Dave Fouser, was very nice and showed us the unit. We were not really satisfied with it much at all. It was one of the first ever made in 1977. It was a clean unit but needed some work on the engine. It also had 1977 interior design, and we are not ready to live in a time warp. The man was quite a man with hobbies. He was restoring a Fiat and had more than 20 radio control airplanes in his work area. Tom is quite a builder and is thinking he will fly planes in San Antonio where they will live fom now on. We went out for lunch in Dillard, GA and took them home. They have cleaned up their property in Franklin to sell and are living in one of their 3 travel trailers. We stopped at Sally Beauty Supply to get an on sale item for Evelyn and drove home. We planted the hanging plants and watered our plants with Miracle Grow and took things down from our deck, thinking we might have a storm. We did have heavy rains, lightning and thunder but no heavy winds. I had been up between 3:30 and 5:30 this morning, so I went to bed early.

We went to exercise again Friday and spent an hour. During the second hour, we used large plastic inflated balls to sit on. I had never used them before and promptly rolled backward when we began. It was funny until I landed on the handle of one of the weights we use during workout. I hit hard on the left cheek of my hip and know I will have a deep bruise tomorrow. The leader asked if I was all right and I said no. He then promptly went right on with the exercises. I don't think he cared much. I was able to finish. We came home and dressed in our hospital volunteer clothes and were at the office of the audiologist by 11. This is when she takes walk-ins. My right hearing aid wasn't working and I found the wax filter to be clogged. She cleaned them and sold me some for future changes. We went to the hospital to have lunch and work. Evelyn was able to get scheduled for a mammogram next Wednesday. We had to leave at 2:30 to drive to Asheville for an appointment with the endocrinologist. Her thyroid is in good shape, making her thank God for that news and the insight to refuse the surgery the doctor wanted her to have last year. We tried to contact Dallas and Karen to join us for dinner but couldn't contact them. We returned some napkins to Bed Bath and Beyond and then went to a Mexican restaurant for supper. On the way we found an Ingalls Grocery that had a crepe myrtle that we wanted. We had tried Jesse Israel's at the Farmer's Market but didn't buy one. They were $23 there and $7 at Ingalls. We were home around 8 and made the futon bed for Tom and Stacy. Evelyn was very tired and went to bed earlier than I.

Saturday marked the 51st year of our marriage. We got up and took our items to the neighbor's for our all family garage sale. We had 2 bicycles, a recumbent stationary bike, a window fan and a few other items. We sold 1 bicycle and the recumbent bike. It was in our way and we don't use it. The sale lasted until noon, but we didn't stay all the time. Instead we came home and used my electric trimmer to finish trimming up the shrubs around our deck and the roses on the south side of the house. After lunch we showered and waited for the Georges. They came around 3:30. We enjoyed a few drinks together and then left for Asheville to have dinner at Frankie Bones. We took Peter to a nearby Panera Bread that has Wifi. The remainder of us went to dinner. As a surprise, Tom picked up the check. We really appreciate him and Stacy. We then went to an organic grocery to get a free pound of ground chuck. We had to spend $10 to get it but needed more hamburger anyway. We came back to Waynesville and stopped in at the armory just as the square dance ended. We picked up a loaf of white bread and came home by 9:15. We were very blessed with a nice but humid day and were especially grateful that we got the trimming done. I will try to get Peter and Olivia to help me pack it into a garbage can and take it to Bollinger's to burn next week.

A man who loves his Savior and the lost souls

We slept until 8 and woke to a phone call from Emily. We talked for an hour about Andrew’s going to MA for the debate tournament. He was invited a couple of days ago. They also had a good day at King’s Island last week. Pieder has not heard definitely from anyone about any of his job opportunities. But at a play last night, a local businessman gave a testimony and made it clear that he was looking for employees, so Emily will call him Monday to see if he needs any physicists. God may have planned this, and we pray He did. We did some work around the house after lunch, including washing the windows. We also had a surprise visit from Frieda, our former neighbor, who dropped in with some wine she had bought for me in Greenville, SC. She had just returned from Belgium and told us the highlights of the trip. We had hamburgers that I had cooked in the smoker. I thought we might go to a movie at a theater but stayed home and watched The Last Song, based on a novel by one of Evelyn’s favorite authors, Nicholas Sparks.
Now about the end of the world that didn’t happen. If you read this and pray, please pray for that man who made this prediction. He is a greater Christian than many of the readers of this and the writer of this. He sacrificed his entire life savings in an effort to save everyone in the world. He paid thousands of dollars to erect billboards because he believed in what he thought the Bible predicted. Of course he was wrong because “no man knows the day or the hour; only the Father knows.” He was trying to warn everyone about what will happen to those who do not trust and believe in the Lord. He does not deserve the ridicule he will get throughout the rest of his life. I wish we all had the great concern for the souls of others that he had. My our Lord and God comfort him in this time.

Ballroom dancing again

Friday was exercise day. Evelyn’s back was tender so she just walked on the treadmill. I went to the class. The first half hour was full, but the second contained m and 2 other women. I have never experienced that large an exodus. I must have done something to irritate the tendons in back of my left leg. I hurt when I climbed the stair. We got a print out of things scheduled for the next 2 months at the center. There are many trips scheduled each month, some of which are appealing to us. We will plan to take advantage of some as we will this next Thursday. We then went to distribute some Folkmoot brochures at our nearby strip mall and in Clyde. We also bought another gallon of strawberries for us and 1 for the Pastor and his wife. We returned home and washed some grapes we took to the dance. It was the first ballroom dance we had attended since returning to NC. We met our friends, the Norris, and some new ones, Don and Robin Anderson. As we talked, she invited us to be with them on July 4 in case the family members can’t be here. We enjoyed the dance and were early enough to help set up and stayed late enough to tear down. The couple in charge, who taught us tango lessons (where we met Dallas and Karen) do all the work for the dances. We all feel pretty lame in just leaving them to clean up, so most of us help. We came home in time for the news.

skin cancer surgery

We couldn’t exercise this morning because we had to go to the church and finish the brunch. We baked the casseroles, turned on the coffee, filled cups of fruit and waited for the ladies to come. I went to talk with the pastor because we have offered to buy the DVD series of The Truth Project. We think we have bought it on Ebay but won’t know for a day because PayPal was suspended. We had to go to the dermatologist so a growth could be moved from Evelyn’s arm. The surgery went well, and I walked around the area looking at the pictures on the walls. There were several paintings and memorabilia of the Civil War. There was also a hall of sports stars and another of entertainers and another of cartoonists. I remarked that I hoped the building is insured for several millions because of the artifacts and autographs. We came home and Evelyn insisted on having lunch, even though we had eaten casserole a couple of hours earlier. I didn’t eat much. I then thought of playing golf. I asked our neighbor, Marty, if she wanted to go to Iron Tree to play and she agreed. We went and played. The new owner is working very hard and the course is much better than it was but has a long way to go. The grass has been mowed but the cut grass is so thick on the fairways that we lost several balls under the grass. I appears he is trying to do all the mowing himself and uses a riding mower instead of a tractor and reel mower. I don’t know when or how he can get everything done. We stopped after playing 12 holes because Marty was getting cold. I learned she is quite an athlete and won many events in the local senior Olympics. I ate supper and then we watched some episodes of The Office. Evelyn went to bed during the news and then I watched a program I have become hooked on—Curb Your Enthusiasm.

more good smoked meat.

We went to exercise this morning and were worked a bit harder than usual. I was a bit overdressed because of the cool weather outside. We still had an hour before we were scheduled to go to the Open Door, so I took Evelyn to the library to get some books while I went to get the umbrella I had left at Pisquale’s last night. I also went to the Folkmoot office to get some brochures to distribute. On the way back I saw a motor home, so I went to get Evelyn and took her back to look at it. It was more than we want to spend and didn’t have a good sleeping arrangement. We went on to serve and found that I was not needed to give the devotion. The man who did it was great. We were finished by 2 and were tired. We went for our daily trip to the grocery for the final items for the casserole and came home. I then went to work setting up the smoker so I could smoke our country style ribs and put the hamburgers in the smoker too. I had never done that before. While the meat was smoking, I cut some Jimmy Dean sausage and Evelyn fried it down and finished assembling the casseroles. She then rested for a while before putting the hamburgers together for supper. We then went to choir practice. After that we went to the church basement and prepared some of the things for tomorrow’s brunch: setting tables, readying the coffee pots, etc. Home to watch some of the Cubs game. They finally won.

2 sets of friends

Tuesday was even colder than yesterday. The high prediction was 57. We still went to exercise and found it to be more exerting than yesterday’s. The best thing was that the leader played some jazzy music as we worked out. We had to make our daily visit to the groceries for staples. I was dressed in my blue work out shorts and tank top so I didn’t spend much time outside. I ran from the car to the stores and back. We came home for a light lunch and Evelyn made a bunt cake for her Thursday brunch. The computer was running a bit faster today, so I was able to check some of our credit charges. As we were preparing to meet Dallas and Karen for dinner, we were surprised and delighted to receive a call from Tom and Luanne Jones who are back in Franklin. They are trying to get their home there ready to sell because they have a home in San Antonio where their grandsons live. We made plans to meet them here next Thursday afternoon and evening. They love a seafood restaurant near us, and we will go there for dinner. We met with Norris at Pasquale’s Italian restaurant. Karen had a bogo coupon which made things even more exciting. We invited them back here for strawberry shortcake and a glass of Bailey’s Irish Crème. We had bought a gallon of strawberries in Clyde this morning. We have a good time with them and will meet them Friday night at the ballroom dance.

cooking day

Monday was a cold day. We went to exercise for an hour at 9 and then to Big Lots and Ingalls. Evelyn needs some paper products for her hosting Thursday and we got them and some other supplies she needed. I also got a pack of country style ribs (my favorite) to smoke later this week. We went to Taco Bell to get lunch to take home. I surprised to learn that the company had been sold. Some regional managers are scheduled to inspect this week, so everyone was cleaning the place up. I was able to get some of their flatbread to take home since I know the shift manager from when I worked there. We brought lunch home and then Evelyn did some chopping and preparing a casserole for Thursday. I worked on organizing some pictures since I had received good advice and directions from our grandson, Andrew. Evelyn then decided to make some dill bread while I paid bills on line. I had to turn on the heat for the second time this season since it was cold in the house. I even put my winter pajamas on during the afternoon! I knew we weren’t going anywhere. After supper we did our required watching of Dancing with the Stars and the Cubs/Reds game. We also planned with Dallas and Karen that we would skip the baseball game we had intended to see tomorrow evening because the predicted high temperature for tomorrow is 57. That is too cold for Evelyn and will be even colder by game time. We will meet at an Italian restaurant here in Waynesville instead.

cold band concert

We were blessed with a great worship and Holy Supper this morning. Afterward, many of the church members met at a Mexican restaurant for a buffet. It was a benefit for the Good Samaritan Clinic. We have contributed money to them in the past, but it seems that they have a greater need now that so many people are out of work and needing charitable assistance. We enjoyed the meal and came home directly after to rest. Evelyn is concerned that she gets tired more frequently in recent months. She also has had a sore throat for more than a week. I think it is probably due to the pollen this time of year. I planted some lettuce and onion seeds in our little window boxes. I also talked Evelyn into going to the band concert in Maggie Valley. It was cold but warmed up considerably after we got there and the wind died down. I took some popcorn I had made and ate it during the concert. I think I was the only one who had anything to eat. People sometimes brought picnics to the concerts last year, but it may have been too cold for them. All I know is that there were many in the crowd who coveted my popcorn. We returned home shortly before dark and finished a container of ice cream. We had too much in the freezer anyway.

An uplifting story from our daughter

I took Evelyn to church to meet the other ladies to go to the church camp to clean a cabin. They left at 8 and I took some recyclables to the dump site. Evelyn has to ride 2 hours just to get to the camp and spent the day cleaning. She gets irritated with some of the other ladies because they spend much time discussing and planning rather than doing the actual work. I returned home and did some odd jobs before lunch. Then Stacy called and we had a good conversation about her business and her family. She is such a devout Christian and does the Lord’s work with the children. She thinks the Lord is moving her toward expanding her business. The parents she provides respite for really appreciate her. Her business is named Respite Care and is based in her hometown of Roswell, GA. After lunch I vacuumed the floor and hit a few practice balls in the back yard. I then watched some of the pro tour. Evelyn got home before 4 and took a nap until 5. We then dressed and went to the square dance. We had a good time and are thinking of joining the Pisgah Promenaders club because it will be cheaper of we go to most of the dances during the summer. We had to be out of the Armory by 9 and came right home. We danced surprisingly well and didn’t cause trouble any more than the other couples. We have a big day tomorrow.

meeting new friends.

We were up and exercising at the center by 9. We then walked ¾ of a mile at 10. We went on to the grocery to buy some supplies to give to the postal workers. Tomorrow is the day the post office gathers food for the needy in the area. We bought several boxes of macaroni and cheese to give. We bought some other things for us too and a Boston fern. We returned home and had lunch before cleaning ourselves and taking a nap. We went to some new friends’ house up on the other side of the mountain we live on. They go to Pharr for the winter and are square dancers. We enjoyed a glass of wine and dessert as well as a nice visit with them. We came home thinking we would experience a storm but nothing happened. Our neighbor, Doris, has been caring for her alcoholic son, and we want to give him some support so I hired him to change the oil in our car. He finished just before dark. We just stayed home so Evelyn could rest until 6:30 tomorrow morning.

Bible study Thursday

Evelyn drove to the LWML meeting at 10. They always have a brunch and then meet to decide what service projects they can do. She will go with several women to a church camp on Saturday. She came home and gave me the car to drive back to the church for my Bible study. There were 6 men there and we ate lunch as we studied. We took a short nap when we got back and then walked some at the lake. I had cut some of our shrubs the other day but have to find a way to dispose of it. I must talk with Doris to see if her son will let us bring them to his mountain property.

What a rush!

Wednesday was hectic. First to exercise from 9-10:30. Then home for a shower and lunch. Off to the church to have some things copied for the Bible study Evelyn will lead next week and then to the dump site. Then to Asheville. First to Rug and Home to look for a more suitable braided rug. We bought one to look at on our porch. Next to the doctor to have a blood draw. He was gone to lunch when we arrived so we went to a discount shoe store and bought Evelyn some dressy sandals to go with her new Mother’s Day dress. Back to the doctor for the blood draw. Then to Harbor Freight to get 2 small flashlights. On to Nevada Bob’s for some price reduced golf cards sold by Fellowship of Christian Athletes. I bought 1 for Phil and 1 for me. On to the Lifeway Christian Bookstore to get a leader’s guide for Evelyn’s Bible study. Then to Belk to see about getting a shoulder pad for her MD dress. They were remodeling and couldn’t find anything, let alone a shoulder pad. We went to Bed, Bath and Beyond for a tablecloth and ended up with many other items. I made an ass of myself when I discovered she had bought 4 sets of 2 napkins for just $1 less than the large oval tablecloth. I do that a lot. Then to the 151 restaurant for a delicious dinner of appetizers, 1 of crab cake and 1 of spinach and artichoke dip, followed by and Italian sausage on flatbread entrée. The food was excellent, but the restaurant was without ambiance of any degree. We proceeded to the baseball game where we reunited with our friends, Dallas and Karen. We enjoyed the evening with them while watching a great baseball game that the home team won 10-8. On the way home I got gas and some lunchmeat for my lunch with the Lord tomorrow at church. It is a new Bible study for men that pastor started.

Errands

Tuesday is one of the two days that senior citizens don’t need exercise—evidently. There are no classes those days. Instead we went to the center and walked a mile on the outside track. It was a very pleasant morning but was warming up by the time we finished around 10:30. We had arisen early, and I had gone to the attic to retrieve the spring decorations for the top of the entertainment center. I also looked for a gift we had brought for Stacy but couldn’t find it. We can’t figure out where we put it. We unpacked the spring decorations, removed the fall decorations and put them into the same box, and put up the spring ones. It is slightly different from the one last year. I also watered the plants since the rain hadn’t come. We had heard storms and seen lightning during the night, but I knew the action was far east of us. Evelyn was feeling better, so we went to BiLo to correct the gasoline error (they replaced our card) and went downtown to the jeweler to see how much we would be charged to refastenen a jewel into a ring Evelyn had. They wanted $300. That was $280 more than she had been quoted at another jewelers. I stepped in to say hello to Laurie, Paul and Shirley’s daughter while Evelyn looked for a braided rug to replace the one from the front porch. We found one that might suffice at the catalog return store. What a conglomerate of items that had been returned to Penny’s et. al throughout the years. We went to the Sagebrush for lunch and then to Advance Auto Parts for some oil for the car. Evelyn wears out easily, especially when she is a bit sick, so we came home for her to rest and nap. I did computer work before supper and then we watched the next episode of the greatest TV show ever. Do you remember what it was from yesterday’s blog?

Exercise

Evelyn didn’t feel good when we wakened. That didn’t stop us from going to the rec center to exercise. The first half hour was stretching, the next was a bit heavier and intense, the finale was half an hour of yoga. The first was soothing, the second taxing on many muscles and the third was nothing. We left there at 10 to go to our hospital auxiliary meeting and lunch. The meeting was a waste for us but the carry-in lunch was very good. The problem was that Evelyn was feeling worse and had to go lie down in the car. I fixed her a plate and took it home with her. She didn’t want to eat it until she had a nap. Then she ate—before going back to finish the nap. I finally got her up around 5 and took her outside to plant the items we had bought Saturday. We finished in about an hour and came in for supper and an evening of watching the greatest TV program ever created—“Dancing with the Stars’. This is Evelyn’s opinion. Speaking of Evelyn, she took some ibuprofen before her daylong naps and was feeling better throughout the evening, and we hope she will be even better tomorrow.

Mother's Day

Today is Mother’s Day. We went to Bible class and then to worship. The pastor had been gone most of the week because his younger daughter had to have surgery in Winston-Salem. She is only 2. The pastor was very tired and needs prayer. We left for Maggie Valley so we could have a Mother’s Day dinner at “Butts on the Creek”, a barbecue restaurant. We drove around Maggie just for old times sake. We stayed there a month in our motor home before we bought our current home. We came home and Evelyn felt bad and went to bed, but I had to get he up because I remembered we were to usher at the local theater. The play was a musical , “I love you. You’re perfect. Now change”. It was good, and we really enjoyed it. We came home and Evelyn went to bed. I was planning to help her plant some of our tomatoes but she didn’t get up until Emily called to talk. Stacy and family had called earlier to sing “Happy Mother’s Day”. The girls know what a wonderful mother they have. We finished the day by watching “The Other Guys” starring Will Ferrell. It was ridiculous but funny.

Today is Mother’s Day. We went to Bible class and then to worship. The pastor had been gone most of the week because his younger daughter had to have surgery in Winston-Salem. She is only 2. The pastor was very tired and needs prayer. We left for Maggie Valley so we could have a Mother’s Day dinner at “Butts on the Creek”, a barbecue restaurant. We drove around Maggie just for old times sake. We stayed there a month in our motor home before we bought our current home. We came home and Evelyn felt bad and went to bed, but I had to get he up because I remembered we were to usher at the local theater. The play was a musical , “I love you. You’re perfect. Now change”. It was good, and we really enjoyed it. We came home and Evelyn went to bed. I was planning to help her plant some of our tomatoes but she didn’t get up until Emily called to talk. Stacy and family had called earlier to sing “Happy Mother’s Day”. The girls know what a wonderful mother they have. We finished the day by watching “The Other Guys” starring Will Ferrell. It was ridiculous but funny.

Plants to plant

We were up and off to the flea market to look for some plants. We found several tomatoes, etc. and brought them home. We then proceeded to the “every bloomin’ thing” festival in Frog level. While Evelyn looked for more plants, I walked about half a mile to mail a letter to Lloyd Froment. I walked back and we found that an outreach to kids was serving a brunch. We bought some baked French toast and tried to talk with one of the young people in charge because we wanted to volunteer to help. Unfortunately, he never came to talk with us. We left with some pepper plants and came home. It was around 2 when we got home and Evelyn was worn out and went to bed for a nap. I went to get gas thinking we would get a reduction in the price per gallon, but my card was not good. A local grocery has an agreement with Shell to give reductions based on the amount of groceries purchased. I will have to return to the grocery to find out what is wrong. I went on out to the Iron Tree golf course to see if was playable. It was worse than last year, but it is under new management, and the new owner says that things will be much better within a couple of weeks. I may ask Phil to go play some time. We watched a movie and went to bed.

Doped up

I had some heartburn during the night about 3, so I got up to take some Mylanta. In addition, my legs had been aching, so I got a bottle of what I thought to be Tylenol. When I got to a light to check, I found it was some of Evelyn’s sleep aid. When it was time to get up at 7:30, I was too dopey to get up. Evelyn went to exercise, and I finally was able to drag myself out of bed at 10. We dressed and went to volunteer at the hospital. We had our volunteer’s lunch and went to the 6th floor. We are to take snacks to patients but didn’t take 1 thing to anyone until we were dismissed at 2. I was unable to get on line using the hospital WIFI, so I called an IT guy, but he couldn’t work it out either. He said he would talk with the department manager and help me next time we were there. We came home and Evelyn napped while I read emails and watched the Cubs game. She decided that it was too cold to go out to the two different options, so we decided to stay home and watch a movie. We will have enough time outdoors tomorrow anyway.

Cold baseball game

Thursday is our busy day this week. Evelyn had Bible study at the church, and Phil Loyer and I played golf. It was the first time I have really used my motorized golf cart. It sure looks better when someone else is using it. I played fair on the front 9 but miserably on the back, despite parring two holes. Controlling the cart sometimes required my guiding it with the handle which pulled the muscle in my back. When I used the remote control, the cart sometimes ignored my commands causing me to run after it to make it stop. I will have to practice more with it. Phil brought me home and had lunch of chili with me. I then showered and lay down for a nap. I was exhausted. But we weren’t finished. Evelyn went for a haircut while I waited for Phil and Joanne to come to pick us up. When Evelyn arrived (looking lovely), we drove to Asheville. We had planned to go to the restaurant that sponsors “Thirsty Thursday” for supper but couldn’t find a place to park. We guessed that they were having a big Cinco de Mayo party, judging by the way some of the young people were dressed. We went on to have a sandwich at the ballgame. We ate outside at some picnic tables around the outside of the ball diamond and experienced a drop of the temperature. It got colder throughout the game, but we were all dressed for the chill. The game was very good for the Tourists. Three of the young boys hit homeruns. We left before the end because the score was 10-2 and that was the way it ended. We were home by 10:25.

Mother's Day gifts

I was awake at 4:30 but went back to sleep at 7. We were both sleeping so soundly that we didn’t hear telephone go off at 7:30. We did waken shortly after 8:30 and went to the rec center to exercise. Evelyn went to an exercise class but I just worked with the machines and weights a bit. I didn’t want to get too sweaty. After we finished, we went to a drug store looking for a cleaner for my pure sleep device and then to Belk to find a nightgown and dress for Evelyn’s mother’s day gift. We found the gown and 2 dresses. One dress was in Asheville but could be mailed to us. She called the Asheville and made arrangements. We then returned home for lunch and a nap. I then worked on my motorized golf cart to stop it from pulling to the left. I think it is better. I also trimmed a tree that was hanging over our driveway. I will drag it to the neighbor’s ditch tomorrow. I made it home just before it began raining. We spent the night quietly again but that will end Thursday. We decided to go to the Tourists game next Wednesday with Dallas and Karen. We will also work Friday afternoon at the hospital for the rest of this month. We will see what will develop for June.

Back to the soup kitchen

Monday was another gorgeous day. We are sleeping later and later. I will have to start using our alarm clock. The problem is that I never know whether Evelyn has slept through the night. She sometimes can’t fall asleep until the wee hours of the morning or wakens during the night and is up for some period of time. She goes into cycles periodically. When we did get up, I had to go to Clyde to make an appointment to have the brake drums turned. I made it for 8:30 Wednesday morning. I also cashed a check from AARP to pay for stamps I must buy to mail certain paperwork in after I lead a Driver Safety class. I came home, got Evelyn and went to the Open Door to work. She is driving now whenever we go somewhere together. I got tired of her driving from the passenger side and decided she could do better from under the wheel. We had the strangest devotion this morning. I had gone prepared to lead one if necessary. Since Osama Bin Ladin had been killed, I wanted to contrast his life and death with Jesus’ life and death. The man who was to lead the devotion was there and read 3 scriptures. He then asked for questions and comments and prayer requests. This was so short that the cooks were not even ready to serve. I am sure God’s word was better than mine would have been anyway, but I am slow and need someone to point my mind to the relevance of scripture to a topic. We worked until 2 and then stopped at the drug store for supplies before going to the rec center to “work out”. We had to reacquaint ourselves with the equipment. We were blessed to get some instruction and advice from one of the men who work there. We didn’t stay long because we were tired from our serving. We didn’t do much when we returned. Evelyn napped (she had not slept well) and I watched Glenn Beck. He is leaving (or was asked to leave) Fox news soon. That erases both extremes from Fox and MSNBC since Keith Olberman is also gone. We had a light supper and then started a movie, Barton Fink, but had to stop in the middle to watch Dancing with the Stars. I worked on the computer and learned that there is a product I can use to clean my plastic antisnoring device. I usually soak it in mouthwash and alcohol but want to try something else.

A new travel trailer

We arrived at church to learn that Pastor Crume and family had to go to Winston-Salem to have his little girl operated on. A retired pastor led the service and served us Holy Communion. We then had a meeting about the German dinner in October before going to a Chinese buffet with 2 divorced ladies who are good friends. We shared the events in our lives for the past 6 months. We came home and I watched some of the Cubs game while Evelyn slept. We then went to the yard to collect some twigs. The grass in our neighborhood is as much as 8 inches long. This might be due to the recent rains or the fact that the new contract the tightwads in this area voted to pay for only mowing every 10 days. Hopefully the grass will be cut tomorrow. We have made plans for several things during the next week. During the evening we received a call from Carrie Dell and talked with her husband who thinks he may have found a Chinook that we might be interested in buying to use around this area. The lady that owns it is still in Florida but will be back to her home in Highlands, a small mountain town in the mountains near here, and will contact us when she returns. Bob and Carrie know a woman who lives there from their time in Arizona and we called her. She sounded very nice. We hope to meet this summer either there or here when Carrie and Bob come to visit.