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Back in Florida

I'm arrived home safely Tuesday night. I left on Monday, rather than Tuesday because I had misread my calendar and needed to be home for an 8:00 appointment Thursday morning. On the way, I stopped by Mount Olive College in North Carolina. That's where Sarah graduated from. I spent the night with a good friend, visited a little bit on Tuesday morning, and left around 10. I did not intend to drive all the way home, but once I got started, I just kept on coming.

I had planned to stop at the last exit in Georgia, but when I got there it was only 4 and with the added daylight hours, I knew I wouldn't be driving too long in the dark. A comfortable car, straight roads, and flat land make a lot of difference.

I have much to remember from my month in Virginia, and I'll share a bit of that when I get a chance. There were two occasions that were meaningful. The first weekend I was there I went to a play that the high school students put on about the Holocaust. Another Saturday I went to a CF Education Day at UVA.

Right now, I'm still unpacking, realizing I don't need a sweater, and breezing by blogs, reading, but not always commenting. I'll get there.

Resurrection Morning

1-2 Early in the morning on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and saw that the stone was moved away from the entrance. She ran at once to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, breathlessly panting, "They took the Master from the tomb. We don't know where they've put him."

3-10Peter and the other disciple left immediately for the tomb. They ran, neck and neck. The other disciple got to the tomb first, outrunning Peter. Stooping to look in, he saw the pieces of linen cloth lying there, but he didn't go in. Simon Peter arrived after him, entered the tomb, observed the linen cloths lying there, and the kerchief used to cover his head not lying with the linen cloths but separate, neatly folded by itself. Then the other disciple, the one who had gotten there first, went into the tomb, took one look at the evidence, and believed. No one yet knew from the Scripture that he had to rise from the dead. The disciples then went back home.

11-13But Mary stood outside the tomb weeping. As she wept, she knelt to look into the tomb and saw two angels sitting there, dressed in white, one at the head, the other at the foot of where Jesus' body had been laid. They said to her, "Woman, why do you weep?"

13-14"They took my Master," she said, "and I don't know where they put him." After she said this, she turned away and saw Jesus standing there. But she didn't recognize him.

15Jesus spoke to her, "Woman, why do you weep? Who are you looking for?"
She, thinking that he was the gardener, said, "Mister, if you took him, tell me where you put him so I can care for him."

16Jesus said, "Mary."

Turning to face him, she said in Hebrew, "Rabboni!" meaning "Teacher!"

17Jesus said, "Don't cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. Go to my brothers and tell them, 'I ascend to my Father and your Father, my God and your God.'"

18Mary Magdalene went, telling the news to the disciples: "I saw the Master!" And she told them everything he said to her.

John 20, The Message

At the Cross

Rogier van der Weyden:
The Crucifixion
oil on panel, c. 1445
Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna

Alas! and did my Savior bleed
And did my Sovereign die?
Would He devote that sacred head
For such a worm as I?

Thy body slain, sweet Jesus, Thine—
And bathed in its own blood—
While the firm mark of wrath divine,
His Soul in anguish stood.

Was it for crimes that I had done
He groaned upon the tree?
Amazing pity! grace unknown!
And love beyond degree!

Well might the sun in darkness hide
And shut his glories in,
When Christ, the mighty Maker died,
For man the creature’s sin.

Thus might I hide my blushing face
While His dear cross appears,
Dissolve my heart in thankfulness,
And melt my eyes to tears.

But drops of grief can ne’er repay
The debt of love I owe:
Here, Lord, I give my self away
’Tis all that I can do.

At the cross, at the cross
Where I first saw the light.
And the burden of my heart rolled away.
It was there by faith I received my sight
And now I am happy all the day!

Cyberhymnal

Spring

For behold, the winter is past,The rain is over and gone.‘

The flowers have already appeared in the land;

The time has arrived for pruning the vines,

And the voice of the turtledove has been heard in our land.‘

The fig tree has ripened its figs,

And the vines in blossom have given forth their
fragrance.

from Song of
Solomon

The above photos are from a road trip to Nashville a couple of years ago in April.

Play Like

Did you ever play like...? When I was a little girl, my mother and daddy had a black 1936 Chevrolet. I don't know if they owned this car before World War II, but I remember it well after the war was over, and we had moved from Lacoochee to Bradenton. I remember road trips back to Lacoochee and up to Starke to visit my grandma and grandpa.

When I got a little older, I remember going out to the car on a Sunday afternoon, getting in the car, and playing like I was driving. There wasn't much to play with...the steering wheel, gear shift, brake and gas pedal, throttle, and the light dimmer, which as you folks who are as old as I am know was on the floorboard. I must have left the gas pedal alone because I don't believe the engine was ever flooded.

The other day it was nice out, and I asked Ella if she would like to go for a ride. I opened the rear door to put her in her car seat, and that was not what she wanted. She wanted to play in the car. I got in the front passenger side, and she spent probably 45 minutes going from the back seat to the front and back again and then to the rear cargo area. She discovered the mirrors that were on the visors. Every knob that could be turned was turned.

The next day when I got in the car to go to the store, the blinker was on, the display that shows the mileage came on, and I don't know what all. My car had passed the "Ella Test."

The above photo is from summer.

If Winter Come...

I wandered lonely as a cloud

That floats on high o'er vales and hills,

When all at once I saw a crowd,

A host, of golden daffodils;

William Wordsworth

This past weekend I went with my son, his wife, and Ella to Richmond. Sabrina was having lunch with some former co-workers, so we went along for the ride. What a delight upon nearing Richmond to see trees beginning to bud out. As we arrived at the home where she was having lunch, these lovely daffodils greeted us.

The weather was a real mix though. Within an hour's time, we saw clouds, felt some rain, saw the sun and felt the wind. As we drove home later in the afternoon, I kept looking at the thermometer in the car. When we left Richmond, it was 50. As we approached home, I looked and the temperature had dropped to 32. I pointed that out to David, and he said, "It can't be that cold." But when we got out of the car, it did indeed feel that chilly.

Today was pleasant, however. When I went outside with Ella this afternoon, I looked carefully at the maple tree in the yard, and I do believe I see the beginning of leaves.

By the way, can anyone tell me how to get ride of the centering when one uses Picasa to post? I do not know how to get my margin to the left. Thanks for any help.

Wanna play ball?

If only all children were as loved as this little girl. I've been my days reading to her, playing ball with her, doing puzzles with her, and coloring. Usually in the morning as her daddy is leaving for work, we sit and read books. Some of her favorite ones are those that have textures to feel, the soft bunny, the "ruff" paw of the dog. I brought along a pop-up book of nursery rhymes which we've been enjoying. Among her favorite characters are C*rious George and W*nnie the Pooh.

Who doesn't love George, the curious little monkey who finds himself in all kinds of situations and, amazingly works his way out of them. I remember that he was always a choice of the first graders that I taught when there was a book to be read. She has discovered Pooh and his friends through the video "The Many Adventures of W*nnie the Pooh." It's fun to watch her respond to the music and dance along as we watch together.

The days are getting nice so that we've been going outside. The days are sunny, but a little cool, not warm like Florida, but not snowy like my blogging friends in Canada continue to experience.

Spring is just about to pop out here. Hooray!

Where's Ella?

Here she is!

Things You Don't Hear Anymore

OK, so some of you aren't as old as I am. I was reminded that many of you were just born around 1955 and so you don't remember some of those things. This post would probably bring the same response.

I have the house to myself. Ella's off to a birthday party for a little girl who's turning one today. She's having a "Build a library" party. That sounds like a good idea, doesn't it.

I will get some pictures of Ella up. My hard drive is getting full, and I didn't get the last few loaded. I guess it is time for a new computer, or to spend some time cleaning out some files.

Enjoy these. I particularly identify with the one that speaks about 9 cents for a movie ticket. When I was growing up, I could get into the movie for 9 cents with a nickel for a candy bar. Mother always gave me 15 cents, so I had a whole penny change.

Be sure to refill the ice trays, we're going to have company after while.

Watch for the postman, I want to get this letter to Aunt Mary in the mail today.

Quit slamming the screen door when you are on your way out!

Be sure and pull the windows down when you leave, it looks like a shower is coming up.

Don't forget to wind the clock before you go to bed.

Wash your feet before you go to bed, they are nasty from playing outside all day barefooted.

Why can't you remember to roll up your pant legs? Getting them caught in the bicycle chain so many times is tearing them up.

You have torn the knees out of that pair of pants so many times there is nothing left to put a patch on.

Don't you go outside with your good school clothes on!

Go comb your hair; it looks like the rats have nested in it all night.

Be sure and pour the cream off the top of the milk when you open the new bottle.

Take that empty bottle to the store with you so you won't have to pay a deposit on another one.

Put a dish towel over the cake so the flies won't get on it.

Quit jumping on the floor! I have a cake in the oven and you are going to make it fall if you don't quit!

Let me know when the Fuller Brush man comes by, I need to get a few things from him.

You boys stay close by, the car may not start and I will need you to help push it off.

There's a dollar in my purse, get 5 gallons of gas when you go to town.

Open the back door and see if we can get a breeze through here, it is getting hot.

You can walk to the store; it won't hurt you to get some exercise.

Don't sit too close to the TV. It is hard on your eyes.

If you pull that stunt again, I am going to wear you out!

Don't lose that button; I'll sew it back on after awhile.

Wash under your neck before you come to the table, you have beads of dirt and sweat all under there.

Get out from under the sewing machine; pumping it messes up the thread!

Be sure and fill the lamps this morning so we don't have to do that tonight in the dark.

Here, take this old magazine to the toilet with you when you go, we are almost out of paper out there.

Go out to the well and draw a bucket of water so I can wash dishes.

Don't turn the radio on now, I want the battery to be up when the Grand Ole Opry comes on.

No! I don't have nine cents for you to go to the show. Do you think money grows on trees?

Eat those vegetables, they'll make you big and strong like your daddy.

That dog is NOT coming in this house! I don't care how cold it is out there, dogs just don't come in the house.

Sit still! I'm trying to get your hair cut straight and you keep moving and it is all botched up.

Hush your mouth! I don't want to hear words like that! I'll wash your mouth out with soap!

It is time for your system to be cleaned out. I am going to give you a dose of castor oil tonight.

If you get a spanking in school and I find out about it, you'll get another one when you get home.

Quit crossing your eyes! They will get stuck that way!

Soak your foot in this pan of coal oil so that bad cut won't get infected.

When you take your driving test, don't forget to signal each turn. Left arm straight out the window for a left turn; left arm bent up at the elbow for a right turn; and straight down to the side of the door when you are going to stop.

It is: "Yes Ma'am!" and "No Ma'am!" to me, young man, and don't you forget it!

Do you remember hearing these?

Well, I know that some of you are as old as I am, and some are younger. A friend sent these to me the other day, and I had to smile as I read them.

These comments were made in the year 1955!
That's only 53 years ago!

"I'll tell you one thing, if things keep going the way they are, it's going to be impossible to buy a week's groceries for $20."

"Have you seen the new cars coming out next year? It won't be long before $2,000 will only buy a used one."

"If cigarettes keep going up in price, I'm going to quit. A quarter a pack is ridiculous."

"Did you hear the post office is thinking about charging a dime just to mail a letter?"

"If they raise the minimum wage to $1, nobody will be able to hire outside help at the store."

"When I first started driving, who would have thought gas would someday cost 29 cents a gallon? Guess we'd be better off leaving the car in the garage."

"Kids today are impossible. Those duck tail hair cuts make it impossible to stay groomed. Next thing you know, boys will be wearing their hair as long as the girls."

"I'm afraid to send my kids to the movies any more. Ever since they let Clark Gable get by with saying "damn" in "Gone With the Wind," it seems every new movie has either "hell" or "damn" in it."

"I read the other day where some a scientist thinks it's possible to put a man on the moon by the end of the century. They even have some fellows they call astronauts preparing for it down in Texas."

"Did you see where some baseball player just signed a contract for $75,000 a year just to play ball? It wouldn't surprise me if someday they'll be making more than the President."

"I never thought I'd see the day all our kitchen appliances would be electric. They are even making electric typewriters now."

"It's too bad things are so tough nowadays. I see where a few married women are having to work to make ends meet."

"It won't be long before young couples are going to have to hire someone to watch their kids so they can both work."

"Marriage doesn't mean a thing any more. Those Hollywood stars seem to be getting divorced at the drop of a hat."

"I'm afraid the Volkswagen car is going to open the door to a whole lot of foreign business."

"Thank goodness I won't live to see the day when the government takes half our income in taxes. I sometimes wonder if we are electing the best people to congress."

"The drive-in restaurant is convenient in nice weather, but I seriously doubt they will ever catch on."

"There is no sense going to Lincoln or Omaha anymore for a weekend. It costs nearly $15 a night to stay in a hotel."

"No one can afford to be sick anymore. At $35 a day in the hospital, it's too rich for my blood."

"If they think I'll pay 50 cents for a hair cut, forget it."

Hello from Virginia

Hello, it's cold up here. I had a very uneventful trip to my son's house earlier this week. I left Monday morning and drove as far as Florence, South Carolina. I drove the rest of the way on Tuesday, arriving in the early afternoon. Each time I got out of the car, the wind was blowing, and it was very cold.

Today it is freezing. There was supposed to be freezing rain and snow during the night, but that didn't quite materialize, but it should be worse during the day. My son had a two-hour delay in his school start, so I'm taking advantage of this time to update my blog.

Thanks for all your comments about Ella. I'm so glad that I get to see her as much as I do. I've been able to experience all the changes that a little one goes through. Her vocabulary is increasing every day. You should hear her try to say "caterpillar." She's quite comfortable with me after the initial separation in the morning from her daddy.

On Tuesday she had an appointment with the specialist, and she appears to be doing very well. She's about 3-4 pounds heavier than she was in December when I was here, so that's good.

As I left Florida Monday morning, I saw signs of spring. Redbud was blooming along the side of the highway. That was the last sign of spring that I saw...although I didn't expect to see those.

One nice thing here is that the sun shines on the good days. I've always heard about the gloomy winter days in the north. I guess those folks were talking about places much further north than here.

Have a good weekend.

Happy Valentine's Day

A year ago, I was in Nashville with this darling little girl while her mom attended a conference. What fun it was!

In August I got to be at her very first birthday party. What fun it was!

In October I got to go and spend a month with her. What fun it was! And now I'm getting ready to go again! What fun it will be.

Monday morning

I often wonder what in the world I have to blog about, and then I make a comment on someone else's blog and think to myself, "That would make a good post."

Thursday night I attended a support group for patients and caregivers of people with myasthenia gravis. I was diagnosed with MG back in 1990 and was quite sick for a while. After a few years with the right medication, it has been under good control. (Most of the time) MG is an auto-immune neuro-muscular illness. It isn't terminal, neither is it a disease in which the muscles waste away.

When one has MG, fatigue causes certain muscle groups not to respond correctly. One of the noticeable symptoms of MG is droopy eyelids. Other symptoms are difficulty chewing and swallowing, double vision, slurred speech, breathing difficulties, and weakness in the limbs. Any or all of these symptoms can appear.

After all these years, I've learned to live with it. Right now, my main problems are in swallowing and occasionally by evening I have difficulty speaking well. Often it is noticeable only to me, but it is there nonetheless. It really isn't worth mentioning.

However, the other evening, there was a young couple there at the support group. The husband was diagnosed in January after experiencing several symptoms. His dear wife is expecting a baby this week. I am not sure if it is their first child or not. My heart just went out to them. He is so concerned about not being able to help around the house, and then, of course, there is his job. He was very soft spoken, and I didn't get exactly what he does, but it appears that it is some type of work where he can take breaks to rest a bit.

We have a wonderful doctor who attends each meeting, and he reminded this young man of the ADA and the fact that businesses have to accomodate disabilities. I'm hoping for the best for this couple. I wanted to embrace them and assure them that everything was going to be all right. And I'm sure it will be for them, but I know they must be scared to death, not knowing exactly what they're dealing with.

On a lighter note, there was one of those feel good articles in our newspaper that is just too good not to mention. A St. Bernard/Pyrennees mix was found on the streets by animal service and taken to the humane society. They cleaned him up, checked him out, and waited the necessary time for an owner to come claim him.

When no one did, they knew they would have to find a home for him. They received a call from a lady at an assisted-living facility who wanted to know if they had a big dog. It seems they were looking for one to their place, a dog who would be tall enough so that the folks in wheelchairs could put him easily. It seems to be a match made in heaven. What a nice valentine for this dog and the folks at the facility. Read about Liam here.

Flash!

Flash! This just in. I received this photo today from Ella's mom. Does she look like a baby any more? I think not. I had planned to leave this past Sunday to go visit them again, but I had to change my plans. I'll be going up on the 18th to stay for a while. Needless to say, I can hardly wait.

Thank You

Thank you to all who have responded to Great Strides (See post below).

If you would prefer to mail a check, instead of giving online, here is the address:

Cystic Fibrosis Foundation - Tampa
4902 Eisenhower Blvd., Suite 115
Tampa FL 33634

Put Great Strides in the memo line along with my name, Beverly Whitcomb.

This past weekend was our Sweet Adelines show. What a great time and what fun! I don't have any pictures yet, but when I get some I'll post them. One of these days I'll get some video and post that as well. We had great reviews from all who came.

And what about the Super Bowl! I love football and spent Sunday evening with some friends of kindred spirit. Most of them were cheering for the Giants, and so I joined in cheering the underdog. We had a great time in the last two minutes of the game watching Goliath being felled by David.

When I was looking up some information on the CFF website, I found this article about one of the Super Bowl champions, Shaun O'Hara. It does the heart good to read about men like this. Another former athlete and sports analyst, Boomer Esiason, is a great supporter of the cause of cystic fibrosis, as well. Boomer has a son, Gunnar, who has CF. His foundation has been established to heighten education and awareness of cystic fibrosis and to provide a better quality of life for those affected by cystic fibrosis.

I thank you from the bottom of my heart for your friendship and your listening ear and your giving hearts.

GREAT STRIDES

Every year the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation has walks all over the country to raise funds for research for a cure for CF. Those of you who have been reading my blog know that my little granddaughter has cystic fibrosis, a genetic disorder which leads to digestive and respiratory problems. It is a progressive condition.

The median age of a CF person is now 37. Years ago, many patients did not reach their teens. Through research, improved medicines have been developed, and patients are living longer. I have learned through reading a lot that life is not easy for a person with CF.

This year I'm walking with a team to help raise funds to aid in research. Will you consider making a donation? I have a webpage to which you can go and donate. I will thank you from the bottom of my heart. I want Ella to live a long, healthy life.

Please go here.

Whatever the Weather

Tomorrow is our annual Sweet Adelines show. Our theme this year is "Whatever the Weather." If you could come, you'd find us dressed in raincoats as we sing about all kinds of weather. A clever skit will tie the songs together. Some of the songs that we're singing are: "Raindrops Keep Falling on my Head," "Sunny Side Up," "Wind Beneath My Wings," "It's a Good Day."

We always have a guest quartet join us for our shows. This year's group is The HotShots. They always bring good music and a good laugh.

During the second half, a small group from one of the local high schools is going to sing one song. I hear they will knock our socks off with their music.

The photo above is from our 50th birthday party of our chorus. We had a grand party in May. We had a good time singing and eating. Several other choruses and former members joined us to celebrate. (I'm in the top row, next to the last on the right.)

I wish you could be here. We have a performance at 2 and then another one at 7. Hopefully our weather will be good for all who come out to see us. There's no better place to be than here on the first Saturday of February.

A good reminder

If you haven't been to Nathan's blog lately, go there today and read his list that he wrote in the middle of the night. It's dated Monday, January 28. It's good reading for the soul.

A wonderful song

Last Thursday night before I went to Orlando, I went down to Fort Myers to hear the Gaithers concert. It had been years since I had seen them live. My husband and I used to go regularly years ago.

One of the last songs that they sang was this one. No commentary from me is needed.