May 15, 1947-April 30, 2002

Missing you.

Psalm 1

Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly,

nor standeth in the way of sinners,

nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.

But his delight is in the law of the lord,

and in his law doth he meditate day and night.

And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water,

that bringeth forth his fruit in his seaosn'

his leaf also shall not wither;

 and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.

Hats For Sale

I had a wonderful weekend at a retreat with my Sweet Adelines chorus. We met together at a local hotel on Friday afternoon for fun, rest, lots of conversation, lots of singing, and a potluck dinner before meeting with a wonderful lady from Michigan who directed a chorus for many years, sang in a prize-winning quartet, and does lots of teaching around the States.

Before I left to go to the hotel, in the mail I received a couple of CD's with photos from Haiti. One of my friends, who was also one of the missionary kids I taught while I was there, went with her dad for two weeks to help in the clinics that were being held in Haiti. She stopped by one day to visit and I looked at some of the photos, and I asked her if she would send me a copy of them.

After I came home this afternoon, I loaded some of them on my computer. I could not help smiling when I saw this particular picture. It reminded me of the children's book, Caps for Sale.

A cap salesman is walking along trying to sell his caps and if my memory serves me correctly, he takes a nap under a tree. Some monkeys come along and take his caps and climb a tree with them. When the man awakes, he looks for his caps everywhere and then looks up and sees his hats.

He stamps his foot and says, "You monkeys you, you give me back my caps." They mimic everything he does. Finally, exasperated, he takes his cap off, throws it to the ground, and, in unison, the monkeys take off the caps and throw them down from the tree. The man has his caps back. I guess that's a case of monkey see, monkey do.

A year after Don and I were married we took a trip to Haiti. I wanted him to see where I had worked and meet my friends there. We were walking down a street in Port-au-Prince, and he was looking for a hat to buy. The hats he tried on were all too small. (He had a rather large head.) All a sudden, a hat seller came running up to him.

"Pastor, Pastor, try this one." (Don wasn't a pastor, but we must have been with a missionary that the man recognized. I don't know.) Don tried on the hat, and, lo and behold, it fit. The missionary with us said later that he must have had that hat for a long time, just waiting for someone with a head Don's size to come along. That hat served him well for a good, long time here in the hot sun in Florida.

Things That Go Bump in the Night

Well, I am back in business...I think. The computer is fine. I haven't even begun to move files and photos yet. That will come. As some of you know, I came down with shingles at the beginning of February, and even though I saw a doctor right away and got medication to lessen the severity, I still am having a bit of pain around my midsection. When my doctor gave me a prescription for a month's supply of pain medicine and made it refillable 6 times, I figured I was in it for the duration.

While the pain is lessening, it is still annoying, and the medication really doesn't help a lot, even though it is for nerve pain. I haven't been a very good sleeper for the last little while, and it is even more so now. Last night as I lay in bed, trying to relax and go to sleep, nothing seemed to work. I had lots of things go through my mind, and as they passed through, I thought to myself, "Now that would make a good blog post." However, I did not get up and write them all down, but one did remain.

Those of you who have been around for a while know that I was widowed 8 years ago on April 30, and I have lived alone since that time until October when Sarah sold her house and moved back in with me. During these eight years, I've never been afraid of being along. I have a secure home with an alarm system and I have not had cause for concern.

Just the other day, SRP of Melange wrote a post that had a photo of a frog in it, and in my comment I described an occurrence at my house and later thought to myself that I should blog about that. As I said, I feel secure in my home and have not been afraid.

However...one night I turned out the light and settled down for a good night's rest, when, all of a sudden, I heard something fall to the floor in my bedroom. I was a tad alarmed, but I decided not to get up. In a moment or two, I heard another soft thud on the floor, and I decided it was time to get up and attend to the matter at hand.

I walked into the bathroom and turned on the light, and on the far wall of my bedroom I saw a blob on the wall. After I put on my glasses, I could see that it was a tree frog, fastened to the wall by those sticky pads on his feet. He had jumped up onto the windowsill, and in doing so, had knocked off some wooden figures that I had set there.

Now, I like frogs and am not afraid of them, but I didn't want him jumping down on me, plop, in the middle of the night. So, downstairs I came, got a box, got the frog in the box, and took him outside on the front porch and released him to the wild outdoors of Florida.

I'm not sure if I went to sleep right away. I do know that I would have thought nothing of it compared to the morning I went downstairs and saw a long black snake lying across the French doors that go out to the pool.

Such is life in Florida. You didn't really want to come, now did you.

I'm Back in Action

My new computer arrived today.  But now I have to transfer files, photos, and all that stuff.  I want to wish my son, David, a happy birthday today...tax day.  Isn't that some day to have for a birthday!  Happy birthday, David.

Computer Woes

I hope absence makes the heart grow fonder.  I have a computer that will soon be used as an anchor.  I'm waiting for my new one, and hopefully, it will soon be here.

A link for Ginny

Ginny said in her comment that she was not aware of a Ringling Museum. I am including a link here to the museum. There are lovely photos on the home page of the different buildings on the grounds.

I visited the Ringling Museum today with the purpose of visiting the Norman Rockwell exhibit that is on loan there. I thoroughly enjoyed seeing original works of his, along with photography by Kevin Rivoli, who work paralleled the subject matter of Rockwell's paintings.

After leaving the exhibit, I enjoyed walking around the courtyard of the museum, and then I ended up in Mable Ringling's rose garden. The roses are in full bloom, and many are nearly finished, but I so enjoyed them. I've presented some of them here for you to enjoy too. Over at Carmi's place, you will find his photographic theme for this week...color.

My Friend Erma

Erma, Mom, Granny, GG, my friend Erma was all these things to many people. She died this week, the fourth of my close friends, whose lives have impacted mine since the first of February. I would love to write about them all, and I might sometime, but for today, I'll concentrate on my friend, Erma.

When my parents moved to Bradenton in 1945, they opened a restaurant in downtown. A young man just returned from the war, came into the restaurant to eat. He was a regular. Everyone called him "Buck." After a year or so, my parents sold the restaurant and went to work for other people. Mother worked in a drug store, and a couple of young ladies who worked in an appliance store would come in for lunch and Mother got to know them. One of them was Erma, who had married Buck.

They settled down and had two children, Sharon and Glen. After some time, Erma and the children began attending the church that I went to. Erma jumped right in and became very active, teaching Sunday School, working in DVBS, and Pioneer Girls.

My mother often had to work on Sundays, and my daddy didn't attend church too much. He would take me to Sunday School, and I often went home with Erma and had Sunday lunch with her family. I became very close to them and felt a part of their family. As years passed, and there were family reunions every year, I was always included, long after Don and I married and had our children.

Years went by. I graduated from college and went off to teach in Cincinnati. My father died in January of 1964. When I got home and went over to the church, Erma was there with the ladies, planning how they would help our family during our time of loss.

After five years, I was on my way to Haiti. Erma wanted to know how she could help me get ready to go. I needed some dresses that would be suitable for working in Haiti, and she got busy and helped me make some dresses that served me well during my time there.

I came home from Haiti and had fallen quickly in love with Don. We didn't have long to plan a wedding, but Erma was right there, asking how she could help. She told me not to worry about the reception, she would take care of everything. She did...even the cost. I took care of the cake, and she did everything else. Mind you, that was in the day when one had cake and punch at the reception, not elaborate dinners, but I'm sure she would have done that too.

After our children were born and turned 2, they graduated from the nursery to the 2's & 3's where Erma was the Sunday School teacher. All of us who had children pass through those doors were confident that their children were being lovingly cared for and taught Bible stories.

Some time passed, and Buck became ill. He was diagnosed with cancer and died almost a year later. Erma faithfully and lovingly cared for him during his illness and his passing. She was a true example of how a wife should be, from the day she married him until the day he died. Many wives and young women learned from her life.

Both Sharon and Glenn ended up in North Carolina, and some years ago, she decided that she would move to be near them. She said that she wanted to go while she was well enough to get out and get to know people and be part of a church where she could worship. Glenn had a lovely master suite in his home, and Erma lived there with them until just a few weeks ago. She would come back to visit here in Florida, and she often stayed with me when she came.

Last summer I stopped in North Carolina to see her on my way to be with Ella. I was so glad to see her again, and I knew that it might be the last. It was. But I know I will see her again in heaven. Good-by for now, my dear friend. I love you.

"Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints." Psalm 116

You Can't Stop Me Now!

I flew up to Virginia last week to spend a few days with Ella and her parents. When they were in Florida, I was getting ready for our Sweet Adelines show and feeling lousy, just having been diagnosed with shingles. After the show, we went to Disney World. While they were in the park, I was languishing in bed. I did manage to resurrect myself to go to breakfast with them at Chef Mickey's. And then they were gone.

David mentioned that Ella was outgrowing her little bike, so, of course, I said that we should get a bigger one, so off to T*rgt we went and found a "princess" bike. It didn't take long for David to put it together, and soon Ella was off. Doesn't she look proud!

I love the determination on her face as she rides. There isn't much stopping her.

How old were you when you got your first two-wheeler. I owned one. It was a 26 inch, super-duper Schwinn that my parents got for me when I was eight for Christmas. I took many spills as I learned to ride, but that bike served me well for many years.

Where to Begin?

I eagerly anticipated the arrival of Ella the Bella and her parents at the beginning of February. They arrived just two days before our annual Sweet Adelines show. A few days before their arrival, I began having all kinds of pain in my midsection, so I decided a trip to the doctor was in order.

After checking me over, she thought that I probably had shingles. A kidney stone was an option. Because the lab tech wasn't in that day, the urine sample couldn't be checked for an infection. So I went home with the assurance I could call any time during the weekend since she was on call. On Saturday, I had a rehearsal for Sweet Adelines in the morning, a Pampered Chef lunch at my house at noon, and then something else in the afternoon. I don't even remember what it was.

On Sunday I was still hurting, so I called her back. She suggested my going to an urgent care facility where they could do a scan and whatever was needed. There was no kidney stone, and a chest x-ray looked fine, so the dear doctor there said in his soft Cuban accent, "My dear, I believe you probably have shingles." I got a shot for the pain, antiviral drugs, a prescription for nausea and one for pain and went home. I broke out with a rash on Monday. I believe the antiviral drugs kept them from being so severe, but it has not been fun.

As you will notice, I'm not in any of these photos. The day after the Sweet Adelines show, we went to Disney World. The kids had a great time. I stayed in bed most of the day on Monday. I had told David and Sabrina that I wanted to take Ella and the family to a character breakfast, so on Tuesday we had breakfast at Chef Mickey's in the Contemporary Resort. The breakfast was yummy, and we really did enjoy seeing the characters up close and personal. I think I enjoyed it as much as Ella did.

The week went by much too quickly. The rash has subsided on my body; the pain is not as bad, but it is there. I'm finding that being quiet is better than lots of activity.

Just a couple of weeks before I came down with shingles, the nurse at our retired educators' meeting gave a brief report. Her point was to make sure that our immunizations were up-to-date, and then she mentioned the shot for shingles. I don't know where I've been because I thought that I usually stayed current on what I should be doing, but this one passed me by somehow. At the appropriate time, I will be getting it. I would not like to go through this again!

Do You Ever Stop to Think?

When you turn on the tap, are you thankful for clean water? When you lie down to sleep at night in a comfortable bed, are you thankful? When you walk into your home after a busy day and are sheltered from the elements, are you thankful?

My friend, David, a former missionary kid from Haiti, is in Haiti now along with Samaritan's Purse. He is there chronicling the work of those who have gone to help relieve some of the suffering of the Haitian people. Above is one of his photos. To see more, go here. Click on the photos to see them enlarged.

Grasshoppers, anyone?

This past weekend I had the pleasure of having Thom and Ellen in my home. I first met Thom and Ellen about nine years ago when they came to our church and told how they were going to Cameroon to work at a hospital site. Thom, a contractor, would be overseeing construction at the hospital, and Ellen would be hosting the guest house there. Having raised a family, they were at a time of needing some direction in their lives, and someone who came to their church said, "I think you should go to Cameroon."

After speaking in churches and raising their funds to go, they packed up their house and set off. When I met them, I asked Ellen to look through my Pampered Chef catalog and choose some items that she would like to have in her kitchen in Cameroon. Some time after they had arrived, I received these photos in a letter.

Gladys is holding the Pampered Chef batter bowl, filled with grasshoppers. Thom told us that the grasshoppers, when fried nice and crispy, taste much like fried chicken. Ellen said that she put one in her mouth, but that she wouldn't do it again. A visitor who came to be with them needed a little encouraging to try one, but after he tried the first one, he was reaching for another before he had finished the first one.

Can you imagine cooking these for a snack?

Thom loves the grasshoppers, but he said he draws the line at termites.

Happy Birthday, Sarah

Today is my daughter Sarah's birthday. I tried to upload some photos, but Blogger isn't cooperating. I'll refer you to my post from last year. When Blogger's working for me again, I'll post an up-to-date photo of Sarah. The bottom one in the post is one that was taken after she had begun losing weight. She has worked so hard over the past year and a half to lose, and she has been victorious!

Last July found her jobless. Since then she has sold her house, moved back in with me (I love that.) and just this week started a new position. So hopefully, this is the start of a new good year for her.

Happy birthday, Sarah.

Hope in hopeless times!

Danny Pye, in Haiti, writes: "Hope in hopeless times: Ture story in Jacmel. Mother of 22 day old infant feeding he child just before 5 p.m. last Tuesday. Placed the infant in bed, asleep and walked out of her small home for a short minute. In that short time, the earthquake, house collapsed with infant inside.

Family accepted the death of their infant and grieved for her. Today, search and rescue pulled her out...ALIVE...not a scratch, not a mark. On IV fluides and being treated for malnutrician...who wants to say now there is no God? 7 days...22 day old infant

Haiti

What more can be said about Haiti? I will not even try. Anyone who has ever visited there for a time or lived there takes with them a piece of the country in his heart and never forgets the people of this poor country.

Facebook has been a wonderful medium for leaning news first hand of things going on, as well as blogs. E-mails have come with news that one doesn't necessarily see on TV, even though there is plenty to see.

One blog I would refer you to if you are interested in reading some first hand experiences about the earthquake is Pye's in Haiti. This young couple went to Haiti about four years ago and established a children's home in Jacmel, one of the cities away from the epicenter of the earthquake and yet very damaged. They are updating every day their activities and you can get a glimpse into what many people are doing. If you go back to older posts, you can read Leeann's account of the day of the earthquake.

I was going to put links to some documents that I've received that give some really good information, but I realize I don't know quite how to do it.

Did you hear it is cold in Florida?

Yes, it's cold everywhere, isn't it. It has been cold enough to snow here, but hasn't quite done it yet. I do feel sorry for people who plan for a week's vacation in Florida expecting sunny skies and warm weather. We certainly are not having warm weather, and some days haven't been sunny. Friends on Facebook have said, "If it's going to be this cold, why doesn't it snow?" And I have to admit that I agree with that one.

Yesterday drivers were being warned of icy conditions. There are no signs in Florida that warn of bridges freezing over before the roadways.

Did you read about the iguanas falling out of trees in south Florida? Too cold.

These cold days take me back 33 years to the winter of 1977. We had an extreme winter that year too. I was pregnant with my daughter, Sarah. We had moved into our new home in August. At Christmas, we had two big Christmas open houses, and when I went to the doctor the next day, he announced that I would be going to the hospital because my blood pressure was unusually high. I spent a few days there and then went home to stay in bed until she was born.

One morning I woke up, and the house was unusually cold. I checked the thermostat, and it was down in the 50's. No electricity. The power company was doing rolling blackouts throughout its area. With all the building and development that has gone on since then, the utility must have kept up with the growth because I haven't read of any outages. Schools were closed for a couple of days because they could not adequately heat the buildings.

Anyway, on January 20, the day that Sarah was to be born, Don and I drove to the hospital before 7 in the morning, and as we passed by the bank on Manatee Avenue, the thermometer on the bank read 26 degrees. We had been told in birthing classes that the labor and delivery rooms were kept comfortably cool for the mothers in labor. Well, that day the heat was billowing! And I don't like heat! And to top that off, workers were repaving the bridge that is right next to the hospital. The smell of tar wafted into the room. It was not the most pleasant experience that I have ever had to say the least.

Yesterday one of my friends was at the grocery store and said that there were no strawberries to be had. The farmers have been sprinkling them with water to coat them with ice before the temperatures dip too low. With the cold going on for these many days, it will be interesting to see what happens. We had just bought some a few days before the cold started, and they were oh so good.

Stay warm, wherever you are. Sarah just pointed out an article from our local paper about wintry weather from 1989. It refers to the winter of 1977 as well.

Hollywood Squares

I often say that there is absolutely nothing worth watching on TV. I sometimes end up turning to The Game Network and watching some of the old quiz shows that are on. I find myself laughing out loud at "The Match Game" with Gene Rayburn and the crew that always come up with some crazy response. One can watch Betty White in her younger years and realize that when we see her now on shows that she is just as sharp as she was back then.

A few days before Christmas, a friend sent me an e-mail with some of the questions and answers from old "Hollywood Squares" shows. I was cleaning out my inbox and decided to share them with you.

Hollywood Squares:

These great questions and answers are from the days when ' Hollywood Squares' game show responses were spontaneous, not scripted, as they are now. Peter Marshall was the host asking the questions, of course..


Q.. Paul, what is a good reason for pounding meat?
A. Paul Lynde: Loneliness!
(The audience laughed so long and so hard it took up almost 15 minutes of the show!)

Q. Do female frogs croak?
A. Paul Lynde: If you hold their little heads under water long enough.

Q. If you're going to make a parachute jump, at least how high should you be
A. Charley Weaver: Three days of steady drinking should do it.

Q. True or False, a pea can last as long as 5,000 years...
A. George Gobel: Boy, it sure seems that way sometimes.

Q. You've been having trouble going to sleep. Are you probably a man or a woman?
A. Don Knotts: That's what's been keeping me awake.

Q. According to Cosmopolitan, if you meet a stranger at a party and you think that he is attractive, is it okay to come out and ask him if he's married?
A.. Rose Marie: No wait until morning.

Q. Which of your five senses tends to diminish as you get older?
A. Charley Weaver: My sense of decency..

Q. In Hawaiian, does it take more than three words to say 'I Love You'?
A. Vincent Price: No, you can say it with a pineapple and a twenty..

Q. What are 'Do It,' 'I Can Help,' and 'I Can't Get Enough'?
A. George Gobel: I don't know, but it's coming from the next apartment.

Q. As you grow older, do you tend to gesture more or less with your hands while talking?
A. Rose Marie: You ask me one more growing old question Peter, and I'll give you a gesture you'll never forget.

Q. Paul, why do Hell's Angels wear leather?
A.. Paul Lynde: Because chiffon wrinkles too easily.

Q. Charley, you've just decided to grow strawberries. Are you going to get any during the first year?
A.. Charley Weaver: Of course not, I'm too busy growing strawberries.

Q. In bowling, what's a perfect score?
A. Rose Marie: Ralph, the pin boy.

Q. It is considered in bad taste to discuss two subjects at nudist camps. One is politics, what is the other?
A. Paul Lynde: Tape measures..

Q. During a tornado, are you safer in the bedroom or in the closet?
A. Rose Marie: Unfortunately Peter, I'm always safe in the bedroom.

Q. Can boys join the Camp Fire Girls?
A. Marty Allen: Only after lights out.

Q. When you pat a dog on its head he will wag his tail. What will a goose do?
A. Paul Lynde: Make him bark?

Q. If you were pregnant for two years, what would you give birth to?
A. Paul Lynde: Whatever it is, it would never be afraid of the dark..

Q. According to Ann Landers, is there anything wrong with getting into the habit of kissing a lot of people?
A. Charley Weaver: It got me out of the army.

Q. It is the most abused and neglected part of your body, what is it?
A. Paul Lynde: Mine may be abused, but it certainly isn't neglected..

Q. Back in the old days, when Great Grandpa put horseradish on his head, what was he trying to do?
A. George Gobel: Get it in his mouth.

Q. Who stays pregnant for a longer period of time, your wife or your elephant?
A. Paul Lynde: Who told you about my elephant?

Q. When a couple have a baby, who is responsible for its sex?
A. Charley Weaver: I'll lend him the car, the rest is up to him

Q. Jackie Gleason recently revealed that he firmly believes in them and has actually seen them on at least two occasions. What are they?
A. Charley Weaver: His feet.

Q. According to Ann Landers, what are two things you should never do in bed?
A. Paul Lynde: Point and laugh

Did you laugh as much as I did?

Merry Christmas

God is with us! Merry Christmas!

Hark!

The angels sang at his birth, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth, peace, good will to men!"

The Christmas programs are over for this year. Our Sweet Adelines did five different performances, our choir did two performances, and then this evening, the choir and handbell choir took part in two Christmas Eve services. Now it's late, and I'm sitting listening to wonderful Christmas music from the First Baptist Church in Atlanta, in particular, "Mary, Did You Know?" All the questions that are asked of Mary...did she know? The Word says that the pondered all those things and kept them in her heart. We sang a verse of "O Holy Night" tonight that I do not recall ever singing., or I never paid attention to the words..."He knows our need—to our weakness is no stranger."

For the last two years I've quoted a passage from Lauren Winner's book, Girl Meets God, in which she speaks of advent not being complete until Easter. I would like to share that again.She writes: "The calendar tells us that this all culminates on December 25, but really the whole season slouches toward Easter. Jesus became incarnate now, in the manger of Bethlehem, but if His incarnateness is meant to make Him more relatable to us, if we are meant to have better access to God because our God has a body like we have, if we relate to Him better because He knows what it is like to weep and throw up and be tempted and suffer, then the Incarnation that starts on Christmas isn't finished until Good Friday. And the miracles that start in the strange inexplicable Virgin Birth aren't finished until the Resurrection.....Even his birthplace takes us to the Last Supper: Jesus, the Bread of Life, is born in Bethlehem, bet lechem, "house of bread," and at the Last Supper, He will break bread for us, and then on the cross He will break His body. Nothing in Scripture, even the names of birthplace towns, is coincidence."

May the wonder of Christmas be yours not just today, but from now on until we see Him face to face.