Weekend Recap on Monday...

Happy October!!  I'm still shaking my head over 

how fast this year is going.

But it is Monday again and that means it's time to 

recap the weekend.

Last Thursday was my sister-in-love's birthday - Happy Birthday to Jo Anne! 

It was also our first community Bible study at our Clubhouse.  Joe joined with me and we took Helen with us.  It was just a get-to-know-you kind of meeting and we were not given any indication of where the study is going, so I am hopeful that we will have a Book to study after this week's meeting.  There were about 18 people attending.

On Friday, we got up early to take Joe to the VA Clinic here in Lakeland.  He was having trouble with one of his hearing aids and he also needed to drop off a prescription for his VA doctor to approve for the VA pharmacy.  All of that went well and Joe can hear again!!

We dropped Joe off at home and Helen and I went to get her hair done.  While she was being beautified, I walked over to Hobby Lobby (next door to First Cuts) and picked up some pink paint and polyurethane to give my Pink Floyd Flamingo planter a facelift.  I also got some plastic flowers and greenery to "plant" in the planter.  Maybe it won't die quite as fast as everything else I've put out there. (I have a dark brown thumb, Y'all.)

Helen's new hairdo. Can you fathom that she is 90 years old?!

Pink Floyd, all dolled up! (We like a minimalist look...)

He looks SO much better!

After Helen's hair appointment and my jaunt into Hobby Lobby, we went to Sam's Club for Helen's prescription and for a case of Propel for Joe.

Then we went to the hospital to see Cheryl.  She was approved for some time in a rehab center and would be transported on Saturday.  The Highland Lake Center is closer for us to get to, so we too are happy about the new arrangement.

Friday night, we took Helen to Carrabba's for dinner. We all like the food there.

On Saturday, we did not get up early since we wouldn't be heading to the hospital first thing.  I started my Pink Floyd project.  I also got the laundry done and made a quick trip to Publix for a couple of prescriptions that were ready - one for Joe and one for me.  I put the makings for beef vegetable soup in the crockpot so we would have dinner ready.  I forgot to take a picture until I had eaten some...

Last week, I took Helen to her eye doctor appointment and she got a new prescription for glasses.  She likes to go to Walmart for her glasses, so we all loaded into the car for a quick trip to Walmart's Vision Department.  Helen went right to the frames she liked - zeroed right in on them! - and we didn't have to wait too long to get her glasses ordered.  Aren't they cute... a PINK Christy Brinkley frame. Fabulous!

We hadn't been home long when our friend, Gregory, called to say he was in the area (going to Target which is down the street) and wondered if he could pop in to say hello. We hadn't seen him in over two months.  It was nice catching up with him.  He actually helped me carry Pink Floyd from the back of the house to the front, where 'he' now resides.  Gregory works at the Museum, from which I retired last year. We have been friends for over 20 years.  He is a photographer, a sculptor, a computer techie, and a good friend.  He shares his art on his website if you want to visit HERE.

Cheryl got moved to her new location and we went over to visit in the late afternoon.  She is quite comfortable, has a nice roommate, a pretty view out her window and is ready to get going on her recovery.  Her birthday is October 6th and she is determined to be released at least by then.  We hope so!!  She looks and feels great!

On Sunday, Joe and I both took Helen to her Methodist church.  The service was good and everyone wanted to know how Cheryl is doing.  Several of them had visited at the hospital.  We took Joe home after church, had the rest of the leftover vegetable soup for lunch and then, while Joe followed his Eagles football team on TV, Helen and I went to see Cheryl.  She is still comfortable there and says the food is much better than what she got at the hospital. Therapy starts today.

Sunday was our 'daughter-in-love's' birthday.  Kali is our youngest son's girlfriend.  We love her and wish her a wonderful year ahead!!

I didn't have to cook on Sunday night. We had BLTs and cottage cheese with peaches for our dinner. It was enough!!  Ice cream for dessert - always.

Today we start our day at the funeral of one of Helen's friends.  Betty was 98 (would be 99 in December) when she died last week.  Joe and I met her at Helen's house years ago.  I am sorry this is getting long, but I want to document this story about Betty. (Obituary HERE)

My drive to work every day for 20 years took me north on Cleveland Heights Blvd. at around 6:50 a.m.  I started noticing a sweet older couple walking, hand-in-hand, every morning.  It got to be a highlight of my morning to see them strolling along.  It was a site I saw daily for several years and they rarely missed a day.  Then I started missing them.  I was sad about that and wondered about them. It felt like something had happened. I didn't know who they were or where they lived so there was no way to find out.  Then one morning, I saw the woman walking alone. And that made me even sadder.  I knew that she must have lost her husband, but there she was, getting on with life and continuing to walk the route she had taken every morning with him.

I was telling Helen about it one evening when she and her husband had us over for dinner.  Helen said that the woman was Betty Huber, who goes to her church.  The next time we were invited to dinner, so was Betty and I finally got to meet her.  Yes, I told her how much it meant to me each day to see her and her husband walking and then to see her alone walking the same route.  I think she was touched by it.  She told me to honk at her next time I saw her, which I did but I don't think she heard me. A few years later, her family had to sell her house and put her in assisted living.

Helen's pastor's sermon yesterday was about being a witness.  I happened to think that Betty and her husband were a witness to me and it was unknown by them just how much their sweet example was so uplifting to me as my day got started on my ride to work. And that made me think about how important it is for us, as Christians, to always be aware of how we might be witnessing to someone we don't even know. We must always be aware of our actions.

So that's enough.  I thank you for getting this far!! Wishing you a blessed first week of October!

Peace & hugs!!