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I didn't do much today. I went to the church to sort through some bills to get them ready to train my new helper tomorrow. It was a cloudy miserable day. I walked Sparky a few times and did some housework. It was to damp to work outside. It rained a bit this afternoon.
News from the Vorlon Wife.
Sunday September 28, 2014
Steeple Chasin'
This is the Episcopal Church in Ridley Park, PA. All decked out with a pumpkin patch. I wonder if it was a fundraiser? It would be a good idea.
I went to church and sang in the choir. There were only a few of us in the choir but the hymn went well. We had trouble with it at practice but it turned out fine.
After church, I went to Redner's Supermarket to pick up a few things. I needed to take a dish to my nephew's for my brother's birthday. Their dog passed away a couple months ago so I decided to take Sparky for the kids to play with. My niece, Michelle said that my nephew, Sean was bringing their new dog. I was horrified when I saw their big German Shepard, Bubba, walking in and Sparky ran right up to him. Luckily, Bubba was raised with little dogs so he was friendly to Sparky. Sparky followed Bubba all around want to play with him. Sparky had a great time running around the yard chasing the children and other dogs. The little hot dog, Bentley chased after Sparky. Bubba was laying on the deck and Sparky jumped on his back and fell over the edge of the deck into a bramble of tomato plants. The deck was only about 18 inches where he fell off and the tomato plants broke his fall so he wasn't hurt. He was able to thread his way out of the tomato plants and proceeded to chase the dogs and children around the yard. Next, he came up on the deck and was licking up something someone spilled. The children yelled, "That's beer." Michelle pushed him away. Sparky reminds me of "Pecks Bad Boy" always getting into things. I have to follow him around to make sure he is behaving. Bentley likes to chase and catch balls. Sparky likes to chase anything that runs. The ball went into the pool and we thought Bentley was going to jump in after it. He is still a pup and Tina didn't know if he could swim or not. Anyway, Bentley was able to grab the ball from the side and didn't have to go into the water. Hot dogs have webbed feet so generally like to swim. Although Sparky is part poodle, he doesn't have webbed feet and doesn't care for the water.
We all had a nice time and Sparky was one tired dog when we got home.
News from the Vorlon Wife.
Friday Flower Bloggin'
This gladiola blooms in September. I cut it off to bring in the house before the rainstorm came and beat it into the ground. It is a real beauty.
News from the Vorlon Wife.
I went to my aunt Peg's funeral yesterday. It was a lovely service and it was good to see my cousins. It was sad that only three of us from Uncle Ray's side of the family were there. Aunt Peg had knitted lots and lots of winter hats with matching scarfs and so everyone was invited to take one of her hats. Aunt Peg had given me one the last time she came to visit. It was a rust color that matched my ski parka. I got a cream one this time to go with my cream coat and it will go with my red coat, too. It will go with anything, really. They are gifts I will treasure. My brother, Don, got a brown one. Paul Dripps was the other member of our family who attended the funeral. He and cousin Lew are very close cousins.
Aunt Peg's children had a nice luncheon at the Old Stone Barn near Kennett Square, the mushroom capital of the world. Of course the soup was cream of mushroom.
News from the Vorlon Wife.
Monday, September 22, 2014
I went to the church to do some checks but the printer/copier was still down. The repair man was there but it seemed to need more fixin' then he thought. I entered the deposits and got the bills together that need to be paid. Hopefully the man will get the thing fixed so I can do my check run tomorrow.
I had made pasta on Sunday so I have some for a couple more meals. I added some fresh tomatoes that my neighbor, Rex, gave me along with the fresh mushrooms, onions, and green peppers I had added to the sauce.
My friend, Tina, gave me a quart of vegetable beef soup on Sunday so I had that for lunch.
I called my cousin, Joy, and told her about Aunt Peg passing away. I also asked her about how Uncle Melvin got his nick name of The Squire. She didn't know. She is my mother's cousin and she is the only one left that might have know. She did say that Uncle Ceese gave him that name. I had asked my mother one time but she didn't know either.
I did some more weeding in the flower beds. I still a little more to do around the patio area and then I move on to the west side of the shed and the round flower bed on the east side of the house. It used to have a dogwood in the center of the bed but hurricane Sandy took it out. I planted what I thought was a little dogwood but it appears to be some sort of a wild tree. I'd like to plant a flowering peach there in the spring. The flower bed is overgrown with grass and weeds especially mixed in with the carnations. It will be hard to get it out without tearing out the flowers.
News from the Vorlon Wife.
Steeple Chasin"
The Church of the Holy Spirit Episcopal Church is in Ocean City, MD. My brother took me on a lighthouse tour in Delaware and Maryland a couple years ago.
News from the Vorlon Wife.
Saturday, September 20, 2014
I went to the Chesapeake City Ecumenical Assoc. to see if they had any sheets I could use. I cover my bed with a sheet to keep the dog from getting the covers all dirty. They were having a Free Clothing Give Away. They are overstocked on clothing. I stayed to help my friend, Carol sort through the new donations of clothes. I had told my neighbor, Robbie about it. He has 4 children and was able to get several outfits for them and some work jeans for himself. He also got a nice pair of western boots. I found a pair of corduroy jeans for the winter. Corduroy pants are hard to find.
I did some weeding when I got home. It took longer than I thought to do that section because of the zoysa grass that was growing in between my irises. I hate that stuff. It really got a good hold. It's roots were intertwined with the iris roots and it was hard to get out.
My neighbors down the street invited me to their son's birthday party. They are Mexican and wanted me to try their Mexican Food. Juan cooked up about 10 pounds of pork in a large copper kettle over a cooker he had made. He used what looked like a canoe paddle to stir it. He had brought the kettle and paddle from Mexico. Not many of their friends and family spoke English. I just smiled a lot. When I arrived, the children were watching a movie on TV even that was in Spanish. The children explained what was going on. They are all very nice people. Some of the men were dressed in western outfits. I asked if the area they came from in Mexico was like our west. They said, Yes. One man's father had a ranch and all wore western apparel. One guest, Maria, said that they were western style in the country but not in the cities. I see Juan wearing a cowboy hat sometimes. One time I asked him what area he was from but I am not very familiar with Mexico except for the tourist destinations. I have a stereotype image of Mexicans wearing sombreros.
Juan's wife, Deloris, made a rice dish and a bean dish. It served myself some rice and she offered me the beans which I saw jalapenos floating in it. She said it mas mildly spicy so I tried it. It had beans, pork, and slices of hot dog in it. It was good and the pork was served with tortias to wrap it in. I tried some salad that looked sort of like cole slaw. Momma Mia, that was spicy hot. Maria had brought another salad she said was mild. Momma Mia on that one too.
Although, they mostly spoke Spanish, they sang Happy Birthday in English. A custom of theirs is to push the birthday person's face into the cake. I hope that piece was served to young Juan. My piece seemed intact. It was served with what looked like a jello chiffon dish. It looked yummy. It looked like lime jello but it tasted like coconut and coconut is one of the few things I do not like. All in all, I had a nice time. They are all very nice people.
News from the Vorlon Wife.
Friday Flower Bloggin'
My cyclamen is blooming. The flowers come up first and the leaves come up later and stay until next summer. It is a nice fall bloomer.
I had a busy week. Choral practice started for our Christmas program and choir practice has started. I had a finance meeting at the church on Monday. I have been doing a lot of weeding; I'm getting my shrubs and plants ready for winter. Have much more to do. I miss my morning walks. Alice drives a school bus and has a very busy schedule this year. She has the kindergarten kids so has to pick them up at noon and then go back to get the middle and high school at 2:30 and then the elementary kids at 3:30. She starts to pick them up at 7:00 and 8:00. It makes for a long day. One of the drivers is in the hospital and the others have to cover for him.
News from the Vorlon Wife.
Steeple Chasin'
This little church is somewhere in or near Mauricetown, NJ. It was taken when Don and I were on the NJ Lighthouse tour.
I stayed at Don's overnight as we got home from the concert late. I went to the Holmes Presbyterian Church and talked with many of my mother's friends. The church has their library dedicated and named after my mother. I was sitting under a large photo of my mother and a man said, "My goodness, you look a lot like your Mother."
After church, Don and I took Sparky for a long walk around the Holmes area. The town has changed since I was a kid. Many of the big, grand old houses are gone and replaced by either apartments or duplexes. It made me feel sad because I remember the people who used to live in them. Even the old railroad station has apartments on the land next to the tracks. They remind me of the song, "The railroad comes thru the middle of the house." When the freight trains come roaring through, it must feel like that. I don't know who would want to live there.
In the late afternoon, we went to see my cousin, Scott. He and his friend, Joe were performing at a little place at the Ridley Twp. Marina on the Darby Creek Scott and Joe dedicated "Sweet Caroline" to me. We had a nice time. The place is called A Taste of Key West. It is mostly outdoors next to the water. It has a sandy beach floor and tables with colorful umbrellas. A statue of Humphey Bogart greets you at the door.
News from the Vorlon Wife.
I went to see the British Invasion Concert.
L to R: Jeremy, Chad, a band member, Terry Sylvester, Denny Lane, and Billy J. Kramer. The photo was taken by my brother, Don. I haven't downloaded mine yet.
News From The Vorlon Wife.
Friday Flower Bloggin'
Friday already. I had a busy week. I had a meeting at the church with the Finance Committee on Monday, a covered dish dinner with the Choral Society on Tuesday, and choir practice at the church on Thursday. I have been weeding my flower gardens. It seems that chore never ends.
News from the Vorlon Wife.
Sunday, September 7. 2014
I went to church this morning. My young friend, Britney sang a solo for the special. She did an excellent job.
I was getting ready to make my lunch when my niece called and invited me to go out on their boat. It had been windy earlier so they decided to go at the last minute. It was a beautiful day on the water. Cheryl got some subs and off we went. It was low tide and the water was very shallow. We couldn't get very close to the shore and where we did anchor the back of the pontoons were resting on the sand. We had to push the boat to deeper water which wasn't much deeper. We floated around on floats in knee deep water. I think the rain storm on Saturday washed sand from the bank into the river. All the boats anchored in the cove had to push their boats into deeper water.
The water was a very warm 83 degrees. Cheryl put her beach chair in the water and could sit in it. Ethan was able to stand in the water which he liked after he figured out he could touch the bottom. He was able to walk around in the water and walk to the beach where he built sand castles and enjoyed knocking them down.
News from the Vorlon Wife.
Sunday Steeple Chasin"
I took this photo of the North Wildwood United Methodist Church when I stayed in Wildwood Crest for the Small Family Reunion in 2012. The Crest also had a Methodist Church that was two blocks from the motel I was staying at. My cousin and I went to the WW Crest UMC.
News from the Vorlon Wife.
Saturday, September 6, 2014
I didn't do much today. I awoke to the dog throwing up on the bed at 4:10am. I had to wash the covers and get them out on the line. It was terribly hot and I just stayed in the air conditioned house. Thunderstorms came in the afternoon. My family was trying to call me but it seems my land line is out. They were able to get through on my cell phone. I have the phone through the cable company so will have to call them on Monday. The cable seems OK as I have the use of my computer and TV. Perhaps a mouse or something got under the house and chewed the wires.
News From the Vorlon Wife.
Friday Flower Bloggin'
My butterfly was full of butterflies this year. Although this butterfly is orange, it has brown at the center of it's wings. Photos of monarchs and viceroys do not have the brown. Perhaps there is a lot of variation.
Ah! I found it; it's an American Painted Lady Butterfly also known as Hunter's Butterfly.
Yesterday, I was on my computer for it seemed like hours. I was going through photos and posting on Facebook. I did some work at the church and came home to rest. My back is still sore. I'll go back to the Chiropractor today to make sure the nerve is not still pinched. It may be sore from having the pinched nerve.
News from the Vorlon Wife.
I was glad to hear from Sharon and to know she still reads my blog. I think of you and Carl and the children. They must be getting pretty big now. Twinnies is still there. I haven't been there but I see it when I go past. My friend from church owns Baker's or rather his family does. He turned it over to his sons. They make a delicious cream of crab soup and the crab cakes aren't bad either. Tucker, my friend from Baker's plays the banjo with a blue grass band. We had a special combined service with traditional and contemporary group and the band played Christian Bluegrass music followed by the church picnic. It was a fun time. Once a month the group plays at Baker's. I'll have to go next time. I didn't think I'd like bluegrass but enjoyed the service.
My old computer crashed and I lost all my email addresses. I may have Carl's around somewhere so when I dig it out, I'll email him and get yours. Don't post it here because hackers are always looking at my blog. I have managed to fool them by changing how I do my posts but they could catch on at anytime.
news from the vorlon Wifel
I went to Bible Study this morning. I got a prayer shawl that the ladies of the church made. I am going to send it to my dear friend, Ruth. She had been the biggest supporter of my blog. Ted and I would hear from her almost every day with words of encouragement, comfort and support. Now Ruth's health is deteriorating and I feel so helpless. I wish I had the knowledge to write encouraging words like she wrote to us. She lives to far away for me to visit so I thought of the prayer shawl. There were 10 of us in the Bible Study today and we all held a part of the shawl and each of us prayed for Ruth. I will get it off to her tomorrow.
I opened the door this afternoon and Sparky almost knocked me over running out the door. It's a good thing the gate was closed as there were two German Sheppard dogs on the loose in the back yard. The park manager had called the owner down the road. She had been looking for them for two hours. There were adults and children trying to catch the dogs. I circled around in back of my shed and chased it toward it's owner.
They are the dogs I hear barking at night when I go into the back yard. I call them the Hounds of the Baskerville.
Never a dull moment around here.
News from the Vorlon Wife.
It looks like I won't get to the shore this year. Thunderstorms are being forecast so my niece cancelled the trip. I even got a dog sitter lined up for today. I guess I will have to be content on looking at my photos of the shore. I certainly have enough of them.
News from the Vorlon Wife.
Labor Day.
I spend most of my holidays alone. It's not like it used to be. When I was young, there were always family picnics at my Great Aunt Fannie's farm. All of my grandmother's siblings, there children, grand children and some great grand children were there. We had a wonderful time playing games, running through the woods, listening to the stories by my Great Aunt Hester and everyone enjoyed the wonderful food. Sometimes we'd go for a swim at Kaolin Lake owned by my Uncle Ray's father-in-law.
After Aunt Fannie passed, some family reunions were held at the Small's Lake adjacent to Kaolin Lake or at Still Water Farm owned by my mother's cousin, Gene and his wife Alice.
When Ted and I moved to Vineland, we would go to Ocean City for the day. We loved going there. We went every Sat. from April to November. When my nephew, Rick got his house in DE, he would have family gatherings there but now his working schedule is such that he is unable to have them.
So here I sit at my computer remembering all the good times. Maybe I'll have a hamburger for dinner and share with Sparky.
News from the Vorlon Wife.