So - the Unexpected happens and are we ever prepared for it? Nope.

Yesterday I had an unexpected, unplanned unpleasant yet re-affirming day.   It was all so different.  I have to admit it took my breath away for a while and it exhausted me.

Alice has a group of ladies that come to her house, including me, for Bible Study - every Wednesday morning at 11 AM.  It's a good way to get to meet ladies, and get acquainted with the Bible.  This Wednesday we had a luncheon planned for afterwards, so everyone arrived in good spirits, with their food in hand.  Some for the fridge, some for the oven.  You know how it is.  Good appetites waiting.

 The attendance has waned since lots of the Snowbirds have left, but we had 12 there.  One of our friends was missing and so Alice called her.  She lived next door.  Got her answering machine.  Her door is always locked. 

Well, yes.  She had gone to be with the Lord.  She was found on the floor.  Alice, a nurse,  had seen her a little while before, and she was tired, but looked "okay"  She did have a heart condition, a medical alert bracelet, but she didn't have time to even use it. Ginny was 90.   It impressed me how these ladies got on the situation and helped her best friend, Betty, who was always there for Bible Study.

 Betty is a spry white-haired mid 80 year old. ( Forgive me for saying but she looks good in a bathing suit and always dresses very well.  She had a beautiful sweater on and I commented on it - she smiled and told me "Salvation Army, you know."   This was before all this happened.  She's a beautiful lady inside and out. 


  Alice  called Ginny's son. She didn't have relatives nearby and they had to wait for the coroner, ambulance and police since she died alone.  We read psalms, prayed, talked about her and after Alice got back, we had our luncheon.

 Those at Ginny's house cleaned out her fridge of food that would spoil, found the deviled eggs Ginny had made for the luncheon; they brought them over and included it with all the food. 
I think we helped Betty and ourselves by supporting each other.  We read psalms, prayed and  I played hymns on Alice's piano.  Not many sang, but several hummed.  I think we all were exhausted.

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Guess what.  It's raining again.  It should be a short burst, though. . .not last too long. 

My writing is disappearing again.  Wish Bill was here to see what was wrong.  I just wrote a few lines and suddenly it disappeared.  It was nothing earth-shaking.

Oh, yes.  Our weather has really been good lately.  I've been too busy to go to the pool this week, but hope to soon.  Easter, as you all know, is this Sunday.  We're hoping to have guests - Greg and family from Gainesville.  Looking forward to that.  We have to phone them and see for sure that they're coming. 

My mom and dad planted a beautiful gardenia bush out front which Paul has tended and nurtured and it is about to burst into bloom very soon.  I've had three blossoms so far, but soon I will be inundated with their white flagrant flowers.  Looking forward to that. 

Looks like we'll be staying a little longer than we had expected.  There are a couple of reasons: 

Bob's friend, Mark, is coming for a visit from Canada.  He is a delightful guest and will be staying with us, as he always has.  We enjoy him  and we're looking forward to  his coming in, next Tuesday.  Plus we have heard and read on our computers that the weather upstate NY is not ideal yet.  Not bad, we just don't think the grass is a problem yet. (maybe I've jinxed that by writing it.)

There.  The rain has stopped.  Bob had come by for a cup of coffee and one of the hot-cross buns he delivered to us yesterday, and when he got here, it wasn't raining.  When he left, it was.  A short rain. 

Seems like a lot has taken place since I last wrote. 

Carol O is home now.  She wrote there were snow flurries one day, and 70's the next.  Sounds like upstate NY in April, doesn't it. 

Alice and I went to Weight Watchers on Tuesday.  It can be so discouraging. She lost .4 lbs.  I gained .2 lbs.  So we went out for breakfast.  (had two poached eggs, fruit, toast and coffee for $6.09.
Wow.  That's wonderfully inexpensive. Haven't been to this place in a long time.  Of course I can't remember the name of it.  Keep thinking of Peaches and Cream, which I realize is an ice cream parlor in upstate NY.   We had a nice chance to sit and talk for a while.  That was nice too.  I told her - next week when I'll be driving we should do the same. 

Well, my son has done me a big favor by gently pestering me to get on Skype so we can "Skype" while they're in the Philippines.  You all know how un-skilled I am in regard to anything to do with computers.  Paul helped me work on it; we've video chatted several times this past week.

  It's exactly 12 hours difference from there to here.  They're ahead 12 hours, so if I call at 9:30 at night, it's 9:30 morning there.  Bill brought his computer and work from home, so he can do his medical transcriptioning while he's there.  They'll be there for three weeks.  Epril's  sister is getting married the weekend after Easter.  Epril is having a grand old time visiting with family and friends that she hasn't seen in two and a half years.  Paul even held up Gracie to the computer and I think she recognized Bill.  (She watches tv, you know. Really. And really pays attention - you can see her ears moving, and her eyes are glued to the screen.)

So because I had Skype, I skyped Nancy and the grandkids on Saturday night.

 I saw Evie and Vincent, but not Walter (14 months)who was probably in bed when I called.  Vincent looked so good with his haircut and when he grinned he had that toothless look of a seven-almost eight year old.  Evie (3)went to a birthday party of one of her boy schoolmates.  He had a pirate theme so Evie got an eye-patch and some other boy-themed items.  Cute.  I could see the piano behind them and Vincent played one of his pieces for me. It did my heart good.   Both he and his mother learned on this piano (also Uncle Bill).

It's Vincent's birthday on the 29th.  Nancy gave me a list of things to order.  It seems he's a bit between sizes and she said to look and get something in a small size 8. I'm going to shop on-line.  For toys and  I'm wondering if it'd be better to get him a Gift Certificate to Target and he and Nancy can go and pick out some clothing.  I know they have a Target store nearby where she frequently shops. 

A bit of news:  It's a small world . . .

Every so often I'll get an e-mail with a bit of news from my former husband, and I just recently did.  It seems he and Judy are in near Hawaii, having visited Tahiti, and other places.   Bill and Epril are in the Philippines, and Carole, my former sister-in-law, but I still consider a sister-in-law. . .is in Uganda! Of all places! She's a travel agent and I am wondering if that's why she went.  Anyway - I sent her an e-mail with Paul's granddaughter, Alaina's address.  Remember, she's a Peace Corp volunteer there.  I don't know if anything will come of it, but because Neal sent me that e-mail. . . I can say  . . .

What a small world.