Yesterday...Today

Thursday is always an interesting day. Up early and out the door by 8:00. I pick up an 80 year old man on the way to Bread and Bowl. Yup...it's a pick up! Soup making etc. starts at 8:30 with Sam and others as they arrive during the morning. We serve soup, a lettuse salad, hot toasted and buttered bread and pastries donated by Kroger. Some days we also have loaves of bread. Yesterday was the 30th. (Kimmy and Jared's 4th Wedd Anniversary) S. S Checks, income disability money is long gone and our numbers really swell as the month comes to an end. The soup pot was filled to the top...approx. 30 gal. and we ran out of food by 11:45. Between 11 and 12, I met with Alice Brown and Rick Pickering planning a strategy that would encourage Lanny and Ida to get back into the pattern of coming to church. With their cooperation we are hoping for a return on Sunday. This idea needs some prayer time. It's been 4 months since we've seen them at church. I stayed with Sue Hirshman's grandchildren for about an hr in the afternoon between school dismissal and Ann's arriving at home. Then Farmers Mkt. at church and a meal with neighborhood folks and CHOIR PRACTIVE. It's great to see everyone again. Our musical selections this year are well planned to fit into the service. Sunday, it's Devotion by John Ness Beck with words I am thine O Lord, I have heard thy voice, and it told thy love to me. And I long to rise in the arms of faith and be closer drawn to Thee.
And also it's Lord I want to be a Christine all sort of woven together in Devotion.

Today...working with my 7 volunteers getting North Notes ready for the mail and then a visit with Ida and then back to church to unpack a shippment of food for Bread and Bowl. Wow...Friday night football with the COLTS and a bowl of popcorn. That's the cherry and whipped cream on top of the milkshake for me. The day will be over.

A variety...

Today it was a variety of things that occupied my day. I got to church this morning around 8 am. I watered the flowers in the west entrance among other things and then opened the desk at 9am. First guy in...Bird Man. He comes to B and B and often is as drunk as a skunk and hard to deal with but when he is sober he's a great guy. It appears that he has been in jail and now needs to do community service. If he doesn't it's back to jail. He "worked" at church for 2 hours yesterday. I told him to come back at 10 when our administrator was in to see about work. Well, he didn't come back. Answered a bunch of phone calls. Friday is the day to mail North Notes so I did all the prayer inserts to 780 N. N. I worked till 1 and then got things ready for B and B tomorrow, checked on the supplies for Sunday's hospitality hour...talked to Rick P about the Prices, cleaned up in the parlor and out the door by 3:30. Made supper and then off to Meijers for lettuse for B and B tomorrow and to Office Depot for a few things to make some rather large posters for the UMOJA project to hang in the west entrance in Sept. This is a new mission outreach in Western Kenya with orphan and vunerable children in that area. Well...99% of the children are vunerable because of AIDS/HIV deaths of parents. It's a program that is supported by 10 other churches in the Indy area. We also are awaiting a grant of 2.1 million from the government. This is big. So...it's education time for the church. That's my day!

Woo! Woo!

I am so excited so I thought a second blog for today was just fine.
Today was major throw out...not up...morning. The mood stayed with me through two huge garbage bags full of stuff for the trash can and another bag full of stuff for a women's shelter that I will deliver tomorrow. Yeah! But...my little room still could make more contributions to something. Most of this stuff came out of the closet. It's gone! The stuff that is and not the closet. Early afternoon was spent with Ida and Lanny Price members of our church who were beaten up in their home in April. They now are in an assisted living facility. Ida received major brain damage and Lanny was beaten but no brain damage. I have visited with them every Tuesday since they were able to receive visitors in June. It's such a sad story for two wonderful people. Ida is 80 and Lanny is 84. The guy that did this is in jail, caught after he had found his 5th victom who could identify him, all victoms living in his neighborhood. He wanted money but he took much more from a lot of people. Ida and I went shopping at the drug store. She loved it. Lanny and Ida were both choir members for at least 30 years and Ida sat beside me in church for most of those years. I ended the afternoon staying with two little girls until their mother came home from work. The girls grandmother is a good friend not back from the lake so I'm helping grandmother out for two weeks. One more day. GIRLS!!!! The fourth grade girl is really something that makes me happy to have had easy going boys. One hour of her is one hour that is way to long. Tomorrow morning is my volunteer time to work at the front desk at church. Loved the Truman story! What a dog.

Tuesday

A wonderful morning to be up and about. I just read another great Truman story. Check it out. Jared's dog never allows one to have a dull minute. Now Kate is another story. She STILL is not with it but she keeps me happy. At times...her owners have another picture. Cleaning and throwing out. Didn't do much throwing (one bag full) but I did manage to put things away. Wow...made me feel much better about this place. Funny how my brain likes order. We're eating lots of tomatoes from the garden and the corn should be ready by the weekend. Yum, yom. There is nothing like sweet corn going from garden to mouth in 20 minutes. I had a scheduled church newsletter North Notes mailing today but that will not happen till Friday. My eight little old ladies and men workers received calls yesterday to come to work on Friday. Doug out some "in the wrong place" hostas yesterday. The tree they were planted under is long gone and they hate the sun. We have a huge number of butterflies all over the flower beds every day. I must have a good combination of flowers. I'll plant the same next year. I also think that watering when we had no rain has allowed plenty of necter to form attracting the butterflies. Butterflies add the right touch to the flowerbeds. More putting away and throwing out today. Yahoo.

Even busier weekend

Friday saw us going to Novi Michigan to the wedding of Kristin and Kevin. They and Kristin's parents have camped with us for a few years. Parents Marcia ,Dennis and Kristin for a long time. Beautiful wedding at 5 pm. HUGE rainstorm between wedding and reception and then a good meal at the reception. Eric, Kat and Andrew also were at the wedding. Doug and I traveled on to Midland leaving Novi at 8:30 and arriving at 11:05. Saturday was a fun day with the JB family. Grandbabies were great. Jacob is in the "wonderful" stage of beginning two year olds . It's really interesting to see what he is learning about the world through yes and NO. It puts him in the above average group that contains most two year olds. I loved every minute of the visit. One secret I learned when living through the twos was to redirect, redirect and then once again redirect. Pictures are on the Rockinrfarm.blogspot.com I don't do pictures! YET! Sunday went to church and left Midland at 12:30. Home by 7:30. Great to be driving in the daylight. Our trip home from Copper Harbor and the drive up to Midland was way to DARK! Today is dedicated to a clean the house up. I'm hoping to do a major throw out if I can stay motivated.

A busy Thursday

Today is Soup Kitchen Day. Our church has a 30 year program of feeding the hungry now held in our church community room. When I retired 7 years ago, I decided that working in the kitchen was something good for me to do. The cook retired 2 years ago at the age of 80 so now...I'm cooking. We make a huge pot of chicken noodle soup. I would think the pot could hold about 30 gal. Kroger gives us their pastries and bread and we buy lettuse for a salad. It's a pretty good meal. Today was in the 90's and we had a great turn out for food and for a cool place to eat. There were at least 65 people served in the hr. we were open. They also can take home at least 3 bowls of soup. We have a wonderful group of ladies and gentlemen on Thursday from ages 65 to 85 arriving around 9:30, serving between 11 and 12 and out of the kitchen by 12:30. It's a great way to keep in touch. Most of those who eat are men but at least 10 to 15 are ladies. You will find me there every Thursday morning at 8:30 making soup and getting other things ready for the workers who arrive soon after. This afternoon Doug and I are going to the farmers market located on the church parking lot. Doug gets his weekly supply of honey. I sit and talk. This has been another warm day in the upper 90's. Uck. I'd like a cool breeze which should come tomorrow when we ride on up to Detroit to a wedding of a friend we camp with and then on up to Midland to see the big children and fun little grandchildren. The big children are fun also.

Church and Wed.

I'm at the front desk at church today answering questions. Most of them are...is the soup kitchen open. Not today. Tomorrow. After I finish working at the desk, I'll move to the community room to get ready for tomorrow. That means move the things we need from the storage room to the kitchen.

This afternoon I also have a meeting with two other church people to work on publicity for a new Kenya program that a coalition of Indianapolis Churches is supporting along with a coalition in Kenya. The publicity focus is getting the word out to our church members about this western Kenyan program for orphaned and vulnerable children effected by aids. In 3 years there should be 5000 children in the program. A $2.100,000 grant has been applied for that will provide funds for school uniforms, tuition and other unidentified programs. Orphans roam the streets in that area of Kenya. We are taping into some government money available for Faith Based Programs. We hope to hear about the grant by the end of Sept.

We finally have gotten RAIN. It's been a long tough dry summer. It's in the 90's for the next few days. Uck!

Visit...

I just figured out to post. Still no pictures. I need to find the cord that goes from the camera to the computer. Today was visit time with my dear retired teacher friends. It was talk talk with Carol, Kay and Jan at Muldoons. We had a year of teaching first grade together 16 years ago and the friendship just goes on and on. Then it was on to see Lanny and Ida. They are living at Robin Run now and Ida is getting better and better. The trial for the guy that beat them up is in Sept. I'm going to sit in the courtroom and take a good look at this guy. We had stuffed peppers again for Supper. I can't get enough of them. Peppers are right from the garden. S. Corn should be coming on by next week. The bunny got the beans. Rain came yesterday and the grass is greening up again. Still warm. LRuss

It's me...

I've bit the dust...joined the ranks...got with it and you add the rest. Here is my blog attempt. Gee...I did this by myself. Pretty good for the elder stateswoman. Yes...Rick..I'm the oldest as you remind me from time to time.

Yesterday was a busy day...at least morning. We set up the hospitality room at church for those who drink coffee/tea/juice, eat bagels or pastries before moving on to where ever they are going. Doug makes all the coffee and that's gallons. Easy to do with our built in coffee service. Then the church had a catered dinner. I can't remember when that happened. Judds did his best. Pretty successful. And...all afternoon it was cat nap time. Woo. must have worn myself out in the morning eating that chicken and fried buns. Watched the Giants Ravens game in the evening until I fell asleep again.

We had an electrical storm last night but didn't bring much rain. The grass feels like wire and is as brown as mud. I really try to stay home on Monday but that's not going to happen today. Four places to go are on the to do calendar. I've got to plan better.

Soon on the agenda is learning how to post pictures. You'll figure out when that happens.