SENSATIONAL SATURDAY

[DeeClutter]

Saturday started with 'sensational' news. D old friend (we've decided after so many years that we're sisters) texted me shortly after 7 to let me know their youngest son and wife had a baby girl last night. They've been trying for so many years and he has battled leukemia for several years as well. (This is our old pastor who now lives in IN). So happy for them. Son/wife live in CO and they're very anxious to go visit in 3 weeks. I feel the joy!

I finished our bathroom with a good mopping last night. Going to wash the rugs from there and the kitchen in a few minutes. Then!!!! I'm going to give the kitchen a good sweep so we can mop out there. It's ridiculous. Of course DBailey helps....NOT. Then I'm going to suggest that we pull everything we can find in the great room that's going in the yard sale & get that out of there. Then maybe we can make sense of the rest of it.

I'm off for breakfast. The rest of my morning routine is done.

I used to hurt so bad that I struggled to do 1/4 that amount of steps.

That's my problem now, Lady M, and I will use your statement as my mantra till I can get to the point that it's not such a struggle. Made it to 4,200 yesterday which was 100 more than the day before. Aiming for 4,300 today -wish it was more, but don't want to jeopardize my knee any more than it already is.

[Nancy]

Dee I resemble that remark about the knee.
I have fed the flock and it is 53* out started to rain as I finished up.
Journaling is done.
I am happy with the progress on spining the Jacobs fleece, and the hat I am making from it nearing compleation of this section.
Glad I got the floors swept yesterday.
Salmon for dinner was great last night was sensational.

[CathyS]

Hi!

Dh gave the cat a new toy last night. A huge feather from the turkey he got not long ago. She loves it. So much that she decided to play with it in the middle of the night. Silly kitty.

Trying to get it into gear for a busy day ahead. Dh's apprentice is coming over this afternoon to help work on that window motor. Dh told his friend and manager where he works about this guy calling in this favour about working on his vehicle for "free" yesterday. He just wanted to be above board and honest in case anyone at work hears about it. Plus he will have some sort of back up if the guy decides that the next freebie will be something ridiculous like rebuilding the transmission or the engine here instead of at the shop.

Time to put some cola in the outside fridge for "the kid" and maybe see about starting my self imposed |!$+ of stuff.

[DeeClutter]

Did the dishes (after taking care of the ones in the dish drainer), swept the kitchen/dining areas, mopped those areas. Not a small feat for me. Now I'm resting my knee and back for a bit. DD just remembered that it was recycling day for special items at the Lakeland Center. We had an old monitor, our ex-printer and some paint cans. So she and DBailey have gone to accomplish that task. She took my suggestion and has been pulling all the garage sale stuff together. She just didn't know where she was going to set it in the garage. My suggestion: use the empty shelving unit in the office closet (which she also will sell). That's when it dawned on her that today was recycling day. Nice! Items out of here. We have plenty of regular recycling every week but couldn't put these things in.

Think I'll get the cradle ready to go in the POD while she's gone -AFTER I give my back a rest. Little by little. We have essentially 6 weeks left to get things done. And of course there is no way this place will even be on the market until after she returns from up north in August and probably not even then. By the time T turns 18 in July dd and DBailey will not be here. She does have a restraining order against her but we all know that's only as good as the paper it's written on. She, alone, would never find her way here, but there's always GPS and her 'friends'. That's the scary part especially since she believes dd/dsonil have all this money in an account for her -NOT. And she also believes she's coming to get DBailey when she turns 18. And our question.....just where does she believe she'll be able to live?

[Kathryn-in-Canada]

I'm up. Slept poorly, probably ate too late, ate too much fatty foods, ate too much sugar and had caffeine too late.

Dawn: I wasn't hosting the Seder, just helping the hostess, a neighbour of ours in the complex (next building over.)

We had a lovely evening with 6 others, all but one other Jews. We started with a bit of discussion about what part of Passover was religion, tradition and custom and the significance of the elements were explained. The group is, for the most part, non-observant Jews but the tradition and custom to come together on Passover seemed as strong for them as it is for nominal Christians to have a special meal on Christmas.

They had not intended to do a full Seder but they decided to just do the Kiddush, which was done in Hebrew. But since we all had copies of the Haggadah, suddenly tradition took over. One read the questions in Hebrew, I read them in English and then we stayed in English for most of the rest of the service, each person reading a page of the Haggadah, skipping over parts we weren't prepared for (such as the hand washing.) It was delightful. The meal following was wonderful (not lamb or chicken, but beef!) and we had a very enjoyable evening, making it home at 11.

Yesterday afternoon, I was asked to do a May 15 service and last night I got an email asking me if I'm still free to preach on June 12 at my church's anniversary. The board still hasn't approved this but the minister is desperately trying to get things in place. His mother is very unwell so he's splitting himself between his work here and his mother (close to Cathy.)

I cleared up the dining table yesterday afternoon so am ready to begin the taxes. I also have to get the service outlined for May 8 so the chaplain can add her baptism to it and can help me figure out which bits to shorten or omit. I've been going over previous services at this church to get an idea of the flow of a regular Sunday. It has been 2.5 years since I've been there and the current order of service is quite different.

[DeeClutter]

There HAS to be a better way & use of time. This recycling event is 9-1. Said there were at least 100 cars ahead & filling up behind her. Did say it seemed to be moving fairly rapidly though. Will research to see if there's any other options for the future.
EDITING to say: 15 minutes later & she's on her way home!

[CathyS]

I've hooked the trailer up to the tractor and taken 3 loads into the backyard from the driveway. Cola is in the fridge for dh's apprentice. Music is on the sound system.

It's a bit too windy for a fire in the barrel today. I have cleared all large sticks and stones from the front of the house. All asphalt and cement chunks are slowly getting moved from wherever they have fallen off of various pieces of machinery that had been parked or stored here over the years. So much trash is being unearthed from under the bushes.

[Kathryn-in-Canada]

Just finished filling in, signing, scanning, and emailing the refugee application from our church. Am waiting whether I need to hand carry it to our co-sponsor or if she'll come here on Monday. She hopes to sign and email it in today, with paper copies to follow next week.

The delays have been due to 1) her final exams and 2) the fear our refugees have of going into the embassy for an interview. They are afraid that it will get them kicked out of the country they are in now, since they are only there on work visas.

BTW: fear of governments seems valid. When Z sent his father to the local Syrian authority to register his son's birth, since the child was born in Saudi Arabia but is not a citizen of that country, the father was thrown in jail in order to pressure Z to return to Syria to be put in jail himself for not reporting for duty when called up to fight. Z does not support the government, had already done his mandatory armed service and did not want to go back to serve longer when he didn't believe in the cause.

I also had a big breakfast and tidied up the kitchen. I've been sitting for a while though, so will do a walk around in order to keep my knee working

[helia]

Taking a lunch break and peeking in.

It's a gorgeous day here! I hope to go for a jog this afternoon. Dh went this morning, but I couldn't join him b/c I had to prep for a Heb. session and then teach it from 10 - 11-ish this a.m. I'm back from that and figuring out how to structure the rest of my day.

Forgot to tell you all that dd17 helped a guy in the parking lot of her high school jumpstart his car this week. That's my girl! Yes, the girl helped the guy with the car issue. She's currently eating a piece of a Tobler one bar which he gave to her as a thank you for her help.

That sounds like such a lovely evening, Kathryn!! Somewhere, we have Christian Haggadahs from a Christian Jewish organization in Canada. We were first introduced to this version of the Seder during our grad school days; our church used to hold a church-wide seder with each small group hosting their own table. We still have the recipe for the charoseth. Then, while we lived in Austin, TX, a Jewish Canadian friend who had become a Christian during college introduced us to their family's version of the Haggadah. I think it was a bit more kid-friendly; we all had small children at the time. We were in church and small group with this family. Anyhow, we hosted an annual Seder for a few years once here in MI but have gotten too busy and out of the habit. When we did it, we shortened some parts for the sake of young children. We loved the rituals, the symbolism, the Scriptures, the parts just for the children. Maybe we can get back to doing that in the future.

I really need to take my fitbit out of its package and get it going. You ladies are inspiring me.

First, I need to get off this chair.

Next:
- back exercises; my back is doing OK. I think it helps that I'm on my feet a lot at work. Sitting a lot actually results in more discomfort.
- finish reclaiming the kitchen
- join dh and dd17 with the rest of my lunch: plain yogurt with strawberries cut into it.

Main goals for today.
X 1. Hebrew session with Y couple: prepped and taught
2. Groc. list and shopping done; we're celebrating ds' bday tomorrow night!
3. Jog
4. Yard sanitation work - help dh move the chicken coop and clean up all the _oop from the winter. Take care of the doggy mines.
5. Laundry catch up
6. Ds' bday gifts for tomorrow.
7. Dd17's acceptance and enrollment deposit in the mail.

[blessedw2]

Awe d dee so happy for your d friend and family
D Nancy yay on accomplishment
D Cathy hi
D Kathryn- so scary that he was put in jail - war is horrible and brings out the worst in people
D helia atta girl re: starting the car - awesome

To all have a great day!!!
Visited d uncle for a nice bit w dd younger - dd younger is struggling w breathing after visiting- he's an ex heavy smoker and dd is allergic to the smell and residue left in the house - so she is taking it easy at home - she doesn't want to b left at home alone which is so unusual