Advent Journal - December 11-24

After Sunday December 10, my journaling broke down.  I don't know why.  My schedule with Santa Helper continued. Monica and her mother showed up for the first cleaning session on Monday afternoon.  I was pleased with their work and will continue to have them once a month. On Tuesday, Amanda (home from college) helped with the gift pick-up at First Baptist Church.  They had adopted 60 kids, so it was a big one and Amanda's youth and energy was very appreciated.  I did not make it to the Advent Study this week. I finished with Santa Helper work on Wednesday.  Thursday, we had yoga as usual.  Friday was special for lunch with Susan, Judith, and Bonnie. We met at Aubry's in Lenoir City and had a good time catching up.  It's been a while! Saturday I cooked and deboned a ham for our church dinner tomorrow.  For us, I made another special catfish meal - pan-seared with baked potatoe and steamed spinach.

On Sunday, Dec 17, the church was decorated with memorial poinsettias and we had our December fellowship lunch.  SS, of course.

The week beginning on Dec 18 gave me a bit of time to finish my personal Christmas shopping and get ready for the family events next week.  Monday featured red beans and rice with the ham bone from yesterday and some andoullie sausage.

On Tuesday, I was able to go to the last Advent Study session. I managed to finish all the reading before the meeting.  Park got word that the sale of the Pontotoc County land will go through with closing on Friday if we can get all our paperwork together.

Tuesday visitors

Thursday Dec 21 Park Taylor and Claire Matzek celebrated birthdays.

Friday, Park went to Pontotoc County for the closing on the sale.  It is sad to let go of the 40 acres that has been in our family since the late 1800s, first belonging to great-grandfather Jeff Westmoreland. But it is time and the price was good.  We will each get a little more than $26,000 after all expenses are taken care of.  The buyer was a neighbor. We had specified that the realtor was to offer it to neighbors for 30 days before putting it on the general market.

Christmas Eve was spent getting ready, as it should!

Advent Journal, Dec 4 - 10

Monday, December 4

It is 8:11 pm as I begin to write.  I haven't ready my chapter for tomorrow's study group, "A Wesleyan Christmas." I will get started as soon as my Ipad charges enough because I have the digital version.

For our December meeting, our UMW group had a "Baby Shower for Jesus" to benefit Suzannah's House ministry in Knoxville.  The women of our group donated an amazing amount of baby goods which will be used to "shower" each new mother served by Suzannah's House. Fifteen women gather around the table for coffee, tea, cookies and conversation.  We had a couple of seasonal readings and a long conversation about homelessness and discussed a project that we might undertake.

I spent plenty of time today on "works of mercy," working with Santa's Helper, both before and after UMW.  I had 4 kids to shop for, those whose gifts were incomplete. I got to Walmart at 9 am but didn't make much headway before leaving to pick up Susan R for UMW. After UMW and taking Susan home, I went back to Walmart and finished shopping.  I finally left FRC at 3:30.

I got home in time for a 4 pm meeting with Monica Vargas and her mother Jobanna. I learned on Saturday that Monica has a housecleaning business and they came for an evaluation.  I will begin services.

"A Wesleyan Way" Chapter 2

Both Lent and Advent are seasons of repentance and royalty, signified bby the liturgical color of purple.  Prayer plays a central role in this time of reflection and preparation.

In reference to hearing God's voice in prayer, Nadia Boltz-Weber says, "I wish God would shut up."

John Wesley "The end of your praying is not to inform God, as though he knew not your wants already; but rather to inform yourselves; to fix the ... sense of your continued dependence on him who only is able to osupply all your wants."

Tuesday, December 5

My work day (Santa Helper) started with a 9 am pick-up at Lenoir City High School.  I was delighted to find Amanda's Honor Picture still displayed in the Lobby.

After delivering the gifts to FRC and helping to get it checked in, I went to church for the Advent Study.  Then back to FRC to work until 3:30.  

As soon as I got home, Bill and I went back to town to the Verizon store.  Bill swapped his flip phone for an IPhone and I got a new 15Pro IPhone.  We are up-to-date!  It took 2 hours.

Wednesday, December 6

Today's schedule was to work at FRC all day, including shopping at Walmart.  Laura had several bags of clothes and blankets from Barbara Matzek. After work, she loaded them in the X-terra for me to take to church.

Thursday, December 7

Thursday morning I joined Cindy and Pam at Riverside Cafe to interview Kimberly for the Good Samaritan Client Service Manager position.  This is her 2nd interview. This interview went much better and she will be offered the position. I went from there to church but didn't participate in yoga.  I needed to print UMW mission giving letters and prepare them for mailing.  I also had all the bags to unload for One Heart Community Closet. Fortunately, I had help with the heavy bags.  I left them in the room to deal with later. I didn't skip lunch with the yoga group, though.  We went to Shoney's.  I spent the rest of the afternoon at FRC.

Friday, December 8

Friday morning I met Pam G at Avalon for a gift pick-up.  These are extra toys and not part of the regular Santa helper.  They will be used to supplement as needed.   I managed to get away from FRC at 2 pm today.  I was tired after a busy work week.  I'm not used to all this work! Spending so much time on works of mercy leaves little time or energy for piety.

I did make time to cook a nice catfish dish for supper. This dish doesn’t have a name so I’ll call it Catfish with what I had on hand. Garlic and Parmesan with a little shrimp make anything good! Served over Pasta and peas.

Saturday, December 9

Saturday started very nicely. After breakfast, I prepped my SS lesson and sent it out. (Work of piety).  UT Men's Basketball game started at noon and we watched (on TV of course). Somewhere along the way, I prepared a rack of ribs with my favorite and famous rub to marinate for a while. After the game, I made a loaf of pumpkin bread. Whe it was done, I put the ribs in the oven on low to cook for 2 or 3 hours. I made coleslaw and heated some canned baked beans.  It all turned out perfect and I cleaned my plate before I rememberd that I should have taken a picture.  Today was a rainy, yucky day and I was glad that I didn't have to go out.

Sunday, December 10

Sunday was also cold and damp and except for church, we stayed in. Sunday School and church count for acts of piety.

Advent Journal, Nov 27 - Dec 3

Monday, November 27

After spending several hours today working on online materials for advent (for church), I finally got around to reading the introduction and first chapter of this year's advent study, "All the Good: A Wesleyan Way of Christmas." I'm not too enthusiastic about it, but it is solidly Wesleyan.  One advent discipline, inspired by John Wesley's practice is to keep a journal of daily activity, spiritual and otherwise, and noting how I use my time and practices of "means of Grace."

The first chapter begins with John the Baptist, Luke 3:1-7, calling us to repentance. It gives a thorough explanation of Wesley's concept of Grace and means of Grace through acts of piety and charity.  It ends with St. Francis's prayer: "Lord make me an instrument of your peace."  The chapter includes a good explanation of the importance of small groups in the Wesleyan Way.

Advent formally begins on Sunday, Dec 3, but today begins my advent journey and journal. To account for my time today: I read, watched morning news and drank coffee in bed with Bill until 9 am. After breakfast and clean-up we did 40 minutes of yoga.  The yoga practice is very nice and extra-special to have Bill participate. I spent several hours working on creating an Advent flyer and making an Advent page on the Trinity website.  I also posted the Advent study on FB as a recurring event.  This work was interrupted by lunch, watching local news and several games of solitaire.  I found time to fill the bird feeders and topped off the pond.  It was after 4 pm when I finally settled down with a cup of tea to read tomorrow's advent lesson.

Tuesday, November 28

It is actually Wednesday morning as I begin working on Tuesday notes.  That's the way it often goes.  I had time Tuesday afternoon but not the mindfulness for reflection.  Tuesday morning started early with a 9 am meeting at Good Samaritan.  The nominations committee met with and interviewd 3 candidates for the parti-time position of Client Service Manager, to replace Suzanna who is retiring at the end of the year.  After interviewing all three, we eliminated one as not a good fit for the position.  Both remaining candidates bring strengths to the position, but they are very different in style and personality.  Cindy will check references and if there is still not obvious choice, we will have to talk to them again.  The interview and follow-up discussions lasted until noon, so I missed the first session of our Advent Study.  However, I consider any work on behalf of Good Samaritan to be a "work of charity/mercy" because it contributes to the GSC mission of helping our neighbors in need. 

After a bried check-in at church and a handful of peanuts, I went to Knoxville for a scheduled hair cut.  Vicki always does a good job!  I was glad that I didn't have to go out again.  The day has been cook, sunny and very breezy.  Up north, snow if blowing, so I'm happy to have our fine weather.

Tacos for supper.  We watched an episode of "The Crown" and remembered Princess Diana's death and burial - a sad episode and well-done series.  We ended the night on a lighter note with Steve Martin's "Only Murders in the Building."

By the way, I finally talked to LCUB about broadband hook-up and spent time investigating DirecTV streaming. We may be making the switch soon.

Wednesday, November 29

At 11 am I will be out the door to meet a young woman about a Mom's group meeting at the church.  Then I'll be back home briefly to help Bill take the trolling motor off the boat so that tomorrow he can take the boat to a shop for repair. Then I'll be back in town to meet Bonnie at 2:15.  She has invited me to go to the Lady Vol basketball game which starts at 5 pm.  I'll be using a ticket courtesy of Jeff Lockett.  It will be a full day so I don't expect any more journaling time today!

Jeff, Scot and Deborah Lockett

Good seats for the game

p.s. My meeting with Erica was very positive.  She is an earnest young woman and wants to start of mom's group.  Her interest is to support stay-at-home moms like herself who have babies, toddlers and pre-schoolers.  She has twin boys, 11 months old!  It is not primarily a play group, but of course it would be that, too.  We meet again in 2 weeks to begin more specific planning.

Saturday, December 2

As expected, I did not have any more journaling time on Wednesday.  I met Bonnie as planned.  We drove to W Knox Co to pick up her friend Ronnie and then on to "Fieldhouse Social," a sports bar, for an early supper.  We made it to the arena in good time for the 5 pm tip-off against Notre Dame.  The game was pretty good, with our Lady Vols leading most of the way.  They just were not able to finish and lost the fourth quarter and the game.  I was home by 8 pm, in time to join Bill watching the men also lose a game they should have won against North Carolina.

Thursday was yoga as usual, Kathy riding with me.  We had lunch at Gondolier where I had the eggplant parmesan.  It was as good as I remembered it!  I did nothing of note so should have had time for reading or journaling but I didn't have the right mind-set.  I made enchiladas with left-over taco meat.  Excellent!  I planned a baking day on Friday, so set up the levain before going to bed.

Friday morning I worked on sourdough and during the resting phases I started working on a SS lesson for the 1st Sunday of Advent. I am exploring Fr. Richard Rohr's "Preparing for Christmas." I am trying to incorporate some of that and the daily readings & questions into the lesson.  This in addition to the Wesleyan Way! Studying and preparing to lead SS can certainly be classified as an act of piety, since I'm keeping score! I've been reflecting on piety and mercy as described by Wesley.  I wonder where baking bread or gardening fit in.  Neither could be considered a work of mercy or charity because only me and mine (and maybe the planet) benefit. Neither would be considered an act of piety, although they can be and often are meditative acts with spirituality of purpose. Both are more than just utilitarian duties.

After the loaves were finally in the banetons to rise for 4 hours in the refrigerator, I was ready to go to River Grove, Loudon, to visit Jim A (a work of mercy!). He is not doing well and seems to have completely given up on life.  His situation is bad, lying in bed, not even interested in TV, not leaving his room.  He doesn't even want the light on.  His physical care is adequate, but emotionally he has given up.  What does he have to live for?

I had a big grocery list to fill and some some Santa helper clothing to buy for 4 children for FRC.  I also needed to purchase some baby items for our UMW "baby shower" to benefit Susannah's Place (a home for young women just out of jail or rehab.)  When doing this kind of shopping, I often think of St. Paul's words in Romans 12:1, "I appeal to you, therefore, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship." It is an act of mercy that I freely give.

Nevertheless, I was very glad to get home, exhausted but satisfied.  Home just in time to bake the 3 loaves.  It takes the oven about 45 minutes to come up to 500, so I had a little time to put up my feet and have a drink and snack.  Supper would be leftover enchiladas and salad.  The bread turned out great!

Saturday did not offer much respite from the holiday schedule.  The first Saturday of the month is the day for One Heart  Community Closet at Trinity, 10 am - noon.  I have committed to myself to be present more often for this outreach, so I was present before 10 am to open the doors.  I'm glad I was, because Monica did not make it until 11 am.  I had a single woman looking for clothing and bedding for her extended family who arrived just after 10.  A family of three cam a little later (from Knoxville). They not only took a few items, but they also donated some children's clothes which we greatly needed.

Some time later, a woman came with a large donation of men's clothing.  Her husband died about a year ago.  He was the son of Pat Guinn Navarro, a teacher at Eaton when Laura and David were students there.  Small town! I had responded to her post on FB looking for a place to donate.  It was a successful morning - a work of mercy.

I had a short visit with Laaura on the way home.  At home, I finished preparing my SS lesson ( a work of piety) and sent it out before settling down to write.  I hope I don't have to go out again on this rainy day.

Sunday, December 30

Barbara Matzek, Mike's mother, passed away today.  She had cancer and was under hospice care at home.  The end came quickly with at least 2 of her girls there with her.

At church today we dedicated the gifts that our church has provided for Santa's helper.  We sponsored 5 children.

November at Home - Thanksgiving, Nov 20 - 26

 Monday, Nov 20

This year the Good Samaritan staff decided to change the way the Thanksgiving boxes are distributed to our clients.  Instead of a one-time distribution of Saturday morning, clients had a two week window to apply for and pick-up their food boxes in the same visit at GSC.  I volunteered for today, 8:30-12:30.  I was on outdoor pantry, which meant that I stood outside with another volunteer and loaded the boxes in the client's car.  They first had to call in, be certified and receive their meat gift certificate and then drive around back for the two pre-packed boxes of "fixings." I was luck to have a good weather day for the job and all went smoothly.  We distributed to about 25 families today, making the total so far more than 400.

I had lunch at Bonnie's and then did my Thanksgiving grocery shoppping.  I had prepared red beans with a ham bone in the crock pot before I left, to be ready to finish when I got home.

We were expecting Beth Kiser for over-night on her way to Mississippi.  We also found out mid-day that our new recliner and sofa would be delivered "after lunch."  It was almost 7 by the time they came and went, but we have new furniture.  The red beans and rice turned out great and we had fun conversation with Beth.

Full-inversion mode!

Tuesday and Wednesday were cooking and preparation days.  I made biscuits (thanks to Mary B) for breakfast Tuesday morning, with enough to save for the dressing and later in the morning made a big pan of cornbread.  Onions and celery were chopped and sage dried. With Bill's help, I spackcocked and dry brined the turkey.  It marinated in that way until it was time to roast on Thursday.  I accomplished enough on that I didn't have much left to do on Wednesday.  I tried something new, making a vegetable broth base (not cooked).  I tablespoon of the paste added to one cup water for veggie broth. The paste freezes without hardening because of the salt, so it should keep for many uses.

Spatchcocked turkey with dry brine

Thursday - Thanksgiving Day  
We are not gathering until 5:30 because Claire is flying in and doesn't arrive until afternoon.  We had time for a leisurely morning before I got busy finishing and roasting the turkey.  While the turkey cooked, I assembled the dressing which went into the oven when the turkey came out.  I made 2 kinds of gravy as usual, one vegetarian and one with turkey broth and giblets.  A pot of green beans finished my cooked contributions. I also took a gallon of tea, a jar of pickled beets and a Food City pumpkin pie.  We carried everything to the Brock's for a traditional feast.  Laura's four were there.  She contributed sweet potatoe casserole and Amanda made pecan pies. Kathy added mashed potatoes, ham, Jezebel sauce, drinks and paper goods.  We all ate until we couldn't eat any more.  

Roasted Turkey

I always come aways from these family events wishing I had remembered to take some pictures.  Sometimes Mike does.  This year we didn't have any pictures of people.  Just this of my turkey.

We were delighted to see Amanda and Claire.  It is the first time we have seen Claire since she moved to Florida to work.  She seems to be thriving, enjoying work and life near the beach.  Amanda is also thriving at college at UA Huntsville.  She has become involved in several student clubs and activities in addition to excelling in her academic work.

Friday

We don't shop on Black Friday.  We don't put up Christmas decorations. We eat leftover.  We go for a walk if the weather is nice. This was a beautiful fall day, so we decided to go to the UT Arboreteum in Oak Ridge for a walk, and to the grocery store (of course!). 

Saturday and Sunday

I made sourdough waffle brunch for Claire, Amanda and Laura.  Mike was in Maryville with his mother.  We all enjoyed the precious time together.  

Beth came back through on Saturday night.  I made shrimp alfredo pasta for supper since we were ready for a break from turkey.  As always, we enjoy her company.  Sunday morning, I left as usual for my SS class.  Beth hung around for a while before hitting the road for Richmond.  

Later in the afternoon, I went to church to help decorate the Christmon tree.  I always enjoy helping with this activity.  Not many present this year.

November at home - Nov 13-19

Monday, Nov 13

I was home doing something most of the day.  We had Church Council meeting 5:30 - 7 pm, so I made supper early and left it on the stove for Bill. After supper, I set up for baking bread tomorrow.

Tuesday, Nov 14

This morning the sponge (for bread) did not seem very well developed, so I let it go for a little longer before started.  That may have been due to the cool weather, or to the fact that I haven't used the started in over 3 weeks.  I should have refreshed it last week!  Anyway, the bread was behind schedule, such as it is, all day and wasn't ready to bake until after supper. I still wasn't sure about how it would rise, but it did just fine.  I made 2 rectangles and one round.  I was so tired by the time it came out that I forgot to take a picture.  I am pleased with how the traditional loaf pans (cast iron) are working.

During some of the afternoon down time, I made a connection with Alphonso and Abraham Marquez, who may become involved with the Gospel Justice Center that Pastor Linda and I are exploring.  I also used the time to learn a little more about what might be involved in hosting the Center once a month.  I think that we need to move deliberately and do more investigating before we make a commitment.  It seems like a worthy endeavor, but I don't know how much time I want to give to it.

The collard plant in my garden is still going and I was able to pick enough for supper to go with pan-seared chicken thighs and smashed potatoes.

Wednesday, Nov 15

The Good Samaritan Board met at 9 am, so I was up and out at 8:30 this morning.  The meeting is always productive.  I learned that in addition to being nominated for co-secretary, I am chairing the Policy Committee as well as continue with the Strategic Planning Committee.  Next year will be busy!

Marie C and I had lunch at Little Bangkok at Campbell Station.  Our visits are always good and I am grateful for that continued friendship.  I took him an order of our favorite Singapore Fried Rice for his supper.

Bill and I made another trip to Greer's in Loudon.  I dropped him off and had a short visit with Jim A.  No change. Bill still did not make a decision.

I am having to fill the pond and feeders frequently. I ran out of bird seed today.

Thursday, Nov 16 - Yoga Day

Yoga Day has rolled around again.  Kathy drove us this week because had a lab appointment early this morning.  We had fun as usual and 9 of us went to Sr. Rancho for lunch.

Bill and I had a conversation with Anna S this afternoon.  She had recently shared Jim Whitaker's WWII story with a new friend at Blenheim who is a retired Navy Rear Admiral.  Her friend had encouraged her to submit the document to the Naval Archives.  The conversation sparked my curiosity as I remembered working on the old audio-tape cassette to clean up the sound quality.  I found my recording and was able to convert it to a QT movie and upload to my YouTube channel.  It is an hour long, in Jim's voice.  He kind of rambles telling his story as it was spontaneous rather than carefully planned.  It is a valuable archive nonetheless.

Friday, Nov 17

I went to Food City this morning to get a ham for Sunday Thanksgiving Dinner at Trinity's Meet & Greet.  Bill went to Greer's and bought the chair that he has been thinking about.  He certainly did his due diligence.  We were both home for lunch before I had to go to the dermatologist about a persistent skin inflammation on my neck. I got a new cortisone cream prescription.

Looking out of the window just now I see our resident doe helping herself to a freshly filled bird feeder.  She is why I will have to retire that feeder.  Her young twins are madly dashing up and down the hill just like exuberant youngsters running around excitedly.

Saturday, Nov 19

Cooked the ham, deboned and plated it for tomorrow.  While the ham was cooking, I prepared my Sunday School class lesson, again on the theme of gratitude.  I did odd bits of housekeeping, too.  At 3:30 we went to the Brock's to watch the UT Football game.  Bonnie picked up Subways for our "tail-gate" meal.  We did not expect to beat Georgia and we did not.

Sunday, Nov 20

Our Thanksgiving meal after church was a good success.  All but 8 people who attended worship stayed for the meal. Turkey & dressing provided by Calhoun's.  I did not have any left-over ham to take home.

Amanda got home from UA-Huntsville on Friday night.  Bill went over mid-afternoon for a ping-pong challenge.  We both we back later for fish tacos, sharing vacations pictures and especially catching up with Amanda.

November at home - Nov 8-12

 Wednesday, Nov 8

What a pleasure to wake up at home after two weeks away and after a good nights sleep in our own bed and with familiar routines to follow.  The weather was perfect even if a little warm for November, so I wanted to work outside.  Thursday I would go to yoga, Friday held a promise of rain and Saturday afternoon would be taken up with football, so today was the day garden work.  After some preliminary catching up indoors, and doing a session of yoga with Bill, I was ready to tackle the pond garden right after lunch.  The water irises need to be cut back and other sections trimmed.

As the afternoon warmed, I found that I could work for about 5 minutes and then rest for about 10.  With that routine, I got the work done with a little help from Bill.  I was very pleased!

Work in Progress

Finished for the season and more accessible to our wildlife.  My trusty flamingo keeps guard year-round.

Thursday, Nov 9 - Yoga Day

The day started when Bill spotted a flock of birds at the newly cleared and filled pond.  I identified them as a flock of Cedar Waxwings.  Unfortunately I was not able to get any pictures.  There were about 20 in the flock.  The Waxwings pass through every fall, usually with a group of Robins and seeing them is always a treat. According to the "All About Birds" site at Cornell U, they are year-round in this area, but they are not at my house.

Yoga was fun and challenging andI enjoyed being in the company of friends.  We went to Aubrey's for lunch which I always enjoy.  I had the grilled tuna sandwich with Caesar salad.  Kathy and I had to leave promptly after lunch because I had a dentist appointment.  All went well.

Friday, Nov 10

No rain as we were promised. We are in severe drought conditions and I am continuing to water the garden.  I finally unpacked my clothes and got all the laundry done. I had been putting it off until today.  I hadn't seen Jim A in about 3 weeks, so I went to River Grove, Loudon, for a visit.  He doesn't seem to be doing too well, although nothing specific.  Depression, I think. After the visit, I stopped in Greer's furniture store to see if they might have a sofa I would like.  I actually found one.  I stocked up at the grocery on the way home.  We had Mississippi Fried Catfish for supper.

Saturday, Nov 11

I talked Bill into going to Greer's with me to look at the sofa.  We decided to buy it. He also looked at recliners and found one he liked, but he will do more investigation before making a purchase.

The sofa is light grey, which doesn't show too well in the store light.

The afternoon event was football at the Brock's with Bonnie.  Instead of Subway sandwiches, we had Kathy's Italian beef sandwiches.  Delicious!  We are always glad when Bonnie brings stuffed eggs.  We were too stuffed with all the good stuff for pie.  UT was stuffed by Missouri.

Sunday, Nov 12

My Sunday School lessons are deviating from the lectionary for a 3-week series on gratitude, "Our Hymn of Grateful Praise."  This week's scripture was Psalm 100. Laura came over after lunch for a short visit and walk around Melton Hill with us.

On Our Way Home - Nov 6-7, 2023

 Monday & Tuesday, November 6-7 

Leaving is always bittersweet. We checked out of the condo at 8:30 local time.  The clock in the X-Terra read 10:30 because it had not been adjusted for zone or time-change, so it reflected our time back home.  Our first "beach" stop on Oct 26 had been Joe Patti in Pensacola for seafood.  Our last "beach" stop was Joe Patti to stock up on shrimp.  The price cannot be beat and we will have 10 pounds in the freezer for at least a dozen meals plus some for Kathy, too. The drive through Alabama was thankfully uneventful.  We decided to stay overnight at DeSota Falls State Park, just outside of Ft. Payne, instead of our usual hotel in Gadsden, AL. We were glad we did.  The state park is one of the CCC era, with many original, remodeled structures.  The room was basic but comfortable with a nice little back balcony.  Unfortunately, the restaurant now only serves on weekends, so we had to piece together supper with leftovers and a salad from Zaxby's.

Tuesday morning we didn't try to get an early start, but we didn't have much on-hand for breakfast.  We made-do.  Before leaving the park we took time to visit the falls.  It is a beautiful spot, in some ways like our favorite Fall Creek Falls.  After many weeks of drought, there was barely a trickle of water over coming over.  It must be spectacular in spring when the water is full.  Maybe we'll come back.

At Chattanooga, we took Hwy 27 to return home.  We wanted to eat at a favorite Chinese (traditional) restaurant in Dayton that we discovered when Mike and Laura lived in Hixson and we often traveled that highway.

We made it home by 3 pm, in plenty of time to unpack and settle in before dark. We had enough lunch left-overs to make our supper.

DeSoto Inn Dining Room/Deck

Beautiful view from the deck, but no real sunset views

Lodging as seen from our back deck.  Basic but comfortable.

Bill looking into the basin of the falls

The steps up and down from the parking lot to the top of the falls was decorated with a John Muir quote: 

November 7, Sunset back home

On our way home - Nov 5

Sunday, November 5

Last OB sunset, last beach walk, last sand between the toes.  The last day is given to packing and preparing for the trip back up north, to home, to 1633 Woodlawn Rd, Lenoir City, Loudon County, Tennessee.  It is always a bittersweet day.  This last day was sweetened with a long visit with Deborah Phillips Clifford, one of my best friends since childhood.  She is the reason I went to New Orleans in 1970 where I met Bill at UNO. Our parents were friends, the connections are deep. She and husband George live in Orange Beach and we connect with them whenever possible.  This year George is recovering from hernia surgery, so we didn't get to see him.  George is a Sunflower native, so I don't remember not knowing him. Deborah came to our condo and we caught up on news of family and friends over the course of a couple of hours  She is that friend that no matter how long it has been, our connection is immediate and secure, as if we saw each other just last week.

Before she arrived after lunch, we got most of our stuffed packed.  While she was here, Bill got most of it loaded in the X-terra.

After she left, Bill and went for a last sunset walk on the beach.  With the time change today, sunset was at 5 pm!  We had ample leftovers for supper.

Just the Two of Us _ Nov 4 - Our Anniversary

Saturday, November 4

Just Two of Us - We can make it if we try... 

We have made it 51 years so far!

 I didn't take any pictures on our beach walk this morning, or of any of our meals, or of us sittting on the deck just being the two of us and remembering.  

I didn't take any pictures of our beautiful, delicious dinner at Louisianna Langiappe with glasses of complimentary champagne because it was our anniversary.  I had group, pan-sauteed and topped with lump crabmeat.  Bill has oysters baked with a savory cajun topping.

I was too busy being in the moment.

Just the Two of Us - Nov 2-3

Thursday, November 2

The morning again started too cold and windy for a beach walk.  I had some ripe bananas and everything else on hand for banana bread, so that was my morning project, along with working on this blog, catching up the days that were too full for reflection.

I didn't have a loaf pan, so I baked in a square corningware dish

After lunch, we went for a walk at the Catman Rd Trail just off 180 in Orange Beach.  OBA  offers a number of walking and biking trails, both boardwalks and inland trails.  We walked in and out for a total of 1.5 miles of flat paved walkway.

Catman Rd Trail

For supper, I used the last of the Joe Patti Shrimp to make my favorite Charleston Shrimp Gravy over grits - my version of Shrimp & Grits. It was sooo good!

Shrimp & Grits

For the past few days I have been reading "Sustaining and Disrupting."  I finished it today.  It is has very good lessons for our church as we confront who we will be in the future. Pastor Linda and I have discussed the need to update our vision for Trinity and this book would be very helpful for leaders.  I don't know how many others will be willing to engage in the discussion.  I conceived of the 2030 Project, a visioning and strategic planning project to address the questions of who/what/where do we want to be in 2030 (the vision) and how do we get there (the strategy).

Friday, November 3

The weather is getting better every day.  Today I wanted to go to the park where I've seen the pitcher plants and go again to Fisherman's Corner for lunch.  We left late morning on this quest.  Tarklin Bayou Preserve State Park is less than 15 in Florida, so we headed east.  The Park is known for being the home of four species of endangered pitcher plants as well as other rare and endangered plants.  We enjoyed seeing and photographing the white-topped pitcher plants in the bog midway along the Bayou Trail.  The trail, a combination of pavement and boardwalk was about 1.5 miles in and out. It terminates at the Tarklin Bayou Bay which empties into Perdido Bay.

We were ready for a delicious lunch after our hike and Fisherman's Corner did not disappoint.  I had the Fried Gumbo Salad again and Bill has a Fried Oyster Po-Boy on Gambino Italian Bread, a New Orleans favorite.

The day wasn't done yet! After lunch, we stopped at the Perdido Seafood Market next door and bought 2 pounds of shrimp, most to eat and some for bait.  We also got a loaf of Gambino bread.  

Back at the condo, the afternoon was perfect for the beach - not too hot, not too windy, just right!  About 4:30 we carried a couple of chairs and fishing gear down to the beach.  We stayed until sunset. Not much happened at first, but finally, Bill got some bites and caught a double of whiting.  (He was using a double hook surf rig).  A little later he got a big bite, but lost it right at the edge of the surf before we got a good look.  It was probably a sting-ray.  

It was a lovely day, start to finish!  At the end is my beach poem for today.

I am much happier than I look!

The Next One

Fisherman and Farmer
Hope and expectation
For the next cast
For the next crop
For the next big one
that won't get away

Hope and expectation