Friday, December 10, 2010

It'a about time to go back to Florida, so I guess I'd better refresh my memory on how to do this.

Thursday, April 1, 2010

Final post for this year!

Since I'm home, it must be time to blog again. I left Saturday morning and spent Saturday night through Monday morning with Bill and Carolyn Allison near Milner, Georgia. Carolyn and I were best friends throughout junior high and high school. It was the first time I had been to visit them except when Carolyn and the kids were in Eddyville while Bill served in Viet Nam. We had a very nice and fun visit. I got to visit with each of their kids and one of Brianna's sons and his wife.

Getting to their house was another experience. I was privileged to be among the "northern migration" on Saturday. That meant that MANY of the people who had been in Florida for the winter (like me) were headed home. I have no idea how many Michigan and Ontario plates I saw. The fun part was the SIX traffic slow-downs I got to be in. Two of them involved having 3 lanes funneled into 2 lanes and shifted over to the southbound lane. These each were at least half an hour long while we were going under 20 mph with frequent total stops. The other 4 weren't quite as slow but were still only about 40 mph for a while.

Sunday at church they had a representative of Jews for Jesus who gave a presentation on the Passover celebration and how it relates to Christ. It was extremely informative and interesting.

Monday I drove to Hendersonville, Tennessee and spent the evening and night with my niece and her husband, Chris and Mike Fiscus. They took me to a Japanese restaurant and I had never been where I watched them cooking my food. It was quite interesting and tasty. After that, Chris and I had a very nice visit, including some catching up and some reminiscing. I guess I must have been in a hurry to head on home because I left my dirty clothes at their house!

Tuesday I stopped in Warrenton, Missouri at an SAS outlet to get some shoes and then headed home. It was 11:15 when I got home and I was in bed by 11:45. It had taken two hours to cross St. Louis on the north side because of a wreck. There was a lot of stopping and waiting there also.

On the negative side of the trip, there were all the traffic slow downs that I'm not used to and also 3 encounters with fire alarms, all of which were false alarms. I do certainly plan to go back next year. In fact I have my name on a couple of lists for places to stay other than motels. In Florida the other places really aren't much cheaper than the motels. They know people will pay to be where it is warm in the winter. I even talked to some people from Saskatoon. Now that is a long ways from Florida.

Of course the positive side was the warm weather and southern gospel concerts. I saw at least 3 concerts every week and the weather was much better than Iowa's weather! It was the coldest winter Florida has had in a very long time, but it seemed great to me!

I'm not sure if I will ever get everything unloaded and put away or not. I really need to dust and vacuum too. Had I thought about it, I think I would have hired someone to clean just before I got home.

Have a nice day, and it is nice and warm here. Thanks for getting rid of the snow for me before I came home!

Monday, March 22, 2010

Boy, people watching was good today at Golden Corral. Rhea Pearl was there complete with her red hair and greenish cap-shaped hat! I talked to her husband a little bit about another unusual couple. I guess this other couple goes there every day and sit at the same table. They wear identical suits every day complete with matching shirts. Today was the first time I had seen them. They were wearing white suits with pink and purple print shirts! Kids can you see Dad and me?!?!?!?! This man told me they have several identical suits including a pair that are catsup red! It made me think of Ed and June Sarver dressing in the same colors, but these are identical!

It's interesting to notice people who look like people I know at home. At church there is a lady who looks a lot like Lois Oldham only she's taller. She leads the 9/12 group and is a very good singer. There's also another lady in the choir who looks like June Sarver 20 years ago. I've noticed others too, but I can't remember them right now.

It's almost 10:00, so I'm going to quit for now. Remember to keep the warming going for me!
As Ila says, blogging sometimes gets to be a drag. Friday morning I saw McMillan and Life for the first time. She used to be with the Lesters and I don't remember who the men used to be with. They were good. Along with them the program included Geraldine and Ricky. They were hilarious as usual. (Ricky is a dumby.)

Saturday night it was Great Vision and they were good as usual. Then last night I saw N'Harmony and they were good. I was quite surprised when the bass singer was introduced as Will Van Wyngarden from Pella, Iowa! That's where he lives yet. I talked to him after the concert and found out that he grew up on a farm south of Peoria in Mahaska County. He asked if the van he saw in the parking lot with Mahaska County plates was mine and, of course, it was. He said when they drove in and he saw it he was extremely surprised. His great grandfather immigrated from Holland to Pella about the same time as my grandfather immigrated from Holland to Pella.

I plan to leave here either Friday noon, or Saturday morning and be home the following Wednesday or Thursday. I'm going to see Bill and Carolyn Allison in Georgia and Chris Fiscus in Tennessee and stop and get some new shoes in Missouri. I may also see the Tooley's if I can get hold of them and they are free.

Get it warmed up for me and get rid of all the snow! Oh, yes, I'm freezing some strawberries to bring home for strawberry shortcake on work day.

Thursday, March 11, 2010

A lot of water has gone under the bridge since I last blogged. I hope it doesn't turn out to be real water under the bridge and out of it's banks this spring or before in Iowa. I saw on the weather channel they have a new way to sort of sand bag that they are planning to try in Cedar Rapids this year.

Sunday night we had a quartet called the Taylors that I had never even heard of. They were fabulous! They are all siblings. The tenor is 22 and the soprano just turned 18. The alto and bass are twins who are in between the other two in age. They also have 2 older brothers who are married and have families. Their dad is pastor of a country church in North Carolina and their mom is the minister of music. They had fond memories of when they were 10 to 12 and their mom taught them all 4 parts of hymns to sing at revivals at their church. Their blend is extremely good and they have a very pure ambiance. I would highly recommend them! They had to drive home Sunday night because the youngest 3 of them had mid-terms Monday.

Yesterday I got out at the lake and looked around a little bit. There are several birds setting, including several swans. They let you walk right up to them and just look at you. I sat at a table beside one that was just sitting, but not nesting and it just looked at me. I took it's picture with my camera.

I was going to go to see the Guy Lombardo orchestra this morning at the Strawberry Festival, but when I got there, in addition to paying $8 to get in, I was going to have to pay $5 to park. It was raining, and severe storms were forecast. So I drove around the perimeter of the grounds and decided to not stay. The town is smaller than Oskaloosa and the grounds are probably 3 or 4 times the size of the Southern Iowa Fairgrounds plus 16 parking lots. I figured that whereever I got off the tram at would be the opposite end of the grounds from where the concert was and I didn't know if I had to pay more to get in to it or not. Of course by not going, I missed my opportunity to get some fresh cotton candy. I haven't had any of that in several years. In fact, I think the last I had Dad and Aryc bought for me when they went to the fair and I stayed at Ella Maude's. Now that was a LONG time ago! Aryc wasn't in school yet. I don't like the stale stuff they sell in plastic boxes in stores.

After scooping the grounds, I went to Parksdale's and got some celery, strawberries, bananas, and shortcake. I swear that every time I buy strawberries they are sweeter than the time before. Cool weather makes them sweeter. They are exceptionally good. I asked how long they thought they'd be good refrigerated and they thought 4 or 5 days. In that case, I won't be able to get any home. I have a tiny freezer that I might be able to freeze some in to get them home. I'll just have to see.

Now, I've saved the best for last. I have found Wes' in Lakeland. I went there for breakfast today and it was really good. I'm going to go there for lunch sometime too. They're only open from 6 AM until 2 PM. There food is cheaper than the chains, and better too. It's all home cooked at the restuarant. I'm tired of chains.

Have a nice day and remember to get it warmed up for when I come home!

Sunday, March 7, 2010

When I saw the Blackwoods on Friday, I was there while they were setting up. All the guys were in jeans and T-shirts except Jimmy. The bass singer's jeans even were minus the knees. Jimmy was wearing dress pants and a polo shirt. They weren't new, but they weren't jeans and a T-shirt. I had to wonder if that was a little bit of "Dad" showing through.

Last night just after I arrived at my parking spot in came the Blackwood bus. I have noticed that the groups' busses don't have their names on them any more. Well, the Blackwood Brothers have their name on theirs. When the bus pulled in, the bass singer was behind the wheel and Jimmie got out to see where to park to unload. You guessed it. He was once again wearing older dress pants and a polo. Pretty soon I saw him shaking a black paint can. He got out their mike stands and proceeded to paint them. I was expecting Billy's boy to go grab one, but he didn't bother either of them. After they dried a little Jimmy took them in.

About half an hour before the concert. Billy came in with Willie riding piggy back and put him on the front pew and left. About 10 minutes before the concert he came in again and squatted down and talked to him and it must have been a fun talk because they were both really smiling. I never saw anyone say anything to him nor did he move or say a word during the entire concert. I had to wonder if Billy remembered doing that with his dad.

There was a large crowd at the concert and shortly before the concert started they put chairs at the ends of most of the pews. I noticed a lady sit down at the end of the pew where I was, but didn't pay any attention to her. There was one lady sitting between me and the end of the pew. Shortly the pastor's wife and the lady on the chair got up and hugged each other and I looked at her and thought that she looked a lot like Ann Downing, only not really dressed up. Well, it was her and she is shirt-tail relation to pastor's wife. She wouldn't go up on the stage to be introduced because she wasn't wearing "platform clothes."

The lady sitting next to me was introduced to me, not by name, but by age. She was 93 and barely appeared to be 83. Her hearing is poor and she doesn't drive anymore. She is from Maine and had been a department store detective!

Well, it's time to get ready for church, so I'd better end this. Have a nice day and keep the warm-up going!

Friday, March 5, 2010

I just watched a brand new Lawrence Welk reunion done for PBS. It was the best one yet. It's funny how most of the men seem to have aged more than the women! Bobby Burgess hadn't aged much though. Perhaps it's all the dancing that kept him so young-looking! Guy didn't look much older either. However Charlotte, who plays the cello, did look quite a lot older.

This morning I saw the Blackwood Brothers Quartet and will see them again tomorrow night. They are really good. Jimmy looks, acts, and sings just like James. He even has his mannerisms. His brother Billy is with them now too singing baritone and he is quite a nut. It's sort of funny that Jimmy has grandchildren and his brother, Billy, had his son with them who is probably 4.

I'm still watching the birds at the lake regularly and they are extremely interesting. There are 2 ducks that I can see setting on eggs. Several people came today to feed them bread and that is funny to watch. Those swans eat it right out of their hands and are quite persistent. Sitting there in the sun is really nice!

Here's a story from the Blackwoods for young and old alike. Those of you my age will remember part of this and those of you not my age will learn some things. In the 50's there was a television program called "Arthur Godfrey's Original Amateur Hour." Jimmy said it was the predecessor to the present day "American Idol." Well in the 50's James Blackwood and the Blackwood Brothers were on that show and won on it singing "Have You Talked to the Man Upstairs?"

Have a good weekend. "It's beginning to look a lot like spring!" Oh, that was Christmas, not spring!

Sunday, February 28, 2010

I had a nice visit/lunch with Ann and Larry Ames today. It was nice to catch each other up on our kids/grandkids.

According to Chuck Milhuff: If you need a miracle there ae three simple steps.
1. View God as your source. Change from looking horizontally to looking vertically. Go to the main man.
2. Give to get. (Plant to grow.) It is a natural law. Look at what a kernel of corn does when planted.
3. Expect a miracle.

The Dove Brothers were excellent last night and Spoken 4 was good tonight.

Have a nice day and remember that spring is just around the corner!
2.

Saturday, February 27, 2010

What a surprise I got tonight! I went to the restroom before the concert and as I was going back to my seat I heard someone call my name. I looked and it was Ann Ames. She and Larry have been in Florida for a couple of weeks. We are going to go to lunch tomorrow after church I think. They are the first people I have seen here that I knew that I wasn't expecting to see. It's sort of funny because there is a lady that I've seen both in Lakeland and in Bradenton who always remembers my name. Whenever she sees me she always says, "Hello, Linda." Usually I don't even know she's around until I hear her. When I heard my name I assumed it was her and was really surprised to see Ann.

There are 4 religious facts.
1. Moslems do not recognize that Jews worship the true God.
2. Jews do not recognize Jesus is God's son.
3. Protestants do not recognize the pope as the head of the church.
4. Baptists do not recognize other baptists at Hooters!

Pastor always has to have a joke to tell on Saturday nights and Sunday nights. I thought this one was pretty good. (Plus I haven't forgotten it yet!)

Have a good Lord's day. Spring is just around the corner. I keep mentioning that so that it will be here by the time I get home!

Friday, February 26, 2010

There is no way that I can possibly live long enough to like one of the southern customs I have encountered here. I can possibly get used to all of the honey, sweetie, etc. from wait staff in restaurants. But today just about did it when a waiter (male, of course) called me "darlin!"

Now the one I will never like is one that happens often at church. One elderly lady thinks it's her job to manage to kiss my forehead every time she sees me. She reminds me of Josie Kessler in every way except this habit of hers. I almost want to run every time I see her. I though I was home free Wednesday night when she was sitting in the row behind me. Wrong!

Today I went to a different lake and it is really nice. I had seen it before but couldn't find a place to park. Today I discovered parking is allowed on the street. At one point I counted 47 swans, two of which were black. The lake is too big for me to see all of them at once. Later I saw two that were gray. There are also geese, ducks, and three other kinds of birds that I'm not familiar with. Some of the swans from time to time would fluff up their wings and were really pretty. Sometimes one of them would show either some feathers that were black tipped or else they had their feet up while they were floating about. Google says their feathers are all white, so it was probably their feet.

There was also a duck that appeared to be setting. I also saw a black duck with a little white on its head. It was limping. The other 3 types of birds I'm unfamiliar with, but there are certainly a lot of them.

Now you have today's report on wildlife and frustration. I did put my name on the list for next year at the Florida Holiness Campground and I am number 35 on the list. It would be nice to be there I think because it is sort of like Shady Lodge except you are supposed to be a Christian to live there. There are some people there this year who were number 35 on the list last year. Of course you must realize that about the only way people give up their spot is by illness or death!

Have a nice day. Spring is coming!

Wednesday, February 24, 2010

Okay for the answer to the Jeopardy question. The non-human one of the 50 best actors of the American Film Institute is, of course, the one I thought immediately when I saw it. It's Lassie!

The couple at church who's house was in danger of sinking were elated on Sunday. The county has decided to pour cement into some of the sink holes to stop their spread so they think their house will survive.

Today I went to a different Golden Corral. It had a special of $4.99 including drink for seniors from 1:30 until 3:30. I was talking to a couple behind me in line and found out they are from Cedar Rapids. They invited me look at their apartment, so I did. It is MUCH cheaper than what I am paying. I know another lady who lives there in a dormitory. I'm going to call the office tomorrow and get some more information and see about putting my name on the list for next year. If they have any available for March of this year I'll check into that too. I really don't like paying so much for this. I'd have to bring more stuff next year, but for the difference in price I could do that.

They introduced me to several people, including a couple who knows the Kimes that lived near Ryan and Melinda in Oskaloosa. His name is Cornie Bender and at first I though he said Cornie Boender. It is 7 miles farther to church from there than from here. But the price diffence is huge!

Have a nice day and enjoy the 7 days you are supposed to have without snow.

Monday, February 22, 2010

It must be time to blog again. Sunday I saw 2 Polk County Deputies pushing a stalled car while the driver steered it. I don't recall ever seeing that before. Of course it was on a 7 or 8 lane road.

Today I saw a car here in Polk County, Florida with plates on it from Polk County, Iowa. That is the second car I've seen with Iowa plates since the girls left Florida except for Phyllis'.

I'm still working on a place to stay that is less money than where I am now. However, everyplace else seems to be just as high or higher. I'm just as well off here where I don't have to clean or wash linens. One person suggested I find someone to come with me next year since most of the places are at least 2 bedroom and two bathrooms.

Since I started this entry I have talked to a man about renting a trailer that would be quite a bit less than this, but I'd have to get some sort of a wireless provider. I'll have to do some checking on that. I told him I'd check around and call him back tomorrow sometime. It's sort of an upscale place and he said I could have it from now until the end of March for the price of one month.

Mark Trammel spoke last night as well as his quartet singing. He is a really good speaker as well as singer. Saturday night it was Triumphant and they are always good too.

Well I better quit so I can watch some more olympics. Have a fun day and enjoy things in Iceland.

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

I'm shocked while watching Jeopardy tonight. The returning champion's last name is Shrago, and he answered either 3 or 4 questions as answers, NOT questions! So far, it is time for the final jeopardy question and they haven't said anything about it. Usually if something gets by, they correct it. (Later) Well they never did say anything about it, but he got beat in the final round. Of the top 50 actors on the American Film Institutes list, only one was not a person. Who was it? See tomorrow's post for the answer. E-mail me your answer or call me with it so noone will read it on the blog.

Today I went to see Clearwater beach. What I could see of it was very pretty. However, it is all either hotel/motel owned or you have to pay to park and then walk quite a ways. You can't sit in the car and look at the water because there are fences! What a rip-off!

I forgot to tell about what happened before the concert Sunday night. The grandson of one of the ushers and his family were. He is 13 and recited (very dramatically) the entire book of James! He has an extreme gift! His mother sat on the front row with a copy to prompt him, but he never hesitated at any time. It was phenomenal!

In my travels today I saw several billboards advertising attorneys regarding sinkholes and also insurance for sinkholes! The one exit to Plant City has been closed for at least 2 weeks to repair one.

Sunday, February 14, 2010

Last night it was the Perry's and they were very good. I really like Libby. She's been singing with the group 39 years and is 4 feet, 8 inches tall. That's shorter than Mom was. Her brother is about my heighth. Their piano player is extremely amazing. I would think his forearms and hands would hurt terribly. They really fly fast!

This morning at church pastor Kirby was telling about a couple in the congregation who live in Plant City. Their neighbor's house has already fallen into a sinkhole and the walls in their's have cracked. To make it worse, they both have the flu. They were asking for prayer that their house wouldn't fall too. I guess these sinkholes are quite common every year and at various times of the year.

Have a nice day!

Friday, February 12, 2010

This morning at Breakfast Club I saw the Weatherfords for the first time. They were good. So were the donuts, coffee, and OJ! So, I'm wondering. Does anyone read this or should I just be keeping a diary? There are almost never any comments.

Thursday, February 11, 2010

I forgot to mention that Amoury has never seen snow! His daughter went to Ohio to visit a college friend last year and they had snow on the ground so she got to see it. However she had wanted to see it coming down. It's hard to believe that someone in this country has never even seen snow! He doesn't have an accent, so I assume he was probably born here.

Have a nice day!
Not much news here now. I have fouind out that these sink holes are quite common here all the time, not just when they use a lot of water to avoid freezing fruit. One man was telling me that one of the lakes here in Lakeland got a sinkhole under it a few years ago and lost most of it's water. He says it's coming back slowly. I'm going to go look at it sometime.

This morning I got new plugs and wires and a new serpentine belt and a new motor for the driver's window. I could possibly have gotten along without them until I got home, but now I don't have to think about having a problem with them. Funny thing, a private garage did it all for what Pep Boys wanted for the plugs, wires, and belt! Both estimates included labor. The man who did it is named Amaury Rivera. I don't know if he's related to Geraldo or not! Probably not.

So far I haven't found a place to stay next year that would be cheaper than a motel, but I'll keep looking. I'd even do something different this year if I could find something. I'm tired of moving from place to place and carrying and carrying!

It's supposed to rain and be cold and windy tomorrow. High in the low 50's. Sound cold to you? If you haven't heard, the government being closed down for snow costs us $100,000,000 per day! Yes, that's $100 Million. Have a nice day!

Tuesday, February 9, 2010

Today was moving day. This afternoon about 3 I went to Golden Corral since the orange I had for breakfast was all gone.

It is so interesting to see people who remind me of other people I know. One day at the beach I saw "Leonard and Rhea Pearl." At Golden Corral today my waitress was another of those experiences. If I didn't know that she had only given birth to boys I would have sworn that the waitress was Benita's daughter. She looked like her, sounded like her, and even acted like her. How unusual!

I don't think I'll be going to any concerts until Friday morning now and then Saturday and Sunday nights. I'm going to check in to doing some activities at Lake Gibson Church of the Nazarene this week too. I really like Lakeland and would like to find a place to stay here next year other than a motel.

Enjoy Iceland!

Monday, February 8, 2010

Good news! All the motels raised their rates $10/day the first of February! That's another $300 per month. Sorry kids!
I keep forgetting to mention that the last time I needed cash I got it at the Third Fifth Bank. What a name! It would be interesting to learn the story about it's name.

Today I had lunch with Ila, Phyllis, and Margaret. It was neat to see someone I actually know. However, I do feel like I know people at the Lake Gibson Church of the Nazarene in Lakeland. I really like it. This week I'm hoping to participate in some of their regular activities. I'm also going to do some investigating in Lakeland about housing for next year on a longer term basis.

Tomorrow after I get to Lakeland or Wednesday, I have to take my van to a mechanic that a man told me about. Pepboys seemed to think I needed $500 worth of repairs, so I'm going to see what an honest person thinks. Not that Pepboys aren't honest, but they told me there was a $13 rebate and when I got the form for it, it was expired! Do I plan to go to Pepboys for an oil change again? No!

I hear you are getting more snow in Iowa. It must be pretty dry there to need as much as there has been! Have a nice day.

Sunday, February 7, 2010

Last night it was the Perry's, Inspirations, Mark Trammel Trio, Whisnants, and Nelons. In the afternoon it was the Pickerings and Larry Ford. I could do without the Pickerings and the Freemans. As of Thursday it will be the Mark Trammel Quartet. The Dixie Echoes' bass is joining them.

Today I did laundry and saw the Isaacs tonight. They are very bluegrass, but not twangy. There is a really neat little restaurant here called Friendly's that has free sundaes for seniors if you order off the senior menu. I know some people who would like that!

Have a nice day! I see there is another winter storm warning for Mahaska County.

Saturday, February 6, 2010

Not much time so this will be short. Thursday night and Friday night were both good. Yesterday afternoon there was one group I could have done without, and so could some others that I talked to.

This afternoon I'll hear two groups I haven't seen in person before and tonight, being the last night, I'm sure will be good.

The Brown girl has been to culinary school and she did the dessert luncheon on Wednesday and also the luncheon on Thursday. All the Browns served it.

A highlight Thursday was seeing 4 people from Iowa!

More later. Have a good day/night. I'm doing this at 8:25 AM. We'll see what time it shows on the post.

Wednesday, February 3, 2010

I forgot to tell you about Taranda's shoes last night. They were silver metalic platform heels. But they also had a band about 3 inches wide that went loosely around each ankle. Quite unique!

Also I forgot to tell you that the chapel yesterday had Randy Perry and his wife. I'm sure he is shorter than I am! Of course so is Libby. Today chapel was Jerry and Jan Goff and they were good too.

At noon they had a dessert buffet in honor of the Blackwoods, particularly James. It was 8 years ago today that he went to heaven. Last year they honored Polly Perry. The Blackwood quartet was greeting people at the door and I told Jimmie this story. I don't know if I've told it to you or not. After Dad died I just wasn't sure if I'd ever be able to go to another Southern Gospel concert or not, but the Blackwoods were at Berean AG in Pleasant Hill in late March or early April and I decided to try it. That was when I found out I could do it and it really meant a lot to me.

After everyone was through the receiving line they had a few people say things about the Blackwoods and Jimmie spoke too. He was telling about how funny his dad was off stage and at home. He also told about a little lady from Iowa who told him today about going to a concert after her husband had died and how it had helped her! That's what it's all about. Since it was the anniversary of James going to heaven it was hard for him to talk about it. I saw a side of him I hadn't seen before. Very strong and sincere Christian.

This afternoon the matinee had the Blackwoods and the Dixie Echos. They each sang separately for 45 minutes or so and then they sang together. It was a vintage quartet special so they just sang around two big mikes like they used to use. Recently the Blackwoods baritone/piano player decided to go solo so they had to find new ones. The baritone is Jimmie's younger brother, Billie, and he is good and sort of a clown. He is very short and the bass singer is about 6 or 8 inches taller than him, so they had a game of moving their mike up and down. They had a guy playing piano for them just today that I'm guessing may stay with them. Of course Stuart Varnado was with the Dixie Echos.

The Brown's served the buffet so I talked to them a little. Tonight it's Gold City, Jeff and Sheri Easter, Blackwood Brothers, and the Browns. Jeff and Sheri are going to have a 16 year old guy with them that has been with Bill Gaither lately that is supposed to be very good.

Have a nice day and stay warm!

Tuesday, February 2, 2010

The Proclaimers that I saw on Sunday night were fair, but okay.

Monday morning I got the oil changed in the van at Pepboys. They came out with over $500 worth of things that needed to be done to it. I didn't do any of them. Let's see, here's a lady alone with license plates from far away. We wonder if she's gullible. Even before that I had observed that they were both show-offs. I am watching for someone at a concert that might look at it for me.

On the way from Lakeland to Bradenton Monday I had to stop at Plant City again. I was almost out of strawberries. As a matter of fact, I'm eating the last of them as I write this. Sure glad I got more.

Let's see. Monday evening I saw the Hoppers, the Dove Brothers, the Chuck Wagon Gang and the Diplomats. All of them were good, but of course the Hoppers were the best. It was 11:30 when I got back to the motel so I didn't bother with the internet.

Then this morning I left at a little before 8 to go to the convention center. I had donuts, coffee, and juice at 9 and went to chapel at 10. Then I went to the matinee at 1:30. The Proclaimers were there and they were better than they were Sunday night in Lakeland. Also Aaron Wilburn was there and he is really funny. I saw a lady today wearing a hat and one with a RIBBON in her hair. I've visited with a lot of very nice people.

Yesterday I talked to Dena Ward and she told me that her only living child, Norene has lung cancer. She found out just before Christmas. It doesn't sound too good. She's been having chemo and her daughter who lives in Alaska came for Christmas and is still here. Dena said Norene can get around the house a little with a wheel chair. She's extremely weak. She'd had a lot of pain in her shoulder and chest. Finally she got very painful bloodclots in her legs and they found out from that that she had the cancer. Dena went to the hospital in the middle of the night with chest pain. A friend of hers took her. They thought it was her heart, but it turned out to be a panic attack so she has decided she can't let Norene's cancer get to her to much.

Tonight I saw The Kingsmen, Ivan Parker, The Greenes, and The Dixie Echoes. The Greenes were the best. Taranda sang in December for the United Nations and had a lot of diplomats in tears. She sang O Holy Night there and tonight and it was exceptionally good. I don't think she could stand still if her life depended on it! Tony look very good. She gave him one of her kidneys in August. They said it was a near a perfect match as if they had been identical twins. For those of you who don't know, they are husband and wife.

Their daughters sang tonight too. They are 4 years and 19 months old and they sang "I am a Possibility." It was pretty cute. It's almost 12:30, so I'm going to quit for tonight.

Sunday, January 31, 2010

I saw the Collingsworths last night and they are very impressive. The mom plays the piano. No, I don't mean she just pounds it, she plays it extremely well. At the last quartet convention, she played with Dino, and I'd say she is equally as good as he is or better. One of the daughters was wearing a watch and that is the only jewelry I saw. I didn't see the dad's left hand to see if he was wearing a ring, nor did I see the daughter's left hand who is engaged. I also saw no makeup. Extremely refreshing.

Tonight it will be the Proclaimers and I don't know anything about them. Last night there was a huge crowd and I helped to fill the choir loft. There were people in the foyer and closed circuit in the fellowship hall. They also had chairs at the end of each pew. Remember when the Naz in Oskaloosa did that and the fire marshall put a stop to it?

Have a good day! High in the 60's here today.

Saturday, January 30, 2010

I guess it must be time to write again. Thursday I went to the yacht club again to do people watching and reading. This time a lady got out with a grocery bag and a large group of birds flocked around her. My first thought was that at Forrest Cemetery they would bite her, but evidently these don't do that. She took her bag over to the dock and proceeded to feed the birds. Some of the bread she threw into the water, some onto the dock and some she threw up into the air and the flying birds caught them. Later she went to her car and got another bag and repeated the same thing. There is a bakery thrift store here, so I assume that's where she got the bread.

Friday I went back to the yacht club and it was uneventful. Some of the birds there are white with black tips on their back feathers and have long curved beaks. They have long legs and stand on only one leg to rest. They are probably about a foot tall at the shoulder. I have no idea what they are called.

I'd tried three markets and wasn't pleased, so everyone I asked said to go to Plant City. It's about 10 miles from Lakeland, so I decided to go there. After driving around and not finding anything, I stopped and asked. I was directed to a specific place, and it was the right place. I felt like I was in a foreign country! It was an outdoor market and they ship all over the country all year around. They have a huge variety of fruits and vegetables. Of course the ones I wanted were oranges and strawberries. I got 5 pounds of oranges for $1.39. There were 9 in the bag and they ranged from baseball-sized to softball-sized. I haven't tried one yet, but the samples were extremely juicy. I also got a quart of strawberries for $2.99 and they are very good.

Now for the real treat. They also sell strawberry shakes and strawberry shortcake in various forms. There was a huge line for them, but they make them on an assembly line and the wait is very short. I had strawberry shortcake for dinner. The bowl was bigger than normal styrofoam bowls and was almost to run over and then heaped up and then whipped topping on top! I had mine without sugar and it was extremely delicious! Phyllis and Ila, you can also get the strawberries with ice cream.

After that I did laundry and watched TV.

Today I went to the yacht club again and some college students were collecting things to send to Village 81 in Haiti and raising money to help build a hospital. The village gets it's name because it is 81 miles (or kilometers) from Port au Prince. I noticed a man come and go over to the lake with two lawn chairs. Later I looked over there and he also had a bag and was feeding the birds. Now I'm back at the motel waiting until time to go to church for supper at 3:30 and the Collingsworth Family at 6.

As I told Melinda this morning, it is a little on the humid side here today and is supposed to get to 79. When I complained about the humidity she informed me that I wasn't going to get her to feel sorry for me! Tomorrow the high is only supposed to be in the mid 60's.

Have a nice day!

Wednesday, January 27, 2010

I just returned from a little excursion. First I went to a place that was recommended for reading and watching water. It wasn't Red Rock or Manatee Beach, but it'll do for this week. I was parked right next to the place to launch boats and I've never seen that done before and it was quite interesting. The interesting thing was that a man came alone to launch his boat and I couldn't figure out how he was going to do it. He ended up by jumping into the boat to stay out of the water. There was another person that I never did figure out the gender of, but he/she was more than a bit overweight. He/she proceeded to get a red coaster wagon out of the pickup and load it with stuff. "Stuff" included a metal folding chair, a cooler, and I couldn't see what else. Then he/she pulled the wagon out on the dock and proceeded to fish.

I just saw footage of another sink hole and I'd hate to drive into it! It's 12 feet in diameter and 8 feet deep and in the traveled portion of a highway. It looks like if you drove into in at highway speed you wouldn't get hurt. You'd just be dead!

After that I went to Target to look for a blazer or cardigan sweater. They had about 4 racks of large sized ladies clothes. There was a sweater that would have worked color-wise. The tag said extra large and it appeared to possibly fit Melinda. I thought maybe it was extremely stretchy. Wrong! They probably had a dozen of them with size extra large tags in them in various colors and they were all the same size. Why do they even bother to put a tag in them!? There is a blazer at Catherine's that would work, but extravagant Linda doesn't want to spend $19. Maybe tomorrow I'll feel like it.

From there I decided to have my one-a-day meal. I thought of various places, and finally decided on Golden Corral again. It is the cheapest and most nutritious if you use your brain, and I did. Well, it's the cheapest if you don't have a burger and fries and most of you know burgers do a long ways with me.

I've probably meandered long enough. Tonight I get to meet the mother of a lady I know from Jodi's church and I'm a little excited about that. Last night Jim Diehl told a very nice story about George Comstock. He also told about one of his staff in Oskaloosa leaving a bunch of bills and he and some others paid them after he left.

Have a nice day/night!

Monday, January 25, 2010

Since I've been asked about this, I guess I'll address the subject. (Of course it's one of my favorite subjects anyway!) I usually have an orange for breakfast and strawberries for supper. Or sometimes I have leftovers. Breakfast can be any time from 7 until 11 or so and supper can be anytime after 7 or 8.

Sometime in between I buy a meal. Sometimes it's a sit-down meal and sometimes it's fast food in the van while I'm at a concert early to get a good parking space. After I eat in the van is when I usually do my "through the Bible" reading. One or two mornings a week I go to the Breakfast Club where I get donuts, OJ, coffee and a good concert.

Now the reason I thought about this subject is that today I went to Golden Corral for dinner. I've been there 3 times at various times and it's always very busy. As in a lot of snow bird areas, they seem to cater to seniors. For instance if you go on Monday through Friday between 1 and 3 and are a senior, you can eat for $6.79 plus tax including your choice of drink. That's about $3 less than in the evening without drinks.

As I look at all the seniors there, I'm reminded of Mom. She and her friends in Arizona often went to a place called Furr's that also catered to seniors and was a buffet. They really liked it. What I like best at Golden Corral is their very fall-apart roast beef and their cauliflour that is cooked until it is done. Both are very good. They also have very good lettuce toppings and other good things. Did I mention their jelly beans and chocolate cake and free coffee to go with dessert? I've also noticed chocolate covered bananas but haven't tried them.

Now you know about my eating habits. Oh yes, my fast food meals are about $2 each, so you can see I'm not spending much for food.

Have a nice day and try to stay warm and don't fall down!

Sunday, January 24, 2010

Okay I forgot to mention that Lee got the branch off the roof and moved brush to the curb and hauled firewood today. He says there's about 3 or 4 more hours of work to be done. The roof wasn't hurt, but the glass was knocked out of the grill. He's going to send me pictures again. I only saw one that he sent before.
Tonight's service was exceptional as was this morning's. I would suggest that you try to see the services the next three nights. They are on the internet streaming at www.lakegibsonchurch.com. They start at 7 eastern time. It's probably 45 minutes or so before Jim Diehl speaks after the start. I think you can see past ones also and if so, today's would both be excellent.

Their minister of music sort of reminds me of Bill Green. He directs like Bill and has a big voice. They have a very good pianist. There is also an organist, and another keyboard player, two trumpets, a flute and a couple of others.

The church reminds me of the Naz in Oskaloosa when Beardens were there. Last night they asked everyone who was born and raised in Florida to raise their hands, and it was probably less that 5%! It's sort of a melting pot of denominations too, including a retired Methodist preacher.
Good news! The Pfeifers are as good as I had heard. Between the three of them they play tenor sax, alto sax, guitar, and excellent trumpet. The women have very huge strong voices. They were good last night and this morning.

Jim Diehl was excellent this morning too. He talked a little about their son's death. An interesting fact about Jim is that he used to want to have Jim Zabel's job! As for me, I'd rather listen to Jim Diehl than Jim Zabel! He also talked about ordaining the first Nazarene pastor in Baghdad recently.

It is supposed to get to 80 today and then rain in the early morning and "cool off."

I just talked to Lee and he is on his way to my house to try to get the branch aff my roof. He is going to send me a picture of it.

Have a nice day!

Friday, January 22, 2010

Well, blogger decided to change things and I thought I would never get done jumping through their hoops to get on here. By now, I've probably forgotten what I was going to say!

I saw Lulu yesterday and this morning both and she was good, but not as funny as I had been told. The things she told about Hee Haw were quite interesting. She answered questions both mornings and by being there both days I did learn a lot of intersting things.

Tomorrow night I get to see the Pfeifers and then from Sunday morning through Wednesday evening I will get to hear both Pfeifers and Jim Diehl. I'm really looking forward to that too.

It rained last night and was somewhat hazy today, but I wasn't at the beach anyway. I'm at Suburban Extended Stay in Lakeland and plan to be here for a week or more. I really like staying here. I did laundry today. It was a pretty eventful day.

Lee called this evening to tell me I have a limb on the roof of my garage off one of Roy's trees. I also lost the big limb off my tree that shades my deck. That's a major bummer. The new tree was supposed to get big enough to shade it before the old one was gone. Lee did say the new tree looks good and that the deck doesn't seem to be damaged. He didn't think the garage roof was damaged, but he also didn't get out the ladder to look at it on the ice. It didn't appear that my power had been off. He said if I were home I couldn't get my van out of the garage, and I wouldn't like that.

Have a nice day!

Wednesday, January 20, 2010

Day three at the beach was nice. Sadly tomorrow I will be leaving after the breakfast club to go back to Lakeland. I really like Lakeland the best except that it isn't close to the Manatee beach. It is really a nice beach for me to go to.

I forgot to mention yesterday that I finally saw an Iowa license plate. It was at the beach and was from Pottawatommie County. I didn't see any people around it.

I hope Lulu is as good as I've been told. If not, I'll be disappointed.

Have fun in iceland!

Tuesday, January 19, 2010

If all goes as planned, tomorrow will be my third day in a row at the beach. Yesterday it was a little cool, but today it was quite nice. Early it was a little cool, but by the time I left at 2 I had moved to the shade. Today there was a dolphin playing just off shore and that was fun to watch.

In case you are interested (and I know Ila and Phyllis are interested) they do have DQs in Florida. I found one today and made a purchase. It was quite tasty.

Thursday morning here in Bradenton I am going to see Lulu Roman, who used to be on Hee Haw. She was the lady who was huge and had black hair and was quite funny. She has lost over 200 pounds and is still quite funny I'm told. I may go see her again on Friday morning in Lakeland.

Have a nice day!

Monday, January 18, 2010

Today I moved from Lakeland to Bradenton and spent most of the day at the beach. It was overcast and very windy. There were big waves and the yellow flag was out. There were a lot of kids there and I wondered why. Then I realized it was ML King day and there was no school.


I have noticed that all the lanes on streets and highways in Florida have reflectors on them and that it is really helpful, especially after dark. It seemed like it would be a good idea for Iowa to have them too. Then I realized it wouldn't work. The snow plows would break them all off or else the snow couldn't be removed.


Last night I saw Karen Peck again. Thursday and Friday mornings I will see Lulu Roman. She used to be on Hee Haw and was a very funny and very fat lady. Since then she has lost over 200 pounds. I'm told she is extremely funny. Friday night I might see Legacy 5 again, but I'm not sure about that yet.


Then Saturday night I'll see the Pfeifers for the first time. I'm really looking forward to that. They use brass and reeds. Then Sunday morning through Wednesday night I'll see the Pfeifers and Jim Diehl. I'm really looking forward to that.


Saturday, January 16, 2010

I just thought I'd tell you that yesterday morning I turned off my heat and I still haven't turned it back on. Isn't that just unreal? I don't need the AC in here, but it's quite comfortable in here and you know how cold I usually am.

Have a nice day, and say warm!

Friday, January 15, 2010

Okay, so I hit a button with the mouse long before I was finished. Let me finish. This clod appeared to be in his 50's or 60's. Now I'm aware that sometimes very successful people are quite unusual, but this was a little much! He finally went to do something else (thankfully) and the couple next to me and I discussed whether anything he had said was true. He even described how he prayed for his mamma's house during the worst hurricane they ever had and it went around the south side of, the east side of it, the north side of it, and the west side of it and didn't touch it. Now I can believe that God would do that, but then the story goes on. He stood in his mamma's yard and looked up at the eye of the hurricane. At last it was time for the concert to start and I thought, "whew." Wrong! He still didn't shut up even when the concert started. Now that the concert had started he began to also move perpetually. His arms and legs were flying around and his head was nodding or shaking to go along with whatever was in the music. He would make the man we bought gluten from look like he never moved! After 3 or 4 songs he must have worn down a little bit and was stiller and quieter. I noticed the singers looked at him a few times too. I always see unusual things at the Brumley Fest, but this one is the first I've seen here in Florida and it was a little more than I had seen before.

The concert was very good and they do have a new guy singing with them who replaces the one who is now with Ernie Haase. This new guy is a 12th grade English teacher and a very good musician. He has won numerous solo contests but had never been on a bus before. He also plays piano. He is very quiet and the others are loud so it is quite different on the bus for them. This is his second weekend with them. Karen assured us they have "never had no English teacher on their bus before." He said he'd been trying for two weeks but hadn't been able to teach them anything yet.

Phyllis you are going to have a ball in Florida. The only way to get from point A to point B is by doing a u-turn! You'll love it!

Sunday I'm going from here to Lakeland and I'm going to have to talk to a local to find out how to get there. Two of the highways I need to go on are closed because of sink holes. Hopefully Lynne (or her husband) can fill me in.

I bought some strawberries today. Tonight that clod was telling that the problem with the strawberries is that the buds for new strawberries may have frozen and there won't be any strawberries next year. It they are like the ones I'm familiar with, buds growing now would be strawberries long before next year.

Well, I think I've rambled long enough for tonight. Believe me, if I see the clod at a concert again I will be sure to look for a seat far away from where he is.

Have a nice day/night.
Okay I went to see Karen Peck and New River tonight and they were very good. But first, oh my! I was sitting in the parking lot having supper and doing some great people watching. There went a man (or a clod) walking in to the concert. He was wearing baggy jeans and his shirt tail was about 3/4 out. Perhaps he had combed his hair in the last month or so. Reminded me of a certain high school classmate of mine who had a farm just over the fence south of where we farmed. Need I say more? As is my custom, I went clear to the front and got a nice seat on the second row. If it's only one person, you can almost always get a good seat in front. At least I thought it was a good seat. I sat beside a very nice couple from Ohio and was just beginning to have a nice conversation with them when this clod in front of us started to talk to us. It was that same guy I had seen in the parking lot and there was no way he could shut up! He could probably talk at least ten times as much as I can! He seemed to know everything there was to know. He told us he had the largest orange grove in Florida - 10,000 acres!
Well, I'm at a Mom and Pop in Sebring. I tried to find a motel on line and they were all $100 or else they had very bad reviews. I finally found one south of Lake Placid for 75, but the lady didn't want to reserve it because she had plenty available, so I was going to just go there in the afternoon yesterday. When I came through Sebring, I decided to drive through and look a little bit. I went past this one that looked very clean and all the vehicles were nice looking and not junkers. I decided to stop and inquire. It was $40 so I asked to see the room. It is better than a lot of major chains! So I stayed last night and will be here tonight and Saturday nights.

Lynne lives about 5 miles outside of Sebing, so I drove past her house. I was amazed! From here to there I drove through orange groves on both sides of the road and they were really close to the road. I went past a u-pick place for strawberries and oranges, so I may go there later today. There is also a farmer's market here. All the way from Bradenton to here yesterday I drove through a very rural area and saw citrus as well as about a mile of strawberry fields. I'd like to see Melinda eat most of what she picked there! Dad would just die, if he hadn't already, if he'd see the beef cattle here. They are Longhorns and mixed breeds that are of very poor quality. I can't even think of any as poor as these in Iowa. It occurred to me yesterday that I was in an area that had orange groves like Iowa has corn fields. That's how prominent they are.

I went to a concert last night in Lake Placid and tonight I'm going to one in Avon Park. Tomorrow I'm going to meet Lynne at Bob Evans for lunch and then go to her house for the rest of the day.

Last night I talked to a man who told me a little about the citrus and strawberries. First off, if you see oranges that have fallen and are lying on the ground, there's a $50 fine for picking up ONE! The whole oranges that we get in Iowa are hand picked and put into crates on semis to go to a place to be packed for shipment. For processing they shake the trees and then hire people to pick them up off the ground. They put them in big baskets and then into end loaders and then onto semis that have mesh sides. I've seen a lot of those semis loaded. They have enough processed orange juice to last 7 months and are just trying to replenish their supply of that now, so the weather shouldn't have a price affect. I would guess it might affect the price of fresh oranges though.

I don't remember if I mentioned this before or not, but the cold weather and even the ice on the oranges actually makes them sweeter. It also keeps the trees from blooming too soon. A lot of the groves have something on the ground that is white. The man last night said he thought it was calcium or a mix of something including calcium. It looks like lime. He said when he moved here he had a tree, but it died because he didn't have any way to water it enough.

Have a nice day! I'm wondering if any one is reading this. I don't get many comments.

Linda

Wednesday, January 13, 2010

Today I spent most of the day at the beach. There were a lot of people there. I'll have to admit that it doesn't seem quite right to have a playground at the beach when you have all that water and sand to play with. A lot of people had their kids there at the playground though. I didn't see anyone in the water but I did see some dolphins playing just off shore. Their fins kept coming up for several minutes.

I wonder if anyone knows anyone in Ontario. If so, call them and see if they are home. It seems like most of Ontario must be here. Still no other Iowa plates though. When you three ladies get here maybe I'll see you and you'll have Iowa plates.

This sinkhole thing is quite serious. Three of the four east bound lanes of I 4 are closed now while they fix it. Another major north-south highway is completely closed both directions for repairs.

I will probably eventually come home, but it is sure nice to be out of the cold. It is only going to get better now too. I'll have to admit I do feel a little bad when I see MANY couple my age doing just what we had planned to do together. If he was here yet not only would it be more fun, but I wouldn't have to carry everything!

Have a nice day!

Tuesday, January 12, 2010

The tightwad got to me, so I'm back at Motel 6 and this time I have a very nice room. Everything else was at least $20 higher, and after all, my grandfather wasn't born in Holland for nothing!

I left Sarasota this morning and went out onto the "island" and traveled from the south end of it to the north end of it. I stopped at most of the beaches and found several very nice ones. They have hard sand that I don't have trouble walking in, parking very near the gulf, playgrounds (I really needed that!), picnic tables, bath houses, restrooms, and of course places to eat. In fact I did eat at one of them, sitting on the beach at their table in the SUN. I also spent some time sitting at a picnic table and some time reading in the van in the SUN. It was quite comfortable with the temperature in the 60's with just my sweater on. It wasn't as windy today on the gulf coast as it was at Christmas on the Atlantic coast. There was just a nice breeze. I have once again retired my winter coat in anticipation of no more cold weather here. Of course cold here is nothing compared to cold in Iowa, especially on Crawley's frozen tundra!

There has been another problem caused by the cold weather here. By the way, someplace broke a record from the 1850's the other night in Florida. That's an old record. It seems that when the farmers pump from wells a lot at night it depletes the aquafers and they have huge sinkholes! At least one house has fallen in and a couple of major highways have fallen and had to be closed in this area. These things have happened in the past a couple of times when there has been a long seige of cold weather too.

After seeing all the island, I came back to the mainland at Bradenton and drove past where the series of concerts will be held in February that I have tickets for and then came to the motel. The island has bunches of places for sale, for rent or for time shares. They include weekly, daily, and monthly rates. I saw a sign welcoming returning winter guests too. I'm sure I'll be going back to the beach often while I'm here.

Have a nice day and enjoy your warm-up!

Saturday, January 9, 2010

I just got back from hearing Legacy 5 and they were great, as usual. I've now also seen plates from Hawaii, Wyoming, and Indiana.

Last night I went to a Blackwood Quartet concert, and they are not even close to as good as the Blackwood Brothers with Jimmy Blackwood! However at it I talked to a lady who knows Ila and Phyllis. Her name is Marlena Judge and she was in their Sunday School class a while back. It was about the time Lloyd died. I think she said her husband died last fall.

There was sleet forecast for here for this morning, but I didn't see it. Of course my drape was shut. Tonight it's forecast to get to 23 and that is near a record. After that, there is a gradual warm-up to start and it'll be in the 70's later in the week.

I thought of our church this evening when I got to the church. There were several big bags of grapefruit on the porch with a sign saying "free" on them.

Have a nice day and stay warm!

Friday, January 8, 2010

Well, Wednesday I had a new experience. I was at a stop light and a lady came over to the window and said something. I couldn't hear her, so I just shook my head and she left. Funny she didn't approach the vehicle in front of me or behind me. Could it have been because they both had Florida plates!? As a matter of fact I still haven't seen another Iowa plate since the girls went home. I've seen New York, New Jersey, Michigan, Illinois, Tennessee, Georgia and Missouri at least.

The weather here is very adversely affecting the citrus crop and strawberry crop and tropical fish growers. The tropical fish growers have been able to get about 10% inside and the rest they run well water over. It is 72 degrees so it warms the water some. They could loose a lot even after it gets warmer because of a disease they get when they get too cold. I don't know how warm they need to stay but I assume since they are "tropical" that means they need to be quite warm.

I haven't heard a lot about what they do for the strawberry crop, but this is the main area for them. I also haven't seen any growing.

The citrus are helped by spraying them with water and letting it freeze on them. That insulates the fruit so it doesn't get as cold as the temperature. On the trunks of the trees it does the same thing. If it doesn't stay in the 20's for too many hours that works. Also the cold weather makes the fruit sweeter and keeps the trees from budding again too soon.

I have found southern gospel concerts on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays in the mornings in Orlando, Bradenton, Lakeland, and St. Petersburg. Some have breakfast with them, some coffee time, and one even has a potluck after the concert. Some of the Friday night concerts here in Lakeland have a meal before them too. Last week I went to an after concert fellowship with sundaes.

I'm not sure if I've mentioned this or not, but I'm less than a mile from Cracker Barrell!

Have a nice day and try to stay warm. Saturday it's only supposed to get to 41 but by the end of next week it's supposed to be back to near 70. People really complain about 40's and 50's here!

Monday, January 4, 2010

I guess it must be time for another post. I have been nursing a head cold and attending concerts, so I have been busy. My sinuses are much better, but I still have the sniffles and am pretty tired.

Friday evening I went to a concert with both the Booth Brothers and the Perry's. It was here in Lakeland. The Booth Brothers are from Tampa, 30 miles or so away, so this was like coming home to them. They were really wound up! Jim's parents, aunts, uncles, cousins, siblings, nieces, nephews, friends, etc. were there. His dad uses a walker and he and his mom both certainly appeared proud. Toward the end of the concert she requested a song and Michael told her they were going to do one Jim had written instead and that was fine with her, but they did them both.

Of course there was the usual talk about Michael not having his medicine or it didn't work, and he was really wired. The second half he really got with it. I had noticed that there were four guitars that no one in either group had used as well as a huge drum set. Ward you would have been amazed. Michael said they were going to use all of them. Both Ronnie's and Michael's wives were there as well as Michael's boys. They called someone up to play one of the guitars and also Michael's oldest son to play one of the guitars. He is really good and looks like a Beetle. Michael pulled up his hair to make sure it was his son. Michael said that he realized that some people don't think drums are very spiritual, but he said these drums were okay because he was going to beat the devil out of them! Then they would be okay. By the time he was done, I'm sure the devil was all beaten out of them! The set included 7 drums plus the base drum and 9 cymbals. He later explained that when he had his mid life crisis he told his wife he either wanted a big drum set or a motorcycle, so he got the drum set. It would take a long time just to move it in and out of a concert and a lot of space to haul around! The other guys were busy changing to various guitars and really having a good time. Every time I see the Booth Brothers, Michael preaches more than he did the time before and what he had to say was really right on Friday night.

At one point Michael said there was a friend of theirs sitting up there in an orange sweater and that he really respects him. He went on to say that he's a Florida Highway Patrolman. Ronnie corrected him and said that he's a Lieutenant with the Patrol. Anyway Ronnie said he really had to respect him because he carries a gun!

The Perry's were also very good. It seems like they just get better and better. Libby really reminds me of Vestal Goodman. Her voice is huge compared to her 4 foot 8 inch body! She's the only original Perry in the group now.

Then Saturday night I went to a Hopper's concert at the Lake Gibson Church of the Nazarene. It is quite like a very traditional Nazarene church. It really reminded me of the Naz in Oskaloosa in the 70's and 80's. They're really looking forward to having Jim Diehl speak here soon. The Hoppers are just an outstanding group. They are similar to the Speers.

Then last night I went back there to hear Ivan Parker. I hadn't heard him before in person and he is even better in person than on the radio. I'll be going there most Saturday and Sunday evenings for concerts. They also have a meal on Saturday night before the concerts part of the time. Sunday night they had sundaes after the concert and I went to that.

I've talked to people from Lakeland, New Brunswick, and Chicago so far. I hadn't seen many non Florida cars until I went to the concerts. I've seen at them Illinois, Kentucky, Michigan, Ontario, North Carolina, Georgia and several others that I don't remember right now. So far I've only seen mine with an Iowa plate on it! In fact the last Iowa plate other than mine that I saw was one of the girls.

On the way here from Port St. Lucie it rained almost all the way and I went through miles and miles of groves on both sides of the road. I also went by two packers. One had probably 20 or 30 semis of oranges sitting there. They were all loaded in bulk instead of in crates, so I assume they were for juice. Today I went by a fruit stand, but it was closed.

At the concerts both nights they were parking cars right on the grass and they were leaving no marks. Friday it had been raining a lot, but they didn't cut in at all. I asked the parking attendant about it Saturday night and he said they park on the grass all the time and never have a problem. The grass is different here than we have too. He said they mow it every week in the summer and every other week in the winter.

It is cold here for Florida, but that's okay. It's still better than Iowa weather. This week it's supposed to be in the 30's at night and 50's in the daytime. The people from here think it's terrible, but they say it won't last long. I'm not sure that next week will be much better though the way the forecast sounds.

Oh, yes, the big news. This morning about 8:30 we had a fire alarm. I put on my shoes and winter coat and grabbed my purse and opened my door. The man across the hall was standing there and we didn't smell smoke but both thought it would be better to have the alarm for no reason than to have a fire and no alarm. It turned out that one of the room heaters was smoking and that sets off all the alarms. We didn't have to go outside. At least this time I wouldn't have shared my van with 7 kids. I was about to take a shower when it happened, so I decided to wait a while to make sure there wouldn't be another alarm and there wasn't.

This is sort of tough place to be now. I'm just across the interstate from a Cracker Barrell and I've discovered that I can eat half of one of their meals and bring the rest home for the next day. That also works at IHOP. It makes meals pretty cheap.

I had to go to Wal-Mart today and I don't know if I'll ever complain about the one in Oskaloosa again or not. This one was monstrous and of course the things I needed were in opposite corners of the store. This store had no greeters, there weren't many carts, and they were dirty and rusty. I got three oranges and they didn't have bags for them, so they just had to roll around in my cart. I couldn't even open the kiddie seat because it was so rusty.

I've probably rambled enough, so have a nice day, and if you're on the tundra, I'm sorry!