$70.00

Well, I just got back from picking up my first Angel Food order and I'm here to tell you that it's the best $70.00 I've ever spent.  For those of you not familiar with Angel Food Ministries, it's a national organization that's non-profit and distributes food to anyone...absolutely no qualifications necessary.  One dollar of each order goes into a pot to feed the hungry.  The food is top-notch and very affordable!

I'm going to give you a brief (sorta) run down of what my $70.00 got me.  1 doz. eggs, a whole large chicken, lasagna, meat loaf, Polish sausage, 2 split Cornish game hens, 4 rib-eye steaks, 4 sirloin steaks, 6 cheese burgers, a package of hot dogs, frozen carrots, frozen mangos, a large pizza, a box of cereal, hamburger helper, baked beans, 8 sweet rolls, a lb. of ground beef, a bag of split chicken breasts, a large cabbage, frozen mashed potatoes, frozen corn, a quart of shelf stable milk, country fried steak with gravy and there's more that I can't remember.  This will last me longer than the month of August!  I'll need to get pet food and that's it!

You owe it to yourself to check out http://www.angelfoodministries.com/ and find a location in your area.  I had to drive to Tallahassee, but it's well worth it!

Leah Jane and Norma came over last night for hamburgers, slaw and baked beans.  It's good to see Leah Jane healing from the loss of Max, but she still has a way to go.  Bless her heart, at the end of last week she was stung by a wasp on her ankle...the swelling was immediate and just awful, but she was pretty much over it by Tuesday of this week.  Then on Thursday another wasp stung her on her right thumb and she looks like she wearing someone elses hand and arm.  She's swollen from the tips of her fingers to her shoulder!

I started a painting this week.  It's been years since I've painted anything other than furniture or walls, so getting back to a canvas is sorta exciting!  I'm doing a painting of Leah Jane and Max.  Keep your fingers crossed that it doesn't insult her and turns out okay!

Max

Yesterday Leah Jane had to have Max put down.  He was 15 years old and fighting kidney failure for several months.  I was with her when she buried him in her back yard and then stayed for several hours.  Many of her neighbors (including our mayor) and family came by.  She's a wreck, of course, but I feel sure that she'll be okay.  The next few weeks are going to be awful for her (she's 75), but everyone is concerned and will rally for her.

Good stuff

Tuesday evening Leah Jane and her dog Max and Norma and her dog Maggie came over for wine and visiting.  We always have a good time when we get together and when you add their two dogs into the mix with my four cats and two dogs it's usually a riot!  We laughed so much watching the interactions of the animals that our sides ached!

Wednesday I hosted bridge here at my house.  We didn't play in May or June as my sister and I were so overwhelmed with dealing with Mother's things and frankly couldn't wrap our heads around doing anything else.  Everyone arrived around 5pm and I think it was around 9 when we broke up.  As usual, I was low and my sister was high, but I play so poorly that I'm never surprised!  It was so nice not having to drive to Tallahassee to play...I just hate driving home at night!  I'm pretty sure a good time was had by all.

I got up yesterday morning, drove to Tallahassee and bought a car!  This is the first new car I've ever bought and it was exciting.  I was shocked at how long it took, hours!  I got a sage green 2010 Subaru Forester.  She's just beautiful and handles like a dream!   She even has a moon roof!  It'll take me a while to figure out all of the bells and whistles, I guess reading the book will help!  I drove home the long way just to drive!  I'm so looking forward to really driving somewhere!

Last night we had an unbelievable storm!  My patio, driveway, carport and porch are all covered with shreaded leaves and small (thank goodness) limbs.  From the reports that I'm getting from tv, parts of Tallahassee had it even worse than we did with some pretty major flooding, fires and power outages!  The forecast for today and tomorrow is more of the same!

Three's the charm

You know how "they" say that things happen in threes, well since my two falls last month I've been so careful and waiting for that third shoe to drop.  It dropped this morning (I think...I hope).

Funny how things work.  I've been wishing for a bicycle for a long time, but haven't found one that fits my criteria...it needs to be rather small/short, has to have coaster breaks and it has to have a basket. 

Yesterday Ann came to town for a vet appointment and she, Leah Jane, Norma and I met for lunch at Sage.  At some point during the conversations and laughter I said to Ann, "Well, I guess that since you've moved away I can stop wishing for a bike, because the main reason I wanted one was to ride to your house".

Around 7 last night my next door neighbor's mother, Anita, came over to bring me some recipes and we sat and talked for a couple of hours.  Funny, I gave her twirling lessions when she was 5 and I was 15!  I walked outside with her as she was leaving and out of the blue she asked me if I'd like to keep her bike over here and use it whenever I wanted to.  Said sure and walked next door to look at it.  Wow!  Rather small/short, coaster breaks and a white wicker basket!  It's old and a little rusty, but so am I!

I was so excited about riding the bike that I had trouble sleeping last night and got up this morning at 5:30.  Fed the animals, had breakfast and checked my e-mail.  Then the sun finally came up and out to the bike I went!  Well, when I sat on the seat my feet didn't touch the ground and that made me a little nervous, but I managed to get it going and went down the driveway a bit.  I remembered all of the times I snickered inside at little old ladies who talked about being afraid of falling again, well, I'm here to tell you it's not a very funny fear!  All I could thing about as the bike and I wobbled down the driveway was "please don't fall, please don't fall"!  And, I didn't!  I got off the bike about half way down, walked it back to the carport, parked it and came inside.  Phew!

Of course as I sat here playing around on Facebook I was chastizing myself big time.  I was so angry with me!

So I gave it about an hour (long enough for my shaking to stop) and decided I had to get back up on that horse!  I moved her into the fenced area and used 409 to clean the seat and wipe down the fenders, etc. Then I WD40ed the kick stand and looked at the tires.  Couldn't think of anything else to do, so I got on the bike off of the patio and actually rode her around a bit on the grass, circled the back area and headed back to the patio and fell, kerplunk! This really excited the dogs, they had been so proud of me and now there I lay bike and all!  I slightly skinned my right elbow and sorta turned my right ankle and the seat hit me in a funny place, but all in all I'm okay and have almost stopped shaking.

I keep thinking about everything I did wrong.  #1.  had on flip flops (can't wear closed toe shoes because of my stupid toe).  #2.  I was afraid.  #3.  I was afraid.  #4.  I was afraid!

It's been over 30 years since I've been on a bike and that last time I got hurt pretty good.  Went over the handle bars and tore up my left knee...it gives me fits to this day.

I remember the exileration of riding bikes when I was young.  There's such a feeling of freedom and abandonment...where did all of that recklessness go?  I want it back.  I'll try again tomorrow.  It's too hot now.