Rushing the Season

Spring weather did its usual yo-yo, with temperatures swinging at random. Recently, while it was in a very warm phase, I took the duvet off my bed and replaced it with silky sheets and a light blanket. That didn’t last long! I endured self-inflicted shivering off and on for a week and changed the covers at the usual sheet-changing time. I longed for bedtime to arrive so that I could snuggle under the summer duvet. It was wonderful!

I love my bed!

Thunder!

I should have paid more attention to the weather app before walking, but I played Wordle and Connections first. I did look at the app when neighbor Joyce texted that she wasn’t sure if we were going to have a shower. At 8:00 I hurried outside and was so intent on looking at the sky that I didn’t notice neighbor Shawn sitting on her porch. I’m glad she called out to me so that I could answer and wave. That’s when I noticed it was already sprinkling!

Joyce was game to walk. Sprinkling stopped a few minutes later. Good call, so far. After turning around at the stop sign, we were not halfway home when thunder boomed behind us. I stopped and turned around to see the sky. A dark cloud was gaining on us quickly, and I stepped up the pace. Joyce says I always speed up going downhill, but this was truly intentional.

At the beginning of our street I took a photo of the sky ahead, looking like a front going through. Joyce said, “The sun is shining the other way.”

Shawn, aware of our being out there, texted later, “Did you get wet?”

I replied, “Well, Shawn, define wet…. I was rained on from her driveway to my porch. I was warm enough that it felt good. I didn’t get wet. I was dampened. Not the spirits, just the hair and shoulders.”

Here is the rest of our conversation.

Shawn, “So after you left I got a notification that there was a close lightning strike!!”

Anne, “Did you hear the thunder?”

Shawn, “Yes. Bob was thinking he should pick you up in the golf cart.”

Anne, “Thank you very much for thinking of us. I am glad Bob did not risk his life for us, particularly since we were not struck down.”

This all goes to show that the world’s best neighbors try to protect me from my stubborn decisions. I appreciate that and will try to be more responsive to their concerns.

Gardening 2025

Beginning work in the garden was late for me this year. The last two years I trimmed all the shrubs in February, and this year I began only hours before the month of May. We did have a long, cold winter, though. The first time out is always slow. I checked the outlets on the porch and near the waterfall, taking a desk lamp that could quickly show me if the plugs were live.

I trimmed only five plants, since this was the first time I used my new electric trimmer. John had a battery-powered one that was just too heavy for me. When Lise was here, she quickly looked for tools on line and ordered this one. I read the instruction booklet, knowing I had to pay special attention to safety. My personal rules were to always hold the trimmer with two hands and not to take a step while the blades were moving.

The trimmer pointed to the starting point, and the after picture shows the results. I felt it was a good start.

Easter

I have never before watched the sun rise on Easter morning! Through the kitchen window, I saw the sky was getting lighter and went outside. Perfect timing!

Logan saw me on the front porch and came over to give me a huge Easter hug.

Marilynne and Vaughn drove us to church for breakfast. I had already filled my plate and eaten everything when I learned that Vaughn had baked biscuits, perhaps with sausage. I would love to have tasted that.

The church was comfortably full for the late service. I have been going to the early service on line and thought that was why I didn’t recognize many of the people. Later Marilynne said she didn’t know lots of them, either, and that’s the service they usually attend.

They dropped me off and came back to get me at 4:00 for Easter dinner at their house. What a feast we had! The turkey breast had been rubbed with herbs and homegrown garlic, flavoring the meat and making the gravy the best I’ve ever had. There were bowls of broccoli, asparagus, and Hollandaise sauce, as well as a potato casserole. Everything was perfect. I used neighbor Connie’s recipe for grape salad to take, which has become a favorite at my house.

The sun was warm on the deck as we chatted. I loved seeing their small manicured lawn and garden beds. There was also a small stream at the far end, making this a perfect setting, in my opinion.

After a suitable interval, Vaughn made coffee, and Marilynne brought out my Lemon Rub Pie. They graciously agreed to pose for a quick photo. They had been dressed up for church and changed into casual clothes.

At the end of the day, I felt everything had been absolutely perfect. We had worshiped together and shared a gourmet meal, while conversation never lagged. They tell the best stories!

A Worship Adventure

The day before Maundy Thursday, I was texting with friend Karen in NY. She mentioned that she would miss going to church on Thursday and Friday, because both services were at night. She and I don’t drive at night. I said, “Go to church with me on line!” That’s how we came to be figuratively sitting in the same pew 793 miles apart.

I didn’t expect to see anyone in person, but I dressed as if I were going to church. In honor of the season, I was wearing purple (lavender edged in purple).

Karen and I met, as planned, using cell phones and iPads. We didn’t text while the service was going on. I was shocked to see my pastor leading the service, because he announced on Sunday that he was having a knee replaced the following day. I wondered if he had had a miraculous healing. I didn’t move that well three days after knee surgery, and I’m sure Karen didn’t either. She had both knees replaced on the same day. I counted it a miracle and moved on.

Correction! I misunderstood the day of Pastor’s knee surgery. It will be the Monday after Easter, not the day after Palm Sunday. That makes a whole lot more sense. This is one of the busiest weeks of a pastor’s life, and Pastor Jeff is right where he planned to be, in the thick of it. I am recalling my prayers for him, asking that they be applied a week later. I’ll add new ones, because used prayers aren’t good enough for this dedicated man of God.

This was our view of the congregation.

For many years Karen and I, with our husbands, were often at the same service. After this service ended, I thanked Karen for joining me, because this added a new dimension to worship. She agreed, and we will meet again on Good Friday.

Visit Ends

Leaving day is never fun. Sight-seeing trips are over, and you won’t start any new project. Magda had packed and was ready to go. I can’t remember why we were in the garage, but Lise noticed an extension cord plugged into the ceiling. She thought it would be a good idea to take it down in case we used that part of the garage. The girls moved the ladder in place, figured out how to adjust it, and Magda unplugged the cord easily. That was a marvelous preemptive fix.

After John died, we developed a plan to get Lise to and from the airport, because I won’t drive on fast roads. I ask neighbors to do it, and we always go to Culver’s for a meal followed by a dessert of frozen soft custard. Lise was doing the driving, but we asked Shawn to go with us to share the fun. These are photos taken at Culver’s.

Look at my huge hand! It wasn’t swollen, just too close to the camera.

Lise is back in Denmark now, but I forgot to take pictures of the airport run. At least I have a fair number from the Outer Banks! Thank you for traveling with us.

After Outer Banks

The day after we got home from our trip to the Outer Banks, Lise and Magda went to Biltmore. I opted to stay home to catch up on a few things. I’m sure they took photos inside and out of the mansion and gardens, but I didn’t ask to see them. They did speak to the horses in the pasture. DW came over to get an apple. I failed to report to you that a new horse was added a week or so ago. Neighbor Joyce doesn’t know its name, so we call it Newbie. We can tell Newbie from Vixen by his star and longer socks.

Going to Woodside was the big event the day before Magda flew back to Denmark. Lise is always eager to take people there to experience the gracious Southern hospitality of Myra and Rick. They served us lunch, followed by an extensive tour of the house and grounds. I was very impressed with the gigantic display of wisteria blooms, and asked neice Kathie and Lise to pose with them.

I took one photo of Rick and Magda as he told about the pirate that had stayed in the house long ago.

The best photo of the day was Magda’s – the side of the house with the shoe that was made for my late sister-in-law when she was a child.

Motel Water and a Sun Rise

The first thing I noticed in the motel bathroom was that hot water came from both taps. Normally the color blue on the tap denotes cold water, and red tells you hot water will come out. Not here! The next day Lise went to the office to tell them we had no cold water. The explanation was simple, but we have laughed at it ever since. It seems that for convenience they heat ALL the water during the winter. In the summer, they have to cool the water.

I wish I had been there to see Lise’s face. I know my jaw would have dropped, and I would have asked if everyone had to take a cold shower during hot weather. Isn’t that the logical conclusion? Surely water is heated for one set of pipes and cooled for the other, but that’s not the way they said it.

Two days later I washed my hands in a restaurant restroom. Looking at the faucets, I wondered what temperature the water would be from the cold side. It was cold. I turned on the other tap and the water was also cold. Perhaps if I had let it run long enough, it would have gotten warm, but I’m not at all sure. That crazy town did not operate with the conventional rules for water like the rest of the country.

We got up early to see the sun rise on our last morning at the Outer Banks. Magda and Lise walked on the path through the dunes and waited on the shore. I took the easy way out and watched, with camera in hand, from the balcony of our room. I was lucky that I saw it at the same time they did, with the break in the dunes letting me see water and sun together. What a glorious sight it was!

Fun, Flight, and Fine Dining

Lise spotted a thrift store that highlighted dishes, and we went in to see if I could find a small plate to add to my collection. I began to buy plates because I was tired of using the two sets of dishes I’d used for 50 years. Magda found one with flowers on it, and Lise liked one that matched three large plates I had at home. I was thrilled to take both home. While there, Lise spotted a large, green stuffed animal that stole her heart. The original price tag was on it, but she got it for much, much less. This creature was my seatmate until we packed the trunk to return home.

Going to the place where the Wright brothers made their first flights was most interesting. We took a selfie with the monument behind us. We climbed that steep hill and put on the brakes coming down. Lise and I jumped to the conclusion that the airplane took off from that hill, but we were wrong.

A large stone marks the place where the plane ran on one rail for take-off, because wheels would not have worked in the soft sand. The first flight was about 12 seconds long, followed by three longer ones, all on the same day. Smaller stones mark the landing spots.

Take-off point with rail and markers further down

I liked the display of the airplane and several key figures made of metal. Both Wright brothers were shown, one lying on the plane and one running beside it. The photographer was also there, and it was from his photograph that the scene was modeled.

That evening we had a marvelous seafood dinner. I remember Magda and I had a crab cake, among other things, and Lise had fried clam strips. We don’t know where the crabs and clams were caught, but it seemed appropriate to eat them near the ocean.