Life can be so bittersweet...
Good day to all! I have just a teeny bit of time, to start this blog.... have had a very busy day, lots of laundry, for just the part of counting....24 pairs of jeans, 35 shirts and 6 dresses...AND towels, wash rags, the kitchen rug and undies and socks and things! 🙈 I also did some cleaning, went to the little, but full grocery store, practically next door and cut up good veggies and lettuce for a green salad. Elsie and I have been home alone today....she has been busy painting window sills in 4th guest quarters. Roger, Ron, Dexter and Jordan met Clay and went on tract route today....they chose to go to subway stations and sing and hand out....Wade and Alex went to Lincoln and the boys got the message that from 12-2 they got to help with something they don't normally do...I'm anxious to hear what it was all about!
This evening we are thrilled to drive to New Jersey and dine with Kendon, Kaitlyn, Olivia and Thomas this evening....they have a pizza oven, so we understand that is what the menu is this evening. Hence the green salad. We want to leave by 4....or there about... could be a 2 hour drive with fighting the traffic at that time of day!
The bittersweet part of life is.... Dexter flies the skies on Friday evening and Spencer Fast from Bridgewater Maine arrives on Saturday! Spencer's Dad's name is Doug. Change..... again! And we get so attached to " our" boys and tears at our hearts to let them go, and go they must! Roger mentioned already in church on Sunday morning, about Dexter leaving and I noticed I started to cry a little and blink kind of fast! We will miss him so much, his jokes, one liners, puns and sparkles in his eyes! It gets SO comfortable with the 4 you know really well!!! But we will embrace the change, life moves on...
Backyard....Ron been trying the improvement mode back there...planted some grass seed, then faithfully watered it....many times a day. I got some therapy, in the form of pulling weeds...was fun... Elsie finished up the weeding....the new grass is starting to grow. It's quite pretty, with the flowering trees, the hostas, other vines and plants....
Last Tuesday, Roger and Ron went to a MTA office and generally got the run around from one person to the next, in their quest for a permit to hand out literature and sing in the subway tunnel.
They kept talking to this one and that one, and in the end, were given a number to call!! Probably back to the first office, who would know??? 😄
Well we are on our way to New Jersey, see what I can get blogged while we drive!
Guys on tract route ate at Copacabana Brazilian grill for lunch! Just a side note!
Back to last Tuesday... singing at Lincoln!! It was a good afternoon, quite a few people were very receptive to listening to a Gospel hymn. Our friendly " singing nurse" came out of the employee lounge and joined us... she joins us with her alto...so we sang 3 songs to the 1 female patient! I asked the patient, if this was ok? Yes, she says she is being blessed!! Last song, the nurse suggested was " God will take care of you" . Alex's turn to cook and fish tacos it was, with wild rice and fruit tray! Delicious!! After supper, we got on the subway and went to Martha's Bakery for dessert! Ron and I shared a piece of cheese cake, strawberry it was.... Other desserts of choice were pecan pie and ice cream, apple strudel and ice cream. Black forest cake and Oreo cheesecake. We don't leave hungry....
Wednesday morning, I left Ron with Mama work, he makes a good Mr. Mama 😂.he did the laundry and made 3 beds!!! Nope, he can't be your maid!! Elsie and I left the house by 8:45 and met Bernice and Dana at the Brooklyn Botanical gardens....( Kaitlyn and littles couldn't make it ) Beautiful, beautiful gardens!! My favorites were the Japanese peonies and the cherry blossom trees! 2 long rows of trees....the ground literally in places was pink!!!! We just stood there and gazed and I said, wouldn't you like to get married there?? 😍We all packed lunches or bought something on site..... walked to Prospect Park and sat in the grass under a tree and consumed our lunch! Parted ways there and proclaimed it was a good morning!! Elsie and I walked off 1 direction....and Bernice and Dana found their way home too. Elsie said we were the B, C, D & E group.... subway trains....letters of lines and cars!! Bible study in the evening, Jordan wrote a lesson about Jesus the true light...good discussion. Eric and Alistair joined us....sing out and supper later. Sloppy joes, chips and veggies. Chocolate upside down cake with ice cream.
Thursday was shopping day and in the evening, headed over to Queens with the van.... destination, Clay and Dana's apartment. They fixed chicken and shrimp taco's, black beans and cilantro rice and poppers. Homemade tortillas.....we are not talking about how many tacos Jordan ate!!!!!!! After supper, we all walked to a park close to them....a awesome park!! Guys played spike ball.... Clay's and us watched.... back to Clay's for cookies, milk and pistachios!!!! Home again..... Great evening!!
Friday was cleaning day and laundry....we did separate things in the evening...guys took the van and drove to City Island....met Ms. Taylor and Damarius at Seafood City!! They said they had a fun evening!! We met Roger and Elsie and Leroy and Sherri Beachy from Homeworth Ohio.... they were enroute to Mifflinburg PA for a wedding on Sunday....so neat being with them. We dined st Fraunces Tavern for supper....a old building. George Washington gathered his officers there after the British army, after the revolutiony war...or something...look it up! Good food! After supper, we walked and got on the Staten Island ferry and gazed at the yellow orange ball set.... awesome! Killed some time on Staten Island and then took a ferry back after dark! Once again the lights of Manhattan did not disappoint! Amazing!!! We were on the old boat, where you can't be outdoors, but stood behind a rope in front of open doors. Once off, rode a train back to Penn station and to Anita's Gelato!!!!
Saturday....guys did chores, Ron and I baked 2 turkey breasts and 1 whole chicken!!! Later deboned them and with the broth, added cream of chicken soup. Kind of home all day until later afternoon. Ron and I met the guys at Julianna's for pizza...super yum! We just sat down at Time Out Market for awhile and watched people.... very entertaining!!! In the afternoon, the guys had a appointment to climb The Edge... they were so excited and said it was well worth it! They had to sign waivers, wear some blue jumpsuits and be harnessed up!!! A guide takes you up....I'm glad they found it a exhilarating experience! 😄 After pizza, we went and got ______.its cold, delicious and we eat it often.... guess!!!
Sunday, we love company, family and friends....but we also just love Sugar Hill City Mission! Just us....I think we were 21 or so for lunch.... Laurence had the opening, Roger the sermon....he was thinking about the word endure.... thoughts centered around that! Ron had Kendon and Kaitlyn help him with a song....lunch was the meat we baked on Saturday, rice, green salad and bread. Rhubarb bars for dessert! Visiting after dishes and naps after that! My turn to cook supper, so did French bread Pizza, fruit salad with honey on top and Sun chips. Bars.... Some played a game, 2 worked out in the basement.... some of us visited....
Driving in the rain and traffic....New Jersey bound!
So long, love and prayers 🙏 ❤️ Mama Carol