Saturday, July 1 – Wednesday, July 26
It seems like the month of July is going by in a haze. On Tuesday, July 4th, Emma and I watched the golf cart parade that went down the street right in front of her part of the house.
By 4 p.m., it was 99 degrees and felt like 109 degrees. Needless to say, I am staying inside most of the time, but still planning to have one of the most often served 4th of July meals including hotdogs and baked beans.
On Friday, the 7th, I went to the eye specialist for a re-check. He said that there was a slight improvement and he wanted me to discuss my condition with my primary care physician as it relates to my blood pressure. I told him that I have an appointment scheduled the first week of next month. He will see me again in September.
Palm View First Baptist Church started their week of Vacation Bible School on Monday, July 10th. Emma attended all week, and I volunteered in the kitchen. We found out Monday morning that we needed to input counts for breakfast and lunch every day on an application that the school board had loaded onto a tablet for our use. While this is the fourth year I have been assigned to work in the kitchen, this is the first time that we had to keep the records. So that became my job along with kitchen duties in between breakfast and lunch and cleanup duties after lunch. Thank goodness the school board sent a supervisor the first morning to help me learn to use the program. On Monday night, a thunderstorm went through the area and knocked out the church’s internet. Thankfully, we got it running again before the next morning was over and I was able to input our numbers. Also on Tuesday, Emma left at lunchtime to go to the orthodontist to have her braces removed. Unfortunately, on Wednesday the internet was out in the building where we were working all day, so I had to complete a paper form for both breakfast and lunch. All went well, as far as the internet, for the rest of the week, but Thursday – just after all the children had left the building – one of the adults smelled gas and we were evacuated before we could finish cleaning up. We were told we could return about 2:30 (nothing wrong) and still had chores after the children had been picked up for the day. Friday went pretty smoothly. The school board supervisor returned for a second visit. She was impressed with the instructions I had typed with the steps for using the application and asked if I would send it to her and if she could share it with others. Of course, I said yes and explained that writing instructions on how to use a computer application had been one of my responsibilities when I worked in the Information Services Department of Manatee County Government. When Vacation Bible School ended at 3:30 that afternoon, Emma and I went over to the Ministry Building to work until 6 p.m. at the Food Bank. Between being on my feet more than I’m used to and the heat, I spent most of the next week trying to recuperate.
On Sunday, July 14th many of the children returned to the sanctuary to perform several of the songs with hand motions and sign language. I took lots of pictures and JP videotaped all of it, but I will not show any of the children’s faces on the internet.
Emma was excited on Tuesday, July 18th morning because she was going back to the orthodontist to get her retainer before going to her second day of Jiu-jitsu training with “Coach Kate.” At 1:30 p.m., the temperature was 94 degrees and felt like 117 due to such high humidity. It has been this way most of the month. The area is in a severe drought, but we have some showers predicted for the next few days.
On Thursday, the 20th about a dozen of us attended the monthly Senior Saints meeting to see a movie. Unfortunately, there were technical difficulties, so we just visited with each other and learned a little bit more about Pastor George Heiland, our Senior Adult pastor who is celebrating his 87th birthday on Saturday the 22nd.
I volunteered at the church’s food bank as usual on another very hot Friday afternoon.
Our church has discovered the need for some major repairs to our buildings, so there was a lengthy business meeting after our service Sunday the 23rd trying to come to a decision as to how to pay for them.
Emma and I visited Dad and ran errands on Monday the 24th, including going by the cemetery to put new flowers at Rick’s memorial stone.
On Tuesday the 25th, after a blood draw, I took Jackie’s to the Sage Biscuit in downtown Bradenton for her birthday brunch.
I spent Wednesday, 7/26 preparing to travel. The family leaves early tomorrow morning to begin our trip to Compass Cay, Exumas, Bahamas.
