Month: January 2018

Wednesday, January 17, 2018

Today was another nice day here in Florida. A little cool this morning but warming up this afternoon. However, temperatures started dropping about 3:00 and dropped quickly, and a nasty wind developed. We finished work at 4:00 and wanted to get a bike ride in because we know it will be too cold tomorrow. When we left for the ride it was 66 and less than an hour later and 8 miles later it was 59 and we were cold. The 4 mile return was straight into a nasty wind. We did get to see the bald eagle on its nest again. The cold front comes through tonight with 30 degrees predicted so we are operating off our water tank rather than city water tonight.

We started the day with another good devotion today brought to us by Lee. We then received our assignments for today and went to work. Actually we sat and visited a little while before going to work. Everyone seemed a little tired this morning. Max and Mark completed the pump house today. Yea! We think it looks really good. It still needs to be painted but the wood is pretty green so they may let it “age” a little before painting. The NOMADS that will be here in 6 weeks might get that job. Max and Mark then resumed their work on a shed on another building to protect an electrical panel. They made good progress on that as well.

Anne again worked with Jo, Laura and Kathy on another painting project. This time the group worked on painting a porch, doors and windows at one of the children’s cottages. They will have to return next week to do some additional work, but it is already looking so much better.  The house mother and kids were very please and appreciative.  Mike and Terry did some work in the chapel and Mike did some additional landscaping. Lee and Bob continued as the light bulb brigade. There are a lot of light bulbs on this campus with about 47 buildings.

Ruth and Carol did an amazing job of cleaning up an area close to the new fence. In cleaning out the underbrush they discovered some great potted plans, azaleas and gardenias as well as some other things we can’t name. They also came to the cottage the other ladies were painting and did some raking and cleaning of the landscape there too.

It was another day where a lot was accomplished but there is always more to do. Tonight and tomorrow are going to be cold. Don’t think we will be doing much work outside in the morning.

Tuesday, January 16, 2018

Today was a repeat of yesterday weather-wise except it got even warmer this afternoon. It was hot if you were working in the sun but a little too cool in the shade and wind. But it was another beautiful day. We are feeling really sorry for all of you who are experiencing the dangerously cold weather. Please be careful!

We, of course, started our day with a devotional, today lead by Mike and Ruth. Ruth used Psalm 100 and a devotion from “Jesus is Calling”, a very good daily devotion book. Mike and Ruth gave us a copy a couple of years ago. Thanks Ruth and Mike for reminding us today that since we are Christians and have Jesus as our Savior we need to share that joy with the world. We should be smiling and praising.

So what work did we do today? Kathy, Lynn, Jo and Anne painted all day. They worked at the picnic pavilion painting the ceiling, inside and outside trim and the picnic tables. It was a big job, but one they completed just before the end of the day. Max and Mark repaired some of the trim at the pavilion this morning and then returned to the water treatment plant.

They completed the copula on the pump house and installed part of the siding. Mike and Ruth worked some in the chapel and then Mike and Terry installed some privacy screen on the fence at the water plant. Carol and Ruth did a lot more landscaping work. Lee continued working on changing out light bulbs all over campus.

Just as we were finishing up for the day Terry reminded us that it was Taco Tuesday at a nearby Mexican restaurant. Bob and Carol could not go because of another commitment but the rest of us decided $0.99 tacos sounded good and with a quick cleanup and change of clothes we were off. We did get to the restaurant before the big crowd, but the place was packed and noisy before we left. We returned home and topped of our meal with a slice of Key Lime pie. Another good day. Time to go to bed.

Monday, January, 15, 2018

Today was another sunny day. Windy and cold this morning but warmed up to about 58 this afternoon. And cold is so relative. Compared to the rest of the country it was balmy.

Today being Martin Luther King Day, the kids were all out of school today and in the cottages so they didn’t want us working there today. Mark and Jo brought our devotion today which came from Our Daily Bread. Entitled “Pursuing Unity” it was thought provoking and very appropriate on MLK Day.

The maintenance guys were also off so they didn’t really want us in the other buildings or on the equipment like tractors. So today was a different day for most of us since we all worked outside. The ladies worked on cleaning out what used to be an azalea garden. Jo saw one bloom in this big heap of moss and limbs, and foliage the other day. From what she could see and a sign that was almost completely covered by overgrowth she thought is was an abandoned rose garden. The ladies worked really hard but saw great results for their efforts. Max and Mark were able to continue their work in the water treatment area. Anne helped there this afternoon. Mike and Chris worked on the fence again. Bob and Lee did some landscaping cleanup, with leaf blowers.

It was a laid back Monday with everyone enjoying being outside today.

Sunday, January 14, 2018

We had beautiful sunshine almost all day. It was a little cool this morning, requiring a jacket but beautiful day. The wind was gusty and got worse just before dark. Our last walk this evening was a three layer of clothes walk, requiring ear cover as well. It wasn’t so bad if you were out of the wind but if in the wind it was cold.

Today started early for a Sunday. We decided we wanted to return to Melbourne today to visit at Emmanuel UMC and pulled out of the parking lot abut 8:15. Some of you probably remember we worked at Emmanuel in January of 2015 and then led the team at Emmanuel in 2016. Melbourne is about 90 minutes from FUMCH. It’s an easy drive partially out through the country with the last 30 or so minutes on I-95. We arrived early so we drove around the area and went by some of our favorite spots, like Del’s Freeze (best soft serve ice cream) and a couple of restaurants. We are glad to report they all survived the storm and ready for our return. There are still signs of the recent hurricane with blue tarps on roofs and some homes still boarded up. It appears a few businesses have closed. Sad.

We really love the people at Emanuel. It was so great to see all the ones we worked closely with on the remodel in 2016. The ones who finished what we started did an excellent job and everything looks so great!

The service was wonderful. We have always appreciated Pastor Pam’s thought provoking messages and today there was an added treat. A young man played a musical piece he composed for the offertory. Wow, it was something else! We understand he plays drums and several other instruments but we know he can really play that piano. After worship, we enjoyed spending time over lunch with Pastor Pam, Rebecca and her Mom, Dad and grandmother and Pastor’s daughter, Alana and Cheryl. We probably outstayed our welcome at the restaurant but it takes a while to catch up on everyone. The church is still hoping the city is going to allow NOMADS to use the RV sites in the parking lot again, so we can return to do some community outreach projects. We discussed several options to try to move that along and hopefully something can be worked out. Thanks so much to everyone at Emmanuel for making us feel so welcomed – almost like we hadn’t been gone for 2 years.

We had an uneventful drive back to Enterprise and are getting ready to go back to work tomorrow.  In case you are wondering, the Key Lime pie we made yesterday with the fresh key limes was very good.  We haven’t eaten it all yet but probably won’t last too much longer.  Hope everyone had a great weekend.