Eggstravaganza 2023

I'd heard about Eggstravaganza but had never been there.  It is held at a park across the street from our church every spring near Easter for the community.

  This has been going on more than 10 years.   

 Children come for egg hunting and many other activities,
from face-painting, 

to jump houses,

to crafts, 

to...

photos with the Easter Bunny, 

My friend, Sharon Jackson and I went together and had fun taking it all in.  This event is sooo well organized!

 

 

 

 

 

This little girl is trying to figure out what is going on and who this strange creature is!

 

 These are the "wrappers" 

(of hotdogs and hamburgers.)

 

 

 

 

 Our praise band played most of the day. 

A few people emptied their eggs so we can use them next year.  Great idea!

 

 

We hope Jesus was jumping for joy as we celebrated his resurrection!

p.s.  Some of these photos are borrowed from our Youth Director's pics, which she posted on Facebook.  Thank you, Pam Szymczyk

Looking for Love

I just saw an entertaining little spring drama out my kitchen window along the water's edge.  

A movement caught my eye  -  it was a Snowy Egret doing his mating dance with all his splendid mating plumage.  He puffed his neck and back feathers up just so, then walked a few steps and puffed up again.  It is breezy so the wind caught all those delicate feathers.

I hope this link will open for you --->>>   Snowy Egret's Mating Dance

Just ahead of him I saw a glossy ibis, which was just about the same size.  They both were about two feet tall.

 

When the egret puffed up, the ibis glanced behind her and continued walking away.

Several times the egret danced but it didn't win the heart or even the interest of this nonchalant glossy ibis.

After several fruitless tries, the poor Snowy Egret went back to the water's edge to continue pecking - looking for food instead of love.  

Better luck the next time, Mr. Egret.  Maybe you'd better get your eyes checked!  Poor thing.

The glossy ibis just continued on her merry way!

Busy Week in Florida

Gary and I know that some people find it strange that he drives me to Florida just after Christmas and flies home.  Then, after tax season, he flies down, vacations for a week or so, and drives me back to Virginia. 

He says that if I would be there, he'd feel he should entertain me.  He has people in and out of his office all day long and the phone rings often.  So, his real work is done from 8 p.m. till 2 or 3 a.m. most every night.  

I thought I could help him if I were there and that wouldn't be bad but it's not what Gary wants.  He likes to see each client in person, twice in most cases.  He sees them when they bring their papers and again when they come to sign and pick up their completed tax documents.

I have a little house in a 55+ Community called Savanna Club in Port St. Lucie on the east coast of Florida.  There is a lot to do here and I keep busy.  Best of all, it's warm down here!!!

Last week was one of those typical wonderful busy weeks.

Monday  Built Upon the Sand
House Foundation Problem
Work was done on the base of my house.  It was starting to cave in in several places. After fixing it bit by bit, the time had come to get it repaired  properly.  There was a concrete base but it had disintegrated in many places. 

Still on Monday: Welcome Meeting

I had a meeting with my Vice-Chairs, Sharon Jackson and Sue Berger,  regarding the Welcome Meeting for new residents.  We hold this affair a few times a year.  I'm the chairperson but the November meeting will be led by Sharon and Sue, since I'll still be in VA.  I'll take the RSVPs and make the nametags.

Tuesday - I started the morning getting beautified at the beauty parlor.  Then in the evening, our Zoom Bible Study group met online.  We've kept it going for 2 years - even when we're in Virginia. 

Gary and I like this study group because we're working straight from the Bible.  Rita Etherington, our trusty leader, does a wonderful job keeping us focused. 

Zoom Bible Study  2022
Donna and Dave Waters, Doug and Jeanette Owens, Gary Suter, Allen and Rita (our leader) Etherington, MaryMay Suter, Pat and Rich Necklen

 

 

 

Wednesday -  Wacky Tacky Luncheon
Our Women's Club has over 300 members and we support many local charities.  Here are some highlights from our parade of tacky fashionists.

 

 

(Click each photo for larger view)

And the winner of the Most Wacky Tacky parade was................ none other than MaryMay Suter!

My jacket was pure red sequins but they don't show up in the photos.

Thursday
My Red Hat group, known as the "Hotsie Totsies", went to Stuart to Lady Ann's Tearoom for lunch.  I forgot to take pics but it was elegant.  This is what I had. I think it was pecan encrusted cod or something...

Friday - Gumbo Party with the Hattiitudes

Sylvia Foster invited us to her home and made 2 gumbo pots -  one with chicken and andouille sausage and one with shrimp and crab.  She had hot sauces on the side for those who wished to add to their dishes  We brought appetizers, wine, other beverages, and desserts.  It was a feast of food and conversation! 

BTW - (by the way) - Sylvia is from New Orleans so we got authentic gumbo!

Saturday - Computer Seminar

My computer guru here in Florida is John Grubb of Keystone Computer Concepts.  https://www.4kcc.com/  He gives Saturday morning seminars in Jensen Beach once a month.  I always learn something.

Sunday - 

Church- FUMC First United Methodist Church of Port St. Lucie, FL  This is a wonderful church and I especially like our ministers, Brian Carr from West Virginia and Rad Orlandi from Puerto Rico.     Puerto Rico - Robinson School Reconnections

 

Book Group - There are about 10 of us who read a chosen book, then get together and discuss it.  In February, we discussed This Tender Land by William Kent Krueger.  For March it was Golden Girl by Elin Hilderbrand.   Next month we are reading When The Apricots Bloom by Gina Wilkerson.

I really enjoy this group for 2 reasons:  It makes me read books and authors that I've never heard of and it's fun to hang out with lady friends and laugh.....not to mention, solve the problems of Savanna Club and of the world.

So ended a typical week in the winter version of my Snowbird Life.

Built Upon the Sand

Do you remember the kid's song about the wise man who built his house upon the rock and the foolish man who built his house upon the sand?  The rock stood strong but the sand (and house) washed away.

That's exactly what was happening with my house in Florida.  There were a few places along the base of the house where a hole would develop.  I hired different handy men to add rock, mulch, and even a metal plate to stop the caving in.

But the holes came back even larger and new ones developed.  I knew it was time to take action.  Gary and I talked to a company who was fixing my neighbor's house with that very problem last year.  Gary wisely took a photo of their work truck so we had their number.

Our houses are brought in on wheels, then the wheels are taken away and the house is propped up on concrete blocks.

 

 

A barrier along the  bottom edge of the house was set up using concrete but the concrete had disintegrated.

Front

 It made me tired just to see these men work.  There was a LOT of digging required.

 

 

Side

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Back

 They slid flat metal down the sides, then installed this white skirting which has holes for ventilation. 

 

Let me guess...aren't you curious how much this cost?  Let's just say I kissed $7,500.00 goodbye. 

 

 

I do believe that, even though my house is still built upon the sand, it is much stronger than before.  

 

Hopefully, this will hold up for as long as I own this house!

Ash Wednesday Service - Literally!

The Ash Wednesday Service was held at FUMC (First United Methodist Church) of Port St. Lucie, Florida.  I got a ride with Pat and Rich Necklen and we picked up Rita Etherington.  (We're all in a Zoom Bible Study group and Rita is our leader.)

When we went in, we were asked to go to the altar, choose a rock, and write a  goal that you plan to aim for during Lent.

We were also given slips of paper that were about an inch wide and 6 inches long.  We were to write something that we planned to give up during Lent.  At the allotted time during the service, we went up to the front where Pastor Brian Carr was waiting.  We could put our paper slip over the candle in the pot or Brian would use a barbecue lighter to burn it for you. 

Then our two associate pastors administered ashes onto our foreheads. When the minister applies the cross of ashes, he/she says to the worshiper: “Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return.” He also may say “Repent and believe in the Gospel.”

We were pleased to have 118 people in attendance, the most since the Pandemic began. A few people did wear masks.   It took a while for everyone to go up but it was a time of reverence.

Pastor Brian went up to continue the service.  Well, lo and behold, the flames started growing.  At one point, he backed up because of the heat.  It was just plain scary!!!

  A closer look: 

 

Who saved the day but Rad Orlandi, our Associate Pastor.  He brought a metal cover from a communion tray.   Brian put it on the top of the burning pot and then the flame stopped.  Thankfully, it just fit the top of the clay pot.

Then, for whatever reason, he moved the top over (I'm thinking he was hoping to save the metal top.) and the flames roared up again.  This time, he left it in place.

Then we continued with the rest of the service.

As for me, this was an Ash Wednesday Service I won't soon forget!

p.s. Hopefully I'll remember the goal I'm aiming for and the thing I'm giving up for Lent.

Red Hat Fun in Stuart, Florida

On February 24, 2022, 13 of my smaller Red Hat group called the "Hattitudes," went south from Port St. Lucie for about 10 miles to Stuart, Florida for a busy day. 

 
First we went to the Stuart Feed Supply Historical Museum.  https://stuartheritagemuseum.com/

The museum has over 10,000 artifacts from the 1880s to the 1950s.

Our guide was a local lady who made everything so, so interesting.

 

Then we took a tram for a tour of Stuart.  I had no idea there was so much history there.  Our guide was enthusiastic and shared many fascinating stories.

As an added bonus, both the museum and the tram ride were free!

Last we had lunch at Café Martier, which used to be a speakeasy in the 1920s.

It was right on the main shopping street but it was like a hidden treasure.

We went back a dark, busy hallway, wondering where in the world we were going. Such a surprise!

It was elegant and the food was delightful!

 

2014 Joan Neaman,
Nadia Spencer,
MaryMay Suter, Elsie Lilly
(Click photo for a larger version.)

Note:  Nadia Spencer, one of the organizers for this day, fell in the parking lot at Savanna Club, where we had met for carpooling.  She spent the day in the ER instead of in Stuart with us.  We were so sorry about that because it was such a delightful day.  I hear she is going with a few ladies soon.

 

What You See Isn't Always What You Get - or so I thought.....

I was shopping in Publix and saw some lovely potted flowers.  I decided that for $5.99 I would treat myself.   I chose one that was only open a teeny bit so it would last longer and I could enjoy watching it open.
 

This is what I was expecting but learned that they were grape hyacinths.  Yes, that's what Grandmother grew. OK, so I studied the tag inserted into the pot, which means I changed my expectation to the flowers on the left.

I decided that would be acceptable, especially if they had that sweet aroma.

 

However, he next day I found that the stalks had shot up and out in a spindly way but they were not opening.

I thought it must be something else, like a hybrid, or maybe they had sent the wrong plant from the greenhouse. 

I started to plan when I was going run to Publix to return it while muttering under my breath that this was NOT a hyacinth!

The following day I found out the truth because that lovely, unique aroma was filling my kitchen.

It WAS a hyacinth, a rather unusual one, but definitely a hyacinth. 

It is uplifting to see and smell God's glorious handiwork in progress.

I couldn't resist.  With a few plastic sticks and tie wraps, I pulled the blooms up and have a much more dramatic burst of color.

They're on the table beside my computer desk and have been lovely to smell.

The results haven't been what I had been expecting but the results are "lovely to look at and delightful to behold."

A Cherry on Top of Our Move to VMRC

For 9 years, I had my application in to the VMRC (Virginia Mennonite Retirement Community but it's not all Mennonite - more on that later.)  Every year the Director of Sales would call and I would tell him I wasn't ready.  The beauty of being on the waiting list was that I stayed at the top of the list.  Last summer my tune changed.  

I was ready to move!  Oh, BTW (by the way), one little fact changed - I married Gary Suter on September 19, 2020.  So instead of ME moving in, it was WE who were moving in!

December 7, 2020 was the day Gary and I moved into our 5th floor apartment in Park Gables building.  I call it our "Little Love Nest" and we are feathering it carefully.  

Now that we've been here for a little while, we're having some positive observations.

We're realizing that the friends we make here at VMRC are special because we're all here until we die.  We are now in the system and if need-be, will be transferred to the assisted living or the nursing home, even if we run out of money.

I already know more than half the people in the building.  Park Gables is five stories and  has 88 apartments.  Between the valuable friendships, the dining room elegance, and tasty food I am delighted.  

Then there is added cherry on the top!!! I learned that our monthly fee includes housekeeping!!!  At first I wondered how 1½ hours twice a month could be helpful. I quickly learned that with our small apartment, they can clean the whole place in a hour and a half.  Best of all, I don't have to change my sheets!  

I sometimes feel I've died and gone to heaven.  It was worth waiting on the list for 9 years.

One drawback:  We won't be invited to the elegant Prospective Owners' events such as picnics up on the VMRC beautiful vegetable farm.

 

p.s. At our Porch Party (more on that later) recently we learned that the Bing cherry is named after Seth Lewelling's Manchurian orchard foreman and friend, Bing.  It was cultivated in 1875 in Oregon.  BTW - Bing was  7 feet tall.

It Started at DQ

There were a few guys with Corvettes and other snappy cars around our area here in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia who knew each other.  Some of them have gone on the Power Tour sponsored by HotRod Magazine.  Others are kin or are local friends.

This is the original group:  Gary and Mary Suter, Orden and Reba Harman, Galen and Susie Shank.  (Wilmer and Shirley Shank were with us but might have slept in that morning.)

Galen Shank started telling folks, mostly ones he knew from the Power Tour, that he would be at the local Dairy Queen on the outside patio on Sunday evenings.  This simple idea started with the Power Tour people but has generated some new friends who also love Corvettes.

One Sunday evening someone observed several Corvettes parked in a row and realized that all of the owners were raised in the Mennonite church.  Thus was born our whimsical name "The Mennonite Corvette Club."
 
This summer we made day trips to the Homestead near Hot Springs in VA, the Greenbrier in WV,  Canaan Valley in WV, the Peaks of Otter on the Skyline Drive, and Graves Mountain Lodge, north of Charlottesville, VA.

This photo is a treasure. It is at Graves Mountain Lodge, our largest group yet - 18.  There was a buffet filled with home-cookin' and it was a beautiful day for a ride. 

This was October 17, 2021.

We sat Mennonite style at the tables -
which means the women sit together and the men sit together.  

Anyone knows that guys want to talk about manifolds and alternators, while women like to talk about "Feelings!" EEEUUUU!!  

Galen and Susy Shank
are the instigators, errrr..., make that
initiators
of our delightful "Mennonite Corvette Club." 

Click on pic for a closer view.

Larry Martin, Marietta and Richard Barnhart, Gail Martin, Karen and Arlan Blosser, Becky and Bill May, Reba and Orden Harman, Susy and Galen Shank, Shirley and Wilmer Shank, Mary and Gary Suter, Sharon and Whit Menefee.

Here are a couple of links from past years:
What is the Power Tour?    Power Tour in 2017 Corvette