FRIDAY

Was up early and out to the YMCA for the first day of my exercise regime of water resistance walking.   I jumped first of all into the hot water jacuzzi, and was relaxing in that, then someone I knew from Emmanuel waved to me from the pool so I thought I'd better get out and do something serious.

It is going to take me a while to get my fitness level up.   I don't know how many times I went round the walkway but after about 15/20 minutes I was tired.   I guess I will try and increase it each day.   Then when I am REALLY fit I will try and swim a length in the pool, which sounds a bit pathetic, to have to be really
 fit to swim a length.   But then I do seem lately to feel incredibly tired.


I got to the hospital about mid morning.  Kevin - another chaplain - was there.  Until last week he had been an assistant pastor at a downtown Pentecostal church, but has left to plant another church, and is helping out more at the hospital.   


Pattisue wasn't there when I arrived, I rang her and she said she was just slow getting going, she hasn't been feeling well lately but she was planning on coming in.  She is not making anything of it but Larry is very concerned about her.  He thinks the cancer in her bone marrow is more serious than she is letting on.  I told her Kevin and I had everything sorted and suggested she put her feet up and have a rest, and perhaps we will see a movie this evening.   But she rang in the late afternoon to say she was transporting her grand daughter around.


Perhaps we will go tomorrow, there are a couple of good films showing at the moment.


The weather is really pleasant at the moment, like a normal summer.  Blue skies and sunshine, a little breeze and temperatures in the 70s.

THURSDAY

The Kiwanis speaker was Dr Tony Litherland, a Professor of Politics at OBU.   He made some interesting points.  One of them is the fact that an African American Republican is making sudden headway in the polls (a new poll is announced with every newscast) and if he were to win the Republican nomination all Americans would be voting for a black  President.  Which is an interesting thought, they have certainly come a long way since the Civil Rights movement in the 60s.

Another point is that in the Arab Spring twenty countries have become democracies.  When they were dictatorships they could, and were, told by the US what to do, now power is shifting.

Two children from the Early Learning Centre received awards for being students of the month. They were presented by the new superindent of schools.   I know I have posted their pictures before, and they are all more or less the same, but it breaks up the print.


Fr Gary was away again today so we still didn't have a Communion service at noon.   I went to the little chapel service Larry has in the hospital chapel on Thursdays.   I rather like it, I might not go back to Emmanuel's Thursday service.


I was going this evening to a cookery demonstration in Tecumseh with Sharon.  She offered to pick me up but I think she lives a bit too far away, and I don't want to put her out of her way coming for me, so I said I could get there myself.  Right at the last minute though I chickened out.  I can manage driving round Shawnee in the dark, they have some street lights (not as many as we do, but the main streets are lit to some extent) but there are no lights at all on the highway between Shawnee and Tecumseh, and like I said I chickened out.

ROSH HASHANAH - WEDNESDAY

Was up early, 6am, eager to get started on my exercise regime of water resistance walking, but couldn't find my swimsuit and remembered I'd left it in Oxford. I'd taken it because I knew the children swam and thought I might get a chance to go. 

I got to Walmart at 7, but they had discontinued their sales of swim wear, so decided I'd look round the Mall after I'd been to the hospital.

The patient numbers were down at the hospital, so it did not take long to go round one floor.  It was nice having lunch with Larry and Pattisue.

I still didn't find a swimsuit at the Mall, so looked online and decided I'd buy a sports top and shorts - which were passing as two piece swimsuits online - and I could get them at Walmart.

This evening the Adult Interest Group (who meet at 5.15) went ten pin bowling, I am not sure what the children were doing, and a group of us - which I opted for - went to Seminole on the church bus to celebrate the Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashanah, with the small Jewish congregation there.  They worship in what looks like a synagogue inside, but it is too small a congregation to support a 'proper' rabbi, so for High Holy Days one comes out from Ohio.

We - 8 of us from Emmanuel - had dinner first at a Mexican restaurant near the 'synagogue'.  It was a good evening, our hosts were very kind and hospitable welcoming us, and served cake and juice afterwards.

I got to Emmanuel just before 6 to get the bus, and the team were serving up supper for those who were there, which were all the young people and some adults.  I love the way the children in the church have to pull their weight and do chores as well, and I took a photo of these precious children in their aprons who were helping.

Can't you just spot the child who is always going to be the 'fun' person at the party.  The one who will always sparkle.

TUESDAY

 I took this picture at the Fair to show a bit of the kind of fast food they serve.  Indian tacos are very popular here.


I am so afraid of falling and breaking a hip I am becoming very careful and I thought perhaps I need to exercise more to improve my balance.   I used to go to water resistance in the pool at the YMCA, but then the pool was closed for a year and a half for repairs, but today I went back and renewed my membership.   It has all the facilities of a very expensive gym in England, but the membership is only $30 a month, which is not bad.

This afternoon I was at the Senior Centre again, and took a couple of photos of the singing and dancing at the Country Music.

The Band.

There doesn't seem to be many people there does there, but as I take in all the sign-in sheets at the front desk I know there were 58. Most were sitting down in the area on the left where the band was.


A friend in Seaford who is actually American is doing a virtual walk across America, from Yorktown in Virginia to Oregon.  She walks a certain number of miles each day and logs them on her computer, the website shows where she is, and there are pictures of the places she passes on the way.  She is now in Kentucky, so has walked across Virginia.  I am toying with the idea of doing that as part of my exercise regime.

MONDAY

There were many beautiful quilts at the Fair, but this one of the flip flops which deservedly took First Place was my favourite.  I didn't realise it at the time but while I was exuding admiration the person who made it was standing beside me.  So I took her photo too.

Sharon wasn't very enthused by them, she said she preferred quilts made out of peoples' old clothes, like they used to be.  Which is fine in an exhibition of pioneer life on the Frontier, but this is demonstrating creativity in the 21st century.

I liked this one too.


I went to the doctor this morning for a check up on my shoulder which was very painful a fortnight ago.  It is a lot better but I asked for a prescription for the arthritis tablets in case it came back, which he gave me.  He was also kind enough to give me a dozen free ones, samples.   


While I was in the waiting room there was guy cruising round asking if he could get anyone water, or coffee.  And when the patient leaves he rushes to open the door for them.  I asked the doctor's nurse what his job title was and she said he was a 'hospitality aide'.

I wondered how that would go down in our doctors' surgeries. I think the patients would be too bewildered to take advantage of it.  At least I have got used to pots of coffee filtering in banks.


It is the practice in doctors' offices here (they don't call them surgeries) to take patients blood pressure and weigh them every time they have an appointment.  I thought I was losing weight, my skirts are getting more and more loose, some are too loose to wear even.  I've lost 3lbs in the last fortnight.

SUNDAY

I went to the 10.30 service this morning, I was reading the prayers.  At home we had to write them as well, in accordance with the Anglican/Episcopalian prayer book which states they are the 'Prayers of the People', meaning it is the laity not the clergy who are responsible for them.  I hope that is something the new incumbent at Emmanuel will introduce when he comes next year.

I didn't see Sharon at church so took her birthday present to her afterwards.  I was disappointed with the digestive biscuits I'd made, I think they should have been bigger and thicker.  They looked rather miserable so I put some cheese and apple in the gift bag with them, and a note to say that is how we eat them.  She seemed very pleased and grateful anyway.

While there I took a couple of photos of her garden.  She aims for the English country garden look.

 She was watering at least twice a day in the hot weather.   I noticed a water melon among all the flowers and she said it was because she always puts the seeds out for the birds, and a bird had dropped one and it grew.  I think I'll do that.  I also think I'll get some compost for a bed I've got outside the back porch because she is encouraging me to be growing things, cultivating the garden, and said she will give me the seeds.

 Back in 1992 - 19 years ago - I drove to Romania, it was a challenge but I did do some useful things, as I knew some people who were sending aid out there to a town in the far east of the country, and while I was there I stayed with a penfriend I had made.   She later came to England on a visit and I returned her hospitality.    Anyway, yesterday she found me - or we found each other - on Facebook, she said she had been looking for me for years, bless her heart.   I very seldom look at Facebook and was only looking yesterday for photos of Tim and family I could download.   How small the world has become with the internet.

SATURDAY

The weather is certainly a lot better now it is cooler, in the upper 70s. Everyone here is saying that it has never been so hot as it was this year, it's the hottest year on record.   

 This was a lovely tree in my garden when it was all green but I think the extreme heat has killed it off.  I am just waiting to see if it will recover, or if the rest of it is going to die.

 The canna, or calla, lilies burned up at the beginning of the summer with the first wave of 107 degree temperatures.   Sharon belongs to a gardening club and it has been a very sad year for gardeners.

 From the Fair.  This is a buffalo, or sometimes known as a bison. It's the largest terrestrial animal in North America and at one time there were 80 million of them roaming the prairies.  Isn't there a song about where the deer and the buffalo roam?  Or maybe it's just the buffalo.


I was going to the movies again this morning, like I did last Saturday, courtesy of the hospital, they were doing this for two weeks.  But I woke up with the start of a migraine, so didn't feel up to it.  

I had a late lunch with Pattisue at a new diner which I've been wanting to try.  It specialises in omeletes and it was very nice.  She'd been to the movies with her family - the invitation was extended to family members as well - I think she was a little embarrassed though because her grand daughter brought along one or two friends.


Afterwards did some shopping in Walmart and that has mostly been my day.  It is Sharon's birthday tomorrow, she likes English digestive biscuits which aren't obtainable here so I made her some.

FRIDAY

Taken at the Fair.  The Texas Longhorn came to Oklahoma up the Chisholm Trail.   It is bred for its beef which is very lean.  The horns can extend to 122 inches.  This one is 44 inches.

I took my completed form to my new bank and finalised the formalities to open my new account.  I just need to go with Mark sometime to add him as beneficiary to the account, so that if anything happens to me he can withdraw the money, without applying for Probate. This is quite a common practice here, I don't know why it's not done at home. 


Afterwards went to the hospital.  Someone had already done one floor so Pattisue and I divided up the patients on the other one.  We had lunch together, which we haven't for a while as she has been ill, or seeing doctors.

 

THURSDAY

Me at the Fair yesterday.

I seem to have been running around all day today.  Our Kiwanis speaker was from one of the banks in the town, talking mainly about global economies and the economic/financial dangers the US and other nations are facing.  He talked too about  his local bank, Banc First.  I've sometimes thought of changing my own bank, and always thought I'd go to this one if I did.  It is local in Oklahoma, they don't have branches in any other state.

I told him I was very disconcerted when I went back to Britain recently and found that all stores and businesses there require a pin number instead of signing for purchases (when did that happen?)
and was it likely to happen here.  He said it will happen here, not next week, but it will.
 
Afterwards I went to the main branch of my local bank, gave them 300GPS and asked them to change it and then deposit it in my account.  Was that a big deal????     It is not as if I was asking them to produce any foreign currency.  But she pushed it back across the counter to me and said no bank in Shawnee will change foreign currency, I would have to go to the City.  


So I went to Banc First where they changed my pounds sterling and gave me a form to open an account.   So I'll go back and do that tomorrow.  And I will warn them I will never be an IMPORTANT customer, I keep my main account in England and just transfer enough from time to time to pay my rent and bills (which is probably why I get such indifferent service from my bank).   I told them I'm sometimes asked the question by government agencies, and credit card companies in Britain, if I have moved permanently to the US but I tell them I'm not ready to say I have.  And my residence permit expires anyway in 2020.


I needed a few things from Hobby Lobby, so set off for Midwest City.  I can find my way there alright, but have a problem getting back on to the Interstate going east, so I set my GPS for 'home'.  But in spite of that - or perhaps because of it - I drove round and round in circles, there are so many roads and exits which say 'Do Not Enter' which paralyse me with fear.  It was a nightmare.  I decided I would never, ever, drive there again, I would either find another Hobby Lobby in another city, or ask Pattisue if I can go with her when she goes to Midwest City.

By the time I got back to Shawnee I was aware I hadn't eaten all day, and picked up a medium rare steak from the Golden Corrall, it was 7.30 by the time I got home.

WEDNESDAY

 Was up early for a change, and at Sharon's house at 8 o'clock.  Her Tai Chi class were demonstrating (giving a demonstration) at the State Fair in the City.

Sharon is in the front.

Afterwards we looked round at other exhibits, the handicrafts, cakes, livestock.  It was like the Horam Show but on a vastly bigger scale.   I was lost in admiration at the needlecraft exhibits, especially the quilts.

 I will post more pictures from the Fair over the next few days.


We left about noon so that I could get to the hospital in the early afternoon.   No one was around though while I was there, I went round visiting on one floor and entered the computer data, then just had time to catch my breath at home before taking the strawberry jellies I'd made to Emmanuel for the meal.   I missed the class but will go next week.

 I think it was quite a good idea doing the jellies in foil trays, the fruit is more evenly distributed than in a bowl, where it all goes down to the bottom.
There were a lot of people there but I think all the children - who go first - had some ice cream and jelly.  I had got another 1/2 gallon tub of ice cream,  so some adults might have had some of that.

TUESDAY

  As I mentioned yesterday I stayed the night at Emmanuel as I had signed up as an overnite host for the Family Promise guests.  I was going to do it - as usual - with Sharon, but she was awoken in the middle of the night by her dog, who sleeps on her bed, and couldn't breathe.  It was suffering from congestive heart failure.  She called a vet who gave it medication, and put it on oxygen, and it was still in a critical condition when it was time for her to leave for Emmanuel.  She asked if I'd mind if her brother Rob came instead, and of course I didn't.  Rob anyway is also a church member so I know him.

During today the dog has been making good progress.  Sharon called in the Senior Centre when I was there this afternoon and was very happy and cheerful.   The dog though is 13 so I fear its days are numbered.  All our days are numbered, but you know what I mean.

I did have a little laugh with Sharon this afternoon.  I was commenting on the fact that when I stay at Emmanuel I take my sleeping bag, pillows, nightwear, table lamp, toiletries, toys, goats milk, favorite tea bags - Louis IV travelled lighter than I do - but her brother Rob just walked out of the house without even a toothbrush.  I asked if that was Man Thing, or a Rob Thing.



We had more guests last night than ever before.  There are four families on the Family Promise programme with several children, and a very small baby.   I guess that is why the churches here are so big with lots of rooms.  We couldn't do this in our medieval churches.

One guy was working until 11.15 so they were allowed to use their car so his wife could pick him up.  It did mean though that Rob and I had to stay up until he got back so we could lock up.  Rob did say I could go to bed but that felt like skiiving.    Some nights Sharon and I have got there at 8.30 and the families have all gone to bed, so those nights are a doddle.

We have to wake up about 5.15 because the Family Promise bus picks them up at 6 to take them to the Day Centre place.   So I got back home and had a nap.
  

In the afternoon I was manning the front desk at the Senior Centre.  The phone was quite busy this afternoon, but other than that it was uneventful.

I remembered I am doing the dessert for the Wednesday meal tomorrow, so went to Walmart this evening for some strawberries and jellies which are setting in the fridge. 

MONDAY

I forgot to mention yesterday that I won't write anything up today, I am spending the night at Emmanuel as we are hosting the Family Promise guests.

SUNDAY

It was Emmanuel's annual church picnic today at St Crispin's, a conference/retreat centre, a lovely place set in acres and acres of grounds.  Reminds me of a place near East Grinstead owned by the Southwark diocese we used to go to.

It was a bring and share lunch, set out in the dining room, not picnic as in rugs on the grass.  And it was all very nice, as these things usually are, because everything is home made.   I didn't make much effort though and regretted my laziness when I sat at a table with the three main vegans in the church, Rosalyn, Barbara and Shawna. I wished I'd made something they would have appreciated.  I just made an appetiser and cut some celery ribs into pieces and stuffed them with a mixture of cream cheese and finely chopped apricots.

 Rosalyn rehearsing the choir before the Service.

The children and young people had a great time in the grounds as there was a lot for them to do.  Here Kevin is shooting hoops, as they say, with a couple of lads on the basket ball court.  Quite a few of them went in the swimming pool in the afternoon, which I understand was very, very cold. Kevin is a trained lifeguard so he was with them while they were swimming.


I think I've finished sorting the photographs in the living room and bedroom.  Those in the living room are updated, but in the bedroom I've tended to cling to the old favourites, but there are a few new ones of the children.  

And I had to put up pictures of the childrens' toys, Chicago and Lammy.  I got quite fond of them.  I looked on the Chicago Bears website to see if I could buy another one, so I could knit one or two more outfits for it, but they seemed to just have one that hangs on a Christmas tree.  Perhaps I'll give them a ring tomorrow.

I am having a problem uploading the rest of the photos, I had quite a bit of difficulty yesterday  and then did them on my laptop, which is now very slow.  Perhaps it wasn't sensible to buy such a cheap desktop pc.  Pattisue made a rather sceptical sound when I told her, but I said I don't do anything fancy on it, I don't play games and things (its your turn doesn't count).  But maybe messing about with photos falls into the category of fancy, at least for a cheap computer.    I'll try tomorrow.

SATURDAY

I went to the movies this morning, courtesy of the Hospital who took over one of the cinema complexes for the benefit of the staff and volunteers and their families, and threw in free popcorn and soda.  

I saw 'I Don't Know How She Does It' with Sarah Jessica Parker and Pierce Brosnan, it was a light comedy and I enjoyed it.

Saturday morning cinema certainly took me back, and I think anyone my age will remember.  Those were the days when television was in its infancy (and in black and white) and children packed the cinemas on Saturday mornings.  Roy Rogers and Trigger and the Lone Ranger and his sidekick (was it Toto?) remember them?  

Pattisue was still feeling a bit too tired to go but she had good news when she heard the result of the PET scan.  She still has cancer in the bone marrow but the doctors are not worrying about that, and she should be feeling better soon.   I suggested we go out to eat this evening, and she was up for that, and seemed to be glad to be out. I think she is more cheerful too because the unsightly skin lesions on her face are clearing. We went to the China Buffet, which is always very good.


The hospital and cinema complex are doing it again next Saturday morning too, so she will go then.


Between the cinema and the China Buffet I was titivating the house, finishing off the autumn decorations.  I will leave them up until Thanksgiving then it will be time for the Christmas ones.


I bought a new rug.  They are so cheap (less than $20) so if Bubbles vomits over them, or scratches them, it doesn't matter.  And when they start looking shabby they go on the porches.

Trying out the new rug.

The back of the blue chair, incidentally, is Bubbles scratching post. I hadn't intended it to be, but as I'd only paid $10 for it from the Senior Centre I don't mind her using it as that. Certainly preferable to the door frames, where she has wreaked havoc on the paintwork. And it's cheaper than proper scratching posts I've seen.


I now need to sort out the computer room and spare bedroom.

THURSDAY

We had a quartet of musicians entertain us this morning at Kiwanis which was very nice.

 The guy playing the guitar is the editor of the local newspaper.  The one on the right is one of the partners in the computer shop I go to.  I like this about small town America, everybody knows everyone else; the newspaper editor, the fire chief, the police chief, the county commissioners.

 The girl in the blue top is the daughter of the newspaper editor.  several of his family play but she was the only one who could come this morning.  It is a working day and she had to leave promptly to get to work.  She was asked what the difference is between a violin and a fiddle, she said it is just the way it is played;  when she's playing with her Dad she's usually fiddling.  She also plays in the OBU Community Orchestra where she is presumably a violinist.

There's an expression about curiosity killing the cat and I can see why, looking at Bubbles.  She's never in danger of being killed but every partially opened door has to be prised open wider so she can explore inside.


This afternoon I went to Walmart to buy a cheap sleeping bag and I realised it is the hunting season here.   The sleeping bag aisle is in the same area as the hunting gear so I was browsing their shelves as I'd never seen anything like it.  I know the people hunting here sit in their hides for hours and hours waiting for the deer to appear.  And the seats they sit on in the hide to look out are like umpires' chairs but taller, and about $200.   And they sell bags of attractants - food they scatter about and after 3 days -  3 DAYS!!!! - the bucks will be all over it.  Do these hunters sit in their hides for days waiting for the bucks, and if they left, even for a while,  someone else could come and bag the deer which was all over their attractants.   

There is so much about life on the Frontier that bemuses me.   I mean - does the Asda nearest to Ikley Moor have aisles of hunting stuff like that?  I know it doesn't have the guns.  And I thought the likes of Prince Phillip just picked up a shotgun and fired at anything that moved, I'm sure they don't hang about for three days waiting for the deer and bucks to turn up.


 

WEDNESDAY (posted on Thursday)

Pattisue was at the hospital today, we did a floor each but she couldn't stay for lunch, she had a hospital appointment in the City, her fourth in a week.    Her 'mosquito bites' have turned out to be Sweet's Syndrome, a rare skin disorder which is sometimes associated with cancer.  She thinks her cancer, which has been in remission, has come back and she will know when the result of her test today comes back, probably on Thursday.  She asked the doctor if Sweet's syndrome is so called because it affects sweet people, but nobody is laughing.

I suggested we go to the movies this evening, Thursday, but she is too tired, which is so not like her.

Larry was saying that one of the other chaplains is laid up.  He was thrown in the air by some cattle (I've told you this is cattle country) who then ran over him.  I asked if they were stampeding, and why was he in the way, but apparently it doesn't take much  for cattle to charge at you.  Just as well I never go on to the ranches anyway.



Wednesday evenings are back to normal.  Sustainable Shawnee gave us their leftovers for the meal and the beef turned up in a stroganoff sauce.  There was plenty of melon left over for dessert but Sharon made some rice krispie cookies as well.    I went to the group Elizabeth is leading on 'This I Believe' in which we shared our core beliefs.

The study group meets before the meal and afterwards - instead of activities - the youth leader was marshalling everyone, mainly the youth, into helping move all of Saturday's jumble sale items out of storage and into the parish hall.  It was a big job because hundreds of items have been donated, it is the main fundraising event of the year and the proceeds subsidise the youth group's camp. I faded away, I am not into any lifting, heavy or otherwise, at the moment and there are plenty of young people anyway.   The young people have been working hard this week, they were serving up the food at the Sustainable Shawnee dinner on Tuesday.

TUESDAY

Although I can't wave my arm around, my shoulder is feeling better. I did go to my pharmacy though and requested a prescription for the anti inflammatory tablets the doctor had given me (he just gave me a few free ones).   Requesting the prescription from the pharmacy is a quicker procedure than at home, they fax the request through to the appropriate doctor and the medication can usually be picked up the same day.  


The Sustainable Shawnee dinner was held in the parish hall at Emmanuel and I got there fairly early to help Barbara prep the vegetables.

Barbara.

Hard at work.   I was hard at work too, although you might not know it.  I prepped bushels of okra and potatoes.

 The meal was lovely.  And the bread pudding which was served with a whisky sauce.   We had red or white wine to drink, or beer. Apart from the Catholic church we are the only one in Shawnee which allows alcohol on its premises.

 I sat at a table with Bruce and Rosalyn, Barbara and Larry.  Pattisue was going to come but she heard today that her cancer has come back and she has to go to Oklahoma City in the morning for a PET scan, which means there is a lot she can't eat, and I don't think she wanted to come and be picky at what she was eating.  She is being upbeat and positive though.

When I arrived people were milling about outside.  The weather has turned hot again, it has been pleasantly warm lately, in the 80s but is now back to 104.  And I have got the air conditioning back on, set to fridge cold.

MONDAY

 Rosalyn.

To use an Australian expression my shoulder is crook.  When I first woke up I thought it was painful because I had slept awkwardly but the pain worsened, and when I couldn't lever myself out of the bath and slipped I decided I had better see a doctor.  I rang at 9 o'clock and got an appointment at 10, so was pleased about that.

He gave me a steroid injection, some pills for pain relief, and told me to rest it and wear a sling.  He said if it doesn't get better he will send me to a bone doctor, but I told him that wasn't an option.  I think it will probably be better after a few days anyway.

I afterwards went straight to Emmanuel.  It is the Sustainable Shawnee dinner tomorrow night.  I am not a member anymore but Barbara asked if I would be her sous chef and prep the vegetables.  I was going to chop cabbage up but that was a bit too much with my dodgy shoulder.  I will go back tomorrow and prep the okra, I could manage that. 

Barbara invited me to join her and Larry for lunch at the Asian diner, but by lunchtime I just wanted a nap.  Probably the combination of pain and pills.

REMEMBERING 9/11

This is what today, and in fact all the week leading up to today, has been about.  Remembering 9/11.  The above was painted by a church member on a sheet of cardboard, her mother thought she should have painted it on canvas.

Instead of the Sunday school classes between the two services everyone gathered in the parish room, some of the church members
stood at the podium and talked of their memories of 9/11.   At first I was going to absent myself, thinking it was an American day for Americans, but then I decided to wear my FDNY tee shirt  which would be my tribute to the New York firemen.    There are many stories of heroism and courage from that day, but what chokes me are the New York firemen who climbed above the 70th floor to help those trapped up there, knowing they would not come down again.

The daughter of a New York fireman bought this for me when she and James took me to Battery Park and we saw Ground Zero.

Immediately after the 10.30 Service a group of us went on the church bus to a museum in Oklahoma City to see an Exhibition celebrating 400 years of the King James Bible.

It features some of the most rare biblical manuscripts, printed Bibles, and historical items in the world. They included a Dead Sea Scroll text (although personally I think they should send that back to Israel to join the others there, in their nuclear bomb proof museum which sinks into the ground when under attack - but I digress) there were ancient biblical papyri, beautifully illuminated manuscripts, the earliest printed materials, including a portion of the Gutenberg Bible, and multiple first editions of the English Bible through the King James Version.    It was all very interesting, very multi media and interactive.

The group of us at the Exhibition.  Except for Elizabeth who took the photo for me, drove the bus, and made sandwich wraps to eat on the bus, as it was lunch time.   The couple on the left are Deacon John and Alma, who lead the adult Sunday school.  Next to them is my friend and mentor, Sandra, and another church couple between her and me.  Sharon was going to come but changed her mind.   I think Rosalyn would have gone but she is in California this weekend learning how to be a vegan.

This glass sculpture in the foyer of the Museum is stunningly beautiful, the photo just doesn't do it justice.  It is 55 feet high.

We spent about 3 hours at the Museum and got back to Shawnee about 5.   I debated going to University Baptist, Pattisue said they were starting their Sunday evening services tonight, but decided I was a bit tired.   But it has been a good day.

SATURDAY

I had planned on going to Breakfast on Broadway - Emmanuel's outreach programme to the homeless - at 7 o'clock to offer my services. But as usual with such an early start I had second thoughts when it actually came to it.  My problem is that I wake so early, about 4 or 4.30, so by the time I need to get up for 7 I'm ready to go back to sleep again.   Sharon was going to be there, she had befriended and invited a homeless guy in the Senior Centre who helps her move the furniture for her Tai Chi class, and she was going to be there to welcome him.  I told her about the homeless guy with dirty hands who was thrown out of the Pool Room on Tuesday;  perhaps if I get a chance I'll befriend him and invite him next month.   Then I will be there at 7.


I was running round town in the morning.  I went to the Farmer's Market to see if it had improved at all but it hadn't, although I think some stall holders were at the County Fair.  I wanted some home made bread and tomatoes, but the tomatoes have just not survived the heat here.


Then I went to the Museum to take the pictures I didn't get yesterday at the Exhibition.

Some of the masks at the Exhibition.  As I said before it is a very interesting art form.


The Museum is on the campus of St Gregory's University which is run by a Benedictine Order.  The artist told us he had been playing at the museum since he was four years old, when his parents were visiting the monks.  They left him in the gallery to play and he said there were heads of stuffed animals on the walls, and that gave him the idea to make masks of the animals.  The bear, above, is one of them.