Christmas trip

Hello,

After lunch on Sunday, I said, “I really want to go. Someone stated that the highway was clear yesterday.”

Leroy reluctantly said, “Ok, but if it is bad we turn around again.”

We left the snow covered streets of town and zoomed on down the totally clear road. The only problem was when we got on the county road to go the ten miles to my sisters house. That road looked snow and ice covered with a suitable gleam. But we can deal with ten miles of not such good surface. At least the other 400 miles were fine. Except for St Louis there weren’t even that many cars certainly all people seemed to have driving instructions.

Because of snow predicted for yesterday we came home a day early. It was good to be home when we saw new snow on the drive yesterday morning and through the course of the day.

It was much warmer there and a lot less snow. It is interesting to come back to it. Somehow I tend to think that the whole world is just like it is where I am at the moment. Again it was the streets in town that were snow covered. After some additional snow yesterday they are still mostly covered.

I was so happy with my new boots, but no more. They leak even though they state that they are puddle proof. I walked almost a mile yesterday, they are great for walking. There was quite a lot of melting snow and by the time I was ready to come home I realized that one of my feet was wet. I am going to write to the company and let them know. The big puddles did not attract me. I avoided all that I could, but to no avail.

Leroy and I went to the Sherlock Holmes movie last night. It is nice to go, but I did not enjoy it a great deal. There was too much violence for me as well as too many decibels. What a wonderful thing if each patron could control the sound level. I suspect I would have cut it in half. My ears were ringing when I went out. The guy behind us said that he even turns off his hearing aid. Can this be good?

Paula

At Home

Hello,

Because of my fever last night and the new snow this morning we did not even talk about getting in the car. I have felt great all day and there was not much additional snow so we will head out early tomorrow morning, or as early as we can get around.

Leroy spent a good bit of time on the driveway and the sidewalk today. It even has some very clear spaces.

This afternoon we walked to the library only to learn that it was closed. We put our return books in the slot along with our donated empty oatmeal container. I love recycling things and especially when I believe that they can be used again in another way. On the way we remembered that we had wanted to stop at the hardware to get some ice melt since it was on sale and ours was all in use. Wouldn’t you know it the cheapest bags weighed 50 pounds? We maybe had .7 mile to walk home. We discussed the possibility of getting the 20 pound bag, but Leroy said, “I can do this I will just have to put it on my shoulder and go slow.”

When we checked out the owner said, “Are you walking home?” (We are known in this town as the walking people.)

“Yes,” Leroy said, “I will just take it on my shoulder and go slow, resting if I have to.”

“We came to the library and forgot when we left home that we needed this,” I added.

“I can drop this off after I close tonight,” the owner said.

Leroy considered and then reluctantly agreed. As the clerk was ringing up the sale, the owner added, “Add a delivery charge of $25.95.” Then he laughed. We had a conversation about how we could have brought a sled. Hind sight is great for the next time.

More treats came this afternoon from another neighbor. Here we thought we had eaten them all. But Leroy manfully dived right in. I did eat one cookie since it was oatmeal raisin. Those are my favorite and blessedly these did not seem as sweet as many that I have eaten.

Our doorbell just rang and the Ukrainian pastor brought a beautifully carved shelf as well as a 13.7 ounce box of chocolate. Pressed down and running over.

Paula

Christmas Day

Hello,

“Is that sleet blowing against the house or rain with a lot of wind behind it?” I wondered as I lay in bed.

At 6:00 Leroy got up and looked out the window announcing, “It snowed some. The sidewalk is covered.”

The TV was mined for its wisdom as was the Internet. It looked icy, but crunchy outside. At 7:15 we decided to head out on our 7-8 hour drive to my sister’s house.

After getting gas and navigating slippery streets we went out to the highway that was cleared much better. A bit of moisture was falling on the windshield. The wipers were only able to clear the part that was already warmed by the heater. After four miles it had not improved but gotten worse. “I vote for turning around, I can’t imagine it is really going to get better soon,” I said.

“I am not ready to stop yet,” Leroy said.

More ice on the window, less clear spots on the highway, and almost no traffic, convinced Leroy after one more mile. He turned around and drove cautiously home. Happiness was making it without incident.

I called an 80+ year old woman who had told us that if we were home we should come for dinner. She said, “Come right on over about noon.” The trip to her house was only a little more than two miles, but her back road and lane were liberally coated with ice. When we got there she told us that her dinner of six had now become a dinner for 12. That is hospitality.

Unfortunately in the middle of the afternoon I started to feel queasy. After we got home I chose a lightweight pan as my companion in case the nausea became more serious. Luckily that did not happen and now my abdomen feels better, but I have a slight fever. I am happy to be home.

We still might try to head south on Saturday (I don’t think that is going to happen now.) or Sunday because it is supposed to be a little better on Sunday. Then we will just stay a day longer on the other end and Leroy can work tomorrow instead. It will work out. I am grateful to be safe and warm with the furnace working.

Paula

Christmas 2009

May you have a Wonderful Christmas day with all your loved ones safe in God’s care.

Remember there are always new people to come to know and love. Some people that I have come to know and appreciate are the people in the community yoga group. They are an interesting group. For example one is an artist (so the paper said with paintings starting at $2000), an artist who works in cloth, a creative writing teacher, an art teacher, a writer, a herbalist and healer, a believer in UFO’s, a witch, a retired special ed. teacher, and then there is me. How would they define me if added to a list? I am not sure.

You may not know, but Leroy and I no longer get up at 5:30, waiting until 6:00. Are we getting old?

Almost everyday, as soon as he gets out of bed, Leroy exercises.

We no longer walk in the morning, but try to walk around town while doing errands. Yesterday Leroy walked six miles and I did 4.5 miles.

We think webcams are the best invention since telephones. One picture is worth a lot and our granddaughters know that pictures, books, and hello waves can be seen.

The weather can still change our lives so we must respect it.

My love affair with fruit continues. I consider the cupboard bare when the fruit is gone.

Leroy has much patience with me and little patience with repairing the faucet.

God Bless you in the New Year. You will be loved and cared for by God who often works through others so let them help.

Paula

Sweets Galore

Hello,
Leroy and I are no longer walking the straight and narrow when it comes to sweets. More have entered the house and I think they are multiplying on their own. Three of them can disappear in someone’s mouth in an instant. Good thing we are not hung up on alcohol, no discipline here.
I did take some pictures of the Christmas Cacti. They look better in person. But here is the website so you can take a peek. http://picasaweb.google.com/psbradway/Rose#
The first four are of a cactus that was my mother’s that is 25+ years old. It was shocked quite a bit when we moved it three years ago and has just now recovered. The older one that is on the floor does not get as much light so is not blooming as early or as profusely. It is 38 years old. Leroy and I got a slip the first Christmas that we were married so it is easy to keep track of the age. The basket is Slovak, as is the stand that the other is on. The stand was a gift from our Slovak teacher and we were able to being it home in our suitcase. A friend brought The basket to the US in their shipment since they had a little extra space.
The amaryllis bulbs are planted. The second pumpkin has been cooked and put into containers. For the time being it is residing in the refrigerator temperature garage. When we get the duck and chicken out of the freezer there will be room for the pumpkin. Good thing nature can help us.
The Christmas letter is waiting to be captured as it rolls around in my brain. Because I write so much all of the time I was hoping to do something more philosophical, but the thoughts are illusive and only occur when I am in the shower or walking across town.
Soon, soon, I will do this task.

Paula

time Flies

Hello,

Even though I have been awake since 5:00 and up since 6:00, I can’t say that I have accomplished much.

What did I do? Yoga and Tai Chi, read the newspaper, read devotions with Leroy while eating some more sweet things, went to the library, and three stores, visited with people in all establishments (we really have been here a long time since that is happening), did a Sudoku puzzle, made lunch, and washed dishes. The real problem is that nothing but the yoga and library were on the “to do” list.

Maybe tomorrow will be the magic day when I actually get a Christmas letter finished and repot my amaryllis bulbs.

We are fussing a little because we plan to travel into Illinois on Christmas day and the forecast is not the best. Actually if predictions are accurate Christmas Eve will be a wild weather time.

I wish you could see my Christmas cacti they are both as beautiful as they have ever been. They should be in a public place so many people could enjoy them.

My boots are noticed and complimented. That is fun. I do find them to be very good for walking in the snow. I have slipped once, but only once so that is good too.

Leroy is working on his stamps with a seriousness that he has not shown in some time. Stephen gave him some stamps and that piqued his interest. So now he has purchased some more things, but I really do not know what they are.

Leroy tells me that he is ready for winter to be gone so he can ride his bike. Winter has just arrived. Course after tomorrow the days will get longer.

Paula

Christmas is coming

Hello,

No Christmas cards are done, most presents are purchased, no krumkaka is baked, pumpkin bread has been made and distributed to the neighbors, the tree is up, decorations are up (But not just right, unfortunately we can’t figure out how to make them better. Just what did we do last year when everything seemed perfect?), three candles lit on the advent wreath, and there is snow on the ground.

More blessing come to our door. Someone gave us three rather large pumpkins. Leroy and I cleaned one, cut it, cooked it, cleaned seeds, fried seeds, froze some ten cups of the pulp, and made three loaves of pumpkin bread. This was the small pumpkin, who can guess how much bounty is in the other two. We will certainly get our fill of vitamin A. It will be a bit later before we tackle the others as our freezer is small.

I am accompanying four songs for the Sunday school Christmas program. I have been out of town when they practiced. Since they are familiar carols, I am not nervous, but I just hope they know when my intro is finished. Life is always interesting. Even though it is not required I am playing a postlude because it is a favorite of mine. It is a noel by D’Aquine. Darn, I can’t remember how to spell the name of this French organ composer. I have only practiced it the last three days. Because I have not played it for probably ten years I am skipping the hardest middle section. Do you think anyone will notice? Will anyone listen anyway? Usually there is much talk and a fast exit from church.

My granddaughters like to help Granny “fix” her face. I have pictures of Sophia helping to put caps on this and that. Earlier, while in Kenya, I had taken some pictures of Lexi checking out my equipment. If you would like to see them both, here is the link.

Paula
http://picasaweb.google.com/psbradway/SophiaDec2009#

Health and Plants

Hello,

The person scheduling my mammogram asked, “Do you still have both of your breasts?” Feeling slightly shocked, I realized that of course that could be answered with “no”. With a pang of guilt for taking health for granted, I breathed a prayer of thanks for my health and for the people I know who have just one breast, but live with joy and appreciation.

Yesterday the Dr. did comment that I did not take many medicines, in fact it is just one. I am thankful for that too.

Leroy and I are both going to get the H1N1 flu shot if we do not have to wait in line for a very long time. We are both sure there is a good chance that we will not get the flu. We can walk the mile so get some exercise in the process.

Sunny warmth has come to us, but I am still dressing as if it were cold. I do not want to be caught without needed protection.

The two Christmas cacti are blooming. One is as covered as it is possible to be. What blessing! Then the Wandering Jew that lives in a vase filled with water is also blooming.

Leroy says, “We now have the upstairs conservatory.” The computer room has eight plants and the writing room has nine with one additional plant in the spare bedroom. We moved some plants up because a Christmas tree took up residence in the living room. Downstairs two plants are in the kitchen and four are left in the living room. Then there are the three half dead plants in the basement that were brought in from outdoors. They did not look very good when I left for Minnesota, and Leroy tells me that he did not water them. Would you believe that there are also five amaryllis bulbs not yet replanted? I guess I am waiting for others plants to stop blooming. Or maybe I just don’t want to do it. I like dealing with dirt, but not inside and outside is no longer an option.

Paula

shoveled snow

Hello,
Leroy managed to finish shoveling the snow before I came home. He did the drive as well as the sidewalk. Because there are kids who walk to school we like to be sure to get the sidewalk done. Today I looked out to see three kids come up the side walk and then they proceeded to walk on the snow beside the shoveled walk. The same route was chosen when they went home. When they crossed the street they did the same thing. Oh well we tried.
Unlike the students, I walk in every cleared spot that I see, be it on the sidewalk or in the street. I do watch to see that there are no cars that want to occupy the same space at the same time that I want it.
My will power it great if there is nothing around to tempt me. Our new neighbors brought over a plate of candy. I have been fairly good about not eating it all, but it calls my name if I listen carefully. We each only eat one piece a day. So it will be ok.
I had a physical today and my blood pressure is great. Could it have been because I just came from doing yoga and tai chi?
Maybe tomorrow I will walk downtown to get the H1N1 flu shot. I got the regular flu shot today. Generally I do not get the flu, but one never knows now that I am older. It seems to me that Leroy should get that for sure.
The temperatures might be colder in Minnesota, but it can still feel very cold here in southern Iowa. My cheeks hurt by the time I had walked a mile.
Paula

Getting to the bus

Hello,

Brian and I agreed on the time that we would need to leave the house to get me to the bus station at my desired time. Thinking about getting up, I heard Brian go out to walk the dog. Then the dog came in but Brian did not instead a machine roared to life. “Did it snow?” I wondered.

Later Brian reported that he thought it was about three inches deep. We had breakfast, got ready, and got in the car. The small streets had not been plowed yet. The interstate was semi snow covered. Luckily traffic was cautious, but unluckily slow. After a bit Brian commented, “I am not sure that we will get to the station on time.”

It seemed rather likely when we inched our way from one freeway to the other. Ten minutes were required for just that maneuver. After a bit traffic was moving faster. When we were on the downtown streets we had just seven minutes to go. Unluckily we stopped at a red light that was particularly long as it segued through several possibilities for movement from other cars. As we drove to the station I could see buses lined up with four minutes to departure time.

“The bus is still there,” I said as I unbuckled my seatbelt and grabbed the bag that had my book and snacks. Brian got my other small suitcase out of the trunk. I snatched it out of his hand said good bye with hugs. Did not say goodbye to Sophia and dashed into the building.

There was not much business this morning and I joined four other people on the bus. They waited a while for one more person to get on. As the bus was leaving someone else came. The bus stopped to let them on. We crawled out of town so we were thirty minutes late the entire trip. The road was not good much of the way with strong winds so we did not make up any time.
After I was gone, Sophia asked Brian, “Why did Granny have to go?”

“Grandpa was lonely so Granny went to be with him,” Brian told her.

Later Sophia said, “I don’t like Grandpa.”

“Why not?” Brian wanted to know.

“Because Grandpa is lonely,” she told him.

Ah, jealous of grandpa.

Paula

Packing

Hello,

Brian and Jen came home last night as planned. When I put Sophia to bed and told her they would be there in the morning I hoped there would be no screw up in those plans. I do not like the idea of telling a child one thing and another materializes.

Sophia smiled a lot and gave hugs when she saw them. It was great to see the joy.

I will now try to get my clothes back into the suitcase. I am wondering how I did it as it was small and tight. Winter and summer clothes do not take the same amount of room.

The plan is for Leroy to pick me up in Des Moines, but now he tells me that freezing rain is predicted. Wondering what I will do if he cannot make it. At least I know some people there who might be able to help me.

Hopefully I will be home the next time I write.

Paula

In Minnesota

Hello,

Jen’s mom came to visit today. She graciously brought lunch and a snack. We had a nice visit. Sophia went to bed for her nap when Maxine left. It is now an hour later and I can hear her still talking downstairs. It is hard to know how long that should go on. She is not crying, but it seems like a long time to stay in bed not sleeping.

Sophia was restless in bed last night. She spent quite a bit of time awake and talking. I covered her once. The second time I went in she wanted me to hold her so I sat and rocked her until I got cold. Seems to me that mom and dad do not do this, but I asked if she wanted to come to bed with me. She said yes and I think she fell asleep about a minute later and stayed asleep until long after the usual time that she gets up.

Oh dear, I have ruined her sleep pattern.

I am happy that I can now tell Sophia that her parents will be back tomorrow. I think she is missing them. She wanted to look at their pictures on my photo album on the computer. They should come home in the night and then see Sophia in the morning. I expect it to be a happy reunion.

I did take advantage when Maxine was here to go for a walk with Cloe. That dog does not like to poop in the yard. She pulled me to the park and went there, but on the way home she went again. Luckily I had taken two bags. Before I could get the bag tied up the second time I realized she had to go again. Would you believe three times on the way home? Luckily the second bag was the larger bag so it could hold more.

Paula

Learning, Learning

Hello,

Last night internet connection disappeared. Brian has WI-FI and I know nothing abut that so I just turned off the computer. I usually turn on the outside light when I put out Cloe (dog) for her final potty trip of the night, but there was no light. “Must have burned out,” I thought, “Brian can take care of that when he comes home.”

When I got up I realized that there was no nightlight outside the laundry area. “Maybe it is a fuse,” I thought, “I am glad Brian showed me where the fuse box is.”

All fuses seemed ok. He said there was an additional box in the garage. “Hope the garage door opener works,” I thought, “If not, Sophia and I will just have to stay home today. And I am so grateful the heat is warming us.”

Garage door works, garage fuse box found, but lights still not on.

“How can I survive without internet?” I wondered.

I figured out that I could stretch the cord from the outlet to a live outlet and I am now wired with the rest of the world. Yeah!

I am going to pick up the repaired vacuum and work away this afternoon. The house is not so dirty, but dog hair abounds. Good thing Leroy is not here he would have a fit about the hair.

Sophia stated that we should take Mommy’s car. I will have to say it handles much better on the snow. I will still take Brian’s to get the vacuum since they are soon replacing that car. I would not want to have any accident with the keeper car.

Paula

Babysitting II

Hello,

Time flies when you are playing around. Sophia and I have spent a good bit of time building towers, reading books, hiding, dancing, singing, and running around. And today she went to daycare.

I might say that I could lose some weight, but Brian left so much good food that I am eating for two because it is tasty. The stars are squash soup and lasagna. Not necessarily eaten at the same meal.

It was quite cold this morning with about 3-5 inches of snow on the ground. I went out at 5:30 to start shoveling before Sophia woke. Because of the wicked wind I was not able to stay out more than 15-20 minutes before my cheeks felt frozen. I was able to drive the car out even though the snow plow had gone and piled up more snow. The streets were slippery so I slide at the bottom of the hill and it was a bit hard to get up the hill on the return.

Because of that I cancelled plans to meet friends for lunch. It seemed that an accident of any type would really make it difficult since I was here alone.

I managed to finish clearing the snow off the drive by small increments, plus a neighbor with a snow blower did about one fourth of it. Then I realized that the dog was not moving beyond the door when I would put her out. I shoveled a short path for her too. She was quite happy to go potty on that, but had to jump over her excrement since I did not make the path in a circle. I am learning too. Maybe tomorrow I can make a proper circle so she can walk on.

Paula

Babysitting

Hello,

Leroy is home complaining about weakness and an intestinal track that does not feel right. At least it is no longer speedily rejecting everything that passes through. He tells me that the driveway is full of three inches of snow with more on the way. I suggested he try to hire the neighbor to use his snow blower on it. It seems to me that could work.

I am in Minnesota with two-year-old granddaughter, Sophia. Her parents have flown off to enjoy a 10th wedding anniversary holiday. In the afternoon that I came, Sophia was running a slight temp. Yesterday it was a little more so we were off to instant care since it was Sunday. The Dr. declared that it seemed most like the common cold.

Last night Sophia did not cry, but talked in her bed. I went in several times to cover her and feel that she was hot. Should I wake her parents and suggest we go back to the Dr.? Should I give her fever reducer? These are not easy questions to answer. I felt that Brian and Jen might cancel their trip if I woke them, but if Sophia were seriously ill I would want to do that. Finally at one in the morning I gave her the medicine. She went to sleep about half an hour later. Finally I drifted off as well.

I heard her parents leave at 3:30 a.m. I then woke up at 6:30 to find that Sophia was still asleep. She finally woke up at 7:30 and appeared to be quite fine. I was pleased to note that she did not act bothered that I was getting her out of bed instead of her parents.

She did ask, “Where is Daddy?”

“He’s on an airplane,” I told her.

“With my mommy,” she replied grinning.

Before she took her nap she told me, “My daddy will get me up.”

“Not today, but Sunday,” I told her realizing that she did not have a clue when Sunday would come to be.

At least today she has had no fever that I can tell. This evening it might come back, but I believe it is just a cold. She has not sneezed so much today.

Responsibilites! Even their dog is subdued. She did not beg me to take her for a walk.

Paula

Perfect

Hello,

The day was balmy, breezy, and sunny. It was time to check for the last flowers to be gathered before the frost the next morning. Still blooming were some geraniums, alyssum, petunias, Gerber daisies, begonias, mums, and the odd begonia that was tucked in closer to the house. The lone rose bush also had an almost finished blossom. There was a bud on a long stem before we went to Minnesota, but it was gone when we came back. It appeared to be ripped off. Could something have eaten it? Then I noticed another long stem that disappeared into the clematis. Working gingerly I got it out to see the most perfect rose bud. It was just open a little. What gifts and treasures there are to found hiding!

Yesterday I lifted weights. Seven and a half pounds was a lot even thought when I lifted the last time three months ago I had thought about moving up a level. Where did the strength go? All to flab! Now I must work to regain my former physic.

Yoga has taken over. Three times a week almost always keeps me supple, but perhaps not as strong in some areas of the body. I still walk, but have mostly dropped to three miles per day. I think with winter coming I will have to keep pushing myself as I did not enjoy it in the wind with 29 degree temps. At least coming home was better than going since I was going south with the wind at my back.

Leroy and I found some hedge balls in a park. I insisted that we carry them 1.4 miles homes so we could give them to the kids for Christmas. Here they put those in their homes believing that spiders leave since they do not like them. These hedge balls were quite large and both Leroy and I became tired before we were done with the walk. But it was worth it to see the bemused expressions on the in-laws faces as they opened them. I was surprised to learn that only Brian knew what they were. By the way you can even buy them in the store here at the great rate of 3 for a dollar. However ours were so much larger that they surely would have fetched a higher price of perhaps even 2 for a dollar.

Paula

If you would like to look at the rose, hedge ball, and advent wreath that is included because I am so pleased with it. I also think of the wreaths that we would purchase in the market in Bratislava and feel nostalgic.
Go to this web address.

http://picasaweb.google.com/psbradway/Rose#

Car Keys and Phone Lost

Hello,

Just a half hour before packing up to go home from the Thanksgiving visit at Brian’s house; I looked for my car keys. They were not in their usual place in my purse, not in the entire purse either. Searching it all was necessary just in case I had put them in the unaccustomed place. Next I searched my coat pockets. At least here I had brought only one coat. No keys. No keys were in my jean pockets. Next it was on to the small suitcase pockets. Where could they be?

I asked Sarah if she had seen them, but no and there was not a lot of time to look since we must take them to the airport soon. “Surely keys even with keyless entry can be replaced,” I commented to Leroy.

Before we left I had enough time to dump everything out of my purse, search the suitcase, look around the house, and feel disgusted with myself.

Brian returned from taking Miriam’s family to the airport so I told him to keep an eye out for any key that did not fit their car. At least Leroy could find his keys so we left.

Every time we I had to wait for Leroy to open the door for me. It certainly took some extra thinking once in a while as we went to some stores in Des Moines on the way home.

Then after stopping at a rest area, I could not find my phone. “What is happening? Am I becoming senile and unable to keep track of my things all in one day?” I wailed.

When we stopped again, I searched more in the car and found my phone where it had fallen out of my purse. That was good.

At home I instructed Leroy who was emptying the suitcase, “Search everywhere in there for my keys.”

He did not find them, but I did when I got out my sweatpants. I had put them in the pocket for safekeeping. It was safe from me.

Paula

blessings

Hello,

At 8:00 last night, Leroy and I had been home for about six hours. All travel things were put away and Leroy was upstairs doing who knows what in the office, while I was putting away the odd item in the kitchen. Bang, bang, bang. “What is Leroy doing?” I wondered.

Bang, bang, bang. “That is closer. Someone must be at the door,” I thought. In the porch light the Ukrainian pastor could be seen with a rather large bag in his arms.

“Tomorrow we aren’t having the Thanksgiving meal at the church,” he said handing me the bag, “so I brought you some food. We are sorry that we will not be able to be there.”

The bag contained a large round tray that held a bit less than half a Slovak looking cake, almost a foot long two to three inch in diameter sausage, and a bowl filled with cabbage rolls. Unexpected blessings pressed down and running over!

This season will be a tempting one as from the small church Leroy brought home cream puffs the size of a half dollar. I have great resistance skills in the store, but none at all when it is in the house. Sigh!

Also on the food front, Brian sent home some delicious squash soup. What a vacation! Tomorrow meal preparation will start again.

The desktop picture on the computer is a picture of the four little girls in the bathtub. Three noses, five eyes, five ears, four heads seen mostly from the top, eight arms, eight legs, and some of four torsos are visible. Group pictures of the under three crowd are not a simple affair. It is especially true when there are other more interesting things to be doing than looking up at a camera.

Paula

Victim

Hello,

Yesterday I was talking to Brian and Sophia on the webcam when a message came from Sonya. There was a girl from Slovakia called Sonya. Thinking it was her, I wrote back and said Hi, but I was talking to my son. I assumed that would be the end of that, but then a reply came, indicating that she wanted to talk. Using more clear language I reported that it was not a good time for me and I would get back later. Next came a message from her stating that she wanted to start the webcam and we could get naked together. I then told Brian about it and he told me how to delete this person since I now know that it is not my friend. Email addresses are not always a clear signal of who you might be talking with.

The strange part about it is that I felt violated even though nothing had really happened. Being a victim is a strange position to be in. There was even a bit of an edge that I might have caused it and I was disgusted with myself that I was careless about letting this person get on my network. At least I learned how to quickly delete someone from the list. Experience is a good teacher.

Today is the day to make cinnamon rolls, saffron buns, and granola. Because I put mashed potatoes in the cinnamon dough I was up at 6:00 this morning peeling potatoes. Nice way to start the day. One thing about yeast breads they do not require constant care so that is helpful when doing more things at the same time.

Tomorrow morning Leroy and I will get up at 4:00 and hopefully start traveling at 4:15 so we can pick up Sarah, Stephen, and Lexi at the airport at 9:55 or a bit later. It is just right at six hours of driving according to map quest and I know that I must make one or two stops hence the extra half hour of travel time.

Leroy visited someone at the hospital. On the way home he stopped at a store and bought himself a tool box. He is happy. I guess that is Christmas.
Paula

Nature abounds

Hello,

The day was beautiful so a longer walk was in order. Suddenly there was a cackling of crows that grew louder and more forceful. Then they could be seen flying, however the front bird was not a crow, but appeared to be an owl. The owl settled near the top of a fir tree with its back to me. Even changing my position and getting closer did not give me a good look at it so I started to walk past the tree. Just then a rabbit darted across the lawn. The bird swooped down on it as it ran around the house.

“Oh I hope that bunny got away,” a voice said.

“I don’t know,” I replied as I walked to the side of the house.

“The hawk is in the tree, but he has no bunny,” I told her.

“That is good,” she said. I had been thinking that is one way to get rid of some of the large rabbit population.

She must have seen some of that on my face because she went on, “I watch those nature programs and I know about the cycles in nature, but nobody wants the predators to win.”

“Um,” was all I said to that. Maybe it is the farm girl coming through, but the thought was, isn’t man the biggest predator. Seems to be the same whether it is in the grass or the grocery store, something is killed and eaten. Separating it from the body and putting it in plastic does not change the facts.

Speaking of which, the Ukrainian pastor dropped off a duck and a chicken last night. It is interesting that the duck is bigger than the chicken if I have identified them correctly. I will have to think of something to give them in return. Perhaps some cinnamon rolls would be welcome.

Paula

Walking in the dark

Hello,

Women have a bible study on Thursday night. The meetings are in homes. I left the house with confidence since I had gone last week to find my hostess in her housecoat and clearly not expecting anyone. Oops! I was a week early.

The evening was cool, but calm so walking was a great mode of transportation. With my blinking armband I was clearly visible to the drivers when I had to walk on the street. Sidewalk is not everywhere and some places it is so cracked that walking on it is hazardous. There were no trains consequently it was easy to get to the other side of town. Walking past the park I remembered that the sidewalk ended up ahead with a little dip. No street lights illuminated this area so I thrust my foot out a good distance before I let it down in the grass. Water rushed over my shoe and licked at the back of my jean leg. Leaping on I got to the other side without immersing the other foot.

“Grumble, grumble,” I said to myself, but then I realized that I was lucky it was not 30 degrees. Even though I still had perhaps half a mile to walk it was not totally uncomfortable. Besides wool socks help to wick moisture away from the skin. My hostess put my shoe and my sock on the register. She also loaned me her slippers. Looking at her tiny feet before she brought them, I said, “I have big feet.”

“These are big slippers,” she assured me.

My big is bigger than her big. They were small slippers, but I managed to put my foot in so it was not so cold.

We will go to Brian’s house on Wednesday to celebrate Thanksgiving. At that time we will give the kids gifts. We are almost done with those purchases. There are even a few surprises in there. One I had no intention of giving them until today. Leroy is not so sure it is a good idea. I will tell you later what the reaction is.

Paula

cleaning

Hello,

How many “just in case we might need it” shoelaces do we need? Because of a broken lace, Leroy looked for a replacement that he found along with innumerable others. Some were new and pristine in the package and some had obviously had a period of service. Leroy was just ready to shove them back in the shoe box storage when I intervened.

“I will sort them if you leave them out.” I said.

Well it took a while to get the job done, but I did it. Some where thrown out, pairs were bundled together, and singles gathered and tied loosely so it was not such a tangled mess. Leroy wanted to throw out some more, but I would not let him since I had made them into such a neat pile.

There was also shoe polish, watches (Leroy’s), glasses cases (Leroy’s), and locks for suitcases. The locks were for back in the old days when we very carefully locked every suitcase, just in case.

While I was on a roll I tackled Leroy’s closet. Leroy has some sweaters that he complains about all the time since they are too large. After looking at those he got rid of all three of them plus two sweatshirts, one that he did not like and one that is worn at the sleeve ends. I call this a productive day.

Leroy cleaned the faucet knobs in the bathrooms and the kitchen. I am so pleased whenever I look at them. I had had no idea they were dirty. Amazing how some dirt can blend in with the item.

Paula

Drying clothes

Hello,

Because it was raining it was a treat to dry clothes in the dryer. They do come out lint free and fluffier than on the line. It is also less work and for me means fewer trips up and down the stairs to the basement. Wait! I think it is the same number of trips on the steps because after I put them in the dryer I have to go back down to check them or get them out.

I still like seeing the wind whipping them horizontal, but a change is nice sometimes.

I do have a clothes rack in the basement, but do not use it much since it is a bit damp down there and it takes a long time for them to dry. I miss the radiator heat in Slovakia where I could put the clothes and get moisture in the air as they dried.

Last night Leroy visited some people and reported when he came home, “I hit a skunk just after another car had killed it. The outside of the car smells.”

“Just the outside?” I wanted to know.

“I did not notice it so much, but the garage is stinky now,” he said.

When putting out some garbage it was indeed quite filled with aroma even though the car was gone. The side door is now open to create a flow of ventilation.

I will have to get in the car to see if Leroy is accurate in his relation of the facts.

Paula

Roses, geraniums, marigolds, dianthus, and daisies are still blooming. So lovely.

Money Matters

Hello,

I have spent much of my life not spending money or at least spending it very carefully. Now that I am approaching an older age I have become much more carefree in the spending area. Don’t believe that as it is only true in certain instances and on certain days.

Shoe buying is something that I detest because I have such large feet that my choices have often been limited or maybe even not really existing. Hiding my feet under my desk at school partially hid the evidence, but there was no hope in the shoe store. Back in those days trying on shoes with a clerk is the only way I remember it happening. On one occasion my feet were larger than children’s shoes. Girls, however, did not wear women’s shoes. There were only two pairs in the store that fit me and I did not like either one. In disgust the salesman went over to another clerk and said loudly, “You take her and can’t do a thing with her.”
The rest of the incident is blocked from my mind. I suspect that I chose one of the pairs that I did not like just to get out of there. We lived about 40-50 miles from Dubuque and shopping was a big trip only done once in a while.

No longer is it necessary to face a person sizing my feet. When we visit Brian I go to a shoe store in their area that has many sizes and a great bargain room. I now spend more money on shoes and have gotten some that actually fit me and feel good on my feet. I suspect that should have been happening for years as I have developed some painful areas in my toes.

Going on to another money matter, I mentioned to Leroy that I was sorry that I had never gotten the accompaniment ed. of the With One Voice hymnal. Leroy promptly looked online to learn the cost as surely someone would be selling it. New it is selling for $37.50 and used it is selling for $114 up to $238.47. Does that make any sense?

Paula

Working on the plane

Hello,

On the way home from Salt Lake we got settled on the plane in Denver to begin the last part of the trip. Looking out the window two guys could be seen by the wheels. Then it was clear that one wheel had been removed. They then put on a new wheel complete with much better tread than the remaining tire.
After a while the pilot announced that we would be going as soon as they changed the tire and brought up the paperwork to be completed. In the mean time they even let someone else on the plane as we waited. What a deal for them since they had come in on a connecting flight. We must have made up 25 minutes in the air because we landed almost on time.

When the plane touches down the wheels move up quite a ways before there is any bump. Again new learning abounds. Landing was beautiful as the trees close to the airport appeared to be in their prime display. It is a gift. The best things in life are free, but do we believe that? Some days, yes.

On the road four deer were silhouetted against the sky as they moved from one side to the other. Beautiful sight again.

That was almost a month ago and our rain gauge had five inches of water in it. Now it has been dry enough that much of the harvesting is finished. So farmers can relax a bit.

Tonight we go to the high school play, Joseph and the Technicolor Dream Coat. Local entertainment can be good.

Paula

First Day home

Hello,

I am not sure how it happens, but first day home is always busy. We saw a beautiful sunrise and then things went downhill.

Leroy had started the oatmeal water, but had gone in the living room to look at the paper. I walked past the water boiling on the stove and commented, “It is boiling away.”

Leroy became upset as he felt I was criticizing him. Then we had a rather long involved discussion of what all this meant. I am not sure that I felt so critical, but maybe I am not honest with myself. After all I like to look good to the rest of the world. At the end of the discussion Leroy said, “I feel that this has just fouled up the air.”

How different we are because I see it as keeping it from festering if we don’t talk about it. Amazing, it is that we can have a totally opposite take on the same situation. Course, we both think we are right and that is where the real trouble lies.

Besides this start to the day I washed and hung out two loads of clothes that the wind whipped and fluffed nicely. Then it was on to making a batch of bread some of which turned into pizza crust.

Before the laundry there was yoga and t’ai chi. I feel better for getting that stretching and movement done.

There was a trip to the library and the grocery store to fortify me as well.

A fern that was dripping leaves got moved to a bedroom with no carpeting, but I just read that they can be put in the basement for the winter without harming them. I might do that as these constantly falling leaves could send me to the funny farm.

Paula

In Minnesota

Hello,

Leroy is taking a continuing ed. class and I am visiting, kissing, hugging, giggling with, and chasing Sophia around. Sometimes I even talk to Brian and Jen just to let them know that I think they are ok too.

Our trip up was beautiful and uneventful except for the 15 dead deer deteriorating along side the road. We felt a little less comfortable driving 70 mph as the sun got lower in the sky. What could it be like to hit a deer at that speed? Perhaps it would be a bit jarring.

Brian is home today so we made ravioli and froze it for Thanksgiving when the rest of the family will be here. On the day we decide to have it we just need to make the sauce and boil the squares. The pieces are not really square, but oblong and whatever we could manage. All home made and not machine cut.

It is a beautiful warm day again today even in the north country. Brian has a portable burn pit so we had a fire last night in the yard. It was quite nice.

On Saturday morning Leroy and I went to the state park and the fire in the morning is not so nice with the sun lightening the sky as the fire that glows in the dark.

Leroy’s class is learning about the new generation and how to appeal to them. Do you think he can jump the generation gap or is it two or three gaps by now?

Paula

Another Airplane Incident

Hello,

We changed planes in Denver on our way to Salt Lake. Everything was fine, but then as we got in line to take off there was a little beep. The guy sitting next to Leroy had something in his hands. Could he be playing games even though the announcement had come that all electronics were to be turned off? Soon there was another beep and the phone was clearly visible.

Do you suppose it really makes that much difference? A guy sitting across the aisle told him to turn it off.

“It is none of your business,” the game player said as he continued.
They exchanged a few more heated words when the guy across the aisle called the flight attendant who was already seated and buckled up for take off. We were about third in line.

“If this is a real emergency,” she announced over the speaker, “press the button again.”

The button was pressed again and the attendant rapidly came back to us.

“What is the problem?” she asked.

“He is still playing games,” our reported said.

“That is not a real emergency when we are ready to take off. A heart attack or some other serious health issue is,” she said tersely as she turned to the game player who had slipped his phone into the seat pocket, “It should be turned off

She went back up and sat down, announcing that, “It is FFA regulations that all electronic equipment must be turned off for take off and landing.”

After that our game player put his head back, closed his eyes and appeared to be sleeping for the rest of the flight.

Paula

Salt Lake trip

Hello,

Even though it was almost three weeks ago I still want to tell you some of the highlights of our trip to SLC. We drove to the Omaha airport in the dark. It was an easy trip with no deer fighting for the same spot in the universe. The car went to the cheap long term lot with no trouble. The shuttle was there before all of the two carry-on bags were out of the car.

At the security check the guys were looking at, pointing at the screen, and talking about my bag as it went through the scan.

“We have to get someone over here,” one of them said.

When the third guy came he also looked than asked me as I was standing there waiting, “Is this your bag?”

“Yes,” I responded.

“Did you pack any sharp objects?” he asked.

I started reviewing contents in my mind. I had a lot of old Barbie dolls and clothes in there. Did Barbie have a sword, sharp leg, sharp toe, or something like that?
“You did pack this bag?” he asked a bit more sternly.

“Yes, but I can’t think of anything besides Barbie things.” I mused.

“We will have to look in it,” he firmly stated.

The bag was pulled aside to another table, unzipped, and out came a ten inch cucumber in a plastic bag.

“Oh it is a cucumber,” he said in relief.

“Yes it was the last one in the garden and I could not leave it there,” I said as I took my bag back. “I had been afraid that it might have too much water in it, but did not see it as sharp.”

“It was really the length and shape that fooled us,” he said with a grin.

Paula

More on Leroy's health numbers

Hello,

Leroy got the rest of his blood work report. Two or three things were low, but we do not even know what the initials stand for so we think he is just ok. We did look up one thing that was the low sodium and the suggestion was that he had drunk too much water. He does drink a lot of water so it could easily be true. We can all be reduced to a list of chemicals. Amazing how it all goes together to make someone as interesting as Leroy.

On my errand run to the library I noticed that a store had out some summer things with the sign stating 90% off. That grabbed my attention. There were some Capri pants in a light blue and others in tan. There were also shorts in sizes that might fit Leroy. I took some of the pants for me and asked if I could try them on.

“Yes but the only place is in the bathroom,” she said and then added, “They are only a penny so it does not matter too much.”

“Are you sure?” I asked, “I thought they would be a dollar.”

They fit me ok though a little big, but I like things bigger rather than small, especially for working around the house. So I got two of them one of each color and took a pair of the shorts that I figured was closest to Leroy’s size. As I was starting to check out I asked, “If these do not fit my husband can I bring them back?”

“Sure,” she said.

So I got two pair of shorts for Leroy thinking one will fit. My bill for all four was 4 cents. Can you believe it? The smaller pair fits Leroy, but I will just keep the other and we will see if it fits Brian as the son-in-laws are probably smaller than Leroy.

Pressed down and running over.

Paula

Leroy's health numbers

Hello,

I was pleased with my cholesterol, but Leroy beats me platelets down. His total dropped from 188 to 154. His LDL dropped from 133 to 92. His Triglycerides are still higher than mine, but at the drop from 101 to 68 they are very good.

Why did this happen? Is it the vinegar and honey? Cutting cheese consumption in half? Exercising more by riding the bike so much? This is not a very scientific study since we made more than one change at a time. But we are glad that something has helped. Leroy and I have both lost a little bit of weight too.

One more detail from the Washington trip. We went to a baseball game. Now I have not been to a game in at least ten years and that was in Moorhead to some type of more local team. This was the Nationals (I hope I got that name correct.) at their stadium. Part of the deal with going to games is all of the extras such as food, music, visiting, and flashing scoreboards. The game may even be secondary to all of the rest.

Even getting to the game was an adventure. We drove to a large free parking lot outside of a stadium. Silly me, I thought we had arrived. Instead we got on a free bus and drove on to another location from which we walked about five minutes to the stadium. Not so much parking available by this stadium hence the need to bus people.
Even at 61 years old I can learn a lot, but do I want to learn it all, probably not. Ignorance can be bliss. However, I do actually enjoy baseball because I know the rules, but I can not imagine spending much time watching it, especially when it is on TV.

Paula

DC Neighborhood

Hello,

Even in the short time that I was at the new house in DC I met some of the neighbors. They all were very friendly and welcoming. One of the guys has the same first and last name. What is the world coming to? Neighbors talking to neighbors? In the big city?

For my return trip, Sarah and Stephen dropped me off at the Metro stop close to their home. They were on their way to church so it was a bit early, but that did not bother me since I like early better than late especially when catching planes.
The escalator was not working at that spot, but a friendly Metro employee told me I could go across the street and go down there. That worked out just fine. At the level where I paid to get in I asked the attendant which side I needed. I am now into asking if there is the slightest doubt. When I got down there I saw that a train was coming in five minutes, but not the one I wanted. In fact there were none listed that I wanted. Hopefully a time would appear. After a while another train for the line I did not want was listed in 20 minutes. Then it said there was a problem on a track. What to do? No phone to reach anyone, but I still had about 40 minutes extra surely something would work out in that time. Fifteen minutes later it flashed up that my train was due in two minutes. It was there in just two minutes. I hopped on, sat so I could see the map, and settled back for my fairly long ride.

It was going just as it should with no trouble finding my way around the airport. A long walk was nice since I would be waiting quite a while.

Checking in this time was a bit less stress since I was flying NW. I simply went to the elite check-in kiosk and it told that I could check in two bags free. Since I only had one to check in I was in great shape. Someone had left a copy of the Sunday Comics on a seat and I pounce on it happy to read something that might make me laugh.

I had never ridden first class before so it was a treat to experience that. The seat was bigger, there was more food for snacks, and a bottle of water was already at my seat. Maybe I could get used to this.

Paula

My Phone

Hello,

Last month when I was in DC two-year-old Lexi wanted to use my phone. That was ok much of the time as she just listened. At one point I told her no and she threw it in the toilet. Sarah yelled and snatched it out, but not before it got quite wet. After some inquires we learned that you can take the sim card out, as well as the battery and put it all in uncooked rice over night. It may have been dry in the morning, but a light only flashed on the screen a few seconds before it went dark again. I was not able to get a new phone before I came home.

It feels so uncomfortable to fly without a phone. How did people manage in the old days? It was necessary to trust Leroy to be at the airport at the appointed time. Hopefully he would not have to wait too long. I picked up my bag and waited outside, no Leroy. Finally I asked a women standing close by if I could have her call Leroy. Luckily I keep all these numbers in my calendar. People are so generous if you just ask, but I keep forgetting that.

Once home I did not go right away to buy another phone since the store had a senior day on Thursday and this was Sunday after all. I do not use the phone much around town so waiting was not a problem. Regretfully I learned on Thursday that the phones were not subject to the 15% off so the wait was not necessary.
The man at the phone company, Tracfone, told me that it could take 72 hours for activation, something to do with the fact that my old phone would not work and that I now lived in a different place.

By Sunday night there was still no service. I hate to call for most anything so excuses came easy, maybe they meant 72 hours of working days. By Wednesday evening there was still no service so further procrastination made no sense even to the phone shy person. The man that day told me that it was because of changing towers, but if I had no service in 24 hours to call back.

No service so I must again make a call. The woman this time told me that I could just keep my service with the same tower since it was not so far away. She then helped me manually get started. It took many codes of about 15 numbers to get this done. Because she gave the numbers as single units and not double digits such as 27 which I could easily make 72 we got the job done. I am not sure why, but they seem not to have a record of how many minutes I had left on my service. I did remember that it was close to 170. I also had the bill from the last time I added time so I knew that I had purchased through August 2010. She then put in the time and somehow it turned into 340 minutes. When I told her about that she said, “That is ok.” After that she said I will give you until 11 on the length of service. I thought she was talking about 11 as the month of November instead I now have service through September 2011. That is so great since I do not use my phone much therefore I will possibly not buy any more minutes before then. What looked like a negative turned into a positive. Plus I like this phone so much better than my former phone.

Paula

That Locksmith

Hello,

When I was in Washington a month ago I had the responsibility of greeting, passing on instructions, inspecting, and paying the locksmith and the electrician.
When the locksmith was finished I checked the locks to be sure that I could indeed open the doors with the keys that he gave me. Then it was time to pay him. Credit card was not an option. My debit card would work, but where was an ATM? The friendly locksmith checks the Internet on his phone and tells me, “There is one about two minutes away.”

“Is that walking or riding?” I want to know.

“Riding,” he said and seeing my hesitation he added, “I can drive you there. It will be no problem.”

Now do you think it is a good idea to leave the house and all the possessions with the electrician?

“Ok,” I said since I could think of no other option to pay this bill.
Before I could get in the car the seat needed to be cleared of assorted items. I got in and noted that it was dirtier than our car has ever been. Mr. Locksmith got in, put the key in the ignition, turned it and nothing happened. He tried again with the same result.

“I left the lights on,” he said, “So sorry.”

He gets out and runs across the street to ask some workmen if they could jump start the car. No luck. Then he tries to stop a car going by. Next it was back into the house and he asks the electrician. Following that he comes back and goes across the street to beg. While he was doing that the electrician came out, opened up the hood of the car, took out a pliers from his belt holder, banged on the battery terminal, tightened something on the battery, closed the hood, got in the car, started it, said to the locksmith as he came back, “You should really pay more attention to that battery connection.”

“It is not my car,” the locksmith says, “It is my boss’s car.”

After a two minute drive we stop at the ATM. I cannot get my door open since there is no handle inside so the locksmith gets out and opens the door for me.
At that point I stand in line for more than fifteen minutes even though there is only one woman ahead of me. She appears to be making a number of transactions or trying to figure out how to get more money from the system than is possible. I am waiting patiently trying not to tap my foot or think about how the house could now be totally devoid of furnishings.

At last it is my turn. I have not used an ATM for some time and ask for fast cash, after all I want it fast. The trouble is that I cannot put in the amount needed so I must do it twice taking more time and doubling the charge for using this machine. (My bank covered all but $1.00 of that so it was not a big deal.)

Finally with money in hand I hop back into the car and we speed back to the house where I pay the bill, get a receipt, get the car door opened for me and my friendly locksmith speeds off on his next assignment. I go in the house and everything appears to be the way I left it complete with a still working electrician.

When Sarah heard about my escapade, she commented, “You rode off with a stranger? You could have been kidnapped!”

Paula

More time in DC

Hello,

When I finally did get to the new house I managed to get the door open without difficulty. I was loaded with keys, three for the apartment and two for the house. I was happy to pass any challenge at this point. These keys need to be persuaded to open the door.

I spent a bit of time pulling weeds. I also tried to get the weed eater put together, but the holes would not line up just right and I was afraid that I would break one plastic piece or the other so I set that aside. Then I moved on to washing out the kitchen cupboards. Next it was on to washing the dishes, glasses, and etc. that I found. When they were dry I put the in the cupboards any which way since I did not really know the best place. Unpacking a few more things completed the day and tired me out.

Tuesday I managed the bus like a pro, but I kept my schedule in hand and the map readily available. On almost all of the bus rides I was the only white person. Most of the people were black with a few Hispanics.

Today I was to let in the locksmith and the electrician. The locksmith came first. He looked to be late 20’s or early 30’s. When I explained that I did not own the house he wondered where I was from. I told him a small town in Iowa. He thought he might know it because he had family in Ridgeway which is close to Decorah where I went to college. Small world?

I will continue this story later, but now I am tired as tomorrow we will get up very early to drive to Omaha to catch a plane to SLC to visit Miriam and family.

Paula

Sunday and Monday in DC

Hello,
Sunday morning it was off to the National Cathedral for church. I even remembered it from a visit 12 years ago. At that time after church we took a tour of the facility. Today we had other things on the agenda.

The organ seemed so muddy with the melody of hymns well hidden in the rolling sound. It is a very live building. Good thing some hymns were familiar or that I can read some music.

In the afternoon it was off to the new house to unpack, and assemble some items. Lexi even took a nap in her new surroundings.

Monday morning I rode the bus to make the trip back to the house because the rest went to work and daycare. Sarah had talked me through the bus basics and armed me with a city map as well as the bus schedule. I marched down to the stop, saw the bus number 8 and hopped on. My paper metro card would not work on the bus. The driver informed me, “It is only for the metro. Instead you need the plastic one here.”
He had already started up. “Oh no what do I do?” I wondered.
He mentioned, “It costs $1.35 to ride.” And after a beat he added, “Sixty cents for seniors.”

“I have money. Am I a senior?” I asked.

He just shrugged his shoulders.

“You do not have to know everything.” I laughed and said, “I am 62, does that make me a senior?” (Later I remembered that I am only 61, but I will be 62 in three months.)

“Yes,” he grinned. I found my money, put it in the slot, and went back to sit down.
I pulled out my bus schedule and saw some of the streets that I thought should be there. Schedules here are not as precise as those I was accustomed to in Slovakia. After a while I could not see any more streets that I expected. I asked the woman ahead of me if I was on the right bus. She looked at my schedule and said, “You’re on the wrong bus.”

Immediately she pulled the stop request line even though the bus was stopped at a traffic light. She the called out to the driver, “Wait, she is on the wrong bus.”
I went up and told him where I wanted to go, he thought a minute and said, “You cross the street and go to the bus stop down there. 4F will stop and he will help you.”

With my heart pumping a bit I hurried across the street to wait for the proper bus. After about 20 minutes it came. I got on but before I put my money in the slot I asked the driver if he could help me get where I wanted to go since I had gotten on the wrong bus. He considered a bit and he said, “Yes, I can do that. You should get off at a stop and you can catch the right bus.” I had gotten on 8G and I should have been on 8H. “Because you have already paid you do not have to pay again.”
The second bus driver told me which was my stop and pointed out the proper bus stop since it was around to the side. It took quite a while, but I got there. What a gift to be able to speak to the bus drivers. They could understand me and I could understand them. No Slovak here.

Helpful people are everywhere.

Paula

Old and Narrow

Hello,

Because the stairs to the basement, in Sarah and Stephen’s DC row house, were a bit shallow the appointed couch would not go down instead it had to go in the living room on the main floor. The smaller couch went to the basement. Lexi’s tall dresser could not make the turn to go upstairs so it when to the downstairs bedroom.
The large looking house shrunk rapidly as more furniture, more boxes, and more curios kept coming in the door.

In the afternoon Sarah and Stephen left to get the shipment from Geneva. They had hired two guys to help with the truck loading and unloading. Unfortunately the movers had a flat tire so they had almost loaded the truck without help. There was hardly an inch to spare by the time the load was on. They learned that the movers were deaf. As Stephen said, “How can you tell the guy on the other end of the load that you need to stop if your hands are seriously occupied?”

Somehow these guys managed to unload very quickly. There were a lot of hand signals. We might tap them on the shoulder to get their attention and use body language. Because of the signing time that they do with Lexi they were able to ask if they needed more water to drink and to say thank you. Clapping and thumbs up worked too. These two guys helped do the impossible by getting the queen sized box springs to the second floor. One of them stood on the ground and passed it up to his partner standing on the porch railing who in turn passed it up to Sarah and Stephen standing on the balcony above. It was exciting to watch. The mattress was bendable enough to be persuaded to go up the small narrow turn in the stairway.

Finally all things were in the house except for a few things back in the apartment.

Paula

Back in DC

Hello,

Before I go back to DC, I have to correct a name in my last missive. It is Joel Hoger rather than Josh. Can you imagine that I might forget a name?
My first Saturday in DC Sarah and I headed out for a tour of the White House. Stephen kindly gave up his spot to me. It was quite interesting to see some of the rooms that were slightly familiar from publications. The guide’s talk was informative. For instance he said that Taft was the heaviest president at 300 plus pounds. When we visited Belle Meade Plantation they told us that they had invented a forerunner of the modern shower because Taft was to visit and he had a history of getting stuck in bathtubs. The shower was three or four upright pipes with two or three pipes that circles around on those supports. The pipes had holes in them so water would spray out. It seems that necessity is the mother of invention. Taft liked it so well that he had one made for the White House, but this was not mentioned in our tour. Is my memory correct?

But what is the correct pronunciation of library? The guide kept saying the berry sound on the end. Two weeks ago at Luther College someone on the phone also said that.

Following the tour we went to the new house where Stephen and Lexi was in the middle of the furniture and boxes that was coming off the truck which had come from Seattle, Stephen had things stored at his parent’s house, and Salt Lake, where they had stored things when they first went to Geneva. This looked like a big truck, but Miriam said when the truck was at her house it was a bigger one. The movers told her they would change trucks outside of Washington because they could not take that large truck into the city. Leroy who at one time worked for a moving company said, “That is a terrible job. I have done that in the past.” They were fortunate because everything was checked off by the time the movers were done.

Paula

Church Anniversary

Hello,

The church here celebrated their 140th anniversary. Leroy and I both had thought we would be gone by now. I also had the idea that it would be better for the new pastor to get settled and to participate in this event. Basically I stayed away from the preparations for it.

Surprise for me, I enjoyed it thoroughly. There was some good music, good sermon by the bishop, a nice meal, good talks, and a great bell ringing.

We invited former pastors and their families to “tour” the parsonage. I went over with one young woman who had lived here when she was growing up. She asked, “Are you related to Sarah Bradway, are you her mother? She looks a lot like you. I did not know that her father was also a Lutheran pastor.”

“Yes, how do you know her?” I wanted to know.

“I went to Central College with her,” she said. By the way Sarah her name was Amy Hoger.

Later in the church her brother, Josh Hoger turned to me and said, “Do you know Brian Bradway? I went to Simpson College with him and we were in the same fraternity. I think we were the only two Lutherans. My wife Megan took a lot of classes with him.”

I was totally amazed that this could happen. Why I should be amazed I do not know. I frequently meet people who have a connection with someone I know. Life is full of ties.

The bell had not been rung in 20 years and it now works again. It had a beautiful clear tone. I was happy to take a turn ringing it.

Paula

Walking the mall

Hello,

Stephen, Sarah, and I had lunch together. Their offices are within walking distance of each other. Smashed pea soup sounds abused, but it was tasty. They chose pizza.
One change since 1997, my last trip to DC was the WWII memorial. It was attractively done, simple but majestic. My thoughts went rather serious after that. Most of the memorials in this area have to do with war. Even Washington and Lincoln are related to wars. An hour passed as various ideas came and went. Why do we pay so much attention and tribute to an exercise resulting in so many deaths on both sides? Why don’t we spend more effort on things that advance civilization? Even if it is for peace it still seems that the method applied is if you do not agree with me I will kill you. How does this help anyone? Is war necessary just to keep the population under control? What are better alternatives? What are good ways to solve problems and why don’t we spend more time, energy, and money looking into those ways? No good answers came to mind just more questions.

It was good to spend a little time in the Smithsonian before I headed back to Stephen’s office where I would catch a ride home with him. City blocks must be longer here than in Chariton. It finally became clear that I would have to run some to make it on time. He had also made a plan to pick Sarah up on the street. There would be no real chance of parking so it was all scheduled to the minute. I made it with sweat streaming down my body. I don’t run much any more, no buses to chase in Chariton.

Lexi was at daycare and we picked her up on the way home. She seemed to know who I was, but took just a little time to reconnect. That is the story of my life reconnecting with granddaughters.

Paula

On the metro

Hello,

Sarah gave me many good instructions for getting on the metro and going to her office. Waiting for the baggage no sign for the metro was visible, but I soon spotted it as I headed for ground transportation. I walked through and bought a $10 pass. Then it was a question of where to go after I got through the turnstile. The large map on the wall looked like a good source of information. As I was looking at it a woman came and started muttering about which line went where.
“Are you new here too?” I asked.

“No I live here,” she replied, “where do you want to go?”

I then told her the lines I needed.

“We are going on both of those so you stick with us,” she said as a man joined her.
After that I just followed along. My guides did point out the stop names and the map inside the metro train. It is all quite clear, but so nice to have some reinforcement.

“What street do you want when you get off?” they asked. Instructions were given so I would be headed in the right direction.

Once on the street I looked at my directions again and a guy immediately asked if I needed help. He sent me off. I did not spot Sarah’s office address right away. As I was checking my sheet another guy stopped, before he got done looking an additional guy stopped to make sure the first was doing a good job. The second guy delivered me to the door.

Was I cared for! Pressed down and running over. Is DC a friendly helpful place? Yes! There are good people everywhere.

Paula

On the plane and down again

Hello,

My plan was to embark more towards the end of the line because I do not necessarily see it as an advantage to get in the small space any sooner than I have to, however when they said all elite passengers could board, I got on. No one else was moving and it seemed that someone should get this going. We had to walk down stairs and then back up steps into the plane. How did that one person in a wheelchair manage? Since no one was ahead of me I thought I should check to make sure I made the right selection between the two choices. The attendant did not check my ticket so I asked, “Washington?”

“As soon as we are loaded we are leaving.” She replied.

Happily I sat by myself on this uneventful direct flight.

I was one of the first at the baggage pick up. It seems that many people no longer check a big but take quite a lot of carry on items. Bags started coming on the next carrousel and most people around me moved over there.

I asked a guy who had retrieved a bag where he had come from and with his reply of New York I moved back to the original spot. After waiting another 15 minutes the woman next to me said, “This is taking a long time.”

We then conversed about many things. I learned that she is a veterinarian who had just come back from the ISU Vet School. She works for the government and tracks contagious diseases in animals. She travels a lot with her job.

I talked about the fact that my daughter’s family had lived in Kenya for a time. I had visited and described how it felt to be almost the only white person around. “Now you know something about how we African-Americans feel sometimes. Usually there is a mix, but not always. I went to Tuskegee so I know something about seeing many black people and almost no whites.”

I thought it was too bad that we lived so far apart. I think we connected. It certainly made the half hour wait pass more quickly.

Paula

Going to DC

Hello,

The alarm was set for 4:00 am. Our eyes popped open at 3:30. After touching shoulders and bases getting up seemed the smart thing to do. The flight leaves at 7:00 so it seemed that 6:00 was plenty early to get to the airport. The “older” women declared “It takes an hour and 10 minutes to get the airport not the hour you think.” Now Leroy and I were both a little nervous about an hour’s drive. Perhaps that is why we woke up earlier than planned.

Leroy raced downstairs to start oatmeal while I took my osteo pill. Not a champion pill swallower, I try to remain calm when taking this medium sized tablet as water is all that is allowed. In fact there is to be no eating for half an hour after swallowing. My usual pill taking method is to eat a cracker and hide the pill in the mashed up cracker as I swallow. Mental, huh? There is to be no lying down for half an hour after taking this pill, but that is not a problem in the shower, I am not even tempted.

Leroy is fussing “Did you pack your toothbrush? Should I take your bag out? Stop walking around and eat.” We are ready at 4:45.

Through the darkness and occasional ribbon of fog there were hardly any cars and just a few trucks. We almost make the intimate acquaintance of one skunk. There was just a brief hi to a lumbering raccoon.

One hour and five minutes later we pulled into the drop off lane at the airport. Good timing!

At the self check in kiosk $20 was charged for my check-in bag. Because of my Silver Elite status I should be able to have two free bags. The woman at the desk said, “You will have to call the 800 #, I am not able to change that.” She then gave me instructions for next time. Personally I am inclined to use the ticket agent as I think she was saying I should indicate I had no bags to check. I like taking to a person who is more flexible than a machine.

Paula

Still in Chariton

Hello,

On the walk to church there was a whooshing sound right above my head. I looked up to see fire going into the opening of the colorful hot air balloon. It was not long and they had moved off. About two blocks later their support truck came around the corner as it followed them.
The phone was ringing as I walked in the door. It was Miriam wanting to know the weather in some place in Nevada. They were driving on their way to California. At the moment it was snowing around them.

“It is on the road, but not terrible,” Miriam said. “However trucks coming from the direction we are going were knocking snow off of the front when they were at the rest area. The ground is covered.”

By that time the computer was up and I could tell her the weather in the towns they were approaching. It said above freezing and cloudy with no participation. Technology is wonderful.

The phone rang again about half an hour later. Miriam reported, “We are now out of the snow. It was terrible over the top as it was glare ice. We only slid once. They were not letting people go over the pass, but we were from the other direction. That is the highest place on the road in Nevada so I think it should be ok now.”
Earlier last week Miriam had reported snow in SLC, but it did not stick.

Today Leroy and I walk in the CROP walk to raise money to assist people who are hungry. We feel this is the right thing to do, but neither of us is very good at going out to solicit funds. People at church do contribute, but I have tried only three neighbors. Mostly we just give ourselves.

Paula

At Home in Chariton

Hello,

I flew into Des Moines Sunday night, saw Leroy briefly, shared a meal with friends, was driven home, and went to bed. Settling back into the house was easier when I was by myself, but the house seemed very quiet with Leroy at a meeting until Tuesday.
Later I will give you trip details, but in chronological order.
This weekend is homecoming in Chariton. The school close to our house often gets tepeed, or however you spell that word when toilet paper is decorating your trees in the morning.

Last night the bedroom light was just turned out when people could be heard coming past the house. After a bit voices seemed to be right outside the window, but it took too much energy to get up and see what was happening.

The morning revealed the truth as the bare front walnut tree now had a draping of toilet paper. The tree in the back had much more as did the linden. There were even some paper towels in the mix. We are not sure if this is a negative or a positive thing, but we are going to treat it as a mark of distinction. In the past we have had this happen, but only when we had kids living in the house. Seemed to me it was the popular kids that got it. Makes for a happier outlook to think it is positive since we may never really know.

It is rainy and cold. I thought that I could wait until October to turn on the heat, but 62 degrees became too cold. But it was only two days ahead so it is a small matter.

The highest two track train trestle in North America opened yesterday in Boone, IA. I would like to go see this new Kate Shelly Bridge. The old Kate Shelly Bridge was built in 1900 and only had one track with a maximum train speed of 25 mph. Now two trains can use the new bridge at the same time and at a speed of 70 mph.

Paula

Making a list

Hello,

Finally a list of things that need to be done before I’m gone is created and has the possibility of being added to. Seems there is always one more thing to think about.
I just remembered to check the DC weather. It will be about like it is here, however my arrival day, Friday, has a 40% chance of rain. My rain jacket is out in Utah. An umbrella is packed within easy reach, but the coat would be nice too. I will dry if I need too. Actually there are not such distances to walk that I can not get it done, but it is more difficult dragging a suitcase in the rain. The suitcase will be small, but still my umbrella is small too. All the things that can be damaged by rain will have to be specially packed.

I now have out pj’s for three different temperatures. Only one is going with me, but which one? Such decisions. Day wear is not such an easy choice either when the temperatures can fluxuate. (I could not find this word in the dictionary. Is it not a word? I use it frequently. Or is my dictionary too small? Flux was there.)
Leroy worked quite a few hours yesterday and today on the ceiling at the ministry center in town. This building houses the food pantry. Sometimes he finds it satisfying to work with his hands and finish something. A project with an end can be very appealing.

The largest slum in the world, Kibera in Nairobi is to be eradicated. They expect it to take 2-5 years. One million people live there. The Kenyan government has already started to move some people out to new low rent housing apartments. As might be expected there are people who say they own the land and the government has no right to take it over. Nothing in life seems to be simple. Surprisingly some shacks even have electricity and water. Reports indicated that none were supplied.

Paula

Bountilful harvest

Hello,

More tomatoes got canned this morning. Now only the solid non-fragile eating ones are left. There are still some left on the vines, but they will be ready while I am gone. Leroy will have to deal with them. Surely he will enjoy that. Leroy has dried basil two times. There will also be three peppers to pick and Leroy can take care of them too.

The worst looking apples made the best tasting crisp. It is not fun to make since there is so much more cutting and work ferreting out the good. Hopefully another pan can be made before I go to DC consequently Leroy will be well supplied.

Today’s batch of bread was good and many buns went in the freezer so Leroy can also have some while I am gone. Then I will freeze some of yesterday’s soup so this guy will not starve. Plus he is really good at taking care of himself.

Besides all that kitchen work I got two thank you notes and one long letter written.
Then I went to church twice for yoga since I have started giving my sessions again. The schedule is the tricky part. Next month I will try another time to see what works best for all.

Sarah sent directions for getting from the airport to her office. There was a time when that would have struck terror in my heart, now I am just a little anxious. I remind myself most people here speak my language so it should all work without a hitch. But it would be nice to have Leroy with me to agree or disagree on any fine points and take some of the responsibility. Or maybe I am just big into the handholding stuff when trying something new.

Paula

Little Fever

Hello,

Friday I woke up with small pain in my intestine. At the end of the day I had a low grade fever that only lasted about six hours. Weird, if you ask me. Because of it I did not pick grapes on Saturday morning. Such disappointment! Leroy went without me. He said, “I had a great time.”

Course I felt great all day Saturday. Consequently I could clean the kitchen floor, sweep down outside cobwebs, read a book, think about what I was missing, and sweep out the carport.

With a total turn around we are now ready for rain. The ground is dry and cracking in places. The seasons are all mixed up. August was almost totally green. September usually brings rain, but it has not yet rained in this month.

Friday I will go to Washington D.C. to help Sarah and Stephen get settled into their new home. I was to be there ahead of their things, but I am not sure that will happen. Last Wednesday Miriam called to say, “The movers are here picking up Padres’ things. The mover told me they expect to be in D.C. on Monday.”

Oops. Plane tickets cost much money to change. Surely there will still be things to be done. Because of all my flights to Kenya I have a Silver Elite status so I can take check-in luggage. Plus there are other perks such as getting on the plane first, but why do I want to get in there early? Waiting areas are larger than planes.

Sunday should be a day of rest, however when Leroy brings home two big boxes of very ripe tomatoes rest takes a back seat. Is this comparable to pulling the ox out of a hole? Some of these tomatoes would have rotted by Monday. Seven jars are done. Some are cooking in the crockpot. No matter what the weather is like there will be bean/tomato soup tomorrow complete with basil from our plant and bay leaves from the store. What blessings again. Just when that seems to be the last more comes. Someone told Leroy they have apples and will give us some of them. Pushed down and running over.

Paula

Great Night

Hello,

Kary suggested that we have a mini retreat for the women in our church. Even against a certain amount of negative response she kept at it. We were organized as to the spot in the park and the food required. I said, “I will ask a woman I know if she would be the guest speaker on the subject of friendship.” That was all arranged without a hitch.

Thursday morning I was a little nervous when I realized that some of these women would not be there. You know that pre-party jitters of “what if no one comes”?
My cell phone had a voice mail message. It was our speaker saying she had a family medical emergency and could not come. From the hospital she could email her general outline, bible verses, and closing prayer. “Yes do that. I will give the program.” I confidently said.

I did not spend too much time preparing, I think I like winging it and not planning. I did final preparation for my mixers thinking that 16 was a lot of people, but having the possibility for more that could be created on the spot.

It was a beautiful night in the park. Two cars were already there when I arrived. Soon more cars came. The grand total was 28. All were astonished and amazed at the size of the group. There is such energy from people. Always people notice those missing as a lack of energy. Over all it went well. Many said, “You should do this again next year.”

People who think I am quiet got to see another side of me. I like performing. Who knew I should have been in the spotlight when I was looking at career possibilities.

Paula

More on the Weekend

Hello,

I went to church at the smaller congregation which means that we ate later since I had nothing fixed by the time we got home. I need a wife!

In the afternoon we again headed off to the bike trail to ride with friends. I had a great ride going along on the recumbent tandem. A recumbent makes sense for a more serious bike ride. My neck did not hurt, my hands felt fine, and my bottom was not tired. Maybe someday we/I will make the switch. For now I manage just fine on my bike for errands around town since the trip is never longer than four miles one way. The weather was good, the sun kind, and the wind was low.

Monday Leroy and I could not sit around. We made a batch of applesauce. Those tough gnarly apples take the fun out of the work. The discard pile was almost as large as the keep pile when we got done. We also made a large apple crisp. There are not so many apples left so there will be no more applesauce, just crisp. The apples do not even invite eating as it requires cutting off various spots. The pears are delicious. I wish that I had picked many more of them. They are in great shape.

Today I did something I have never done before. I talked to my neighbor about what I put in my devotion log. Generally I never mention my faith when I am visiting with people. It somehow just seemed to fit in the conversation and the words came out of my mouth with minimal thought. I told her that I have lately been writing that I will trust God for today. The future is too far away, but I can deal with today. I also talked about the list of six things I am grateful for. She told me that she thought I had been sent as she was praying for some answers for her life. She said, “I can also let God know that I will trust today. I feel so much better.”
God can use us in ways and times that we do not even anticipate.

Paula

Busy weekend

Hello,

Friday, Leroy and I headed off to Ely to visit friends for the evening. Because we came to their house before they got home we visited our former neighbors. It was great to see them. I even stole some seeds from the four o’clocks planted at “our” house. Sixteen years gives a feeling of ownership even if it is not true. I had gotten the original seeds from Leroy’s mother.

We went out to eat in the area of Cedar Rapids that had been so damaged by the flood last year. The food was tasty in this Czech restaurant and somewhat reminiscent of Slovakia.

The next morning we left to meet my brother and sister-in-law in a park that we had not seen in a long time. The deer were out as well as turkey buzzards. The walking was hilly and good for us. The water had gone over the spillway last year and we wanted to see the results. We did see some fossils.

The next stop was a mall where we had intended to spend no money, but parted with a lot, by my standards. I got a pair of expensive sandals that were on a good sale. I am hoping that I can walk for a long distance in these sandals. A new paring knife caught Leroy’s eye. Our children keep complaining when they use our knives. This was also expensive, but at a good sale price.

Sunday I tried once more and was able to put on my diamond ring. It is the first time since June 5. It only came off with a bit of lotion persuasion. Later is time enough to try again. Seems the knuckle is still big. There is still pain if I grip tightly. For a long time the only solution that came to mind was having the rings stretched. Now I have hope that it will be ok.

Paula

Generous people

Hello,

Again food just keeps coming. There are several zucchini, cucumbers, tomatoes, green peppers, apples, and pears in this house just because of generous people. What blessings. I am so happy to see all of the color at our meals.

In the apple orchard it was a sad sight to look at these 100 plus hobby trees that had almost no leaves and almost no apples. Last year every tree seemed to loaded and each more delicious than the last. We picked as many as we could. Wandering in a different area I spotted two types of pears that were not quite ripe, but should ripen here as they do when purchased green and hard. Finally I saw a tree that has leaves and huge apples reminiscent of last year. I picked two and ran back to show Martha. She is the one who knows the guy that loves to plant trees. Too bad I found it after we had almost completely filled our buckets. Many rotten apples lay on the ground. Often I would grab a perfect looking apple only to have my fingers ooze into mush. Gross. I still brought home some half rotten ones because I figured I could get a lot of good apple pulp from it.

The apple crisp was delicious. More apples could have been piled in because I had forgotten how much they shrink when they cook. Those half rotten apples were not a good bet because there was more rot inside than expected. But still I probably have two bushels of apples here. But what is a bushel? Leroy and I can not really remember.

I must work on those apples because I leave for Washington D.C. on Friday the 18th when I go to help Sarah and Stephen move. It is much harder to tackle these apples because they are not so nice. Instead they are lumpy and some even have worms.

Paula

Evening fire

Hello,

It was a beautiful cool evening in the park. It was so peaceful to look across the mirror reflection of trees in the water. The back yard yielded up a few fallen sticks, the basement had a couple unwanted small boards, and a fireplace had two abandoned sticks. Along with the help of egg cartons and a few newspapers a cheery fire was soon burning nicely. The popcorn was almost perfect and the tea was refreshing even if quite hot from the thermos.

There were four deer grazing at the park entrance and two herons winging across the water as we watched the sun go down. There is a four mile trail around the lake and we have yet to walk it. I am not sure what we are waiting for, perhaps a personal invitation?

Two weeks ago I bought a Parcheesi game for 25 cents at a garage sale. I have gotten much enjoyment from it, but I am not sure about Leroy. I beat him most of the time. We used to play this game a lot when I was growing up and I have many strategies. Leroy is floundering around the board. I think he has won only twice. Tonight he came close but was unable to shake out the number he needed to get home ahead of me even though he sat at the end for some time. We do have the rules and are following them meticulously. So no creating my own rules as we used to do when I was at home.

Leroy decided to fix up the laundry area. He put on some new drywall where there was water damage, covered the nails, and painted. It looks so much better even though this is just one small part of a wall. He is also going to give it a second coat. He will ask the youth group to see if they will come and paint the cement blocks. That would be wonderful. If they do not want to do it, we will just proceed and see what we can get done. I do not spend hours down there, but I would like a more pleasant area to be in. Paint is great for lifting spirits. Besides it is fun to paint in an area where you do not have to be so careful not to drip.

Paula

Church service in the park

Hello,

Yesterday church service was in the park followed by brunch. Brunch slipped past my radar and I took not one but two salads. Most of the offerings were sweets and fruits. My salads were half eaten. Sandwiches were also there so that was ok. Before we ate, I wanted to wash my hand. The large wolf spider looked at me. The rushing water caused it to try to get out and I screeched. My hands were almost clean. I did not press the issue because I was not interested in having the spider out of the sink.

It is better to let the grass grow longer and not cut it so short is the message I have preached to Leroy. He has complied. The trouble is that something stopped him the day he was last going to mow and then we had about three days of rain. Saturday he mowed the tall grass prairie into mounds of grass. I raked it on Sunday. I do not like to work on Sunday, but it seemed that the grass under might die. It is good to get the grass for mulch for the flower beds.

Today was a day to spend money. Our flight to Utah in October is booked as is my flight to DC in September. Miriam ended up calling the airlines for the Utah trip because we could not get it to go through on the website. We will go out of Omaha since it is so much cheaper. Then for the DC flight I called since I wanted to use my NW miles for a Delta ticket. After a long talk with the agent, the flight was booked using some miles, both Delta and NW flights, and paying some money. In the end I could not say that I got the best deal, but I just trusted this woman I was working with. It was quite complicated, way beyond my abilities. She was friendly too so that made it all feel right.

The credit card bill is paid as is a dr. bill. One car insurance bill is yet to be paid. It was a shocker. Our rate raised because of Leroy’s slide on the ice and rates were adjusted up for Iowa. But we have the money so we can’t complain too much.

Paula

Volunteers

Hello,

Volunteers are so much appreciated, especially when they are unexpected. In the back yard there are now four impatients volunteering and sharing their beauty. It almost seems like a rare discovery to find them opening their buds. One of them is transplanted into the impatient bed and doing extremely well.

One human volunteer helped Leroy to move the nonworking washer out of the basement. Before it was over he might have regretted his impulse. There was much huffing, puffing, groaning, and moaning before the job was finished. “Why aren’t we 30 years younger?” was said during a time of breathing and resting. That washer was very heavy, but it is gone now and I am glad. There is a little more room to move around in the laundry area.

It is amazing how one person’s joy is another’s job. Miriam was looking for flights for Leroy and I to visit (and babysit) in October.

“You don’t have to do that right now,” Leroy said as we were talking to her.

“It is alright,” she said, “It is fun.”

Not fun in our book, but a chore.

I have some ear wax that defies Leroy’s efforts. I have put “stuff” in the ear that is supposed to soften it. Leroy washes and washes until he is tired. So far only a very little bit of odd looking material has come out. Am I going to have to have a Dr. do this? That seems so excessive since we have taken care of this problem more than once in the past. To be controlled by ear wax alters the importance of things.

Paula