Car Troubles

Sperry, IA

Hello,

Before we went to my sister’s house the windshield wiper on the car was making a clacking sound as it came to the end of the window. We did not need to use it again so we put that observation aside. On the way home when we got gas and cleaned the window, I noticed that the unit was loose in the housing. Again we forgot about it after that. Yesterday on the way to town, I decided to turn on the wiper causing the left one to careen over almost off the car. Immediately we stopped and tried to get the unit back so it was not sticking out in traffic. Perhaps we injured it more taking quite a lot of pressure to accomplish that task. At that point we decided to immediately go to the car repair place where the guy had been quite helpful in the past. I should say we also had the battery from the other car because it would not start, but that is another story.

At first the guy said he would not have time to take off the housing to look inside to see what was wrong, but for some reason he changed his mind, had us drive the car in, opened it up, took it apart, and declared that a plastic piece that is part of the connection between the wiper and the motor was broken. He called someone to ask if they had this part and the cost of it. Because the entire strip needed to be replaced instead of just that little piece it is expensive, however driving without wipers is not an option. So again I tell myself we have the money and thank God it did not get stuck in the middle of some big rain storm in the middle of rush hour traffic in a big city. We were safe.

We had planned to be in Cedar Rapids early today, but instead we will perhaps go this afternoon, depending on when and how long it takes to get this fixed. In the meantime we are trying to earn our keep by doing a little cleaning.

I thank God that I can share with all of you people, I think it keeps me sane. You are a blessing to me.

Paula

Down in the Dumps

Sperry, IA

Hello,

Generally I do not write when I am feeling low as it is hard to be sitting. I would rather move around.

I am going to tell you the tale of woes. Of course there is always good and bad in all of that. The good: Leroy was able to connect with the woman who has the house for rent. There is plumbing and even a washer and dryer. But there is only one bathroom, no dishwasher, or garage. We could live with all of these items.  The bad: between the rent and the utilities it would probably take half of Leroy’s salary.

I slept fairly well last night thinking if we had to we could handle it. We have spent some time talking about buying since the mortgage payments would be less but I realize there are other expenses to home ownership such as maintenance and taxes. Then what would we do when we are ready to leave?

Leroy woke up feeling worried, however I propped him up and pepped him up as we took a good walk. Later a friend called to tell me that she was praying for us and she would continue to lift us up as they were traveling. I felt surrounded by love and concern.

More bad: the company will not start to pay for insurance for us until April 1. Insurance is a fairly big bill for us; it will take half of Leroy’s salary. Do you get the feeling the money is disappearing fast? Thank god we are not big spenders and have managed to save money so we are not living out of a car yet.

That car business is another complete issue in this saga.

I always try to think of the good things in our life. We have food, shelter, health, family, friends, sunshine, coats, cool breezes, and laughter to carry us along. God has indeed blessed.

Paula

We will be in CR tomorrow house/apartment hunting. So I might not get a chance to read or write until later.

Once again in Sperry

January 27, 2012

Hello,

We left to a cloudy sky and arrived six hours later to cloudy and colder area. There was even a little snow on the ground here and there. Our trip was uneventful. We have put on a lot of miles without incident and we are grateful for that.

January 28, 2012

The library closed early on a Friday afternoon. Usually we were not there at that time and did not remember such. I have to go there to send my letters. Hence no letter sent yesterday.

Rex, brother-in-law, is still in the hospital, but doing much better than he has in the past week. That is so good.

We are both feeling a bit concerned about the housing hunt. We have a bit more things than will comfortably go in a two bedroom apartment. House rental appears to be costing more than we can afford on this salary. Just as this job has come surely there will be the perfect place for us. I still wonder about someone who might need a house sitter. I think we would be a perfect fit for that. Last night I was thinking about living with an older person and being their live in companions. The biggest issue with that is where to have our things, because I am looking forward to sleeping on my bed and on my pillow.

One of the people where Leroy will be working said one of the coworkers has a house to rent, but it does not have all of the modern conveniences. I wondered if that meant no dishwasher. Gerald, other brother-in-law, remarked, “Maybe no indoor plumbing.” I could certainly live without the dishwasher, but indoor plumbing would be missed daily.

So do I believe that I can live simply? Yes, but this puts me to the test to see just what are my limits. I do enjoy many things in this life that I could live without, but it might make life a little less joyful. I am not proud to admit that I do like stuff in my life. I am not quite ready to leave everything and follow God. How did those early disciples do it? Sometimes I think God is helping me learn more about myself than I want to know.

Paula

A Job!

Edgewood, IL

Hello,

Leroy was offered and accepted the job of catalogue librarian for the Czech/Slovak Library and Museum in Cedar Rapids, IA. This job is for 18 months. Sort of our usual type, is it not? We have been perfecting this lifestyle since 1999. Leroy will start early in February, or as early we can find a place to live. That might be a bit of a trick as housing is more expensive since the flood of 2008. But God is good and will lead us to the right place. Our life has always worked, not always the way we expected, but for the best. Certainly we cannot complain about many dull moments.

Tomorrow morning we will head back to Iowa and Leroy’s sister’s house where we will probably spend the weekend. Leroy’s brother-in-law has not been well and we will help out a little. After that we will be heading north to do serious house hunting. Note to anyone living in that area, if you know of a great deal, let us know. I thought we could even be a good candidate to house sit for someone who might have a temporary job outside of the area. Because this would be a good job the house would be a mansion, right? And you all know how reliable we are too.  We could also live in a clean hovel. We are fairly flexible, but I really want ample room for my plant friends.

I am looking forward to getting to open boxes that have old surprises for me. Just what do I have in that storage unit anyway? I could name a number of things, but would be hard pressed to name everything. I suppose that means I really do not need it, but just drag it around because it seems the right thing to do. Ponder this statement: “Things; are they an asset or a liability?” I believe a clear answer is not always coming to the surface.

We look forward to this next page in our book of life with joy, anticipation, and a little bit of anxiety.

Paula

Six Lambs

Edgewood, IL

Hello,

There are now a total of six lambs. Two sets of twins and two singles. For the three oldest today was the day to put on ear tags, trim tails, and, if male, castrate. I have been away from the farm for a long time. This bothered me more than I remember from the past. As you might imagine all of this is done without using pain killers, course that would be a stick just as the ear tag is so that is not such a big deal. The other two procedures were a bit more dramatic and in the lone male caused him to wail before going down on the floor and lying there for a while to recover.

Mama sheep were crying much more than the babies. As parents we can all emphasize with that hurt, panic, and desire to save.

I can understand the reasons for all of these procedures, but it is still hard to think that it is done. Some of the farm is gone from the girl.

We are still undecided about whether to leave tomorrow or the next day, but it will be one or the other. Today the temperature was around freezing with rain at times pouring down. We were happy to be in a place and not worrying about travel.

Leroy was hoping to hear about the job yesterday or today even though they had talked about two weeks. We both really want this job to be his, but know those other people must have a chance too. It will be well. That is my mantra for this time. Each day does indeed turn out to be a blessing in my life, why do I want more?

We are certainly enjoying picking out the black walnuts. What is even more satisfying is putting them on our oatmeal or tasting them in cranberry muffins. What in life could be better?

Paula

More Lambs

Edgewood, IL

Hello,

This evening two more good looking twin lambs came out so we could see them. It is about thirty degrees outside so not so terribly cold in the barn. All of these babies seem to be quite content with life.

There are 30 ewes so we might get to see some more before we leave. I have also enjoyed petting the cats here. I would like a pet, but I am glad that we do not have such, given the unstable quality of our lives. A pet would be more of a liability than an asset. My plants are definitely easier to board because they do not require the same level of care as a pet.

There are snow geese that are gleaning the fields around here. I thought it might be a thousand and my sister thinks it is more like two thousand birds. They are quite the sight, but not considered beneficial as they make a lot of noise as they talk freely.

Leroy’s ears are feeling much better so we hope they are clear of wax. At least he seems to hear much better than he did in recent days.

We have been picking out black walnuts and keeping an eye on a fat squirrel as it gobbles up corn. There are also birds on the bird feeder, but they are not quite so entertaining.

Paula

Lambs

Edgewood, IL

Hello,

This morning we were privileged to see three new baby lambs. One was born during the night and the twins put in appearance mid morning. Leroy and I were both able to hold the older lamb. Mom was nervous, but she did not protest much.

We did not hold either of the twins because my sister said they were still a bit wet and therefore too new. I can say that the wool on the newborns feels almost like bubbles on their backs. It also seems that these new creatures might be cold, but they were not shivering much, especially after the addition of a bit more straw in their space.

We have been picking out black walnuts. It goes fairly fast with a group of people visiting. In my home when I was young we spent winter evenings at this task. Certainly we like the resulting baked items that include the walnuts and hickory nuts.

There was freezing rain during the night so we did not walk this morning, but took a nice walk in the afternoon after the main road was clear of ice. It was harder to walk on the sidewalk by the house so we walked on the crackling grass and I held on to the fence some of the time.

While I was at Miriam’s house I made a crisp with apples and cranberries. No recipe just my idea of what would work. Carolyn had a recipe for such a creation. It was good too. The resulting dish was not too sour or too sweet. I certainly like that.

Here is where you can see the lambs.  https://picasaweb.google.com/111129304688608118094/QuadeSheep?authkey=Gv1sRgCI3i75Pw983TjgE

Paula

Safe in Illinois

Edgewood, IL

Hello,

Yesterday we arrived at my sister’s home with an easy trip of five and a half hours. Certainly it is much easier than two days to get someplace. We are glad to be here as there is freezing rain outside now. It is nice to have dry roads when we have to go from one place to another.

We have enjoyed looking at the sheep. Because it is cold they are frequently inside, but they poke their heads out and then venture out totally when the wind is not so strong.

My brother-in-law needed to have his hearing aid checked so we went along on the jaunt. Leroy asked for a hearing test because they will do that free. Our children have been complaining about our hearing. Leroy did not get the test because both of his ears had impacted wax. That explains a lot. This woman was able to clean out one ear, but the other proved more stubborn. She said we needed to finish getting that wax out. We bought an ear wax removal kit even though we have one in storage. Leroy is now uncomfortable as some of that wax must have moved around, but not out. I put in the drops, flushed his ear, waited several hours, put in more stuff, and again flushed his ear with no positive results. We will try again tomorrow and again the next day if necessary.

Aren’t we fortunate how the timing works for so many things? Leroy could have walked around several more months with the hearing loss before he did anything about it.

On a less positive note, Leroy’s sister’s husband was sick while we were there. The morning we left, she took him to the hospital where they learned that he had pneumonia. Leroy did offer to stay but at that point she thought he would be just getting some different medicine. So I cannot say that all timing comes out for the best, or maybe it is just that I do not see the big picture.

Paula

Interview Over

Sperry, IA

Hello,

“Nervous Nellies” that we are, helped Leroy and I to arrive in town almost an hour early for his interview. Would you believe we stopped to check out a grocery store that had been remodeled after we had lived in the area? We were happy to see that they had many of the foods we would like to buy if we should happen to live here again in the future.

Leroy came out of the interview talking and all excited. He hopes that he will indeed get this job. They will let him know in a couple weeks. That seems like a long time now. He at least feels that he did the best job that he could.

While Leroy was at the interview I went to visit people from our past life. Even though I had planned to find more people to talk to I stayed the entire time with one couple. They even gave me lunch. I am impressed at how many people can provide lunch with no advance warning. Perhaps that is the best way to do it because it is much less fuss.

I am so blessed by having so many good people to visit. Generally I feel uplifted and energized from these gab fests. Why is talking and listening so satisfying? Now if only Leroy and I could be that excited to talk to each other! It is ok, but becomes routine most of the time.

We went to the storage unit yesterday with the purpose of getting out some additional or change of clothing. Leroy took out one flannel shirt and a warmer stocking cap. I decided to skip the exercise as I have adjusted to having just the clothing that we can fit in the suitcase and therefore the car. It is so interesting because about two months ago I was chaffing under the lack of change and now it feels like too much bother to deal with it as I am satisfied with what I have.

Leroy had talked about the difficulty of getting all of our things in the 10 X 15 storage space. I was astonished to see that we could indeed get more things in. He added three of his boxes of books from his office that he had forgotten. We could have even gotten in the rakes and hoes that we have in the second car. I would say that all of our possessions, excluding two cars, will comfortably fit in this space. Who needs more? Not us. But I still will want a couch, however I think our small couch would have fit as well.

Paula

Errands to Run

January 17, 2012

Hello,

It rained and snowed a little last night. Leroy and I took a short walk this morning. The surface was not as noticeable as the strong wind buffeting us about. We walked under a mile and felt that it was a long distance. It is noticeable that we did not have a dog and a three year old with us. Also no little girls have been disturbing our sleep at night. Would you believe we miss that?

Our first stop this morning was to get my driver’s license renewed. It was not a big deal: just have my picture taken, answer some questions, take a vision test, and pay money.

I went from having my best picture on a license to having my worst. Could I have put this off indefinitely I would have been happier. Now I look like death warmed over. I had no idea I looked like that without glasses. Also my hair looked almost good before I left the house, but the wind rearranged it every time I stepped out of the car. Wind is not recommended as a hairdresser.

We are using Leroy’s sister’s house as our permanent address so I had to have the address in front of me since it is not in my memory. At least they did not ask my any other questions that I could not answer.  Leroy, who believes in following the letter of the law, had the address changed on his license. Consequently neither of us has a “good” plastic license, just the paper one until the new ones come to his sister’s house. Hopefully they will come while we are in the neighborhood. We plan to visit my sister for about a week before we come back this way.

The vision test was a little unnerving for me because I do not feel that I see as well as I should, but I passed wearing glasses. I could not really see the right end of the line, guessed. I suspect that is because of the cataract in my right eye. It is also a problem for me since I am generally unsure of right and left and I had to indicate the direction of a blinking light. My hesitation came from evaluating the right or left response rather than where the light was.

Paying the money was quite easy. We are good at doing that. Certainly this is a skill we have honed a long time ago.

Paula

At Rest

Burlington, IA

Hello,

Leroy is attending his Spanish language group. He met with these people via the internet much of the time that we were away. He is excited to be back with them.

We will be spending the next few days with Leroy’s sister who lives about 15 miles from here. She does not have a wireless connection so I will not be writing as much as I sometimes do.

Tomorrow, I will be renewing my driver’s license if the predicted snow is not a problem. It will be good to complete that task that has been hanging around in the back of my brain since my license expired in December.

We had a wonderful visit in Chariton where we stayed last night. Then this morning we spent some time visiting with other locals. It is so good to see all of these familiar faces. I wish we had known more precisely when we were coming to town as we could have contacted more about a good time to gather. People are indeed the greatest blessing in our lives. We are uplifted and upheld. What more could we want?

I am also grateful for this computer that Leroy wanted. We have used it almost every day while we have been on the road. I am sold on it as a “necessary” item that I do not want to live without. I am not even sure why I kept dragging my feet about getting it. Even here where Leroy is meeting they have a wireless connection so I can use it with little effort on my part. We really did expect them to have the wireless since this is a community college.

We are rich indeed.

Paula

On the road Again

Ogallala, NE

Hello,

Leroy and I have made it to the end of the first leg of our journey back to Iowa. Seems like I ought to be saying home, but there is not such spot that I can name. It amazes me that this has been true for four months now. It is both difficult and easy after all this time. We are safe, we are ok, but we are not settled.

Our drive was mostly uneventful with plenty of sunshine. The interstate is full of trucks with just the few cars who want to travel from one spot to another. Much of the time it was just us and the trucks.  There was snow in Wyoming especially when we were above 8,000 feet. Now in Nebraska it is just brown and windblown.

The wind in Wyoming was gusting up to 50 mph so they were warning light trailers to stay off the road. At one point I did see a trailer that was attached to a pickup lying in the ditch on its side. I was happy when they lowered that wind warning to 40 mph. I believe it was behind us much of the time. At a gas station a guy held the door for me. I commented on the wind and he said, “Yes, it is ruining my fuel consumption goal.”

We were fortunate that the wind was mostly behind us pushing us along and saving us gas. I did notice the wind when it returned after being blocked from the road by some rock formation. It could blow us sideways a little.

The scariest moment came when a semi passed me followed by a car. The car wanted to pass the semi and was impatient when the truck did not move to the right fast enough. He signaled to move almost immediately in front of me. As that was happening, the truck also started to move into the same piece of earth and space. I slowed down as did the car which swerved back into the left lane. It could have involved us too had these two met.

We believe we saw a bald eagle today as well as two antelopes. Otherwise there was not much animal life.

Paula

Almost Done

Salt Lake City

Hello,

I believe that I have put the last load into the dryer. At least the last lice load. We might wash some of the things we are wearing at this moment, but I believe I have corralled everything that is going to go in because of possible infestation. There are two very large plastic bags with things in them that will not go into the washer or the dryer. Those bags will remain sealed up in the basement for a month at least. Hopefully all will be well at that point. We have certainly put forth our best effort. We are again tired. Both Miriam and I have had periods of laughing hysterically. That helps carry us through.

At the girls’ school there was another child with head lice, but in Olivia’s room instead of Nora’s. We think that is so interesting because Nora was the one who had the largest crop of both live bugs and eggs. She also shares a coat cubby with another student and we thought for sure that girl would be the one to have them. Who can out smart bugs?

Last night I woke to a soft feeling fluttering across my face. I opened startled eyes to see the dark outline of Olivia. As soon as I whispered, “What?’ she responded, “I’m scared.”

I drew back the covers; she scrambled up, tucked herself against me, and seemed to fall promptly back to sleep. I however did not get to sleep soon. I was back to back with Leroy and tummy to back with Olivia. Then I had to go the bathroom. I suspect that woke Olivia up but soon her breathing indicated that she was sleeping once more. I could barely move. After what seemed like forever, I got up and went to her bedroom where I turned off the night light before getting into bed and going to sleep promptly.

There will not be many more nights like this one as we are leaving in the morning for our trip back to Iowa. Tomorrow night we will be somewhere in the middle of Nebraska. We will feel sadness and relief. The girls have expressed regret and some “when are you leaving sentiment” almost as if they were ready toos.

Paula

New Skills

New Skills

January 12, 2012

Salt Lake

Hello,

New skills we now have: how to work without stopping for two or three days, how to wash hair with lice shampoo, how to use the lice extraction comb, how to search hair strand by hair strand for eggs or nits, and how to laugh hysterically when someone wonders why we are tired. Course we already knew how to do laundry and vacuum. But today I did learn, on the Internet where else, from a public health information site that we could just put things in the dryer at high heat for 20 minutes and that would likely kill the beasts. So that was our new strategy today. It seemed to move things along much faster.

We will need to vacuum again tomorrow as well as heat up some more things that cannot be washed. After that Miriam will be on her own, as Leroy and I will be free and on the road.

Today Miriam spent over an hour with each girl carefully examining all hairs under a bright light. I helped a little, but it is harder for me because I have to take of my glasses. That means I have to stick my face almost in it as my distance vision is quite limited. After the girls were taking naps, Miriam checked my head and I checked her head. The number of eggs or nits is down considerably on all heads. Nora still had the most with something over ten. We are almost close to celebrating, but we are too tired.

The girls had to miss school today so will have to wait until Tuesday before they can go again. Nora only goes twice a week.

Finally Miriam has decided there is something good about this. No one is in pain or really bothered bodily by these intruders.

Leroy thinks it would be great if someone would invent a louse detector so we would know where to clean and what clothing items could be ignored.

Paula

Still Nit Picking

Salt Lake City

Hello,

Miriam rewashed Nora’s hair and spent an hour and a half at the task which includes careful inspection of almost every single strand of hair. Much of this time Leroy was vacuuming.

I almost forgot, at first light Miriam told me that the washer was leaking a bit of water both in the front and in the back. She discovered that at 11:00 pm so she just turned it all off and went to bed. This morning she inspected the hoses; both those bringing water in and taking it out. It did not appear to be especially plugged, but they are cleaned out anyway. We think it was just tired from running continuously from noon to eleven at night. Leroy had to help get the dryer hooked back up to the exhaust. After that it worked for the rest of the time it was needed today. I do not know the total number of times it was used, but it was again quite a lot.

After lunch time, Miriam started going through Olivia’s hair with a fine toothcomb. Then I got started on the other side of her head. It helped that Leroy set up the trouble light. Miriam almost looked sunburned when she got finished.

The next step was to look at my head. Luckily Miriam did not find any bugs or eggs. I guess that was lucky, hopefully it was not that she just did not see them. She is quickly becoming an expert egg identifier.

We even checked Leroy again, but it was a negative. Sometimes negative is a good thing.

After that I tackled Miriam’s head with the special comb and managed to gather quite a few eggs or nits from her head.

Someone commented on the fact that I will tell the world about this, but then I would tell you that I had the flu too or some other germ. Really it is the same isn’t it? All of these things are catching if you are in the right place at the right time. I do not believe it is because you are dirty as these guys do not die with ordinary cleaners.

Andy is coming home soon and Miriam will have to give him the great treatment that we have all embraced. I will help some when it gets to the combing time as it goes so much faster with two people working. At least he has short hair. Miriam’s hair is too long and thick making great hiding places.

We are certainly focused on bugs in this house. Olivia and Nora were playing with dolls and there was much talk about having bugs in their hair and what they must do about it.

Paula

                                                                                                                                           

What a Day!

Salt Lake City

Hello,

Miriam had caught a bug in Nora’s hair, on Sunday, Monday, and again today. Now it took on more seriousness. Earlier, I had smashed a small bug when she was lying on the bathroom floor getting her pajamas on. I do not remember what day that was. Miriam even captured two of them this morning. We put them in a zip lock bag for future identification purposes. They appeared to have wings.

The Dr. who said, “Go ahead and do the head lice treatment even though it sounds a little different.” I put all of Nora’s bedding in the wash. Then I realized that Nora takes her nap in bed with Leroy or I. So I stripped that bed too, but just put the stuff outside. After hearing what the Dr. said, we decided that all of those things needed washing too. After Miriam and the girls came home, we started the shampooing even though it was lunch time. Miriam found a few more bugs and I saw the nits. We think we have mutant lice as they do not seem to move fast, the appearance is different than expected, and the girls have not been scratching their heads. When the girls had finally had lunch and gone to bed for their naps, Miriam checked my head, immediately finding and catching a bug. I checked her head, did not see any bugs, but was sure that some nits were in residence. Leroy is envied by us, because of his baldness no bugs can lurk in the sparse growth.

There is a lot of work to applying the shampoo, waiting, rinsing, lathering, rinsing, gelling, combing, and nitpicking. Shaving the head does seem attractive from time to time. Then there is all the work of laundering all of the bedding, some stuffed animals, bagging things that cannot be laundered, spraying the stuffed furniture, and vacuuming.

I said I was grateful that we have the chance to get the extraction kit, but Miriam was not so sure she would rather not have to do any of it. I am also grateful that we had not left and spread these bugs around to more places. We will be staying here at least one more day, maybe two.

On a positive note, Leroy does have an in person interview in Cedar Rapids, IA on Wednesday of next week so we will be back for that even if we do have to treat my head drastically.

Andy is out of town and because he has a nice head of hair we suspect he has these visitors too. His head has been close to Miriam and the girls. I am sure he feels itchy too. It is amazing how much I itch now when I did not before. Even Leroy thinks his head is itchy and he had me check it the second time.

Andy will have to be treated as soon as he gets home even though it will be a bit late. At least his hair is short making it easier to comb.

Paula

Party?

Salt Lake City

Hello,

Last night Leroy and I went to an Epiphany party hosted by the area Lutheran pastors. There was a potluck as well a gift exchange of white elephants for those who wanted to participate. At first Leroy and I thought we would just not do it since we did not really want to gather more things into our lives plus we did not really have any white elephants with us as they take up too much room.

However, on Saturday I repotted a crowded Sansevieria for Miriam. I put the three best specimen back in the pot for her and resisted throwing out the additional eleven. I thought she might take them to share with people at church, but that did not happen. All of a sudden I realized I now had many white elephants that I could corral into two pens.

If you know me at all you know that I do not feel comfortable in the gift giving/wrapping arena. I threw caution to the winds, cut off much of the tops of two milk jugs, put in a little water, added five plants in one and six in the other, put the jugs in plain brown paper bags, and hid the contents with tissue paper.

I felt good about this brilliant rescue mission until at the party I could see all the nicely wrapped packages nestled up next to my plain brown grocery bags. My emotions dropped a bit more when I saw many things that people had probably gone out and purchased; white elephant indeed. Later there were a few gag items so that helped bring me back up a little. The person who got the first set of plants was obviously rather dismayed when they opened it so I felt obligated to say that I had brought it and why – because I could not throw them out. Later when people could take someone else’s gift another person took them and I was so happy. There was a rescue of the plants and me. The other person who got the second set also had someone else take them. I did tell this woman again about how I could not just toss them. She said, “I understand, I have a house full of plants.”

Several times today I thought about those plants enjoying life in a new home and was very happy.

We will be leaving here on Thursday not Wednesday as I stated in the last letter. For some reason I was just off a day. Andy will be gone tomorrow and Wednesday so we are staying to help Miriam.

Paula

Snow!

Salt Lake City

Hello,

The last day that Sarah and her girls were here, Leroy drove them up into the mountains so Lexi could see and walk in snow. She thought it was not really winter at her home because it has been so warm and snowless.

Today we woke up to snow. It has continued through the morning and some of the afternoon. More than one person said the Lexi should be here. This afternoon we went out and made snowballs, two snowmen, and four snow bunnies. It was good packing snow. After that it was time for hot chocolate, stories, and nap.

Leroy and I had a quiet morning as Miriam went to work and Andy went to band practice taking the girls with him. Leroy and I both read the newspaper. But then we washed and folded two loads of clothes, dusted, and vacuumed this entire level of the house. That includes four bedrooms, living room, dining room, family room, and kitchen as well as laundry area, entry and three bathrooms. Just pointing out that we did not sit and twiddle our thumbs.

I had been feeling a bit low, but today is better perhaps helped by the snow and the time to be just two people in the house. Also this Wednesday Leroy and I will be heading back to the Midwest. Somehow that feels like progress even thought we do not know the future.

Leroy did have a phone interview for a job. We hope for a positive outcome with that and the best for all concerned. Next week they plan to set up the second round of interviews that will be in person. We hope Leroy is included in that. But we are trusting that it will be as it should be.

Paula

Sporadic Sleeping

Salt Lake City

Hello,

Last night, at 1:19 am, I got up to go to the bathroom, heard Natalie cry, heard Sarah come out of the room, heard rattling breathing by Natalie, and I said I would take Natalie. This three month old sounded more asleep than awake so I just took her into bed with Leroy and me. We are sleeping in a full sized bed so it is tighter space for three than a larger bed would be. However at one time in our lives I remember being in bed in the morning with at least two children sometimes even three children. Those children would have spent most of the night in their own beds.

Natalie’s breathing was nasally noisy, indicating that something was stuck in her nose and not in her lungs. Luckily it was not keeping her awake. I was awake making sure that she did not slide off the pillow or get her head covered up. After she had been there for a long time she made a particularly loud noise before she was totally quiet. “Oh no, has she aspirated that booger into her lungs?” I wondered in a panic.

I felt her face, searching for her nose to see if she was breathing. Relief, Relief! She was exhaling! After a while her breath became noisier again, but never to its former level. At 4:11 am she again woke up, Sarah came in, and took her with her. After that I did again sleep until the girls woke ready to take a walk at 6:45 am.

Sarah and her girls left this morning to go back to DC, Andy went to work, Leroy took Olivia to pre-school, and Nora and I were left alone in the house. It was more peace and quiet than I have experienced in some time. I liked it a lot.

It has been a stretch for me to come to this house with some many people in it, people who are louder than I am. I say this in spite of the fact that Brian says that I talk loudly as if we are hard of hearing. I have become used to long periods of solitude. At times I feel that sound is a physical force beating on my body.

Paula

Easy Sunday

Salt Lake

Hello,

It was decided that we would all go to the first service and because of no Sunday School we would be home much earlier than usual. We still needed to take two cars because we are six people and we do not fit in anyone’s car.

Leroy and I both like to be on time so it has been a bit hard on us to almost always be late except for Christmas day service when it was only the two of us and we were almost 20 minutes early.

I was ready to go when I passed the bathroom and noticed Leroy working with the fingernail clippers. “What are you doing?” I wondered.

It was the answer, “Clipping my nails,” that made me think we would not be early.

I went on out to the cars where Miriam was loading the two children. I thought maybe I would go with her. Leroy and Andy could come in the next car. As I was thinking that Andy came up so then it seemed best to let them go as a group and I would wait for Leroy.

After Leroy arrived he thought maybe we should clean off the windshield, but decided it was just dirt. He got in and used the washer/wiper. It froze almost instantly to the windshield. He tried again with the same result. Then he tried to scrape it off with little success. He drove down their street and declared, “I can’t see.”

He pulled off to the side and we sat there until the heater came on enough to clear the window a bit. Then as we proceeded down the main drag we were obliged to stop at almost every stop light. By the time we got to church it was at least ten minutes late. This time we cannot blame the kids. It is hard for me to get in the worship frame of mind.

We now believe it is summer windshield wiper fluid. Oh well we will have time to work on that before we leave.

Paula