What to Cook?

Hello,

I just thought again that it is Sarah’s 40^th birthday. How can it be that she was born 40 years ago in Lancaster, PA.? You know I am not old enough to have a 40 year old child. I think I am about 50 or did I pass that a long time ago? Time flies when one is not paying attention.

Cooking quick meals seems to be the modus operandi at my house. Unlike my children I do not have weekly plans for meals. It is more like when I walk in the door, “What shall we have tonight?”

I realized that we had a zucchini in the refrigerator. So with Leroy’s help, I always wail for help and Leroy rescues, we made zucchini pancakes from the recipe I got from sister Carolyn. Leroy added some powdered ginger and nutmeg for a little zing. They were good topped with applesauce and perhaps some chokecherry honey or real maple syrup. Usually I do not add the sweets, but I was given the honey which is quite good and I read that genuine maple syrup actually has a bit of benefit for us. Because the meal did not have enough veggies we also steamed three enormous swiss chard leaves. These leaves were so big that I thought one would be enough, but Leroy voted for two and then I decided that no point in leaving one to be cooked by itself and it would be eaten without muttering as leftovers. Well when we were done eating the pile of swiss chard leaves fit in one of my smallest storage bowls. First they cook to about one half their original size and secondly it tasted so good, I had to have seconds. I also ate a few small cherry tomatoes making it a fine meal at the last minute.

Paula

The Bounty of the earth

Hello,

Yesterday I was going out to the recycle bin when I heard a tremendous bang. I jumped inside and outside of my skin, looked around, and discovered a walnut had fallen on a parked car. Yesterday I was out by the compost bin when another big bang startled me. Almost immediately I felt some moisture on my leg. A walnut had fallen on the sidewalk beside me; the green outer hull was broken apart. The force these missiles gather as they come from high above is a bit daunting. No need to fire from a gun just drop from a great height and I could not sustain the impact.

I picked green beans this morning, assuming that no one else had come, but that was not the case or the beans are hitting a lull. I got part of a grocery bag full. But I had taken a knife so I harvested some brussel sprouts, as well as two zucchini and a number of small tomatoes.

Leroy called to tell me that one of his coworkers who also lives in the neighborhood would like some green beans. If he had called earlier I would have let her pick them as it is, I will still give them to her. I am happy to give up that time preparing and canning those things. Now in the winter I so appreciate them, but at the moment they look a bit different.

Maybe some time when Leroy is with me we can chop off the lettuce and it will produce a crop for the fall. I guess I could do it alone, but I just do not feel like putting forth the effort.

We have started to use our disappointingly small onions. I am not sure why, but I have never had a very successful crop. Onions seem so humble, but maybe they must be treated like royalty.

Paula

In the gardens again

Hello,

I went to tai chi in Ely this morning so I went prepared to pull weeds in the garden. It had been watered some time earlier so it was quite muddy. That makes it easier to pull those entrenched items, but I was dirty when finished with my time, but not finished with the weeds.

At home I thought I would rush right over to the community garden and pull more weeds since I was on a roll, but could not convince myself do get over there. I did make it at about noon when the construction workers were having lunch at the picnic table which is quite close. When they saw me looking through the plants, one of them asked me what the purple pole beans were. I picked some for them and took them over. All but one of them tasted them and thought they were quite good.

I visited with them for a while and then mentioned the beautiful purple hot peppers. I did say that I had not eaten any because I understood that they were quite hot. One guy then told me, “I saw a younger guy come in (I suspect it was the neighbors 20+ son), pick one of the purple peppers, and take a bite out of it.”

“Oh,” I asked, “what did he do then?”

With a demonstration of the movements he smiled, “He stuck his arms up in the air, danced on first one leg then the other, and spit it out. He looked like he was in pain.”

I got one of those peppers to show them how pretty they are. One man said, “I will take this home to my mother. If she says it is hot, it is hot.”

I found and picked enough purple beans for a nice amount to eat and some to share with our landlord and his wife. Robin declared that she liked them better than green beans. By the way they turned green as they cooked. I also liked them quite a lot. Our climbing poles are rather short so I still had to bend down to find this goodness. Next time it will be higher.

Paula

The Weather

Hello,

We are alternating between hot and quite cool. I do not want to use the word cold as it is not like winter. Consequently I need clothes available for being half naked, my grandmother’s term to describe my modest shorts and sleeveless blouse, as well as much more covering apparel. When I was growing up we wore skirts and blouses or dresses. None of the pants and shorts was widely accessed in my house. Certainly when in public one wore proper clothes. I can remember feeling daring and on the cutting edge, wearing pants to class when I was in college in 1966. In elementary school and high school, when it was cold in the winter, my sister and I would wear long pants under our dresses and remove them before the school bus picked us up or we would take them off at school. On occasion my legs would turn blue from being properly dressed with extra exposure to the cold.

At night now I might wear a different weight pj several nights in succession, seeking the right comfort level. I did take back those pj’s of Leroy’s that were too small to exchange them for another medium. Would you believe that I got money back on the deal even though the trade was even? I earned almost $1. Is that like winning the lottery?

I have on shorts today, but I feel quite cool. Since I will be leaving for work in a short time I will change into something warmer then. Maybe I am becoming like Leroy who hates changing clothes in the course of the day. Sometimes he will risk getting paint on some good clothing because it is too much bother to change.

Paula

Things To Do

Hello,

Leroy has a nursing home service this afternoon. As a result he will have walked four miles today. That is four miles without really working at it. We both enjoy our walks to church in the morning. I was rather surprised to meet four young guys on the way and then a little later a woman who stopped to tell Leroy her tale of woe about the other woman who was walking ahead of us. Even though Leroy was not wearing his church collar she surmised that we were going to church and gave us a venom laced mini sermon. There were several other walkers out there. Why? Oh it is because it is 8:30 rather than 7:30. Usually only the occasional car is seen going down the street early on a Sunday morning.

This morning I opened the pressure cooker to take the jars out. I gleefully lifted out the first two beautiful jars. The third felt strangely light as the bottom opened up and beans spilled out into the water. Oh no! All that work and it must be thrown away! I had wondered when I put in one of the jars I heard an unidentifiable light tap sound so I was not truly surprised. Was it an old jar? Did I set it done too firmly? Was the temperature change greater than with the others? No answers here, but then I moved on to feeling grateful that it was just one jar and I have a warning to check the future jars more carefully. Also glad the pressure cooker did not explode as they have done from time to time. We were not hurt by it at all, but just inconvenienced.

Today I made a rhubarb mulberry crisp. I have not yet tasted it, but it smells quite enticing. I will share with Don whose tree it is. I put in a little more sugar than I would have for just Leroy and I as I know other people in this country seem to like more sugar.

Paula

Leroy and I

Hello,

Leroy and I worked all day today. We hung out two loads of laundry before we headed off to Ely with the purpose of working in the garden. Leroy wanted to go to the library to get some more seeds for a fall planting of radishes. We also got some more onions since there were still some blubs there. Then Leroy could not resist picking out a DVD and some books. I generally pick them out for him, but his taste and my taste are different so I am not always successful.

In the garden we pulled weeds like people possessed. And we were possessed as the gnats and mosquitoes noticed we were mostly unprotected. I try to remember all things, but besides bug spray I also forgot a container for mulberries. The friendly neighbors let us use some squirts of the good bug spray and that kept the insect crowd in check.

We have only been there a couple times to pull weeds so they were thriving. Some spots do look better now, but certainly not all. It will require a few more times to get it looking respectable.

The mulberries were very nice, not as plentiful as last year, but quite fine. I intend to make a rhubarb mulberry crisp and share some with the owner of the garden.

This afternoon Leroy and I went to the community garden. The beans needed to be picked and we managed to get enough to can another seven quarts. Very nice! There were four large cucumbers. How did they get so huge when I did not even know they were there? I gave three of them away. I also picked two zucchini, but with sadness as I saw the bugs have moved in and once they are in town the plant is history in a short time. Can one plant zucchini for the fall? I have not heard of it, but it might outsmart the bugs. Leroy was tired after getting the beans in the canner, but I had little sympathy as I did the entire job alone the last time.

T

These are green beans and a purple pole bean from the community garden.

Paula

My sister

Hello,

My sister has been struggling with a cancerous tumor in her lung and four lesions on her spine. She had a serious melanoma 14 years ago. It has now returned. About two weeks ago she had an operation to relieve the pain in her neck because the bones are collapsing or pushing on nerves. Today when I spoke with her she said it was a hard day because of lack of energy and a fever.

It is hard because I am far away and cannot help her except to call her.

I am letting you know so you can add her to your prayers lists. She is in need of comfort and ease.

Paula

                                                               

Library Work

Hello,

You may think that librarians spend much of their day doing mundane things, but really it is a lot of sleuthing. Sometimes it is as simple as where did I leave my pen other times it is a bit more involved such as where is that book?

Today a family came in looking for a book that the computer said was available. The computer is always right, you know! They had searched the shelf for it but could not find it. I first looked on the computer to be sure it was to found in house. The next step was to search the shelves both where it belongs and a bit away from the spot in case someone put it in a place it did not belong. The end caps were searched because it might be on display. The books to be shelved were searched to no avail. I made a note of who and what before sending them on their way.

When I showed the note to my colleague, she also commented that she had done something with that book not long ago. This title was number 3 in a series of 4 with 4 being listed as lost. We ruminated on this mystery for a while and then returned to other tasks. Possibly an hour later books came in the book return, one of them being the number four that had been lost. Because my colleague remembered who had wanted it she put it on hold , called them, and placed it on the hold shelf. As she did that she spotted number three. The hold on it had expired, but we had failed to pull it off that shelf. Mystery solved!

Our minds are always being stretched to remember. Or perhaps we might be asked to open a pill container. This older woman, but perhaps younger than I, sent a fax and then dug a pill bottle out of her bag. “Could you open this?” she wanted to know. It had the regular child proof (old lady proof) cap. I pushed down, turned, and the lid popped off. She grabbed it with thanks, plucked it snugly in her bag, and said, “I am taking it home this way.”

Paula

Garden Day

Hello,

I finally made it to the garden about 10:30. I had a dr. checkup first and before that I hung out a load of clothes.

The sun was a bit hot by the time I got there. Unfortunately the green beans are all in the sun. I managed to pick two bags and hoped that it would be enough for a canner full. The workers at the old fire station that is being converted to living quarters for college students greeted me. One of them asked, “Is this really a community garden? And anyone can pick things?”

“Yes, help yourself.” I replied.

“I will take home some lettuce,” he said.

“I am happy to hear that because it is getting old and soon it will not be good.” I told him.

Tonight first Leroy, and then I went to the garden to water as it is getting dry in some places. We took lawn chairs and books so we could be entertained while the water ran. First the next door neighbor man came over and told me that they had picked beans for supper from the same area that I picked just that morning. When I told him that I had picked and canned seven quarts he was impressed, but also told me, “You missed quite a few.”

Soon his wife came over too, and they wanted to know about our purple pole beans as well as the soybeans. I hope they use some of each when they get ripe.

The woman told us that a homeless girl had come last night asking if she could get some veggies. I am glad that the word is getting out. The neighbor also asked if we have the names of some places where she could go for help. I have just such a list and I will give it to her.

A bit later another guy who has worked on the garden came. I guess the garden is our social spot. We did not get much work done, but talked a lot.

Paula

Rich

Hello,

We are rich in foods and comforts. There is more in the gardens than we can eat in one day or maybe even a week. This is true even after I encourage neighbors to help themselves from the community garden. Turnip greens are a slow sell. If we were truly starving it would be a different tale. We have choices.

Even on a hot day we can seek out shade, natural or electric breezes, and air conditioning is available to many around me. Somehow we forget all this luxury and complain about a little discomfort. Can human nature be changed to turn to the good and see it as true riches?

I look in my closet and see more clothes than I can wear in two weeks. Who needs all of these things and why are they in my possession? How did this happen that I have more than enough? I am indeed rich.

I am I rich in friends? Yes I know so many good people. Do I spend much time with any one of them? No. Somehow I have turned into a flighty bird flitting from flower to flower. I prefer deeper friendships. I will have to work on cultivating that part of my life. It seems much vaguer than just increasing the material things in my life. Somehow people now live a more separate life than back in the days when they had less and counted on others more.

Perhaps we have lost the art of deep connections and that makes us poor in spite of being rich. It is all relative isn’t it?

Paula

Books Read

Hello,

I just read the Kabul Beauty School set in post war or continuing war Afghanistan. I am starting to read Call the Midwife set in 1950’s tenement housing in London. I find both of these books have much information that I had not known before. What I really want to know is why some human’s lives are such a wretched existence from the beginning and some human lives go through life with barely a bump in the road? Or it looks smooth from the outside. In both books, the person telling the situation has tried to make a better life for those people around them. It seems that one of the helpful traits of the people who make a difference is their sense of humor. At least there have been things to laugh at in both books. Is that what carries them through the rough times? I must develop my sense of humor. The two women also had a sense of the rightness in what they were doing whether it was delivering babies or styling hair. I had no idea that such divergent careers could lead to satisfaction helping some of the poorest people in those times and places. They were very courageous people going to places that they had not originated from as they both crossed cultural boundaries.

I feel that I have led just a safe little life without a goal or purpose at times, but I too have had some amazing experiences. I just do not see instant results such as delivering a baby or sending someone out with a new look.

Our book club is going to read The Help which I read a number of years ago. I will have to read it again since I have surely forgotten some or much of it. Certainly it would make a discussion easier if I visit it again.

Tonight Leroy and I will work in the community garden because he will be in Des Moines tomorrow night and cannot meet at the usual Monday evening time. I am amazed at how busy our lives have become here.

Paula

Dreams and Gardens

Hello,

Last night I woke at 3:00 to the sound of a stressed young voice saying, “Mommy.” My heart was beating fast as I looked to the side of the bed for one of my children who was not standing there. Then I checked to see if it was one of my grandchildren asking for their mother, but they were not there either. It was not really part of the dream I has having, but it seemed such a terribly real insertion. It disturbed me. I even wondered if I should start calling my children to see if something were wrong, but I had no idea who would need the call. A phone call in the middle of the night with no good reason behind probably would not be welcomed by any of them.

I finally went back to sleep to sink into other dream scenes.

Leroy and I went to the garden early this morning thinking we might pick and can green beans. However there was only a handful left to pick. Our urging and advertising is working as others are coming to get a meal’s worth. I am pleased. One person even posted that they weeded as well. The only downside is that I will not get much canned for next winter, but we will manage as we have in the past. This is after all, a community garden. It seems to be a very positive force in the neighborhood. More positive forces are always welcome.

Now if you want turnip greens there is a great crowd of them enjoying the sunshine.

On Facebook, I posted a recent picture of the garden in our front yard. I thought you might like to see that.

Paula

Just for Leroy

Hello,

Leroy is going on a staff retreat with the church. He will be sharing a room. What he wears to bed is only for my eyes and barely fit for them. Today the hunt was on for some pjs. I thought he might wear boxer shorts, but would need some new and he is not attracted to that idea.

This morning I hit the road, the shopping road that is. I started at Goodwill, but did not find any pjs or shorts that might have worked. Then it was on to Target, Kohls, TJMax, Yonkers, and Old Navy. At Old Navy I found a pair of boxers that were on clearance so they were acceptable. My last stop was Sears where I found short sleeved, short pants pj sets on clearance sale. I bought two pair one a small and one a medium so he would have the proper and comfortable fit. Then because of this deal and that deal I only paid 68 cents for the two of them. What a gift!

All of this was to save face or perhaps some other parts from the public eye. Leroy should be happy.

I have to confess to being quite tired after all this trotting around and looking. I still made two more stops for some groceries. At home I climbed the stairs four times carrying bags. I suspect all of this walking could count as at least two miles. Two miles with weights even part of the time. Good thing I have those stairs demanding movement. It keeps me strong.

I also washed a load of clothes today. That requires at least two trips, one to hang them and one to collect them. I have the good life don’t I?

Paula

Fun with grandchildren

My Job

Hello,

I am totally attached to the computer at work. There are a few things that I do when I do not use it, but even those tasks are dependent on the computer. Our Internet was down when I got to work on Monday. After much fussing, luckily someone else has to deal with all this; it was still down when I left. On Tuesday it was also down, but the tech guy came in and got it going only to have it disappear about an hour later.

We can adopt former methods of check out such as writing down a person’s name and noting the barcodes of the items they are checking out. As you might imagine this takes much more time than scanning the barcode.

I was unable to enter new books because the library software is all online. So I checked people in and out, shelved some books, called a few people about their over dues, and generally moaned to self about the lack of technology.

One observant child commented, “What would happen if all your pens did not work?”  Amazing how we are grateful for that old device. Humble that it is, it just keeps on delivering reliable assistance.

My boss, who is the most tech savvy among us, figured out that we could use the inventory scanner to check in and out. She would then download or upload that data at home.

I had not used this scanner before and I, for some reason, could not hold it consistently at the proper angles, causing a certain level of anxiety. I also learned I am not so good at shelving for a long time. Good thing I am not specifically hired to do that. Also yesterday in the seven hours I worked 150 people entered and left the library. Not all used the desk services, but still that is a lot of people to come through. I was the only staff person there for at least five hours of that time. When I was done I was quite tired and glad for the end.

Paula

More about the Utah trip

Hello,

I stitched names on napkins for the family and took them to Utah. The grandkids seemed pleased to find their own name.

This is a picture of Logan who was missing in the last picture. His name is at least clear on the napkin. He can read his name, unfortunately I forgot to check on Natalie’s ability to recognize her name. I suspect she does know it.

Leroy and I took walks each morning accompanied by varying numbers of childern. We woke no one and went with the people who were awake. It was always an adventure, for instance finding apricots hanging over the fence so we felt comfortable sampling them. We also spotted four large snails that we did not sample, but just moved off the sidewalk and onto the grass.

One morning when it was just the two Utah girls we rode bikes and zipped around the playground at the neighborhood school. Tribes of ants were discovered on another trip along with some seagulls on the school lawn.

Western quail were another interesting species. It seems the whole world has various things to offer if we just look.

Paula

Family time

Hello,

Those cousins seemed to get along fairly well in spite of not knowing each other very well. Most of the time it was playing without complaining. I feel good about that. Miriam has some spaces in her house that the children could explore in without grown up supervision. We also had some good times with water in the back yard. I have pictures of that, but have not had time to download them so I could share them.

This is a picture that Stephen took of the girls and I. Logan was off doing his own thing. We were waiting to head off for a hike around a mountain lake where the temperatures were noticeably cooler. And did I mention that no bugs accompanied us creating a nice ambience.

We also got the family picture taken. So far I have only seen one of those shots, but in time we will get the full disc of them. Leroy and I are planning to replace the 2009 pictures with these new ones. Hopefully there will be good pictures of the right orientation to fit in the frame.

Paula

Our Utah Trip

Hello,

I did not keep up with the news very well while we were gone. Either someone was using one of the computers or I was otherwise occupied when I might have written.

I think I told you that Leroy and I flew on different planes. At Salt Lake airport we both rode the light rail to a stop close to Miriam’s house. After deplaning I looked for the Trax stop, could not see a sign stood in line at the information booth for a brief respite when I suddenly spied a sign. As I walked out the door I was looking for a place to buy a ticket when a helpful officially uniformed woman asked if I were planning to ride the Trax. She then helped me get my ticket. The only thing was she was going to get me full price fare when I told her that I was a senior. She exclaimed that she did not think I was and asked my age. She agreed that 66 was old enough to get the lower fare. Do you think she was flattering me? Almost never has anyone thought I was younger than I am.

No one was there to help Leroy when he came. Miriam also commented that she has not seen anyone  helping there. Where did this woman come from? Had she heard that a helpless person was coming? I was grateful for the help, but I think I could have managed on my own. At least Leroy zipped right through the process when he came and even managed to get on the train that meant he had to take the famous Bradway walk through the airport to get there in time.

I am rather amazed that we are such “old hands” at air travel. I certainly would not have thought such a thing because 20 years ago was when I took my first commercial airplane trip. How things change!

Paula

Iowa Culture

Hello,

Miriam, the girls, and I walked along a paved country road to get to the house that Miriam lived in until she was four. Several cars went by and all the drivers waved. That was noticeable to these city kids. I have to confess that until they said something I had not given it a thought, but of course in Cedar Rapids we do not wave at passing cars. Miriam talked some about not looking people in the eye when walking past each other on the street and not smiling or greeting. Do people in cities miss something by not acknowledging others?

We were fortunate enough to see a fawn go across the road in front of us. That fawn was soon followed by mama. It has been a while since I have seen a deer so close as they have not shown themselves to me in my neighborhood.

The girls were excited to see rabbits as well. Those small wildlife creatures are much more common around here. The squirrels are the more frequently observed species. I know some of them nest in the trees that are very close, just about six feet outside my window.

Miriam also commented on how accommodating drivers were on the interstate in Iowa. She felt that it was not the same in Utah. The old established trees here also caught her eye. Utah is too arid to have such stately residents surviving all sorts of years lots of rain fall or little rain fall.

Leroy is certainly busier now. I am once again giving up on keeping track of where he is working. For instance tomorrow we are both working, but I will only go to one place. He will work at the museum, leave there to do a nursing home service, and go back to the museum to finish his day.

Paula

Home Again

Hello,

We are both home again from our Utah trip. Miriam, Olivia (age 7), Nora (age 6 in a week) and I all rode home together. In Iowa we needed to stop the mosquitoes from biting so bug spray was required. One of the girls asked, “If it is bug spray why don’t we spray it on the bugs?”

Another girl said, “Why didn’t the mosquito die when it sat on my arm with the bug spray on it?”

No, or few mosquitoes can be found in Utah. Such an Iowa education! In spite of the bugs, I love the green of the countryside.

Books on tape are great companions for a long road trip. When the story was rolling all was quiet in the car.

Miriam can drive the long distance. The new car with six forward gears and a little different touch was not for me, Miriam thought. I did not force the issue, but almost wish I had as I wondered how it all handled.

Leroy was home before or about lunch time on the day we left and we took two more days. Which is better? It depends on your purpose.

I am happy to be home, but still a bit tired. I worked seven hours today. Tomorrow I need to do laundry and grocery shop. Plus those gardens might require a bit of care. I did stop and pick mulberries on the way home from work so that left little time to relax.

Paula

Storms and Quiet

Hello,

We have certainly had the storms here. We have been safe and our possessions unharmed. One of the torrential storms Leroy and I slept through. The rain gauge had almost four inches of water in it. Because yesterday’s storm was during the day we were well aware of it, I at work and Leroy at home.

Just before it got quite bad a young man stuck his head in the library door and asked, “Can we take shelter in here?”

“Certainly, come on in!” I replied. By that time the rain was coming down in buckets.

I learned that the younger man was riding his bike from the south to Ely when he noticed the black sky ahead. Fortunately for him a middle aged man in a truck stopped and told him to put his bike in the back and get in just minutes before the rain came.

We did not go to the back of the library even though the sirens went off, but we all stayed away from the windows as the weather radio said it was not a tornado, but a server thunderstorm. In retrospect I wonder if I should have taken us deeper into the building. If anyone had been an unaccompanied child I would have insisted, but I figure adults can make up their own minds.

I was grateful to have the storm stop before I needed to drive home. I feel only slightly guilty that I did not get to the post office to mail the interlibrary loan books. Today will be just fine for that task.

There is a house in our neighborhood with a tree on top of it. The tree is still attached to the ground with a rather large bulge up at the root area.

Wind and rain are still stronger than we are.

My boarding pass is printed, the carry-on mostly filled, and I am turning west.

Leroy and I have left some things at Miriam’s so we do not have to bring so much. I/we have made a list so we know what these things are. The list has been lost almost as many times as we have made it. Today I looked, grumbled, looked some more in the most logical places, grumbled, and took a break from the search. I was sure that I had put it someplace that I would need to approach before traveling again. Finally I found it in my fanny bag. I had thought about not bringing that since Miriam declares it the height of no fashion sense. Since it so carefully held this information, I will bring it for sure.

Paula