From Job to Job

Hello,

I am always astonished at how some simple job evolves into major portions. Today, after Tia Chi, I brought home two plants from the library. These plants were begging for a new pot home. I was supplied with one pot and I knew I had potting soil plus other pots to choose from, hopefully some might fit.

Lunch and dishes came first on my agenda, but that was not really a problem. I spotted some new garden gloves we had purchased, clearance prices now, so I must have them. I stopped to cut off the plastic holding them together and took them with me. From there I moved to looking at my pot supply. I could not see all of them as the shelf is about my head level. My bike had to be moved out of the way creating easier access. At that point the disarray on the shelf convinced me that I must take off everything and organize it. Once things were off, the shelf needed to be cleaned. With all pots off I selected the best, hauled out the potting soil and proceeded to get the plants in pots. From there I needed to put back things on the potting shelf wondering about the fact that we have been here so long that cleaning was even a thought. In March we will have lived here three years. That is rather long for us.

After the plants were in the pots I knew that I should sweep off the sidewalk because there was some spilled soil on it along with many leaves and some walnuts. Course before the sidewalk the deck needed to be swept. While sweeping the deck I found that the squirrel, or some other digger, had been breaking off coleus branches. To rescue the coleus I had to go to the attic looking for a possible vase or holder. On the attic steps some dust or debris needed to be swept up. After getting the coleus settled I went back to sweeping outside and realized that the other porch needed some attention as well.

In the beginning all that was planned was to plant two plants.

Paula

Enjoying Life

Hello,

Time is flying! That must mean I am having a good time. A friend gave me some tomatoes, almost three buckets full. I have canned a batch of 7 quarts that included celery, parsley, onions, and some other herbs. The batch I did today was only tomatoes. My policy is to not work on Sunday but that changed when I went on the porch and smelled a tomato that was past its prime. What does it take for me to banish my principles? Just a rotten tomato! Somehow that seems like a small insignificant reason. I am happy to have the tomatoes canned. And there will be more to do, but probably not until Wednesday.

Leroy and I have been eating lots of excellent cantaloupe, a few medium quality honeydew, and some questionable watermelon. The bugs have moved in on some of these fruits and some I just do not know when they are ripe.

Aside from that we have had some good eggplant and wonderful broccoli without worms, or else we have eaten the worms and not known the difference.

On Saturday we rode our bikes to Ely. It was the first time for me this summer. I was impressed at how well I did and how little it bothered me. Leroy was also in good shape, but he rides to work quite a lot. It was a beautiful cool morning with lovely flowers along the trail and few people. A groundhog raced across in front of us and we saw quite a few geese. The walnuts were falling and we stirred up some fallen leaves as we passed. We checked the melons in the garden so Leroy could give his great opinion. He also got to pick out some books at the library for his reading pleasure.

We are blessed indeed.

Paula

Minnesota Trip

Hello,

On the way to Minnesota we were surprised at how many of the trees and shrubs were displaying their fall beauty. We are about four to five hours south. It is getting past the middle of September so it should be expected, but still it is great to find some surprising treasures.

We made our usual quick trip up for Sophia’s birthday party. It was great to see these kids. Sophia warms up to us so quickly and Logan takes a bit longer, but then he is right in the thick of it as well. We sleep on a blow mattress. It is especially attractive to the children in the mornings. The first morning we made enough noise to wake everyone. Sorry, but not too sorry as it only happens so few times in one year and we have so much fun. All four of us had a great time singing, tickling, and laughing.

Leroy was happy to have three days off in a row. As now that he is back at the church as well as the museum he struggles some weeks to get one entire day off. He has the hours off, but they are scattered and he does not feel as disassociated from work when he has to work a couple hours here and there.

It had been cool the week before we left. Even though we checked on the weather predictions it was hard to believe that it was going to be that warm in Minnesota. We were quite warm. I even had to borrow a t-shirt from Leroy because I was hot in my long sleeves. Somehow I forgot my motto of “be prepared for all types of weather.”

Paula

Canning

Hello,

Tomatoes are canned! I invited a woman to come see it. I had met her in the garden and she wanted to see how canning is done.  Course I shared some of the product with her. I had thought to use the pressure cooker rather than the canner, but could not find enough good jars. Later I found a whole box of them. I think Leroy must be losing his mind. He had found them about a week or two ago, but when I asked him about them today, he could not put his hands on them. And I think he has the best memory in the house.

I was happy to spend some quality visiting time with my neighbor. We connect in several places in our thoughts and actions. She has lived here just a few years so it was nice to learn about backgrounds.

I also washed and hung out three loads of clothes. It was a great drying day. Because I was busy with other things, I did not check on them until they were ready to bring in. That was nice.

On a sad note I learned that my neighbor across the street had a grandson die. Since this guy is 80, I think the grandson could have been an adult. But it is still sad and hard to deal with that loss.

I will have to go pick some greens from my front yard garden to make a meal for supper. I like that idea of going out the door and finding food to eat. I wondered if people would disturb our garden, but it has been left entirely alone. There are good people everywhere.  I have been fortunate to find them all of the time. Is that because I am expecting them to appear? Maybe!

Paula

Walking

Hello,

I see that I did not know the date on my last letter. I simply looked at the calendar and thought it was the first week in September, so I was a week off. Somehow that revelation came to me in my sleep. So, some part of my brain was on alert, but not the part that was working at the moment. Today I am more on the job.

Yesterday Leroy and I both got some good working time. First we went to church and back. That is two miles. Then we participated in the neighborhood cleanup. That was not so far, but a lot of zigzagging. I thought that might have added a mile. Then Leroy walked to the nursing home for a service giving him another two miles. During that time I set out on delivering the neighborhood newsletters. I do not know the total, but I have worn my pedometer and clocked a good two miles with that. One thing about this it involves a lot of hills and even a certain number of stairs so it is a good work out. It did not take as long as it does when the heat is on in the summer so it was nice to walk in the coolness. It certainly warmed me up.

Today a friend gifted us with some tomatoes from her excess. I am so pleased to get them as we have not canned very many. I will have to do that canning another day as I go to work in a bit. It was fun to see Barb and walk to the community garden and show her what we have available. It was a good reason for me to get in a short walk today.

It is an uplifting start to a day. I look forward to going to work and getting a large amount of items into the catalog. My desk and the shelf above it seem to grow resources when I am gone so I do not count on it being as I left it on Saturday which was with a manageable amount of things on it. That means I can do it one day.  Course I call all of these items job security and the satisfaction is in getting these things available to the patrons.

Paula

A walk to the garden

Hello,

After work I went to the garden in Ely and pulled a few weeds because I was embarrassed to see them there. Now the beets are at least visible from a distance.

I came home where Leroy had a good start on the evening meal and I just had to help a little before we could eat. After that I set off to the community garden where I had seen broccoli starting to flower the day before, but I just did not have the time and energy to pick it.

I saw my neighbor from Burundi sitting out so asked if she would like to come with me. Again we had that slightly difficult talk time. I learned that she had been in a refugee camp and I think it was because of the Congolese interference in her country. Otherwise she had lived out in the country, or at least I think that is correct.

We spent some time picking; I broccoli and she tomatoes. Then we walked home. When I got to her house she threw her arms around me giving me a serious hug and said, “I love you.”

I was amazed. I have noted that she and her husband sit out quite a lot and many men stop and talk, but I never see another woman talking to her. She does go to an African church in town, but otherwise I would guess that she spends little time talking with women. That can be lonely.

Paula

Rainy and Cool

Hello,

It has been rainy and cool. Feels like fall. I like fall, but I lean towards the crisp sunny days. However rain is certainly welcome as it had been a bit dry.

I hung out the dishtowel laundry load only to bring it in about ten minutes later. The plus is that it started to rain before I went shopping so it did not get totally wet again. I am also grateful for the clothes rack that had been my mother’s. It is nothing fancy, but quite functional. I have used it a lot since we have been in this apartment. Before that I also used it, but not as consistently. I am also still using my mother’s old ironing board. She did not use this, but gave it to me when I left home. It is not adjustable, but works fine for the little ironing that Leroy or I do.

Leroy actually spent the afternoon at home. But we walked to the store so he could get a flu shot and we bought some few items. I will get a flu shot, but will wait a while since I believe that I got mine in January or maybe even later last year. It is good for a while, but this year’s shot has new strains that it will protect against so I will get it do not worry.

I had some tomatoes at the house and wanted to can them with more. We made a trip to the garden, but could only find the small varieties that were ripe, consequently we did not can very many only four quart jars full. I did make up my own mix of celery, onions, and basil from the garden that I added when I pureed the tomatoes. Because of those additions I did pressure cook it rather than just a water bath. I hope we like it. If not, I will have to figure out something to make it palatable. Good thing Leroy is so easy to feed. I just put it in front of him and he eats it. Sometimes he even enjoys it.

Paula

Two Days Off

Hello,

It is great to have two days off in a row. I like the feeling of time stretching ahead of me. Today I still have some of that to do list from yesterday and I have added to it, but it is not controlling me.

The temperature might control me and my plans a little as well as the rain. I did wash a load of rags today and hung them out hoping that there will be a long enough dry time to finish the job.

In the meantime I have picked some of the tomatoes around the house. For some reason they are splitting and bugs are moving into the split.  I have cut those bugs out and put the rest of the tomato in the frig. It was also a good time to freeze a little Swiss chard.

Leroy and I are thinking about the possibility of getting a small freezer because we have so many things that we would like to put in such a space. The problem is that we do not have a lot of space here in our rooms for such a device. We would put it in the garage as do a couple of our children, but our garage does not have much extra territory. As it is we are filling our little refrigerator freezer to the max. I have canned green beans and a few tomatoes. There will not be so many more tomatoes to can because the tomatoes in the community garden are mostly small and it is difficult to get enough at one time.

One of the neighbors commented that he liked having the small tomatoes because then everyone gets a share. Last year we wondered if someone were even selling them because so many of the large ones went out of the garden.

Life is just some of this and a little of that. I am not buying vegetables and that is great. I am happy that we can get so many vegetables. Others are getting quite a few too and that is good. Enough for all!

Paula

Fun Day

Hello,

I did not work today because I will be working on Saturday. My to do list did not get totally done, but some other things did and that was good.

The best thing was that I went to the garden in the respite from the rain. As I was going there I saw my neighbor across the street talking to a group of guys. His wife was sitting in the car. He asked if she could go to the garden with me. I was happy to have that happen.  She is from Burundi and has some difficulty with English. I understand that feeling of dealing with another language. We managed to talk while we were walking. I did not understand everything she said and she probably felt the same about my speech. She found some things in the garden that she wanted to take home, so that is good. She was especially smiling about the hot purple peppers.

Later, as I was pulling weeds which slipped out of the ground with ease, a close neighbor came to pick some tomatoes. Then he went to get his wife to pick some green beans because he said that hurt his back. While he was gone a woman came in a car to get some veggies. I had quite an extended conversation with her about the nutritional value of smoothies, etc. She is more into that than I am. Then the neighbor and his wife came back and they brought me some oregano and thyme. I thought it would be a quick trip to the garden, but it got quite lengthy. I am happy to learn that people are using this garden and think it is so great.

I told Leroy this is our contribution to the neighborhood. We are not the only ones who work there, but we certainly put quite a lot of effort into it. I also feel that I gain quite a lot from it both in food and contacts. I may not have lived here so long, but I am getting acquainted with my neighbors.

Paula

Gifts in a Day

Hello,

It seemed like a regular Sunday as Leroy and I headed off to church. We knew it would be full at least for Leroy as we were going to the church picnic then he had a nursing home service and his plan was to mow the lawn when he came home. Even though it is Sunday, the lawn needs attention. Our landlord is gone and asked Leroy to take care of it. The lawn mower has some idiosyncrasies so I am not comfortable doing that job and it falls to Leroy who now cannot do it until possibly Wednesday. His schedule gets packed at times. In December the museum is considering hiring him for some extra hours so he can finish taking care of the last books that are in storage in another place. At least at that point gardening will be done.

At the church picnic I was pleased to be invited to sit with someone and in the meantime several people did speak with us. I know more people at this church than I realize, if I could just remember their names I would feel even better, but just recognizing and greeting is a gift.

At the picnic someone asked if we wanted to go to a concert on the Brucemore (mansion) lawn which is a short walk from our house, about eight blocks. That was a pleasant surprise, but there goes the lawn mowing.

We learned that they gather early to share eating time. We just took some sandwiches and apples. It was great to sit and visit with another group of people we know from the church.

The concert was well worth going to as well. I realized it has been a while since I have seen an orchestra in person as I felt the sounds wash over me. The pieces were more on the light side with a guest vocalist who was quite impressive.

The only downside was that Leroy and I did not take jackets and the temperature was 66 before we walked home. We did have long sleeved shirts for which we were grateful. When we realized that almost everyone else had a jacket with them, I told Leroy, “We will not freeze, we will just be cold.”

Paula

Gifts in a Day

Hello,

It seemed like a regular Sunday as Leroy and I headed off to church. We knew it would be full at least for Leroy as we were going to the church picnic then he had a nursing home service and his plan was to mow the lawn when he came home. Even though it is Sunday, the lawn needs attention. Our landlord is gone and asked Leroy to take care of it. The lawn mower has some idiosyncrasies so I am not comfortable doing that job and it falls to Leroy who now cannot do it until possibly Wednesday. His schedule gets packed at times. In December the museum is considering hiring him for some extra hours so he can finish taking care of the last books that are in storage in another place. At least at that point gardening will be done.

At the church picnic I was pleased to be invited to sit with someone and in the meantime several people did speak with us. I know more people at this church than I realize, if I could just remember their names I would feel even better, but just recognizing and greeting is a gift.

At the picnic someone asked if we wanted to go to a concert on the Brucemore (mansion) lawn which is a short walk from our house, about eight blocks. That was a pleasant surprise, but there goes the lawn mowing.

We learned that they gather early to share eating time. We just took some sandwiches and apples. It was great to sit and visit with another group of people we know from the church.

The concert was well worth going to as well. I realized it has been a while since I have seen an orchestra in person as I felt the sounds wash over me. The pieces were more on the light side with a guest vocalist who was quite impressive.

The only downside was that Leroy and I did not take jackets and the temperature was 66 before we walked home. We did have long sleeved shirts for which we were grateful. When we realized that almost everyone else had a jacket with them, I told Leroy, “We will not freeze, we will just be cold.”

Paula

Learning new things

Hello,

I was quite impressed with the young robin pictures that we had taken so I suggested to Leroy that we look at them on the TV which has a 1080 psi rating. We were both amazed at how good they looked. Leroy, who was controlling the mouse, could zoom on the feathers and we could see the center shaft and the feathery wisps on them. He told me what the pixilation was, but I forgot. It was quite good. In FB where we could not control what we were looking at the result was not so distinct. Guess we will have to do this more often. We are pleased with the camera and the TV. The picture that our landlady had taken with an IPhone, of us and the bird, was not as good.

We learned that there is some oregano in the community garden. It was discovered in the weed patch. Leroy thought it had never sprouted. It was small, but quite fine.

I believe that a bunny is living in our garden on the front lawn. At least I have scared it out several times. The good thing is that it does not seem to be eating anything just hiding under the cabbage leaves.

New mouse traps are highly sensitive and a bit scary to set. I had an extended poop conversation, which included eliminating methods of the pooper, at the store when getting these traps. I decided not to be humane, but just kill these mice. We were hoping that it is mice in the attic leaving poop around at various places. However this morning, no mice were in the traps and all the peanut butter seemed to be undisturbed. What now? We both think we have some old traps, but cannot imagine where they might be. We know that mice got caught in them so would it be better to put them out?

Life is full of mysteries great and small.

Paula

Bird on a Rail

Hello,

Wednesday evening Leroy took refuse out to the compost, rushed back in the house looking for the camera, and exclaiming, “There is a baby bird on the porch.”

I had to see it too. It was sitting there watching us when we came back. “Did you walk by it and open the gate without seeing it?” I wondered.

The gate is only about a foot from where it was sitting. Leroy had done just that and the bird did not fly. As we were speaking the wind blew the gate shut with a furious bang and that young bird just jerked a bit before it settled into a state of constant watchfulness.

Using the zoom on the camera allows us to get a good close up, but a tripod is needed to keep out the jiggles. I asked Leroy if I could use his shoulder and he volunteered his head. Our landlady was quite amused, but we got some good pictures.

As we were standing there we noticed an adult robin hovering around in the trees and the roof edge. After going into the porch I chanced to take another look and just caught mom or dad robin fly in and drop food into the open mouth that closed greedily and gulped.

What a wonderful thing to see all this. Better than much entertainment, especially some movies that are considered by some to be hilarious and I do not even smile.

Here are some of the pictures so you can see this adolescent.

Paula

Fall

Hello,

Fall must be coming because there are some clues around. First, the sun has not been hanging around so long. It is even a bit dark when we wake in the morning. Leroy tells me that I was snoring this morning, but I think it must have been someone else as I do not do anything as common as snore. “Was I sleeping on my back?” I wanted to know.

He had not checked, but just let me sleep. I thought I never slept on my back.

In the evening I drive home in the dark after work. That is fine, but I liked it better when I could see farther ahead.

The second clue is that there are more spiders, both in my house and around it. I even saw a web on the corner of the window inside the house. I got rid of the little web, but did not see a spider so I suppose the web will appear once more. Then there is the larger spider that is on the inside of the screen of the bedroom window. I only open that window for brief periods hopefully not giving that spider access to the house.

There are webs on the outside back steps all of the time now. That does not bother me so much but it looks like no one lives here, except  spiders. Sticks help me get rid of those webs, but they reappear almost instantly.

Third, there are walnuts falling on the garage roof or on the car parked out there. The noise in a stiff wind can be quite attention getting. In the quieter times I hear the squirrels chewing on walnuts. They have some sturdy teeth.

Paula