Happy Birthday Leroy!

Hello,

It is not really Leroy’s birthday, but we had a little impromptu celebration anyway. Before I set off for shopping I moaned to Leroy that I had not gotten him a gift and I did not know what to get him. Last night he had talked about getting the entire set of US stamps for 2014. I suggested he just get it and it would be my gift to him. He did not seem happy with that, probably because it was not a surprise and I had really nothing to do with it but talk about it.

This morning I headed out to shop hoping to see something that would seem like the right thing. First I got a pair of gloves and a pair of mittens because he likes both. He has been complaining that his gloves are getting quite worn. He likes the warmest he can find. These might not live up to his high standards, but they were as good as I could do at the moment. Then I found a zippered cardigan sweater that was in his size. He likes to have such at work so he can add an extra layer if needed. Because he has two work places and only one zippered sweater, it was filling a need. This rust color will go with quite a few of his clothes. Even if it does not he will wear it if he is cold and needs it. Then I found a pair of warm lounge pants because his last pair has a hole in it. The last item was the game, Sequence, that we do not own, but I have played and liked. I think Leroy has played it too, but he did not remember it.

We will be at Brian’s house for his birthday. I told him I would like to open his gifts before we go. He agreed and said, “How about now?”

So this birthday deal surprised both of us. It was fun! He seemed to be quite pleased with everything and it all fit. What more could he want? Nothing has to be returned, unlike his Christmas gifts.

No birthday sweet treat, but an amazing veggie mixture that tasted quite good along with some zucchini fritters from Robin.

Paula

Learning New Things

Hello,

Our bank has changed the way that I can pay bills by transferring money. For some reason it is hard for me to click all the buttons. I usually think I am done because I have not scrolled down the page far enough to see another button. Maybe soon I will learn this new skill.

Yesterday I went to work even though I should not have been there because I work on Saturday this week. At least I do not do that very often, maybe even never before. I did not look at the schedule because I thought I knew what I was doing. I had already worked a Saturday this month, but there are five Saturdays. Apparently it does not take much to get me off track.

Leroy and I are applying for long term care insurance, but not sure we will go ahead and do this. They have called us to give us the “quiz” to learn our mental abilities. Part of me does not care if we cannot get it at a good rate and part of me wants to do the best that anyone my age can do. One of the hard questions was today’s date. I was right on that, but without looking at a calendar it was a bit unnerving. The person also asked if anyone helped us with our finances I said no, but should I have said I need it considering my button clicking skills listed above?

I was able to repeat back to her seven of the ten words that she had given to me earlier in the conversation, or did I say six and duplicate one of them. Am I going downhill or was I ever any good at this?

There is always the question will we need this? That is the gamble. The future is a misty tunnel. It is fine not to know, but this is a rather expensive choice in either direction. I dislike throwing money away, but if it is needed…

Paula

Safe Drive

Hello,

Yesterday it was a light mist at noon when I went to work with the temperature just above freezing. At 4:30 my boss, who lives in town, called to ask if either my co-worker or I would like to go home. My co-worker was to stay until 5:00 and I work until 8:00. I went out and checked the surface it did not seem slippery to me. This young person checked the forecast. I suggested she also check the road report. It did not seem that bad. She then went out and checked the sidewalk and the road surface. It did not appear to be the type of stuff that would be hard to drive in. We called our boss back and told her we were going to stay. She told me she would call again and let me know her husband’s report on his trip home which was the same way that I would go, but in the opposite direction. Leroy called me about 5:30 to tell me that he had trouble going up the incline to the garage. He said, “Call me when you leave so I can go out, shovel, and put down some salt.”

At that point I suggested he ask our landlord if they had any sand or outdoor salt as all we had was table salt.

At 6:15 my boss called back to say, “Dustin says it is slippery. Gather your things and I will be there soon so you can go home.” Did you notice she did not ask for my opinion?

I called Leroy before I started home. I had put a blue cloth like thing that we have had for a long time on the front window of the car. It zips in its own bag. Not sure when or why we got it, but we never use it. I cleaned off the rest of the car, tapped the brush against the car, put it on the back seat, pulled off this blue thing and hopped in the car. That blue thing really worked. It was a little hard to move as the snow was wet and heavy, but it was much faster than using the brush.

I drove at a snail’s pace most of the way home. At that time almost no one was going my way so my tracks were not as open as they weaving towards me. If there had been a big gap in traffic I might have used that lane, but I really had no trouble at all for which I am grateful.

It was wonderful to pull into the alley and see both Clark and Leroy out there shoveling and a clear ramp for me to navigate.

Paula

Community Garden

Hello,

Saturday we met with two other neighbors about the community garden. They have not been involved in the past. One of the problems is that they know little to nothing about gardening. They are eager to learn and involve others. We are hopeful that this will bring more people on board both in learning about the garden process and in the harvesting times and what to do with the produce. What a great thing when more people express an interest in something that is so basic to life. I am often reminded of going to Russia in 1997 and seeing many patches of dirt supporting cabbages and onions. We are so wasteful of our land, growing grass instead of food for people, or even allowing people to grow food almost any dirt that they have available to them. Beauty or a certain standard of beauty rules.

Yesterday I helped Leroy return his eBook to the library. This was something that the CR library person had been unable to do. I have to admit that it was mostly serendipitous rather than solid knowledge. My method was not how to do it according to the help prompt with the software. Whoever wrote that software was half asleep?

Later Leroy helped me with the laptop because I was complaining about the cursor going to odd parts of the page when writing this letter. He thought the problem was that I was touching the touch pad and causing it to respond to that touch. So far it has been good. The only problem is that I will not really know if it is fixed until I have used it for several days without mishap. I suppose that fits in the prevention area of life. It is hard to know if prevention works without out doing a serious scientific test. For now I thank Leroy because it has not happened once in the interval since we changed the response time.

Good that we can help each other with life’s little fixes.

Paula

Walking to Church

Hello,

Leroy and I were pleased that the temperature was in the 20’s. So much more appealing to walk in that tropical air, however when I stepped on the back porch I thought my foot slid a bit. After checking out the situation we decided that we could walk with care. It was a just a thin, thin layer of ice, maybe just mist that had frozen. Leroy gallantly offered me his arm and I grabbed on. It makes it look as if he was holding me up, but who knows who was holding whom.

It was not long before we abandoned the sidewalk and walked on the street. I suspect even one car disturbed that ice enough to make it not exist. We crossed the main drag and kept to a little less traveled roads. My gloves were some new ones and they were too tight so my fingers were quite cold when we arrived at church. Someone commented that we looked colder than when it had been below zero. I think I did feel colder today. Feelings are all relative aren’t they? And many factors contribute.

Sarah tells me that she and Stephen also walked to church. I suspect their walk was much harder and more exciting with over 20 inches of snow on the ground. They already know they will not have school tomorrow as many places are not cleared.

Leroy is thinking about riding the bike to work tomorrow, but there is a prediction for some snow here so he is unsure about it. He does not want to fall. Sometimes there are patches of ice hidden under the snow.

I see a squirrel sitting very quietly in a tree with its tail wrapped over its head. Relaxing, I suppose?

Paula

No Snow

Hello,

Just a bit envious of daughter Sarah’s family in DC. I have been a lot of places where they have great snows that defy the odds, but not while I am there. It seems like fun to me if I were safe and not required to go somewhere. At seven this morning they had 16 inches. We are just having a rather ordinary day in Iowa. Nothing to brag about in any sense.

I told Leroy about a wallet that I had seen that he might be interested in. We went today and got that. Leroy is more of a shopper than I am. He found several other bargains. Not sure it is a good idea to take him with me. But these were all things we will use that is ok.

For rags, I tore up a sheet that had a hole in it. Now my rag pile to be washed was quite large. Rags are really a staple in my life. I am not sure how others manage without them. I did not put these in the dryer but hung them on my two clothes racks which were totally full. I am grateful that we relearned the art of drying clothes on racks while we were in Slovakia. I think it is much better for the environment. Also these new rags have lots of strings on them which could have clogged the lint filter.

Leroy is struggling to use his tablet to read eBooks. Finally today he went down to the library. They worked with him for an hour before they got it to a good place. Not sure why it is not just as easy as most people seem to find it to be. Maybe now all will be good.

We went to a faculty piano recital at the college close to us. It was quite good with four of them playing at the same time for two pieces. We will go again tonight for a student recital. Two of the people last night are the organist and choir director at our church. They are so talented.

Paula

Losing Our Minds?

Hello,

Leroy thinks he is not with it half the time. Course I do not think he is much different than I am. Is that one of the great values of growing old together?

Today I decided to do some dusting because I had not done that for a while. I got out two cloths because they were lying together. From time to time I used one or the other just so neither would feel neglected. Now I cannot locate one of the cloths. Where can it be? I have searched in every logical and illogical place. I stopped and made the bed in the middle of this activity. Do you suppose I put it in the bed and very carefully tucked it away?

Every morning, to start the day, Leroy and I have a cup of lukewarm water with apple cider vinegar and raw honey. Years ago we knew a guy who did this. At the time we thought he was a little crazy, but when we saw what good shape he was in, we decided to replicate his “tonic”. This morning I heated water just a little to take the edge off, but not destroy the great properties of raw honey. Without using all brain cells I put it in the pot the make steel cut oats. After a bit I was wondering why it was taking so long for the water to get hot. Usually I put boiling water in the pot.

At night we close all the registers because we like to sleep in a cool or even cold space. Last night I asked Leroy if he had closed all of the registers. He said yes, but this morning I found one to have been left open. He thought he had closed it, but the evidence was clear.

None of these things are a big deal, but we certainly hope we keep our wits about us when we drive. I was on alert when I came home last night in the snow flurries. Leroy asked if it was slippery. “I did not test it out, but drove slow.” I answered.

Just a point passing though my mind. How is it that when I clear the snow off the back window of this car it seems to almost immediately get covered again so that I cannot see the traffic behind me? At least at night people have their lights on and I get some clues from that.

Paula

My Picture Changed

Hello,

Quite a long time ago a picture appeared on one of my email accounts. I could not figure out how it got there or how to get rid of it. It was a profile picture of a woman; at least it was a woman, who is quite a lot younger appearing than I. It bothered me because I did not remember putting it there, but who knows, I could have clicked on something. In the last couple of weeks this woman’s face is no longer with me. I wonder where did she go, is big brother watching and figuring out that was not me, and what is coming? Right now there is no picture there, but an outline just waiting for something.

Leroy walked to church today. The temperature was zero and the neighbor’s flags were drooping with almost no movement. I encouraged him to walk instead of driving the mile. Hopefully I was right. Leroy tells me that yesterday at work was fine, tiring, but fine. The problem was that the furnace was not working well and his office was in the low 60’s. Occasionally he would take a hike to another part of the museum that had heat so he could soak it up. He tells me that when he got home he took an hour nap and the best things was waking up and feeling so warm.

My work place was rather warm. I wore a sweater, but took it off because I was too hot. It does pay to layer. Some clothing does not lend itself to that strategy which means I wear it less frequently.

I read that book on tiding up, but have not yet tackled anything in the way the author recommends. I am thinking some day when I feel strong I will start on my clothes. There are definitely some items that have not given me pleasure.  It seems to me a difficult job will be to sort digital pictures. How many are there anyway? What are they anyway? Why have we kept so many anyway?

Paula

Leroy is well

Hello,

Leroy announced as soon as he knew I was awake, “I did not wake up once last night. I feel good.”

He did his exercises only to remind himself that he pulled a muscle in his back. When I asked if he was going to ride the bike to work, he simply rolled his eyes because it is once again a negative temperature reading. His cut off point is 19 degrees.

Because the high temperature is only supposed to be 9 degrees, I am thinking carefully about what I might have in the car just in case. When I come home after 8 pm on a very cold night, I notice that traffic is quite diminished so I like to be prepared for any eventuality.

I made granola this morning. It is so nice to make that in the winter time creating warmth and wonderful smells. I am so grateful for a warm, dry, comfortable place to live. I am rich indeed. Besides that I have stairs to climb everyday to give me a little exercise just by existing.

I have now read the second Harry Potter. I will go on to the third. It is not bad, but it still is not the genre I would choose first. I do miss reading a book that I just totally enjoy. I have to confess that from time to time I skip some words just to move that Potter along. I am not good reading about things that are not in my life or in the life of anyone else that I know. Not sure how Leroy manages, but he loves much of this type of reading material. Dragons, he says, “Bring them on.”

Me, I sigh and wonder who thinks of this stuff.

On another note, I remember going to the Martin Luther King, Jr. memorial in DC. I thought this quote of his is especially important. “Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”

Paula

On the Mend

Hello,

I am on the mend. I did not do a lot yesterday, but annoy Leroy and take a nap after washing two loads of clothes.

Friday afternoon Leroy started to be bothered in his stomach. It was painful. In the night he got up, went to the toilet, started to feel that he might throw up, moved to get on his knees in front of the toilet and fainted. Hearing the big bang, I got out of bed and started calling, “Leroy where are you?”

He did not reply. I saw the outline of him on the bathroom floor. I then did something stupid, I moved his head. I know better, but… He responded in a little bit, seemed confused for a short while, and was quite exhausted. We discussed the possibility of a hospital visit, but he said he was ok. In a bit he went back to bed and slept the rest of the night. I kept checking on him from time to time. Saturday he seemed much better than he had. This morning he announced, “I think I am getting over all this, but I will stay home today.” If it is viral he still has a couple days, but he looks so much like normal, but with a bit of a stuffed head.

I checked the temperature this morning (-9), the neighbor’s flags (gently waving in the breeze), put on my down coat, head covering, wind breaker pants, wool socks, boots, and headed off for the mile walk to church. It seemed much nicer than it had the last cold Sunday. I bundled up to come home and because my angle had changed noticed the wind a bit more, but it still was not bad. Love my down coat and good head gear. Oh and those old 20 year old windbreaker pants are just a great barrier. After I got home I saw that there had been an announcement that because of the wind chill, people were to use their judgment about coming to church. I was quite surprised. It did not seem that bad to me. I still remember when I subbed in the MN schools. The rule was that they did not cancel outdoor activities for JH and SH until it got below -10. Wonder if that still applies?

Paula

Leroy still at home

Hello,

Leroy is not terribly sick, but his nose keeps feeling full and he is tired. Luckily he has no other symptoms. Yesterday he was to spend much of his day with people 80 years or over that. He thought it best not to expose them to anything that they would not like to have. Today he was to be part time at the museum and part time making hospital calls. Because he was tired he did not go the museum and the hospital might not like him spreading germs around. He tells me he has been home long enough to get bored. I figure he is not ready for retirement.

I went to work yesterday. I “led” yoga, but used the CD. There were only three others there so it was fine. My voice got better through the day and today it is still raspy, but returning to normal. I went on my usual stopping trip, but was quite glad to drag home. I only forgot shaving cream for Leroy. He does have some he can use, but he does not like it.

Last night was a wild night for not sleeping. We went to bed early. Just that made me a little uneasy, but waking up every hour in the early part of the night did not settle my soul. Then I had a rather extended dream in which we had a bear in the house. Amazingly I was not afraid of it as long as it was asleep. When I told Leroy about this dream, he wondered if we did not have doors to just shut it out. Seems to me it would go out and come back in. Leroy found it hard to breathe so he was quite restless most of the night. One of the difficult things about sleeping in the same bed is when one person can’t sleep the other gets the vibes and shares the wakefulness.

I keep telling myself that tonight will be better.

Paula

No Voice

Hello,

The last two nights I went to sleep noticing that my throat had an odd feel to it. This morning I was hoarse. It has stayed with me all day even though I have not talked much. It is my day off and that is nice so I do not have to decide about work. Leroy was also home. His nose has been quite active for the last two days. Both of us are planning to go to work tomorrow.

I do yoga in the morning. Most of the time, I do a lot of talking for the class. I have a CD that I have used a couple times. It is time to get it out once again. That will keep my mouth closed. It is a good workout. Not sure I will feel strong enough to keep up, but maybe in the morning I will feel more energetic.

Leroy tells me he has things he must do tomorrow. He thinks he feels better than he did this morning so that is good. At least it is not supposed to be so cold tomorrow. That is something to look forward to.

We have started a book club at the library. I am pleased. There were six of us there for the first meeting. Later someone told me they would have liked to have been there. So maybe they will come next time. The assignment for next time is to read a book that is not in our usual genre. For me that could be horror or sci-fi. It is hard to know which to choose the negative myself. We will put up a display at the library. Perhaps that will narrow the choices. Generally I prefer clubs where everyone reads the same book so I am adjusting to a new way of doing things.

Paula

Chopped Ice

Hello,

On Friday I chopped ice until my arms ached. That cleared out quite a space by the garage. When I had come home from shopping, pulled into the alley, drove through the puddle of icy water, the car hit bottom as it came off an ice pillar. Clark, my landlord was out chopping between the garages. I told him about that experience. He said he would go to the end of the alley and work. After storing the groceries, I went out and joined him. He had already taken off the offending tower. Between the two of us, mostly his work, we created a trough for the water to run off which it did some. We also removed quite a bit of ice. We could not get it all out, but improved the situation quite a lot. I continued chopping by the garage until I figured I had burned more calories than I would eat for lunch. Not that I count calories. But I was tired and very hungry.

The butter almond stolen package said that it could make nine servings with 310 calories. I thought that sounded like a lot, but Miriam tells me that they occasionally get a cheesecake slice that is over 2000 calories. I have a hard time knowing where that much energy must come from. She also tells me that they share it among the four of them. Sounds sensible.

The new book club at the library has, as the first selection, any book that has been made into a movie. Even though I had read one Harry Potter book years ago, I decided to try it again. I finished last night. It was ok, but still not my favorite type of book. It did have some points to make, but I would like to find these life supports in a different setting. I may still tackle the second book just so I can speak with my granddaughters about it. Leroy should not have all the fun there. Oh I must remember to bring home the movie so I can see that once again.

Paula

Vagaries of Life

Hello,

Leroy has returned, or is in the process of returning, all of his Christmas presents but two. One keeper is a belt that fits him; the other is some trail mix. One was a cover for his tablet that did not fit. He now has a cover that fits. A cover that includes a keyboard. It was supposed to fit a different brand, but it works even if he did have to cut off a bit of it to get at one control. It was at good clearance price now. He still cannot figure out how to connect his tablet to the TV so he can use it as a remote. The device bought for that purpose did not do it. Because it was mail order, it has not yet been returned. Hopefully that will happen soon.

Yesterday I noticed a walnut growing in the Christmas cactus pot. Leroy needed to help me get that heavy plant off the file cabinet. Today when we finally got the job done this plant seems to have grown about two more inches. I suspect that is why I had so many broken branches before I brought this plant inside. My guess is that a squirrel planted it. I have the idea that the outdoors is good for the cactus, but obviously not all aspects.

Today when Leroy and I walked to church we bundled against the negative temperatures. It was above zero for the walk home, but it felt worse as the wind was much stronger. I am grateful for my down coat, leg warmers, and face protector. Leroy has a better face mask, but I do not see the ground so well if I take my glasses off. My breath does a great job of steaming glasses up if I have a snuggling face mask. Leroy walked to the nursing home this afternoon only to find that one solitary person came for the service. He said, “I think the staff, had not let people know about the service.”

He said he was ok on the walk as once again he was quite well wrapped so the wind did not get too close to his skin. He walked four miles today.

Here is a picture of that walnut tree. 

Paula

Little Fixes

Hello,

Leroy fixed the bottom drawer on the desk. It gives me so much pleasure to be able to open it with ease. In a few months time I will not think about it, just accepting it as the norm, now it is appreciated.

We moved the Christmas cactus on top of the four drawer file cabinet, freeing up the dining room table space. It creates a better view when walking into the computer room. That somehow lightens my mind and feels so much better.

I took down a picture that was in the spare bedroom. It was one we had gotten in Germany at an art museum. Our friend Dorte assured us that it was by a well respected German artist. It may be a good artist, but it is not for us. It cast a rather dark and gloomy patina over the room. The fabric picture from Panama brightens the aspect of the room.

Leroy gave me a rice cooker for Christmas. He knew I could not make up my mind about small or large size. He seized the decision and gave me a small one. It is great and I have found a home for it in the kitchen closet. It is so great because I can delay the start allowing me to set it up for the evening meal without needing to be home. Freedom indeed!

Leroy also gave me a Yoga DVD that I had hinted I wanted. Well it is quite challenging with its fifteen minute sessions that I thought would be a breeze. Some of the postures are not in my repertoire. They may never be included, but I have found I can do most of them. Will I be stronger when finished with the week? Surely it is just a little fix on the road to health. Think positive! I can do it.

Paula

Visitor and Visiting

Hello,

We had a nice visit with Gerald. He did not want to see any football in particular and none was fine with him. So many people are so interested in the games that I am always a bit astonished to find there are more people like us out there. Guess we just do not often announce we do not watch or pay attention to it. Is it something to be ashamed of?

Gerald and Leroy hung out in the morning while I went off to work for the day. They even went out for a little bit of shopping. They rode in Gerald’s car which is a new Mustang. Not surprising as he is partial to that brand. Gerald then went on to visit my brother.

Last night we went to an after Christmas “office” party for the church staff. Before Christmas does not fit well in the lives of church workers. Besides, it is still the Christmas season. I felt much more comfortable this year because I know some of the people a bit better and I had been there once so I knew what to expect. We exchange white elephant gifts, so I had some idea of what to bring. I am never sure what is appropriate. I must care too much about fitting in.

I was able to pass on things that I have moved a few times, but never used. We also gave back an obnoxious gift item we got last year. Leroy was especially pleased because he had some tea given to a non-tea drinker who was happy to pass it on. I got a candy cane and a rather attractive basket. Sometimes indeed one’s trash is another’s treasure.

Our tree and other items will be stored away on Wednesday which is the beginning of the Epiphany season. This year it seems to have come quickly. I am not as ready as some times to put things away.

Paula

Happy New Year

Hello,

Before we got out of bed Leroy asked what we would plan for this year. At that moment I was not in the mood for such deep thinking so I brushed it off. He told me he had been awake for a while. Guess that gave him time to think.

Generally we do not do resolutions, but perhaps we should this year, but what would that be?

We are having a quiet morning as we wait for Gerald, brother-in-law, to come this afternoon. Leroy watched the Rose parade some, but since I am not watching he mostly flipped channels and went back to reading. I am not sure why, but I do not enjoy watching it too much. I get fidgety.  Even though, growing up, it was a big deal to go to Aunt Gladys’ and watch on their TV since we did not have a TV until I was in 6^th grade. Neither of us watches sports events. I am not sure if “the game” is on regular TV or not. I think it is remarkable that I know that local team is playing. Gerald might like to see that, but I do not think we can oblige as we have no cable available.

We will have the rest of our ravioli for supper. It is great to have something already planned out. I am also making bread. Now what can we have for dessert? Something or nothing as usual?

Leroy is out chipping away at some of the ice on the sidewalk that leads to the compost bin. It was too hard from me when I tried earlier. The sun has been out a bit now.  It is truly amazing how much deep, dark shade is produced by one leafless tree in the winter time. The rest of the sidewalk gets sun so it is easy to remove the ice, but here the ice is cared for as if it is of great value.

It is a beautiful cool sunny day. Nice way to start the New Year.

Paula