Responsible, Me?

Hello,

In September at the time of the flood my friend, Mary visited me in the library with her friend who had taught in Eastern Slovakia. The teacher had some Slovak items that she wanted to donate to the museum, but had been unable to get there because of the flood preparations. I glibly said, “Yes I can see that they get there.”

We looked at some of the pottery that she had. Some I recognized, some not. She did put her name and address in the container. Because our apartment is small, I put it in the storage room at the library, getting permission from my boss before I did that.

Just last week Mary said, “My friend is still looking for the tax receipt on those donated items.”

“I will check with Leroy to find out what happened,” I stated firmly.

Leroy could not remember doing anything with that container. I assured him that I must have given it to him as we do not like so many things in the storage area at the library. Plus my boss had cleaned out back there and it was so nice with less stuff crammed in. I’m thinking Leroy’s memory is slipping. Although he does not always remember what is around him, he can remember the most unusual English words that are of little use for the common conversation.

On the day Leroy worked after Thanksgiving he checked in the library for that box. He could not find it. He then asked what it was in; I told him a tub like we have our Slovak things in. He had been looking for a cardboard box so he did another search the next time he worked there. He called Mary and asked for a further description of the container. She thought it was a box not a tub.

Finally today the person who is in charge of donations was at the museum. That person did a big search, but was unable to find that item.

Both Leroy and I are feeling the responsibility of this item, as it gains weight with each failure to find it.

“Tell me everything you know about bringing it to the museum,” Leroy ordered me.

“I don’t remember anything about it. I think I must have given it to you,” I whined, “and you took it in.”

“I think you should check at your library. If it is not there we have to tell Mary that we cannot find it,” he stated rather emphatically.

I called my boss. “Do you remember that box of pottery that Mary’s friend brought over?”

“Yes,” she said, “It is in the back room.”

“But you cleaned back there,” I said.

“Only against the wall and not in the middle where it is,” she said, “I’ll go look for it right now. Hold on.”

I could hear her walking and moving something before she said, “It is right here.”

“Thanks!” I said.

With that information, I called Leroy. We have both lost a load. Leroy was a little ticked at me, but quite relieved. It will be a while before I say yes so lightly once again. Maybe tomorrow?

Paula

Misplaced Confidence

Hello,

I set off for work with complete confidence that I was, if not well put together, at least it was adequate. The day went well and I did not notice until I had been at work for six hours that my shoes did not match. Heavens! How did that happen?

These two pair sat under the bed next to each other as they are both black and about the same style. Apparently I just grabbed them out, put them on, and charged out the door. My feet never noticed any difference between them. Today I will pay attention to what is on my feet.

Saturday I set out with confidence that I could get to work on time. However that perspective changed as traffic was routed off the interstate almost immediately. At first I stayed in the long line of cars that took four or five light changes before we could move on to the next one. At that point the side streets looked quite attractive. So I turned on one in the general direction I thought I needed to go. After about two more turns and a couple changes in direction I realized I really do not know this town very well. I got out my phone at one point thinking I should call my boss to let her know I would probably be late, but then I knew where I was so my mind settled on the idea that I could make it ahead of her since she still might be in bed or at least not dressed.

I arrived to open the library five minutes late only to learn that my boss was there worrying about me. She had come in for something else and opened because she was it. I had not heard her call me so she did not know what to think as I did not answer my phone.

Life has the unexpected.

Paula

Christmas Cactus

Christmas cactus

November 27, 2016

Hello,

I am so enjoying the Christmas cactus this year. The white one that I got from my sister has big beautiful blossoms of about three inches long. Last winter I got one from a friend. She said that it often or always had blossoms, but they did not open very well. This year almost every branch end as a blossom. It is pink and lovely. I wonder if it is because I did not feed it so it rested before it came back to flower. Both of these plants sit in our bedroom window. They must like it there as they are both thriving. Thanks Marge for all the joy this brings me daily as I wake and before going to sleep.

I hope you all get some of the feel for them as I believe they are better in person.

I have not yet planted the amaryllis bulbs, but will do that soon as the cactus will be done soon and I would like to revel in some new flowers.

Leroy brought down the Advent wreath, but I was not in the right time frame because there are no appropriate candles in the house. I need some tapers. Wednesday I will go do a little shopping and get that done. Both of us have talked about buying our advent wreaths in the market in Bratislava. At first I was not sure that I liked them, because they were so different from what I had been accustomed to. Now I/we both miss them. For some reason we can’t even find a picture of one even though we took more than one.

Paula

Leroy's Car Key

Hello,

Leroy got up promptly because he wanted to get to work at the museum early so he could make those church hospital calls after work and still get home before six in the evening. He left at about 7:00, called me 7:34. “I can’t find my car keys,” in a sad panicked tone.

“You used them to drive the car there,” I stated, “Then what did you do with them?”

“I had my hands full of too many other things and could not get them in my pocket,” he mourned.

“Did you look in the car?” I wondered.

“The car is locked,” he replied shortly.

Apparently he used the lock on the door to lock. “Should I come right away?” I wondered, “I have time now.”

“If you come now you have to call when you get here because there is no one else here and the doors are locked,” he said.

Because I was washing clothes I decided to wait until they were done. At which point I climbed in the car grateful that we have a second car and two sets of car keys for each car. When I got to the parking garage I climbed out into the warm place, went over to our car, unlocked the door, found the keys peeking out from under the driver’s seat, picked them up, locked the door again, climbed the stairs to the library, and handed the keys to a very relieved Leroy.

Sometimes life has some simple solutions and we are thankful for those times.

Paula

Thanksgiving Day

Hello,

We were invited to someone’s home for dinner. There were a few other members of the congregation there as well. It becomes so much more comfortable for me as I have gotten to know people. The food, conversation, and setting were all good. It was nice that it was only about a mile away so we could walk there. Surely those walks helped to deal with the excess food that we take in no matter what. It seems almost a duty on this holiday.

Someone asked what we did on Thanksgiving while we were in Slovakia bringing back some wonderful memories of celebrations there.

Yesterday we received our first Christmas card. Sort of puts the pressure on. Last year I resolved that I would be quicker on this card thing, but no ideas are coming to mind for a letter so it looks like it might be in the same pattern as usual. I do not do Black Friday shopping, but I do need some groceries consequently I will have to venture out into the fray well fortified for it all. I like shopping best when almost no one is there.

Leroy will work at the museum tomorrow and make, for the church, any hospital calls if there are any people in the hospital. Sometimes it cannot be avoided even on the best holidays. We will both work on Saturday. I am interested to know if I will be busy or not. Because my desk is totally clear of items to catalog, I’m hoping for a lot of patron traffic. When my cataloging is caught up I do spend some time going through records and correcting mistakes. The system, to which we send our records so they can be accessed for interlibrary loan, shows how many records have errors. I think it is about fifteen pages of close small font. I have only covered about three pages so it is a long term job which I only do from time to time.

Happy Thanksgiving with blessings counted and savored.

Paula

Second Thoughts

Hello,

I am having second thoughts about that hat I found. I have a vague memory of finding it last summer in a suitcase and transferring it to the very spot where I would find it when I needed it. Because it was in such a secure spot I promptly put it out of my mind. How does that sound for saving my sense of brain power?

Leroy has been covering the collards that are in the front garden by the house, but I had decided not to do that. He had done it so I know they are still alive, but so is the broccoli, brussel sprouts, and kale as well as some small cabbages that are growing on the plant base where I picked a big one. It is as if Leroy and I are shifting positions because in the past I was the one who thought we should cover things. Guess I convinced him and he convinced me.

This morning Leroy had a difficult decision about whether to ride the bike or not. His cut off temperature is 19 degrees. That is exactly what the weather source said it was even though our thermometer registered five degrees higher than that. He drove the car but I would have liked to have him bike since he has had so few days he can bike, however he was most concerned about how cold his hands become. I did not say anything really, until he made his decision at which point he declared with a laugh, “You can call me wimp.”

Tomorrow he will work at the church so he will probably walk rather than ride. Amazingly he is taking Wednesday off. He will work on Friday and Saturday so he still will spend four days at work. I also will work on Saturday. I do not even consider riding the bike the twelve plus miles in this cool weather. Am I the wimp? Fifty degrees is my stopping point as my inner ears complain loudly.

Paula

My Hat

Hello,

I lost my hat sometime after we had visited Brian in MN last winter. This is my winter hat that is a must for any winter walking. I mourned that loss because it fit my apparently rather large head. Do not believe the tags which state one size fits all. I can put these hats on my head, but I know that in a matter of less time than I can walk six blocks my head would hurt because they fit so tightly. Hopefully I have not caught anything from trying on these hats that might have been tried by any number of good people with passengers or other unwelcome germs lurking in their hair.

In the interim Leroy has given me one of his plain black hats which he declares is too large for him as it is a constant annoyance of slipping up on his head leaving his ears bare and fending for themselves. The hat works for me, but it is almost tight so I still like my old one better.

Yesterday before we went to the garden to pull up the soybeans I searched for a hat in my winter hat box only to find my missing hat. I danced and sang. What could be better than finding my hat? Worse is knowing that I looked everywhere and did not find it before. How did it come to be on the top of the heap without me seeing it? Is it Alzheimer’s or just plain old dementia moving in?

Leroy was not helpful without any logical explanations to offer. My glee is cut a little by these thoughts, but I am still glad to wear this hat. Winter can come. I wore it last night when we walked to church only to be dismayed by the sight of my hair in the mirror when I arrived. My new haircut looked great on Thursday when we still had a bit of humidity in the air. Winter and straighter hair has indeed come. With my thinning, straighter hair more of my scalp is on view.

Paula

Leroy No Coat

Hello,

“Should I wear a coat today?” Leroy wondered as he was getting ready to leave the house. He planned to be home in the middle of the afternoon when the source he was looking at predicted that it would still be close to 50 degrees. Because he was using the car, he

decided to go with just his suit coat.

I went on my usual shopping foray with just a light jacket. By the time I was leaving the last store it had become cold enough that I wondered if I should walk to church with Leroy’s coat. I suppressed the urge rationalizing that he did have the car and could manage with that.

“How did you escape the cold?” I asked when he got home.

“I moved quickly from the car to the building and back again,” he said, “it wasn’t too bad.”

Once solidly in the door he proceeded to put on warmer clothes.

We are grateful that we live in such luxury that we have a warm place in spite of a strong wind. The insulation works as does the furnace. Had I been thinking ahead I might have prepared bean soup, but as it is we will eat a lot of Swiss chard which I have cut level with the ground. I also cut off the chocolate mint to which Leroy applied the quick drying method. We will use that for tea. I also cut off some oregano that we will also dry, but not until tomorrow. Some broccoli was ready and I picked it. I left out the Brussel sprouts, collards, and kale hoping for hardy survivors.

Paula

Scary Person

Hello,

Last night I drove up the darkish alley after work, swung over to the left, as I always do if there is room so I can make a smooth arch into the garage without backing. When I got to the left I realized a car was coming up the alley behind me. Because they might not realize I wanted to go to the right and cross their path, I stayed in place and let this person pass only to find out it was my neighbor. Embarrassment flooded my soul, because I was really on their property. He waved a little as he went past me and parked. Then I swooped into the garage, climbed out, and decided to go over and talk with him a little.

He had not yet left his car, but was looking at some piece of paper. He read a while as I considered what to do. But in a short amount of time he put the paper down, opened the door, stuck out his leg, and dragged out the rest of his body. I said, “Hello.”

He leaped in shock and said, “You scared me half to death.”

I apologized and we had a nice conversation. I was pleased to learn that he had used some of the greens from the community garden. In mentioning collards which he grew up liking he commented that they are better after the first frost. So I guess we have some time to go yet for the peak flavor.

When in the house I looked at the mail, there was a letter from the state of Iowa to me. What could this be? On opening it I found myself looking at a scary person, me. It was my new driver’s license which I had really forgotten about. Leroy wanted to see it so I handed it over. I showed him my previous license and asked, “Which is the better picture?”

He never really answered the question, but just muttered some. There is certainly a serious imposing face on each. Hopefully it will not scare too many in a dark alley.

Paula

Social Media in my life

Hello,

I had been becoming weary and unhappy from reading many of the posts on social media. The problem is how do I avoid all of that and yet still get the posts I want to read and react to such as a grandfather, I know, snuggling with a grandson, or how about the friend who has some serious health issues whose wife posts so that I know that I need to pray, or how about the friend whose son surprised her by coming from the west coast to her home in the Midwest. What it all comes down to is that I want to know that personal stuff. I want to share in the joys and sorrows.

Unfortunately it is not so easy to exclude negative vindictive political comments and not eliminate the entire group of comments, except by unfriending. Unfriending must be a new word that will surely be included in the dictionary some day. I still consider these people my friends even if I do not want to read most of the things that they post. Now I am trying to race past their name every time I see it come up. Does that mean I will miss something personal that I would like to rejoice or commiserate with them about? Possibly so.

Since I have taken on this racing tact for the last two days, I feel my spirit lightening and expanding. Wouldn’t it be nice if there were just a place for personal comment and one for political? I do indeed have political stance and concerns, but I do not want to read something that almost borders on yellow journalism with attack being the primary method of expression. In that sense I like the magazines and newspapers which are not mixed in with things I really want to read.

Enough! That is my rant for the day.

Paula

Waiting

Hello,

My college roommate and her brother are going to stop for a short visit on their way back to Denver. Leroy and I have done a little cleaning. Nothing like company coming to bring out the critical eye searching for dust and clutter. Preparing for a phantom guest might be good for the condition of the living quarters. Can I convince myself of such a thing?

Last night Leroy and I went to the symphony. It was a fine concert, well worth waiting for. Leroy is always in a rush to leave so we arrive in plenty of time. Perhaps he forgets that we live just a mere ten minutes away even with allowing for searching for a parking spot. Two of the composers were of Czech origin and the third wrote the Prague symphony as a good will gesture because he, Mozart liked being there.

Today Leroy was doing some small chores outside so I requested that he dig up the amaryllis bulbs even though it has not totally frosted. I like those bulbs to spend some time in the cold before planting them. This year they seem to be good firm bulbs. They do not grow so very well for me here as they have in other locations. At least I am hopeful that more than one will produce flowers. More waiting.

In the present moment I am enjoying the first two flowers that have opened on the Christmas cactus. Joy and beauty still come forth. They love the sun coming in the window as do I. Such gifts we all get even without asking for them on a daily basis.

Paula

The Perfect Gift

Hello,

Our family is gathering December 10^th for Brian’s graduation. That will be our holiday time half way between Thanksgiving and Christmas. We draw names and exchange gifts that amount to about $25. Last week I saw the perfect gift from my name only to learn that it cost $50. Two days later I saw the perfect gift only to find out that it cost d$150. So much for the perfect gift! Twice I have wandered stores looking for something that might leap into my mind or cart and be the perfect gift, but nothing happened. Today I took Leroy with me and he was no help, instead he wanted help getting something for his name. Just how close is the 10^th of December?

Leroy and I had a perfect gift by going to the garden and pulling up the zucchini vines. There was one perfect little zucchini on one vine. We also pulled up the remaining five tomatoes plants. Nestled in the leaves there were about three tomatoes that were starting to turn color. Now the bean plants did not yield any surprises. That was true of the lone eggplant as well. The hardy greens are still in the garden and producing delightfully tasty healthy eating. There is another perfect gift. I was amazed to see that the lone hot pepper that is still in the garden had no frozen fruit on it. We left it to produce more fire. I have only used one from this prolific plant and Leroy complained a little when he bit into a miniscule amount of it. Every time I look at it I want to take some more home. I might do that before that big freeze that will take almost everything with it.

On the walk home we greeted a neighbor who had a long conversation with us. She has more and larger house plants than I do. She shared a start of a white Christmas cactus and a pink one too. Mine are starting to bloom. This is a great gift that I might pass on since I do not really need more.

Paula

Warm Fall Day

Hello,

The best thing about today was that I walked to the garden to check on the zucchini because it was a bit cool this morning. Each surviving plant has a three inch narrow fruit on the vine. I left them since they seem to be able to make it for a few more days before the temperature dips below freezing. The warmth at this time is quite amazing. I did pick up a number of tomatoes from the ground that have a nice red hue to them. There are still some almost ripe red ones on the plants and I hope some of the neighbors find them.

Another good time in my day was walking around the neighborhood delivering newsletters. I tried to watch my step while still absorbing the beauty of the leaves left on the trees. It is fun to see a beautiful, full, leafed tree next to one that has closed shop for the season. For some reason there were a number of dogs feeling quite territorial of their yard today. They barked vociferously, running and leaping at the fence when I came close to their house. I also met several people who were out walking dogs. Those dogs also seemed to regard me as an intruder. Luckily their walkers had a good hold on the leash.

As I was walking up my block I saw a couple get out of their truck and approach their house. Because they were not looking at me as I passed I did not say hello. I do not know them, but have seen them before and greeted them. I was not much past them when there was a big explosive sound. My heart raced as I jumped and turned with a startle. They did not say anything, just stared at me, and neither did I. I then realized that it was a firecracker that the man had set off. As I proceeded on my way there were more popping sounds. I can’t say that I was impressed with all that nor did I find it to be kind and courteous. I guess there are all kinds of people in the world, but a little warning would have been nice or perhaps a little waiting so it would not have been so close to me. My marvelous heart shortly returned to a normal beating pattern.

Paula

Garden Work

Hello,

In the morning a friend came over and I shared some of my kale and collards with her. When picked it looked like large bags full, but the kale, especially does not look as if any of it has been picked. I have just so enjoyed the look of the garden. Those greens are as beautiful to my eye as a flower. There is still some colorful chard in the mix so that adds to the beauty. One good thing about the garden is that new weeds do not so often appear as they are done for the season.

In the afternoon Leroy and I, along with three others, worked in the community garden. We were cleaning it up, but left much to grow. I did pull some tomatoes that were volunteers, but still gave us their all in mostly small types of fruit. One of the tomato cages had blown over so we got that plant out along with one that seemed to have only brown leaves on it. I brought home all of the green tomatoes that were of a size that promised a time to be ripe in the future. I took them because no one else was interested in them. I thought we might pull the soybeans, but the pods were not curling open. It will take quite a lot of work to pop them open so I left them for another day. Leroy clipped off the okra and then dug out the roots. He cut some of them to a smaller size so they could be easily bundled and carted off.

All in all it was a very satisfying afternoon. One of the people who helped also writes for an organization. I thought I would share the link she posted.

http://homegrowniowan.com/community-grows-in-mound-view-neighborhood-garden/

Paula

Leroy and Work

Hello,

It seems to me that Leroy has gotten busier at the church, but maybe that is just my thought. He has moved all of the nursing home services so he can be off on the weekends, but now they have asked him to work a bit on Sunday. He is also starting a class that will meet Sunday evenings and last until sometime in March. I asked, “How come you seem to be working more at the church?”

“They have gotten used to having an intern for the last two years,” he said, “Someone has to do some of that work.”

Leroy is also going to his eye therapy once a week as well as seeing the eye doctor more frequently. Plus he needed to see the dentist so he has had time used with all of those activities.

I need to schedule a colonoscopy, but I will try to wait until after Christmas when some of his work load and hopefully therapy load will lighten. Leroy will need to be with me the day of the procedure. Right now I do not think he has any spare time.

Even though the garden is still producing he is not spending much time there. Tomorrow we, along with helpers, will go and pull some of the plants that have finished their active life such as the okra. It does not like the cooler nights or the shorter daylight hours.

At the museum Leroy’s hours are much more stable and constant. The only time they seem to change is when his boss would like some time off on Saturday, and then Leroy just switches out a day.

I am glad that I only have half time work as that gives me time to get things done around the house without feeling too tired.

Paula

Chores Done

Hello,

When I made the appointment for a mammogram at 7:00 it seemed quite fine as I did not want the late afternoon time. Last night however, 7:00 looked very early especially since I was to be there 15 minutes ahead of time to fill out forms, etc. I set the alarm because I did not want the rare late sleep at the Bradway house to happen. Leroy was awake about fifteen minutes before the alarm time so we got out of bed. I even ate some breakfast before leaving the house.

The building appeared dark as I approached with no cars in the parking lot at the place I pulled in. The automatic door opened in front of me and lights came on the hall to light my way. “So far so good”, I thought. No one was at the reception desk and there were no loiters in the hall even as I climbed the stairs. Good thing I knew where I was going as I could not ask. In the department there was a person at the desk. She greeted me and had me fill out the necessary paperwork, telling me someone would come get me soon. I was just looking at the magazines and thinking I did not want to read any of them when my technician got me. It was all done at 7:05 because I got in early. Can’t complain about that interfering with my day.

My driver’s license expires in December. So today with no other appointments is a good time to renew. There is an option to get a special type of id that will be required in a couple years so I gathered all the documentation, five in all, to prove my existence. How hard will this be for people down the road? I used my passport, driver’s license, voter’s registration, insurance papers, and financial papers. Seems to me that poor people are going to have a tough time coming up with all of this paperwork. Some people think it is fine that we do not check people for getting a gun. All I want to do with this is drive a car; apparently getting a gun would be easier. I do not really know about the gun business since I have never tried to get one. I am just reacting to things I have read that there is little or no checking when purchasing a gun. Is this balanced in the right direction?

Paula