Leaving Monday

Hello,

Leroy and I are taking a vacation that does not include visiting any of our children. It has been a long time since such a thing has happened. Do you think our children realize how important they are in our lives?

Because we are going south, clothes decisions are taking a bit of space in our minds. It is in the 30’s here and will be in the 70’s at our destination. It is hard to conceptualize the temperature difference.

We are staying with friends. I got some gifts to share only for Leroy to note that one was a liquid in a container that is too large to be acceptable. I am both glad and sorry that he noticed; glad so I do not give it to the TSA and sorry that I cannot take it.

Even though we can have a check in bag on this flight, we have gotten used to not having one and do not want to deal with that. I guess we are good even though I think the bag Leroy is taking will be close to too large. I also think about the fact that we used to lock our luggage when we traveled. We no longer do that and do not even think about it. There is some freedom in that.

Because the flight was quite a lot cheaper out of Des Moines we are driving there. The time is good on this end, but we will arrive in the middle of the night and leave there in the middle of the night. Life seems to always require some adjustments.

I just finished reading The Hillbilly Elegy. I would recommend it. Any book that opens up new ideas in my mind is good for expanding my thinking. My live has certainly been different in many ways from this author’s life, but there were a few similar things. He talks about feeling slightly out of place in college and I also noted that. It especially bothered me when I got my master’s degree. I was sure that someone would notice I did not belong there.

Paula

Car Signal Light Works

Hello,

When I came home from the women’s breakfast at church, I learned that Leroy had been unable to fix the turn signal. However the oil was changed and, according to the oil company, since we are using their proper filter it should be good for 20,000 miles or at the least 15,000. Amazing! I remember when an oil change happened so often that it seemed necessary all the time. I probably only drive this car 10,000 miles or less in a year’s time.

After I was home Leroy and our downstairs friend Clark, went out for a buddy fix on the light. Leroy said that it is now done. It has stopped working double time and only lighting the back. It was really a four hand job rather than a two hand job. Leroy let me feel how cold his hands were so I would appreciate the effort.

One of the best things about living here is that we can call on the people downstairs and they can call on us for assistance for a variety of tasks. It is also nice when we leave to know that someone is here keeping an eye on things as well as picking up mail.

We have lived in two other duplexes and this is top rated while the one in St. Paul is number two. We lived there while Leroy was in seminary. We got a lower rent rate because we did much of the maintence on the place. I often drove our landlady places because she did not drive. The third place was nice and situated almost in the woods even though it was in town. However while the neighbor was ok to talk to, we never really got beyond that.

Neighbors are a blessing indeed. Maybe when we leave here we should look to buy a duplex and find some nice old, but not too old, people to rent the rest to. Seems like a plan to me. But then we have probably at least two years to think of all types of alternatives.

Paula

Are We In Shape?

Hello,

Leroy went to the hospitals today to visit people there. He found the stairs and climbed five flights. At that point he was puffing. He then climbed three more flights and puffed a little more. At the other hospital he climbed four flights and puffed a bit. When we were in MN for Brian’s graduation we were on the fifth floor. Both of us were puffing a little before we got to the top. Maybe we should go to the hospital to trot up and down the stairs. We certainly do not get much hill work here. We do have a flight of stairs, but I do not do it more than once at a time. Although in the course of the day I can go up and down several times there is always some separation so it does not feel like work.

I found some exercises that are good for getting ones heart rate raised. I will say that I cannot do them very easily. It takes some serious self talk to keep going. The good feeling at the end is often the biggest motivation.

The left front turn signal has gone out on my car. This morning I got a new bulb at the auto supply store. The guy there was so helpful. I am not quite used to such personal service. He came out and looked at the car to see how easy it was to put in. He could not get the hood open, but oh well. I know that Leroy knows how to do that.

Leroy is hoping for some warmer weather tomorrow as our garage has no heat in it only a bit of shelter from the wind. My car is also getting an oil change. I had thought about leasing a newer car, but will keep this for some time longer as it is much cheaper to do that. At the moment, it still functions so I do not really need a new car. My plan is that when we retire we will only have one car. So I do not really want to buy a new car, but this one is a 2004 and has 135,000 miles on it. It can be a tricky walk knowing when it is long enough and when it is best to keep.

Paula

Poor Fish

Hello,

There was fish drama at the library today. When I got there my boss told me that two of the five fish had died. I was not surprise because the last day I had worked I noticed that when fed, two of the fish did not come fighting to the surface for their share instead they just loitered at the bottom appearing quite disinterested. Usually if they were not pushing to the surface they would swim madly around below that spot hoping for a morsel to come their way. I learned of their demise before my 8:00AM yoga class. About ten minutes into the class, Sarah came in to tell me that she was going to get some more fish. The story time kids are quite attached to these fish and the children would come at ten. Because reason for death was an unknown, she brought back a new tank, gravel, plants, and castle for them to hide in along with eight fish including a plecostomus. The old fish which might be dying of old age or some unknown disease were relegated to the meeting room behind the door so no children could spot them.

The new tank looks quite fine and all fish appear to be comfortable in their new digs. Amazingly no child asked to feed them or even looked at them in particular today. You just never know how it is all going to turn out.

The old fish were two years old. Three girls left them with us because they had purchased them on impulse and could not take them home. Those fish have provided a lot of fascination and instruction for the many children who come to the library. I have to confess that I looked at them every day. There is something about a living moving creature that attracts attention. I am not deprived, but instead will have an expanded view.

The sun shone for about five minutes today. Leroy and I sat by the window so we could soak up the full benefit.

Paula

New Thoughts

Hello,

I am reading Go Set A Watchman by Harper Lee. To Kill a Mockingbird has long been one of my favorite books. The more recently published book has not caught my attention too much until today. Now I am seeing a new side to the character, Atticus Finch. Just like his fictional daughter I am shocked and astonished at what she has learned. How is it possible that I feel let down by an unreal person? I want to change the story. Perhaps it is teaching me that all of us have many sides. That is what makes us human. Not all of the sides are likeable as we would wish them to be.  Part of me always longed for another great novel from Ms Lee, but now I wonder if I just wanted to leave her on the pinnacle of greatness. By the end of the book I might say that she is still on top of the thinking crowd.

When putting dishes away this afternoon I opened a door above my head; an old storage/microwave dish came cascading down to the floor where it broke into thousands of pieces. Two things I am grateful for: the dish did not hit me, no pieces hit me, and I can live without this dish. Last summer we bought another at a garage sale. That one, we learned, is one of the original and is unbreakable. Course that was one reason that the stack was so precarious; there were too many items in the stack. My storage space is limited so I have to be a bit creative sometimes.

At least the kitchen floor is now vacuumed. I did not have that planned, but it got done anyway. The drip in the bathroom sink is fixed and the toilet flushes as it ought. Life is good with things that work.

Paula

Small things

Hello,

Sometimes the small things make all the difference. We have two shower heads one that is stationary and one that has moving flexibility. I would use the flexible one and lazily let it drop to the floor of the shower where it would thump lightly against the surface until I needed it again. Leroy disagrees, but all of this dropping caused a crack in the piece. Leroy got a new hose and replaced it. It is wonderful now. This new hose is so much more flexible than the old. It makes me happy to use this new thing that moves every way that I want. I am not dropping it anymore, but treating it like the good friend that it is. May it last a long time.

I have a reliable volunteer who comes to the library once a week. I frequently save jobs for him to do. Yesterday was just such a day. However last evening he called to say that his car was in the shop and he would be unable to come. For some this might seem like a small thing, but I certainly noticed his absence. That work is still waiting for me to get at it.

Do I need a clock on my side of the bed? When I want to see what time it is, I have to roll over from my preferred sleeping side, lift my head, squint nearsightedly at the clock, and guess at the time. Most of the time, this does not matter as I have no need to know precisely the time. I woke up early today. I checked the time as I went to the bathroom. Since it was too early I went back to bed, but not to sleep. Leroy breathed in deep sleep mode. I did not want to wake him so I lay very still. When he finally woke it was later than we usually get up. So the morning was a rush compared to our regular style. Small thing, but should I change it?

Paula

Christmas Cactus

Hello,

My white Christmas cactus has one large white blossom on it that should open soon. I am pleased. It had bloomed so well before that I did not hope for another session now. Guess one branch had no bud before. The pink plant has multiple blossoms on it. Several of which have already opened. It is lovely indeed. Blooms in the winter time brighten my day.

One of the amaryllis is sending up a very large bud case which might open while we are gone next week. Perhaps it can visit our downstairs friends so someone can enjoy it. I certainly do not want to transport it any farther than downstairs as it is quite a heavy bud and has to be propped up.

I also have a primrose that I bought last week. Leroy came up with the Slovak word for this great early spring bloomer. I suppose it was stuck back in the recesses of his brain. We were introduced to this plant in Slovakia and so enjoyed them for weeks as we could put them between the two panes of glass. They love the coolness so they bloomed happily.

I also have two poke-a-dot plants which are coming into their glory after sinking down into despair. I so enjoy and get a lift from seeing all of these plants. Now if the clivia would bloom life would be complete, or would it? It is not so likely to bloom as they talk about not watering from October to January and I have water a little. It also likes much cooler temperatures than I do. Oh well. It is quite robust looking especially now that it has produced five offspring. So it must like something about the care I give it.

Happy plants to you. May you find some plants that enrich your life.

Paula

Games

Hello,

Leroy does not like to play Boggle with me because I win most of the time. The table has turned. We played today and Leroy won the first three games. I did finally win two of them, but it was a hard climb. Perhaps it is good for him to have had all of that eye therapy. I now know that feeling of sitting, failing to see any words while my opponent is madly scribbling answers. It is not encouraging. The trick is not to indulge in negative self talk.

Now Leroy is playing his traffic jam game that was recommended by his therapist. He has made much more progress with that than I have. Neither of us has done very well with the game called On the Dot. These brains are slowing down.

I am trying to ramp up my cardio exercise routines as I understand that is also good for the brain. I generally do not get my heart rate elevated. All of my reading indicates that it is one of the very important parts of healthy living. Yoga warms me up, but generally I do not sweat or get noticeably breathless doing it. The same can be said for tai chi.

At least when I walk with Leroy I get a good workout as he travels much faster than I would when walking by myself. Today, however, I was ahead of him quite a bit of the time. He is slacking off!

I am doing some free weights. Probably more twenty years ago I bought a set that has weights that can easily be put off and on. Each of two dumbbells goes from 2.5 to 12.5 pounds. With enough reps that is good for both of us. I do not use the extremes on either end. It seemed like a large, heavy purchase at the time, but both of us are using them from time to time. So I consider it a good investment.

Paula

Fog

Hello,

The fog was rather thick this morning as I drove to work. The number of cars that I met with no lights on is a bit unsettling. I can’t decide if others think lights are not necessary or they just forget. I was happy to arrive and get off the road.

The day went quickly as I had a lot of work to do. Monday there will be more as I did not finish. It must be called job security. I do not know how easy it will be to replace me as I am half time which is not attractive to many people. Leroy is thinking the same thing about his museum job. Perhaps someone could combine our two jobs into one job. At least the sites are within driving distance. Are there any catalogers out there?

My insurance company is a nonprofit. As such they have something called action teams. I applied for and got two grants from them. One of them was to buy English learning software for an organization that works with immigrant woman from two African countries. Yesterday I met with the woman who is in charge of that to give her the money. I learned there that she can get this software free from the public library, but she really needed laptops. The money will go to buy one laptop. That feels good even though it is not really my money that I am giving away. My other action team is to buy multicultural books for the little free libraries in my neighborhood and the next neighborhood. I am compiling a list of titles and will start buying some of them soon. Again I feel quite good about giving these books as I feel many books are only aimed at Caucasian readers which does not help children who are of other groups to feel represented in our culture.

Paula

Healthy

Hello,

The colonoscopy is done. I thought maybe it would be forever as my nurse practioner said they are questioning the necessity to do them after age 75. Since I am 69 now it seemed this would be it. However, the nurse who checked me in said, “Since you are so healthy, you might have to have another when you are 80.” Oh well I won’t get concerned about that just yet.

As many of you know the prep is the challenging part of all this. I carefully read the directions at least two times and followed them to the letter including the instructions to drink the glass quickly rather than sipping. I started to feel nauseated after seven glasses, slowed down a little and promptly threw up. I called the nurse who instructed me to drink some tea and then finish that dose. I managed to do that, but did not feel good. Supposedly it was to start causing trips to the bathroom after 4-6 glasses, but it did not work for me until about three hours later when I was ready to go to bed. Guess how my night went?

Because I consider myself a morning person, I chose the early morning rather than late afternoon appointment. Consequently I had to get up at 4:30 to get the solution out of the frig and commence drinking again at 5:00.  With slower drinking the morning drinks went down a bit easier.

Leroy has been a trooper through all of this, driving, cooking, and washing dishes while I slept a bit of the day away. Now I feel much better, but not totally normal.

They sent home three pictures of my innards. I wish they had labels as it looks to me like a foreign country. Actually a foreign country would be more familiar as there were be plants and trees that I could say that is a plant and that is a tree. Those photos look more like the planet Mars. Am I spacey?

Paula

Icy Day

Hello,

Leroy and I both stayed home from work because of ice. For him the museum closed. It seems to me that should be an easy decision. He tells me that he would have liked to have been there because he could have gotten so much done in the quiet. I called my work place to tell them I did not want to drive the 12 miles. That was the right thing when I called, but just now I was outside and the alley did not have much ice on it. I felt that it would have been safe to travel, however coming home might have been another matter.

In the mean time I have washed a load of laundry. I hung it on the racks to get more moisture in the room, contribute to my health by moving around, contribute to the health of the earth by not using fossil fuels, and be thankful for the blessings in my life that allow me to make choices.

I also spent some time exercising and raising my heart rate without jumping or leaping. By the time I was done with this routine my breathing was literally a pant.

Later I was looking for some papers in the file cabinet. That led to more purging of unneeded papers. Leroy joined in. I carried out quite a basketful to the recycle bin. Love that light feeling. “Moving will be easier,” I told Leroy.

He just smiled and hugged me. Perhaps he thinks there is more to moving than just lightening the file cabinet.

Speaking of lighten; I have lost about two pounds on this low fiber diet. I miss my nuts, but I can have peanut butter as long as it is not chunky. I start the liquids and purging tomorrow so I expect my weight to go down a bit more.

Paula

Colonoscopy prep

Hello,

I am getting a colonoscopy this week. Leroy mentioned on Friday that I had not gotten the prescription for that. I got it, but checked the schedule of altering my diet. Changes started yesterday.

I really miss my fresh fruits and fresh veggies. Also the no nuts or seeds stipulation is causing withdrawal. I just want to go grab a handful and chew away. I miss the chewing. This other food does not require much chewing and, in my opinion, does not supply much nutrition. Good thing it only goes on for four days. I am then down to liquids the last day prior. I have put off doing this because my primary care person had the wrong year on their data. I had last had one in 2002. Instead my chart showed that I had one in 2012 which is just a click away from correct.

It seems that sugar is quite allowed. I can eat any cookies that I want as long as they have no added nuts of dried fruits. We did make some krumkaka so I am eating them, but not filling up on them. I luckily am allowed plain yogurt which I like as long as I can add cinnamon and banana to it.

Leroy gets to eat many good things and I try not to look closely at those delectable items.

I will get through this and I am grateful that it is not a permanent change to my diet.

Paula

Opera Night

Hello,

Thursday Leroy called me at work to find out if I would like to go the opera. Well that was an easy yes decision. Someone had been given a pair of tickets that they were now unable to use so we did not mind being third in line for the use of these gifts. While there we saw someone we knew and they offered us a pair of tickets for two weeks later. We are planning to go south then so we will see how we make our plans.

Last night we bundled up, but drove the car because it is over two miles away. As we approached the theater we both thought we might be “under dressed”. But as I said, “Once the lights are dim, no one will notice.”

Certainly I did feel comfortable as people’s dress went through the entire spectrum.

There was a translation from the Italian scrolling across the top and front. I whispered to Leroy, “It is so great that it is in English and not in Slovak.”

He laughed, but I remember struggling with my limited Slovak and nonexistent Italian to understand what was happening in the operas there. Mostly I just got to the point of settling back to enjoy the music and performers and ignore the words or sentiment.

After we got home Leroy said, “Thank you for introducing me to music other than what I had known before I met you. I do like this music.”

Paula

Crazy or Not?

Hello,

I hung out clothes today. No rain is predicted. Cloudy skies with a slight breeze and above freezing temps should do it, right? The sheets were the greatest motivation to put them out in the elements. I like how they smell when I bring them in. The real treat is crawling into bed and being enveloped in them. A few towels are out there as well along with our pajamas.

If you recall we had ordered some slippers that were the wrong size, twice. We paid the postage to have them shipped back. I wrote a letter to the company, even though I dislike doing this task, because Leroy said he was done with this place. It all seemed quite unfair to me since the errors were theirs. The letter sat on the computer for over a week. Leroy proofread it this morning. I asked if he would be comfortable sending it thought his account since he had dealt with it the last time. He agreed only to find that I had been too wordy and their form would not accept it. I was going to help him work on it to shorten it, but he waved me away and tackled it himself. We will see what happens. For sure I am not recommending this business to anyone else so I am not saying their name here, giving them free advertizing.

Not that it’s crazy, but son Brian has a job. He thought he had told us one and a half weeks ago. However in the meantime I have had him on my prayer list.  What happens when you pray for something that has already been answered? This job is in a family practice clinic that has two branches fairly close to his home, but two that are a bit farther away. He does not yet know where he will be assigned. Work starts in about a week and a half. At first he will spend a few months learning about each of the situations.

Paula

Life Mysteries and Technology

Hello,

Sometimes I feel that we sit on a heap of technological riches and know nothing about them. Sometimes technology does unexplainable things.

About a month or two ago the Bluetooth between Leroy’s phone and the car stopped working. He swears he did nothing to it to stop it. He fiddled with it; I fiddled with it to no avail. Course I know nothing about it except to follow the instructions in the book that came with the car. He took his phone off the list and started fresh without getting any farther. The next step was talking with several people, younger people who have a much tighter and happier connection with new technology than we do. None of them was able to offer any step that solved the problem. It might have helped if one of them actually touched the devices, but that did not happen.

Last night when I came home, I noticed a voice mail on the phone. Leroy said, “One of those would be me.”

I wondered why he had called the house and forgotten about it. The message just talked about checking to learn if something worked.

“When I was in the car I noticed that I had a connection with the Bluetooth. On looking deeper, there were no contacts listed. I remember the home phone number so I called to see if it worked. It did. When I got back to the contact list all my numbers were in there!” Leroy beamed.

There is no explanation for all of this coming and going. Is someone pulling our chain? Right now we are just happy that it all works once more.

Paula

Leroy's Sermon

Hello,

Leroy preached to a smallish crowd on New Year’s Day. He had also preached the same sermon on New Year’s Eve. He had not felt so good about this sermon as it was on a rather hard subject of the killing of the children by King Harod trying to insure that he killed Jesus. Certainly it is not a nice comforting subject. When he got home Saturday night I asked, “How did the sermon go?”

“Well, no one threw rotten tomatoes.” he replied.

I wondered if I should wear a veil to church so no one would know me, but I bravely wore just my normal things. I did not think it was perhaps Leroy’s best sermon, but certainly not his worst. One thing that I noticed was that it was incredibly quiet almost as if no one stirred as people seemed to be listening closely.

Later one of the church staff, told Leroy, “Even though I was out of town, I heard at the staff meeting (which Leroy did not attend because he was not feeling well) that I missed a very good sermon.”

I told Leroy, “That is high praise when they say good things about you behind your back.”

Always before Sunday, the sermon is taped. Leroy told me that he changed the sermon some from that taping time because he was not pleased with it. However a week later at the staff Christmas party the person who did something with that tape, told him, “That was a good sermon.” I thought remembering to say that more than a week later was also an amazing compliment.

Yesterday after church, a woman stopped me and said, “Tell Leroy that my husband and I both thought that sermon was so very good. We needed to hear that.” I find that awesome that she would remember to talk about it a week later.

God works in mysterious ways even when we think it is not the best thing we are doing. It can be used and speak to others.

Paula

Cold Tales

Hello,

Wednesday evening when I walked home from church in the windy cold a taxi driver saw me walk past, drove up beside me, asked me how far I had to go, and offered me a ride home. I declined, but felt pleased about the goodness of people.

This morning I walked to church once again in -6 F. temps and was amazed at how comfortable it felt. There was no wind and it seemed the air was dryer. On leaving church without my face covered in the warmer above zero temperature, I felt much colder with a wind blowing. It is all relative.

Yesterday Leroy went out to the garage only to discover that both garage doors were open. We think he had done that trick of pushing the wrong garage door button when he came home the night before. The good thing about the cold was that not many people are out walking around so nothing was taken. We lucked out again. We have both resolved to check the doors when pushing a button and leaving the garage. Do you think we can manage that?

In spite of the cold brother-in-law, Gerald came north to visit. It was quite good to see him again. We even made krumkake while he was here. He helped with the hottest part of the job which is rolling them after they come off the heat.

Because the cream purchase was more than was needed we will have to make them another day. Leroy is already planning on Wednesday when he will be home for a day of rest. Tonight Leroy walked to church so he can also enjoy walking in the cold even if it is above zero. Surely it will be balmy.

Paula

New Discovery

Hello,

It is Epiphany which means to be shown or to be revealed. Besides learning about Godly things, I found out this morning that a crowd free time to go shopping is early on a morning when the temperatures are -6 Fahrenheit or -21 Centigrade. Somehow people were convinced that something was not necessary. I could move about freely without considering whom I might be blocking. Cold weather does have some advantages; however I did not hang out clothes this morning.

Leroy chose to drive to church instead of walk. We are going to a house tonight that we have walked to in the past, but we will drive. Mostly it is because Leroy has not been feeling well for much of this week. He is fine now, but still tends to tire quickly. I did not argue about walking instead of driving. I like to brag about how cold it can be and we still walk with -10 F as my cut off point, but comfort is nice from time to time. I am grateful that we have these vehicles that work without a whimper.

I remember that on the farm we went out no matter how cold because the animals needed attention even more than when the weather was pleasant. Excuses did not apply when lifes depends on you.

Paula

Creative Cooking and drying clothes

Hello,

My finger still does not know just where to go for the 7 when writing the date. Once it is solid a new year will be here. Time flies!

Yesterday I made a dish for lunch that had a whole onion because it needed to be used, mushrooms because we like them, summer squash because it was close to the front of the freezer, and cranberries because they caught my eye in the freezer. Leroy and I both declared it quite good. The spices were turmeric and marjoram. Somehow it all blended together just fine. Now you must know that this can never be duplicated because as usual I just added things randomly without regard to amounts which were dictated most by what I had on hand.

I washed clothes today and hung most of them on the racks in the house. One rack we bought, but the other belonged to my mother. When I use it I think about her. She had no motorized dryer. She had a wringer washer and it was out on the unheated porch so wash day was serious business. Today I knew that even though the temperatures were in the single digits she would have hung out some of the laundry, especially the larger pieces, to let them dry in the breeze or perhaps the freezing would have made some of the water evaporate.

I also thought of our time Slovakia where we did not have a dryer, just racks. Heat was plentiful so clothes dried quickly. It was a positive because it added some moisture to the rather dry indoor air. I am grateful for the chance to impact my health and quality of life by visiting memories.

Paula

Good Sleep

Hello,

Yesterday morning I woke up and told Leroy, “I slept five hours in a row. I was so excited about sleeping five hours that it took me a long time to get back to sleep.”

He just laughed because he knows I do not remember when I have slept so long as I often wake every two hours, but then go back to sleep soon. I did feel more energetic during the day. However it was not enough for me to ring in the New Year. I figured it would happen whether I was awake or not. Earlier a friend came over and we played games but not late which was fine with us. The games did not go much in the friend’s favor so I am not sure he had a good time. We tried a few of Leroy’s new games. Some of them require more brain that we seemed to possess. Perhaps we can acquire more cells if we keep working at them, but then are they a game?

Someone invited us for brunch at the last minute this morning so we enjoyed a nice meal and good company. It was easy on the brain. Now Leroy is watching a movie that I brought home from the library. It is not a movie that appeals to me so I am avoiding the experience.

Leroy shredded some of his old files languishing in the file cabinet. We and the cabinet feel lighter now. Amazing how a few years distance can change the value of paper.

I have folded my tops in a new way for the New Year. We will soon know if I like that idea. At least I can see what is in the drawer at a glance. It seems like a good thing. I might have to do that for Leroy’s sweaters as he is always digging through them for the one he wants.

Paula