Nature All Around

Hello,

Leroy and I had talked about taking a bike ride on a trail in central Iowa. However, the bike rack does not fit very well on the newer car. We could take the older, but Leroy thought it was a bit cool today to enjoy such an excursion. This is a sentiment from the guy who will ride until the temperatures are 19 degrees Fahrenheit. I stop at 50 degrees. I did not think it was too low at 60 when we first talked about going.

Our alternative plan was to walk in one of the county parks on a trail that we had not yet experienced. We forgot to bring our carry along map and the center was not open on this holiday. So we just used the maps that were provided on two signs. It worked out fairly well, but we mostly did not know where we were.

This park has some wetlands as it main focus. We found the wet path in one area. Striding off with confidence that the trail would go back to higher dry land, we set out only to find after about half a mile of walking on grass that almost held us off the mud that the water was getting higher. We turned around, retraced our steps, and set off in another direction. I saw one frog during that segment, but Leroy, who was in the lead told me he thought he saw about 100 small frogs. By the time I took my eyes off the somewhat perilous spots my feet were landing on, the frogs had leaped away.

On the second and dryer part of the trail we ended up going back twice because we did not want to deal with the mushy places. All in all we traveled a bit more than 6,000 steps. We did have lunch and water in our backpack which Leroy toted the entire time. Luckily when we were ready to eat, a bench was there. Sitting watching the clouds race across the blue sky was uplifting for the soul.

We declared the outing a success.

Paula                                                                                                                                                     

Dodging Rain Drops

Hello,

Leroy and I got up early and took a walk before breakfast. In the past we frequently did this, but that habit has fallen off the cliff of lying in bed talking about the coming day. It was beautiful and sunny while we walked, refreshing our memory of why we liked to get in the early morning walks.

By the time Leroy was ready for riding to work on his bike it had clouded over. For reasons unknown to us the weather prediction was not available on the IPOD. Leroy headed off with distain about any coming rain. With great anticipation of the wonderful smell when we would get in bed tonight, I hung out first one load and then the second load of clothes that included sheets.

I gathered my short shopping list, put on a rain coat, remained optimistic about the clothes, got in the car, inched the rear into the alley, checked for traffic, noted the rain drops coming down on the trunk, pulled the car back into the garage, climbed out, got the clothes basket, and proceeded to take down the clothes which had such a short time in the outdoors that they had not noticed it. I was grateful that I had not left so I could bring these clothes inside to dry there.

Close to noon Leroy called and asked if I would come get him. That seemed like a good idea. On Fridays, he works for the museum in the morning and the church in the afternoon. After my last exciting time getting the rack off the wall, the bike carrier is stored on the floor so I had no trouble putting it in the car. Leroy did have trouble getting it secured on the car. One of the straps cannot easily be tightened. For some strange reason he could not find the hooks under the car. He instructed me, “Don’t drive fast and it should be ok.”

It was ok. As we left the museum parking garage the rain was diminishing. We are grateful for that garage so Leroy can struggle with the rack in a dry place. I had brought a large umbrella which would help Leroy do the hospital calling and come home in comfort. While at the church I loaded up the plants that had been staying in his office and put them outside by the garage in the rain. It was nice to see them again.

I am grateful for a car that does not leak and runs in the rain on streets and not mud. I was also grateful that I could wipe the car windows so I will have a clear view of the world around me as I go to work tomorrow. Those windows had some noticeable spots that needed to be eliminated.

I did get a little wet in the execution of all these activities, but I dried off just fine.

Paula

Life Promoting Greens and Events

Hello,

We have been given some wonderful greens. There are two vigorous raised bed gardens by the library where I work. Tuesday, the person in charge pulled some spinach that was going to seed. She also thinned the beets so the beets greens were quite tender and good. She offered them to me. I have no idea if any of the rest of the staff wanted them or not, but they are a treasure to me. I have felt a little melancholy because we had not gotten any early greens in the ground. Now we have been offered some spinach and lettuce from another source. I said that we could use some more by Sunday, but the donor will not be home. After I talk with Leroy and he agrees that he will become like a rabbit and eat more lettuce, I will get it Thursday evening after work. Garden time of year is the best.

I needed to get yogurt for Leroy and while at the store I saw a bag of apricots that had been marked down. I got those. They were very tender and the trip home did not improve their stamina. I promptly ate three of them who could not be counted on to endure another minute. Delicious indeed. Summer is coming.

This is graduation time. I did not expect to be going to any parties, but there are two on the docket. I will go to one this afternoon. It is within walking distance so I will get a little exercise. Leroy and I will drive together to one on Saturday after I get home from work. Following that we have a 70^th birthday party to attend. Tonight is the end of the year church choir party. Looking at this schedule you might think we are social people, but this is just a lot all at once.

Sometimes I am surprised that we know so many people, but we have been here for five years now and that certainly makes a difference.

Paula

Lazy Sunday Afternoon

Hello,

Leroy came home from having, at two church services, some responsibility. He was ready to have some rest time. We called all our children and connected successfully with one of them. After that we had a snack of one of my “special” made up concoctions of pumpkin, eggs, spices, molasses, cranberries (just a few) and some left over oatmeal. It was much like pumpkin pie without the crust. This was topped with granola, as well as, plain Greek yogurt for me and plain regular yogurt for Leroy. We both thought it was quite fine. I might try this again in the future. It will be close, but have its own distinct appeal. I forgot we also put on some homemade unsweetened applesauce.

While snacking I convinced Leroy to play just three games of boggle with me. I pride myself on my ability to play this game, but Leroy has increased talent or I have lost talent. He beat me two out of the three games. In one of them he found a seven letter word which he did not need to win. In other words I was trounced. It seems to me since his eye problem he has done much better at this game.

We also spent some time figuring out just what we are giving to our church for the renewal of the building. Along with that we noted the amount that we give to church each month as well as the other special gifts we like to make in the course of the year. Many of these are somewhat church related such as world hunger, and the seminary as well as church camp. It was important to me to have some idea of all the places we want to give and how much we will contribute to each.

Leroy did take a nap and now he is reading. So he cannot complain that I worked him too much. I read while he was napping. Even though I believe he can sleep through a brass band I like to keep the noise to a minimum. I figure that turning pages is so quiet that there is no chance he would notice.

Paula

Habits Run Deep

Hello,

Leroy was gone this morning, but I still prepared enough warm water to make two cups of vinegar and honey. The honey was in the cup before I remembered that I only needed to make one cup. Because the water was not yet in there I left it on the table to show Leroy how serious I am about just going by rote. After I laughed at myself I continued to make oatmeal for two people. That did not cross my consciousness until after it was cooking so there was no turning back. That extra serving of oatmeal is sitting in the frig waiting for me to have a creative thought about using it in some other manner.

I also spent a little time thinking about how life would change if Leroy had died instead of just going out of town. Is that one of the real difficulties of having a person die who lives in the house with you? Are you constantly doing old actions only to find that they do not fit the new reality?

I have another habit that I am trying to change. I have read recently that we should wait thirty minutes before rinsing our mouths or putting something else in there. This allows the ingredients in the toothpaste to continue their beneficial work. I have, for years, wet my toothbrush after brushing and made another pass to get the paste out of my mouth. Only about one in ten times do I remember not to do that. It is amazing because I might have thought about it while brushing, but proceed to do it anyway and catch myself in the act.

Is it any wonder that people have such trouble stopping any sort of addiction? Besides the attraction of whatever has a hold, just having the habit of doing or taking it would be part of the difficulty. I must give people who actually do change a higher regard that they have been able to change their lives.

Paula

Church Convention

Hello,

Today and tomorrow is the church convention in Des Moines which is a bit more than two hours away depending on the driving speed and where in the city one needs to be. Leroy was being picked up at 6:20 in the morning. We are almost always up at that time, but not fed, shaved, and dressed. Leroy did prepare a bit the night before by getting packed, clothes selected to wear, and breakfast decision made. We set an alarm even though we are often up by the time it was set, however “that Leroy guy” got up almost half an hour earlier. I was awake so I knew it, but pretended to be asleep, hoping that sleep would become reality. That did not happen even though I managed to stay in bed somewhat longer enjoying the warmth.

Leroy tells me that he no longer knows so many people when he goes to these events. Perhaps that is because he is really past retirement age since he is 68 years old. Because I have only rarely gone to these meetings I would know even fewer people.

I am used to being alone on Fridays, but not so much on Saturday. If it were warmer I might go for a longish bike ride, but right now I do not feel like getting out. It is not raining, but it quite cool. I suppose a walk should be on the agenda. I did get a long walk in spite of a few sprinkles. It was brisk and invigorating. I had expected to spend about a half hour and it was closer to an hour before I came home.

It will be fun to have Leroy tell all about the things he learned and the people he connected with. There is usually something that sparks some interest. I am not seeing so many people, but I am sending mental messages to the squirrels to stay away from plants that I care about.

Paula

Violets and Geese

Hello,

Leroy came home and was quite excited to show me a violet that someone had brought to the church to give away because they were downsizing. He took it knowing that I would like it a lot. It is quite a large plant. I have had varying luck with violets. Generally I say it is the place that they do not like rather than my fault. I just love blaming something else.

I was expressing concern about it living with someone else who might take better care. Their advice was “just don’t worry about it, enjoy it while you have it. You are giving it a home and that is what is needed at this moment.”

This violet is in a special violet pot which I had never heard of before. Perhaps that is why my violets sometimes had rather short lives. At least this one is still alive and looks good after being in my house for a week. I take that as a sign of hope for a longer relationship. I have taken several plants outside for the summer, but only one large one. The back yard should be more shaded before that happens. The walnut tree and the catalpa tree are just getting their leaves now. In one more week it should be good.

I transferred the pictures from the camera to the computer so I can share them with you. I did not get rid of any of the geese pictures since I am sure that Leroy has a proprietorship feeling about them. Perhaps you can just move quickly through them. Leroy was trying to get a good picture of the difference of the baby geese’s sizes.

Two of those pictures are of deer eating. It was fun to watch a goose head pop up from time to time. Amazing what can be hiding in the grass. Is that true of all of life? There are hidden things that we could enjoy if we just knew about them?

Here is the link so you can see the pictures.

https://goo.gl/photos/yLpbtgASnFBjWaaJA

Paula

Bike Ride

Hello,

Yesterday Leroy and I took a bike ride. It was only my second ride for the season. We went a bit over nine miles and that was just enough for me. We ride around the lake close to us and go up the trail, though the trees, and along Iowa’s only urban trout stream. Looking at the water, trees, and wildflowers lifts the soul in appreciation of the beauty that abounds.

We were both pleased to see many families biking. I was impressed with how young and little some of the children were. They were often riding with great skill as if it were old knowledge. What a great way to spend time as a family: exercising, seeing different things, and experiencing nature.

I searched for the total miles of bike trails in the city and cannot find it, but the number 54 comes to mind. I know there are a number of trails and the city is working to connect them. Seems to me to be a great plan as it fits something I like to do.

Also on the bike ride we finally saw some young geese with their parents. One group only had two adolescent looking youngsters. The other was a bit larger with eight babies between them. Leroy took a lot of pictures, but I do not have time now to connect them with this letter. The curious thing about the last group was that two of the babies were babies and not adolescents. Do you think they had two hatching sessions or do geese babysit for someone else thus accounting for the different ages? Life is full of mysteries.

Paula

Steps

Hello,

Leroy and I both walked many steps yesterday. While we were at a friend’s  house delivering some boots for her to pass on to the homeless shelter, I checked my Fitbit. I had traversed something more than 8,000 steps. “Check your watch,” I told Leroy, “I’ll bet it has 12,000.”

I was wrong it had him walking 19,000 steps. I know these things are not totally accurate, but it seems to me in the course of the day Leroy cannot be walking that much farther than I do. I have read that most of the pedometer devices are not accurate, but are consistent with what they each record. It certainly gives Leroy something I wanted, bragging rights.

I am almost sorry that I bought that watch for him. It has the date and time which is why I got it, not for all the other features contained therein. It has functions that Leroy cannot even figure out. But he is very happy with the date and time. Once in a while he gets out the instruction manual and learns about something more he can do.

At the end of the day both of us were tired, but I think Leroy should have been crawling by that time considering how many steps he had reportedly taken.

I just do a more normal recorded amount of steps but I believe I was the one ready to call it a day first. Even though younger than I am, I do not think Leroy could possibly have more stamina than I do.

Paula

Life changes

Hello,

Today I woke early and started exercising before six in the morning. Leroy knew I was up, but chose to stay in bed. It was quite invigorating and I felt ready to get some work done.

Leroy was similarly ready when he did get up. Must have been that early sunshine. He wanted to work on a table in the yard that is used a variety of ways, by all of us who live in this house. Much of the wood had rotted. Leroy’s plan was to get that done today but first he needed to find his ear plugs and safety goggles. He looked rather hastily in the front closet where they should be. They were not in there so he checked the garage, not there either.

I suggested he take everything out of the closet while I went out to hang clothes in the abundant warm dry air. “I would like to look at everything once you get it out and before putting it back,” I told him.

When I came back in almost nothing was out of the closet. He had looked, found what he wanted and that was the end of that.

“Some things are on rather high shelves. I really wanted to check them over to see what we have up there,” I whined. After listening to me a little more Leroy proceeded to take everything back out and do a thorough sort himself.

I was happy to get as I was able to get rid of some things and put others in a more logical place. Leroy also got rid of some things.

He then went out and worked on that table finishing it just about lunch time. I figure that was good planning. While he was working on that I vacuumed the entry stairs and the back porch neither of which are tackled very often. Just so you know I was not sitting around idle.

This afternoon we were going to shop for the community garden, but we will not do that as someone in the neighborhood has received a lot of donations and we will plant those things first. Now all we have to do is deliver the neighborhood newsletter to the last two blocks, get some eggs from the store and deliver some give away boots. We could also pull some weeds in the garden in places we will not till it up as there are herbs growing, however we are both a little tired.

Paula

Tourists

Hello,

For some time, Leroy and I have wanted to see the Grant Wood stained glass as well as the city hall murals. This was a difficult task because they are only open during the week and some holidays that we never seemed to know about or were doing something else. Today Leroy came home early enough that we had time to go. I thought Leroy knew where they were, but his ignorance was covered by the internet. Isn’t that great? Back in the old days we might have depended on a human being to supply the answers, even perhaps, the library.

It was a beautiful sunny day so we headed off downtown on our bikes because Leroy did not want to fool with the parking meters. I know not all are pleased with the bike lanes downtown, but it was quite fine for us today. Because Leroy goes there more often he also knows some of the best places to be when riding.

First we saw the stained glass which was actually made in Germany in 1929. It was quite fine to see it. It was larger than I thought it would, but also not as brilliantly colored as I had expected. In the same building there was a small exhibit of the Vietnam War and the US involvement. Not that I read every sign, but it was quite interesting. I wonder if it was an exhibit that changes from time to time.

From there we headed off to city hall. The murals were quite extensive. They had been painted in 1936 by four New Deal artists. Apparently some criticism and a judge caused them to be painted over. In 2011 they were restored. We also saw the old post office boxes.

I found a flyer for public art in CR. We had planned to go to Greene square and now it had a little more meaning. The booklet referred to a statue called Mouse Eared Bone in Huston Park. We both declared that we did not know where that park having never heard of it. On the trip home I happened to glance across the street at a small park and there was that Bone. I cannot tell you how many times we have gone past that and never noticed it. Information does increase awareness.

Paula

Comedy of Errors

Hello,

This morning Leroy got up at 5:15 to do exercises and because he just woke up at that time. I heard him get out of bed but thought he was going to the bathroom, but noticed he did not come back right away and I could hear him moving around doing what I knew not. Had I known, I might have gotten up to exercise as well.

Before he left for work Leroy checked the weather forecast several times trying to determine the feasibility of riding the bike to work. He has a more optimistic soul than I realized because he thought he could ride dry to museum work, go to a meeting mid morning at church, ride back to the museum, and then come home late afternoon. I did tell him that I could come get him since I do not work today.

I had washed a load of clothes expecting to hang them out with this bike riding guy as my guide of weather. When the clothes were washed I realized that the air seemed quite damp. I checked another weather source and decided the clothes would stay inside.

Probably an hour later it started to rain. I then had the brilliant idea that I could pick up Leroy with the bike rack in the car, load the bike on the car, take him to the church meeting, bring the bike home, store it in the garage, and go back to pick up Leroy, bringing him home with the other car key in my pocket, and let him drive back to the museum while I went on to shop.

The bike rack is stored above my head in the garage. This item is a bit heavy or at least heavy for me. When I got it off the nails it made a descent straight for my head. I was able to slow it down, but not stop it. Luckily one of the straps with a hook on it caught on a board. Grateful I am for that intervention.

At the museum Leroy remembered how to put the rack on, but it is not an easy thing to do especially when trying to hurry and wearing good work clothes. At one point it was necessary to kneel and hook two straps under the car to secure it. Finally the job was done.

I dropped Leroy at the church closest to the wrong door because I had forgotten that only one door is open during the week. He had to run back in the rain when I could have stopped much closer.

At home it was no problem to get the bike and rack off the car. I went in the house, kept a close eye on the time, got back in the car to pick up Leroy, met him at the proper door, and was amazed that he was there. “I tried to call you on the house phone and your cell,” he said, “but you did not answer so I was hoping you were on the way and I watched out the door.”

He tried to direct me to go home, but I have forgotten about taking him there to get the other car. Instead we had some rather confusing conversations about where I should turn and why. Finally I remembered the plan which I had engineered and headed off to the house.

At the house, I let Leroy out in the rain because it is hard for him to get out inside close to the side of the garage, pulled into the garage only to remember that I wanted to get him some yogurt. It is a crisis if we run out of yogurt. I looked up to see that Leroy was exiting the garage, as expected he pulled in back of me to head out the alley. I waited and waited for him to complete the move. Perhaps he was wondering why I was still in the car. Just when I was thinking I would call him to tell him to move he finally drove off.

I then went off to do my little bit of shopping. Are you surprised that we are still together after 46 years of trying to understand each other?

Paula

Store Deals

Hello,

I do not believe in shopping on Sunday if I can avoid it. I could avoid it yesterday, but I did it anyway because I thought of a veggie deal on the walk home from church and Leroy had money in hand. It seemed best to stop in while I remembered it since I had forgotten it before. The store had a deal on frozen veggies. I was relieved to see the sign still out, but I had some trouble figuring out which bags bit the bill. When we checked out none of them were marked down. That was a bad sign. I spoke with the checker about the date of the sale. “The sign stated the sale goes from the fifth to the sixth.” I said.

“Today is the seventh^,” he informed me.

How could I have forgotten the date?  He had called the manager over just as we were starting the date conversation. When she came she commanded the checker, “Go get the sign.”

He scurried off the find it. “Because the sign was there,” she noted, “We have to honor that price.”

When he came up with the sign it was all noted and we saved over $10 on our veggie purchase. I certainly benefited from someone’s carelessness, but I hope no one got in trouble because of it. I was also pleased that I only required one bag from the store. Since I had not expected to stop I had not come prepared with more than one very small bag holding my phone and keys.

Love my backpack, but I left it home since I did not have to carry so much or so I thought. I do get compliments on my backpack from friends, acquaintances and strangers. Friends ask me what the letters LJG stand for. The bag was cheap because someone had put those on and then not wanted the bag. I tell them it stands for Laughing Jumping Granny. I needed a mnemonic in case I ever lost it someplace and needed to describe it to get it back.

Paula

Hair Discussions

Hello,

I had some hair discussions at church today. How often should hair be washed? Answers ranged from daily to once a week. I commented, “I wash my hair twice a week. I used to wash it daily, but as I have aged I notice it is much dryer than it used to be. However I wet it every day so it is not sticking out in all sorts of wild directions.”

At that last comment the people who were listening were astonished. They have straight hair and possibly it is not such a deranged mass in the mornings. They apparently all spend a bit of time on their hair, but that is to make it have a bit more height or even curl. They seemed to be unable to easily imagine hair that set overnight and then it was stuck in that position.

I did not tell them that all I do to my hair is wet it, comb it while wet, and comb or brush it once more when it is dry because that is how it is for the rest of the time. I wonder if they have any idea how my hair springs up and away from my head as it dries. Probably not. Course the problem with that is that it can spring up to some unusual and unwanted sprongs.

One woman who has recently had chemo commented that her hair is coming in curly which she has never had before. Seems to me she will have some learning time getting to know this new possibility.

I do not have a fiction book to read. Life is different. I should have bought some at the library book sale just so I would be prepared for such an emergency. Tomorrow I will bring home two or three from the library.

I did look at getting an ebook, but quit the search before I found something I wanted to read. Seems I am hung up on browsing the shelves.

Paula

Garage Sales

Hello,

Today Leroy and I along with a young friend went to the Ely City wide garage sale. It is so nice to park the car and walk to several different sales. We all purchased something. Our friend got a light weight jacket with the school logo on it. He was pleased to find that. Leroy found a pair of ski goggles that he will use in the winter time when riding the bike to work. He tells me, “I can put these on over my glasses. They will keep out the wind and keep my glasses from fogging up.”

At a dollar that was a good deal if they do indeed work as he hopes. Leroy did say that he had checked in a store and they cost much more than that.

I got some glass storage containers. I have been considering getting rid of the plastic ones that I currently use. Hopefully these with please me as I put them to use. We also got a travel game that has dice enclosed in a form so they cannot be lost. Will we use it? Who knows?

We also got a water kettle. I have one that allows one to select four different temperatures, but the top temperature seems to have stopped working. This one is not so sophisticated, but I tried it after we got home. It goes to a very high heat. Now I am trying to decide what to do as I do not want to give up the pot that can be set to a lower temperature. However I do not have so much room that I want two of these items around. Even though two dollars was a great price I still might go and splurge for the multi-temperature option. Leroy tells me that if we do not want the one we just bought, he would donate it to church where the water kettle lid is becoming unhinged. We will keep this for a while and experiment.

Paula

The Squirrel War

Hello,

We are declaring war on squirrels, but not yet bringing out the big guns whatever that might be. My downstairs friend has devised a system of grids around her flowers hoping to deter any digging in those beds.

I still like to see them climbing around in the trees outside my windows, but when I see them on the ground I do not put on such a friendly face. I noticed a hole in the front bed where one surely took out something that I wanted such as a bulb of some flowering plant. Why do they not prefer weeds? Also why are they cute, creating mixed feelings when I see them out and about?

It seems to me the population keeps going up without natural enemies to keep them under control. Who are their natural enemies? Should we send out an invitation to those parties to come feast? Or perhaps we just want those enemies to pay a short visit. Seems to me we humans run into trouble when we introduce changes to the environment. The real trick is to co-exist without out being bothered to a large degree. It seems so interesting to me that we were never bothered by squirrels on the farm. It must be because they had plenty of room to live away from the house.

Chicken hawks were another issue. I remember seeing one swoop down and carry off a young chicken. My mother was quite upset by that. So much so, that I remember feeling afraid, but not quite sure why. Seems to me that the chickens were not allowed out for a longer period giving them some time to put on weight and be much harder to cart off.

Paula

Work and Wine

Hello,

My work has been crazy busy. There is a garage sale this weekend sponsored by the library. On Tuesday we had a donut sale. Between those two items with people registering for a sale and buying donuts there were 115 people in the library in just seven hours. I sincerely hope I kept everything straight as some people wanted to deal with both things. I was alone for three hours and I think that was the busiest of the entire day. I was happy to go home when done.

Today was also rather busy. Many people came in to pick up their garage sale map which had been promised tomorrow. People do not read or remember everything they have read as many did not know they were a day early until we told them. Some were a little irritated that the maps were not ready, but registration just ended last night. So there really had not been a lot of time to get everything in place.

There is new software for the ILL procedure. I had had no warning or training on this, but my boss was gone last Tuesday so after two calls to the state library and one to a neighboring library I finally figured out quite a lot of what I needed to do order books and to process requests. I must have new brain cells after all of that learning.

Leroy was given some wine for Christmas. We had thought we would have some company who would help us drink it. But that did not happen so it is still with us. Last night in the middle of the night when I was having a wakeful period I had the idea that Leroy and I would just drink a glass each for the next few days and deal with the rest by dumping it or cooking with it. When queried this morning, Leroy agreed as he too wants it gone. Tonight when we tried to open it we realized we did not have a way to extract the cork. Luckily our downstairs friends had such an appliance, but they too did not want to help us drink the wine as they do not drink it either, but at least they are prepared for any eventuality.

Paula

Outside More

Hello,

After several days of being inside more than out it was great to get out again today. In the morning I hung two loads of clothes which were dry by mid afternoon. That is so nice after a series of cold rainy days.

This afternoon I walked a part of the neighborhood delivering newsletters. It was god to get some hill work in my 8,000 plus steps that I have taken today. We mostly walk on the flat land consequently I notice that I do not handle hills as well as I once did. It is good for me to have a reason to go higher. I even visited with a neighbor who was out cutting trees out of his hedge row. There was one mulberry that was probably three feet high. I commented, “I would not like a mulberry tree here, but I do like mulberries.”

“We used to have a very large one in the back yard that we finally got rid of.” He said.

Nature is certainly indiscriminate about where things take root. Often it does not fit with our idea of orderliness. It is a trick to adapt and snuggle in without disturbing the surroundings.

I had thought most of the early blooming flowers were finished, but I saw some nice tulips and other spring flowers. It was great to be out to admire the beauty and drink it into my soul. Even the green is so good that it perks me up.

Leroy rode the bike today. It will be nice that he will not have to consider coming home in the rain. He only goes three miles, but sometimes it can be dry when he starts and then a down pour before he makes it to the house. Monday he said, “I only got a little wet, so it was ok.”

Paula

Internet Service and a stick in the sock

Hello,

Those two subjects have nothing to do with each other; I just wanted to talk about both.

It is time to renew our internet service. I am no good at calling as you know so I push, urge, or shove the job off to Leroy’s area. He takes it on with little grumbling. Last night while I was at work, he finished the task. He has garnered a lower rate for the coming year, with the declaration from the agent that it would not happen the following year. We believe there must be a lot of competition out there for them to lower the rate. We would have been satisfied with staying the same and not getting a raise in fees.

Leroy did complain a bit last night as he said it took him about an hour. I was not home, but I consider it not bad for an hour’s work to gain about $50 for a year. He first tried to call, but was on hold for a long time so he switched to an email chat, but he was the 54 person in line so he went back to the phone where he put it on speaker phone and did other things. I consider that to be not working too hard, but it must have annoyed him a little by the way the emotion seeped into his voice. We are both happy with the result. Personally I think that Leroy must be a real phone voice charmer to garner this gain of lower expense.

Now on to the stick in the sock. Yesterday I put on my sock only to feel something poking me in the foot. Quickly I got my foot out of there as I thought of several disreputable possibilities. At least I do not have to worry about a scorpion in this climate. It turned out to be an inch long slim stick that must have dropped from the tree above the clothes line. Another exciting reason to hang out clothes, you never know what passengers you will find that have set up housekeeping. I have brought many different types of small critters into the house. Generally I have noticed them in time to trap them in the fabric and cart them back outside where they can continue doing whatever it is they want to do.

Paula

Taking on the wrong tasks

Hello,

Do you ever take on the wrong tasks? I do because I like to say yes. Someone from church asked me to cut material that is to be made into bags that go on walkers. I figured that should not be a hard job and I could do it.

I promptly received two bags of material. One only had two pieces of cloth with the size instructions included. I did talk to the person who had asked me to do this and learned that she made a pattern out of newspaper. By the way you should know that I am not a sewing person. I did that pattern and with a certain amount of difficulty got the job done. My scissors is good, but the height of my tables is not good for my back which got tired rather quickly. Also the pieces of material were big and difficult to control on my small table. Tension probably contributed to that back sensation as I grumbled in my head, “I do not like to do this.”

It would have been much better for me if I had not been alone. In other words I needed a mentor even for this seemingly simple task. The job was finally done and I sent it on. When looking in the second bag my heart sank because it had a lot more material in it along with different size instructions. The person who originally asked me to do this also loaned me a sample bag. The new size was smaller and I did not know what to do about that so I stuck this bag in the closet and almost forgot about it when not looking in the closet.

This morning I thought I must get this out of my house and mind. The original person who had asked was in Boston on vacation. Sigh. I did not know the other woman who had sent me the bags of material. The introvert in me does not like to call people I do not know, but I gathered courage and made the call.

There I learned that I was now cutting bags that are for children to give to grandparents in hospice situations. This new woman had thought that I had a board and a wheel to make the cutting much easier. She told me, “It is too hard to do all this with a paper pattern and a scissors. Give it back and someone else will do it.”

Even though a little bit of guilt is rolling around my brain, the relief is stronger. I am happy to get this out of my house where it caused a bit of anxiety each time I saw it. Just one phone call made sooner would have averted all of this negative in my life.

Life is a continually journey of learning.

Paula