New Vocabulary

Hello,

I have been telling people that the car is half fixed because we decided not to do the shocks and/or struts. Those two parts were not in such bad shape. Then usually someone will ask what was fixed. I knew that it was something with the front brakes as well as something else I could not name. Now I know it included the sway bar links. I consider my auto vocabulary increased. It was especially helpful when I looked it up to see just what that was. The mechanic had told Leroy that I could be in trouble if I had a collision. I am happy to have it fixed. I will say that the drive to work was much quieter than it had been. It is nice that noise tells us something about the condition of the machine.

We are still looking, but not in a serious rush, for a different car. When the right item comes along we will be ready to make that purchase. Does intuition work when making such a large expenditure?

I have found some new exercises for stretching and strengthening my body. If I actually do these, it would be an improvement for my body. I am also toying with the idea of increasing my vocabulary from time to time to stretch and strengthen my brain. Can I stick with either of these resolves?

Doing yoga and tai chi once a week is good, but I suspect that there should be more time spent. I liked it when we lived in Chariton and I did yoga and tai chi three times a week with a group. People in Ely would like it more, but it does not fit into my schedule to do that. I am not going to drive there anymore than I already do in a week.

At the library, I will be doing one yoga session for children and their care givers. I have been reading about yoga and children. I did acquire some new learning for that, although it was not vocabulary. Apparently at age seven we have our maximum flexibility. After that how we move in our daily life starts to set our muscles. It is not age that makes the changes. Children start sitting more after that age altering posture over time.

Paula

Looking Forward

Hello,

Leroy made an appointment with the second opinion mechanic to get about half of the auto work done. The rest is not so pressing. Hopefully this will take away the banging sound that I had heard when going over a bump. I have enjoyed driving the newer car.  Improvements are noticeable. We will start looking for a replacement for the older vehicle with no hurry to get it done. We will hopefully find just the right possibility.

I told people at Tai Chi about our upcoming winter travel. They all thought it was great and cheered us on.

Miriam also expressed delight that we were venturing forth as she informed me that we should spend our money rather than save it for them to inherit. I also told people at work about my feelings about spending all this money. The response was much the same with someone commenting that we lived very simply and we could splurge once in a while. There was also a remark about how we cannot take it with us when we die we so should enjoy something now.

So far no one has expressed any concern that it is a bad idea, except me. I am swayed by public opinion; consequently I am coming around to the idea that it is an ok thing to do. Certainly after spending all this money I should just enjoy and take pleasure in the result. In the last ten years I have only left the country twice and that was for trips to Kenya. Leroy only left once. I guess we can take another bigger trip. Although we both want to go back to Slovakia, here we are going off to another place. We are doing this because of traveling with friends. This will be a new experience. As we have usually traveled alone or with family.

I remember doing some personality studies and the person leading it commented that I have a hard time having a good time. Is that what all this about?

Paula

Money In, Money Out

Hello,

Our incomes are quite adequate for us to live comfortably as we do. We can even share a bit of this wealth. We are probably at a point in our lives where our expenses, with no children dependent on us, allow us to be extravagant.  With the urging of some friends, Leroy and I have signed on for a Mediterranean cruise in January. Our past travels have been on the edge of respectability with an eye on expense at all times. There are two couples with whom we enjoy spending time. We look forward to that part of the experience. It requires more money than we have ever spent on something that is so frivolous, just for ourselves. I am working to wrap my brain and emotions around this commitment. It feels like stepping off the edge into the unknown.

This morning Leroy took my car to a mechanic to get a repair estimate for the hitting bottom clang that happens when I go over serious bumps. Their suggestion of expenditure came back just above that dollar amount that we had discussed not going beyond. Now we have to consider is repair what is best? Or should we just get a different car? After a bit of discussion, we have decided to get a second opinion as more than one person recommended a mechanic. The place where Leroy took it said that it was not dangerous to drive so he told them we will “think” about it for a while.

Buying another car is a big deal for us to tackle so we are learning more to getting it fixed and looking for a not to be missed special of some type or another on a different car.

We both liked living in Slovakia where we could live quite fine without a car dragging us down with responsibility. I suppose a solution would be to move to a large city in this country that has excellent public transportation. If I were a rich person I would fund public transportation in style where we wanted to live as very large cities do not attract me.

Paula

Community Garden

Hello,

Right now most of community garden is a big thriving weed patch. There are plants in there that we care about, but you have to know what you are looking for to find them and realize that they are important. I weeded a bit this morning. Hopefully I saved tomatillos and not weeds, but it is a guess since I have only seen them once about four years ago.

Daughter Miriam grew them in her garden and declared them a weed when they came back in abundance the following year. We are taking a chance, but we are used to pulling so many weeds that we figure they can just join the crowd.

Last night Leroy and I got rid of three vines by the house that our MN visitors declared a weed. I had kept it alive because it grew in a place I thought I had planted something viable. We also weeded around the house. Then we tackled the stuff growing in the sidewalk cracks. Is all this weeding after guests have gone making true that old saying about “closing the barn door after the horse is gone”?

This afternoon Leroy and I are traveling to a wedding in Burlington. It is to be outside and we are really in a quandary about what to wear. It is quite cool here, only in the high 60’s. There, it is to be 74 which in our minds seems much warmer. I had planned on wearing a summer dress, but I am tending to put that plan aside. The reception is indoors, but often the air conditioning is set so low that I am cold. So I probably should dress warmly. Besides warmth we must also consider what fashion standard we need to meet. As the wedding is outdoors, does that mean casual? It is beyond our experience to know how to dress.

Paula

Biking and Rain

Hello,

I rode my bike 12 miles to work on a weekday which I have never done. I left home in spite of the threatening clouds. The forecast was for rain after I would get to the library. I should be spared getting wet. The rain, supposedly, would be done so that I could travel home with a group from church. This group was meeting on the edge of my city and traveling down on that great bike trail that I use to get to work.

I headed off on my bike with a change of clothes, lunch, and enough snacks to fortify my ride home packed in my bag. About two miles from home the clouds looked worse, but I still kept going hoping those weather people have a grasp of reality. I rode past a place on the trail that had obviously been rained on just a short time before my arrival. About three miles later there was another mile segment that had been rained on just ahead of my presence. Up front, the clouds were starting to look quite dark. I felt tired but did not dare slack off the pace if I wanted to miss the rain. It was wonderful to get to the library without having rain fall on me.

Probably about an hour after I got there someone reported that it was starting to rain. I put my bike in the storage room along with various other items. That place is always so full of this and that. I was forced to move a few things to make my bike fit.

As the day went on the rain came and went with a certain amount of regularity. My heart would lurch to see it falling and then perk up again when it quit. About an hour before I expected to leave, Leroy called to say that he was the only person at the bike ride meeting point. It had rained on him two separate times in that three mile trip. After some discussion he decided to bike home in the light rain, get in the car, and rescue me.

It was still raining a bit when he arrived to take me home. I was relieved to see him. We never would have made it home dry in any sense. Also it was so dark at that point that it would not have been my ideal biking experience. Leroy has better bike lights than I do.

Paula

Guests: Invited and Uninvited

Hello,

Just a short note before I ride my bike to work. I am counting on the prediction of 40% chance of rain to be slight.

We had a wonderful overnight visit with our invited MN friends. We talked almost nonstop, laughed, and shared. It was an uplifting time indeed. What would the world be like without friends? Rather dim and dull. Getting from one day to the next would be a plodding affair.

This morning I went out early to water the plants. The lilies had buds bitten off. And the broccoli plant was seriously diminished. My friend who has experience with this type of scavenging pronounced it deer. I have never seen a deer around here, but who knows who visits under the cover of darkness. This is certainly done by something taller than a rabbit and not invited by me. Perhaps the netting needs to go back up and be a little taller if we can manage. It seemed the leaves where being stifled by the net as they stretched up to gather the sun to their souls. So we took it off hoping the marauders were small and done eating.

I like to see the deer, but we can quickly change our relationship depending on how they browse. Feelings of admiration turn to aversion in a munch.

Paula

New Phone Number

Hello,

Our new phone box came for Ooma which is our internet phone provider. Last week, Leroy had cleaned the frig causing our former box to fall on the floor and break. Even though I had considered not having a home phone I did miss it. Almost no one calls us for any reason so it is not missed too much, except when my phone battery needed to be charged. Then I felt like I was not a part of the modern age just in case someone might like to contact me. How did people live comfortably without phones?

The new box means that we have a new phone number. The biggest stretch is that I need to memorize a new number. This number looks easy. Do you think I will know which is old and which is new when sorting through the possibilities in my brain? It might all get mixed up with some old or new password.

I also had to put a new message on the answering machine. That was also a brain stretch as I had not done that for about five years. I like to have a message with our name on it. The last name is the only one I use. I make calls for overdue books at the library. I find I always wonder if I have the right place if there is no name or if that name is different than the one on my records. Then there are some people who have full mail boxes so I cannot leave a message. That requires much more time making repeated calls.

Now we need to think of all the places that have this phone number such as the doctor and dentist. Much interchange has been shifted to the online possibility so it would not matter for many business places such as our bank, financial, or insurance people. It would be nice to send a message to all of them with that new number.

I surprised Leroy with a Father’s Day gift. I always said that we did not need gifts on Mother’s or Father’s day because we were not the parents of each other. I saw a bike tool set that I got. His old one that he still intends to fix came apart from the vibrations as he rides. He had been quite unhappy about that. Feeling a little unprepared as he rides because you never know what he might need.

Paula

Volunteering

Hello,

Leroy and I got up early and headed off to the garden to arrive there at 7:45 before the heat and any possible rain came. The garden was a bit wet. As a result when we went home we weighed slightly more from the mud caked to the soles of our shoes. In spite of poking at that mud with a stick, wiping my shoes sideways in the grass, and dragging my feet from time to time, I still carried a load of earth with me. I felt well connected to the soil, does that enrich the soul?

We do benefit much from the garden in produce, connections, and a sense of contributing to the community. We are always glad when someone else comes to help out. Leroy is learning that his Monday evening time is conflicting with schedules of two people who used to come frequently. He certainly misses them.

I feel we do not volunteer has much as we used to in other areas, but this garden takes a big chunk of time when it is summer so we do not take on much more.

Someone came to help this morning and she brought a number of replacement plants as well as those wonderful bug chasers, marigolds. These plants are half price at one of the grocery stores. Leroy and I went there this afternoon and bought marigolds of our own because somehow I had failed to buy any when I got the other plants. Bugs have done some feasting in the meantime. We also bought another tomato plant because the two survivors that we have, struggled to just be here. We also washed my car. It has been a long time since that has happened so I was happy about. Hopefully it has not been too bad with winter salt on the underside.

We did find time this afternoon to read and enjoy being lazy until I remembered that I wanted to wash the kitchen and bathroom floors. That is done now so we are resting until evening so we can plant our new purchases.

Paula

Do I want to learn?

Hello,

Today I learned on the radio that watering the garden in the evening is not a good idea. That has been my favored watering time. Instead the best time to water gardens is in the morning between 5:00 and 9:00. Even at noon is better than at night. The night watering is bad because the water sits on the leaves overnight when there is little wind to blow it off. Molds and other diseases flourish in that type of environment.

The real reason I do not want to know this is that it requires a change in my lifestyle. I get up early, but I do not go to the garden immediately upon rising. Rain is best; however it does not always put in the required amount when needed.

The lipstick that I bought today had been opened with a broken seal, unfortunately I did not notice until I was home. I suspect that cosmetics are not taken back if the seal is broken. It never occurred to me to check. Guess that is a lesson learned. In the future I must look the container over. This too is not something I really wanted to learn.

I bought a new dress today; actually with deals it was a free dress. I thought the dress, in the store light, was a dark blue. It has a v-neck which is a style I do not usually wear. There were two other women in the fitting room area so even though they were strangers to me I asked for their opinion of this dress on me. One of them suggested that a short necklace would look quite fine with it. I instantly thought of a necklace with a dark blue stone that Leroy had gotten me some time ago. When I pulled this dress out of the bag at home I saw that it was really a deep purple. I did not want to learn about that. Perhaps I saw that before, but did not let the fact of color intrude. Leroy and I think I might be able to wear the necklace anyway as they are both quite dark. Shall I just pretend I am color blind if it does not work?

Paula

Weeds and phones

Hello,

This morning I finally got my will together and strong enough to go to the community garden to tackle some of those weeds. I did put up a post on Facebook and the neighborhood site hoping someone would come and be with me. It worked. I had not been there much longer than 15 minutes when a friend came to help. The talking seems to take away the work aspect of the task. In an hour we had made quite a lot of progress. We even found some squash that had recently sprouted. Leroy will be pleased as he has been bemoaning the fact that many of the seeds did not sprout. We were thinking of replanting. Some replanting will still need to be done, but not to the extent that we first thought.

We will also buy some plants to replace those that have been enjoyed by other critters. Hopefully the garden centers will still have some selections and at a good marked down price now.

I was also pleased to see some greens coming through the soil. Unfortunately I cannot identify some of them because I was not involved in the planting. Hope Leroy has a decent diagram of what is where so tags can be made.

Leroy decided to clean behind the refrigerator. He thought the phone box sitting on top had enough cord so he did not remove it. The cord was not long enough so it crashed to the floor and we no longer have a home phone. He did order another box, but the arrival is uncertain. In the meantime I am trying to be more attached to my phone. I do not particully like that, but I suppose I could get used to the idea of not having a home number. However, I like being home and putting my phone down knowing I can answer the home phone in almost any room with little effort. Am I lazy? Yes!

Paula

Leroy’s eyes

Hello,

Leroy had his eyes checked last week.  He has a sty that he is treating, but the other news is that the seeing double has lessened a little, but not enough to justify new glasses at this point. The amazing thing is that he now has 20/20 vision in terms of distance. I had been noticing that he managed to see many things that were too far away for me to pull into focus even with my glasses on. My glasses correct me to 20/50 in one of my eyes and a little better in the other.

When we went to church in MN I could not read many things projected on the board if the type size was a bit small such as the words of hymns. With a struggle I could have figured it out, but at that point the song would go on. I was fortunate that I could secure a bulletin with hymn numbers on it if the song was from the hymnal. As a result I could participate in most of the worship service. Sometimes I just listened to the words I could hear around me and contemplated the meaning.

This morning I delivered some neighborhood newsletters, grateful for the morning coolness. I then learned that the neighborhood meeting is this Thursday so I will try to finish them early tomorrow morning before I head off to Tai Chi. Darkness is a good thing when the heat moves in. It was just delightful this morning to be out in the fresh air and not feel too hot. Tomorrow will be better because I will go out two hours earlier. I might even set the alarm so I do not over sleep.

I “borrowed” an IPAD from the Ely library so I could “play” around with it a bit more to use for my Yoga sessions. I use both music on it as well as the timer and do not have time, in front of people, to search for items. A bonus was that Sarah’s family wanted to do Facetime. It was so much nicer to have a larger screen than the IPOD.

Paula

Saturday Bike Ride

Hello,

My goal, back when it was too cold for me to ride, was to ride every summer Saturday that I was scheduled to work. Saturday was my day, but the heat was to be well up in the 90’s. I convinced Leroy that I would take extra snack so I would be charged up to come home. I would start with a full water bottle and not ride hard. After all I had no need to be there at a certain time.

Leroy rode with me in the morning and again we set off in plenty of time, mostly because he wanted to beat the heat on his way home. The temperature was in the 70’s with a nice bit of wind. He tells me that his ride home was still very nice. I so enjoyed the 12 mile ride to work. I would like to feel comfortable doing that every working day, but my work times do not fit that need. If it was only five miles I would do it.

I saw a deer dash across in front of us. Leroy was looking elsewhere and missed it. He did see the very small rabbit that came out of the brush, saw us and scampered away.

Work was not so busy with people, perhaps because of the heat. That means that I was able to catalog some books that have been sitting on the shelf above my desk for a week or so. It felt good to be able to take care of some of those items.

Before the trip home, I ate my snack, filled my water bottle, slathered on sunscreen, and reminded myself to take it easy as I felt the heat attack me when leaving the building. It was not so bad. The wind was behind or blowing from the side giving me an assist for almost half of the trip. At one point I was going down a slight down grade and coasting with the wind at my back I got to 19 mph. I could always tell when the wind was helping because it seemed there was no wind, but turning a corner or looking at the trees told me otherwise.

Leroy did not even have supper ready when I got there because he thought I would be later than that. I used that time to take a shower so all was good.

Paula

Walking miles

Hello,

Between walking the dog and running around in the backyard with the kids Leroy and I both put a lot of steps on our devices. Guess we could use some smaller people to keep us moving more. Much of the time we were all together as a group, but from time to time we had to split up as Leroy took Logan to baseball picture taking time while I attended a Girl Scout potluck with Sophia. For this shy person it was great to have someone at the potluck who had met me one winter day on a walk in the park. She remembered me because I taught her, and her daughter, about Pooh sticks. She commented that they still do it once in a while. We learned we also had some eating ideas and book taste in common. It was good to talk with her.

On Saturday afternoon we headed off to a Cub Scout camp out, but we slept at home. There was a full day of activities. During some of the time, Leroy and I were free to be on our own. It was not really free time, rather I went to the pit toilet and when I came back the group, except Leroy, had moved on, but no one could direct us to the location. It seemed like a good idea to hike a trail. The trail was easy and the view was of close vegetation and an almost stagnant pond. Later as we were watching another activity, Leroy said, “I just found a tick. Would you check my back?”

I found two brown ticks that were easy to spot on his white shirt. With more inspection I found four more. He also found at least two more. Leroy seems to be a tick magnet. He only found one on me. But we both developed a creepy crawly feeling that was hard to shake.

The rocket shoot off was more spectacular than I had expected. Logan’s rocket had a nice flight even though one of the wings broke off. But that seemed to be a fairly common occurrence.

We had not thought to bring Logan’s scout shirt that every other kid wore to the campfire and award ceremony. Perhaps when he was one of two beginning kids there, it could be excused. Also his parents were not in attendance so people might think it is just grandparents who do not know what they are doing.

I had thought we would be home earlier in the evening. However, it was about ten when we got home. The mandatory tick check took a bit of time as did the bath or shower. The amount of dirt collected was considerable so it took a bit of attention to detail to remove it. Thank God for water in the tap. If we had stayed at the camp (We had not signed up to do that.) the dirt would have remained until noon the next day. Clean felt so good.

It was nice to share these experiences with the kids. Certainly not something I would ordinarily do.

Paula

The Trip North

Hello,

Leroy and I went to Brian’s home to babysit while the parents took a long weekend break. Our trip north was quite uneventful with no snow or ice to think about, only where is a restroom when I need it? I did have a deer dash across in front of me, but it revealed itself in time for me to slow considerably. I was happy to see it just interested in crossing the four lanes of traffic. What do you suppose it feels like for them to run across pavement? Leroy noted that it was a bit surprising to see it because it was getting close to noon when deer are traditionally supposed to be resting in the shade. On the way home I was once again driving in the heat of the day when another deer trotted across in front of me. This one was a bit farther ahead so it did not cause my heart to beat faster, nor did I go into high alert mode for ten miles.

It was cool when we left so we both had a hard time taking clothes that were appropriate for the hot temperatures that came everyday while we were there. I had packed shorter sleeves and shorter pants than Leroy did, consequently I was more comfortable.  Leroy “borrowed” a pair of shorts from Brian. The shorts even fit Leroy quite well.

It is interesting to me how much less gas we use with the newer car. Makes me think I should up grade as well, but it is more difficult to see my way to doing that when the current car shows no sign of stopping in the near future. Should I be hoping for a serious break down? I also have to say that I liked driving the automatic especially in city traffic.

Miriam and Andy are going to visit this summer. Andy, who has a greater interest in cars than we do, said he would take me out to test drive some of the newer vehicles that he feels would be good for me with all the safety features that I now lack. I have read that it might be smart for older people to rent cars so they get all the new upgrades every few years as cars are steadily improved. As someone whose car ownership philosophy has been to drive them until they fall apart in a heap, it is a big mental stretch to think of having new cars frequently. Seems like a waste. My current car is a 2004 model and has 137,000+ miles on it.

Paula