Still Fussing

Hello,

We are still fussing with our internet connectivity. Yesterday Leroy set up another repair appointment. It is free if they do not come in the house, however if they come in it is a significant, to this woman, amount of money. Our downstairs friends thought we should just go buy a new modem/router as ours is about seven years old.

The store was not busy and we got some wonderful help. Unfortunately the machine we wanted to buy was not in stock and would not be until two days after our repair date. We checked at another store, but they did not carry the products at all that we needed. The next step was back to the original to buy a router and a modem. Leroy tried valiantly to make it all work, even spending quite a bit of talking time with the internet company. However the new could not be coaxed into responding. Then he hooked up the old and it has been working perfectly since then. Can you explain such a thing?

I watched the movie, Hacksaw Ridge. Part of the reason for watching was a patron at the library said it was skipping. I cleaned it, and then was checking to make sure it worked rather than needing further repair. Generally I do not watch them, but the idea of a conscious objector in war had an appeal. The disc worked just fine. Even though I do not generally like war movies, I liked this one, perhaps in part because it was based on a true story. I even cried which is also rare for me. It gives me hope for the human spirit. It also reminded me some of the book, Unbroken, which also touched me in a deep way. Leroy looked at the cover of the case, heard some of the beginning, and felt that it was too emotional for him. I believe he would have also liked it, but he would have cried harder than I did.

Paula

Internet variance

Hello,

Our internet comes and goes without regard to our desires. One minute it is working and the next it is nowhere to be found. The first break lasted for two days, or it could have come back and we did not check it at that moment. Since it has come back it is quite unreliable, emerging and departing seemingly at will. I also find that it is going at a slower speed than it had in the past. Now Leroy is wondering if our modem/router is on the way out of usefulness. Unfortunately he does not know how to check to see if it is still good. His next thought was that maybe the cable is going. Again he does not know how to check its reliability. That nice guy, Leroy since he knows I do not like to call, is once again calling the company to see if they can learn anything of value and pass on that knowledge to us.

How did our lives get so tied and intertwined to this nebulous thing? It is a rare day when we do not use this connection in one way or another. Besides using it at home frequently we both use it at work, especially when cataloguing. But even at church Leroy uses it to connect to the calendar and other things I do not know about.

On Saturday I once again used some old technology: riding my bike to work. It was wonderful to go in the cool of the morning. Even in the afternoon it was not too bad, but I can tell that I am not riding much. I decided to mosey home as Leroy was at church. I was a bit surprised when I got home to learn that I had covered the 12 mile in an hour and fifteen minutes. Not so bad for a moseying, none speeding rider who felt tired. I am always pleased to meet so many people on the trail, walking, running, biking, and skating. Great to see those families out there being active together. The only objection is the people who have music blaring as if they think everyone enjoys that taste in culture. I can hear them for some time coming and going. I prefer the birds and wind.

Paula

Life Goes On

Our Internet stopped working yesterday morning. I am reminded just how much time I spend on the computer. It is a constant thought about what to do next. Besides doing regular chores, I have read more than usual, worked on some hard puzzles, at least hard for me, and spent some time weeding in the garden.

Work is going on in our neighborhood. I suspect that they somehow stopped the signal from having a wire to go along even though I see nothing that is amiss. Just how did life go in a forward motion before Internet?

I called the company on my cell because our home phone is also dependent on the Internet. For some reason the call was dropped in the middle of it. Leroy said he would call when he got home. He managed to get a good connection and set up a repair time of Sunday from 9:15 until 1:15. Sunday morning church services are at 9:00 and 11:00. I will be going to Saturday evening service if I can get there in time, but that will be hard because I wanted to ride the bike to work and I get done at 4:00. Church starts at five and I cannot ride 12 miles in less than an hour.

Today I am at the local college, using their computer, checking email, and writing to you. I learned the Internet company sent an email noting that they will let me know when they are coming so we can be prepared. My problem is how can I look at email when it is not working? I will have to let them know what my cell phone number is if I have not already done so.

Leroy noted that when he was in the garden again that the weeds were helpful for trapping moisture. Where he tilled the ground is quite dry.

For some reason our zucchini did not do well this year. Only two plants survived to adulthood. One of them is dying at the stem and ground connection. The other has some dead leaves. It looks like the ground/stem area is in trouble. The only blessing is that I will not have to spend hours this year searching for, chasing, and killing squash bugs.

Paula

Biking

Hello,

Leroy had organized a short bike trip with the church members, but only Leroy and I went. The heat could have been a factor along with the early morning time that he chose to beat the heat. We also wondered about rain before we left as it was quite cloudy. There was no rain, but a beautiful cool breeze. We both enjoyed it. We decided to go the full 20 miles that we had talked about with others even though it was tempting to turn around before the ten mile marker. I could certainly tell that I had not ridden much this summer. My seat was getting quite tired of all the sitting before we got back home. I had my Fitbit in my pocket even though it seemed not to record biking. This time I was pleased to note that I had 12,000 steps on there. Smart Leroy thought it might be because I did not have it on my waistband as I had in the past when riding the bike. Seemed like a good answer to me.

I am always pleased when we go out on the bikes and see so many people out there riding, walking, or skating. Even thought it was early we did see a few families as well. We both remember when we started riding bikes more and it seemed to be a solitary activity. Perhaps we even seemed strange to others.

The flowers along the trail are very nice. There are a number of trees that shade the trail as well so that is interesting too. We went north this time. At an area where there is a large parking lot there is now a tool stand where a number of tools are attached as well as a tire pump. It includes a bike stand as well so the bike can be more at eye level. All of the tools are on a pull chain that pops them back in place when the repair is finished.

The trout stream was running high and muddy from the recent rain splashing as it went over rocks. Not as pretty as usual but still interesting. I must get out more. What am I doing with my time instead?

Paula

Community Garden Work

Hello,

Leroy decided to tackle, more aggressively, the weeds in the community garden. Generally there has been more help available when needed, but perhaps some people moved. I know that some are injured and healing. Also the Monday evening time is only working for Leroy. I also have not been as dedicated as in the past. He rented a tiller last night. He even got a larger one than planned because he did not have to mix gas and oil which would have required a larger thought process and containers we did not have. The tiller was still small enough to fit in our car.

I walked to the garden and met him there. While I was waiting I started to pull some weeds. They came out quite nicely thanks to the previous night’s rain.

I helped Leroy get the tiller out of the car and he set to work almost immediately. Two problems were soon obvious. The weeds were still so large, in spite of mowing them, that they wrapped around the tines of the tiller. The ground was a bit wet for the tiller to handle easily. Leroy tilled, stopped to pulled off weeds, and wrestled with this machine until almost the entire garden that he wanted to tackle was wrenched around. I had pulled enough weeds that I took  newspaper, spread it out, and weighted it down with weeds. As I was doing that it started to sprinkle more than what I had noticed just a few minutes sooner. We scurried around and got the tiller back in the car. I climbed in also and was glad that I did, as the rain came down harder. We went back to the garage where the tiller resided a short/long time in the garage as we yanked, hacked, and sweet talked the tiller into giving up its hold on the weeds twined around it. Then we “stole” some gas from our downstairs friends. The tiller has to be returned clean and full of gas. I was a bit concerned that it might not be sparkly enough, but Leroy said the guy barely glanced at it before he refunded our deposit.

At least we feel better as some of the garden has been attended to.

Paula

If the Shoe Fits

Hello,

I have not often heard or used this idiom. I learned by looking on the Internet, the source of all good information, that it is unflattering. A thought popped into my mind this morning, “If the shoe does not fit do not wear it.”

I was thinking about a book I am reading, “Resisting Happiness” by Matthew Kelly. Thanks Helen! It seems to be related to the idea of trying to fit ourselves into something that is not our purpose, but just like trying to wear an attractive shoe we might try to get it to work. The results can be a painful pinch resulting in difficulties later. It can also be too loose and sloppy creating other problems.

It is not always easy for me to know just what I should do. Both in terms of what is best for me and what is best for the people around me.

I also thought about how I would say I am not a jealous or envious person. However, yesterday a patron at the library announced that they had won a ten day trip on the Mediterranean which included all expenses. Even though I vocally and enthusiastically congratulated this person, my first internal response was jealousy. We are paying thousands of dollars so we can do that very thing. It leaves me with a feeling of not being the best person that I could be. So I just had to admit that it was me and let it go. It can be hard to be positive for someone when they have gained the very thing I might like. How can the unwanted shoe fit?

Life is certainly a journey of feelings.

Paula

Jeans for Leroy?

Hello,

Leroy has told me in the past that I should go to Goodwill to get some cheap jeans for him for garden work. For some reason all of his good jeans are too good for that possibility.  I know from past experience it would be better if he were with me to try them on and that the women’s jean supply exceeds the men’s supply by four or five times. Friday on my shopping foray, I realized that I had some extra time, so I stopped in.

I checked to see what was the half price color tag for the day, went to the men’s jean rack, and started looking at every pair of jeans. Even in this sorted rack some of the jeans were women’s rather than men’s. No man’s pair in the right size was to be found. Then I noticed the clearance racks of items that were the last chance and with the low price of two for 88 cents. I really like to have items leap off the shelf and into my line of vision. This did not happen so again I started going through all of the jeans hanging, patiently waiting for a new owner. Guess what? No jeans for Leroy! But a pair that looked ok for me.

After going thought the rack lightly the second time, finding none for Leroy, I took this pair to the fitting room, and tried it on. They were not perfect, but quite close. Now the next task was to find some other item on the clearance rack that would make them each 44 cents rather than one pair for 88 cents. It was a long search using much more time than it was worth, but I came home with another top. Leroy and I both thought it looked quite fine on me, but the trouble is that I really do not need this top. I must get rid of something to justify this addition.

Paula

Figuring retirement options

Hello,

I got a letter from the pension fund of the state of Iowa. Because I taught and work now for a municipality, I have money with them, although not a lot because I have only worked part of my adult and much of that time it was part time. I will be 70 in December so they want to know what I am going to do. The form was easy to fill out; in response I got a nice letter from them telling me what my options are. There are six things that I can choose among. The decision would be easier if the future were a known entity. If I live a long time and select one way I could make a lot more money than I ever put in, however nothing would go to my estate. Does anyone care about my estate? If death occurs the day after my first deposit then the money could go to my estate with a different possibility. Choices, choices!

I then contacted Social Security. At the moment I get half of Leroy’s monthly benefit because he applied and then suspended. I thought that would be it, however because I have not taken from my own account I will be receiving a raise in January when I start using my account. Who knew it could make that much difference? I will apply in September for that as it needs to be done, not too soon and not too far before my birthday.

All of this brings to the forefront of my mind and emotions, what are we going to do and where will we live. Those issues are much harder for me to come to a conclusion. I personally think all of our children should live in one place so we could move there with the expectation that at least one would remain in the area.

I think Leroy should become a repair man when he retires. He just took apart our water kettle after I begged him to do so. It seems to be working once again as it has in the past. Leroy tells me he has no idea what he is doing, but it seems to make a difference. Doesn’t that sound like a good fixer? Muddling around and not a clue what they are doing, but the end result is good.

Paula

Dentist

Hello,

Not all dentists are created equal. I have a crown that is falling apart or at least pieces of the porcelain are coming off. That happened for the third time a couple weeks ago. My dentist was on vacation. Since I did not have any pain, I let it go hoping for the best. It was the best. He commented, after looking at it, that I last saw him about this issue four years ago. He felt that it was still serviceable, ground some part of it down a little, charged nothing because it was such a short easy visit, and sent me on my way. I am grateful. Someday I will have to have a new crown and he is recommending gold as it is so sturdy that it should last for the rest of my life. “That sounds rich to me,” I said, “What does that cost?”

“It will be about the same cost as the porcelain. I would consider it because of the durability,” he said.

We then spent some time talking about the price of gold which is not usually in my repertoire of knowledge.

I told him that would be fine and inquired about the cost. After learning his estimate, I added, “We do not have dental insurance so we have been saving for dental expenses. I am happy to learn it is actually quite a lot less than I thought it might be.”

Since it is my very last tooth it will not be seen as even he has me open wider than I like to do so he could get a good look at it.  I once had a dentist tell me that I have a small mouth and it was hard to get to the back of my jaw. When I told that to a friend, he wondered who that quack was as he thought I had a big mouth.

I will have to send the dentist a personal thank you note for his great care that is not so expensive. I am also thinking that before we leave this place I will ask if he would do the new crown for me even if it has not fallen apart. Hopefully he would like the business.

Paula

Leroy's Brain

Hello,

Leroy’s brain must have changed. I always used to win when we played Boggle. It was almost embarrassingly easy. Yesterday we played once again. Out of three games he beat me twice. He even came up with some six letter words. The one time I did come out ahead, it was only one point.

All of this change has come about since he had that eye/brain therapy after his diagnoses of seeing double. Is this actually a good thing? Is his mind processing faster? Should I go get some therapy?

He can still take so long to answer a question that I become convinced that he has not heard me. I know that he likes to consider all sides of an issue before he makes snap judgments. Sometimes I would like to have the answer be a bit more straight and to the point. Sometimes even a yes or no would be what I anticipate, but the answer is more involved and I have to figure out the yes and no. Is it obvious that we think differently? Perhaps all of that keeps my brain sharp and functioning on a deeper level than I would on my own. So Leroy has a purpose in life to keep me as good as I can be.

Paula

Motion Day

Hello,

Leroy and I set out to the garden just after we hung out a load of clothes. It felt wonderful to be out in the early morning quiet. At the garden we had so much fun weeding that I did not realize until on the trip home that we had spent an hour and a half. The only down side was that I found some ants who let me know that they did not appreciate my presence there by biting my wrists and lower arms. I moved away, took off my garden gloves,  took off my UV shirt, checked my shoes, ends of my pant legs, shook out the gloves, shook out the shirt, turned the sleeves inside out, laid the shirt aside and let the sun have at me in my tank top. My wrists and arms stung for some time even after I had washed off at home.

Our next task was to go get some almonds and OTC meds for Leroy. I was so happy to see that the sale almonds had an extra 20% in the bag that I bought seven bags without considering the total cost. I said “Uffda” when I was informed of that bill which also had 20 dollars worth of meds on it. But we can pay it so life is good. The expiration date on the almonds is not until 2019 so it will be a nice year of eating. They well could be gone before that. I use a cup in granola about every week or two. Also I mix them with peanuts and they are my first choice when I feel hungry.

We rested a little and then headed out to finish delivering the neighborhood newsletters for the two blocks that I had not covered yet. That only took half an hour if you do not add in time spent visiting with neighbors, two of whom sounded interested in the garden, even maybe willing to be doing some weeding.

After lunch and a nap for one of us we headed downtown on our bikes to check out the Asian Fest. It was hot in the sun, but cool under the canopies. We tasted some spring rolls as well as Indian masala dosa which had a little hotness to the dips.

We also watched a Tae Kwan Do exhibition. It was a good time, but we were ready to go home and relax when it was over. First we made some soup that included dried beans which had cooked in the Crockpot. We cut up and added a variety of veggies. It was good with some cinnamon, ginger, Cuban oregano, and garlic chives.

Paula

Fireworks

Hello,

Leroy and I had an off and on discussion about whether to go to the downtown fireworks display or not. The pros for the debate were that it is close, it is more varied, and stronger showing that we have been seeing in the neighborhood for several nights. The cons were that we were becoming tired of fireworks, it was almost our bedtime when it was scheduled to start, and it would be after our bedtime when we got home. In one go round I would say let’s go and Leroy would vote for staying home. In the next pondering an hour later we would have switched sides. When it came to be 8:30 we decided to go. Our plan was to walk about a mile or a little more from our house without chairs, watch standing, and come home. We learned they were shooting them on the 1^st Ave. Bridge.

The scary part of this was walking with so many local amateurs thinking they were pyrotechnics. One never quite knew when something might come our way. We kept a careful eye ahead and around to the sides. It seemed safest to cut through the campus close to us. That was true as we saw no one there. It was noisy, however, as the bangs were echoing off of the buildings and bouncing around the square. The sound was magnified and we could not tell where it was originating.

When we got to the talked about viewing site, it seemed buildings were in the way even though we saw some people all set up in a parking lot, complete with glow sticks. We asked about the possibility of seeing. They had two reasons for being there, they had done it last year and could see all but the low ones, plus they had to work tomorrow and did not want to caught up in all the traffic on the way home. From there we headed down to 1^st Ave. and liked that much better. I spotted a parking ramp across the street with some people up there. We headed on over. It was a great place to see them as we could look right down the avenue to the source. It was great and much better than the neighbors had shown. We did get home late, but we were both happy that we had put the effort into going out for the great display. The bangs in the neighborhood did not slow down for some time anyway keeping us awake for a while so it was good to see the best in the area.

Paula

What does God ask of you?

Hello,

This morning I was watering some plants in the front of the house when a guy called across the street, “Ma’am!”

“Yes?” I responded.

“Can I use your bathroom?” he said as this tall husky guy lumbered closer to the edge of the pavement carrying a bag of cans that he had probably picked up to turn in for the refund.

I considered the request carefully. I often have to use the facilities

with a certain amount of urgency. So some sympathy there, however I felt a bit of fear of letting a complete stranger into my house. But I thought of the bible verse where Jesus says when you do it unto the least of one of these, you do it unto me. Is this Jesus?

All that took just a few seconds before I said, “There is a grocery store just four blocks away and they are open.”

“I can’t go there,” he said.

“I will ask my husband,” I informed him as multiple emotions raced through me.

When I got to our door I called to Leroy, “Leroy, there is a man outside who wants to use the bathroom,”

Leroy went out to talk with him. He also suggested the grocery store, to which the guy replied, “My mother died there and I can’t go there.”

“What about the gas station across the street,” Leroy then asked.

“I have been kicked out of there,” was the answer to that.

Leroy then said, “You may not use the bathroom.”

“Could you drive me to a place that is about a mile away?” this guy asked.

“I am not driving my car this morning,” Leroy replied and then walked away.

It is all well and good to talk about being good Christians, but what is required of you? It is one thing to give money impersonally, but quite another to be up close and connected in the same bubble of air with another human. That far off “them” becomes “you” with shape and form. It is easier to be Christian from afar.

Paula

Race Day

Hello,

Leroy and I helped with the 8 K holiday race as it came by in the next neighborhood over. We went to pour water or hand out water. We got there a bit ahead of the suggested time of 7:30 for this race started at 8:00. We filled a table with cups of water that we needed to have balanced on our hands. Actually when the race started there were plenty of people to hand out water so I mostly kept passing on cups to those hands. There was some need to keep filling, but not so much as the return trip needed more. This street has an island in the middle making it the perfect place for helpers to stand. It also kept runners coming and going without getting tangled up.

I do not know how many people participated, but it was a nice big number. I was especially pleased to see all of the kids involved. A number of adults ran while pushing kids in strollers. It makes me feel good to see activity highlighted as a family affair.

The person who invited us to help also goes to our church. I suspect she invited the church to help because most of the people there were members of our church. Some of them also live in the neighborhood or like us just across the way.

There was a pot luck breakfast afterwards. Leroy and I had eaten at our usual time so I did not bring anything to share. I feel a tiny bit guilty because we stayed anyway as there was indeed plenty of food.

I am glad to see many runners in our neighborhood almost on a daily basis. Yesterday I saw a man running who was barefoot. That surprised me, especially considering the uneven sidewalk or the possibility of glass on it.

When we got home a guy was in front of our house working on his bike because his chain broke. Leroy was able to share some tools with him as did our downstairs friend.

This afternoon we will work with another neighbor at the community garden as she has some time today. Leroy has taken a long nap to fortify himself for some good garden work.

It was just a neighborly kind of day.

Paula

Fitbit Mysteries

Hello,

Leroy uninstalled and reinstalled the Fitbit software on the computer. It was not recognizing the tracker. It did not work. I even had trouble recording the amount of exercise and water intake. I then did the uninstall and reinstall. It still seemed not to work, telling me that it could not find the tracker. I was instructed to insert the dongle in the computer since it does not have Bluetooth connection. Even though it was already inserted, I took it out and put it in the alternate spot. No positive response. I just despaired and did not want to have an email conversation with some support person who might know what was going on. It is almost as bad as using the phone for this introvert.

The day before yesterday, I was sitting at the computer and my steps were recorded with no help from me. Yesterday I tempted fate and the same thing happened. In the afternoon Leroy and I went for a walk so that I had 11,000 steps on the tracker. When I put the tracker close to the computer and walked off it eventually recorded my steps, but stopped at 9,000 something. In the process it changed the amount on my tracker so it agreed with the computer. I had learned, along with nine year old granddaughter, Sophia, that when I recorded a walk it added steps even though I had not taken those extra steps. I believe it based it on the length of the walk. I recorded my walk time. The computer now recorded 11,000 plus steps. I quickly shut the computer off before it could change its mind. The rest of my evening was peaceful and not agitated by some machine that seems to march to a different drummer.

Does this thing have a mind of its own or what? It tracks in mysterious ways.

Paula

Afternoon Off

Hello,

Leroy is taking the afternoon off. It had been over a week since he has had such. He is looking forward to the 4^th since there is no work on that day. He will work tomorrow because he needs to make some hospital calls as well as write a sermon. Instead of doing something relaxing now he is trying to put back together a multi-tool that he carried on his bike. It came apart. He believes this happened because of the vibrations of the ride. Because the fit is so precise, it is not an easy puzzle to get it to fit in the small space that is allowed. He just said, with exasperation, “Every time I touch something it just falls apart before I can get the screw in.”

It is hard to listen to the groaning, moaning, and deep sighs. I want to say, “Just go buy a new one.”

I did in fact buy him a new one, but he has decided that he will keep one at his desk at the museum because he sometimes needs tools there. I thought I should just look for a small bag for him to keep these in. I even helpfully suggested a cosmetic bag, but he did not stop or look up. My job is to dash over, try to put the screw in, without letting anything slip out of place while he has it all precariously balanced between his fingers. So far each time, one tool or three washers fall on the table. It is these very things that try my patience and make marriage a bit of work.

Just now we got the second screw in. Hopefully it will hold together long enough to make the short trip to the museum. I will have to say that Leroy is more persistent than I am.

This morning in church Leroy skipped a section of the liturgy. When I questioned him I learned that his book (Each pastor has a three ring binder with just that service so they do not have to flip pages in the larger book.) was missing a page. I am relieved to learn that Leroy can still find his way if he has the good road map.

Paula

Weeds

Hello,

Leroy was walking today so I went to the garden by myself this afternoon. I did not even post that I was going to be there. Often someone will come if I post it. I dressed to be in the sun, but was disappointed to see that the entire garden was in sun. I always like to look for that shady place. Instead I kept my back to the sun. I had on my hat that covers my neck as well as a long sleeved UV protection shirt. I had put sunscreen on my hands, but put gloves on at the garden. The only problem was that when I reached for weeds my wrists were exposed. The weeds pulled so nicely with the soil falling off as the roots exited the ground. So I stayed and filled two buckets before I quit. It was with great satisfaction that I looked up the row of Swiss and Rainbow chard when I was ready to go home. I could clearly see the result of my work. What satisfaction there is in that accomplishment!

I need to weed around the house, but I seem to go farther away all of the time. It is somewhat like being a tourist. Places farther away get visited first and home is missed. When we were in Slovakia a student asked what cities/towns in Slovakia we had visited. They were quite impressed as they had not been to most of them.

I also need to move some plants around, but do not like to do that in the heat. It had been wet, but now it is dry. At least I believe all of the small trees have been extracted. I do not like to have them develop root as it becomes a yearly task to cut them off.

I just read an article about how our convenience is making us unhealthy. Those who hunted and gathered to survive, continually worked their bodies in much different ways than we do. Hopefully my garden work is somewhere in the healthy territory besides just the food that is produced. At least I am not sitting all of that time. We need to be squatting, sitting on the floor, reaching high, and hanging from the trees to increase muscle and strength in all parts of our bodies.

Paula