Picking Apples

Hello,

Because she has apple trees too, I called the woman who let us pick the extra pears. Even though I had asked about picking apples, she came into the library on Saturday and brought me a bag claiming, “They were not very good and quite small. I have not done much with them this year.”

They were not grocery store perfect, but the one on our oatmeal tasted just fine. Organic is a good thing for us. I have made apple sauce from these apples in the past. Leroy and I talked about getting some more for apple sauce. Today I called again and we went. Even though Leroy did not feel so very good and peppy, he managed to hang in there and get all of the apples that he could reach with her apple picker. I picked the low ones that I could reach. We managed to harvest about two five gallon buckets worth. I am pleased. Leroy is pleased. I am not sure that I will get any sauce made before Wednesday when I have the day off, giving me time to work on them. Tomorrow I might go out to the garage and sort them into two piles: one that has worms and one that does not. I will tackle the worm pile first so I can get them out of here. Lurking worms do not appeal to us.

Both of us commented on how nice it was to be out in the country. We both spent formative years in that setting and miss it from time to time. Now if I could just figure out how to have everything in my life it would be to have the country and the city advantages in one place. At the moment, I do not think that is possible. I am certainly not a big city person. But I am not sure that I could now live out in the country either.

Glad that the apples give us an excuse to get out in that wonderful crisp clean air and spend time away from buildings and concrete.

Paula

Sidewalk Users

Hello,

On my walk to choir, I heard music coming closer. I turned around when I realized it was not coming from a car. Bikes often ride on the sidewalk instead of the busy street, but this was not a bike. I stepped out of the way to let a motorized wheelchair zoom on past with its smiling large male driver.

When I got to the stoplight he was still waiting to cross. I told him, “That is a nice chair, allowing you to get around well.”

“It will go 15,” he said.

I commented, “I heard the music, so I knew to look at what was coming.”

He replied, “I do not have a horn.”

“You could have run me over,” I laughed.

“Oh I would not do that,” he replied. “I watch carefully. I have almost been hit a couple of times.”

The light changed, we crossed together, and he went off his way as I followed my path.

What a good thing that most of the curbs have been made accessible to people with various disabilities. How did people manage when I was growing up as high curbs were in almost all places? I guess it was just too bad if you could not get around. I am sure many stayed at home or at least needed a helper to get from one height to another.

Paula

Health and Garden

Hello,

My blood pressure was good today. I am always happy when it is in the normal ranges. It seems the more I fuss about it in my head the more it spikes. I did meditate this morning and perhaps that helped to calm me down. I thought I might have gained a little weight because I have switched from skim milk to 2%. I read that it is good to have some fat with the milk to help one use it somehow. I did not take off my shoes or even that lightweight jacket that I had on. My weight was still a bit lower than I thought it should be. Could it be because of all the veggies that I am eating?

This afternoon I went to the community garden. I believe that someone else is using it regularly as a zucchini that I thought I should pick was gone as were several egg plants. There were almost no tomatoes on the vine so I suspect someone harvested those as well. I was glad to see that. It is a nice walk to get there and back. I did harvest some oriental greens and some arugula that will be the basis for my salad lunch which I will take to work tomorrow and another one on Saturday.

Whoever is using the garden does not take those green things or the kale that is quite vigorously growing. Someone has almost denuded the collards this year. Last year I begged people to take them. Last year kale struggled to live because it was harvested so vigorously. We must have some newcomers in the neighborhood. Unfortunately the green beans did not grow very well. When I go I pick about two and just eat them with relish, enjoying their fresh from the vine flavor. It can be a little tricky to figure out what other people will like.

Paula

Stories for Grandchildren

Hello,

I have been writing down some of the stories that I tell my grandchildren. I like to write, but I find it easier to tell these stories than to write them. Perhaps, because the writing that I normally do, is for adults rather than children it does not flow easily when I am writing for a younger audience. When I am with the children stories seem to slip easily out of my mouth. It has been a tradition for me to tell stories for years and the kids often ask for them. I write a story for their birthday. Just this last year or two, I have included my sister’s three youngest grandchildren so that means I must write nine tales per year. I am finding that to be a bit of a chore. The stories have been kept on a flash drive so I am not repeating myself. I am starting to wonder just how many stories there are in my head. My brother does not seem them so he cannot correct my telling. I get to be the authority.

I used to finish these stories in plenty of time to mail them to the birthday child, but lately I am struggling to get them done in a decent amount of time. I now trust the US mail to get them there in one or two days. I know that kids enjoy hearing the stories, but I am not sure that they like the written versions as I do not hear much about them.

From reading my stories, my niece was surprised to learn that Carolyn and I shared a bedroom as her mom, my sister, always referred to that bedroom as “her” room. We shared all of my life until she went off to college. Since she did not go right after graduation and I am three years younger, I would imagine that I was 16 years old. Perhaps because Carolyn was older, she certainly controlled how we managed that room so it felt like her room to her.

Paula

Clothing Choices

Hello,

It is a trick to dress correctly for the weather inside and out especially when one walks to ones destination. Today it was quite cool when I left the house for church so I had to wear something that would keep me warm. At church, however I was too hot. Luckily I had put on some layers that I could take off.

In the summer heat, we dress lightly to keep cool on our walks to and from church, however in church the AC is set much colder than I like or find comfortable. Hence I almost always bring a wool scarf that gives me a bit of instant warmth. Leroy almost never wears a short sleeved shirt to church. I think he has some very nice short sleeved shirts, but they mostly hang out in his closet as his work places are also too cold for comfort. He tells me that at the museum library he often wears a sweater that he keeps there just for that purpose.

Seems to me there is something wrong with this picture. I believe that I adjusted more easily to the heat when I did not live in a place that used air conditioning. Now we get used to the inside cold and cannot tolerate the outside warm. Who likes and wants these low temperatures on the inside of buildings? I do meet a few of them as they complain about the outside heat and think it is wonderful inside. Apparently people can have a best temperature that is five degrees different from person to person. I want to know how the cold preferring people have won the AC war. Perhaps we could split the difference and set it somewhere between what I prefer and what others prefer.

Paula

Harp Concert

Hello,

Someone offered/gave tickets to a harp concert that they were unable to attend. It was last night, but Leroy was not feeling well. The second person I asked was able to come. Because it was at the nearby college, I walked and she met me there. She is well into her eighties and on the way out of the building she commented that she was a bit unsteady on her feet. I stayed close as she navigated the steps out of the building and walked her to her car. There is a lot of light, but it is still not like sunlight. She insisted that she could give me a ride home. Even though I like to walk I could not come up with a convincing enough reason to just walk home. I got the impression that she enjoyed the time visiting. She lives alone, but goes out frequently, maybe even especially at night since she often goes to many of the musical offerings in Cedar Rapids. I hope I am as gutsy as she is when I get about 16 more years down the road. I do like living in a small city as I believe it is more comfortable to get around and not so dangerous for older drivers with not so much other traffic to contend with.

The harp was played by a young woman in her late twenties who had study classical harp and played with symphonies in England. She now has an electric harp which has a mike on each of the 47 strings as well as two on the sounding board. She brought a speaker and a looper (whatever that is). The sounds were like nothing I would have expected a harp to produce. It was quite amazing. She stopped between each piece and explained what she was doing with some of her equipment. Many of the students were in the audience. They were quite enthusiastic. She now lives in the USA and works in the film industry. Some of the sounds were quite other worldly or maybe like the ocean. The looper allowed her to record some of her sounds and use them as the percussion for her piece. I am glad that I went and was exposed to this totally new, for me, way of approaching the harp.

She had a Q&A session afterward. I learned that her harp was made in France and costs about what a car costs.

Paula

butterflies

Hello,

There was a talk about monarchs at the library. Someone brought in and left a mesh container with milkweed stems hosting some monarch eggs. They have hatched with four chrysalis and more to come.

One day my coworker commented on the caterpillar hanging from the top of the mesh in a j shape. This container is sitting on the ledge above the computer that I use when sitting at the front desk. About five minutes later she came out, jumped around, and shrieked, “Oh look! Look!”

We were able to witness the final steps to making its chrysalis. We were both quite excited.

One day when I came in I noticed that the leaves on one milkweed had shriveled up and some on the second stem did not look very good. I called the person who had brought them. She came almost immediately on a house call to fix the situation with more clean water vases and new stems. She got it set up and then carefully coaxed the munching caterpillars to the new nourishing leaves.

Yesterday early in the morning someone noticed that one chrysalis was darker and that you could see the orange and black of the wings through it. Perhaps an hour later someone spotted the butterfly lying on the floor of the container. Occasionally it would flail its legs to no avail. My coworker tried to get it to hang on a stick as she has them at home and that is how they are at first they hang from something before they can fly. I have to confess that it was afternoon before I called the butterfly doctor. Again she rushed right over. She also tried to get this stress creature to hang from the ceiling of the cage to no avail. After giving the caterpillars new leaves, she put the new monarch in a bug box to take it home and continue to doctor it hoping it might make it. I am sorry that I did not call sooner. I had no idea that so much human intervention was possible in this process.

I have learned a lot about monarchs.

Paula

Clothes Out and In

Hello,

The weather report that I looked at predicted 100% chance of rain at 12:00 and again at 1:00. In confidence, I hung out two loads of clothes and headed off to do a little shopping with three “quick” stops. I am not much of a shopper so I generally spend little time looking at other things that are not on my list. As I was heading up a hill the fuel light came on telling me that I should resupply. There were three gas stations on my way so that is not a problem. However by the time I was filling the tank I looked off in the distance and noticed ominous black clouds heading this way. Before I pulled in the garage it was quite serious about a storm even though it was only 11:00. I picked up my purse and one bag, shut the garage door, and raced to the back porch where I met my wonderful friend who commented about the clothes on the line and the storm coming. He offered to help. We then raced to the line where we frantically put clothes in the two baskets that I had downstairs. We had quite a focused time racing against the rain and wind. As Clark said, “It is a bit exciting and fun to try to beat the rain.”

I suspect the ozone in the air contributed to that feeling. Our challenger was relentless and we finished just in time as drops started to fall.

I still had bags in the car including some with milk and yogurt. Donning my raincoat, I braved the pelting rain. My legs got a bit wet, but the raincoat did its job very well.

It was not quite so exciting to hang up the damp to almost wet clothes, but I am grateful for the racks that I have which help with that task. Great to have such a helpful friend!

I wonder why I expected the weather prediction to be so

precise.

Paula

Curley Hair and Peaches

Hello,

I got a hair cut shortly before going to UT. Partly it was because my hair was getting long and partly because my hair does not curl so much in UT. After being in the dryer air, I wished I had had the stylist cut off some more hair. I have to confess that I like my hair better in the Midwest summer where it is curled by the humidity. It certainly makes it stay in place. Now that I am back in the Midwest my hair looks shorter because it is curled up much tighter.

Leroy and I ate some peaches every day that we were in UT. Mostly we had them on our morning oatmeal. It was great to have them fresh and good right off the tree in the back yard. Some were not so ripe when they fell off the tree, but we ate them anyway. Sometimes we also had peaches combined with granola and plain yogurt which is a favorite snack or dessert. We ate so much granola, as did some of Miriam’s family; I even made granola twice in the week we were there.

Several people have asked what we made with peaches. I believe they were a little surprised that we just ate them fresh and never even talked about making anything that would require work or sugar. Just give me fruit that has enough natural sugar and I am happy.

Today I made granola at home. Seems it just doesn’t stop. The granola recipe that I use, I learned when Leroy was going to seminary back in the 70’s. Talk about ancient history.

The granola recipe requires a cup of honey.  However, there are eleven cups of dry ingredients so I think the honey is spread out quite a bit. Especially when I have seen cookie recipes in which the amount of sugar and flour are equal the granola seems not at all sweet.

Paula

Real Life

Hello,

The day after we came home from our trip we settled into life as usual. Leroy went to work. I looked for my Fitbit charger. I had thought I took it to UT with me, but could not find it in my backpack. When I looked at home I was unable to find it. Consequently I took everything out of that backpack including the things I seldom move such as tissues and a small note pad. The charger came out from the depths of a pocket. Grateful! I then plugged it in to the USB port of the laptop, left it for several hours only to find that it had not charged one bit. I looked in the charger only to find lint and whatever. A small brush helped to clean out the small space. Now the lights came on when I plugged it in. Grateful!

Driving to the grocery store I made a left turn only to see an older man almost in my path. I missed him by a few feet. Grateful for the miss! I trembled around the grocery store. Would one of those cars with all the safety features have helped?

In the afternoon, which was planned for household chores I got a call from my coworker, “Did you remember that you are scheduled to work today?”

Oops!I raced around getting changed, writing a note to Leroy, driving carefully, arriving two hours late, and gathering my emotions to focus on work. Am I getting old and forgetful or what? Course I do not generally work on a Wednesday so that is somewhat understandable. This makes me think I should get my calendar going on the phone and put in unexpected work times along with other items so I would get reminders. I had checked the paper calendar to see that I was working on Saturday. However I work on Saturday from time to time so that is not unusual. With children in school, the library is not so very busy during the day consequently my coworker could easily handle the business. Grateful!

Paula

Nothing Special

Hello,

Leroy and I have felt busy almost all of the time, but we have done nothing special although a lot of steps have been recorded. some of the time has been spent playing games, taking children to school and walking in the morning with Nora. Last night we "played" soccer in the back yard. I did more running than I thought I might. it was great although it made it more difficult for me to fall asleep. Leroy is not bothered by anything like that so he was out almost instantly.

We picked up the neighbor girls at their school as no one else was free at that time. Leroy drove their new car and the google lady and I navigated. We two females worked quite well. Leroy had trouble hearing either of us. I turned up the volume on my phone, turned off the car radio, and turned up the temperature since I could not figure out how to turn down the fan before Leroy could hear that calm voice telling him when to turn. I merely turned my head toward him and started speaking clearly in full sentences so he could figure out what I meant.

We really had no trouble finding the school. We were a bit early so turned off the car to wait in line. When it was time to move on the car did not start as Leroy went through the steps. on the second try it worked. I was happy to spot these two girls almost immediately. I had seen them briefly the night before which helped as growth changes appearance. After they got in the car there was again difficulty getting the vehicle to start. It is one of the push button type and I wonder if Leroy did not push the button firmly enough.

Always there is new learning just to make life interesting.

Paula

Picking Peaches

Picking Peaches
September 5, 2018

Hello,

We arrived at about midnight which is very late for us since we changed our watches in Denver. Andy was there to greet us. It is so nice to get a ride, especially at that hour since most public transportation is not running. It was good to slip into bed almost immediately upon getting to the house. However sleep did not come immediately. We woke at six their time, a bit groggy, but awake. My Fitbit says that I slept four hours and 53 minutes. I knew it was a short time. As usual Nora was quite eager to take a walk with us in the early morning coolness.

On the way back in the house, Leroy went to the peach tree and found a couple that had fallen. We had them on our oatmeal. I went out later, touched a good looking big peach, it came off in my hand. We ate that one for lunch. It was the best, sweet and juicy. I have told people that we were going to Utah to pick peaches and it was a good choice.

We have gone with each girl as she was delivered to school, did a little weeding, went to the library, worked on why Leroy's phone battery runs down so quickly, trimmed a fern, went to a store, and picked some more peaches. Leroy did take some time for a nap. He is also starting to read his library book. He brought back two and he will probably finish both of them.

Some of the peaches have unnecessary visitors so we are treating them to a white vinegar and water bath. Hopefully that will solve that problem. It seems there is something to look forward to all of the time.

I did find many clothes here, but most of them are for the winter. However, I have enough to manage.

Paula

Waiting to Travel

Hello,

Waiting to travel is not part of my style. Usually we have to wake at some early hour, rush around, and get on the road. Today we are not leaving until in the evening. I have the entire day to figure out what to do.

Although one back pack does not hold much it is a quandary as to what should go in there. There are always more things that I would like to take. Two pair of sandals will fit so they are going in along with a change of shirt and one pair of shorts. I am also taking my pjs. Leroy who packed last night has no other shoes, but the ones he will be wearing. He has left at least one pair at Miriam’s. His bag is full, but I am not sure with what. Both of us packed some spare underwear. It is nice to know that there are enough people at Miriam’s house that filling a load of clothes is quite easy. Can you believe that Leroy and I would go for a weekend with just what we could carry on our backs? There would be no laundry facilities available so we just kept it simple.

Where do we get the idea that we need so much stuff and so much space in our lives? There is something seductive about it. This makes me realize that we should look at what we have accumulated in the last six years and consider what can be eliminated. Our church is having a coat drive. We did contribute to the last coat drive, but I can think of one coat that I seldom wear. Should I get out all my coats and consider the use of each? There are certainly favorites for a couple different temperatures. Now if the weather could just hold steady we could get rid of a coat for sure.

Paula

Passwords

Hello,

I am gathering a few passwords or rather tips to remember them so I can use them if I need to when I am in SLC. Because of taking only a backpack, I am not taking my tablet even though it is slim, it still would take room and weight. A few magazines and puzzles which are going to be packed are important to keep us entertained. I suppose I could also download some book or other on my phone, but it does not excite me to think of reading a book on that small screen. Instead we will use the neighborhood library. After being at their home that is our first stop. Yeah for libraries all over!

This morning my Fitbit had two lights flashing alternatively. The home website did not seem to have a help area so a general search was next. The proffered solution seemed possible, but I was unable to make it work. Another easier suggestion worked its magic and all is as it should be. How often do we go for the difficult challenging solutions and find that simple is best?

Two nonfiction books are currently interesting to me. One is by Dr. Lucy Jones, with the title, Big Ones: how natural disasters have shaped us (and what we can do about them). The other is by Austin Channing Brown with the title I’m still here: black dignity in a world made for whiteness. Both of them are comfortable for a layperson to read, however I have to spend more time thinking about the ideas presented so it does not go as fast as fiction. I did just finish, by Robert Galbraith (J.K. Rowling) the cuckoo’s calling which was a good mystery. I will try to remember to read the other two in this series. I cannot imagine a world without books. How would I learn so many new things? My world is not large enough to expose me to so many different ideas.

Paula

Pears Done

Hello,

Even though I try not to work extra on Sunday, I asked Leroy if he would be willing to help for about half an hour. He agreed and we got the job done even though he did not do everything just as I would like it done. There were only four jars of pears left to do consequently it did not take so very long. Most of them were quite ripe, but they probably would have been ok for one more day. I am pleased that all of the jars sealed. I feel myself relax when I hear that little pop as the lid settles into place.

That means I have the entire day tomorrow and I suppose Tuesday  to figure out how to fill it by myself as Leroy will be working. How many walks can I take or perhaps I should go for a good bike ride. Leroy rode early this morning before it was light. I will not go so early.

He did see many small animals as well as thirteen deer. I would have liked to have been there, but I felt I needed to stay at home and make breakfast as well as get ready to walk to church.

I have been looking for my list of the clothes that I have stored at Miriam’s but could not find it. I found Leroy’s list on paper. I suspect mine was on the computer, but we now have a new computer. Even though we saved the documents to a flash drive, I did could not locate it. Perhaps now that I have a smart phone, I will take pictures or make a list on the phone. But there is no guarantee that I would still look in the proper place. I just hope Miriam is prepared to loan clothes. I am going to concentrate on packing toothbrush, underwear, and shoes/sandals. I will probably wear sneakers and pack sandals as they take less room. I also read somewhere that in case of a plane accident it is good to have your feet protected in good shoes.

Paula

Leroy's Schedule

Hello,

Leroy has booked himself quite a schedule.  His boss at the museum is on vacation so he is working there today and then again on the Monday holiday. He is going to church tonight because neither of the other pastors is available. He is taking most of the day off Sunday, but will be there for his grief group Sunday evening. He will also work a good bit of the day Tuesday because we do not leave for Salt Lake until late in the day. We will arrive there at midnight their time which is one a.m. for our body time. I just hope we are awake enough to get off the plane. We are not late night people.

I have done another batch of pears that made six jars. Part of me would like to ask Leroy for just one half hour on Sunday afternoon because I would like the company especially since I selected most of the larger pears to work on first. My guess is that with his help cutting up the pears we could be done in 30 minutes since it takes me an hour when I do it by myself. This will be the last bit of pears to do. A part of me feels guilty even thinking of such a thing since Leroy has not had a full day off in at least two weeks. How he has gotten so booked I am not sure, but LeroyI guess he is just talented.

The only thing about doing all of this canning is that I do not get so many steps covered. I will have to take a walk to add to my total. I do stand while I cut up the pears and get them ready. I remember my mother sitting for many of those tasks. I am not sure why, but I generally like to stand while I cut things.

Just a shot note on the Salt Lake trip. We are each only taking one bag that we can stick under the seats because we do not want to pay for luggage. Do you think we can have ourselves adequately covered? We do have some things stored at Miriam’s, but I remember many of them being for winter rather than the 80 degrees we are expecting. I can always borrow from Miriam, but Leroy might have to go to the second hand store as he and Andy are not quite the same size.

Paula