Tired Leroy

Hello,
Leroy went to the airport with Brian and Jen. He then drove home by himself. He had looked at the map ahead of time so he had an idea of what he wanted to do. He could not hear his phone directions at first so he was glad of that look and his good memory. Before he got home Brian called to check about something and asked, "Is dad home yet?"
Until that point I had not been worried, but from then until he drove into the drive I was doing some serious thinking about where he might be. He took a different route home than they took to get to the airport, consequently he had a lot more traffic to contend with. Much of the time that meant he was slower. He did say that he was happy to get home. It is nice to have that navigator person in the car. We help each other when driving in slightly unfamiliar territory.
We went to my favorite shoe store where I spent more money on one pair of shoes that I have ever done. This morning I took them back because after spending two hours walking around in the house my toes were not happy. I decided why have unhappy toes for over $100 when if necessary I can have unhappy toes for less than $100.
Lest night or evening Leroy was a bit short with the kids. I expect that tiredness was the problem. Today he is taking a nap. Hopefully that will help to keep him calm. Being in another place even if we are familiar with it, is tiring. Not the same bed or the same utinsels for many things.
I encouraged Leroy to walk the dog this morning instead of me. I hope that helped when he connected with nature in the park even though he did not hear the owl.
Paula

At Brian's House

Hello,
We are at Brian's home doing babysitting duty while they take a long weekend out of town. On the rather uneventful drive here we were privileged to see an eagle fly up out of the road ditch. The word pad on my tablet does not do a good job of spell check. So I am asking you to be kind in your thoughts and give me a break because I am without my spell check crutch.
Once we were close to their home when we do know the way, Leroy decided to take an early exit, thinking it was the way to go. I who almost never swear said, "I don't know where the hell we are." How did that happen? Are those words floating around my head from my childhood? My father used such frequently. Unlike today's favorites, his favorites were hell and damn.
I was going to get the phone directions going, but decided the paper map would be quicker. In a panic, because one must keep moving and one must not get lost, lessons learned from my childhood, I opened the MN map which did not have small streets or roads for the city. When we came to a T in the road, Leory was sure we needed to go right and I really wanted to go left, but he had the wheel so I acquissed to Leroy's control. Eventually, really in a short time, we got to some streets with names we recognized. It did not take long to get to the house. We were both grateful for the quick recovery. As it turned out, from looking at the city map, either right or left would have worked at the point of turning decision.
Paula

Beauty in My Life

Hello,

The violets are blooming. Every time I walk in the office I am pleased just to look at them. I have three plants. Two are blooming beautifully and the third is starting by sending up a bud shoot. I do not need three. If I knew of someone who wanted one, I would give one to them as the original plant was given to me. Sharing is a good thing.

The pink Christmas cactus is becoming loaded with buds. Even though they are still quite small I am anticipating the result in a month or so. This plant was also a shared gift.

Even the plants that remain green all of the time are a treat for my eyes. There is something about the life in it that sooths. Also the plants are so little bother, they never bite or bark.

We are weeding books at the library partly because they have been sitting on the shelf for a long time without being checked out and partly because our space is limited so we are making room for the new.

There were several SC-FI books that I had neglected to bring home to Leroy. He now has books waiting for him to read. He is a happy man. His beauty comes in different ways. His eyes lit up in anticipation of delights to come when he saw what I brought home.

Paula

Here is a link so you can see the plants

https://photos.app.goo.gl/rAewpZYMCuFRhjMKA

Nice Sunday

Hello,

It was cool when we walked to church this morning. We were grateful that there was no wind. As it was my checks felt quite happy to go inside. The trick, as always, is to dress warm enough to walk in the cold, but with enough layers off to be comfortable inside.

Coming home it was much warmer, but there was more wind so not quite as comfortable as we had hoped. In the afternoon when we went to a faculty concert at the local collage the temperature was quite fine. It was so nice when we got home and I only needed 700 more steps that I proceeded to walk around the block and pick up trash. It has been quite a while since I have been picking up, but there was not much to find. The strong winds yesterday might have blown much of it away or the leaves were hiding all sorts of things that I did not see. Some leaves did not come down in the wind yesterday, but succumbed to the frost. One tree across the street lost many leaves very recently and they were quite a dark green. I did not know such a thing would happen.

Leroy and I played boggle this afternoon and he beat me on the first game. The score was eight to one. I was amazed. Leroy had all but one word that I had found. Obviously he found more to make that winning score.

Paula

Windy Day

Hello,

Leroy had a list of chores that he made up all by himself. I did not add to it. The first was removing and replacing the broken slat on the blinds in the living room. The rethreading task is best for two people. We must be gaining skill as it only took us a bit more than half an hour to get the job done. One of the others needs help, but neither of us felt that today was the day to work on it. We could see the wind outside, but it did not bother us.

He cleaned up some of the stove grating and that was a nice fix. We also went to the garden to pull up some of the plants that did not survive the frost. When the compost bin, which the city picks up, was full we pulled it back home. The wind was quite noticeable in the garden. Luckily we did not have to chase many things. Leroy’s hands got quite cold as his gloves were summer garden gloves.

The house next door is getting some new roof shingles. I do wonder what the wind feels like up there. The house is quite tall. All three workers have on a safety belt. Wow, I just saw one of them slip. That rope was a life save, helping him stop before he went over the edge.

Leroy is picking up some walnuts for the winter. The nuts from our tree taste quite fine. I wish they were not so work intensive to get out of the shell. The squirrels have eaten or buried piles of them. In a few days there will not be so many to be found.

Our wind monitor is somewhat sheltered, but today it frequently recorded speeds of 16 mph even though the official report is for speeds up to 25 mph.

The sun is bright today and the leaves are beautiful, but many are falling. I do like fall. In order to get enough steps, I will go out for a brisk walk.

Paula

Clothes Drying

Hello,

I was happy to wash rags this morning. With the sun already shining it predicted a drying day. I like to use rags instead of paper towels. I have a rag bag in which I put the dirty rags while we all wait for a bigger load of laundry so I can do them all at once. With Leroy’s nose bleeding on the floor our usage increased. With the help of rags, the floor now looks good, no stains. Today was the day when the bag was full and overflowing. Some of the rags are old towels. I figured my hands would not become too cold hanging them up. The smaller things seemed like they would go on the racks in the house when my fingers protested too much. Somehow I just kept going and hung them all outside.

I also did a load of two of my jackets. Those jackets were an addition to a load of two bolsters that I got at a second hand store. Leroy and I use “knee pillows” for sleeping. Ours are quite tired and needed to be retired. These new pillows were a good deal and seemed clean, but I am more comfortable after washing them. Because I got my haircut today, one of the jackets needed washing. I am always a bit concerned about hair falling on my collars. Now I am more comfortable with that. The jacket wrists also look much brighter.

The Women in the Castle by Jessica Shattuck is the book I just finished. It was thought provoking about Germany after and some during WWII. The straight path is not always easy to find. It sounds good to try to do the right thing, but even knowing or discerning can be difficult. There are many forces pulling a response from a person.

Paula

That Leroy

Hello,

Leroy found out this morning that his appointment on Thursday is to see the Dr. rather than get a colonoscopy. Both of us are sure that we heard one of the people talking about this appointment in the hospital say that it was for a colonoscopy. Leroy moved some of his responsibilities to accommodate the preparation process. It is nice not to have to do that but he is not going to change things back. I will work the full day Thursday and not come home to take Leroy to his phantom procedure.

It is probably good to have a visit with this Dr. and get his take on the colon inflammation that was spotted in the scan.

Leroy looks and acts so good that it is hard to believe that this happened just a few days ago. He has not even gotten black eyes. Many people wonder if his nose is really broken because it looks fairly normal. They told us it was broken and it is still quite sore and tender, other than that we do not know the inside story.

My violets, that I had thought were never going to bloom again, are blooming. Two are in full deep purple color and the third is sending up a bud stem. I feel blessed to see this beauty. When I have more time I will post some pictures.

Paula

Cool Morning

Hello,

It was cool this morning, but Leroy still rode his bike the three miles to work. First he checked to make sure that his helmet did not put pressure on his glasses which might hurt his nose. All was good so he went on with his riding plan.

Because it was so cool out, I finally unscrewed our hoses and pulled them over the porch railing to force the water out. It was still dripping when finished so I left it hanging there. Maybe Leroy can help curl it up and put it away.

I also took three tomato cages out of the front garden and pulled the unproductive tomato plants. I am not sure why, but the front gardens were vigorous producers of beautiful marigolds and not many veggies this year. We were both quite disappointed. The brussel sprouts are still out there. They do not mind the cold, but growth might not happen much. It seems that pea size is their goal. We are sad. I bought some and they were wonderful size with good flavor.

Leroy is even planning to go the community garden tonight, if he feels peppy enough. He was talking about gathering the green tomatoes that are left on the vine.

Paula

Walking Day

Hello,

Leroy walked to church this morning. We got there in plenty of time so the pace was good. After church, he decided he was tired and would not stay for Sunday school even though the topic was very interesting to him. He dragged a little on the way home, but just kept moving.

He rested some before we drove to the start of the CROP walk. It was a cool day, but little wind so quite pleasant. Leroy was the “official” photographer as he had brought a camera. Before the walk he was busy taking pictures of all the different groups that were represented. Therefore he started walking at about the end of the group. I barely stayed with him as he set off at a fast pace. We passed others. Finally we visited a little with a couple that we know. It was not long before the two guys were 200 paces ahead of us women. That seemed to be a good set. They waited for us at the turn around place, we started back in a group of four, but it was not long before those two men were marching out of our range.

I really do enjoy being in a place where I know people and enjoy visiting with them. I am so much more comfortable. We were fortunate that the rain did not start to come until we were almost done with the walk and then it was really just a light mist. I passed 10,000 steps before we finished. So Leroy got in a lot of stepping as well.

After we got home we had popcorn and fruit smoothies while we played kings in the corner. It is a nice little card came. Leroy beat me three out of three games. I did not like that very well. Next time we will have to play boggle so I can beat him.

As you must know by now Leroy is feeling quite fine.

Paula

Leroy is home

Hello,

Today, I got to the hospital at about one o’clock. When the nurse saw me going in his room, she asked, “Are you his ride home?”

With my yes, she proceeded to say, “He will be ready on about an hour.”

I was pleased with the timing.

On the way home from the hospital we stopped at the church so Leroy could bring that laptop home. He needs to prepare a sermon for a funeral tomorrow. He had started that sermon, but not done much work on it.

At home, he fussed around with this and that before he announced that he was tired. So he took a nap followed by a snack. His watch battery had stopped. It took both of us, serious persistence, and luck to get it changed and working once more. Neither of us had seen such a complicated watch insides that needed to be removed and set aside just to get the battery out. As you might imagine getting it back together was another trick. It works but the display is a bit askew.

Leroy will have a colonoscopy next week as well as a visit with his primary doctor.

We have talked about all of the things that were lucky about this episode. I was home to help him. The hospital is only about two miles away. He did not break many bones. He was not wearing his glasses. He did not hit anything on the way down, but the floor. He was not hitting cement. We have insurance. The view from Leroy’s eighth floor window was spectacular. He said the sun rise this morning was especially nice. He liked the food. He tolerated well being woken during the night to have blood readings and maybe something else assessed. We are fortunate.

Some negatives are. His glasses hurt on his face/nose. He had to pull off many sticky testing circles that grabbed on to much of his hair as they came off. The hospital staff had him do most it because they knew it would hurt. Where the needle was in his arm had to be done by a staff person. Leroy lived through it.

Paula

Leroy's Condition

Hello,

Last night Leroy did not go to choir because he was tired and he had lots of stomach pain. In the night he got up to go the bathroom. He reported later that while there he felt dizzy and lay on the floor for a while. He then got up and walked down the hall to the bedroom. I heard a loud bang, called, “Leroy”, and he did not answer. I hopped out of bed and called again, asking, “Where are you?”

Leroy muttered, “Here.”

I followed the sound and found him lying on the floor in the hall face down. He then told me, “My nose is bleeding.”

I scurried around getting a hankie and then an entire box of tissues. He sat up and got into a chair while we discussed should he go to the hospital. In the end we decided to have him checked.

At the hospital we were fortunate that they were not busy and took care of him right away. The check in woman asked, “Do you want a wheelchair?”

“No,” said Leroy.

A little later I thought he looked quite tired so I pulled a chair over behind him and he sat. When the check in woman was finished, she announced, “I am getting a wheelchair.” Leroy docilely sat in it.

They did an abdominal scan for the severe pain he had been experiencing as well as a scan of his head. There is inflammation in the abdomen. He also has a broken nose. Then the carotid artery was checked because the broken bones were quite close to it and they wanted to make sure there was no bleeding inside. All was good there.

Wouldn’t you know, he has had no abdominal pain since he has been in the hospital? This happened about 12:30 last night. I stayed until about 4:15 and have returned two times since then taking books, his phone charging cord, his tablet, and great conversation.

He looks and feels quite fine now and we were both hoping that he could come home tonight but he will spend the night.

Paula

Getting Lost

Hello,

With the time and address of the invitation to lunch in hand, it was an easy job to put the info in the GPS. My phone seemed like a possibility, but I have not driven with the phone giving directions. Before leaving the house I also checked on Google maps so it seemed that all of the bases were covered.

All went well until I got into the neighborhood with hills and tangled streets. The names are even confusing with trail, court, or drive attached to several of the same words. At this point my GPS lady informed me that there was no satellite service there. Now you must know that last year it all worked just fine.

I started up one street but it did not feel right, turned around and tried another that said it was a dead end. I did not remember any dead ends last year. I wondered if I were in the wrong area, drove out to a more main street, looked for a place to pull off and try my phone instead. At least I had the address and phone number with me. I have only used my phone for directions once; usually I know where I am. I do not know if I pressed a wrong button, but it would not work.

I tried calling the person I was going to see, but she did not answer. I tried several times. Then I called Leroy, but he did not answer.

Weeping seemed like a good release of tension, but I held it in and wondered about going home. I headed off that direction, but it seemed they (others were there too) would wonder what had happened. I tried calling again, no answer. The GPS still did not work. I called Leroy and he answered. “I do not know where I am,” I wailed, “would you call my friend and tell her I do not know where I am and I am going home. I will wait to hear from you.”

I then tried the phone map once more and it worked immediately. With the phone lady giving me instructions I headed off to my original destination. Perhaps two minutes later the GPS lady was back with me. So between the two of them I was good. Then Leroy called back asking where I was. I told him since those two friendly ladies had just informed me. He then told me where to turn next because he was on the computer using Google maps. I made it to my lunch about fifteen minutes late with two ladies and Leroy telling me where to go. This time no one faded away until I was at the door.

Paula

Leroy’s Phone Solved

Hello,

I still had a spare older IPhone like mine that my friend had given me. The plan was that I would find someone to give it to or give it to the women’s shelter. Well I had been unsuccessful at finding someone to give it to and had not taken the time to get to the shelter. Most of the time, I did not think about it.

This morning we woke up the Utah Hermanson household at 7:00. Who sleeps at that hour? They do. But they did not sound upset when they answered the phone. Leroy wanted to know about using that older phone, if he could just move the sim chip since the people at the phone repair place told him the chip was still good in his burned up phone. Leroy has his phone with Miriam’s service, which is why we were talking to them, because if that would not work we wanted to know what might work. Andy said, “Yes, just move the chip and all should be good.”

Leroy got right to work, learning that all did indeed work, but he did not have his contacts. I called him so he could put in my phone number. Then we called the Utah people again to let them know that all was working. Andy told Leroy he should log in to the apple cloud because all of his contacts were there.

I do not know all that happened, but I heard a lot of grumbling and groaning. Leroy was for some reason unable to get into that account. He finally put that aside.

We worked on repairing one of the blinds in the house. This was a tedious and time eating task, but we got it done. Leroy’s mood did not improve doing this although he was happy to finish the job.

Late afternoon he tried one more time with contacting the cloud and he was able to acquire all of his contacts. He is so relieved and happy. However, we canned a load of small, mostly wormy apples. That did not improve his mood either because it was quite hard to get rid of all the bad and be left with enough good to make a full load, but we did it. Seven jars are done.

Paula

Leroy’s Phone

Hello,

Last night Leroy came home with a little tale of woe. He was charging the phone battery in the car by using an adapter that goes in the cigarette lighter, when he heard a pop, saw and smelled smoke, and realized that his phone was in trouble. When he disconnected it he got no response from his now black screen phone. Also the cord that he had used to make this connection was bent and twisted from this surge that went through it.

He had purchased this refurbished phone in January, bought a new battery in September, and gradually gotten dependant on it for his GPS as well as his calendar.

After he got done mourning the loss of this item he considered the next move. He did learn that one of the local stores was a place to take your IPhones for service. He will do that today.

From their diagnosis he will make his next moves. I did want to call him today and realized I could not do that. How did we manage before the advent of these movable devices that have almost become a body part?

Leroy just came home with the knowledge that the phone is dead. Not surprising but sad none-the-less. Now he must ponder what path to take.

Paula

Hot Wind

Hello,

The hot wind was perfect for drying my quilt as well as a light weight blanket. I aired out the comforter in preparation to putting it on the bed. It was nice to finish those tasks on a non rainy day. Lately rain seems to be in the forecast every day. Not that I am complaining, but it was almost too hot, certainly too hot for the time of year.

I also have now cleaned up all of my house plants and brought them inside. Perhaps I will have Leroy take two of them to his office at church even though he is a bit of a plant neglecter from time to time. I soaked the plants in a bucket with soap and water. I did not go get the brand recommended, but this was supposed to be good for everyone including young children. Seems to me the plants should be able to handle that as well. At least the plant that I soaked two days ago is still alive and I consider that a good sign.

I am so happy because two of the violets are blooming. I had almost despaired that it would ever happen. They are that beautiful purple flower that was on them when they came to my house. I did transplant them from one pot to three. I am hoping the third will also bloom.

Today I got my flu shot with hopes that it protects me from any communicable diseases. Great that the insurance will pay for it, making it a little less painful. I have had the shingles shot but there is a more effect one available now. The pharmacist did tell me that they have some difficulty getting it regularly and he could not say when it would be in the store. I will not fuss about that as I figure I am somewhat protected.

Paula