Adventures At Home

Hello,

Turning on the hot water resulted in nothing coming out of the pipes in the morning. The water heater is in the unheated attic. Leroy immediately said, “The pipes are probably frozen.”

With visions of bursting pipes and water pouring down he added, “I had better text our downstairs friends who own the house.”

Later we learned that we woke them up, but warmly dressed, ungrumpy Clark attended to it promptly with hair dryer in hand. In a few minutes water was flowing. Nice!

Our thermometer registered a low of -25 with the lowest wind chill reading that I noted of -43F. We happily stayed in and let the hot water gently drip away.

In the afternoon there was a loud knocking on the door. When I ran down I opened to a bundled up man with frozen beard. At my curious look he said, “Your internet is down?”

“We expected you tomorrow!” I exclaimed.

“Well, I am here now,” he assured me.

He checked things outside, inside in our apartment, and down in the basement. Several trips in and out and up and down had him panting a bit with no solution coming for almost an hour. Finally he checked the phone jack. It was declared not working. With another trip back to the truck to get a new one, another trip upstairs, and with some screwing around it was pronounced working. This phone jack must have been failing for a long time. I do not remember the internet being so fast as it is now.

We are so pleased that this guy worked in the cold without complaining. At least he seemed in an ok mood around us. Customer service with a smile

Paula

Low Temps

Hello,

Maybe because it is being in the warm house, or perhaps it is the wonderful sun, but the low temp of -25 F. does not seem as cold as I had imagined. You must understand that I have not yet been out in that temperature which has now risen to -13.

Surely it was colder when the car tires froze flat on the resting side in MN while Leroy was going to the seminary. I could not figure out what bumps I was driving over. Later a radio announcer explained it. I do not know the low temperature that day, but the high was -16 F. School was held as usual. I was substituting in those days. When I came out to start the car the engine roared like a jet engine, not that I had ever heard a jet engine up close, but it scared me plenty so I quickly turned off the car. A high school student was close by. He came over and told me, “That happened to me last night. The choke is stuck. With the clutch in, tap smartly on the gas pedal and it will be gone.”

He was right and I drove off without incident.

Our hot water pipe was frozen this morning. Our great, caring landlord came up rather promptly (they live downstairs,) and quickly figured out a solution. Our water heater is in the attic and it is quite cold up there. Hair dryer heat opened it up. We now have a faucet drip to keep it going.

Leroy for some reason does not feel so well, but it is hard to pin down. His stomach is not happy. This morning he felt better than last night, but now as we approach afternoon his is not so good again.

Paula

Working in spite of Cold

Hello,

Last night I worked until 8:00 pm as usual. Many called wondering if we were going to close early because of the cold. Before the evening was over, people came seeking some entertainment because of low temps predicted for the next two days. School had been cancelled already. Interesting that some wanted books, some wanted DVDs and some wanted a few of both. Sometimes discussions took place about the amount that was needed for the expected time. Reminded me of the “run on the grocery stores before a storm.” I had expected to do quite a bit of cataloging, however patrons come first.

My boss is spending money on buying books just now so my desk is full and overflowing onto a cart. Taking time off for weather has not helped that situation one bit. The new cataloging software also means that I do not move as fast as I have in the past. That is, not so fast for cataloging as well as checking out/in items for patrons. My brain is learning, learning. Learning, at this stage of my life, demands more time to get stuck in the brain folds.

Instead of working in the afternoon/evening today, I went in the morning/afternoon. I did leave early, but I could have easily stayed longer. The temperature was not below zero, but close. The wind however had become stronger or so it seemed. I felt a little guilty for leaving early after I had driven home through the weather without incident. I do not work tomorrow so it requires no decision. Leroy’s boss from the museum called and said, “You do not have to come because the museum is closed tomorrow.”

Can we stand being stuck in the house together for a day?

Paula

Still Cold

Hello,

When Leroy first looked at the temperature outside it was -2. By the time we were ready to walk to church it was -5/6. Seems to me that is going in the wrong direction. One good thing was that there was virtually no wind. I did not wear my long underwear because I thought it might be too warm in church. Leroy did not wear his because he forgot. Our legs were a bit cold. Leroy’s perhaps more than mine because he had on thinner dress pants. I wore jeans. We were both happy to arrive at church.

I wore my taller boots, but it was great to see that most people had cleared their walks. Only at some of the curbs did we have to step over or through some deep snow. Sometime years there is a lot more snow at the curbs, but this time it was well taken care of.

We left the laptop at church, but will take it home today. The lights on the modem looked good, but sometimes that is not a good indication that it will work. I do not have time to go to church on Monday. The laptop it can show that it is getting the full signal and still not work. We hope for a cure in the future. Certainly if it is not working we will call our provider to let them know.

I am certainly grateful that the furnace and the electricity work in the house. Yesterday I thought I had blown a fuse in the kitchen so Leroy dutifully went through the outside basement door to flip switches. After he was down there I realized that I had unplugged a power strip. At least he did not get mad at me only a little disgusted for that early morning venture into the cold.

I am also grateful that the cars have just started without difficulty. And they have heaters that work. What a good thing. Just think of all that technology that can work in many temperature extremes.

Paula

More snow, slow or no Internet

Hello,

Our internet is still not responding well. It has been unplugged many times. It has been unplugged for long periods of time. I have been very careful to have off every device that I can think of. Nothing helps. Could the cold be the problem even though it has not been a problem in the past? We are considering calling our provider.

When we did that a year or two ago, we were assured that it was not the company, but our modem. We even bought a new modem which also did not work so we returned it to the store. Leroy reattached our old modem and it worked fine until now. It is hard to know where to start the fix once more. As our downstairs friend commented, “You may never know why it quit and never know why it works again.”

Life’s mysteries continue.

We have had more snow yesterday and again today. I shoveled yesterday, but Leroy went out today. He also helped with some icy patches that I was unable to get up.

We are planning to walk to the church this afternoon with the laptop. Hoping for no slippery spots and that the church Internet works. But as Leroy says, “At least we will have a good walk out of it.”

It is also great to walk to a place where we can warm up before we start back.

Paula

Home Early

Because of Internet/Modem problems this was not sent until now 

Hello,

My trip to work was ok even though it is quite cold and windy. As soon as I got on the interstate brake lights ahead went on. I made a quick decision and got off at the next exit. Really I was on one of those ramps where people are coming on as the same lane provided an exit a bit farther ahead. It was a good place for me to get off as I know my way around this part of town. My brain just did regular work instead of an uphill climb. I took a bit longer going to work, but was still not late because I always allow plenty of extra time.

It was not long after the library opened that someone reported that the road had a lot of snow blowing on it. More people confirmed that report as the morning went on. Then school was closed early. I decided to go home at the same time as the early closing. I was pleased that the road did not have much snow on it that was probably because of the strong wind blowing across it, keeping the snow moving. That wind was both a friend and not a friend as it could easily move the car if I were not paying attention.

I did slip a little getting into the garage, but nothing of note. However I went out and used the ice scraper on my side of the garage. At the same time that I was out I expressed gratitude in my mind for the neighbor doing the snow blowing even though I am not sure who it was. With a cap on, etc. I am not sure of his identity.

Luckily I do not go to work tomorrow when the temps and wind chill is to be quite low. Leroy will go, but only three miles so I think he will be ok.

Paula

Shoveling Snow

Hello,

Five more inches of snow meant more shoveling time. At least my guess is five inches. My internet is still slow so I am not looking up things that I do not need to know.

Leroy and I shoveled before breakfast with snow still seriously coming down. By the time he left for work the walk was again covered. Later I went out, cleared the front walks, rested, cleared the back and some in front of the garage, rested, and went back out to finish the job. Before I got done a neighbor with a snow blower came and cleaned off the bit of the alley that I had not gotten to with the shovel. The world has so many nice people in it. I thanked him for his help. There was a thin layer of ice under the snow that I did not remove, but my downstairs friend attacked with vigor so it looks much better in the back. I had been hoping for help from the sun, but it was not able to do much. Those low temperatures won that battle.

I am grateful for a choice in shovels so I can use the one I like best. I am also happy to shovel because I like the challenge as well as the feeling of accomplishment as the cleared walks appear. Can this count as exercise? I still like to do some stretching to move all things around a bit.

On my rest breaks I have been putting together a picture puzzle that I got for Christmas. It is called Great American Novels. Fifty book covers are the pictures. This 1,000 piece puzzle is easier than I expected because each cover is so different from the other. Leroy even helped me. He is not always so excited to do puzzles, but he also got one called Globetrotter World. It has a similar grid design so it will fit him nicely. My only complaint is that I was leaning over the puzzle too much and my shoulders hurt from bad posture.

Paula

Snow Day

Hello,

With school cancelled, tai chi was cancelled as well. It all looked good outside, but the prediction was for all that to change. Something started to come down almost right on schedule. Leroy walked gingerly to church.

About an hour later I walked carefully to the pharmacy to fill a prescription to keep some mites on my face under control. Yesterday I learned that we all have these mites all of the time, but mine are growing or populating faster than they should. My face has some red areas with some bumps. Do you ever wonder what all we might be carrying around with us?

This medicine is also used to combat scabies. I only need a little, but had to buy a large tube. I could share if I knew who to share with.

As the temperatures rose a little, the snowy stuff turned to mist and created more ice. It has now gone back to being snow. I texted my boss to find out about the roads. She told me to just stay home which I gratefully did.

Our internet has been funky since Sunday. We had turned it off several times with no improvement. That means the home phone did not work. I have my cell set to wi-fi and it did not work very well until I turned off the Wi-fi. It impresses me with how much I depend on or use this technology stuff. My downstairs friend suggested I turn off every device, unplug the modem, wait a while, and plug in the modem, when the power comes up try one device. It worked. I am grateful. I can look up any little thing that I want to know. What luxury!

Paula

Feeling Good

Hello,

Leroy spoke with a person from his pension fund and learned some things that will happen when he officially retires from the church. I was also on the phone so I was able to get a question answered as well. Things seem to be going into place, at least in our minds. Too bad they cannot answer a question about where we should live. Leroy will start to receive social security in February because he turns 70 in that month. This year, because he is retiring from church work, he will have to take a minimum distribution from his pension fund. I will still be working part time as will Leroy still be working at the museum. We are planning to work at least another year, but who knows? We do like working. Somehow we need to have work time and flexible time. Sometime a perfect plan might come to us.

Yesterday we went to a movie in the theater. Something we have not done in a long time. For our pre and post birthday part, even though we had said no gifts, we got a gift card for the theater. We both enjoyed our choice of The Upside. We had checked earlier about going, but could not agree on a film we might both like.

I have often found the volume of sound much too high in the theaters, so I took along ear plugs. As soon as the movie started the sound was quite loud so I popped in those ear plugs, however after a time I realized that I could not hear some of the quieter dialogue. I removed them and apparently I adjusted to the loud, because I did not notice it. There is more money on the gift card so we will go again when we find some agreement on a movie choice.

Paula

Storm Coming

Hello,

This morning I headed out for my weekly grocery shopping. Little did I know that many people would join me at this time. Usually there are only a few people at the store, which is why I like to go at that time. My first clue came as I drove into the parking lot to find my favorite spot filled, along with almost every other parking spot. I am not sure that I can explain it, but the store did not seem as crowded as I expected. Perhaps it will accommodate many more than I realized. Sometimes it was necessary to wait before I could reach my lettuce or mushrooms, otherwise I moved around in the usual way. Somehow the atmosphere was almost festive. Anyone I noticed was very polite and accommodating to others.

I have known that people go to the store to get supplies before a storm, but I had not really participated in such a phenomena. Last weekend it was so difficult to get around after the storm. That might have spurred people to believe the weather prediction. While standing in the checkout line, the woman behind me commented that she had come just because of the storm. She had the usual milk and eggs in her cart along with a number of other things. She also confided that she had come without a list so the number of items just kept growing as she went around the store.

When I was growing up on the farm we had many food items available.  I had no idea that people went to the grocery store before a storm.

Paula

Home Today

Hello,

I was happy to stay home even if the roads were good. I always like some time to myself to recharge. I have been reading, The Lilac Girls by Martha Hall Kelly. It is about WWII females who live in New York, Poland, and Germany. The book blurb talks about them getting together, but it has not yet happened. As might be expected life is not an easy trip.

Today I learned that my action Team request was granted to gather donated non-food items for a meal site/homeless center. I will get some money that I can supplement things that were not donated. I will ask the church choir to join me in this endeavor. This insurance/financial company is nonprofit so they must give money away. I am happy that my community can benefit from that. Hopefully it will not require too much work.

I did hear a talk from the leader of the local shelter organization. They are trying to move from just giving people things to helping them be self sustaining. That, unfortunately, is a long arduous process. In the meantime people still need help.

Some of the item requests must be used by the organization itself as it is copy paper and file folders. Or would individuals need those things too?

I work tomorrow and I have seen a prediction in one place that it might snow starting tomorrow or Friday. I am voting for Friday since I do not work on Friday. I usually grocery shop on Friday, but I could put that off for another day. We have enough food in the house to last for a bit of time.

Brian had surgery on a torn ACL. The surgery was successful, but now he is to recover for some time.

Paula

Another Drive

Hello,

Yesterday the drive to work was just fine. All vehicles on my route had been removed from the ditch. Thank all those helpers: snow plow drivers, police, tow trucks, ambulances, hospitals, and sometimes the stranger. We are dependent on each other to live.

After I had been at work for two hours, a couple came in looking for some materials that they were going to take with them to MN. They had just heard on the news that an ice storm was coming in the evening and into the next day. I get off work at eight and the rain was to start at six. Not happy news, but then one of my coworkers looked at the weather and the prediction was that it was to start at midnight. Happy news!

At about 6:30 a patron commented, as she was leaving, that it had been a light mist when she came. Not happy news! I called Leroy to learn the precipitation conditions in Cedar Rapids. Leroy said, “There was a light mist when I came home. I will go out and see what is happening now.”

He reported that there was nothing coming down. Happy news!

At eight when I went out the sidewalk was not slippery, however the car windows were coated with a mist falling. I am grateful for the inventors of all the scrapers, brushes, etc. that can be use to clear the windows. With caution I went on the road driving under the posted speed limit. The windshield wipers need to work from time to time to allow an open field of vision. A car started following me, but did not pass. The two additional cars also stayed in formation. There were some places of passing possibility, but perhaps they were a bit cautious also, even though they had caught up. Again I was grateful to get home without incident.

Grateful for our downstairs friends who had the garage door fixed so I could pull right in. So much to be thankful for each day.

Paula

More of that exciting Saturday

Hello,

At work, I was pleased I remembered that the outdoor book drop was back before I took off my boots. Unfortunately the sidewalk by the library had not been shoveled, but I did not take the time to do it as I was not early.

It surprised me how many patrons came on this slippery, snowy day. Because of the new software many things take me a bit longer than usual. We also update patron information each year so I had to do that. It now involves more steps. I apologized to several because of the length of time it took me to get the job done. Also I found I was talking to myself to work my way through the steps. It seemed to me that everything was correct when I was done. With this new software there is no hiding who did it as we have to sign in with our name rather than a generic name.

An upset Leroy called at some point to tell me that he had lost one of the store credit cards. Almost an hour later he called to tell me that he had found it by going back to a previous store. He was almost euphoric with relief.

All day the snow visibly continued. However it was not so very heavy. People kept my alerts up because they kept talking about how slippery the road was. I wondered, “Should I see if one of my in town coworkers could come and I could leave early?”

One kind patron, who left about 45 minutes before closing, got a shovel and shoveled around my car so I could just drive right out.

On the way home I drove slowly again even though the plow had been there and I could see the road, but there were still patches of snow or slush. When I got to the interstate a police car was going up the ramp ahead of me when he put his flashing lights on. “What?” I wondered.

In a bit he pulled over and I sat a car way down in the ditch. Even though my trip on the interstate is short, perhaps two or three miles there were three cars in the ditch.

What a relief to get to the garage. I had called Leroy before I left work so he had shoveled in front of it, but I still did a bit of slipping on the incline before the tires got on the garage floor.

Paula

Exciting Saturday

Hello,

We woke up to snow on the ground, only about two inches, more or less. Because I did not leave for my 12 mile drive to Ely until 8:30 I got ready before Leroy went out to shovel. With the snow still coming he wanted to be as close to leaving time as possible when shoveling by the garage. I had no trouble getting out of the unplowed alley; however traversing the uphill ramp to the interstate was another story. There was no way to get any momentum as the start of this ascent is a 90 degree curve. It had not been plowed as was also true of the street. Previous cars made a small path. The dash slipping light came on several times on the way up. I am not sure what that light means when it comes on, but it seems to make the wheels stop spinning. Once on top, I was disappointed to see that the interstate had not yet been plowed. I stayed in the right lane getting my bearings for the feel of the road when I heard a loud bang. A car that was going faster than I in the far left lane had slammed into the guardrail, coming to an immediate stop. I took that as a warning that it was very slippery. I and most others just crept, speeding up a little when there were some clear spots.

Quite a lot of traffic was in the inbound lanes and I could see paths, but on the outbound it was mostly snow covered with just the middle lane having a path. Even though I was not going as fast as some others, I moved over there as I needed to be there in a bit anyway.

The ramp to the exit had not been plowed. It was a bit scary as almost no one had been on it and more snow was piled up. The Ely road was also not plowed. I just kept my speed slow and hung on. Again I met a lot of cars and they had a path that made the pavement visible. I sometimes guessed as to where the side of the road was. A car was following me and I noted that they never got close. I was so happy to get to work and out of the car. I had worn boots and I was grateful for them. With the snow still coming I put a cover on the front windshield.

To be continued.

Paula

Leroy's I-Touch Watch

Hello,

I found the watch a bit reduced than we had previously looked at so I got it. Leroy was quite surprised at this Christmas gift as he had not expected it after he declared he was not sure that it was worth it.

Then it was time to get it out of the box, no problem, set it up, problem. The first problem was that the language on the watch was Italian. “Are you sure it is Italian?” I wanted to know.

“Yes, I have had enough Latin to make the connection,” Leroy said with exasperation, “I cannot get it to sync with my phone.”

He tried different things, looked on line and finally declared, “I will take it to church. There are some people there who can help me.”

The watch and phone a synced and the language is English. Now however, Leroy has to figure out what are the best settings for his life and activities. He is also not very happy with how quickly his phone battery goes down. He is pleased that he can make calls, answer calls send texts, etc. with this watch. Amazing what this lowly version can do.

Some days he wears it and some days not, depending on his mood.

What will I get him next year? I cannot imagine.

Paula

Oh no, his birthday is on the horizon. He will be 70. Seems like there should be something special, but I have no clue what that might be.

Photos

Hello,

We had a family picture taken while in DC. Now comes the hard task of deciding which ones to print. Part of me wants to print them all, especially because all contain pictures of people I love.

There is some glasses glare that she said altered the face when she tried to take it out. Because I have had that happen in the past, I tilted my head slightly down so I did not have any this time. Sometimes the tilt of my head looked a bit odd. Those glasses that help us sometimes or almost all the time can be a problem in other situations.

I would also like to put the pictures in a frame that I already have with an 8x10 surrounded by eight smaller pictures. This time the problem is that I need two portrait pictures and none of them seem to be in the style. But then Leroy wonders about just tossing the idea of this arrangement and starting over with another style and frame. This is not my talent in life. I do not know what to do.

I am pleased at how the gray and black clothing looks in the pictures. I have to confess that I did wonder about it when it was first suggested, especially because I do not generally wear those colors next to my neck or chin. All of the kids thought it was a good plan and it was. Nice to be wrong when it turns out to being wrong is the best thing.

Paula

Great Weekend

Hello,

Last night some people in the congregation invited us for a meal with them. We had a nice visit that included playing a game. In the course of the visiting Leroy told them about his bike being stolen. After a bit the man offered him a bike that he could no longer ride. He invited Leroy to come out to the garage to see what he thought. Today we went back for Leroy to try it out and if he liked to ride it home.

He rode home just as nicely as he could in the cold windy weather over some hills that were daunting. He is pleased to get this bike. He had gone to a used bike shop yesterday and not found anything that just caught his fancy.

The negatives or challenges about this bike are that it is from 1974, but it has been well taken care of. It has the drop handle bars with the shifter on the staff so quite a lot of bending is required. It is just a slight bit large for Leroy as this man is about three inches taller than Leroy is. Leroy will have to buy a rack so he can take his lunch and other things to work and not have them on his back.

A good thing is that it was a very good bike when new. Its age will probably keep it from being seen as wonderful bike to steal. The cost is just about right. Leroy is going to give them something for it, but not a lot as selling it has been unsuccessful for them. It has new tires and has just had a “tune up”.

Paula

The History Center

Hello,

This afternoon we toured the History Center. It is located in a beautiful old home. It just opened this fall. Both Leroy and I were hoping for a bit more of the attractions there. I suppose it is like anything that is trying to get going, it must be small in the beginning. It is inexpensive but we were the only visitors there. I hope it is able to expand its offerings and keep going strong. I do not usually read each plaque in a museum, but I came close to doing that here. I did learn some things about the demographics of this area through history.

Last night was the church staff Christmas party. There is a white elephant gift exchange. Leroy was pleased that the item that he contributed was valued by the person who chose the wrapped gift. Mine was not so appreciated, but at least we have gotten a couple things out of the house. I got three theological books that I will not really look at, but I know where to pass them on. Leroy got a thing that is like a waterfall that can be in his office He is certainly going to try setting it up there. Hopefully he can figure it out successfully.

Today we took down the Christmas decorations with only a few disagreements as to how it should all go. At least we got things in the boxes more or less as they had come out of them about a month ago. Our living room seems larger now. I like that as I do not like to be so very crowded.

Paula

Washington DC Time

Hello,

Even though I talk about the tourist things we did the things most important to me are the family time, visiting, playing games, eating, and putting things back in their places with group help. The monuments could not draw me so many times to the same place. Without those kids and grandkids, it would be a dull place after a while.

Some of us went to the Holocaust Museum. It had been years since I had seen it and I did not remember most of it, but knew the over all feeling. Again it was a bit hard for some of the younger members of our group. Actually it is hard for some of the older members too, as we grapple with the ability of human beings to feel superior to other human beings. Where does the idea come from that another life is not worth much, allowing for unspeakable cruelty and even death?

                                                                      

On a brighter note, Leroy took all the grandchildren to a cemetery that is a nice walk away from the house. When I got home I walked up and met them. Many old tombstones are in this place of history.

On the last day we went to a holiday exhibit at the Arboretum. It was of historic train stations in the USA. They were made entirely out of 70 various plant products. It was spectacular, worth waiting in line for an hour to see it.

In the evening we saw the zoo lights which were also quite the display of color. I have to confess that we have not gone in our home area to look at lights. We probably are missing some nice views. Being away from home must pull one out and about.

Paula

Family Picture

Hello,

Happy New Year! I even managed to get the 9 up there instead of the 8.

Saturday morning Sarah got an appointment for us to have a family picture taken. It is so much easier when the kids are at this moveable age. It all went quite smoothly. It took less time then was expected so we just kept asking for more shots of different groupings because we were paying by the hour. It was fun. Leroy and I had a picture taken of just the two of us. As we were waiting, Leroy kissed me on the forehead. The photographer suggested that he do that for one of the shots. Then in another he kissed me full on the mouth. The grandchildren whooped and hollered. Guess they had not really seen much of that before. In our immediate family, I am the oldest person. Somehow it hit me this time that no one will pass me, until I die I will be the oldest person. The youngest can always expect others to come into that position, but not the oldest.

After spending time in the natural history museum, where I saw a new exhibit, we had lunch before splitting up. Leroy, Sarah, Stephen, and Natalie went back to the house, Leroy to nap and I am not sure what the others did. The rest of us spent time on the national mall. I was pleased to see one thing that I had not seen before and that is the monument to Einstein. I had seen all of the other things several times except for the monument to Martin Luther King Jr. I had seen it once before. Again I was impressed with the quotes that were on the walls.

All in all I walked over 13,000 steps. Glad to have that tracker checking on that.

Paula