Community Garden Again

Hello,

 

One of our walks today was to go to the community garden. I feel sad because I think no one else is going there to get the last of the season greens. Admittedly there are not so many things to harvest. I was able to pick some cilantro that I can use immediately. The stems were quite short which probably protected it from the cold as it snuggled in the leaves. I also got a nice amount of arugula that will add a nice touch to a salad. It is quite tall. I did bring one of the plants home. The taller parts look as if they are struggling. Leroy picked the last of the celery which was only a few short stalks. Then he picked a bag of Red Russian Kale. Someday I will have to go back and just pick a lot of that. I am hoping that my friend who does meals for homeless shelters would be able to use it if she mixes it into some dish or other. There wouldn’t be enough for a dish by itself for the large number of people she feeds. She is quite clever at using what is at hand in new ways and feeding many with the loaves and fishes.

 

Guess I have been a bit daunted when I think about cleaning the kale. I believe in putting it through three waters, one of which has white vinegar in it to kill bacteria.  That cleaning all takes quite a bit of time and energy. Right now, I have quite a bit of time, but I just search out the energy for this task.

 

We have called friends from our past live in the last few days. It is nice to visit with these people who were once more a part of our daily lives. What a blessing all of these cheap/rich phone calls are.

 

Paula

Serious Wind

Hello,

 

Because we don’t walk to church any longer, we take long walks other places. I just happened to hear that it was to get quite windy. We quickly ate our meal of left over ravioli from Thanksgiving and zipped outside to be met with the wind already in the neighborhood. We reversed our planned route to have the wind at our backs at least some of the time. It worked, but it was still a bit cool. No dilly dallying on this walk. We managed to get over 12,000 total steps for the day. We had taken a short walk in the early morning.

 

One thing it was not scary to go through the park as most of the loose branches were on the ground and not threatening. We went a different way thought a side street and saw a light pole that had not yet been righted. We were quite surprised to see that. I have not seen it anywhere else. Not sure if they just missed this one or what happened.

 

In the early part of the walk we only saw one other person. On the later part we met a bicyclist who then passed us on his return trip. We did see a girl on a bike with training wheels. She was doing quite well against the wind. Her dad was walking behind her. After that we probably saw about five to ten other walkers. I was glad to see that the weather is not stopping people from getting outside. Tomorrow might be a different time as it is supposed to get much colder with the wind bringing change.

 

Leroy and I will still go out, but perhaps the walk will be two or three shorter ones so we can warm up. I intend to go to the community garden and harvest more Red Russian Kale. That is only about half a mile away so it will not be the only walk of the day.

 

Paula

Out and About

Hello,

 

We hung out two loads of clothes when the temperature got up to 33 degrees F. There was a bit of a breeze later and the temperature rose to 49 so the clothes dried very well. It was a bit hard to know if they were dry or cold so when we bought them in we spread them out. For most of them cold was the diagnosis. A few thicker parts were a bit damp. It did not take long for them to dry. That activity gave us quite a few steps.

 

In the afternoon we went to a dam spillway that has been flooded a few times and exposed much ancient history compete with fossils. We did take our masks and were glad that we did. There were quite a few people there. We did not get really close to others except when meeting someone on the trail. We were pleased that many of the rest of the people also were wearing masks. It was good to walk in the trees and see the fungi. Fortunate Leroy spotted an eagle. I saw the bird, but could not see the head at that point. We took the long way home on a delightfully curvy road that was a bit like being on a roller coaster, but not so fast. I was driving and had no desire to plunge into a ditch.

 

Leroy has been working on his stamps. Today all the mail but one piece had something to do with stamps. He had bought from two different places and then the post office sent a catalogue just to entice Leroy.

 

Today he seems to be organizing stamps from Poland. He mostly collects USA stamps, but he seems to get more and more from other countries.

 

Paula

Yoga for Thanksgiving

Hello,

 

Last Thursday my two regulars for online yoga asked if I was going to have it on Thanksgiving. Was this a “tongue in cheek” question? It could have been, but I told them I would plan to be there at the usual time. If they came fine and if not that was also fine with me. I was a bit surprised to see them tune at the usual time. We had a nice session and I did not work them very hard. At the end one of them commented that it was so good to be stretched out and flexible before their holiday meal. Rather an unusual occurrence. I have never had yoga on Thanksgiving because we used to always have it in the library and this made a new thing possible. I too felt good and ready for the day. They also were eating with just the two of them and would have online connections with others in the afternoon.

 

While I was doing yoga Leroy was in the kitchen boiling ravioli. Ravioli is his family’s special holiday meal treat. We had made the dough and the filling the day before and froze them. Together we made the sauce before I started yoga. Leroy had never boiled it by himself. He did just fine. He mostly remembered the process since he has helped with that in the past. I thought he cut the boiling time a little short, but we just turned the crock pot on high instead of low so it was all good at noon.

 

Mid morning we had a zoom get together with our children. We played a game. Leroy and I were the low scoring people in that game. I think they should have given us a boost since we were only two and the others had four people to pool answers. It was fun anyway. In the middle of the night I could not sleep so I was coming up with a number of answers at great speed. Surely we would have placed much better had the game occurred then.

 

Paula

Busy Day Yesterday, Early

Hello,

 

Leroy was to have blood work done in the morning. I had thought he might drive, but when he told me he was going to walk, I went too. It was somewhat misty out. I took the backpack with an umbrella for each of us as well as a mask for me even though I did not intend to go in the building. We had breakfast first before setting off at a more rapid pace than usual. The prediction of rain and the mist in the air were a definite prod. It was otherwise quite nice out. When we got to the building, I did go in because there was a little more moisture in the air and almost no one else around. There were only about three cars in the lot. I stayed in the long entrance hall, seeing one other person and we had plenty of room to social distance. I turned the corner to see if Leroy was coming. There was the desk with the questions, temperature taker and hand sanitizer. I explained that I was just waiting. I still answered the questions, had a temperature check and used some hand sanitizer. Since I was not really going into the building they did not give me a sticker indicating that I had been checked.

 

On the walk home, even more moisture was in the air, but we just walked faster without umbrellas. We stopped at the grocery store to get some cottage cheese that was less altered than what we had seen in the other store. There were almost no customers at that early hour so that was good. All were wearing masks.

 

We often walk through the park in our area. I took some pictures last week and will share those with you. I have the feeling that even with pictures you cannot get a complete feeling of what it is like to see this once beautiful tree filled place. I guess you could say it is stripped of its assets.

 

Paula

That Leroy

Hello,

 

Our insurance Medicare supplement provider sent a package that had 2 masks and various other things to me and others we know have the same company. Leroy never got one; you know, after you reach a certain age you are not on a family plan, but seen as individuals. He called and was informed that they would send one out November first. He waited patiently, but nothing. He called again. Just last night he got his box. I am jealous because he got three masks. We like these adjustable masks. Also we seem to use a lot of masks. I had already given him one of mine so he generously let me have one of the new ones. I was given three travel size toothpaste packs. Leroy got one of a larger size that is more than my three put together. We share the toothpaste, so it is not really an issue, but I just wanted you to know how favored this guy is. He also got a weekly pill caddy. I had given him the one I received since he now takes many more pills than I do. He was quite pleased with the new one because the days of the week are more visible. So mine came back to me or just the storage area. I decided I could use it for my calcium pills. There was an antiseptic wash and his was larger. The only thing I got that he did not was a gentle bandage. Ironic because of his hairy arms, he would be the one that would appreciate this item. It is ok because I will share if he ever needs it.

 

We are now supplied with Bandages, sunscreen, hand sanitizer and masks. Got a cut? Let us know we can come to the rescue.

 

Paula

Ordinary Day?

Hello,

 

Today was tai chi online. The library has an account so I am responsible for opening the meeting even though someone else leads it. This morning I was reading a book and Leroy alerted me that it was only three minutes left before the starting time. Usually I set a timer when I am wandering around doing other things ahead of time. All of the others must have been waiting because as soon as I logged on the waiting room was full of people. Sort of full: there were three others to admit. They cannot start without me. How is that for important? Certainly it is a responsibility.  There are actually seven of us who attend with three of the units having two people in attendance.

 

I had to leave early because I had an appointment to get a health clearance to open a life insurance policy. Leroy took care of closing the meeting. I had felt quite a bit on edge because of my blood pressure possibly being high. Instead she pronounced it perfect. Maybe I just worry and fuss too much when it is taken. I have been checking at home and it seems to be all over the place. I can often lower it 20 degrees or more just by meditating and deep breathing for a few minutes. Agitation is not good for the soul or body. I will have to go back to daily meditation.

 

Even though there is a light rain/mist, Leroy and I walked once in the snow in the morning and in the afternoon in higher temps to get me to 9550 steps. I plan to get to 10000 before bed. It should be easy.

 

It was easy, Leroy came in and said, “I am going to walk again, I need about 2000 more steps.”

 

I joined him. It was so nice out because the rain had stopped with almost no wind. We walked some blocks in the neighborhood. Even though I think it is much too early for Christmas decorations, it was fun to see what was out there.

 

Paula

Advent Is Coming

Hello,

 

This morning, Leroy and I got candles for our home advent wreath. It was nice to have Leroy with me. He always has opinions about the color of the candles. We are both on vacation this week so we have time to go together. We also got some groceries. Leroy says he is not so into shopping but I notice he looks at a lot more things than I do. I mostly have on blinders when in a store. Get in, pick up the stuff, and get out.

 

While getting the candles I thought about advent wreaths in Slovakia. We always enjoyed buying ours at the local market. They were handmade, often with natural items for the decoration, and quite varied in appearance. Perhaps it might have orange slices that would create a wonderful smell as they dried with the season. The candles were always already on the wreath so we never had to buy those.

 

I am astonished how much of the year has disappeared. As with many of you, we had not thought in March that we would be spending the holidays with just each other. It will be different, but we have had that happen before. We can still celebrate and remind each other of our blessings and joys. We will connect with the family online. Certainly it is much easier to make the connection now than it was 10-20 years ago. We are grateful for the advances and inventions that allow us to do that.

 

Paula

Good Sunday

Hello,

 

We had a good Sunday, even though it started off a little on the skewed side. We walked early as usual and that was fine. It was early enough that these days the sun was not yet putting in an appearance. Those early morning walks help start the day on a positive note.

 

Leroy set the computer up so we could see church on the larger screen TV. Sound would come, but not picture. He fussed around with this and that setting, to no avail. We finally went to the kitchen table where we could sit side by side and view the same smaller screen. All was not lost, just disrupted. The sound was not up to a nice volume so we could hear the piano and singer above our singing. Eventually Leroy thought of something and got the sound louder.

 

Leroy was still upset about what might be the problem with the TV. I was upset because he was upset. One seems to feed the other.

 

We also had a meeting after church that we attended online with the computer. That was fine as well. It was also interesting to us.

 

After lunch, Leroy diddled around some more with the TV, trying this and that. Nothing helped. He called Brian who said, “Unplug the TV, wait a bit, and then plug it back in.”

 

That worked like a charm. I know about rebooting the computer, but failed to think of that in regard to the TV. We have not before had a TV that has so many computer components involved. We must once again learn something new. Our brains should be of enormous size by a life time of learning.

 

At some point, I did think this is a problem of the privileged. We have food, shelter, and almost good health because of health care. Life is good even if we cannot see the picture on the TV.

 

Paula

 

Dripping Shower

Hello,

 

Wednesday morning when I was finished with my shower I turned off the water only to find that it was still dripping, a lot. I tried various things: turning it off more firmly, turning it back on and off, and turning it back on and off with the hot and cold in different positions. As a last resort I called Leroy to come try his skill at getting it to stop. He got no better results than I did.

 

We went on to eat breakfast, all the while hearing drips. After breakfast I did some of the same steps to see if now it would work. Nothing!  I disliked thinking about all that water going down the drain so I put an ice cream bucket under it. I have that handy because I use that bucket for various scrubbing tasks. That worked, but it filled in about an hour and a half. Then a trip to the garage was required to fetch a larger bucket. I emptied that one on the trees outside at about noon. At that point it was full enough that it challenged me to get it downstairs and outside without spilling. In the middle of the afternoon I emptied again, but it was not so hard to carry.

 

We tried searching for the shut off valves, but could not find them. We found one for the toilet, and some for the sink. Leroy even took off a screwed on panel on the attic steps. Water pipes were back there but no shut off possibility. We did not want to contact our landlord because they were enjoying a last of the year camping trip which was a bit of a distance away. It was not an emergency so we just listened to drips and emptied when needed.

 

Before we went to bed we once again emptied it. We were both concerned that it would be very full in the morning. When it was very quiet before going to sleep I could still hear those bothersome drips.

 

In the morning Leroy went in to take his shower and commented that there was only about three inches of water in the bucket. Strange! When he turned off the water after his shower the drip was gone. Is he a miracle worker or what? He thinks there might have been something clogging the line and it was now gone. We have been drip free since that time.

 

Paula

Naked Produce

Hello,

 

Today we went to the store and got some naked apples, potatoes, and some naked beets. Just for good measure we bought naked soap. Just what is all this naked stuff you ask? It is produce that is not packaged. We are trying, at least from time to time, to make our lives a little less wasteful. The garden is perfect for that, but purchasing bare produce is another step in that direction. Since these items were also organic and local the bill is higher, but we are also trying to realize that we hurt many things when we spend carelessly.

 

It is hard to have such a frugal background and standards that do not live well in that fence. Definitely a small war zoon inside. With no children at home, both of us working part time, and social security, we are quite able to meet the expense. We will often donate to causes that help create a better world for many and I have decided this fits in that area. Leroy seems to agree, but then he might have been there before I was able to even think of it.

 

The naked soap is a piece of soap without a wrapper of any kind. I am not sure how it gets to the store, but hopefully just in a box. We do have to use a small paper bag for the produce. So that is some waste, but it is at least recyclable. I also try to reuse it at home.

 

Leroy did some more trimming trees out of the hedge and I joined him after my online meeting. He gets quite tired doing this but feels that he has accomplished something when done.

 

I read this over and it looks I as if /.preached a sermon, but I am going to let it be. You do not have to read it if you don’t want to.

 

Paula

Surprise

Hello,

 

I hung out clothes as I like doing. While getting an item out of the clothes basket I felt something brush my hair and then noticed a bit of bird poop on the clothes pin bucket. “Oh no is there bird poop in my hair,” I wondered.

 

Then it was a question do I run my hand over my hair or not. Totally grossed out was how I felt. I bent over and shook my head a little, hoping to dislodge anything that might be there. When I went in I looked in the mirror first thing. I could see nothing, but I took a comb and very carefully when through a part of the hair and looked at the comb teeth to see if anything were there. Nothing, but I repeated the process several times. I felt creepy, but decided that my hair was ok. Would it be better to be bald like Leroy and see whatever might have been on my head or to have hair which hid things quite well?

 

I am grateful for all the technology that we have available. It certainly keeps us connected with others. I do both Tai chi and yoga on line with people I know and like to visit with.

 

This afternoon we had a meeting with our financial advisors. It is so nice that we can do this safely. One of the people has tested positive with Covid, but he is asymptomatic. Good for him, but he would not be able to meet with people if not for the technology.

 

I took a long walk this afternoon. It was surprising that it was not warmer, but it still felt good to be out. I met two walkers and saw three bicycles. I am glad to see people getting out. I am happy that we have a mask mandate in the state now. I did not wear one when walking. Today no one else had one either. Some days others do. I wonder if it is needed when I walk outside because I can be quite a distance from others. Easily it is six feet and there is frequently a strong wind blowing.

 

Paula

Satisfaction

Hello,

 

Leroy and I went for what is turning into our usual early morning walk. We went a little different way into the park. We were greeted with a beautiful sunrise and a great pile of tree debris which is from the August 10, derecho.

 

At home, I washed a load of clothes and hung them out it was almost up to 40 degrees and warmer is to come. By late afternoon everything had dried. I folded my clothes and those we share leaving Leroy to take care of his things. Because he is also working part time, I have no guilt about expecting him to take on more of the load. Generally he is fine with doing that although he does not always think about the same things that I do. I perhaps have different ideas about what is necessary.

 

In the afternoon we went over to a friend’s house to trim some trees out of her hedge. We have done this before but it has been a while and things have grown again. Leroy found it especially satisfying to have something physical to do. He sometimes feels a bit useless. His strength is not up to the level that it once was. But this he could work at his own pace and ability. A power saw might be nice, but he managed to do a lot with his camping chain saw. This just has handles with a blade between and he pulls first one way and then the other. The trees are not so large around only about 2-3 inches in diameter.

 

Once in a while he would need me to help put pressure on the tree because the chain would become caught with the weight of the tree pressing on it. Generally then it took both of us to free it. Our friend also had an excellent hand saw that Leroy used quite a lot. I did a lot of branch picking up and hauling to the pickup spot. All in all it was very satisfying to me too.

 

Paula

Community Garden

Hello,

 

Late morning, I walked to the community garden. The rain had stopped, but the wind was strong. I could stand up, but it blew me a bit sideways from time to time. I picked the street with the lowest number of trees. I found myself looking up to see if any dead branches looked like they could be blown out. I understand the gusts got up to 55 miles per hour. It is so hard to imagine the force of the 140 mph winds that we had in the August derecho. I was not out in that. I was also at work where we were sheltering in the bathroom because it had no windows. It was hard to see the force, although whenever we checked it looked quite strong. I have heard that in Ely where I was working it only got up to 80 to 90 mph. I still feel distressed when I think about Leroy lying on the couch in the living room. In his pain filled state, he did not think it was too bad out. We are so fortunate that a tree did not hit the house. It could have been very bad for him.

 

At the garden I was happy to see that the weeding and cleaning that others did was quite fine. It certainly looked neater. I picked two short sprigs of celery, enough arugula to add to a couple salads, a small amount of short cilantro, and quite a nice amount of Red Russian Kale. I am convinced that others are not using the kale. If I were more ambitious, I would start freezing some of it. Soon it will be too cold even for it to survive.

 

Leroy and I took a walk this afternoon but we stayed away from the park because of the strong wind. One part of the trail is much more open territory and that felt much safer. We even met a bicyclist. How much work they had to do to move forward!

 

Paula

Preparing for Rain

Hello,

 

Well, even though we fixed the down spot on the porch it was not the best repair. Leroy did not have the right screw and I suggested/insisted duck tape would hold anything. It held for one rain storm, but then blew off in the strong wind that came next. Our downstairs friend fixed it so it will hold for sure.

 

We did a longer than usual walk this morning when we got up because they had talked about quite a bit of rain coming this afternoon. It did not get 10,000 steps for either of us, but it was respectful.

 

Next we moved one of the cars out of the garage, creating space so we could move things away from the wall where water seemed to come in during a rain storm. There is nothing to be seen on the outside of the garage. Nothing is to be seen on the inside either. Wd took time cleaning and sweeping in the area. Some shelves had gone into place long ago and we never moved them before. By the amount of dirt it is easy to see that our lives have been stationary for some time.

 

After all this prep no rain has yet come, but it is still predicted.

 

The other day I went for a walk in a respite from rain. I went to the park close to our house. The wind came up while I was there. It was a little scary watching loose branches move around in the trees. This was especially true after a stick fell from a high tree and hit me on the arm. I was startled at how much it hurt even though it was only about 12-18 inches long. Certainly I hurried out of that area. I was telling someone else about that. She gasped and said, “Are you alright? Where did it hit you?”

 

After reassuring her, she commented, “Since the storm we respond so much differently to wind.”

 

I agree with that.

 

Paula

Small things in life

Hello,

 

Leroy and I have developed a great gift of talking to the other person who is not in the same room. The speaker assumes that the other will hear and understand. It goes something like this, “Where is the salsa?”

 

Responder from two rooms away says loudly, “I can’t hear you!”

 

The speaker might try again louder or might even move closer to the listener. Even though closer, the speaker might still talk more loudly than usual with a touch of exasperation.

 

This afternoon we drove to a park that is still in our city, but has a nice walking path. Even though this park does not have as many trees as the one in our neighborhood, it was disheartening to see so many trees that were down. Many of those standing are marked with a large orange X which means they will be taken down. We did not think to take a picture, but there was one giant root mass that seemed almost a perfect circle. This root base comes out of the ground and just rests in defeat surrounded by green grass embedded in the clinging soil.

 

Leroy is looking at all of the postage stamps that he has from Sweden. There are so many that he is thinking about getting a stamp album just for them. “More?” I wondered.

 

“Well, I do not have an entire room devoted to stamps,” he said. in defense of his wish to increase his stamp holdings.

 

One of the guys in the stamp club has just such a room. How on earth would we move that?

 

Paula

Birds

Hello,

 

I was in the computer room taking my blood pressure when I heard a bang on the window. Because I am on the second floor it is not likely to be a human. I did not see a bird, but I assume that is what it is. Sometimes when different species are migrating they eat the berries on the cedar trees and go a bit crazy. We do not have a cedar tree here, but birds like to rest/hide in the fir trees outside the window. Later I was in the bedroom and again heard a bang on the window. I could not see any birds on the ground, but some were in the tree. I do not know what kind they were. Their coloring put them in the sparrow family. Although the sound was loud enough that it seemed likely to be larger than a sparrow.

 

In spite of low temperatures I hung out clothes. It takes them a bit longer to dry, but I still think it is worth it to get me out of the house. Leroy tells me that he will come home a bit early so we can go for a nice long walk in the sunshine. He rode his bike today. It was 28 degrees when he left so he was quite bundled up.

 

Our downstairs friends were gone for a few days. I put water in the bird bath because it had gotten low. I was impressed at the number of birds that came to get a drink and perhaps take a bath. Certainly there was a lot of splashing, but I also saw many getting a drink. I did not realize how important the water is to them. There are also squirrels, cats, and the occasional possum that get a drink there as well.

 

Paula

Crowned tooth

Hello,

 

On Friday when I was flossing my teeth before bed, I popped the new crown off my back tooth. I got this crown when Leroy was in the hospital in August. That was not so long for it to stay with me. I called the dentist’s office on Saturday, learning that they were not open. I left a message explaining the situation and hoped for a quick response on Monday. They did call a bit after 8:30 and told me they could have me come in at 10:30. I was quite happy to comply. It was not too bad not having that crown protection as long as nothing was put in my mouth. When eating and drinking I had to be very careful to keep everything to one side or I felt some pain back there.

 

On Monday, the dentist said, “I have never had this happen in all my years of practice. Perhaps there was some saliva accidently left under there.” He once told me that he went to dental school 40 years ago, so it has been long experience.

 

I told him, “This is the second time it has happened to me. I was chewing gum then and I have almost never chewed it since. Maybe you are now meeting your first tough case.”

 

My mouth feels so much better now. I think his explanation could be correct. I had noticed that there was some sensitivity to hot and cold on that crown, like it was hitting a nerve. But with all that was going on in our lives, I just tried to be very careful and never complained.

 

Because of the Corona virus numbers, my library is once again closed to the public. We will gather items for people and hand them out the door when they come to pick up. All staff will work alone, with no others in the building. That should keep us safe and yet provide a bit of service.

 

Leroy and I had gotten plane tickets to go to DC for Thanksgiving, hoping that all this would be less. In the last two weeks we had both become quite stressed about numbers so with sadness, we just cancelled. I do feel much more relaxed now in spite of more disease around. At least we are not trying to navigate through public spaces wondering about what is safe. Here we have little contact with others.

 

Paula

Sunday Off?

Hello,

As is our habit we attended worship online. It seems quite ordinary after months of this. I even realized that we will have to dress up once more when we get back to services in the building. Shock! We are dressed, but not in clothes that we wear very far out of the house, round home clothes. We also went to an adult learning class after the service. It was interesting on how church is different and how it is still the same.

 

Leroy started getting anxious last night and it has not yet gone away. He wanted to see about putting back a gutter by our back door. It helps him to be outside so we got right on that. He even cleaned out the gutters that were lower. Later there will be some new gutters, but not for a while yet. The storm here meant that many of those types of industries are just very busy. We have even gotten used to the sound of roofs being shingled any day of the week.

 

We also took a nice long walk to deliver almost all the rest of the books to little free libraries. One of the libraries that we went to today has become a free place to pick up food. Times have changed.

 

I try not to work on Sunday, but I made bread figuring that does not count as work, but pleasure. I like to have my hands on the dough and knead it.

 

I also tried a new yoga DVD from the library. It said it was for people with diabetes. I like the two segments that I did. The first was on breathing and stretching. The other was more movements for the hip area. I feel quite fine after doing that.

 

Paula

Leroy on the News

Hello,

 

While delivering books to the little free libraries, we saw a station set up to talk about our city’s response to climate change. Neither of us had a mask because we do not wear them when we are out walking, we just give others a wide space to themselves.  We continued on our way. For some reason Leroy reached in his pocket and discovered that he did indeed have a mask. On our way home, we stopped to fill out a survey about climate change. They then wanted to interview us. I said, “I do not have a mask, so Leroy you can talk. You are quite glib. Just do not say uh too many times.”

 

They have to come a bit close to get the mike up to the interviewee. Leroy did a fine job keeping his thoughts in order. Most times he likes to think before he answers. Guess he sorts through what he might say. I thought he did a fine job. Here is the link if you would like to see it. https://www.kcrg.com/2020/11/05/ground-teams-gather-feedback-for-climate-action-plan/

 

We did not see this on the news, but our daughters knew about it before we did, thanks to the internet. Leroy heard about it from one of his co workers who was still in bed when he heard Leroy’s voice. Guess that is one way to wake up. I hear that voice every morning.

 

We were happy to put some more books in the little free libraries. I was able to buy 30 books and had 26 more donated from people who use to work with children. I still have a few more to deliver, but will soon get that done.

 

I am happy to share with others. I just hope that some kid who needs to see these finds them. That, of course, is not in my control.

 

I am also grateful that Leroy will walk with me and help carry the load. Even paperback books weigh quite a bit.

 

Paula

Some Good Things

Hello,

 

Leroy and I went to the community garden this morning. We used our great garden cart to haul the yardie which is a big garbage can that we can use for yard waste. Once at the garden we filled it, but not tamped down, with spent tomato vines, passé pepper plants, and the occasional weed. There are still some hardy plants such as that Red Russian Kale which did not try to influence the election, celery for cooking, Cilantro for flavoring, rainbow chard for great color, and some small broccoli. All are good choices for health and prosperity?

 

There was also a plastic bag floating around. I snagged it to use for the odd pieces of plastic that had blown into the garden. On the way home I picked up pieces of trash that seem to migrate in. It was full by the time I got to the house, so that was for the garbage bin.

 

Later I went to the half price book store where I tried to use up the money that was on my card for the little free libraries. It was a bit harder than I realized it would be. I did not remember the exact amount on the card, but that it was a bit over $2. The person at the checkout figured out how to get $2 used, I just spent my own money for the rest of it. I had expected to use some of my own money before I went. In fact, I got extra books on purpose.

 

Before I got home Leroy called to tell me that my glasses were in. I went over and picked them up. It is so great to see so well again. The only problem is looking at the computer screen not in the right space, but I can manage. Perhaps I will waste less time there if I do not see it so well? Looking out the window is wonderful because I see so far.

 

Paula

Stressed

Hello,

 

I seem to have learned how to feel stressed much of the time. I believe that was not true two years ago. Then, if I remember correctly, stress would come and go.

 

One problem is Leroy’s illness. He is doing much better, but I still find myself on edge. When he once again reduced the steroid this weekend he became much more easily anxious and upset. I felt on full alert the whole time. Just what I was thinking might happen, I do not know but I was preparing for some terrible eventuality. Yesterday when I came home from work, he was in such a good mood and commented several times about what a good day it had been. Worry does not help, right?

 

The numbers of Covid cases are rising quite a bit in our county. That makes me a bit concerned, but not scared. I just wish more people would practice general safety measures.

 

My blood pressure seems to be high almost every time I go to the Dr. They have always passed it off as the white coat syndrome, but now I am beginning to be concerned. We have a blood pressure cuff because of Leroy. The unsettling thing is that mine is often high even when I take it here at home. My family medical provider retired and I have not yet found a new person. I certainly do not want to have a stroke or whatever, but it stresses me to look for a new provider.

 

I also have to make some decision about my cataracts. I could use a personal caretaker who just made all of these decisions for me. I could then blame them if it is the wrong decision. Less stress, just blame someone else. I did hear that people who are happiest and live the longest take full responsibility for their lives. Sigh, get with it Paula.

 

At least the election will be over soon so that stressor can be a past concern. We will just have to live with the results.

 

Paula

Do We Know Each Other?

Hello,

 

Today Leroy and I had a “talk” (Some might say argument.) that involved things that we have covered in the past. I want to know how can we reach almost 50 years and keep repeating. Are we slow learners, or do we not learn? It is just a mystery. Perhaps we are just locked into our own corners of the argument. Is that why the country is so divided? We do not stop to see another way?

 

On the flip side we cooperated to make vegetable lasagna. It was a task to get all the veggies prepped. Leroy dived into the chopping role with ease and I kept reading the recipe to make sure we were doing the right thing at the right time. I also helped some with the chopping. We liked the result. Lately I have slipped into only prep and cooking for about 30 minutes. This one took about 85 minutes. That meant careful thought on my part about the starting time.

 

We did agree to take a walk with some friends. That was certainly good for our souls. It was cool out, but not so cold that we were shivering. We even found some places that were blocked from the wind to be quite pleasant. It is so nice to have some time to interact with others in person. On a walk we do quite well with social distance and no masks. I thought the wind blew everything away as soon as it came out of our mouths.

 

I had the church book club on zoom this morning. At the same time Leroy was attending an adult ed class. He had some trouble getting it to go on his tablet, but managed on his phone. We certainly do have many resources available to us. We are rich indeed.

 

Paula