A trip to the store

Hello,

 

Leroy and I went off to the store this morning with the idea to buy potatoes, eggs, and chickpea flour. Well, dried apricots were on sale with more than half off; four containers went into the cart. Brown rice was on a good sale so three packages went into the cart. Millet and barley were also on sale, but we do not eat as much of those so it was only one bag each. Organic fair trade bananas were half off. We were low on bananas some of them went in the cart too.  A yogurt Leroy likes was also on sale and two packages found their way into the cart. By the time we were done shopping we had quite a few impulse buys, but happy for them. We especially like those apricots.

 

It seemed that there could be some more color at the back door of the church. On the way home the store that we pass still had some plants. We got three pots at 75% off. What a great deal.

 

We dropped the plants at the church, went home, put away the groceries, ate a snack, packed up what we needed and walked back to the church, me with a back pack and Leroy with a three foot spade. At church we discussed where to put the plants. Another member also put in some advice. Leroy got water while I dug the first hole. Even though they were hanging baskets we took the plants out and put them in the ground. We patted ourselves on the back and walked home.

 

This added a lot of steps to our totals and gave us a good feeling for giving some beauty.

 

Paula

 

Little Free Library

June 29, 2021

 

Hello,

 

There are elves that come in the middle of the night to put books in the library. At least we think that is what is happening. Since I have put up pictures on social media we are getting a lot of books. Many cook books are “hot” items as they only seem to stay a day or two. Some of the neighbor boys, when going by said that is what they would like. Cooking and kids! Who knew?

 

Yesterday morning when the checking on the little library, it was not full with all titles able to be observed. This morning was a totally new look with many books in both the adult and children sector. What a change. Do books get added in the middle of the night?  We must fix the door as it does not close properly, but Leroy’s rubber band (bike inner tube) is helping.

 

I am surprised at myself because every day I have to check on this facility to see what has changed. Some days nothing and some days many changes have happened. We knew that there was quite a lot of foot traffic past our place, and this confirms it. It is so nice to live in a place where people walk a lot. We also see a number of runners, but not usually on our street, but a few streets over.

 

We have gone from dry to moist. We have had a number of days with just a little rain. Even though I cannot control it I would like to have a bigger rain and then a few sunny days. But it is so green now and we are grateful.

 

I am trying to give away some shoots of the fall sedum, but so far no one has been interested.

 

Paula

Up and Out Early

Hello,

 

Leroy and I planned to be in the garden by 6:00 am to beat the heat! Leroy woke at 5:15 and hopped out of bed. “You are so early?” I questioned.

 

“Yes I am ready to go,” he replied, “You do not have to come yet, but just help me move the cart out of the garage.”

 

“No, I will come now,” I grudgingly stated, as I started getting ready.

 

It was fine and nice when I got outside, especially after the almost half mile walk to the garden.

 

We got right to work with me pulling some weeds and putting down newspapers in that spot while Leroy filled the cart from the woodchip pile. We covered a nice amount of space and also managed to plant some Swiss Chard. Leroy is skeptical about this planting time, but I am all for it, so I just did it without his permission.

 

We got to the garden at 5:45 and came home at about 6:15 with a sense of accomplishment. Leroy is going to go back again Tuesday evening. Usually others help, but no one else was there this morning. I believe someone else is planning to come on Tuesday which is nice since I cannot help then with my work schedule.

 

Paula

Walking

Hello,

 

We enjoyed our walk to church this morning with a light breeze and cool air. It was warmer on the trip home, but still nice. We made plans to walk with some friends this afternoon. It was much warmer and rather humid, but we still got a big walk in. I just checked my steps now and it registers, 14,338 which logs in as over 6 miles. I will add more before the day is over, but no more big walks. Oops I forgot, we are going to pick black raspberries after we eat. So it will be a longer walk.

 

We are so grateful to live so close to the bike/walking trail. We certainly have gotten much use from it. Today we walked up to a place where a tunnel is going under a four lane busy street. We had to see the state of progress. Hopefully soon, it will open. I suspect it will be busy, busy at first. This will connect some other trails in the city. Someday it would be nice to take a bike trip to see how far we can go around the city without using the streets. I would like to be impressed.

 

I am grateful to be able to walk. I talked to some people at church who are now using walkers or canes. They both sounded upbeat that they can still move on their own. It apparently took a turn of their mind or attitude to be ready to let people see that they needed some assistance. Both of them have come to accept it and I believe that it helps them move forward. May I have as much grace at adapting to more frailty in my life if/when it comes.

 

I am grateful for 73 years to be able to move on my own with ease. Sometimes I even thank my body parts. There was once a woman who led yoga who would say we should thank our feet for all they have done for us. I have included a few more parts that have worked well for all these years.

 

Paula

Stamp Club

Hello,

 

Leroy has become an active member of the local stamp club. They have had zoom meetings for a long time. Now there is some type of show. Tonight, Leroy is going to go help set up. Seems to me he is actually looking forward to that. It certainly harkens back to our past lives that were involved with various things that required set up and take down.

 

Tomorrow he will go to the show and help some way. Since I am not involved with this, I only half listened. I am not particularly interested in going to this. I have the perfect excuse since I am scheduled to work this Saturday.

 

It is great that Leroy has this hobby that still has a few other interested people. Unfortunately most of them are old. When he is ready to get rid of his collection, will it be a hard job?

 

Leroy will be working next Saturday. Then I will work again on Saturday in two weeks. That schedule certainly makes a difference with our leisure time together.

 

We decided we should put some petunias in one of the flower gardens at church since it is a little short of color. It took a bit of a search to find some that were in individual pots. I had been hoping for significant reductions in price, but that was not the situation. Next year we must get this urge sooner so there are more choices.

 

Some of you think we walk in all types of weather. It is raining now. I need about 3,000 steps, but I am not walking. Especially with a wind, walking in the rain is not so much fun.

 

Paula

To Do List?

Hello,

 

I made a partial list of chores that I wanted to do today, my day off. In the morning at least two things were added. But all morning long I kept doing things not on the list. How did that happen?

 

Making and eating breakfast were not on the list nor was mid morning snack. There was nothing about watering house plants. Some papers lying around in the “office” caught the wandering eye. Leroy will have to tend to some of them, but they are in his space no longer in community property areas. A coworker had asked me to change Saturday working in July. The calendar showed it was good, and in looking for that I see I work on Saturday.

 

Making the bed and putting away some clothes that I was too tired to tend to last night when I came home were also not on the list, but they are done.

 

Removed some unwanted facial hair, not on the list, but happy to have seen these offensive objects and eliminated them.

 

What was on the list you ask? From top to bottom, here it is: make rhubarb/mulberry crisp, make bread, pick mulberries, exercise and figure out what to do in yoga tomorrow, read and write email, transplant pansies, and figure up expenses for April and May. All done except pick berries. We might do that this evening or we might go look for a new mattress.

 

Paula

More books and learning

Hello,

 

There are now more books in the little free library with more to come tomorrow. Books are out there and they will find a new home.

 

Pulling weeds this morning for a short time was quite delightful in the cool air. We have had some rain so most of them actually were jerked out by the roots, never to come back.

 

I learned a new thing on zoom this morning. I was hosting the tai chi class through the library account. At the end of tai chi another group would be using it, usually hosted by someone else on the library staff. Both of my co-workers were not able to do that so it was requested that I make someone else the temporary host. I had not done that before so I did not get as focused for the rest of the tai chi class, consequently I missed out on some of the relaxing benefits. As it turned out, it was quite easy to pass off the host job to the person who was going to do it. He was not as prompt in joining the meeting, so the rest of the people looked quite confused when they saw me there. They have never seen me before. Anyway if I can remember it, it was quite easy to do. If it happens in a timely manner, it will be easy to remember. If it is months down the road, I may not remember. I must become more comfortable with just searching around electronically. It seems to me that is a big generation gap. I was taught not to mess with things if I did not know about them. Now it seems one must try things to figure out how they work.

 

Paula

Books From the Little Free Library

Hello,

 

Books can be in the little library for some time and then just like that, several move on to a new home. This morning when we walked by on the way to church, I noticed one on the ground in the light mist. We picked it up and shut the adult side door. Luckily the book was not so very wet, more like damp. We did not have time right then to take it in the house. Our doors are not latched as securely as they should be. Leroy put one of his “rubber bands” on the adult side. He makes these from old bike inner tubes.

 

I was so surprised to see that many of the books for adults were no longer there. Considering the book on the ground and the door open I wondered if it were vandals. Leroy convinced me that they were probably taken to be enjoyed because it seemed that there are more things they could have done to the unit if interested in vandalizing.

 

I have had two people say they would have some books to donate. It will be a big help. I have been buying them from the library when people donate books that look like a possibility for sharing. I try not to cheat the library friends, but I do not pay so much for each book. It is an easy way to replenish our supply. I will have to pay more attention to the children’s books because they are definitely not hanging around so long. We are happy to have this service for the neighborhood.

 

Paula

Gardening in the Heat

Hello,

 

These are days of gardening in the very early morning or in the evening, hoping for some cooler temperatures. The morning has worked out better for our community garden helpers as it is much cooler then. However one woman does not go to bed very early and she cannot come at 6:00 am. Consequently we have had some meeting times in the morning and some in the evening. We are putting newspapers and wood much on the garden, trusting that will then require much less weeding. We have not had a good rain for some time so watering is also crucial.

 

For some reason our home garden has not really gotten much planted in it. I am just now really noticing that. We will start to think about planting with an eye to a fall harvest.

 

We did finally buy some marigolds to put in there. Someone had donated many harvested marigold seed. They have not produced any. That could be because the seed was not stored well, too old, or maybe because the weather has not been good for germination. At any rate we bought some started marigold plants today.

 

Leroy also bought a shirt that said sun protection on the label. It was 70% off. At home, I did look up the company and learned that it should have a UP number of 30 to 50, however the label just said sun protection. Since it is a light color it is probably the smaller number, but should be a help.

 

Paula

Mulberries

Hello,

 

Leroy and I rode our bikes, packed with some small containers, over to the mulberry trees along the bike trial. We had not been there long when a woman stopped as she rode along to tell us that this tree had the nicest berries, but too high up. The next tree was good, but not so many berries and the last tree had the sweetest berries.
She apparently picks the berries to give to the local groundhog.

 

Leroy and I are picking for breakfast or the freezer. A bit later a bike riding couple stopped to get berries from the next tree from us. They just ate all they picked. We talked about what we do with the berries. I learned that they eat as little processed food as possible by only buying things of one ingredient which means nothing mixed together by someone or something else. We thought we were almost kindred spirits. “I wish I had met you long ago!” the woman exclaimed, “All my family and friends think it is so weird.”

 

I did not tell her that I have been eating much differently than most people since the 1970’s. I have come more and more onto this path. It is not an easy thing to buck the trend. But I am satisfied that I did.

 

I suspect my kids were always a little taken aback by how our eating style compared to their friend’s. Visiting with a group of Sarah’s HS friends, I learned that the friends used to have some talk about what different kind of thing they would eat at our house. We were the mystery place. Little did they know that I “cleaned or mainstreamed” it for visitors.

 

Paula

Being a Tourist

Hello,

 

In DC we got in some new sites. Two of them are new monuments. Or at least new since we were last there. The first was the WWI monument. It was quite simple and tasteful with lists and lists of names of those who died. The second was the monument for Eisenhower. How is it decided what people will have a monument and who will not?

 

We also visited the Clara Barton Missing Soldiers museum. Because of the pandemic we needed an appointment and were the only people there with the guide. It was quite interesting. At the time of the Civil War in the USA no one notified families about the fate of their loved ones. It came to the attention of Clara Barton, spurring her into action. She formed an organization that tackled the job. They were able to track down the information for 22,000 Union soldiers (Or at least I think that was the number.). With the next war the government took on the role of letting families know when death or imprisonment occurred.

 

The second museum was the African-American Civil War museum. I had known that there were black soldiers in the civil war on the Union side, but not many of the details about how that came about or just what happened to them. As might be expected, much was required of them, but their compensation was quite a bit less than that of white soldiers. There was much information in the place and we could have stayed much longer, but it was more reading than any of us wanted to accomplish, or perhaps it is just more than we could take into our brains on one trip. Perhaps on another visit we could go back.

 

Paula

Celebrating our 50th

Hello,

 

When scheduling our trip to DC to visit Sarah’s family we did not really consider that we would be there on this important date. It was nice to be with some family when we celebrated. They, and an additional friend, feted us at lunch. It was quite fine. 

That was followed by a multiple berry pie and ice cream at their house. There was a little quiz about what was happening in 1971 when we got married. We missed a lot of answers, but I was not surprised. We have not changed so much in the intervening years. Some things we know, but not fashion or entertainment culture.

 

Is fifty years a long time or a short time? It all depends on the day month or year. Sometimes have flown by so fast it is hard to grab a hold while others have dragged. Leroy thinks we are still together because we are very stubborn people and committed. Sometimes inertia also has a hold.

 

It seems love should be central and I suppose it is, but is it the cement or glue?

 

Now it is hard to imagine life without the other person since we have been together much longer than not. Certainly feeling blessed to have been together this long.

 

Paula

A Mouse or Two

Hello,

 

The day after we got home I looked in the cupboard/closet for some oatmeal that is in a plastic bag. There was some on the floor. How did the bag break when we weren’t even home? Oh, mouse droppings. Many mouse droppings. I picked up the bag wondered about keeping it, but did not let my saving side have control. It went outside on the ground away from the house in the back yard. Hopping birds find it and not a family of mice. Next it was trap setting time. I got one trap out of the attic, put precious small amount of peanut better on it, anchored the string, gingerly moved the bar into place, and released. Success! When I came back from grocery shopping there was not yet a mouse. Before Leroy came home from work there was a mouse so he could take it outside. The trap was reset with another mouse trapped the next morning.

 

Leroy does not like to set traps and I do not like to release the mice so we are a perfect pair for such an activity.

 

Our downstairs neighbors have not had mice in the house. One of them wondered why the mice would come upstairs when they could go downstairs first. It is a mystery.

 

No mice have been captured for a day and a half. The trap will remain set for at least another day or four. I put a sign on the closet doors to warn of impending trap danger.

 

Paula

Where are we now?

Hello,

 

Yesterday, Leroy and I came home from a weeklong visit with Sarah and her family. The first part of the trip was as expected. We rode the metro to the airport with ease. Since there is much caution about the pandemic, there were few people on the train, only one or two were ever in the car with us. At the airport it was quite simple to get the boarding passes printed, go through security, and wait in the boarding area with the realization that Sarah was right, we were there plenty early. The plane took off on time and we landed in Chicago for the transfer to come to Cedar Rapids. There were only about thirty minutes to find the gate, but it turned out to be fairly close.

 

At this point things started to change. We learned that the gate had changed, with a plane leaving for Detroit at the assigned gate, but our new plane would come in after that. The old plane had had mechanical difficulties. We then went to the proper place, sat down, ate a bit of the food we had brought with us, and relaxed. Our departure was now scheduled about half an hour later than the original. That was all fine since we are fairly good at waiting.

 

The announcement stated that our plane would come as soon as they found someone to move it to the gate with departure pushed back a bit more. When the plane finally came it was too hot inside as it has been it had been sitting in the sun. It took about 15-20 minutes to cool it from 90 degrees to something more tolerable. At take off we were about two hours later than expected. Nice we were not facing another transfer. It was to be a short 36 minutes flight. As we were approaching Cedar Rapids, the pilot came on to say, “There is a thunder storm over Cedar Rapids. We will stay in the air another 10-15 minutes before landing.”

 

I do not know where we were as we mostly went in a straight line. Sometime later the pilot came on again, “I am running out of fuel and the storm is still over Cedar Rapids. We will go to Moline and fuel before going back to Cedar Rapids.

 

On the short jaunt to Moline a woman ahead of us summoned the flight attendant. I could not hear the conversation except for, “will have to call when we get on the ground. Would some water help?”

 

The woman was traveling with two preteen children. When we landed she and the children got off the plane while the rest of us stayed. We did not pull up to the building but instead they brought a moving stairs. At this point the flight attendant told us we could use any electronic devices and the toilet if needed. He also brought water for anyone who wanted it.

 

In a bit the pilot got back on, announced, “I had to sign some papers and we will be able to depart now for the short 15 minute trip back to Cedar Rapids.”

 

That was the shortest commercial flight I have ever been on.

 

At the airport I had to wait for my plane sided bag while Leroy went off to check on the bus schedule. We had planned to be there about three hours earlier. At the six o’clock hour there was no one at the information desk. Leroy suggested we go out to look for a bus schedule at the stop, even though we have never seen such. No schedule, but a number to text. Leroy tried that, but was unsuccessful. I suggested, “Let’s just call our downstairs friends and beg for a ride.”

 

While I was talking to them, Leroy said, “I think I see the bus.”

 

I could not see it, but informed my listeners of the possibility. We stayed on the line until I could say; yes it was the bus so we changed plans and hopped on. The driver was the sole occupant. We learned that the ride was free. At some other stops he had to sit and wait a little because he was getting too far ahead of schedule with no additions or subtractions of riders. Leroy got a bus schedule and found we were on the last bus of the day just as the driver told us that fact. So we called those wonderful downstairs friends and asked if they could pick us up downtown which is really much closer for them. She agreed. Just when we were getting close to the terminal, I was wondering how we would find her. At that moment she pulled around the corner and slipped into an area where the buses pick up passengers. What luck!

 

Paula