Shopping

Hello, Leroy and I had quite the shopping trip this morning. We got a new small clothes drying rack because our old one had broken in several places. Leroy had diligently tied it together, but now it needed to be tied each time it was set up. This morning he had had enough and declared, “We are going to get a new rack!” While in that store we looked at the clearance aisle where we found quite a few packages of underwear for adults and one for boys. These had been marked down to half price! What a deal! We know that our friend who works with the homeless and refugees might know what to do with all of them. I called her, but she did not answer so I left a message. After a wait, probably short, but maybe I am impatient, I asked a clerk who was working there about returning them if they were not needed. She said, “Oh yes that is a fine idea. Sometimes people come in, tear open a package, check the size and then stuff it back in the bag. These would be quite nice.” My friend called back to say, “Oh yes we could use all sizes and for both sexes as well as the package for boys.” So we bought all they had. She also asked if we would be willing to buy a certain size bag she needs for the meals for the homeless. We found those and bought the ten boxes she requested. She said that we would be paid for these, but we decided to add that to our donation. It gave us quite a good feeling to contribute just exactly what was needed. Tomorrow we will help pass out the meals for the homeless who pick the meals up at the door. We are supposed to have a blizzard tomorrow but we can walk to church so driving is no issue. Again we are happy to contribute time and energy. What a nice way to end one year and start another. Paula

Home With more snow

Hello, Yesterday seemed like the better time to be driving because only an inch of snow was predicted. Arriving at work, I took the time to secure the cloth piece that fits over the wind shield. It saves me a bit of time when cleaning off the car. Last night was a great time to have put it on because there was not much wind so I could basically flop it over to the other side and pull it off in one sweep. I have learned to clean off the rest of the car before clearing the front so I can hop in and drive away. Last night was no different. That cloth thing is stored in its own zippered pouch. I find it to be a very nice invention. Before leaving for home, I called Leroy to let him know when I was ready to leave the library since it would take some time to get the snow off and be ready to drive. I know if I am late he starts to be concerned. I was happy to hear him say that he would clear the incline in front of the garage. In fact that was a subliminal reason for calling. With the full garage door now, instead of two smaller ones, it is not so much of an issue, but I do not enjoy slipping as I go into the garage. Early in the evening, a library patron said, “It has started to snow and is a bit slippery. You must be careful on your way home.” I did not notice any slipping, but I did not drive fast either. It felt good to pull up the snow free incline and park in the garage. Leroy had also had time to do all of the sidewalks. It was so nice to walk this morning. I am so grateful for all those who promptly clear the sidewalk of snow. It is a city rule that there is 24 hours to get it done, but some ignore that and let it become solid ice. Paula

Walking outdoors at 8 degrees F.

Hello, I am going to work today. It is to snow again while I am there or coming home, but it is predicted to be only two inches and the temperature is much lower so it should be easier to drive. I am not concerned, but I will pack my winter bag of extra boots in the car along with some warmer things. I believe I usually have a sleeping bag in there since it is so easy to make compact along with a warm hat and wind breaker pants. That should help me if I go in the ditch and have to spend some time there. From now on I will also make sure there is half a tank or more of gas in the car. We walked this morning at that low temperature of 8 degrees Fahrenheit. There was little wind so it was not too bad. I wore my new packable down coat. It is not a long as my other down coat. I did notice that. I also noticed that I did not have snug enough clothing under it so the cold crept up from the bottom. Otherwise it was a warm coat. Leroy and I are so happy that we cleared the sidewalk. It is perfect for walking. The trail had not been cleared, but not many had traveled on it so it was like walking in new crusty snow. The sidewalks that had not been cleared were more of an issue as there were many frozen foot prints creating icy ridges to navigate. We should have come down to the end of the alley and cleared that snow away, but were tired when done with our own areas. Paula

Snow and a changed day

Hello, We were in the middle of remote tai chi class when it started to snow. Leroy whispered to me about putting the kids’ books in the side where the door blew off. He has been unable to fix it. In a bit, he went out and rescued them. When the wind and snow became stronger I was so glad that he had done that. We had loaded three lamps in the car to give to the refugees in our city. It was so good that we had done that before the snow came. At church we could unload under the awning, but, even so, the wind was blowing snow into the trunk. When downstairs we asked the person who takes care of these things if she needed some help. We ended by staying two hours to get things ready for the Saturday meals. Leroy asked if she needed help Saturday afternoon. She did, as two others had just cancelled because of health. It is so nice that we can make use of this unexpected time at home. Gives us purpose! I called my boss and asked if I could take today off and work tomorrow. That would give her tomorrow off. She said that was fine. As it turned out it might have been fine to drive, but at the time of the call, snow did not appear to be quitting. Shoveling gave us some exercise. It was only three inches, but was wet and heavy. Paula

Quiet Day

Hello, We are so grateful for technology that allows us to see our family even when we are apart. Good to know that things will be different in the future. Life is always changing. It is a bit difficult for us to have such an open day. I did not make or suggest any task to Leroy and he tells me, “I feel a little stir crazy.” Leroy and I took several walks to get to our total. It was a very nice day to be out. God Bless you Paula

Merry Christmas

Hello, Leroy and I will be home for Christmas. We cancelled our flight to UT. Sarah’s family in DC has two members with Covid so they cancelled. We had become quite unsure because of all the reports of the spread of the variant. We feel less anxious, but much more sadness, especially the day after we cancelled. We are ok now, but still missing something from time to time. Miriam was surprised and disappointed that we cancelled since they were all ok and we were ok. I learned that she had expected to use us to drive her around to her work places. That might have been interesting because I suspect we do not drive as she would like us to. We are too slow and deliberate. On the plus side we were able to go to choir and will be there tonight for the 10:00 pm service. I do like the piece we are singing. I just wonder if we can stay awake that late at night, certainly past our bedtime. We will walk home from the service so it will close to 11:30 by that time. It is nice out so it should be a good walk and we can keep each other alert. Hoping that your Christmas brings you joy and serenity. Peace would be good. Paula

Christmas cards mostly done

Hello, This morning Leroy and I worked very hard to get almost all of the Christmas cards in the mail. Seems to us this is about as early as we have ever managed. We included a picture of the two of us that looks quite fine. The letter, of course, is entertaining. Hopefully, it is error free. Leroy and I both checked the electronic copy and then the printed copy. Sometimes much later we will see some glaring mistake. I have great resolve to exercise more. I believe I should lift weights more. I have a nice set of weights, but lately they remain resting in the holder. I thought I might use Leroy’s bands, but after one day they were forgotten by me. I believe that I could use more muscle. The only exercise that manages to get done with regularity are the one day per week yoga and tai chi. We do manage to log a lot of steps most days, but my working days slow me down. Last night we went to a concert at the museum. Two friends went with us. Two vocalists and a pianist from the Czech Republic preformed. They now live and work in New York City. They were quite good. I knew that the man who went with us is not so into classical music, but he commented several times about how much he enjoyed it. Unlike most concerts at this time of year it was not Christmas music or if it was Christmas music, I do not know since it was all in Czech. Paula

New Shoes

Hello, I am wearing one pair of new shoes at home to learn if they are a good fit. So far it has been good for this first mail order purchase. I like to wear the shoes at least two hours before I declare them acceptable. It is better if I spend much of the time walking, but I am just not motivated to do that. I am ready to wear my new shoes when we leave town in two weeks. I have not purchased any new clothes for quite some time, so I suppose I should look into that, but I find that a chore. I should have a personal clothes buyer. Leroy and I decided not to put up or out any Christmas decorations. We usually put them out in the middle of December and take them down at Epiphany which is January 6. Because we will be gone from December 22nd to January 4th it did not seem worthwhile. Leroy now tells me he wants to put something out. If we had a small tree that could go out, but instead we will put out our manger scenes because we store them on this level, making them easier to access. Also, for the second time we cannot find our epiphany star. Surely we put it in a place which was supposed to be good for us to find it. Leroy drove to work today because of the low temperature. Yesterday we went to tai chi together and I dropped him off at work. He walked home the three miles, but was overly prepared for the cold which included wind. He said, “I was so warm when I got home that it was great to put on a short sleeved shirt for a while.” I had been a bit concerned about him being too cold, but that was not necessary. Do you think I can learn from that? Worry or fussing does not help or create the ultimate outcome, right? Paula

Papers eliminated, shoes added and health report December 4, 2021 Hello, Our last year’s tax forms were requested by our financial advisor. When looking for them, I was astonished by the amount of paper in there. Leroy is financially conservative and that includes eliminating older tax forms. He learned that seven years is plenty for us. He had them since 2001. He went through and tossed all instruction forms, or anything that did not have personal information. That took our several pounds. This morning we both went through the pile again and weeded out many more pages with careful scrutiny. He will go Monday and buy a new shredder as ours does not always work so well. He has long wanted one of the newer more meticulous ones. The house will be lighter. I have one pair of sneakers that is getting a hole. I ordered two pair online and they came today. With a short time on my feet they felt good. I will wear them at least two hours in the house before deciding that they are keepers. Miriam wrote this update for her health and I am passing on that note. “Here’s the current health update for me. It has now been three weeks since the surgery to remove the mass in my brain. Honestly having the surgery was incredibly scary and stressful for our family, but the surgeon and medical team did an excellent job of providing care for me. Once back home from the hospital the first week to week and a half were incredibly challenging with pain and needing to receive help with a great deal of basic activities of daily living. I’m happy to report that now I have not taken anything for pain in over a week and I’m feeling fairly good. I’m able to sleep through the night and have not had any seizures in over a month. I was able to return to work this past week (with a driver) and greatly enjoyed being back in the world. Thanks so much to everyone for the care, love and support we have received during this time.” I also wanted to share the pictures of my flowering cacti. I found that one orange flower to be quite a mystery. How did it come to be on a plant with only white flowers?

Paula

Masks Lost and Found

Hello, Two years ago, if I had been told I would be concerned about lost masks, I would have thought they were crazy. We have found and lost our washable masks much more than seems possible. Right now I am disgruntled because I cannot find my mask for singing. Leroy is also disgruntled because he cannot find the mask he got from the museum. We have searched in all the logical places and no masks. Just a little side note when I picked up trash in the neighborhood I found many disposable masks, but several cloth masks. The new litter of this age. We have church tonight so I must go to eat. We are walking. So it means leaving earlier than in a car, but it is such great weather for walking. Paula