Heater Work!!!

Hello, On a sunny, but cool 20-degree day we headed home. We were almost out of the city when I said, “The heat should be there now, I am getting a bit cool. Please try the heater.” This car does not have auto temp and I do not like to have the cold air blasting me before the heat comes up. I also like to drive without a coat on. I did have on a hat, gloves, and a warm scarf. Leroy commented, “The heater is not working. The fan is not blowing.” He tried turning it off and on again. No luck. Course then we both started to feel colder. Leroy grabbed his coat from the back and slipped one arm inside. He did not want to unbuckle with the fast traffic so he wrapped it around himself. “When we get out of the city, would you get my coat and stick it carefully between me and the door.” I asked or commanded. It felt a little better when that was done. The temperature, according to the car thermometer had inched up to 21 degrees only to go back to 19 degrees F. The sun coming in the window was a welcome help. Our upper bodies were almost ok. Our feet, however were another issue. I was happy that I had cruise control so I could, from time to time stamp my feet to try to warm them up. Leroy looked in the car manual to learn that there were two fuses. He was hoping that was the issue and that he would be able to replace them if we were to go to some place that might sell them. About an hour and a half later we stopped at a truck stop. We needed fuel and we both needed to go to the restroom and spend some time inside just warming up. Leroy got gas, turned the car back on and moved it closer to the building. Miracle of miracle the heater now worked. What a blessing. We turned it on high with all of the force aimed at our feet. Sometimes we forget to be grateful for all the luxuries in our lives. The rest of trip was without incident. I did remember as we got home that this car has heated seats, but neither of us thought to access that heat. Guess that was so I could relate how miserable we both were, but how grateful when it worked. Paula

Learning From Grandchildren

Hello, It is quite fine to “babysit” for children who know how to do many things and can get themselves to school without prompting from us. Yesterday, Logan gave us a bit of concern. He was to go to school on the bus instead of walking because it was -4 degrees F. Leroy was out shoveling the driveway. After a bit he noticed that Logan was no longer out there with him. He asked the neighbor kid if he knew where he was; the answer was no. We did know that when it is nicer Logan likes to walk. Brian told us that when it is colder than 20 degrees Logan is to ride the bus. When the bus came, Logan did not appear. We did not panic, but hoped he had walked since it was such a sunny day. The school did not call and report his absence. We went about our day and figured he would ride the bus home even though it was a bit warmer at maybe 10 degrees. The bus came home and Logan did not get off. By this time his older sister was home so we asked her what she thought. She figured that he had walked. Perhaps ten minutes Logan came home. We told him that we were scared when he just disappeared in the morning and did not come home on the bus. Today it was -5 degrees when he got on the bus and 11 degrees when he came home on the bus. The kids tell us how to operate the oven, stove top, and dish washer in the kitchen. They also know how to use the TV and the washer and dryer. Yesterday at noon, I had wanted to scramble some eggs, but could not figure out how to turn on the stove top. The microwave was in our skill set so I used that. Both Logan and Sophia are already cooking and using the kitchen fairly efficiently. Paula

Why Minnesota in the Winter?

Hello, Brian and Jen are out of town for a couple days, so Leroy and I are here to “drive kids around”. These grands are old enough and responsible enough to do almost everything by themselves, except the driving. On Monday, we heard more about the approaching Tuesday storms so we panicked, changed plans, and started a day early. We thought the freezing rain in our area was not to come until midnight which I suppose was true as we left ahead of that. However, we did not miss it totally because leaving Spring Valley, MN after a pit stop, the warning light came on in the car which told us there was poor traction. I was now driving, so I dropped the speed significantly. That light stayed on for a good long time. We finally called Brian asking him to check where we would leave this behind. If not, we were planning to look for a motel even though we had not slipped at all. It was a bit better around Rochester as they had put that liquid on the road. Finally, the light went off for a short time. This drizzle was so weird. We could barely see it until it was frozen on the windshield. The windshield wipers were unable to remove it so we had to turn on the heat full blast and we both sweat up a storm. From time to time, we would turn down the heat only to have it build up again. When we would go past a light by a ramp I would tell Leroy, “Look up at the light and see if that stuff is still coming down.” By this time the temperature was as 27 degrees F. Much too cold to be still a liquid coming down, but it was. Brian called to let us know that it should be better after Pine Island, MN which was not so terribly far. We elected to keep going. At Pine Island the temp was down to 22. Surely now it would change to snow, but it did not for another ten miles. When the warning light in the car went away, I did not put it on cruise, but stayed with manual control and at times sped more than I have in recent years. I wanted to put on some distance. Oops, that light was back on and I had to slow down for a while before going faster again. Even after we saw a sign proclaiming that it was only 25 miles to St. Paul, the light came on, the temperature was now 18 degrees F. It was still like rain coming down. The heating system was not getting the window clear enough. Just as we drove out of it, we chose a spot to pull over. Leroy got out the scrapper and cleared the window as well as the lights he said, “They were caked with ice, too.” Grateful that we made it safely. Grateful for that light coming on in the car, because frequently I could not see that much on the pavement. We did go past one car that had spun out so it was not all good. Paula

Stamps and Leroy

Stamps and Leroy February 18, 2022 Hello, Leroy went to the museum this morning to work on the stamp collection with two volunteers from the stamp club. He was there from 9:00-1:00. He is also volunteering, but he is the one who knows where things are at the museum. He also commented that they made plans to come back again tomorrow morning. He was pleased that they did not have to put things away, but could leave them in the classroom and lock the door. That will save them quite a bit of time. He also commented they need a stamp catalog for stamp identification. I gather this is a bit expensive, but there is a source of money for this type of thing. Monday he will go back, but this time it is for safety training. He has taken that bit of work before, but he feels he could use a refresher course. We have had a small amount of safety training at my work. I, at least, know where the flashlights are and where to if inclement weather comes. Not quite sure what I would do if someone came in and was threatening. Leroy has his stamp things out on the table in the computer room, but now he probably does not have the time or inclination to tend to his own collection. We could use some more stamps to mail letters. I will try to get Leroy to go since he knows what he wants in addition to the ones I want. Sometimes I try to guess what he has or needs. That is not always successful. Paula

Working, Thinking Retirement

Hello, I have said I would retire after my birthday next winter. It must be the right decision as I am starting to look forward to that time. It will be nice to stay home instead of thinking of driving in snow and ice. I am still grappling with the idea that I might still do yoga and tai chi as a library volunteer. Just now I realize that I would need to have a key to the meeting room. There was a light mix of snow and rain last night coming down as I was driving home. At that point it was not really an issue. This morning I found it more noticeable as there seemed to be a frozen coating on the less used roads. This morning, a car was parked in the alley at the end I usually use. I had to use the other direction and chose a smaller street to get on the thoroughfare. At the stop sign the car slipped a bit which put me on alert. Surely just driving in town to an appointment would be so much easier. Leroy told me he is going to going back to work for some time on Friday and Monday, days when we usually have off together. Although I will also be working in the morning on Monday. I like some alone time and it is not so easy to find in the apartment. Certainly, that will be an adjustment when we both retire. Can we/I handle all that together time? It seems we have managed for a bit over 50 years so we will probably figure it out. One of the violets is blooming well and the other seems to need to be repotted. I like to repot outside so that will happen sometime in the future. Our amaryllis, that is from last year is now blooming beautifully. The pink cactus has six buds on it. One of those seed pods is still on. I must pick it because the other two pods disappeared. The white cactus has only three buds, but I am happy to see those when they bloom. Paula

Random Act of Kindness

Hello, On the radio they were talking about the benefits of random acts of kindness. There were positive outcomes. I resolved that I will try to focus on doing one a day or even more. I am not planning to do big things, but small things. For instance, this morning I went to the Hy-Vee store close to me and saw a gold cab on the unloading truck. I know that this driver has driven 1,000,000 safe, accident free, miles for the company. I decided I should complement him for that. I got done with my tasks and looked in the back to see if he were around, “Shoot, the door was closed,” but I talked to a store worker about that. He seemed never to have heard of such a thing as a gold cab on the delivery trucks. As I went out the door, I noticed the truck was still there, the driver pulled away from the unloading door and walked back to shut the rig’s doors. I walked fast and waved to him when I got close, “I noticed your gold cab, thank you for safe driving for the million miles.” His face broke into a big grin. We chatted a bit more and I learned that he was from Chariton. “Are you going for the black, two million mile cab? I wondered. “Maybe, but you never know what is going to happen,” he reflected. I wished him luck, congratulated him once more, wished him a good day and went on my way home, happy to have elicited a genuine smile from a stranger. Paula

No Super Bowl for us

Hello, Leroy and I are not watching “the game” or the half time show or the ads. We sometimes do not fit in the culture. Someone asked Leroy about the game this morning and Leroy asked, “Who is playing?” I have known there was such a game as I heard about it in college. I could not imagine people being so interested in it. What do I know? We did walk to church this morning. Ahead of walking time, Leroy cleared the side walk in front of the house. Because of hidden ice under this coating, we decided that it was best to walk in the street, except on the busiest street. When we came home, we went out to clear the area in back of the garage. It added some steps, but we were still short by 2 or 3 thousand. Leroy has now reached his goal, but I need 700 more. Neither of us wanted to walk outside again because of the wind and low temperature, it was quite uncomfortable. I finished watching a movie, even though I am not sure that I really liked it. I kept expecting it to make more sense or get better. Leroy is now watching a program or movie that I do not want to see. We have a hard time on occasion finding something we both want to watch. Tonight, we will watch, on PBS, around the world in 80 days. We have both enjoyed it. I had thought I might have read the book, but so far nothing is anything I remember. Yesterday I finished reading, A serial killer’s daughter. I found it quite interesting. That would certainly be a tough experience to learn that your father was a serial killer. Paula

Not much Walking

Hello, With the temperature at about 3 degrees and we got up late we did not do our morning walk before breakfast. Then the day intruded. I invited a friend to come over so I could help her with the tai chi form. Before she came, we raced around dusting, vacuuming, and sweeping. It seems we should have people over more often. Last Saturday Leroy did some cleaning while I was working because we had someone over to celebrate his birthday. I would like to have more people over, but I find I am no longer comfortable having people for a meal since we eat such different things. I am worried that they might not like what I prepare. I suppose I could even follow a recipe once in a while. This afternoon Leroy and I did walk up to the pharmacy that is close to discuss my prescription with them. Besides being close, it has the added advantage of a place to be inside for a short time. It was now about 12 degrees, however the wind was quite noticable. On the way home, Leroy told me he was going to add on our morning walk. Not one to let him get ahead of me in the step department I added it also. Unfortunately, it only got us up to about half of the steps that we wanted to do. I guess this is just a day off. Paula

How Many Pillows?

Hello, I received some money for an action team from my insurance company. I had told them I would use the money to collect personal items for the refugees in our community. Well yesterday I learned that several of them were being moved to apartments in the next two days and they really needed 24 pillows as well as many twin sized sheets as would be available from the rest of the money. This morning I headed off to get a haircut and learned the I would have to wait 25 minutes. Since a place I could get pillows was close, I went there to check out the prices and supply. I could get 22 in the one size and supplement that with two from a lower cost bin. I calculated that I could get ten sheet sets. How would I get those pillows out of the store? With my time now limited, I went back to get my haircut. It is cut and about as short as I have ever had it. There are some curls next to my ears that stick out at odd angles, especially when wearing a mask. To take those off and make it all look good required more cutting than I am used to, but hair will grow back, right? At the store they felt that they could get some help for me, but no one was available so I just got one shopping cart and filled it as much as I could. I was able to leave it with a guy who kept an eye on it. When I returned with the second cart, I decided that I could move them to the check out. The guy showed me how to push one and pull the other. Then he commented, “You are in training.” At the checkout, I failed to see the 20 items or less sign, but there were not many people in the store and none in line behind me. I counted up the pillows and she was able to ring them up in groups. These pillows barely fit in two carts. A shopper wondered what I was doing with all the pillows. He smiled when he learned I was getting them for the refugees. I explained that it was not my own money. But he still thought that was great. I miscalculated and did not spend the entire amount or more. I thought I would make up the difference. Since it was a struggle getting as far as I had I decided that I would come back another day. Then it was an issue of how to get them to and in the car. The friendly guy at the front of the store said, “I will watch them while you get your car.” I started out only to realize there was no place to park close to the store so back in I went. My plan now was to move the carts one at a time. That worked, but outside with the first cart the wind caught me and the pillows by surprise with two of them flying off the cart. Someone helped me corral them. After that I was more careful. Then there was the logics of stuffing them in the car, but I made that. With the second cart I wonder if I was missing a pillow, but do not really know. At least I delivered all that I had. Paula

Learning New Things

Hello, We have a new computer complete with new windows and new word software. I think I set something up for saving my letters. The file goes there automatically, automatic saving sounded like a good thing, but it is important to have the folder what and where you want it. It is not easy for me to figure out how to change the saving path or how to move the already saved items. In the old software I knew how to do this easily. Perhaps I should have gone through a tutorial on either the windows are word which was offered, but I thought I was good to go. Pride? Would you believe that just now I got a message about how to rename a document? The real question is, can I find those other files and then remember what to do? It was easier in the past to buy a new item because there was no so much learning about use except plug it in and turn it on. Leroy just went out on some shopping errands and to mail those letters. He remembered shopping lists, but not the letters. I tried to call him, but his phone must be silent (from church), because he did not answer. Another trip will be required to get this done. Perhaps we will just call our granddaughter and tell her the birthday card is coming late. I could try to go to work a bit early and go past the post office. It is just a longer way to get there. Since Leroy is home, he can wash dishes and I can just leave when I am finished eating. If I think about it there are solutions, but just not what I would select as the best. Leroy just came home and told me he will walk to the post office in the 15 degree temperature and get those letters in the mail. He needs a walk. I suspect it is two miles one way. Paula

Mail Days

Hello, The mail came today. I had two letters to mail, but did not know today, Sunday, would be a mail delivery day. We will have to make a trip to a blue box on the street or even go to the post office. These days we get mail about every three days, but we cannot be sure. Daily mail was something we took for granted, but not anymore. We are grateful when it gets here. Leroy got two birthday cards today, his birthday was Thursday. The cards might have been mailed with days to spare in “normal” times. Even at work, Leroy tells that sometimes it only happens every other day. We do not want to take it to his work for an alternative delivery place. I learned that in Ely the mail delivery is daily, but it seems silly to me to mail my letters there as they are brough back to Cedar Rapids and sent out to the world from here. There have been days when the mail has come at 9:00 at night. One mail carrier told me they are working many hours. I just hope they stay well. Sometimes they come late into a neighborhood and cover a route with three or four people so it gets done faster. They also have separate trucks that deliver packages. Paula

Children’s Health

Hello, Brian tells us he is making progress with healing of the ACL repair. It is not yet back to “normal”. Miriam posted this and I thought I would share the good news. “I’m hoping this will be my final post in regards to the seizures and brain surgery that I had done in November. As of today, I have been off of all seizure medication for over 2 weeks and I’m thrilled to report that I am seizure free now and have been since the end of October. With this success, I’m now allowed to drive again and feel as though I have a new lease on life! My family and I are incredibly grateful for all of the love and support we have felt throughout this wild journey of life that I hope to never repeat again!” Somehow these adult people are still children from time to time in my mind. To a degree our children’s health affects our health if there is stress involved. Often, we have known for years there is not much we can change about it. We just hope and pray for the best outcomes. Even telling them what to do, as if we know best, is not an option. Paula

Covid Test Anyone?

Hello, Someone that I was with on Thursday called to tell me that she had tested positive for Covid. She had planned to have some medical work done. The test was given on Friday and she had just received the result. She had no symptoms so she was quite surprised. I did Tai Chi over the internet this morning so that was not a problem. After that I started the search for the rapid test. I also have no symptoms. My boss told me that when they needed a rapid test, she started calling all locations of a national pharmacy in Cedar Rapids. I tried calling, but all I manage to get was an automation, but it stated that the unit closest to our home had the tests. I hopped in the car and went in with the 95 mask in place. The woman I spoke with could not believe that it said they had those tests. “We have not had those for a long time now. We have no covid tests, but we do have the masks. And they are over there. I guess over there is not very clear,” she said as she led me to the bin. They were in plastic bags with instructions to take only one bag per customer. The bag had seven masks in it. I was happy to get those, but not so happy to not have the test. On the way home, since it was 38 degrees F. I stopped to get the car washed. It is so nice to see out the windows more clearly and to have the backup camera clean. I, again, looked for a phone number for another national pharmacy. After listening to and pushing buttons as instructed by another automated speaker, I learned that they do not provide information over the phone as to where there might be tests. I just headed off to the store and did not stop to ask anyone in the front area, but went to the pharmacy counter. There I learned that they did have tests to sell, how many did I want. I took one box of two tests, drove carefully home avoiding puddles, read instructions two times, followed instructions, and learned in fifteen minutes that I was negative. I know that these are not as reliable, but I plan to spent most of the next three days at home. Hopefully I will not be exposing any vulnerable people. Paula