Confirmation

Hello, One of our granddaughters was confirmed yesterday. Leroy was pleased to be asked to confirm her as he had also baptized her. This service is called affirmation of baptism. So, it seemed quite fitting for Leroy to do it. We all participated in the laying on of hands which is indicative of the support and prayers of family. We had a good, but quick trip up to their home in Minnesota. We saw many hawks, either flying or sitting. At Brian’s house I saw a turkey hop over a fence. When we tried to see it more clearly, because could it really be a turkey that bird was not to be found. However, someone then noticed a group of five in front of the house. It was fun to see them so close and in a suburban area. On our drive we only had one exciting time. A car was passing another vehicle on a two-lane road. They were coming right at me in my lane. I pulled off the road as did the truck behind me. It seems that we were three vehicles in a two-vehicle space. Because we were gone for this cold weather, we did not get to the community garden to pull up and harvest the last tomatoes. This afternoon, we, and one other person, went and pulled all of the tomatoes as well as some weeds. That meant organizing the tomato cages, picking up stakes, and the hose. It is good to get these chores done. I did harvest as much Swiss chard as I could. The other person did not like it so I took it all. There are still a number of plants there that are in the cabbage family, but that will be for another day’s work. Paula

Random Thoughts

Hello, On our trip west we saw an interesting sight in the hotel parking lot. It was off to the side, but I had to look closer. It was a group of colorful barriers that had been snapped together to make a low corral. In that corral were nine lively puppies. Their owners explained that they were getting a potty/drink break on the long trip to their new home. They were cute. We enjoyed the fruitful bounty of the west as we munched pears and apples. Washington state has many orchards. They ship fruit around the country, but it is nice to get it closer to the tree of origin. Today on my walk around the neighborhood, I decided to stop and take a picture of the new mural. It was on the side of a building that houses some of the Eastern Iowa Arts Academy. I suppose the picture reflects some of that influence or perhaps someone associated with that organization made it.

After a dry summer we are getting some rain. It is late for this year’s crops, but probably will be good for next year. Leroy sat under a blue light to help get rid of the precancerous spots on his head. That baldness does not protect his head from the sun. Our mail was not delivered yesterday. I kept wondering if it was because of a holiday I did not know about. I saw the mail carrier today. He said, “I was off yesterday and they did not have a person to do my route.” Paula

Trash pickup

Hello, We did catch a mouse. Now the question is; was it a lone visitor or did relatives and friends come too? No more have been caught, but we do not always see that as fool proof. I made a trip to our social security office. I am happy to relate that it was not so very long to wait and all is ok. I had gotten a letter from them telling me that my account was to be terminated and exchanged for a larger amount. For some reason my record showed no income for four years when I had worked. I started the process to fix this last year before I retired. Another letter explained that my Social Security checks had been incorrect. It is all updated now and I am getting a higher amount, not a lot, but I will notice it when the check comes next month. After I got home, Leroy said, “I want to walk.” “That is fine,” I replied, “but I am going to pick up trash on our block. I want to fill the bag from the city and it can be put out for collection this week.” Leroy felt too guilt not to come too. We filled up the bag so it can go away. Leroy found a nice screwdriver. I found some paper money that I will check to make sure it is real and four pennies. We have decided to give away the bill since it is not ours and we know someone who can use it.

It would be nice if people who smoke would dispose of the cigarette butts in a proper place. They are hard to pick up. Apparently, it is not good for the earth to have them lying around. We are not good at selfies so we took a picture of each of us with that one bag. Paula

Mouse Visitor

Hello, How does it fit when you go to a study at church with talk of no violence for others and I want to do violence towards this mouse that is in our house? We saw the critter two days ago. First Leroy saw it run from the kitchen to the attic door. A bit later, I saw it in the bathroom and he also saw it there. As usual it runs and darts out of sight before we can to anything about it. We have had three traps set for a long time. The peanut butter seems to have turned to something black and probably rancid. I put on new peanut butter on top of that black appearance. The mouse has ignored it. Guess it is a smart mouse. Then we have two newer traps that I also put peanut butter on. The mouse seems to have eaten it off without springing the trap even though I found it hard to set without having it slam shut. Mouse is smarter or more delicate than I am? I now tried some pecans in the holes of those traps hoping that will cause the mouse to be a bit careless. I am not afraid of mice, but I am not excited about having them take up residence with me. Fall is the perfect time for them to find a winter home, but not my home. How many traps do we need? Does five seen like enough? Should I clean off the old ones and reset them? Life is full of decisions. Paula

More hiking October 19, 2023 Hello, I should let you know that we especially liked the Bible studies. The guy who led them was very good. The other daily sessions were also quite thought provoking. So we did more than just walk around. One day we saw some deer were visiting the village. They seemed wary of people, but somewhat accustomed to seeing humans.

Our second hike which was a little longer had more steep places to it. Leroy and I do not agree on the length, so let me just say it was more than a mile long. I wish I had taken off my hat for the picture, but can’t now.

There were some rocks on the trail in places. One of our group slipped and fell on those, but as she said, “I had a soft landing.” The last day’s hike was the longest. Again, Leroy and I disagree about how far we went. I did not want to do the entire nine miles so we found someone else who was going for just some of the trip. This woman was an experienced forest person, but she had injured a knee and did not want to stress it. We did cross a log bridge which took a little courage to traverse. It was only as wide as the tree which had been sawed flat on one side. There were poles attached to it with wire going through the poles. The wire was rather loose so it was not as stable feeling as it might have been. Balance was key for a good outcome. One person on the trip did collapse from heat. This person was not with us, but their group had passed us on the way up. I learned what happens in an emergency. One person ran back to the village, and reported. Then a physician’s assistant was contacted, a helicopter was alerted, and young staff members gathered equipment and ran up the mountain to help bring the person down. As it turned, out they could walk down, but with help and support. I just liked the last picture that was taken at night.

Paula

Hiking October 17, 2023 Hello, We did get some hikes or walks done almost every day. What is the difference between a walk and a hiked? On the rainy, misty days we just covered some trails that are in the village or to the edge. Our first hike of a mile was to “ten-mile falls”. It was not a very steep walk, but we did have to climb over a tree that had fallen on the path.

There had been a fire that surrounded the village in 2015. There were many burned trees. We were warned that one could fall at any time. I suppose we would need to figure the direction of fall and avoid that.

The trunk of the tree on the path came up to my thighs, so it took some thought about how to get over the thing. It turned out to be easier on the way up then the way down. All in all, it was a nice walk without much altitude change. Certainly, a nice first walk. We were also told that we must not go out with less than two people. That was so that if there was a problem and someone was hurt, one could stay with the injured and the other could go back to the village for help. I also did not want to go without someone who knew something about the area or even about hiking in the mountains. Paula

The Village

Hello, I found some pictures on Leroy’s phone and sent them to me so I could share with you.

The boat goes up the lake daily so the village is able to get supplies. People can also come and go any day of the week. Or some people do hike in so they can appear at any time. Some of the buildings are on a level spot, but many of them are on the mountain slope. It can be noticeably steep to go from building to building. Paths were covered with bricks or rocks. I am happy to say that I did not slip on them even in the rain, but I was cautious. No running up and down for me.

Our lodge had a second floor with 14 rooms on our level. There was a room with a bathtub. But showers/toilets were at the end of the hall. In our room, we had a sink along with a double bed two bunk beds, a desk, one chair, and closets with room for hanging and drawers. It certainly gave us plenty of space. The first three days had rain for which people in the village were grateful as their electricity comes from hydroelectric power. It had been dry in the summer and the creek was getting low. Paula

Going up the Mountain

Hello, We were ahead of most people so I was able to take a picture of the dock without a lot of luggage or people on it.

The boat held at least sixty or more people. It was full of many who were going to our destination. Many of these people had been there in the past and they were renewing friendships. As an introvert, I realized I would have to get used to meeting 90 or so new faces that I might try to remember. It felt a little daunting. The scenery was beautiful and peaceful as it flowed past. This trip took a bit over two hours. It was sunny and breezy so a jacket was helpful when outside. At one stop we did drop off some hikers with large backpacks. I realized that I could not do that type of thing since, if my regular backpack weighs too much, I get a headache. There were three school buses waiting for us to haul us up to the village. This trip started with nine switchbacks. They were quite tight turns. I was happy to have someone else do the driving. On one turn he had to stop and back a little to change the angle so we could make it around. It was beautiful with a great view of the lake fading in the distance. The village is from a copper mine started in the 1930’s. some of the buildings have disappeared and some have been maintained. There are some cottages, lodges, a one room school, and several public meetings buildings including the dining hall which was important at the moment because we were hungry. The food was much like we eat at home. Mostly prepared on site and almost no meat. They did have boiled eggs available at all time as well as fresh homemade bread, peanut butter, jams, fresh fruit, and breakfast type food, as well as three types of granolas. Paula

Things figured out

Hello, When we got to the motel for the second night’s stay, we learned that they did not have two rooms for us and our friends. It is not clear how the mistake was made, but it was made, so now we had to deal with it. The person at the motel suggested that we try the next one down the street. At that place, rooms were available, however they required a two-night stay. We planned only one night. We drove on eventually stopping at a very lavish looking place. It was indeed an expensive place, but they owned the two-night stay requiring place. The person at the desk called the other establishment and told them we would be able to stay for just one night. What a gift! We stayed close to a restaurant which was just a short walk away. That worked out well for dinner and breakfast. The next morning, we headed out, rested and refreshed. Leroy and Paul had become quite skilled at getting all of our belongings organized in the car. This was a much shorter drive than previous days. Curves in the road were the order of the landscape as we traveled alongside the lake. We were in plenty of time to unload the car, park the car, and wait for the boat to take us up the lake because there was no longer a road into the wilderness. It was a nice sunny day with beauty around in the area. Paula

Some trip details

Hello, We take the city bus to get the airport. We do not get on the bus at the end of our block, but two blocks away, so it is still something that we can manage quite easily. On the bus I shamelessly “eaves drop”. One woman was telling a guy, “I hate myself because I wasn’t there for her. I have been sober for eight months.” I assumed this was my time to pray for her and her loved ones. Our trip to the airport was just like we have experienced in the past. At the airport we sailed through TSA because we now had our global entry pre check. At the moment we were there, we could have almost been as fast in the regular line. Our flights were uneventful just as we like them to be. Our friends met us at the airport and took us to our night’s lodging. We were well taken care of as they provided a light breakfast before we embarked on our driving trip of 450 miles. They each did take a turn driving, but I also had a time driving. I can say that I did drive at the 80-mph speed limit, but only on the straight places. Not so much on the hills and curves. We made it to our night’s lodging in fine time. It was good to get out of the car and spend some time walking around. We left home when the temperatures were warm. Now it was time to put on some warmer clothes. Those mountains graciously provide the coolness. We went over three mountain passes and saw big horned cattle, geese, rocks, trees, clouds, rain, a hint of sun, semi-trucks with three trailers, and a majority of license plates from Montana. Paula

Home Again

Hello, My favorite browser was down when we came home so I could not see emails or other internet information. We had no internet at the village and no phone service. It was quite fine to be cut off from the outside world for a solid week, but I surely expected to get back to the old routine as soon as I was home. We came home late Tuesday evening and I was busy Wednesday. Thursday, I looked but had no success so ignored it as I has things to do. Friday I finally started to miss the connection to the world when the browser would not come up. Today Leroy finally had the bright idea of simply reloading the browser. Success! Guess that guy is worth keeping for some time yet. I will give a fuller report of our travels in the days to come. There was some adventure, peace, thought provoking talks, hikes, shared meals, and just some time for breathing. I have been picking green beans in the community garden. I do not want to can them, but am not sure we can eat them all. Although some of them have grown past the point of good use. I did post that there were plenty, but I could not tell that many had been picked by anyone else. We have watered at church each day, but Leroy worked three of the days we have been home. Yesterday, he rode his bike in spite of a little rain and much wind. I thought the wind might blow him over. He tells me it was a struggle to stay upright, at times. Paula