Money

Hello, Just when we thought we needed to take some money out of savings to cover expected expenses, we got money from unexpected sources. We are getting a tax refund from the federal government. We cannot remember when such a thing last happened. I actually do not mind paying taxes in the end of the year as long as I have some money available. I also see that my social security has finally been figured out for the year they had me as not working so I will also get a check for the back amount. We are richer than we thought. Is this a place to apply that saying of “Counting your chickens before they hatch?” We were just counting on the negative instead of the positive. This should help me to realize that I must relax about many things that are not so visible. Things are not always the way they appear. It is a beautiful sunny day today. However, there is a strong wind and not high temperatures. My friend came with no hat, no gloves and a light jacket. Luckily, my downstairs friend saw him and loaned him a scarf, hat, and gloves. He made the walk just fine, although we were both ready to be done by the time we got back to the house. Leroy did not ride his bike today. That is probably a good thing. He is taking it much easier than he has in the past. Age or sensibility is catching up with him. Paula

Fly in the House

Hello, We seem to have a resident fly. How long can a fly live? This fly is larger than a fruit fly, but smaller than a house fly. We do not have a species name for it. We have seen it for several days. Flitting around nervously. One day it was sitting on a window, but behind the blind. Raising the blind caused it to fly away. Another day it was on the table, however the fly swatter was on the side away. Walking around disturbed that flighty fly. Today it was on the counter. I managed to get the swatter, but missed on the swat. Does this fly lead a charmed life or is it reproducing, but only one at a time? We have never seen two flies at the same time or in the same room. This fly hangs out in the kitchen, but once in a while it ventures into the bathroom. How did it get here anyway? It is still winter and not the season for flies. We do not have screens on the windows so have not opened them even on the warmer days. I have been thinking that I should get a few screens from the attic, clean them, clean the windows and enjoy a nice warm breeze when it comes. I did open the kitchen window when I saw that fly close, hoping it would just fly out. To encourage that motion I flapped a towel at it. It has not been seen for some time now, perhaps it did fly away. Paula

Observations

Hello, This morning, Leroy and I walked to church. He wanted to pick up some papers there and I wanted to drop off books at a store for library pick up as well as drop off some medicine containers at a free health clinic. I had been told they only needed the smaller size containers because they get too many of the larger size. We had the labels off so they were ready to go. Someone came to the door as we were there so we did not have to go in. I asked, “Is this size that you can use?” “Yes,” the woman replied. “You do not want the larger size? We get so many in that size, even if it is a small number of tablets.” I added. “We don’t use many of the larger size.” She went on to blame the government for the waste. I am not sure what the government has to do with it, but I think some people blame the government for everything. Grass is green and flowers seem to be coming back after the snow has melted. Someone told me we are 20 days ahead of schedule in the flower growing/blooming department. I am a bit concerned about what the future will hold. On our walk this afternoon we saw something at the edge of the park near our home. Leroy asked, “What is that?” On closer inspection we found it to be three, large, brown, dead, chickens. We let the nonemergency police number know. Questions, but no answers. Paula

Leroy Happy

Hello, Leroy was quite pleased. About 15 people came to the opening of the exhibit. Most of them were interested in stamps. He talked some as did the director of the museum. There is a small power point presentation as well as stamps on display. The stamps are from the early times to the present of the countries of Czech and Slovakia. There are some that they still do not have, but someone commented that it is perhaps the most complete and best collection in the country. Leroy felt quite fine about that. He and some volunteers have put in about 1000 hours getting it organized. Now he is focusing on a very large donation that they have been given recently. They need more shelves to hold all of this, but do not know if the building is strong enough to hold it all. This morning, we saw that the temperature was not so cold, but it seemed much colder when we got outside. The wind was strong and damp. We were both happy to get to church. We are grateful for heated spaces. Sometimes we take all that for granted. We forget how privileged we are. Paula

Leroy’s Project

Hello, Leroy went to work this afternoon. There is the opening of a stamp exhibit that he and three members of the stamp club have worked on for almost two years. They met on Mondays and organized the stamps in albums. It was a big job. Then just recently Leroy has created a display in the library to showcase their work. The grand opening is today. Leroy has been a bit anxious about this endeavor. He had to go early because he just could wait no longer. The big problem is that I cannot imagine many people coming today to see that. Iowa women are playing in the NCAA tournament at the same time as the opening. I expect people are glued to their source of viewing this event. Stamps take a back seat. But at least they are in a good place for the future. This morning Leroy and I went out and shoveled a bit more by the two neighbors clearing the path to the street. We were so tired yesterday that we could not get that done. If emergency workers needed to come for any reason, it would be good if they had a clear path. Leroy had thought of that earlier. It feels good to get that done. The sun helps to get rid of anything that we missed. Paula

Bandage Free Again

Hello, Yesterday I went bandage free. It was freeing indeed. My nose looks fairly good, but not back to what it once was. No more fussing about what it will look like in the end. It will be fine. Today we were not expecting snow, but we got snow. Perhaps as much as five inches. We did not shovel until it was almost done. It was wet and heavy, but we got all of the walks cleared as well as that of two neighbors. Guess that keeps us strong. Any additional snow melted on contact with the sidewalk as the temperature is now in the 40s. A load of clothes has been washed and bread dough is rising. Makes for a good day. The banned book, Huckelberry Finn was the discussion point at a meeting last night. Most of us liked the book, but found some things that created some discourse. I have now started Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury. Have I read it before? Not sure. It is not taking my attention as much as I would like. Perhaps I feel as if doom is coming. Paula

Oops!

Hello, The bag of things too heavy to carry to church was placed on the bench in the back porch so I could drop it off on my way back from tai chi. Getting close to the church, I realized no bag was in the car. I had walked right past it on the way out the door this morning. I wash my face, let it dry, put on petroleum jelly, call Leroy to assist putting on the bandages to keep my nose covered. Apparently, my face was not dry enough because the bandages would not stick. After some struggle, Leroy put on tape over the bandages. That tape is white and wide. Many people wanted to know what had happened to me. It does look a bit serious. Our bandage supply is running low so we did not want to put on new bandages. At least this worked. Now I put that heavy bag in the car so the next time the car goes it will be delivered to church. Tomorrow, there will be more drying time. In spite of the wind, I delivered neighborhood newsletters. It was a challenge sometimes to figure out a way to secure them so they would not sail away to the next town. One more block is to be done for this month. Paula

Better Today

Hello, The weather is more pleasant today. It was rather cold this morning, but the wind is not so strong now so my walk was quite pleasant. Also, my nose is better. I had, perhaps been a little careless because it did not seem like such a big deal as the surgery. I had not had it covered some of the time. it has been covered and it looks much better than it did. I am treating it like the royalty that it is. It is certainly front and center on my face. More than once I exclaimed to Leroy, “I should not have been so vain as to want to look better when it looked fairly good.” I finished reading Huckelberry Finn. I have read it before, but it has been a long time. It certainly is a serious, funny book. But I did get a little tired of all the fooling around. Paula

Only the Hardy

Hello, Leroy and I walked to church today. It was a challenge. My face hurt from the cold by the time we arrived. Leroy forgot his phone, but remembered before we had gone a block. He went back, while I forged ahead. Between the low temperatures and the wind, it was not pleasant. Coming home was better, but not balmy. We have discussions about the best way to walk that will block some of the wind. I walked outside this afternoon. It was warmer, but still not so much fun. The pubs or taverns in our neighborhood seem to be doing a brisk business. There was a lot of green around. Except around the pubs I did not see other people. One bike rider was on the trail, but that was it. Leroy walked in front of the tv while he watched some show that I was probably not interested in seeing. I still want 1000 steps so I will also watch something and take those steps. It is not as good for the mind and spirit as it is when outside, but there is a sense of accomplishment. Surely the heart likes it. Paula

Hard Jobs

Hello, “There is too much junk in this house”, I moaned to myself. It was easy to pack up a bag of it, but what to do with it now. For the clothing items it was easy. For the random cords that go to what item, it was not so easy. If we move in a bit over a year from now some of those things will have to be faced and eliminated. On the desk there seems to be a growing pile of paper scraps that cannot be filed, but… We delivered newsletters again this afternoon. On the surface that is not hard, but the wind was quite strong. At one house one woman told me that she did not need one because she already had one. Mystified, I commented, “It is new. This is my route. Who else would do it?” She replied she did not need another and marched off. I have talked to her before that conversation was also a bit different. I did not deliver to her door. At an apartment building a rather large guy was sitting on the bottom step. When he did not appear to be moving so I could go past, I asked, “Do you live here?” Told me what apartment and I handed him the flyer before moving to the lower doors. He then called to me, “Do you want to go upstairs? I was not thinking.” He then moved and I went up. He seemed like a nice friendly sort. Paula

Bandage Off

Hello, The bandage was loose this morning, so off it came. My nose was much redder than I had expected and there was quite a bit of blood in the gauze. Somehow it seemed like a small job, therefore there should not be so much evidence of something out of the ordinary. It was hard to wash it off because I did not want to touch it. Then I had to apply some petroleum jelly, which gives it a noticeable shine. Guess I am ready to play Rudolph with no additional makeup. It was not hard for me to go out in public with the bandage on my nose, but I feel hesitant to go out now. Leroy and I will deliver neighborhood newsletters this afternoon. I will go to the pharmacy this morning to refill a prescription. Hopefully, by Sunday when the choir sings in church it will all look better. So many people told me they thought I was brave to go out with that bandage on, I wonder what they will thing of this. At least it does not hurt so in that sense it is no big deal. It is just cosmetic. Those who had “face planted” would ask if that is what I did. They would then proceed to tell of their experience. The skin cancer people would assume it was that, again there would often be some explanation. This crowd is falling or skin cancer survivors. Good group to be in, survivors. Leroy forgot to water the plants at the museum so he rode his bike there now. He can also stop at the library on his way home. It is a nice day out. He did not ride to work yesterday because we had a nice amount of rain. The rain barrel is not full, but heavy so that is good. Paula

Sand Job?

Hello, I had a sanding of my nose this morning. It was a possibility, but had hoped not. It is not painful except for the deadening process. More than once the nurse told me she could give me a break if I needed it. Long, slow, deep breaths got some relaxation in place. Amazing how we have some coping skills, if we can just remember then. The bandage needs to stay on for 24 to 48 hours. At least this time I feel much peppier, but then it was not such an invasive procedure. This is a vanity move. The choice was up to me, do it or not. Vanity won out. There is a dip in the scar and I guess it will take care of that. For no

w I just have a large bandage. The biopsy that was done last week came back with a good result. It was a precancer spot and the biopsy removes it. So nice to have health care people who can take care of these things and even know what they are doing. My brother’s birthday is today. He is 75 years old. He commented that our father died when he was 76. Wow, my age. I had thought he was older than that. He seemed old at the time, but now it seems young. Our mother lived to be 86. Paula

Trips and Money

Hello, Our friends “drag us along” on trips. We always enjoy them and learn a lot besides relaxing. When we look at the prices by ourselves, we often feel we can’t do it, too expensive. It takes someone more willing to release money from our tight grip to get us on the move. Grateful that we have friends who are interested in many of the same things. We have had many years of being very careful with money because it was often just enough to cover expenses. Now we do not have to be so careful, but on a daily basis we still are cautious. It is easier to do without many things that attract. We know we can be happy and satisfied with much of what we have. It is good that we have people who help us to gain some new experiences. We are looking at the possibility of a cruise around New Zealand and part of Australia. It is the most expensive venture we have looked at, but our friends are interested. We will talk more. Australia does seem quite an interesting place to go. The distance from home makes it cost more to get there. It cost quite a bit to go visit Sarah’s family in Kenya, but I have never been sorry about that. It is interesting, but Leroy and I are more comfortable giving money away then spending it on ourselves. Today we chatted with the friends and took this expensive trip off the agenda. Paula

Blooms, blooms, blooms!

Hello, My indoor plants are just blooming away. The orchid is just at its fullest glory now. The amaryllis is opening. As is a white Thanksgiving Cactus opens and the pink has only one left. Now the coleus is blooming as well. It is a pretty flower, but I often pinch it off to make it branch out a little more. What beauty in my life.

Then there is Leroy. He is a nice guy, kind and considerate as well as intelligent and generous. How is that for a lot of compliments. But will he ever read this, maybe or maybe not. Does he bloom? Somedays come closer than others. He has been a little stressed because of a stamp display at work. Plus, he was asked to preach at our church on Saturday night service. It has been a long time since he wrote a sermon but he finished the first draft in good time. He looks more relaxed now. Paula

How much I do not know

Hello, While visiting with a neighbor today, I realized I do not know what to do when that person starts talking negatively about another neighbor. It is especially hard, when I basically agree with him. When does all this become gossip and unkind? How can it be that so many times the rain misses us and the ground stays quite dry? How much water is ok to use in such times? Does it matter when we try not to let water run down the drain, but save it in a bucket to use for watering plants inside and outside? How to handle jokes that are at the expense of another person, especially when I like the person who made that joke? A person today said she rehabilitates raccoons. Is that of value when those animals can be such a nuisance in the city? How many t-shirts should be in my drawer? Paula

What, Again?

Hello, At the dermatologist, another biopsy was done, but this time on the left side of my face. It is close to where I already had some Moh surgery. Hoping this one is a false alarm. There was a spot on the right cheek that was frozen because it is precancerous. As the doctor said, “I am sorry to have to this to you, but your face seems to be a place to inspect closely. Dr. Clark does a great job with the surgery, but I know it is easier if it is sooner rather than later.” As he was taking the sample, he asked me a question. Should I answer? Would my cheek move? Would the size of the cut change? I answered, but tried to use a minimum of movement. I am glad to be so close geographically to someone who can do this and make it look good in the end. I got to the appointment ahead of time and they took me in ahead of time so I had a lot of time between my appointment and a study at church. The person in the kitchen kept me busy until my study. I am glad to help out. It seems to me she has too much to too much of the time. A flutist played at church today after the noon worship service. It was quite fine to listen to that. I am a day late getting this sent out, could I have gotten busy? Paula

Helping is not always easy

Hello, Yesterday, a bit of trash was around the church, probably brought there by the wind. Because I was not appropriately dressed, we came back today armed with gloves and bags. Only there was no trash. Guess the wind had blown it on to the rest of the neighborhood. With careful looking we managed to fill one grocery bag. It involved many small things. More cigarette butts and some plastic coffee stirrers. As well as other odds and ends. We picked up a bit more trash on the way home. We could have done a lot more, but did not have a way to pack it all up. That wind has been quite strong and brings in many things. The bag of books for the little free library included one book that had no spine label, was missing the front cover and the first 33 pages. That book did not go in the library. There was also one book that just stayed open in one place and had water damage. The rest of the books are fine and went into the library. We have some green growing in the community garden. Some type of lettuce and some spinach. The Red Russian Kale is also quite vigorous. Paula

How Powerful Are We

Hello, Today we watched the Iowa Women’s basketball team play and win. The only other two times we have watched, they lost. I commented to Leroy, “Do you think we should do this; they might lose because we are watching?” “We are not that powerful,” Leroy asserted calmly. I have been thinking, how do we feel about jinxing something and where did those ideas come from? How much do others emotions affect us? Sometimes I think, and I hear others say that they do something to make it rain. Like hang out clothes. Mostly I do not believe that is a factor in the outcome, but why say it or even think it? Obviously, I know that some of my actions do make a difference and I try to be careful. Paula

Meeting Family

Hello, Last evening we met with my brother and his family as well as our brother-in-law and his friend. I am so happy that my brother-in-law wants to keep contact. In fact, he is willing to travel much farther than the rest of us did. He had an appointment in coming our direction so we just traveled a shorter distance. It was a great evening of laughter, talk, and a good meal at a restaurant that my sister-in-law knew about in the area. Gerald, brother-in-law, likes to work with wood. He came baring gifts that he had made for us. Some were of a Christmas theme and one was a clever wooden bowl.

Our travel was uneventful except for missing a turn off because there were too many cars in the way. It only took about fifteen minutes to get back to the place we needed to be in. There was quite a lot of wind yesterday. One hand got tired trying to keep the car in the proper place. I noticed that some of the semis would run off the road a little, which I suspect was a problem of the wind. There was a travel trailer that was noticeablely weaving. When I passed them, I pulled way over to the opposite side. We are grateful for a good visit and a safe trip for all. Paula

Card Compromised

Hello, “Oh no! Not again!” I thought as I looked at the credit card information. But one of the reasons I frequently look at the account is to keep ahead of thieves. We know what to do now. Leroy called right away and had the charges taken away. Not impossible to fix, but it does take some time. Who loses money? Not us, but often such things come back to us in another way. Our card has been cancelled once again. A new card will come in a week or so. Luckily, we only have one account that is automatically paid with this card and we have another card to use in the meantime. I asked what we can do to stop this from happening. One suggestion was always go into the gas station and pay inside. Get one of those wallets that is scan proof. Do not use the apple wallet on the phone. Guess we will have to make some changes. We can do this. This representative also talked about someone sitting in a car outside a store, aiming a device at the store and scanning the cards as people paid the bill. Not much we can do if that happens. Should we just go back to using cash? I am not quite ready to do that. Paula