Pluses, Minuses

Cedar Rapids, IA

Hello,

Leroy and I have always had a bit of mix in viewing the world with black, white, or gray areas. Leroy tends to see lots of gray and I lean more to the black or white view. I find that I am adopting more of Leroy’s view as I age so some of these things are not as polarized as they would have been at one time.

This shower is so small that we cannot fit together. In all of our forty years together we have showered together, sometimes awkwardly, but always together. It is also just a shower no bath, course we almost never take a bath.

There is no dish washer. Have I become hooked on one having lived with serious users for the last four months? The last stay did not have a dishwasher so that eased us into this one change. I did move a partially used box of detergent so I must find someone to give it to.  I do not like throwing things away. Any takers?

As I mentioned before the space is small for our worldly possessions. Is that good or bad? Depends on how fussed I get and whether I can pare down to a more comfortable level.

There is a grocery store just four blocks away. In our most recent trip there it started to mist before we set out on the return trip. I took the extra bag from Leroy and he sprinted off for home hoping to get there in time to close all windows. Rain buckets were dumping just about when he was home. I, however still had two blocks to go. I was quite soaked by the time I got to the house. Our landlords met me at the door telling me that they were going to call and tell us they would come get us. They also mentioned that this is called the “ghetto grocery”.  The store was requested as being necessary to the neighborhood because there are so many low income people who might not have cars. It is so very close to Coe College. College students probably use it quite a lot. For being a small store it had one of the largest liquor sections I have ever seen. I originally thought that was because of the college. Perhaps it is because people want to drown their sorrows.

I have been walking to the college library to read the paper. It is great to get out and then have a place to read the paper without paying is an added bonus. Leroy and I are on the hunt for ways to save money. And this seemed like a great one to me, but Leroy complained just today that he misses a paper as he has not taken the time to go there. He finds too many things that he needs to do around here. We do like to do the newspaper puzzles.

Our new address:

1614 D Ave. NE Upper

Cedar Rapids, IA 52402

So far we do not have a land line, but are using the computer and Google free phone calls. This computer has almost paid for itself.

                                              

Paula