Leroy in the morning

Hello,

Leroy is home this morning. He told me he would help so I did not let him sit around. We hung out clothes even though it looked cloudy. Well, I brought them in before the rain reached them, put them in the dryer for a short time, hung many of the shirts, and put the rest on the drying rack that used to belong to my mom.

Leroy, in the meantime, vacuumed all of the carpeting, shook rugs, and helped cut up apples for more sauce making. I hope it is ok to make up the sauce the day before I can it. I will have to make more tomorrow.

We also made an apple crisp and washed a number of dishes that seem to multiply when doing any more extended kitchen chore. At snack time we again had some applesauce, yogurt, granola, and cinnamon. We feel rich indeed.

After work, I stopped at the garden in Ely. I picked two zucchini and noticed that another plant is dying. The other two do not seem to be producing very much. I picked two cucumbers as well. Some four roma tomatoes were ready for enjoying as well. Again I picked mulberries, but realized that the end is in sight plus it is now dark enough at 8:15-8:30 that I have a hard time seeing the ripe berries under the tree where darkness closes in. I also pulled two onions because the tops had died.

Leroy worked in the community garden last night and brought home enough green beans for at least three meals. Blessings, blessings!

Someone young called my cell phone and wished me Happy Birthday this morning. Surprise! Indeed! It is almost my half birthday.

Paula

Applesauce

Hello,

It has been a few years since we have had enough free apples so that I felt inclined to make applesauce. Last night we picked free apples. Free in terms of money exchanging hands and free in terms of sprays. So they are not worm free or work free, but that is a small cost for such goodness. We picked enough to fill two five gallon buckets. I cut and cored some apples discarding only one worm and many seeds. The peels stay on and are cooked along with the flesh. These summer apples collapsed into mush in a short time. After putting them through the Foley Mill I was left with a very small pile of skin to put in the compost bin. For my snack I had this unsweetened applesauce, granola newly made this morning, and plain Greek yogurt. Now all that was a rival of ambrosia! Wow what gifts we are blessed with on a daily basis in the summer harvest season.

Tomorrow I will make up some more applesauce or rather I might wait until Wednesday when I have the whole day free and I can can a load of applesauce to enjoy later. I have yet to taste an applesauce from the store that equals the homemade, straight from the tree, tangy taste.

Then there is the bounty from the garden: zucchini, cucumbers, green beans, peppers, and tomatoes. I have nothing to complain about. Blessings rain down.

Paula

Still Here

Hello,

We are still here, but I have not had time to write for three days. Delightful company (Grandma Ruth and her three granddaughters) have come, stayed two nights, and gone. Leroy and I both worked on Saturday. I stopped at the garden to pick cucumbers, one zucchini, and a quart of mulberries before I headed off to church where Leroy was preaching. A late supper followed all that so no time to write.

Today we decided to head to Dubuque to tour the replicas of the Nina and Pinta. Came back and finished cleaning that apartment, visited a bit with the landlords, ate the evening meal before heading back to Ely to pick summer apples that will make good applesauce. I also made a batch of bread because we are out of homemade bread.

Tomorrow also has a scheduled time before work. I will make granola, applesauce, and pay a bill on line so that is the easiest thing. Oh then one load of clothes will be washed and hung out. Leroy tells me if I do not get it back in the house, he can take it down as he is free tomorrow afternoon. I heard him talking about doing a couple things so his time will also disappear. We are blessed with tasks.

Maybe tomorrow or the following day I will write in more detail about some of these things, or maybe my memory will fail to respond when I try to remember details. Thank you God that I do not have to remember everything that happens.

Last night we two librarians watched a movie that we both liked, even laughing at the same things. It was The Librarian : Quest for the Spear.

Paula 

Observations

Hello,

I have to admit that we had been talking about getting new tires for that car for some time. It was one of these things that we just never seemed to get around to. Leroy said that for sure he would get some in August or September. Instead it was time in July. We had driven on the tires for seven years. That is long enough.

I rode to Ely on the bike by myself on Monday. I have to confess that I missed Leroy. Talking once in a while, makes the miles go faster. Also coming home there was a strong head wind for at least five miles. If Leroy had been there I might have drafted off of him. As it was I had to forge my own path through the wind. In spite of this being the big bike ride week in Iowa the trail was used by bikers, walkers, and runners. Great to see so many people using it.

I did weed in the garden, picked a zucchini, a few cucumbers, and just a few mulberries. That mulberry season is coming to an end. I will miss them when they are done.

I am also cleaning an apartment for my landlord. This place is just two doors away. I am not sure why, but it seems to be more work and time consuming than I had thought it would be. It is not really dirty, but does need a freshening. Also the oven needed real cleaning as did the refrigerator. I usually leave a place a bit cleaner than this was. But then I usually have help so it does not seem like such a big job. At least it is much easier because there is no furniture to deal with and move.

Tomorrow I will go lead a yoga session at the library followed by work. After work it is back to the garden. Because there has been no rain I will water. Then in the evening we are expecting overnight company. One of the Americans we knew in Slovakia will be coming through with her three grandchildren. It should be an interesting full day.

Paula

Cared For

Hello,

Today Leroy took the “newest” car in to get the oil changed. He also asked for a tune up. We had never used this place before, but our landlord and another neighbor recommended them. I got a call from this car place saying that the services were done, but we needed four new tires. They had done some research and gave me a choice of tires and prices. I told them I would talk to my husband. “If you do not get new tires now, you will have to sign a waiver before we let you drive the car off the lot as the tires are in dangerously poor condition.”

I then called Leroy and told him the situation and that I would be happy with any decision he made.

Later in the afternoon the place called and said the car was ready to pick up with new tires. The mechanic came in and talked to me. “Those front tires looked perfect on the outside, but on the inside they were almost shredded. I was afraid to put in air in them, fearing they might blow in my face.”

“Is this the first time you have been here?” he wanted to know.

After my yes, he went on to say, “I do not like to have such a report for a new customer in case you think I am trying to make you buy more things from me. You do not have to have me do it, but you should get new shocks and have the front end aligned. I would just charge you the cost of the shocks and not for the labor as it is quite simple to do. The alignment you would have to have done somewhere else, but I would recommend it because of the strange wear on those tires.”

The bill was a bit what with the tires and other services, but I am grateful that Leroy and I survived that 800 mile trip over the weekend. Thank you, thank you. We had thought about getting a new TV this week, but we are in agreement that safety comes before entertainment.

Paula

Little Trip

Hello,

Leroy and I went a small trip this weekend by driving to my sister’s on Friday, staying one full day, and driving back yesterday. It is 400 miles away so we do not do this very often. We had not been there since we have moved here. I had a couple of things to take to her and she gave me mint to be dried for tea, an afghan to share, canning jars for that expected bumper crop of tomatoes or beans, and a lot of talking time.

A peach orchard is relatively close to their home. Leroy and I bought a peck of peaches. They seemed a bit unripe when we bought them, but sitting a day and riding in the car for a few hours hastened their ripening. The two that we ate for breakfast were just wonderful. I might be pushed to tend to the others before we can eat them as is.

Carolyn likes cats and even though they live on a farm, the cats wiggle their way into the house. At first the two in the house seemed a bit shy of strangers. It was not long before the bravest black and white beauty jumped up into my lap demanding love and attention which I gladly gave. The calico did not did not like to be left out so she also came over, but was more content just to lie beside me on the couch. I used them as the excuse to stay seated when something needed to be done in the kitchen, sending Leroy in my stead. Leroy is not a cat lover. So I expect as long as Leroy is with me, cats will not be with me.

On the way home we drove through lovely rains for at least two hours. It was disappointing to arrive at the garden and learn that no rain had fallen there. Leroy watered plants while I again picked mulberries. I was sad to see that one of the zucchini plants had died. It looked fine on Friday morning, but deceased Sunday evening. Those squash killing bugs seem to operate that way one day things look good and the next, death. I am afraid for my other four plants. At the moment I have nothing chemical to put on them. At least I have gotten many pounds of zucchini from them, enough to share and some to freeze. I am thankful for that.

Paula

Mysteries

Hello,

We were expecting a package. Delivery was attempted on Monday. The note stated that they would try again as signature was required. We were not home on the proper time on Tuesday either. This time the note had a place that we could sign and it would be placed on the back porch and times were given. Course that was the exact time that I was working at community meals, but surely all would be well. When I came home there was no package. I hung around awhile but then headed off to shop because Leroy and I are going to my sister’s for a long weekend and I would not do my usual shopping time. Back home I could see that no package had been deposited for us. I needed to meet with my landlord so I did that and still there was no package. Leroy came home and we were still package free. Knock, knock we heard the sound at the back door. I ran down and the delivery guy told me that we have to sign as there has been a note to that effect on the computer. He wondered, “Perhaps something had been stolen about a year ago.”

“We have lived here a year and a half with only one other delivery from one of your competitors. They also required a signature.” I told him.

“I will check into that,” he remarked, “because that should be long enough in the clear.”

When I told Leroy about it he said, “I will just have everything delivered to work.”

I think Leroy believes that work will go on. He was excited because someone is volunteering to help him with cataloging. They are a recent library grad and looking for a job. Because library schools have changed so much he tells me that he will have to train this person. Cataloging is mostly theory rather than hands on experience. I believe that Leroy likes the teaching role.

Paula

Directions

Hello,

It is a good thing in life to know directions, all kinds of directions. For instance my Clivia is now blooming for the second time in seven years. It needs to have a dry spell as well as a cool spell to trigger the urge to reproduce. It can also spend the summer outside. Conditions must have been right out there because it is blooming. It is not to be watered and kept in a cool dry place to help it bloom in the spring. Just how I will manage, for an extended period of time, the temperatures below 55 F. and above 35 F., I am not sure.

Just recently I read the directions on the mouthwash bottle. It recommended that I rinse my mouth with water after brushing my teeth as something in the toothpaste interfered with the working of the mouthwash. Also I should keep the mouthwash in my mouth for 30 seconds. I use mouthwash because I have excessive tartar (or whatever is the word for that stuff) build up. My former method of using this rinse was to, immediately on completing flossing, which I do after brushing, suck up, do a two second swish, spit, and go on with the rest of my life. Does that mean that I have been wasting mouthwash money for years? Probably. What a lot of expensive expectoration!

Directions are also good to know when driving. Cedar Rapids has a number of one way streets. Since I have been living here I have seen a few people driving the wrong direction on one way streets. Luckily I have not been in a car coming directly towards them. Not following directions can certainly make life exciting.

On the computer, however, not following directions, means that you can discover new ways of doing things that might be better than what had been done before. There the real trick is to remember how you got to that point in the first place. 

Paula

How old am I?

Hello,

I find that I am busy, busy with things I like to do. On Saturday Leroy and I got up at the crack of dawn, just what is the crack of dawn? Seems to me it is a moving target. We ate breakfast like a king, packed the bikes with newspapers, garden gloves, and containers for mulberries, hopped on those bikes, and rode away through the quiet streets to the bike trail. Temperatures were good, trail usage was light, but satisfyingly busy. Leroy complained a little because his bike load was heavy; however he made it in great shape. We met a biking friend close and heading to CR. Before we had gotten much past the outskirts of Ely she was riding with us. She covered the same distance in much less time. We felt slow, but our excuses are: she runs as well as participates in triathlons and she is quite a lot younger than we are.

At the garden Leroy hoed. I weeded and picked medium sized zucchini wondering why we had three plants as I thought about the large size waiting for me in the refrigerator. Leroy watered, put down newspaper, added dirt to the top and watered again. I started picking mulberries. Before I finished filling containers Leroy helped pick. We then shared some zucchini, mulberries, and a visit with our landlord.

We stopped at the Ely farmers market to purchase raw honey, peas, kohlrabi, rhubarb, and a baguette. We sucked in some free visiting and recharging of emotional batteries. On the ride home Leroy strongly stated that I was wrong when I had encouraged him on the way down stating that his load would be lighter and it was not. I had a little more weight as well. We went past the house of one of Leroy’s coworkers who happened to be outside. Leroy shared a large zucchini with her lightening his load even though we were almost home.

Exercise was not over for the day as we delivered neighborhood newsletters taking more than 6,000 hilly steps to do that. We felt that we had accomplished a lot when the day was done. We felt young, right?

Paula

Community Meals

Hello,

The lunch meals served in the community are perhaps more directly focused on children, but adults are welcome as well. Several churches along the street support this effort. They also get money from some other source that I am not clear about. It is a source that regulates the nutrition of the meals. I am happy about that. For instance no desserts are served and the only foods that are available for seconds are fruits and vegetables. Probably some do not like that, but I am all for it. It is also necessary to keep a count of the people who eat, noting (really guessing, since we do not ask) age, sex, and race. I was responsible for that. On the first day I totally forgot to mark down race until about half of the people had gone past. In an attempt to make it more accurate people had a new race assigned to them. Not that they knew anything about it. I will have to say that most of the people were very polite with please and thank you being a part of their vocabulary. I believe there are other places to get a meal, but we served over a hundred people both days. This is served five days a week.

I come at ten to help prepare food, do that people count, and help with clean up leaving at 1:30 so it takes up a big slice of my day. I gain from it by meeting some of the people from my church on a more causal basis than Sunday morning. I also get to see some of my neighbors. I am grateful that they are comfortable enough to come to meet their needs. I still think that it would be nice to be able to provide them with a way out of the situation they are in. Food for the short term is nice, but the long term looks grim for some. I do not, unfortunately, have solutions to that. There is also the benefit to me of that good feeling for helping out. I must look for more opportunities to do that. Next Wednesday will be my last day on this job.

Paula

Full Days

Hello,

Last Wednesday, my day off was packed with activities. Does that mean that we have lived here so long that I let myself get involved in more things? Maybe.

The first unexpected thing was that I was in the back yard when a woman going by in the alley stopped and asked if I had a plunger. “Yes, I will go get it,” I told her as I turned and dashed up the stairs to the bathroom, grabbed the plunger, swooshed back downstairs, and handed her the desired object. She assured me she would be right back so I busied myself pulling a few random weeds.

She did indeed come back promptly. “Thank you,” she signed as she handed back the plunger.

“My husband…,” she hesitated, “We are getting a divorce. He did this to me.” And she pointed to the gap in her mouth where a tooth belonged. “Now I have to find some breakfast for my children. Could they pull weeds for you or mow the lawn?”

“No, that would not work,” I said, “but I have some cereal I could give you for breakfast.”

I then ran back upstairs only to not be able to find the full box of cereal. I grabbed the open box that was left from the grandchildren visit. I realized that I could also give her some crackers and cheese sticks that were also left from the grandchildren visit. I also spotted a full, unopened bag of trail mix consisting of seeds, nuts, and dried fruit. She took all of those items and thanked me. She then wondered about a church that might be a source of help. I told her, “I am serving a neighborhood lunch at St. Paul’s,” and told her the location.

Now I wonder should I have explained to her that I was not the home owner and not responsible for the lawn. But it bothers me that many people complain about people accepting handouts, but some of them would work and then buy the same things. The problem is how to make that dignified work happen on a regular basis.

Paula

Glasses

Hello,

I have a pair of computer glasses. They are really just lens that let me see at a certain distance. Unlike my no line bifocals I do not have to tip my head to get it all at the right angle. At the end of the work day I experience much lest neck fatigue or pain. The problem is that when I am not working on the computer I like to wear my regular glasses or I can’t really see patrons. Consequently I am changing glasses frequently during the work day. That creates a different pain.

To solve the issue I found an ancient glasses strap that we have had for some not remembered reason. It is bright orange making it quite noticeable against my blue glasses frames. I feel a bit dorky. However, it does help me to spend less time hunting for my glasses. My landlady suggested it when I complained about that. She said she puts her regular pair of glasses on her head when not using them for vision. I cannot seem to get that maneuver down. Perhaps it is because I have never put my glasses on top of my head because they are always needed for seeing. So I still look a bit for my regular glasses.

I did find another strap that is a light yellow. Why have we moved/stored these things so many times? Perhaps it would so I could use them now. This yellow strap might be a little less noticeable. Or maybe I should go buy some beaded affair if they still make such things. Then I could project the true librarian image. How did I ever get so concerned about looks? Am I getting vainer as I get older? I remember thinking back in the old days that people had to just accept what they found. Perhaps I think I look better now so I have to project a better look? I do look better than when I was a teenager with my spotted face that was not much fun to live with. I sometimes wished I could disappear. Now I do not care about that at all.

Paula

City Wildlife

Hello,

Who know there would be so much wildlife in the city with houses snuggled close together?  We certainly have squirrels and birds around. Our neighbors had put many black walnuts into the yardy cart that is used to move compostable nature to the city compost pile. Before they got it moved they backed a boat into the spot knocking the cart over and pinning this cart to the ground. Maybe it was too much bother to move the boat back out because it stayed that way all winter. Just a week or so ago the boat went back to the water. They noticed when picking up the cart it moved with easy as if now it weighed almost nothing. Further investigation revealed it was indeed empty. How had that happened? More investigation revealed a squirrel sized hole in the side. Apparently the squirrels preferred this food supply to their own walnut burial spots. Those squirrels have strong teeth to create such a hole in this rather thick plastic.

One of the neighborhood squirrels has a short chopped off tail. The human neighbor revealed that it was because of Harley. Harley is their dog. One day he caught the squirrel by the tail and refusing to let go he bit the tail off. Apparently this squirrel no longer goes in their yard.

Birds in this neighborhood have found a mulberry tree because it deposed the evidence on one of Leroy’s lavender shirts. The spots almost match. Ok, I won’t leave them, but will treat them. Do not get excited Leroy.

To add to the excitement I was boiling/steaming some potatoes this morning, forgot about it, came back in the house, smelled something burning in the computer room, wondered if the computers were hot, or if it were the wild boys next door who often have smoky fires, and remembered the potatoes. They are okay, but the pan is stressed. I cleaned as best as I could. Another day it will get some more attention.

Paula

Two Late Nights

Hello,

The night before the fourth of July, oh that would be the 3^rd wouldn’t it? Our neighborhood was full of revelry, flashes, and booms long past our bedtime. Leroy managed to get to sleep while it was still going on, but I stayed semi alert until it was over. A nap seemed like a nice idea but it remained elusive to me on the fourth. Leroy napped but he tells me that it was too long and he had trouble feeling alert again.

We decided to ride our bikes to the museum since he had heard that was a nice place to view the fireworks. I assured Leroy that I would be safe without a headlight since I would follow close behind him. We both have brilliant flashing tail lights. Traffic was rather light when we went and Leroy knows how to choose the less traveled street. A number of other bicyclists were out as well. The hard part was riding on the bike trail that was populated with a number of pedestrians. At any rate we made it safely to our destination. There was a small number of people so we were able to pick out a good spot. The fireworks display was nice, but somehow it did not live up to those that we experienced in Bratislava.

One the ride home there were, of course, many more people vying for one spot on the road. Leaving an event all leave at once, but come at different times. We did not hurry, hoping to give time for the numbers to go down. We again used the bike trial, but were very careful not to run into any unlit pedestrians. I started to think that a headlight might not be such a bad idea after all. When we had to travel on the streets we used the sidewalks as there were almost not walkers and many, many cars on the road. At the stop signs police officers were directing traffic and not one said anything about us being on the sidewalk, instead one called us pedestrians. Closer to home we went back on the street as the traffic diminished considerably. It was 11:30 before we got to bed. Again there were some explosions in the neighborhood, but they soon stopped. Wouldn’t it be nice if I were a night person?

Paula

Illiterate, undisciplined

Hello,

I have to state without fear of reprisal that Iowa has some illiterate and undisciplined wildlife. First there are the gnats. It is with some relief that I note that we have moved back to a species that does not like to bite me, but they still have an annoying habit of swarming around without regard to where they are. Leroy and I again rode to Ely to work in the garden. Again there were gnats getting tangled in Leroy’s arm hairs. I opened my mouth to say something only to have a gnat get caught at the back of my throat. Coughing and hacking were unsuccessful at evicting the offending piece of flesh and in the end swallowing was the most viable solution. I suppose I could have stopped, taken a swig of water, gargled and spat it out. At any rate we must kept moving and I added it to my digestive track. It seems to me that these gnats could share the road a little better. Where is their discipline?

Then there are the geese who think they own the road or bike trail as they wander around without regard to the lane markings. We were able to weave our way through this gaggle of geese, but they, for reasons I do not comprehend, believe that the trail is a great receptacle for geese poop. Sometimes it is hard to find a place that is clear. So I just hope that I do not slip and slide on it. Again, I wonder, “Where is their discipline?”

At the garden we both used some bug repellent. Since I was not actually bitten I guess I would say that was good. However, these critters were not repelled. I showed them the label, but they ignored it. So I read it to them, helping them in their illiterate condition. That did no good. They do not believe in following the rules of human beings. At least now we are surrounded by that new breed of gnat that does not like me as much as they like Leroy. So in part the world has been set right.

Paula

Fun Holiday

Hello,

It was great to go to an outdoor band concert with friends. I am so glad they thought of it. We liked going in Burlington where we could just walk into the park and be there. Somehow it had escaped our notice here. So good to visit with others!

Now today we spent much of the day with just ourselves. Leroy had gotten inspired a couple days ago and moved our TV to a new location in the living room. Today it was on to bigger and better moves. We moved out the secretary that had belonged to his family and put it in the spare bed room. It fit by shifting the dresser and bookcase around and removing a chair. I kept saying, “If I knew we were never going to live in a bigger place again, I would get rid of the dining room table that we have in the computer room. We are also both ready to get rid of the old school desk that we have moved many times. Then there is a big black pillow that Brian got rid of at his house and I thought the grandchildren might like to use it when they visited, but it is mostly ignored so it is going. I am also going to get rid of one of the rocking chairs. Life is just too crowded. In spite of that we still talk about getting a couch, but can’t quite bring ourselves to bring it into this small area.

Last night our guest suggested that the box that converts the signal for our old TV might be what causes the channel to break up. I think son, Brian, had suggested this some time ago, but it sometimes takes a while and more pressure for an idea to settle in. So maybe we will get that new TV because we certainly are not going to buy a new box for this 15+ year old model.

We went on an extended bike ride in the late afternoon. We checked out the chalk drawings downtown before heading off to parks looking fruitlessly for a place to cook hotdogs over a wood fire. We have hotdogs left from when the grandkids stayed with us. Leroy declared that the only way he would eat them is if they were cooked over an open fire, hence the search for a fire pit. I was pleased that so many people were using the parks. Somehow that seems right and proper for an Independence Day celebration. We will try again tomorrow as we both have the day off.

Paula

Solved

Hello,

Issues have been solved. I came home last night to a happy sounding Leroy. The house phone now worked. He had bought another device in a store here. Then he confessed that the problem with getting the new to work was the incorrect password he had put in. He had used two capitol letters where they should have been lower case. I learned that Leroy does not like how his lower case letters look so he switched them. That was okay when the memory was fresh in his mind. “Do you think the device from the phone company would work?” I wondered.

“Yes I think it would,” he replied.

I urged him to try if he thought it would not take much time. I have two reasons for wanting that one to work. One if we have any difficulties we can talk about their device, two it does not need an additional power source as it plugs into the phone, and maybe a third is that I hate to mail things back, and I would be the mailer.

Leroy tried and it worked in just about the ten minutes that it was supposed to take to get it hooked up. I volunteered to take the device back to the store. I did that and they cheerfully refunded our money. I even worked with the same clerk who seemed young enough to be in high school. Am I getting old?

For some reason last night we could not listen to messages with the phone box. Miriam had told me that she always uses her phone so I followed the method she had talked about and it worked so I was able to deal with the backlog of messages. This morning I figured out that we had muted the phone box speaker so I fixed that. Last night we also could not get rid of the missed call display on the phone, but I figured that out this morning too.

It was a great day. Now the only thing left is the TV. If we watched more we would be more aggressive on that issue. I have not turned it on for a week or more to actually watch TV, but have just looked at some a movie from the library. I suspect Leroy has not watched a program in a week or two as well. It certainly is not a pressing concern.

Paula

Solutions

Hello,

Last evening Leroy spent 70 minutes on the phone with the tech person from our home phone company. The upshot is that the only answer this person could supply was that the wireless adaptor from their company is not compatible with our wireless network. We are sending it back and looking for a local supplier of such a device. Leroy is hot on the trial so he will go out tonight. I am hoping for a quick satisfying solution.

We had planned to visit last week with our insurance agent. He got sick, but since the visit will be rescheduled I looked for the papers for my policy. I could find the last bill and payment receipt, but not the original contract. Both of us searched here and there in the file cabinet. I suggested that Leroy might have put it in the fireproof box. He insisted that he would not have done that. By the way it is he because I have never put anything in there. In fact I almost panicked the last time I wanted to look at my passport because I could not find it only to learn later that he had moved it. This morning I decided to go against Leroy’s declaration. Sorry Leroy but I looked in that box to find my insurance contract about the third item down. Mystery solved!

For some reason we have lost a set of three channels on the TV reception. Leroy moved the TV last Saturday and they magically reappeared. Now they have disappeared again. Does this mean we must buy a new TV? Should we get it now or wait until we know if we will be living longer in this space? Most of the time, I vote for just not moving a TV and buying after we are once again settled. But we do see some good deals and it becomes much more tempting to buy now. We are not getting a very large size so that would make moving relatively easy. So far there is not obvious solution to this question.

Paula