Onions are ready

Hello,

Onions by the house are ready to eat, but I just recently bought a bag of onions so I must use them first so they do not spoil. How I get the timing off is beyond me. However, one day the winter onions are not ready and the next they are ready. I could also use some of the chives, both onion and garlic flavored. The oregano is small, but also ready to use.

We thought we would have planted some lettuce, but somehow it is not yet in the ground. Maybe next week will be the perfect time.

Timing also affects work. When I worked alone Monday evening I was quite busy. Tuesday evening when someone else worked with me it was not so busy. How to explain such a phenomena?

Leroy wanted to post something about the community garden. He had a terrible time finding the website. I would have had no trouble doing that. Today windows did an update and somehow the sound was totally turned off. I looked and looked for a solution. Leroy looked for a short time and learned that it had been set so headphones were needed. Good thing one of us is skilled at an opposite area of technology. Now if we can keep that streak running we will be in good shape for helping each other.

                                                                                          

One of my former Slovak students who works for Skype posted that he had participated in the upgrade they have done. I feel as if I know someone on the cutting edge. I should ask him if I have trouble with Skype if I can call him for help. When the Skype screen came up they wanted to know if I wanted to put in a current picture so I put my picture in only to realize sometime later that it was Leroy’s account. So now he has my picture in there. I have not explored the possibility of changing it back to him. People will just think he has changed.

Paula

Easter Hope lives on

Hello,

We were invited to someone’s home for Easter dinner. Because Leroy had a nursing home service we caused the eating hour to be in the middle of the afternoon. No one expressed any disappointment because of that. Leroy said there were more people at the service than usual so it took longer on this day when he wanted it to be shorter. I was happy to bring a fruit salad to dinner rather than desert. No angst there just sure steps ahead.

These people feed the birds. It was great to see so many different species around their house. They also have a sun room that is converted from a porch. If we ever move, a sun room is on my list of desires. I like to welcome the sun on three sides. As it is I often sit in the room that has the most sun coming in. It never fails to lift my spirits.

The church here has a tradition of singing the Hallelujah Chorus by Handel as the last hymn for the service. As choir members we come to the early service to lead that rendition. There is something quite exciting about starting the day singing that song without a proper warm up to the vocal cords. Perhaps because of that edge it was more uplifting during that first service.

Another tradition is that the organist plays the Widor toccata as the postlude. So we are ushered out into the world with gusto, hope and energy.

Paula

Skills

Hello,

When in MN Leroy and I went to a sporting goods store to look at their camping pads. We have some semi blow up pads that we have liked for more than 30 years. Brian had a blow up kind that was light weight and all air fill giving more support. We looked for some like that, but found something better, a pad that could be pumped with a palm push. The friendly helper in the store inflated it in about three minutes with just his hand pumping rapidly. It looked ideal. Because of a coupon for this or that and some other mysterious complicated money gyrations, Leroy ordered it when we came home. They arrived promptly, but we did not get them out until today because Leroy has much of the day off. Pulling them out of their handy carrying bag required just an easy pull. Leroy was impressed with the compression strap that held it in place. He then flapped it out and set about pumping it with no result. “Perhaps we need to read the directions,” I suggested.

“Are there directions?” Leroy wanted to know, “It looks so simple.”

There were directions that did not add much to our knowledge. “Can I try?” I asked.

“Have at it,” Leroy said disgustedly.

I started pumping without much visible result. After a little hand moving experimenting, I was able to start filling the bag. Leroy grumbled as he got out the second pad and started trying once more. In the end I think it took me about ten minutes and Leroy more like 15 to 20 even after I shared all my acquired knowledge. The only bad thing is it looks like I have a job every time we want to use these pads. Sometimes it does not pay to be skilled. How that young, in the know, guy did that trick in three minutes is beyond both of us.

Paula

Going to Work

Hello,

Saturday, I gathered all my things which included lunch, purse, bag with a pillow in it to see if my neck felt better if I sat on it when doing cataloging at the front desk as the chair there only moves up so high, and a bag with items to return. In the garage I stopped to admire the clean car that had sat resting for a week, deposited my things in the back seat, got into the driver’s seat, turned on the car, put it in reverse, looked over my shoulder, applied the gas and went nowhere. I readjusted the gear shift because maybe I had not put it in reverse, but some other gear. I still went nowhere. I put it in low and carefully tried to move forward without hitting the front wall of the garage, but went nowhere. Oh fuddy-duddy! I hopped out of the car raced upstairs for the other car keys, muttered a thanksgiving prayer that we had a second car and that Leroy had ridden his bike to work. That car took me to work without a hitch.

At work in some quiet spots I contemplated what could be wrong with the car and would we need to get it towed. Would this mysterious malady be so expensive to replace that we would feel compelled to get another newer car? Or could have it been that because we got the car washed just before we left that something had frozen, after all it was in the low 30s?

After I got home I tried once again to move the car with the same results. When Leroy came home, I told him, “The older car started beautifully, but could not move.”

“Weird,” he rather succinctly said.

He went down, started the car, put it in reverse with the garage door open, gave it more gas and moved. Apparently something indeed had been frozen as we had had the underside washed.

Paula

Walking Day

Hello,

I did not wear green today because I forgot about St. Patricks Day. No Irish in me.

I walked the dog this morning. We did not see any hawks although I looked up more than usual trying to spot some interesting species. I did see geese, ducks, and robins. Before I set out, Leroy told me it was in the 40’s. Ice on the bridges over the rushing stream was quite a surprise. I also thought I must be getting old because it seemed so much colder to me.

I learned later that apparently the device he was looking at had not updated and it was really in the 30’s.

Today the kids are home for spring break. We made a list of activities that we wanted to tackle. They thought a trip to the zoo would be ideal. I was a bit concerned that Sophia might have trouble with all the walking while wearing two casts. The kids watched a program on TV while Leroy and I packed a lunch for all. Then it was time to get ready. About three blocks from home Sophia mentioned that she has socks for her exposed toes. That meant turning around to get them. I was so glad we had not gone any farther down the road. We only arrived at the zoo about half an hour later than anticipated by Leroy. But it was still ok as it was day off and only our schedule to move around.

We attended a talk on polar bears as they trained them. I was amazed to see this animal sit in response to a hand signal. From there we went to the rainforest and listened to a talk on the emerald tree boa. After eating lunch we moved into the conservatory. I was the one who wanted to see that, but the kids seemed quite interested in a lot of that. They were preparing their spring flower show so we could not go in one room, but could see them digging and planting.

After looking at the primates, giraffes, large cats, and wolves we were all a bit tired. Sophia and I walked to a closer place for her to stop walking. Leroy and Logan went to get the car and pick us up. If we had driven ten more minutes I would bet that the back seat people would have been asleep. All were happy that we had gone, but all were happy when we came home. We had plenty of walking time and plenty of sitting time. It was so nice to go inside from time to time. The kids informed us that they needed nap/quiet time which Leroy and I were pleased to let them have.

Our afternoon outing was to go to the library, but I am the only one would have liked that so we just stayed home. A good time was had by all.

Paula

Hawk

Hello,

On my walk this afternoon, I met a guy who was pointing up in a tree. A magnificent hawk was resting there. It was longer than 12 inches from head to tail. I had a beautiful view of its white speckled belly. I had not taken my phone, but the guy pulled out his and took a picture. He did not know what type it was. It was above our heads, but in a tree that was just a few feet away. The strong wind blew up its tail giving another view of the feathers. The back was brown, but I suspect that is not so unusual. Too bad my predator bird watcher had not been there, as he surely could have identified it. From the internet I say that it might be a red-tailed hawk.

It is quite a bit colder today. I am grateful for the many layers that I brought with me. It feels so good to go out and good to come back in.

Leroy and I went shopping. Neither of us found any shoes that were just right and on sale. Leroy, who does not get out shopping often, meandered around and found a yard-sized ruler that had metric and US feet on it. He was just totally happy as he has looked in the past at the home stores in our area and not found such. This was even fairly inexpensive.

I do notice that when we are with the kids we laugh so much more. Wondering how we can capture that when it is just two staid adults at our house. There must be a way to make this happen more consistently. We do try to read a joke a day, but we do not always laugh, smile maybe, but not laugh.

Just so you know sleeping has been much quieter after that first up and down night. So happy about that.

Leroy brought books that he bought at a book sale because I complained he was not reading them. I brought magazines that I give a last check out to before they are weeded from the library. I must say I like magazines in smaller doses. I did not bring a book so I am sticking with magazines.

Paula

At Brian’s House

Hello,

We arrived in good time Sunday evening. Time enough to get updates and hugs from the children, but no time to take the dog for a walk even though she clearly thought it might be an option. Leroy slept in Logan’s room because according to Sophia, “He snores too much.”

I said, “He doesn’t snore much.” To which Sophia just laughed.

I climbed up to the top bunk in Sophia’s room because she has casts on her legs so she cannot easily navigate the ladder. I had brought the traveling alarm clock, but could not find it in the dark after Sophia was asleep. For some reason my neck was hurting so I woke up every time I wanted to move my body. Then at about 4 in the morning I heard an intermittent beeping sound. I lay still for a while trying to identify the source. It did not sound like either of our phones. Finally I slung a leg over the edge and sought the top rung of the ladder. The beeping continued, but I was unsure of the source. It did not help that I had not put on my glasses. The sound was not too loud, so now that I knew there was not some easy fix I climbed hopefully back to bed. Hope dissolved about half an hour later as the sound continued to infiltrate my mind. This time I put on my glasses and grabbed the flashlight before I climbed out of bed. Well armed, I found the culprit, a smoke/carbon monoxide alarm in the mudroom. It was too high for me to reach so I just closed the door hoping that would muffle the beep enough to allow me to go back to sleep. Some time later I heard someone, Brian, come downstairs. After that I did not hear that beep. At 6:30 that alarm started to wake me up. Sophia sat up and said, “What is that?”

Again I scrambled down the ladder and searched my suitcase where the sound quickly alerted me to its location. Then I lay down on Sophia’s bed and we had a little morning chat. I felt as if the day was half gone.

Sometimes I think life has not a dull moment. Just what is a dull moment anyway?

I gave Logan his birthday presents. One was a large deck of cards that especially seemed to please him. We immediately played “Go Fish”. I think it was nice to get some presents on a different day. It is hard to appreciate several things all at once. This allowed some savoring of the new.

Paula

Clean Cars

Hello,

The Bradways have two clean cars. This new car and the desire to keep it a long time is driving a change in our habits, at least for a few months. A year from now it might be forgotten. I am happy to see and be seen because I no longer look like the ground. Besides, it feels almost patriotic getting the salt, etc. off the bottom of the vehicles. I am amazed at how much brighter the lights are now.

Leroy is even planning to put some rain-x on the windshields when he comes home from the nursing home service. Luxury abounds!

Yesterday I hung out the sheets and it was just wonderful to get in bed and have that outdoor scent waft up to our noses. Both of us wallowed in the heady smell. More luxury!

In spite of that luxury I managed to be awake frequently during the night. One time I kept my eyes closed and my ears alert. A train went through town with so much whistle blowing. I am not sure who was up at the hour that needed warning, but it was done. The railroad tracks are not so close to us, but I would have said it felt that it was next door. But I suppose that whistle is a luxury. What happened before it was invented? Not good I suspect.

Leroy and I have finished delivering the neighborhood newsletters. It is nice to get out in a different part of the neighborhood to see what flowers are blooming. Some white ones that I cannot name as well as some yellow of which I should know that name, but cannot think of it right now. Beautiful luxury is just waiting for our eyes to see it.

We are leaving tomorrow to visit Brian’s family once again. We will do the drop off kids and pick up kids routine. If I should need to go to Sophia’s school for any reason I will have a photo ID with me. Because we are driving we have the luxury of taking more clothes than needed for iffy Minnesota spring weather.

Paula

Less Plastic

Hello,

A friend told me about putting a fish in a plastic bowl and it died almost instantly. I have often read about how life would be better with less plastic, not that we die as fast as the fish. My life is so inundated with plastic; I have a hard time remembering life before its advent. It has proliferated in my life time, but was it there before?

We have a plastic lid thing for the microwave which stops spattering. Leroy’s mother gave that to us a long time ago. I have used and appreciated it for years. I figure the heating close to food is bad. I suspect it is that bad plastic so I got a new one today that does not have some of the known problem materials in it.

Now the question was what to do with the old one. I told Leroy that I could give it away, but would that mean that some poor person would get it? Leroy’s response was, “If it is not safe for us to use it is not safe for another to use. Put it in the trash.”

It is going in the trash.

I have gotten a new sun hat. After wearing it around with the tag on I have removed the tag and will keep it. I was a little afraid that it will cause a headache as it is close to being tight. Will my head swell in the heat. This hat is for women and looks quite nice. I will also get the model that is more men so I will have one that is a little larger, plus it will be more packable. This one is packable but not as easily as Leroy’s is.

I hung clothes out this morning for the first time this year. The sheets smell so good. Things dried very nicely. When cleaning the clothes line my rag got a big black streak. It is hard to think about all of that stuff being in the air and we breathe it all the time. What do our lungs look like?

Paula

Dreaming

Hello,

I was dreaming that Leroy and I were in, perhaps, a motel. At least there was a bed there, but the room was so plain, nothing on the walls or any other furniture. He was working on his tablet and I seemed to be just sitting there. I was starting to feel hungry, but Leroy kept insisting that we could not go eat. I could see into a room that was below us and people were eating in a very fancy place. I told Leroy, “It does not matter how much it costs we could go eat there.” But he still was adamant that he had things to do and I should be patient. After another long wait he got a phone call. He seemed to be talking with our children planning some sort of surprise for me as my birthday was coming soon. I wanted to eat and he did not seem to care. I really did not want a surprise for my birthday, I just wanted breakfast. By this time I was getting a bit irritated.

In real time, Leroy started moving around in bed and woke me up. It was morning, I was hungry, and I was irrationally irritated with Leroy. “How could he be so uncaring of me, especially in my dream?” I did get over that feeling, but not instantly as I watched him with a rather jaundiced eye. Is any of life real or do we just make it up?

Leroy is taking stock of my face every morning to see if it looks better than the day before. This morning he was convinced there was definite improvement. I do know that I can touch most parts of it without experiencing pain. That is nice although I have vowed to keep my hands away from my face. Surely that is not the best place for them to be. Old habits are hard to brake.

Yesterday at work not so many people asked me what was happening to me. It is interesting to me that the most common guess is that people think I have shingles. Luckily that is not the case. I believe that is to be a bad thing on the face.

Paula

Where to live next?

Hello,

One of the most difficult or mysterious questions for us is where to live in retirement. As I have mentioned before we would like to be close to our children. I do not see them living close to each other anytime soon. Their close proximity to each other would solve our move thoughts on a broad geographic area. So who do we live by? There are advantages and disadvantages in all of that. Also would those children stay put until we die? It is hard to say. We do not want to tie them down. If we live another 30 years, they will be about as old as I am now and looking to retire or will have already done so.

One of my high school classmates just died. My 50^th class reunion is this year. When my mother celebrated her 50^th less than half the class was still alive. The majority of my classmates are still alive. Is life expectancy that much greater? Or are we as a group just healthier?

Age stuff is something to ponder. How did I get to be this age anyway? What really astounds me is the age of my children. Seems that I have not been alive long enough to have children so old.

I am staying in the house quite a bit now because I do not want to expose my face to the sun. I could wear a hat, but my ears get too cold so I feel that I look silly with a stocking hat on as well as the wide brimmed affair. I could put on sunscreen, but the thought of taking it off, makes my face hurt so I avoid putting anything extra on it besides the Vaseline recommended by the Dr. That is the reason must be why I am zeroing in on all of the age possibilities and how our lives will change. I envy people who have lived in the same place for years and they just keep on in retirement. Although eventually most people have to move somewhere else. Moving is not such a daunting thought to me as it probably is to them. So there are still some positives to the way I have lived.

Paula

My Christmas Cactus

Hello,

Today, I pulled off another large dying hunk of my Christmas cactus. It saddens me because it has been part of our lives for 44 years. I was proud of how large and vigorous it was. Now I will repot it in a much smaller pot when spring really comes. It is not dead, but putting out new growth. I also used to think that it was symbolic of our marriage. So now should I assume that the marriage is dying? But no, there is new growth; it must mean we are getting rid of the old and creating new for the rest of our lives together. Leroy is still talking of being 70 before he totally retires. At which time I will be 71. Then a totally new venture will begin.

Last night we were going over the financial picture of the coming years. If the market holds up more than down, we are really going to be in good shape because we have lived so austerely for many years. Not necessarily rich, but comfortable. I remember my mother talking about how they had always lived so carefully that when they sold the farm and had money they did not know how to spend it. Is spending money freely and easily something that is best learned when young?

The real questions are what would I change? I have already found it much easier to spend money when flying to see our daughters. That would have been unimaginable to me 20 years ago. Perhaps I will just go buy organic especially the “dirty dozen”, if I can once again find the list of those items that soak in the chemicals. Many of the vegetables from the garden are already organic so I am shifting that direction. I am not sure that I am ready to keep up with clothing styles. Just thinking about it makes me feel tired. Perhaps I should hire a fashion consultant, but I am afraid they might want to clean out my closet and start over. All I can think about that is, “What a waste.”

Perhaps it will be good, for Leroy would like to take some short mission trips and one must fund transportation oneself. We will have the ability to do some of that. Depending on what and where I could go along.

Paula

My Face is Healing

Hello,

I have stopped applying the cream. My face looks better already. Of course, looks better is a relative term. There is more healing to be done. This is the longest period in my adult life that I have not put on makeup. I’m even adjusting to the idea that people can see the real me, but do they get past the outside view? One man who stopped in the library told me he had had the same treatment. His face looked wonderful in spite of some surgeries. I am not sure that my face will look that good because I learned he did not have Resaca and Seborrhea Kerasotes as I do.

I feel like a poster child. Another woman came in and talked about where I had gone and just what it entailed. She had a spot removed from her face and was to see a dermatologist. I guess it is good for the general population to know about this. As with many journeys in life it is comforting to talk to someone who has been down the road before you so they can lend encouragement and support.

Last night we had company for dinner. I tried a new soup recipe and made some bread. It was great to have some conversation with someone besides Leroy. Leroy does not talk much at mealtime. Usually I can see the top of his head as he works on emptying his plate. Actually in the last months he is trying to change that and looks up from time to time. He even talks a little. It seems we do our best talking when we are in bed with the lights out. Is that because we cannot be distracted by anything else?

I have read a book for the church book club, Beyond the Beautiful Forevers. It has some very low spots in it. The author’s remarks afterward seemed to bring it all together. After reading those remarks, I liked it better than I had. The library book club also meets this week on Tuesday. For that one I read a short book, Married and still loving it. It is so unusual to read a nonfiction for a book club and then to do two of them!

Paula

Blessings we have

Hello,

I was looking at Facebook this afternoon when a friend sent me a chat note. I decided to call her. We talked for some time sharing some news. Just ten years ago this would not have happened. Besides not having access to facebook, the call would have been expensive. My friend lives on the east coast. In the past a long distance call always took some thought instead of just being on a whim.  Today it added nothing to the expenses in my life.

I had a dr. appointment today. Yesterday I got the reminder about it. Even though I was not home and my cell was turned off they could leave a message. How was that situation handled before answering machines? About a half hour before I was to go they called asking if I had gotten the voice mail that the Dr. was not in. Where that message went is a mystery so the system is not totally reliable. Luckily caring people make the extra effort.

Leroy is taking time off this afternoon because he works on Saturday. He is now happy as a clam “working on his stamps”. I am not sure why but this work requires a great deal of talking to himself. I am grateful he is here with me even if he does cut into my concentration.

The amaryllis has four blooms open and the second one has two open with two more to come. My sister’s gloxinia now resides at my house and it is also blooming so the living room is quite cheery. The bromeliad from her funeral has stopped blooming, but it has had a “pup”. That is the term I found on the internet, that source of the odd fact. In time the parent plant will die and I can repot the new one which might even be joined by another. My clivia now has five babies poking up from the roots. Plants and a sense of hope fill the room. I can feel a spring plant give-away coming on.

Paula