Store Return Woes

Hello,

On Wednesday I returned the sweater because of that tight feeling in the armpits. It was a sad time because I liked it so much. Also Leroy gave it to me. I looked around and found one that is quite different, but I still like it. Yesterday I learned that I have some reward dollars that I must spend before the end of the year. So back to the store today. I saw a sweater that looked a lot like “mine” on the rack. I tried it on and sure enough it was mine still with that gripping sensation in the armpits. How did I get so proprietary about something that I only had in my possession for a few short days?

I finally found a top that I believe is acceptable, but still not as good as the one I almost had.

I have written a letter about the slippers that are too small for Leroy, but have not emailed it yet. Seems to me it is a bit of a rambling tale. More short and to the point might have more sway. Or perhaps I should just have Miriam call as she has offered to do. More than once in the stores I have thought, “Miriam should be with me since she likes to shop. I could send her out like a bird dog that points at what I want.”

Leroy has decided to only keep the better extension cord that I got for him. That means I must take back the other. It seems that I have entered a phase of life that does not give me much joy, rather anxiety and a sigh of relief when it is finally done. Relief is always good. I will try to focus on that.

Leroy has put in a full work week. He has worked most days at the museum, but he is the pastor on call so he has done some work for the church too, including a funeral. He will be glad when other people come back next week and he can just do his usual things.

You can’t feel too sorry for this guy because on Monday night he told me, “I must be a workaholic. I have had off a day and a half and I am bored and wondering what to do. If I could be outside it would be different.”

Paula

Soup and Exercise

Hello,

Pumpkin soup is in the pot. It was to be pumpkin lentil soup, but it changed to split pea when the bag in the cupboard had peas rather than lentils in it. Substitutions are a solid creed in my life. We will learn if it was a good thing or not. The rest of the ingredients are the same as the recipe, except that the ground ginger jar would not yield the required amount. Even though the crystal ginger is here it seemed just a bit too far to the side. There could have been more of the ingredients if the idea had occurred sooner. As it was, I saw the pie pumpkin sitting decoratively in its spot and decided “the time had come” for it to serve another purpose.

Cutting this pumpkin was a job. Either the knives need sharpening again or pumpkin skin is tough. The seeds are saved, but I will leave them for Leroy as he likes them much better than I do.

If you have a New year resolution about exercise, I have read a book called Younger Next Year : the exercise program by Chris Crowley. It could help you reach your goal of moving more and becoming stronger and more flexible. I would recommend it for anyone who feels that urge to do something to change how they feel for the better. It certainly has inspired me. I who never write fan mail almost want to write the author and tell him how much I liked it.

Paula

Christmas Day

Hello,

Blessings to you all as you contemplate where your life should be strong and where you need to focus. Merry Christmas!

Leroy and I exchanged gifts early in the morning with not as much excitement as where there are children present, but smiles and joy covered the scene. Leroy got two extension cords from me. The first was because I found it and the second was because we were in a store with a sale of 16% off any item that would fit in their bag. It did not find the exact same cord, but it was half the price. Leroy wants to keep them both as he has two cords that have some repairs to them and they seem a little unsafe. Skeptically I asked, “Why do you need so many cords?” (He already has four of them.)

Sometimes he wants to go a long distance from the power source. Two of the cords that are still good have only two prongs and he needs those to get powered in the older style garage outlet. The two that I got for him are three prong deals. One of them will withstand temps of -40 or 140 degrees. Can’t imagine why he would be in that low or high a temp, but he will be ready now. That one also has three outlets on it so he can plug in other things. I thought he would pick the cheaper one and send back the other, but the way it is now we will keep both. Can’t you just see Leroy plugging these cords in and doing wonderful powerful things?

Leroy bought a nice cardigan sweater for me that I like the color and the feel of very much. I decided to wear it to church today. It is a small which is my usual size; however when I put it on over the turtle neck I immediately noticed that it was tight in the armpits. I took off that turtle neck replacing it with one that is thinner. It felt better, but still not the best. I wore it to church, but noticed, from time to time, the rubber band feeling in my armpits. Now the question is should I return it or keep it, hoping it will stretch out and feel better later?

Leroy and I went to church at different times this morning. He was working and wanted to get there earlier than I needed to. When I got to church a woman asked, “Are you doing anything special for lunch?”

Leroy and I went to her house for lunch along with two other women from church as well as a large group of former Liberians. It was a very nice experience, so casual that I did not have to be concerned about fitting in.

For supper we had waffles with plain yogurt, topped with unsweetened cherries, and the whole drizzled with black strap molasses. Leroy said, “Waffle cherry delight.”

Guess we have created a new dish.

Paula

Putting Leroy to work

Hello,

Guess I just do not want that guy to sit around reading. I asked before we got out of bed if he would be willing to vacuum. He agreed. He politely waited until I was done doing my yoga session before he started. He did a great job. Later, I was putting some papers away in the file cabinet. I realized that at the end of the year I could eliminate many papers, especially those from two or three years ago. One of the files has a lot of papers in it that concern Leroy. So I asked if he would be willing to go through it. He did, but he huffed and puffed a little just to let me know that he really did not want to do it, but did not want to say no. He gets no joy out of this task. I, however, like the slim files when we are done and feeling of being lighter. I especially do not want to leave it all until just before we move as that is too much pressure work. We had so many papers that we needed to make a trip out to the recycle bin before we could finish. I consider that progress.

Leroy did read for about 1.5-2 hours before we got started on these things. Then he read some more. The phone rang summoning him to the hospital where a person was facing death. After that he needed to go to church to work both for the service on the 31^st as well as the services that are held this afternoon and evening.

He will be off next Monday. I will be working in the afternoon and evening so I cannot make so many requests on his time. Lucky guy, he can just read to his heart’s content. Leroy is the pastor on call at the church next week, but for Monday he is working at the museum so his boss can have some vacation. I guess if he gets called during work hours, he will just lock the library and come back later.

I am looking forward to walking to church tonight, but wondering what to wear on my feet as it is wet now, will it be icy later? If it is just a bit of ice on the sidewalk, we often walk on the streets for the less used thoroughfares. That seems to work quite well.

Paula

Bike Weather?

Hello,

Leroy said, “It’s 30 degrees and that is about the high for the day.”

It seemed like bike riding weather to me, but I did not say anything as I saw Leroy get ready to leave in non bike riding clothes.

I went shopping later and was surprised to see pellets of snow/ice hit the windshield. When I came out of the store it was snowing as in pelting down. I brushed the wet snow off the windows, and used the windshield wiper frequently. By the time I was done shopping the snow was done. Leroy would not have been happy to have been in that and now the streets are very wet. Not riding the bike was a smart move on his part.

Sometimes I hear someone talk about the cashiers in the stores who do not know how to make change, but depend on the electronics. Today I paid in cash and I wanted to give the clerk three pennies. She had already keyed in my bills. When I asked about giving her the pennies she told me how much change I would get without giving her those pennies. Remembering what others have said I assumed that she did not know what to do about those pennies. Deciding not to embarrass her I just accepted the change that the machine showed. I believe that working in a restaurant years ago was a good learning experience for dealing with all sorts of cash. Life has changed indeed. At least the machines are accurate all the time, or at least that is what I believe. I know that I did make a mistake from time to time.

Today, I did not see a single person on a bicycle. Often I do see them even on the coldest days.

Daughter Sarah in DC posted that the town was empty. I certainly could not say the same as I waited in line in more than one store.

Paula

Internet shopping

Hello,

Leroy and I must not be the best candidates for internet shopping. We have gotten some things with little fuss, but then there is the big fuss. It was quite easy to order slippers on line. They seemed so nice that Leroy also ordered a pair. Leroy’s pair came, but they were the wrong size. Leroy mailed them back after consulting the company. He is not sure how it happened, but he paid a lot of money to send them back. The gift pair did not come in time for us to hand it personally to the recipient. So they also had to be mailed on, but at half the cost of mailing the first pair. Leroy’s replacement pair came. They seemed to be the proper size of large, but his toes were bunching up against the front of the shoe. I tried them on too, we have almost the same size foot, and my toe also touched, but not too much, however after about five minutes of wear with no sock my toes started to hurt.

“I am going to give these away,” Leroy said.

“That may be, but I think you should contact the company and get some reimbursement for that extra postage,” I declared.

Leroy declined so I said, “Ok, I will do it then.”

“Thank you,” he said to my dismay. I was hoping that he would step up to the bar since I was volunteering.

Neither of us likes to deal with this type of thing. I do feel that the company made some mistakes and therefore should pay for them. That feeling seems to be stronger than not liking to do it. Now I just need to find some strength and courage to get it done. There are all sorts of questions in my mind about how to word the email that I will send. Or heaven forbid, do I need to call them?

Our children did not inherit this hesitancy about dealing with errors in a product. How did that happen? I see them step right up and face it head on.

If we had gone to a store Leroy could have tried these on and the fit would have been good or he would not have purchased them. Also we would have had them in time to make the gift delivery in person. Seems I know many who just love doing internet shopping, but I am not in the category.

Paula

Procrastination

Hello,

The time has come. Last night we got more than twenty Christmas cards ready for the mail box. This morning we did at least fifteen more. We have made progress with only a few left. Because of the internet we have slashed the number of cards that we send. Some year we might even include some pictures. I thought about a picture that is the background on my computer. It is a picture of Leroy and I after camping and while hiking in the Utah Wasatch Mountains. We had not showered and I am not sure that I had even combed my hair. It seemed like the real us. In some ways we do not even look too bad. Perhaps it is much closer to our normal look than we allow ourselves to know.

Because we are sending out these cards so late, I have a wild urge so write a little note to the postal workers. It would say, “It is my fault that this is so late going out. Procrastination can be seductive. You do not have to work harder than usual to send them along. They can be late. It will be ok.”

At any rate we are just putting them in the corner mail box as is. Leroy and I have a system. He addresses, signs them, and puts them in the envelop. Sometimes he leaves them open so I can write something more on the card and sometimes he seals it up. I have been writing on everyone that I handle, consequently I do not get so many finished. Leroy seems to feel we have said it all and I feel that there is always more to say.

Now we need more stamps. Tomorrow is another day.

Paula

Missing Hat

Hello,

Last night we planned to go to a party in spite of the cold and snow. It was only a bit over two miles away, but we understood there was a serious hill to climb. Before we left I gathered warm items including the bag that I keep in the car for going to work. This was not so far, but I was concerned about going off the road and into the ditch. I also had no idea how many people lived in this area. When it came time to put on my favorite hat, I could not find it. I dashed from closet to closet looking in obvious and not so obvious places such as the storage place for hats, coat pockets, sleeves of coats, and on the floor. Finally I just pulled out my not such a favorite hat and tried to stop thinking about how it was flattening my hair.

Navigating the hill was a bit slow, however it all went ok until Leroy went off on a side street one block too soon. We both realized it when we could see the street sign in the dark. At that point he could not get started up the hill again. Luckily he could angle around, back into the street and get a little more momentum allowing him to inch up the last bit of hill. Gratefully we turned onto the proper street before stopping right before their mailbox.

We had a nice time visiting with some of the people we know from church choir. I kept a little nervous flutter working each time I thought about going back down this steep hill with its curves. We arrived home in good shape. With more snow on the sidewalks, it seemed important to clear it off before anyone walked on it.

Back in the house I flung my hat on the floor only to see that it was now my favorite hat I was wearing. I was sure that I had worn the other when we left the house. How could this be? I looked around the house from my lesser favored hat, but did not find it.

This morning I asked our hostess if she had found a hat. She said, “I did, right by the door. I thought one of the neighbors who walked might have left it.”

I think now that my favorite had been in the sleeve of my coat all along, with my arm. When I pulled out my scarf both hats came out and one fell to the floor unnoticed by me. I am not losing my mind, just my things.

Paula

Such a Saturday

Hello,

I made granola, or got it half done before I left for work. Leroy did not have to do any hard labor for it, just stir and take it out when done. It was quite pleasant on the roads, because many people stay off of them on Saturday. I do not have the feeling that I must guard my place to maintain my position. When I pulled into a parking place I thought my coworker pulled in front of me. Yes it was her, “am I not working today?” I wondered. After she came in we looked at the schedule. She was supposed to work not me. I had missed a work day in the week and often then I work the Saturday, but not this time. Oh well it was only a 12 mile drive and quite nice to be out in the country. I also got some more books for Leroy. When I called him and told him I was coming home, he just laughed. The biggest bonus was that I had a nice visit with my coworker who no longer works at the same time I do.

We went shopping a bit this morning along with thousands of other very polite people. I managed to get one more present for Leroy and he got some supplies. I also washed a load of clothes so all time was not lost.

The Christmas decorations are up and in place although they might move before the season is over.

Both Leroy and I have ignored our Christmas letter. We still have three hours before the open house so we could get some written, but I am not holding my breath.

I also walked to the grocery store this morning. Leaning against the building was a guy charging his cell phone in the power outlet. I commented that it was a little cold (16 F.). When I came back out, with all that I could carry on my back, he was still there. It shows me once again that I do not know how some people live and survive. I have a ready power source at home. I am talking about electricity not Leroy! I am grateful for both.

Paula

Our Christmas letter

Hello,

Leroy and I had written our Christmas letter before this last weekend, but just had copies made and it sat on the table while we were gone. For some reason we did not print off a copy to proofread. The printed copy helps me to see the mistakes. We were in just too much of a rush. After coming home, I just kept doing other things. Last night I read through it and marked all of the errors. When Leroy came home I told him that I was embarrassed to send it out in its present condition. He agreed. Uncharacteristically for us we ignored the money we had spent to have it copied and proceeded to make changes, even a little bit of text changed. I feel much better now and I hope Leroy does too. We will work on it tonight and into the weekend. I work tomorrow so I cannot be here to do much. Also, in the evening we are invited to an open house. Not much time there. We go to church Sunday morning with sometime in the afternoon for decorating the church tree. I hope someone tells me a little to the right or a little higher or something, because that is not my skill in life.

My list of non skills seems to grow when I am not looking. What are my skills? My boss and fellow workers tell me that I am good with the public. Sometimes they even step aside so I can do it. I believe that means they are not as comfortable as I am.

Our tree is still in the box so we will possibly get it up this weekend as well. Because I did not finish this so fast, the tree is now warming up in the living room as its attic home is quite cold today.  Other decorations are doing the same so we can handle them without getting cold hands.

One thing nice about the cold is that it cools the bean soup that we had for supper. Love that enclosed back porch! We had Brussels sprouts from the front garden as well as kale in recent days. A little bit of cabbage (small heads) went into the soup tonight. We had corn bread with applesauce and drizzled with molasses. It was all accompanied with a glass of great apple cider. I do like winter when all is snug and sheltered.

Paula

Where Does My Brain Go?

Hello,

This morning Leroy had on a sweater that I felt did not go so well with his pants. He made some comment about his clothes so I told him what I thought. “Would you find something that is better?” he asked.”

“Sure, do you want to change the sweater or the pants?” I wanted to know.

“I would like to wear the sweater,” he stated.

I headed off to look for the dark khakis that we had just recently gotten at the fabulous price of 90% off. We were both please with them as they fit him so well and were of a good quality.  Because the closets in this old house are small, I searched in the first place I thought they might be. No luck! I moved on to the second and still did not find them. Leroy also looked to no avail. At that point I chose a different pair of pants which also looked quite fine with his sweater. Later I looked in the first closet, touching each pants as I went past. There they were! They were darker than I remembered. We had assumed that they must be in the apartment, but where was a big question. I thought maybe Leroy had put them away somewhere and did not remember doing it. I distinctly remembered putting them on a hanger. Maybe I need a vision check?  I will have to work on some memory games to find out if I can sharpen the results.

It is like that at work sometimes. There was a rather large container of mini candy canes on my desk yesterday. No one seems to know anything about them. One of my young colleagues commented that she worries that she might be losing some essential brain power when things like that happen. I am off the hook as everyone thinks this jar appeared on Saturday when I was not even there. Yes!

Here is a link to some of the pictures from the weekend and Brian’s graduation. A picture was taken of Leroy, me and our children, but it must have been with someone else’s camera. I also do not know why I do not have a picture of us with Sarah.

https://goo.gl/photos/TqoADj7GwLRYS4MQ9

Paula

Life's Good times

Life’s good times

December 12, 2016

Hello,

Brian graduated from PA school on Saturday. We were proud and happy to be there. I was going to send a link to the pictures, but I cannot find it right now and I must leave soon.

I am just doing a short note because I do not have much time today.

We also celebrated Christmas since the immediate family was all there.

Grandchildren have grown and changed, but still get along well together even though Logan noted that he was the only boy and he did not like that. Later he did say that his cousin Olivia was “a sweet girl.”

All driving was on good roads in spite of the cold.

Paula

Ships Passing in the night

Hello,

Yesterday Leroy and I waved to each other on occasion. I got up and went to church fairly early. Leroy stayed home because he had been to church Saturday night. I stayed two hours because I attended book club. We had read the Martian. All of us liked it even though only one of us was a lover of Sci-Fi. Many of us skipped the formulas as being beyond our comprehension, but we all assumed they were accurate. We are an easy to fool group. Just give us a good story.

On the way home I enjoyed the beauty of the snow on the trees. I stopped at the community garden. After brushing the snow off the broccoli, I snapped off a sprig, popped it into my mouth, and reveled in the wonderful flavor. After that I checked out the collards and kale. Both look like snow is ok with them.

When I got home after walking carefully to avoid a fall, I learned that Leroy was getting ready to go back to church as he does a

Blue Christmas service to help people deal with loss and grief at the holidays. I ate lunch, sat down for a brief time before I headed out to go usher at a choir concert. It was indeed well worth the trip through that slush and snow.

When I got home, Leroy was focusing on the class that he was teaching that night. We did eat early together before he headed back out to return at about 9:00 pm.

We spent the entire night in bed together, but after we went to sleep there was little to no interaction.

Paula

Darkness moves in

Hello,

While out shopping yesterday I had to use the restroom. The store was small so the bathroom was only a two stall affair. I moved in confidently even thought it took a couple more seconds than I liked for the motion light to notice my presence and flood the place with light. Just as I got seated the light went out. “It must need a little more motion,” I thought as I got up and waved my arms to no avail.

I really needed to use the facilities, and when I opened the stall door when the light popped back on. “All is good,” I thought as I proceeded to settle back down and proceed.

The light went off again as I was at a point of no return. I waved my arms in the air hoping to catch some sensor by surprise. It did not work. Darkness is quite solid in a place with no windows or other external light. It encloses one in its space.  “It will be ok, I know where the door is, I know where the toilet paper is, and I can hear noises outside so people are still out there.” I thought as I tried to move the process along in a timely manner.

“What will I say if someone else comes in?” I wondered. However no one else needed this place or they knew enough to stay away.

When I once again opened the stall door the lights came back on. I then proceeded to wash my hands and the lights went off once more. This time when I waved my hand in the air it made a connection and the light beamed on once more. I decided against drying my hands and made a quick exit. That was enough deep darkness for one day.

Paula

Leroy's Eyes

Hello,

Leroy was quite excited when he came home from the eye doctor. His eyes had improved enough that they could take the film off the lens. So now he is back to the prism glasses that he got last summer. Those eyes are not normal, but they have made progress in that direction. He had been to several therapy sessions. Now the question is can he do this on his own or should he go for more guided therapy. He tells me that he still sees double without glasses, but nothing like it had been in the past. We are just so grateful that someone has figured out what to do about these conditions.

 I hung out clothes this morning. It was wonderful to be out there. This afternoon when I went out to get the clothes in the house I heard a lot of squirrel walnut eating. Looking up in the walnut tree, I counted six squirrels up there. No wonder it was so noisy. I just find that a delight. I am thankful for these creatures that can entertain with their eating. In a bit I heard a sound in the catalpa tree. Soon I spotted a nuthatch. I believe I have never heard one before. As I watched, it hopped up to a branch, pecked at a walnut, and dropped it to the ground. This bird then hopped up to another branch and repeated the drill. When it was working on the third branch a squirrel raced down the trunk of the walnut tree, zoomed past me, climbed up the tree and chased the nuthatch away. Territorial space? Who knows, but I found it quite interesting. It lifts my spirits to go outside and learn what is happening out there. Even in the small back yard there is action if we just take the time to look for it.

Our front garden is still beautiful with those collards and kale dominating the scene. I will have to pick them soon because it is to be much colder next week.

Paula