The Suitcase is Out

Hello, The next two days look rather busy so the suitcase came out today. I put all the things I have been collecting in it. Leroy wonders if he will find room for some clothes. It looks like there is space, but things will have to be rearranged. Leroy went to the museum and volunteered this afternoon. He will do that again tomorrow. He came home tired and announced, “I am not sure if it is because I do not work or if it is my age catching up with me, but I am very tired.” He is helping to unload and sort a rather large donation. He tells me, “I will have to pick you up more to build up my muscles.” Maybe I should gain some weight to make it worth his while. I did go do a little more shopping. We are quite low on vegetables. It felt quite serious almost as bad as no fruit in the house. Paula

Hearing Aid Repair, Again

Hello, We made another 25-mile trip to get Leroy’s hearing aid fixed again. It was just fixed last week for a different matter. There was another trip about two weeks ahead of that. This place has a better price on the aids. Until they have worked quite well. Or at least if they needed fixing it was almost a six-month time between. Even though it is that far it is a fairly quick trip because we can use the interstate. It takes only about 20 minutes once we are in the car. There is usually some other shopping we can do, but this time we were stocked up plus we will be leaving for Utah on Friday. No need to buy much ahead of time. We got our Christmas letters in the mail. We also delivered more books to little free libraries. There are only two books left in the house and they will go soon. Our little free library is almost empty as were the other two that we visited today. Hope people are enjoying the books. Our youngest child is 45 today. Can we be old enough? It seems impossible. Paula

Technology Wrangling

Hello, Technology wrangling has happened before, but I am still not accustomed to it. This time it might have been partly my adding to the problem because I switch numbers. I was trying to get into an account and could not make it in. The chat person was some help, but I suspect I was not dealing with a real person, but AI. This seemed especially true because some answers were the same. The answers were also very fast without typing time. At least it is solved. We use a service to keep track of passwords. That works quite nicely until it does not. I finally learned that I could not access it on the computer, but only on my phone. It used to be good on both. That is perhaps another day or hour of wrangling to get it figured out. I had to keep asking Leroy to help me with numbers. If he reads them as single digits, I can get the form filled in correctly. It seems that has become more of a problem as I have aged. Paula

Almost used to cold Temperatures

Hello, Leroy and I have been walking outside a bit more and it does not feel quite so cold. Now it is starting to warm up. That will be for about three days then it gets colder again. It seems to me cold needs to hang around longer so we get acclimated to it. But I am not in control. I got some more things for Leroy for Christmas; he was with me to give his opinion. Not sure how it happens that we feel the need for the other’s okay on a gift purchase. Guess we are not so into the idea of returning and exchanging. We went to church this morning. While walking through the campus close to us we decided that it really is colder since all students we saw had long pants and no shorts. We had on warmer coats, but they did have light jackets with hoods pulled up. We did some random dusting at church, unloading, and storing. A person who was at church, but not a member commented on how clean the church is. I will have to tell the custodial staff. Leroy did not have the right socks in his boots for comfortable walking, but he managed. It is a chore to select the right thickness of sock to fill a boot, but not crowd the toes. How large should boots be? On the way home we walked past the community garden things did not look as frozen as I thought they might. Perhaps they were frozen and will show that when they thaw. Paula

Volunteering

Hello, Leroy will be doing some volunteering at the museum. He sounds rather pleased to be able to do that. Seems to me he has not gotten too far from work. This is just more on his time preference. Now I wish I could find something like that. There is an organization close to us, but they mostly want volunteers in the morning. Three mornings a week, I have scheduled with exercise classes. Then it seems that doctor appointments have taken up a lot of time. Volunteering in the community garden or the church flower garden are no longer needed, giving me some free time. Reading is only satisfying for a certain amount of the day. Cleaning is not as appealing as it could be. We had talked about deep cleaning a room after Leroy retired, but not one room has been tackled. Earlier we had excuses, but now? Paula

Snow!

Hello, I am happy to see snow on the ground in the morning. It was quite dry so it was fun to shovel. The wind was the only downside. Sometimes the houses protected us and sometimes not. Maybe it would work to just shovel in one direction, but we did not manage that. We had errands to run which revealed that there were some slippery spots. We had no real trouble. We got some groceries and I picked up some prescription refills while Leroy got the RSV shot. We are both covered now. Hopefully that means we will stay well. My dermatologist visit, today, went well. He did two biopsies. One on my face he said, “I can see it is not a problem, but the one on your leg might be or might not be. Only the lab report will tell us.” I am grateful to have doctors so close. It makes it easier to get some of these things looked at. Leroy got back to the library so he is supplied with books for a few days. We are grateful for libraries. Paula

Going to Church

Hello, The trip to church is much faster on cold days. We do not loiter, rarely stopping to look at something interesting. If there is no traffic we cross the street against the light. Perhaps I should not tell you that as we try to follow the rules or laws. This morning was one of those zippy walks. It is so wonderful to get into the warm at the end of the walk. There is new appreciation for comfort. The choir sang this morning. It is so nice to be able to sing with a group. It makes me feel good. There is research that shows this is a good thing to do fo. At church, I visited with a man in the choir whose wife is having some health problems. She is wondering if the rest of her life will be like this. That is one of the issues with aging. Thinking that there is no turning around, but that is not always true. A cardinal was sitting in the tree outside. It was beautiful. I enjoy the birds. Paula

Christmas For Leroy and I

Hello, Leroy and I had talked about not exchanging gifts because we will not be home for Christmas. Well, today we went shopping for some things and ended up buying some clothes for each other. Not much surprise involved, because we tried them on at home to make sure they fit and were what we wanted. We will exchange them after Christmas when we come home. Perhaps we will have forgotten what they are and it will be a surprise. This all started when Leroy saw a shirt he would like, but felt that he did not really need it. I told him I could get it for him for Christmas. He liked that idea. It grew from there to include a pair of pants and then another. I got into it and picked out two shirts and one pair of pants for me. We are a pair, aren’t we? Our downstairs friends have a heated bird bath that is very popular with the birds. It must be hard for birds to find water to get a drink in our frozen world. They are not really doing the bath thing, but drinking is it. Paula

Blooms and Cold November 29, 2024 Hello, There is something so satisfying to me to see the blooms on the flowers when it is quite cold outside. Three of the cacti are blooming. The white one has a large bloom. It had belonged to my sister.

Three violets are blooming. Really just seeing the green of various shades is also good. There are only 26 plants in the house. Seems to me that some years there have been more. Five of them have gone to church to spend the winter. A friend asked if I wanted to go for a walk today. I am glad they did ask. It was cold enough, I might have not done so much walking outside which is my favorite place to walk. It lifts my spirit to be outside. Leroy has started to work on our Christmas letter. We will be gone by the middle of December so we cannot put it off too long. We did go buy some groceries today, but did not participate in the “Black Friday” sales. I, especially, do not appreciate crowds. On line shopping is not really my thing either. I just do not purchase much. Paula

Harvest Time

Hello, Leory and I went to the community garden. He brought a saw so he could cut off the tall brussel sprout stem. We brought it home and will pick the sprouts later. I also picked quite a bit of cilantro. It was close to the ground and still quite nice. Then there was another picking of broccoli along with kale. There is more kale for someone as well as quite a few brussel sprouts. We stopped on the way home and offered some broccoli to a neighbor. He had seen us stopping at his sidewalk, came out and told us to come in and warm up even though we were just a short distance from home. His home looks quite nice outside, but needed a bit of work inside. I figured he did not have much money because he does not have a car. The house was built in 1900. I liked looking at the registers because we had those in the house where I grew up. The fireplace was beautiful tile in need of some repair. He did not want anything but some broccoli. I was certainly glad to share. I also picked a little cilantro at home. It is almost December and we can still get things from the garden. In our garden we have some small cabbage that we may also pick if the predicted low temperatures do not get here. I dropped a donation check off at the place up the street that serves meals five days a week. Soon I will figure out how to volunteer there. Paula

Books to Deliver

Hello, Yesterday, Leroy and I went back to the half price book store and spent the last of the money for books that address racial situations as well as those that deal with gender issues. I asked for help from one store worker. She helped, but even more help came from a customer who heard the inquiry. It was great. We had found quite a few, but it is hard to sort things out if you do not read the description on the books which takes a lot of time. We spent every last dollar on the card and some of our own money. After removing store stickers, I put five or more in our little free library in front of the house. We took a nice long walk and delivered to two of the libraries in the neighborhood across the street from us. There are still sixteen books to get distributed. I am hoping some people find them to use for Christmas presents if money is in short supply at their house. It is a nice excuse for a walk. It feels good to be able to do this. I am now done with the action team possibilities from our insurance company. Leroy needs to do one more this year, but he does not know just what to do. He will think of something, or ask someone else. Our neighbor is putting in a new fence. It will extend the place where the old fence was. Changes the look and the feel. We feel more closed in as we walk around the side of the house. Paula

Looking for Laughs

Hello, I feel a need to find books or movies that help me laugh. Somehow that is not so easy. Smiles, but laugh out loud does not happen so often. Perhaps I am just going to do the fake laugh and hope it turns into the real thing. Real and fake are both beneficial to the body or at least that is what I have read. There were some times I laughed this morning at church. I was a greeter and that involved much smiling. I was by the door that is opened with a button. Some people were surprised when the door opened by magic. We often had a little laugh together. Leory ushered today. It is nice when we both have jobs so we can remember to come early. There were many people who walked into church just about five minutes ahead of time. I had thought I could go sit, but they just kept coming. The service had already started by the time I went in. Hard on my need to be on time. There are talks after the service about the sermon and I like going to those. It is always interesting to hear other opinions. All of my holiday cacti are now blooming. The last ones just have two blooms open all the way. They are beautiful. Paula

Helping at a Funeral Reception

Hello, I volunteered to help at funeral dinners. Today was my first try. It was a small funeral group, so a good place to learn. I helped set up, serve if anything was needed, and clean up. It was quite within my abilities, although I noticed being on my feet for such a long time. That included my walks there and back. It was good to meet some people, now if I can remember names, I will be set. One thing I noticed is that some people are aware of many details of appearance. Luckily, I am not in charge because that is not really my skill. I am better if they tell me to go and do that. This may sound crazy, but I learned how to put a lid on a coffee carafe. Since I do not drink coffee, I knew little about the apparatus. Learned just now how to spell the word, hopefully it is the proper word. Thinking about what should be served at my funeral since I do not eat so much of the things that were there. Luncheon meat, jello salads, and desserts are not on my list of favorites, but it seems to be for many people. Even thought the flowers are gone from around the church someone brought many gourds and two pumpkins. They look quite nice. Again, this is something that I would never think of doing. Some people have good ideas. I find that women also spend a bit of time talking sports and I do not know about any of that. I can listen and say hum from time to time. Guess that works. Leroy commented that next year he will have been ordained and graduated from seminary fifty years ago. Time flies. Paula

Going Too Far?

Hello, It was 37 degrees F. when we hung out sheets and some other things. With wind and patience, they often dry. There was a bit of wind, but the humidity was also present today. When I brought them back in after lunch, they were all damp and some closer to wet. I suspect I have a reputation in the neighborhood as that crazy person who hangs out clothes in weird weather. My next-door neighbor wondered if we have a clothes dryer. We do, but it is seldom used, as clothes are hung on dryer racks instead. I consider that more beneficial to the environment. I like to hang out clothes so that makes it an easy choice for me. The squirrels are busy chewing on walnuts. Sometimes they chase each other trying to get some nut from the neighbor. We enjoy watching them in the yard. They are our entertainment. Are we deprived or blessed? Paula

Strong Wind

Leroy and I walked to church while a strong wind accompanied us coming and going. We tried to get shelter from buildings. Some of the times that worked. Again, today the wind is strong, reportedly gusting up to 40 mph. I have most of my step goal. It will be easy to get it while in the house. There is only one walnut on the tree, perhaps what I see is not a walnut. It is not easy to look at it. I have a suspicious looking spot on the back of a leg. Leroy took a picture of it for me. He also thinks it does not look like a good thing. I called the dermatologist and got their regional scheduler who said that my favored physician had no openings until March. I told him that was unacceptable and if nothing else I would see my general practitioner. Then he gave the phone of the local nurse line. I left a message and they called back to tell me the doctor would see me on December 2. Hopefully it will be nothing, but… Paula

Exciting Morning

Hello, Leroy headed off to bible study at 6:15 am. Minutes later I noticed he had left his phone on the charger. I grabbed it, hurried downstairs, and could not see him by the house. I slipped on some crocs that were handy. Well, this morning I started running after Leroy hoping I could catch him. I could see the flashy light on his arm at least half way or more down the next block. No cars were coming, so I raced, others might say I jogged, across the street and managed to keep up my speed for three fourths of that next block. Heavy breathing convinced me to slow down. At the end of the block, I could see the flashy light at least half a block away. He did not hear me call his name several times. Walking home in defeat I started to notice that I was not wearing a coat, hat or gloves as the cool temperature announced itself. At the house, my landlord called and wanted to know what was happening. He had seen me running and knew that was an unusual sight. When I told him, he said, “Well no one should be without their phone. I will put on warm clothes and we can get in my van out front and give the phone to Leroy.” I protested a little, but he assured me that he would like to do that. “It scared the hell out of me when I saw you running like that. So this is an adventure.” he added. Leroy was surprised when we spotted him on the sidewalk and gave him his phone. He had been prepared to do without it even though no steps would be recorded for that two-mile walk. Paula

Good Times

Hello, Miriam and Olivia spent the weekend with us. We played games, talked and laughed quite a bit. It was great. We did a few tourist things such as climbing Mount Trashmore. People who live among mountains were not impressed. We also walked around and viewed some of the murals downtown.

Our visitors complained quite a bit about the cold. Their 40 degrees F. is warmer than our 40 degrees F. Because of our copious humidity it feels much brisker with a strong wind. Today Leory and I drove to church and brought home more of the mums that will be put in the compost. We also did some more pruning. We will go back soon and get some more done as it is supposed to be colder in the next few days. There is something satisfying about getting some of these jobs done. I had a mammogram this morning. As always, they are noticing the number of breast cancer people in my family on the maternal side. And as often happens, they wondered if I have had genetic testing. The oncologist told me that it is most revealing if someone who has had breast cancer and survived gets the test. Since I have not experienced that I am not going to get to that point. Paula

What is Normal

Hello, We had gotten quite a lot of fermented honey from Brian. The granola seemed just fine with it in there. That honey has run out so I used regular honey today. The dry ingredients and the liquids blended together more than they had been doing. The granola browned much more quickly than with the other honey. Somehow the former conditions had started to seem normal. Is that how injustice works? At first it is noticeable, but after a while, especially to the people who benefit from this circumstance, people cease to notice it and it becomes normal. Such scary thoughts. Doing the right thing can be very difficult when a person notices the sacrifices that would be made. I pray for discernment and courage. Paula

Visitors Coming

Hello, It has been a long time since any of our children have visited. The last time was in the midst of Covid, as derecho, and Leroy’s illness. Then we did not clean so much we were just hanging on. We are cleaning now. Leroy is even cleaning out the bowls under the ceiling lights as well as the fan blades. My tasks are more weekly or at least regular cleaning chores. We should be clean by Friday night when Miriam and her daughter arrive. Now we are also discussing food as others in our family eat very differently than we do. Then there is the question of where we will all sleep. What will we do while they are here for this weekend visit. We are excited and looking forward to this. We took a lot of trips this year, but did not spend much time with family. I often wish I could just have all the kids move close to us so visiting would not be such an issue. Paula

First Thanksgiving Cactus Bloom opens

Hello, We were pleased yesterday to see the first bud open to a nice flower. It is a different color than we have had before. It belonged to my daughter-in-law’s mother. I had thought I would put it out for someone else to take, but it was in need of a little care, so I kept it. It might have a more permanent home here now.

As you can tell I like my houseplants. Three blooming violets are adding joy to my days.

The nasturtiums are struggling. It seems to me they are getting too leggy. I suspect they would much prefer to be out in the ground, but we will see how long they can live in the small pot that came with them.

Yesterday, when delivering neighborhood newsletters, we spotted a doe and a buck bounding across the street about two blocks from our house. They quickly ran around a house and out of sight. We have never spotted deer by our house, but did know they were in the neighborhood. Plants and animals really contribute so much to our lives. Paula

Books Going

Hello, Four books went into our little free library. Three of them are gone along with three other books that someone gave me for the library. More of the books I got are out there now too. We took three books to a library that is almost on our walk to church, we just had to add about two blocks. There were only two thin books in there so we could have put in some more. It is close to a homeless shelter so I like to put books there. Soon I will have to go buy more books. I am not sure who likes all the books, but many of them are taken at night. Often, we can tell that someone has looked at them because they are moved around. I am happy to know there are readers in the neighborhood and they have a source of books. Now it would be nice if all the old, old children’s books would be gone. I may have to move them to another library.

I just finished a book and did not have time to get the public library. In searching the catalogue, I found two I would like to read so I put them on hold. Hopefully they will be there tomorrow since they were on the shelf. I can stop tomorrow on my way home from Tai Chi. For me a day without books is like a day without sunshine. The public library is a great source, but it is far enough away from our neighborhood that it is great to have the little libraries. Paula

Things Done

Hello, This morning, I finally managed to put together a small list of books that I might find at the half price book store. It was a lengthy visit for this non-shopper. I managed to find a few books that were on my list, and quite a few that were not on the list, but looked like they should fit the plan. I have some money to buy books for the little free libraries in my neighborhood. The themes of the books will have a look at racism, sexual orientation and people with disabilities who don’t often find themselves in books. Hopefully that will help young people to see their place in the world and how they can be the best they can be. Yesterday, Leroy and I went to church expecting to spend just a couple hours there. We helped unload and put away items for the meals our church serves to others. we also planned to sweep under the chairs in the choir loft. I had picked up some papers under the chairs on Sunday and noticed a bit of dust under them. We volunteered. I had put my bag there and did not want it to bring out dust. Well, that turned out to be a bigger job than expected. We had to move a lot of chairs. Then I noticed that there was dust on the woodwork below the organ pipes. And a few other places. We also helped to wash about fifty bags of cranberries. Sorting some plastic cutlery that was to be handed out with some give away meals, and putting two cookies in many bags took up the rest of the time. We did eat lunch there was well as a snack in the morning. We were fed. Leroy was not feeling at the top of his game. He had gotten his flu and covid vaccines the day before. After we came home, he took a very long nap and managed to feel better. Paula

Plant Care

Hello, Leroy and I both spent some time working with plants. I transplanted three plants that had rooted, in pots for the winter. One has two coleuses in it.

The darker one came from church and the other I have had for at least two years. The other pot has a plant that had come from a funeral several years ago. It had outgrown its place. It was nice the family asked Leroy if his wife would like cut flowers or the plant and he made the right choice. Hopefully I can enjoy this plant for some more years.

The nasturtiums are now five, just as they should be.

Together we worked in our raised bed garden in the front yard. There were winter onions that had threatened to take over the place so we eliminated all of them except for the few that I had already planted at the back by the garage. I got one plant from a neighbor in Chariton in 2010 and have managed to keep it going and flourishing for all these years. There is something so satisfying about that. It was also calming and peaceful to work in the soil and find earth worms. It puts a better frame of heart and mind to know the earth is still growing and producing. I am grateful. Paula

Voting Done

Hello, Even though many told us they were voting by absentee or early we decided to vote on the day. We heard about lines for early voting that were so long people stood there for 1.5 hours. We can see our polling place from our windows. Cars were there early, but we went to tai chi and then to the library to pick up a book I had on hold. It had been raining all morning, but we went to vote when the rain was not so intense. There were people voting, but we did not have to stand in line. It seems that business has been steady rather than crammed. We even saw some of our neighbors. By the time we were finished, the rain was more serious business. We waited at the entrance until it became a bit lighter so we could more comfortably make the two blocks home. The wind was up so we did change our shoes, socks, and long pants. The umbrellas helped only the upper part of our bodies. We are praying that all goes peacefully with this election. Some of the talk by a candidate has been unsettling. All five of the nasturtiums have sprouted. Happy, happy! Paula

Coats Away November 3, 2024 Hello, Someone at church talked about needing help on Saturday night to hand out coats. Leroy and I were free so we volunteered to help with that. It almost seemed as if we would be the only workers, but it sounded like more than we, who don’t like confrontation, could handle. Only one coat was to be for each. With more of the smaller coats available and people wanting the larger sizes we were to steer smaller men to the smaller coats. Leroy did call the recruiter back and say we would like help as it turned out there were be two experienced other helpers there. What a relief! On Friday when we came to help with another task, we learned that it was coat sorting and displaying time. It took almost an hour to get it all done. It was not always easy to decide if it was a man’s or woman’s coat. Also, many of them did not have a size. There were a lot of women’s coats, but we were told that few women would come to get one.

Saturday afternoon, we got started in plenty of time. people were just let in the room by groups of four. We also had bins with hats, gloves, scarves, and socks. Not a lot of socks had been donated, and by the end only two pair were left. Gloves were very popular, not mittens. Hats were sought after, but scarves were a bit of a hard sell. All of the people expressed thanks, some said it over and over again. Two women cried and some people came back to say how glad they were to get warm things for the coming winter. It was very satisfying from our side of the giveaway. Paula

Growth November 1, 2024 Hello, The nasturtium seeds that I received at a retreat have sprouted, at least three of them have. There should be five, but there could be some slow starters.

All of the thanksgiving cacti in the house of buds. Some of them are definitely faster than others. The fastest is the one our downstairs friends were keeping for a friend. It was outside and apparently that was the right place for it to be. Two of the vases of cuttings from coleus are getting roots. It is great to see all this growth. Today Leroy and I went in and sorted adult sized coats for a give-away tomorrow afternoon, evening. There were many scarves, gloves, hats and a few socks. Leroy had money to get some gloves and he asked the choir to contribute if they could. Tomorrow, Leroy and I will be there for the distribution of these items. Hopefully this will warm people in the coming months. I also asked for some money from our nonprofit insurance company. My money will go to buy books for the little free libraries in my neighborhood. Again, I am concentrating on books that include people of color or people who have “differences” from the majority of the people in Iowa. These people need to know they are welcomed and cared for. Paula

Technology Mysteries

Hello, I have not worked for almost two years, but messages from Facebook appear as if I am still a part of the whole. When I questioned one of my former co-workers she said, after searching the site, “I do not see your name there as one of the responsible people.” Everyday I still get notifications about people that need the answer to a question or urging me to boost the notice. These things always come in before my personal items. I don’t know how to extract myself. In someways it is not a big deal, but it is necessary to scroll past a number of notices that do not concern me. My phone is set up to recognize my finger to turn it on. Somedays it does not recognize me. At least I still know my password so I can get in. Our tv has worked very well with the antenna. However, in the last year we are no longer able to access a local channel for the news. We still can get one local channel. Public TV also does not come in as well as it used to. One of us has to sit by the antenna for it to work. Sometimes it requires a hand on the surface of the antenna. Neither of us has been able to solve this issue. Sometimes it seems we might have to get cable. Paula

Chicken Mysteries

Hello, Our neighbors across the street have had two roosters for some time. They often start crowing after 4:30 am. It has not been a bother for us, instead I like to hear them. Sometimes they do not start until about 6:00 o’clock. They are quite fine-looking birds. Just recently they have started exploring beyond their fenced yard. They came over to eat the leftover popcorn our next-door neighbor puts out. It was fun to see them up close. They enjoyed checking for bugs in the spot where a tree had been removed.

I shooed them out of the street once, but realized it was a never-ending job. Yesterday, when they got out someone must have called animal control because a woman with a net put them in her van and hauled them away. The owners were not home. I was sorry to see them go and I noted the quiet in the morning. But later I heard crowing. How could that be? Only one rooster was captured and it will go later. It is ok in our city to have chickens, hens, but not roosters. Most of the neighbors did not mind the crowing so none of us turned them in. Now I wonder, when is it ok to ignore the law and when not. It seems we have reached a point in this country that many people do what they want and think what is their right and privilege as long as they are not caught. Such as assuming the speed limits are not laws or do not apply to them. However, if someone they disagree with does something that is not allowed under the law it is not fine. What is best for the community? Paula

Wait List

Hello, I had a doctor appointment in January, but got on a wait list. Two days ago, they called to say that there had been some cancellations. I was able to see the doctor today. I was not enamored of the 12:30 time, but could manage. So that is done and now I need to make some decisions about treatment. Blood test was ordered and administered. In a month, I will again meet with the doctor and proceed. The person taking the blood was new on the job. It hurt a bit when the needle went and then there was a struggle with something before the needle came back out. The person watching suggested a procedure. The needle stayed in the next time and did not hurt so much. Four vials of blood were collected. I had thought one would be enough. Seems more of my blood was needed. I just took off the wrap and it is easy to see which was the first poke. It did a little damage.

We know people have to learn, but we really want them to learn on someone else. Paula

Adventures in the House

Hello, We have very little counter space and no dishwasher. When we do dishes, we put some on the dryer and or on the washer to air dry for some time. Today, I put a plate close to the back edge of the washer. Big mistake! It slid down in back of the washer. We have a long-handled grabber. Leroy could not see the plate. I leaned against the washer turning on many cycles, but the door was open so nothing worked, except the lights and the sounds. I was finally able to see the plate when I climbed on top of the washer. I could not grab it, but pushed it to the side where the grabber could grab. It was not too hard to pick up, but somehow the angles in the small space were not right and I dropped it before I could get it out. It landed face down with no edges available for pick up. Leroy looked into climbing down there, but he is too big for the small space. We needed a kid. With no kid available I bravely said, “I’ll do it.” It was fairly easy to climb from a chair to the top of the washer, but then it was a bit of drop to the floor. I managed to do that without breaking a bone, picked up the dusty, dirty plate, handed it to Leroy and contemplated how I was going to get out. I could not manage to pull myself up, weak arms? We have a small plastic step stool and that worked. Then I have to use the grabber to get it out while I was still on top of the washer. I could tell I had done some unusual moves. I believe that the yoga helps keep it a possibility. Paula

A Day Goes Fast

Hello, Leroy got up late, about six in the morning, but he has been earlier. He does not have so much time to get his exercises done. I used to be the early riser in the family, but I do not sleep so very well. Popping out of bed is no longer my style, although maybe I should just fake it since I usually wake when he gets up. We washed and hung out two loads of laundry before we headed to church to water plants and unload the items that will serve food to many people in need. I put 54 half gallon milk cartons in the refrigerator. It was not hard, but getting them off the cart was a bit of a trick. Moving the cart, even with good wheels, took a bit of strength. Since the milk goes on the bottom shelf it is good for me to do that since I can easily squat rather than bend over. Leroy helped unload other stuff. Then we sorted through nectarines as some of them had bad spots on them. We cut off the bad and the pits and brought the rest home. We had a big bowl for snack. I made another crisp. On the way home, we stopped and picked all of the hot peppers that were still on the plants. Those were a gift for a neighbor who will use them along with the green beans that we shared the day before. I like gardening, but I am looking forward to the end. This evening and tomorrow, I will go to a women’s retreat that is a part of the church spirituality program. Leroy will get to spend some time without me around bugging him. Paula

Frost, but not everything was Bothered

Hello, Close to the house most of the plants are ok. I did bring a number of them into the porch, so they did not have to struggle so much. In the community garden the tops of the tomatoes were touched. The pepper plants were wilted and the sweet potato vine is done. We picked a lot of green tomatoes or some that were just starting to turn color. We had them spread out on eight large dinner plates. What should be done with so many green tomatoes. yesterday I chopped up and froze the ripest. Today we chopped and froze some of the green ones. Now we only have four dinner plates of tomatoes. I hope some of them will ripen. Otherwise, they are going into stir fry or whatever I am making. Leory has become quite an adventurous eater. If he did not join me, he would have to fix his own meals. Just now we went to toss the frosted pepper vines. It feels good to get those out of the garden. We also found six almost red tomatoes that we missed. Our neighbor was happy to get those. We just finished delivering the neighborhood newsletter. It felt hot out there with my jacket on. Such temperature swings. We are to get some apples today from our CSA. We think it will be a lot because they asked if we would like some seconds. It is also a lot because it makes up for the time we were gone. apples that are seconds just have a blemish on them so they cannot be marketed as firsts. Paula

Frost Tonight?

Hello, A frost is predicted for tonight. I picked all our peppers, some tomatoes that were turning color, and brought more houseplants into the porch. After this it is supposed to be warmer by the end of the week. It seems the first frosts are just lone rangers and then it is back to a warmer temperature. The mums usually do not freeze in the first round as they are rather hardy. Some of the inground perennials at church will probably be done at that point. Then we will need to trim them. If I remember I will bring the car so I can bring the remains home to compost them. At church they just go in the garbage. There were still some green beans in the community garden, but I could not convince myself to pick them. I just have not enjoyed these beans with strings. They also do not fill out as I would like before they get too old. You can tell I am not starving or I would be out there working on it. Paula

CROP walk finished

Hello, The sun was bright, the wind was strong, and the temperature was middle of the possibilities. There were places sheltered from the wind and it felt quite warm. In the full force of the wind, it was rather cold. A stocking cap would have been nice along with a light weight winder coat. We walked right along, but not as fast as some people. Perhas, we have slowed down. We also passed some people. It seemed there were not as many people as we have had in the past, but life is always in flux. It was delightful to see two deer leaping in the tall dry grass. When they were on the ground they were hidden from our view. Part of the trail is paved and much of it is pea gravel or sand/dirt. When the wind blew strongly, I covered my face, but I could still see the dust swirling away as it ran into me. At home I noticed my laces were dusty. Tapping the soles together let go of quite a lot of dust. Leroy suggested we also shake out our jeans when we got changed. They too were holding quite a lot of dust. Paula

Nectarine Crisp

Hello, We were given some nectarines that were only about half good. The giver knew I would rescue what I could. We each had a nice bowl for our morning snack. Leory cut up the rest of the good parts. I made a crisp this afternoon. We had some cherries in the freezer so I put them on the bottom layer. Even though I have no sugar in the house I had intended to put in honey, but forgot all about it. Leroy pronounced it excellent. I liked it as well. Leroy is getting cut off from his sweets. Not working means he is not eating so much sugar as people would often bring things to share with others. It was reported that there had been northern lights and might be again. We went to a local park last night seeking darkness. The street lights are just a hazard for sky viewing. Even in the park it was not so very dark as there are lights there as well. We sat on a bench on the top of a hill and enjoyed the night silence, warmth, and breeze, but no lights. Leroy has never seen them. I have seen then at least two times, but long ago. I would like to see them again. Paula

Walk in the Park

Hello, Even though it was over 80 degrees outside, we went for a walk in a park that we use for the CROP walk. When on that walk we have always gone one direction, today we walked in the opposite direction. It was a great paved trail. A number of other people were using it, some on bikes and some walking. For some reason it was wonderfully refreshing to walk in the shade. There were a number of trees along the way. Even though it is hot here, it is very dry since we have not had rain since August. I was going to bring in two more plants today, but did not get that done. There is also one pot with three plants in it that need a new home. Guess tomorrow will be the day to tend to things that did not get done today. The Covenant of Water is a book of over 700 pages. I like it but it will take me some time to finish it. I have read another book by this author; it was also long and good by my standard. Paula

House Plant Shift October 10, 2024 Hello, Yesterday, Leroy helped so we got three plants totally cleaned and ready to come in the house. One other I just cut off a couple parts of it I wanted to save,

the rest went in the compost bin. Love that compost bin. Tomorrow, more plants should get cleaned up and brought in. Coleus are just going to have slips brought in. I often do that it works well. After there are roots, they get planted. The snake plant came in. I have had it a long time. For sure since 1984 when we moved to Ely it came with us. A woman had it, thought it was too crowded, but was afraid to break the glass bowl it is in. She gave it to me since I thought I could break it. It did seem to be a risky venture so I just decided to let it go until it died and then I could throw it out. It is a good survivor which has even bloomed out side when the conditions are right for it.

Today we loaded up three larger plants and took them to church. Usually, they have gone to the museum, but since Leroy no longer works there another place was needed. One is a plant from Leroy’s sister’s funeral. It is beautiful, but rather large. When more plants are in the house there is not enough room. One plant is a clivia. I am at the point of wanting to get rid of it. It has only bloomed twice for me. If anyone wants, I would gladly share. Paula

Newsletters again

Hello, Two of our assigned streets have their newsletters. I actually talked to three people. One of them told me he was happy to get it. The others just said thank you. I know some do not like it or read it as I find it in the same spot where I placed it the month before. It will take two more delivery times to finish the job. We could do it in one day, but I like to get more steps each day. Leroy was laughing and laughing while reading his book. It is so much fun to have a book that helps one laugh out loud. I have not had one like that in quite a while even though I have looked for books that someone thought was funny. I might have smiled, but not laughed. One of the pumpkins at church had a lot of rotten spots on it. I lifted it by the stem to take it to the dumpster. Half way there, it fell on the pavement. With the help of gloves, a plastic bag and a bucket, it made it to the dumpster. I then felt obligated to go back and clean up the pavement even if it was a part of the traffic and not for pedestrians. Today we took out another one, but used a plastic bag from the beginning. Paula

Another Cedar Rapids View

Hello, There had been some pictures of a large medal horse in a Cedar Rapids park. Leroy had not seen it nor had I. Leroy even wondered how this could be on a street that he had traveled, but never noticed the sculpture or the park. Today on the way to the eye appointment seemed like the perfect time to check it out. There were some emergency vehicles on the street blocking the way so we got to explore some side streets that we had never been on. It was a fine residential section. Soon we found the park and a rather interesting horse.

It seems to have been made with a variety of scrap medal. It was fun to identify the source of the medal. Across the street there seemed to be a few more sculptures, but we did not have time to explore those. Another day. Paula

Pesticides or Worms

Hello, It seems the next hard question in my life is: pesticides or worms. We picked broccoli and kale from the community garden tonight. These are just small broccoli heads that will keep coming until the hard frost. Leroy washed them in two waters, one plain water and one with vinegar in it. He looked carefully for worms and extracted quite a number he tells me. Then I put them to soak in salt water. He again checked carefully when taking them out and found a few more worms. I don’t like pesticides, but I do not like worms either. This year the broccoli had been clear of worms. We had seen almost no cabbage butterflies until we came back from our last trip. They seem to have moved in and invited all the relatives to come join the crew. The clean kale was sautéed in a little oil with some garlic as well as some sauerkraut. Served over spaghetti noodles, it was quite tasty. I tried not to think of any lurking worms. At least I do not think they will hurt me. Paula

Around Town Octobert 5, 2024 Hello, Yesterday, Leroy and I went to see the new astronomical clock in the clock tower where Leroy was formerly employed. We planned on leaving just before the hour so we could see the action. I had to go the bathroom at the last minute so we were driving up as the music was playing. It was almost done by the time we parked and got over there. We also had plans to go to the pubic library so we got that done and came back with much time to spare before the next hour. Leroy visited with people in the museum and I looked at a photo exhibit of people who have fled Ukraine. They were people of many ages and experiences escaping to Slovakia. It was interesting and well done. This time we were in place about five minutes before the hour so we got the full show. It was interesting. I was a little disappointed that the figures did not come out, but they went past the opening for quite some time. Leroy wondered if that was to protect them from the weather.

There was a woman there who said she has come almost every day since it started. A bicyclist came up and afterward he started tell us about it as well as the one in Prague. Neither of us told him we had been there. Leroy knows quite a bit about how this one came into being. A man who said he was from Texas also dashed up to see it. For some reason last night, I had a fever and lots of aches. It is much better today, but still not perfect. Paula

Granola Made September 30, 2024 Hello, It got hotter today, but granola was gone so the oven had to go on. All in all, the kitchen did not become as hot as I thought it might. We certainly like to have granola on our daily breakfast oatmeal as well as on snicks that include yogurt. I am happy eating the same thing every day so my diet does not change much. The granola recipe has changed over time. the first thing that is gone is the powdered milk since Leroy no longer tolerates milk. Then I had trouble finding soy flour so chickpea flour has taken the place. Recently I could not find large amounts of sesame seeds so hemp seeds have taken that place in the recipe. Brian had fermented honey last year so I substituted that for regular honey. Today I sued the last of the fermented so will go back to regular honey. Just because I like it, I added vanilla a long time ago. It seems to be that is still a fairly healthy recipe. It along with bread is about the only thing I bake. I certainly enjoy doing that in the winter. We stopped on our trip at Crater Lake. It was beautiful. I have to confess that I had never heard of it until it was listed as a stop on this trip.

Paula

Cleaning and Tripping

Hello, On Saturday, Leroy and I planned to water the church flower garden and do some trip to a local park and hike. On the walk home we decided we were too hot and tired so we stayed home and cleaned our side of the back porch as well as washing the kitchen and bathroom floors. Makes sense, right? It was certainly satisfying to get those jobs done. We think it looks good, but not sure that anyone else will ever notice. One of the sad things about cleaning is that seldom is it noticed by others, but dirt and a mess are noticed by many. In the winter I expect to have help from Leroy for some deep cleaning of rooms. It seems he should have some time in retirement to do one room at a time. We did visit Yellowstone National Park on our trip. We have been there before but we did see some different areas. Old Faithful was still regular so we got to see it and it is still breathtaking.

A stop at Geyser Basin was good. While in the bus a herd of bison walked somewhat close giving us a good look at them.

The last time we were in our car in the Tetons they surrounded us and I could hear the noise from their stomachs. This time there was a little more distance. Paula

Another trip cameo

Hello, First, I am not doing the days in order so do not try to make sense of our route. As Leroy said, “We saw a lot of things we did not know we wanted to see.” Leroy and I do not often talk about places we might like to go except in our neighborhood or state. Our friends give us tips about places they would like to go and we go there and do like it. It is nice to have travel suggesters and companions. Besides seeing some sand dunes, we also stopped at Multnomah Falls, Oregon. It was breath taking. Leroy and I walked up to the higher falls, but not to the top of it. We were puffing a little and did not know about the time required for us to get up there. We liked to be on the bus when it pulled away.

The weather was good, that means no rain. I realize that locals in many places might have wanted some rain. We got into a routine going after about two days of staying in a motel and packing up to have bags out before 7:00 am. I had divided my clothes by type. With long pants going in one bag and capris in another saved so much time when searching for things to wear the following day. If I take another bus trip, I will do that again with more clear markings on the plastic bags, like on every side. Paula

What a Trip

Hello, We returned home two days ago from a bus trip to the Pacific Northwest. The first two days, as we spent a lot of time riding to the west, I wondered “Was this a good thing to sign up for?” At that point we were tired and a bit weary from so much bus time. By the time we got home from this 5,000-mile ride we were excited about so many things that we had seen. This is the fourth extended trip we have taken this year. This trip was the longest. We had to add one additional day to get to Minnesota for the starting point and then to get one day to get back home. All told it was 19 days on the road for us. Many people have asked what was the favorite part. It is hard to exclude anything, but I have finally settled on the walks among the red woods as my favorite thing. I like trees and it was astonishing to be about half way up one of these trees and realize there is still so much tree above me.

Paula

Seeing with clarity

Hello, I had laser surgery to clear up my vision which had changed after cataract surgery. I had not realized how my sight had deteriorated. It was wonderful to walk out of the office and see better than I had in months. It came so gradually that I had not noticed. The world looks brighter. The surgery was painless and easy although it lasted quite a while for my right eye. They had talked about 30 seconds and both Leroy and I think it was more like a minute. The left eye took just a few seconds. There were no restrictions on my activity. Liked that feature. I do have a lot of floaters now, but they had told me that would very likely be the case. Most of them are small, but one is rather large. I am hoping it will go away after some time of visiting me. I sometimes think there is a bug near and once I thought a mouse had moved out of my sight, but it was just floaters. It would have been nice to have realized this vision lack before all the trips we took this summer, but as someone said the pictures will look so much better now. Good thing I had that appointment with the eye doctor who knew what was going on and what to do about it. I did have a check up with my personal care provider. I was pleased when she said, “I forget you are over 70 because you are in such good shape.” Paula

The First Two Days

Hello, We did stop and do some touring on the first two days. The corn palace was in this segment of the trip. I did learn something about that. At one time there were many corn palaces and they change the design each year.

On the first day we stopped at the Lewis and Clark rest stop and saw the Dignity Sculpture of Earth & Sky. I found that to be quite amazing to see. There was also a small museum at this rest stop. I think Leroy and I have been at the before.

We also took in the changing landscape as we traveled along. Then there was a stop at Wall Drug which had some features that caught my attention. The next day we stopped at Devil’s Tower and were able to walk around it. They had had a big storm so there were some places that the trees were across the trail and they had been cut so people could still walk around. There were four climbers almost half way up. They looked very tiny and hard to see. Someone figured they had been at it four hours to get that high before noon.

Paula

Watering Again

Hello, Five mums in pots had blown over by the time we got to church this morning. We righted them, tried to level the ground a little, watered them and hoped the water would add enough weight to hold them up. We have doubled the amount of water we bring upstairs. Some in the pots get a second drink to stave off the hot dry conditions around them. Here is a picture of the flowers at church.

I went to a walk-in clinic. I can say that one walks in, but one does not walk out quickly. The wait was about 30 minutes so Leroy walked home and left me the car keys. I came home about an hour later, but I got care. So, all is good. Leroy has packed a bit for our trip, but I am just packing in my head. Ideas are floating around. This is requiring more thinking because it is a longer trip, hence how many clothes do I need? Tomorrow packing will become more serious. Paula

Potatoes From Where?

Two potato plants appeared in our front garden this year. We had planted some small purple potatoes last year, but they did not produce. When two plants sprouted this year, we let them grow. Today Leroy went out and harvested one plant which has died on top. The other is still green so we understand it is not time to dig it up. That will wait until we get back from our trip west. We were quite pleased to see the size and the number of potatoes. Especially since the rest of the front garden has not done very well this year. I suspect it was not watered enough. At least we know these potatoes are organic. The skin is rather bumpy and it looks darker than usual. It was good it is ready today since we ate the last potato that was in the house.

We walked to church to water the flowers there. We took a water bottle along and were glad that we had it. We drank at church several times and then sat by the community garden and drank the bottle empty. It was so refreshing. It is quite warm here as it was yesterday. I do not handle the heat as well as I used to. It was perhaps easier when we did not have air conditioning in our home. I remember people complaining about the temperature and I thought it was ok. Now I live in air-conditioned comfort and have become a wimp. Leroy did not have to count money this morning at church and he is not going to work so he is a bit unsettled. Paula

Cicadas

Hello, There were great predictions for a serious number of cicadas this year. One of those17 year phenomenon. Apparently, there were a lot, but not just in our neighborhood. Now finally, cicadas can be head singing or rasping their song. Mostly, it is necessary to be outside to hear them. On our walks, we find some are lying on the sidewalk as they have died. There are few fireflies. Too many street lights interfere with their ability to see their own flashing lights and they are not surviving so well in the city. They are missed. And how does that lack of insects change our world? I suspect it is important. This morning, I got 9000 steps before eleven am. I will admit to being tired. I had walk to my physical therapy appointment which is probably about half a mile away. Came home and then set off on the mile to church to water those flowers one more. Someone was also needed to debone chicken, but I did not volunteer as I felt rather tired already. When I was ready to leave church, I met a delivery man struggling to haul boxes up the stairs. “There is an elevator,” I said. “Oh no one has ever told me.” he said, “Where is it?” “I will take you there.” I assured him. He was impressed with the size as he said, “This is a big elevator.” For him that meant he could get his cart and all the boxes inside. Paula

Parking Lot Full

Hello, On my walk to church this morning, the college parking lots were full. Students are back. There are a few who are out and about. It brings new energy to the area. There are some out of state license plates: Texas, Indiana, Illinois, Colorado, and Virginia. I have to confess that I never really thought about the people in town when I went to college. The campus was my world. In those days there were very few students who had cars. People talk about needing more money, but some of the truth is that the need box has gotten larger than the want box. How did we manage without a car? Mostly stayed on campus and when off, walked where we needed to be. There were no TVs in rooms that I knew about and computers were in their infancy. Now, it seems that a computer is needed to a successful time at college, so perhaps that slides into the need territory. We did not have phones in our rooms, but only one or possibly two on each floor in the hall. That too has slipped over into the need column of life. Even now it is hard to imagine life without this instrument with me when I go out. How did we find our way? Paula

How long to walk

Hello, I walked to church this morning to water flowers. After a short break sitting a little and getting some water to drink, I set off with Leroy to the library to return a DVD. Leroy had been at church counting the Sunday offering. It is a good thing he is doing that and not me since I switch numbers around from time to time. At the library we simply returned the DVD and started back home. I will admit to being a little tired by the time we got home. I had also hung out laundry before I left the house and then took it in after a snack. Then we compared step totals. It seemed I should have a lot more steps than Leroy, however that was not true. I was ahead in the game, but not by so very much. How does that happen since he was sitting so much of the time while I was moving around? I am more ahead now because I went to the store and got some more food. Leroy took a nap instead. It would not surprise me if he got steps while he was sleeping. We had watched the DVD before, but I had forgotten. I just wanted a comedy so I could laugh. I liked this movie, but did not really laugh much but it is rather ironic. It is Moving On. Now if I could just remember what I have already seen. I find comedy rather illusive. Some other people might think it is funny and I do not. Paula

How Many Books to Carry?

Hello, A friend at church told me she would have books for us, this Sunday, to put in our little free library. At the beginning of church another friend said she had books for us. We had brough our backpack, but would that be enough? Each of them had their books in bags that would hang at the ends of arms and not on a back. We assured them that we could still take them because I would have a car on Tuesday and could pick them up at church. Leroy looked at them and said, “I can carry them as the weight can be about equal in both bags.” We started out with two books in the backpack, but soon stopped and put two more in there. The rest of the way home we switched the load between us. That worked well even if it was a bit heavy. There was a total of 14 books and at least six of them were hardcover. They are all in the little free library except for three Leroy might read and one I might read. One woman even called this her ministry to give away books. I agree as some of our neighbors probably do not buy books or go to the library. It is great to know people who have good, almost new, books to give away. Paula

CSA

Hello, We got our first apple CSA today. Feels exciting to get them so close to our home. Delivery is a bit more than a mile away from the house. The apples look good. We will get them every week. We should be well supplied. We do not get the vegetable CSA because we have enough from the gardens around here. Will the food coop, where we usually buy our apples, notice that we are not getting them from the store? It is good to give this store some business as many of its sources for food are local. It seems there are always choices and the results have more than one effect on the outcome. We did not water plants at church today because we had about 3/4th of an inch of rain or half an inch depending on which rain gauge you consulted. We got more later in the day so it was a good reason to pass up that job. After the new tai chi/meditation class, I feel so relaxed that it is almost hard to drive home. What a good deal except when I get on the interstate with all of the other vehicles speeding by. One thing about not walking to church is I have very few steps recorded. 10000 may be too far for today, but I will add some more. The fifteen pound watermelon that we bought is getting close to the finish line. It is always a sad day when the summer season is over with all of its great produce. But the apples will go on for a while yet. Our neighbor told us that he saw six racoons in our yard early this morning. He also saw a large hawk go after the rooster and hen across the street. The hawk missed. Wildlife in the city. Paula

Tomatoes?

Hello, For some reason the tomatoes in the community garden are very slow. Or perhaps someone is picking them before they are totally ripe. I just want a few to eat. A neighbor showed us the five-galleon bucket’s worth he had picked from his garden. He said, “This is the second time this week.” I am jealous. We do have some peppers at home along with some salad greens that are coming back. I planted some seeds for the fall, but nothing seems to have germinated. Leroy thinks the seed is too old and I think the watering or lack thereof is at fault. As I was leaving the community garden area yesterday, I saw a guy coming by. After hearing about the garden, he sounded like he might be eager to pick some things. Too bad the cucumbers have all died. He would take some of the small tomatoes which are doing quite well. I am always glad to encourage others to harvest some of the produce. Leroy and I think we should go back and check on the beans, but it is raining now. Maybe tomorrow we will have time to get that done. The zucchini has been put down by the bugs. I am still amazed that one year I as able to keep them at bay. It was necessary to get there early in the morning and kill all that I found under the leaves. Paula

Walking and Geese

Hello, This afternoon we checked our step count. Would you believe that Leroy recorded almost 2000 more steps than I did from our walk to and from church? How could that be? He did usher and I mostly sat and stood during the service. I did greet, however, and that involves a small amount of walking around. We also watered the flowers and he did walk to the farther ones. All that must have added up. An afternoon walk was on my agenda to get closer to the 10,000-step goal. Leroy wanted to join so I let him. On our way we went through a park. Leroy commented on the number of geese there. Then we had a titillating conversation about what a group of geese is called. It was enchanting I will not tell you what it was. The only word we could recall was a gaggle of geese. We checked out some street construction before we came back to the park. On the way through, we noticed some geese on the splash pad. I turned the water on, startling them and they moved off a bit. Leroy and I then walked farther away. The geese came back on the pad and some started drinking. Then some of them stood under the part that puts out a mist and not a big spray of water. Soon all the other geese were moving to the water and enjoying it as well.

Paula

Can that be true

Hello, Yesterday my visit with the eye doctor confirmed that my vision is not as good as it was after the cataract surgery. I am looking through scar tissue. For me to get that vision back I will have an additional simple surgery. That will happen in September. I had noticed that Leroy could read a sign farther away that I could, but I had no clue what was happening. Could I have dry eyes, I wondered. I also noticed that I had more trouble reading especially for a long period of time. Guess I am glad to find out the reason and that there is a solution. The procedure should be simple, but I do need a ride. I suppose I will have to be a little careful afterwards. Last evening we finally got the beans stripped so they can produce again. Some of them were a bit mature. Still, we were able to give away three plastic grocery bags to different people on the way home. I was happy about that. We still had one bag and ate some of them at noon today. They were ok, but not my favorite green bean. Today, the humaine society had a pet festival for people who have some trouble getting to a vet. They did a check up and provided some pet supplies. There were a lot of dogs there with just a few cats visible. It was held in the neighborhood next to ours.

Paula