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