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