Leroy Feels Fine

Hello, How many appointments can he have? That is a question with a big answer. Age seems to be the cause of this as he does not show any other symptoms. He did the stress test, but we do not know the results. He does have a slight leak in a valve or two, but not out of the ordinary for his age. The fact of the matter is that the body has gone on for 76 years and it has a few things that are not working as if he were only 50 years. He is certainly getting a lot of reading done now. Although some of it has been audio books which he does not like as well. The eye doctor told him his eye and lens look good. He has reading glasses now and that has made a big improvement. His correction is not as strong as mine, both for near and far, so he manages much better than I did between the eye surgeries. I believe the difference was so great that my poor brain could not get it figured out. He is back to getting 10000 steps per day. He does admit to being a bit tired, but then he has always taken naps. We have only missed getting the eye drops in once. I am pleased, we have remembered so often. He can go back to normal activities so we will volunteer at church tomorrow. Mostly that is not too hard, but we do feel tired when finished. I have read The Women by Kristin Hannah and am now reading The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien. They are both set in the Vietnam war. It makes me realize how little I really knew about that even though I was alive then and old enough to be aware. Paula

Labor Day Indeed

Hello, It seemed like a day to labor. We were out of bread and granola so I made granola in the morning and bread in the afternoon. We had been gifted with some tomatoes. Some of them were a bit fragile so it was necessary to take care of them. My rag bag was full and overflowing which means they needed to be washed.

Leroy helped me hang the rags and get them in and folded afterwards. I fold the rags because they take a lot less room. In the afternoon we went and picked okra and cucumbers in the community garden. Much of the okra had gotten too large. Six inches instead of the recommended length of 3 to 4 inches. We tossed quite a few in the compost. There were seven cucumbers and we managed to give away five of them as well as one bag of the okra. We did discuss the okra with the people who took them. I could not give them much advice about them except to look it up on the internet to learn about it. Leroy had cataract surgery last Wednesday. During that he went into some a-fib so we have been busy seeing a lot of health care people for consultation and testing. They are trying to get all the testing done before his next surgery. Not an easy task since they were booked out until October. But I think much of it is scheduled now. Leroy and I think it was because he was dehydrated. He had been told not to eat or drink after midnight. We are not up so late so he had something at 10:00 pm. It was 16 hours before the surgery and I think that was too long. He is feeling fine and his eye is healing well. We need to see the eye doctor, but the heart people scheduled an appointment at the same time so we will have to adjust. Paula

On A Trip

Hello, On our trip to share a cabin with friends on a lake, we stopped to visit Brian’s family. While there, I went to my favorite shoe store because I had been unable to find shoes that I wanted. It was on uncharacteristic move, but I bought two pair of sneakers. They both fit me and both were on clearance. It felt extravagant, but they should last twice as long when trading them off, right? At the cabin, it was great to catch up with friends. We seemed to have plenty to laugh about. That certainly rests the soul. Or maybe uplifts the soul. We visited a weaving shop that employes people with disabilities. We saw them cut off or finish three people’s work. They have a nice acclamation for them. That was uplifting. The next day we went to a pioneer village museum in the area. That was also quite fine. Even though we were on a lake, we were just content to sit by the water rather than experience it more personally. We all supplied some food and prepared a meal or two. Can you imagine, there was a lot of food so one day was basically left overs. Paula

Grumble, grumble

Hello, Leroy and I went to a shoe store this afternoon. We were both looking for new shoes. Leroy found a pair, on clearance even. They are exactly like the shoes he has on at this point. He wanted something a bit different, but the price convinced him that he could live with the choice. I tried on several pair. Nothing on clearance fit me. All of them felt a bit tight and I do not want to move up another size. I am already in a larger size than I thought I would ever wear. I did try on some men’s shoes, but was not thrilled with them either. Also, I was told at one time not to wear men’s shoes as our feet are a little different. We tried another store that also did not have any my size on clearance. Monday we will go to Brian’s house. My favorite shoe store is fairly close, so we will check that out. I realize this is a rich person problem as I think about the shoes we handed out to people at the church. Their choices and sizes were somewhat limited. But there was no complaining, but people were happy to get a new pair of shoes. It makes me think about when I was a girl and looking for new shoes. The store only had three girls’ shoes in my size and I did not really like any of them. The sales person went over to another and said disgustedly, “I can’t do a thing with her. See what you can do.” I picked out the more acceptable shoe and wore it until it wore out because that is what we did at my house. Paula

Poison Ivy

Hello, Leroy has poison ivy. He is not miserable, but not happy. I have not heard misery in his voice. He has had it for a week or so. We thought maybe it was bed bugs because he would wake up and say, “I have more itchy spots.” I never had any, but we looked for bed bugs anyway and were unsuccessful in that search. Yesterday he showed someone who has had poison ivy more than once and they said, “It looks exactly like that.” They recommended some soap and lotion. We also washed the bedding and dried it in the dryer so that it could not be contaminated again outside. He commented this morning, “no new spots.” He is disgusted to have this, but glad to finally know what it is and a solution. His new hearing aid needed to have a wire repaired. His night time appliance broke. He is having cataract surgery soon. Leroy feels like cares are pressing down on him. Last night we went to an excellent organ concert. That is uplifting. Leroy had a piece of pie afterwards and we spent some time visiting. Paula

Lending a Hand

Hello, On our walk to church this afternoon, I spotted a guy across the street in a wheelchair struggling with random hazards to forward motion. “Leroy, do you think we could help him?” Leroy went over and asked, “Where are you going?” “The library,” he replied. “You mean the downtown library?” I wondered. He said, “Yes.” Leroy than said, “We are going to First Lutheran and could push you that far.” This young man hesitated a little then said, “Yes I am getting tired and my hands are starting to hurt.” We visited on the way. He had googled the address for the library so knew where he was going. He was coming from a block farther away than we did and we are 1.6 miles from the library. We talked about him using the bus on his trip home. It stops right by the library and about a block from his home. He wondered, “Could I ride the bus?” “Yes, there are clips to hold the chair in place.” Leroy told him. “How would I get on the bus?” he then questioned. “The bus lowers,” I said. Leroy added, “And a ramp comes out.” At the church I asked, “Do you have water? I will look for some gloves for you to protect your hands.” He did not have water, so I got a bottle of water and with the help of someone else, looked for gloves. I had forgotten to check the size of his hands. We found a pair of leather work gloves that looked like some Leroy might have donated. We also gave him the granola bar we had brought for our snack. It felt good to be able to help some. We than cleaned the last two restrooms which was why we had come to church. We were both happy to be done, especially when more than one person commented that we looked tired. Paula

A Reputation

Hello, We have to keep walking to maintain our reputation of being walkers. Guess that makes sense, but some days I wonder. We drove to church. It was raining so hard before we started that we figured we would get to church and be soaked with the wind-blown rain. This would include having umbrellas and raincoats. More than one person asked if we had walked. They were ready to be impressed, but seemed to understand the better choice to drive. Maybe we encourage others to walk more in their daily lives. Seems that would be a good thing. We certainly did not have to water plants at church they looked to be soaked with the more than an inch of rain. This afternoon we did get some steps in the muggy heat as we delivered newsletters. It is not as far as going to church, but we both have over 5,000 steps now. I appreciate Leroy’s help, but I had such a set method and that does not work with two people. Sometimes it irritates me to change even if it is to my benefit. We deliver the newsletters a few blocks from our house. It is noticeable when one place seems to fall in weeds and no care. Leroy commented, “More places seem to be in disrepair.” Often, I pray for the people there as something not good could have changed in their life. Most of these people I have never seen as we just find a place to secure the paper and move on. It was five years ago that we experienced the derecho. It was quite the day and weeks for many of us. Are we more prepared for another? Maybe not, but we pay more attention to the weather warnings. Paula

Playing Games

Hello, Leroy and I are competitive. Today we played a few games of boggle. I was way ahead of him on the first game, but he beat me on the next ones with a tie for the last one. That seemed fine to me as I did so well on the first one. Walking seems to be a competitive sport at our house. We each like to get 10,000 steps. It does not feel right if Leroy gets that if I do not. But I am coming around to the idea that it is a small thing in life. At night before bed, we work on puzzles, both crosswords and sudoku. Leroy is a better speller so I depend on him to finish the words I can think of but not spell. I am better at sudoku, and he resents that I get the answers so much faster. Seems to me it is an equal exchange, but he does not see it that way. Because of the heat and storm prediction we might not get our 10,000 steps, but at least I have over 5,000. Leroy did his exercises this morning. I did not. Unfortunately, I feel that stiffness from that lack. These days if there is a little sluffing off, it matters. Paula

Illusive Thoughts

Hello, Yesterday afternoon, I had the best idea of something to write about, but did not have time at that moment. That was the end of the best idea. Today has been a day about changing the schedule. Leroy was to have a home health visit. I decided to go to the garden early and do some more weeding. He went with me. We worked for about 45 minutes, not covering much ground, but creating a big pile of vigorous weeds. We were both tired as we returned home after picking beans and broccoli. I planned to get a haircut, grocery shop and drop off items at Goodwill. I just got to the walk-in haircut place when Leroy called to tell me that the person coming expected to see both of us. He started to tell me she was not there yet, but would be. I cut him off and said, “I will just come home.” I could have gotten a haircut since she did not come for an hour and a half. She was fast and efficient when she did get here. We finished in a reasonable about of time. She declared us both quite healthy. We had planned to go to the shoe store, decided that we would water plants at church, go to the library to return books and get more because Leroy is without a book to read, grocery shop because there is not fruit in the house, drop something off at a friend’s house, and go to goodwill. We got all that done, but it was not what Leroy had intended to do with his afternoon, but it was easier to keep him with me and get the jobs done. Paula

A good book

Hello, The Ely library has a book they promote for the summer by giving it away. It ended up in my book basket and several other books were piled on top. There was some discussion about it when I realized I had not read it, or I forgot everything I read. I did not go to the official discussion. Yesterday and today, I read that book which is for later elementary students. It was a great book. It was well written and helped me to think some more about why a book is banned. The book is Ban this Book by Alan Gratz. I am sure some of his books have been banned because they deal with WWII. The subject matter would probably considered upsetting by some. I certainly agree with the statement that no one should ban a book so others can’t read it, but parents do have the right to stop their own children from reading it if they feel it is inappropriate. My friend reminds me that I once removed a book from the elementary library and passed it up to the middle school library. I cannot remember what the book was. But I obviously gave in to pressure. Since reading this book, I have thought about how, to a degree, selections of books to put in a library has some standards and that could be considered control of what is presented. If there is enough money, a book can be purchased. The public library also might have a copy that can be checked out if the school library does not have it. That might be difficult for some students to get there. Also, I wonder how much exposure to the internet influences young people. I suspect most of them have been exposed to many things just on the bus or around other people. Paula

National Senior Games

Hello, I learned this morning the national senior games met in Des Moines, Ia. I had no idea there was such a thing as national senior games. We heard about it at Tai Chi this morning. Participants in many sports are not young, 70’s 80’s and 90’s. There is still time for us to do some more moving around. Apparently pickle ball is the most popular event. There are men and women competing in these events. No reason to stop being athlete, but what if you were never considered an athlete in the first place. Do you think that walking, or bike riding are athletic events for the seniors? I know Tai Chi is, but I do not see myself at the competitive level. It is not good to get too stressed about doing Tai Chi as that takes away the meditative part of it. Our instructor also brought in an article about a woman who is 88 and still doing tai chi. She talked about all the ways it helped her to feel better. Paula

Self-perception

Hello, We went to the garden this morning to help weed and possibly plant some fall crops. We only weeded and went home before the other woman. She had even gotten there ahead of us. She just seems so energetic. She is a bit younger than I am, but where does her energy come from. She was even all excited about going home and pickling beets as well as making a very large batch of cucumber salad. Leroy picked 28 cucumbers this morning. We only took five of them home. We shared two of them so we still have three, but I believe that will be plenty. We did bring home the beet leaves. It was a bit of a chore to go through those and find the good ones. Which we then washed and put in the refrigerator for a later time when I have more energy. After going to the store and picking up a prescription, we went back to the garden to pick green beans. We have enough for about three meals. There was also one cucumber that Leroy missed and we gave that to a neighbor. We talked with him for a little while. He commented, “I get tired too. I am 55 now. I know I don’t look that old, but I am.” When we were a good distance away, I asked Leroy, “What did you heard for his age?” “Fifty-five,” Leroy said. We both felt he looked quite a lot older than that. Maybe he said 65 which he looked more like. Paula

Deep Cleaning at church

Hello, Yesterday was the day to spend some time in the restrooms at church doing some deep cleaning. There were three of us working and we managed to get the job done without getting in each other’s way. Because the walls had recently been painted it was not as large a job as we were expecting. The other guy took on the more demanding kneeling job and Leroy and I got off rather lightly. We were still tired when we finished. Course, we had walked there and had to walk home in the rather daunting heat. We also watered the plants in pots under the overhang since they would not have gotten the rain. In the past I did not notice the heat so much, or I think that is true. But sometimes I wonder if we don’t glorify the past. Last night, Leroy woke me up by calling my name at least three times and then pushing against me. I was a bit groggy, but also annoyed. Then he pointed out the sirens that were continuing to wail. We got up and listened to the radio and the TV. As has happened in the past we did not seek a lower shelter since the worst of the storm seemed to be going north of us. We were grateful for that. Back in bed it took some time to settle down and get back to sleep. Paula

More of that bus trip

Hello, On day four we also had an interesting afternoon at Castle Farms in Michigan. It was built in 1918 close to the town of Charlevoix. It has a varied history as a farm, a place for rock concerts, and is now a museum and wedding venue. It has changed hands several times and almost fell into total disrepair. The woman who now owns it has put her heart, soul, and money onto bringing back to a beautiful place. Some of the employees there told us that when she is there you would never know she is the owner because she does any job that needs to be done, and does not look like the multimillionaire that she is. We had a nice lunch there as well as a tour of the place.

Our last stop of the day was Kilwins. They made chocolates of several types. Now they were working on Easter confections. They have several stores and they also make the candy at those stores, although we were at the main place. Many of the group bought some treats, but because I do not eat chocolate, we did not get anything. Leroy did not because he noticed he was overeating. It was fun to get a tour and see them work.

Paula

Community Garden

Hello, My plan was to be at the garden early in the morning to beat the heat. Getting up at 5:30 and being there by 6:00 seemed good and doable to me when I went to bed. I woke at 5:45. Leroy was not yet awake so I did not get up and waited until he stirred at about 6:30. We tend to wake each other if one gets up early. It was now breakfast time. After washing and hanging out two loads of clothes, I was in the garden by about 8:45. Leroy had an appointment and could not come. It was not hot and the weeds pulled easily. Standing up from my squat meant that I did not faint. As it started to get hotter, quitting seemed like a good idea. Before I left the garden area, I saw one of the college students. I told her that the garden was for all to enjoy. She seemed to know that, but when I told her what might be ready, she seemed a bit vague. We took a tour of the garden. Then she told me, “I am going home tomorrow. I do not cook very well, but my roommate is very good.” “I am talking to the wrong person,” I said. “No this is good. I remember everything you told me and I will pass the information to her.” She said with a smile. That made me feel good. Paula

Day four of the tour

Hello, I stopped writing in my notebook, so this is strictly based on pictures and the memories that come from them. The tapestry at the visitor’s center was beautiful and finished in a short number of days.

Our “hop on” guide at this point was not at the top our recommendations. Most of the guides seem to be able to jump seamlessly between storytelling and telling the bus driver where to turn. After the first missed turn the driver had to turn around. Remember this is a rather large vehicle. Our driver was good and managed to get it done. On leaving the park a turn was missed and now we had to go back through the park again. It was nice to do that but the schedule is tight and lunch was waiting for us. Would not want to miss lunch you know.

It was fun to walk in the sand, but we kept our shoes on and did not go too far. No sand in my shoes. The head of the sleeping bear dune has been damaged by humans who used to walk on it. Apparently the first peoples, who kept it in good shape, used it as a landmark to tell them they were getting close to their destination. Paula

Two movies in two days

Hello, We watched a bit of a movie while on our trip. It was just enough to interest me in seeing the movie, “A League of Their Own.” I watched that and liked it. Leroy read most of the time, but watched the end. I also had “Forest Gump” on hold because some quotes from that show had been coming in conversation or readings. It was so long ago that I had seen it. I watched it this afternoon because Leroy was volunteering and he did not want to see it. We do not have so much space to get apart if one of us does not want to watch something on the TV. We went to the garden yesterday with the yardy (city compost bin). It was an effort to get there and an effort to come home. We really did not weed a very large area because the weeds were so large. At least there is a sense of accomplishment because it looks so different in the weeded area. Leroy is going to a meeting tonight. I thought I might go weed some more as it would be a bit cooler, but he reminded me of the neighborhood meeting. I like to go to those, but have not been to many recently because we are out of town so much. We are learning another form in Tai Chi. That is taxing our memories. The pep talk is that it is good for our brains to learn something new. Of course, the tai chi is good for our balance, breathing, and concentration. Paula

Day 3 of mystery bus trip

Hello, Every day someone would ask, “Where are you going next?” “We don’t know until we get back on the bus.” Was our reply. There was often quite a bit of laughter at this response. On day three we started in Holland, MI. There was a windmill from the Holland to view from a distance and many flowers that were in the spots were tulips had been. A guide came on the bus. She was excellent at giving us the history and interesting facts about the area. Our next stop was Muskegon where we toured the houses of some lumber barons. Apparently these two families got along very well because they built homes next door and even shared the carriage house. The homes were similar, but different.

For lunch we were fed at a dairy farm, a very big dairy farm with an astronomical number of cows. They had 19 robotic milkers which cost $200,000 apiece. It was not much like the farm I grew up on. This tour was also very interesting.

We stopped at a coast guard museum in Ludington and then spent the night in Traverse City. It makes for full days with early wake up calls. When someone commented it was not much like a vacation our guide said, “It is not vacation, it is a tour.” Paula

No Lazy Sunday Here

Hello, Leroy ushered and I was lector at church this morning. Some choir friends were moving so there was a reception after church. I brought watermelon. Because it was raining when we were ready to go to church, we actually went by car. Not so many steps accumulated there. At church I looked over the plan for the service. Reading the lesson, my nose wanted to drip. I wondered if I snuffed my nose would it be amplified in the building as well as on line. Somehow I maintained control. I had the lesson and the prayers ahead of time. There were no people listed to pray for. I am always concerned about pronouncing the names correctly. As I was progressing though the prayers I saw names, oops. There was one Jan, someone I did not know. In Slovakia that name is pronounced differently and I almost said the Slovak way, but managed to use the version known in the USA. In Slovakia it is a male name and here it is mostly a female name, maybe a nickname. I had a book and two DVDs on hold at the library so we walked there this afternoon. That is 1.6 miles one way in humid 80 degrees F. We did have water with us. We stopped at the community garden and pulled some weeds. It was more work than I thought it would be since we had rain in the morning. The weeds are quite large and have deep roots with no desire to leave their spot. We are grateful for AC and the comfort of home. A snack was also a good thing. We also both have our 10,000 steps. Paula

What to do on a Rainy Day

Hello, Leroy complained about having a hard time reading. I suggested, “We should do a deep clean of the kitchen since we found a spider web with an insect caught in it when we came home.” Leroy agreed and we set to work. We are not as energetic as we used to be. We got all the “loose” things out and moved some of the moveable things such as the cabinet that the microwave is on. At that point I realized how large the job was. We left things in the cabinets for another day. But Leroy cleaned down the walls and ceiling. I washed woodwork and we both washed the floor. It felt as if we had done a lot by the time we put everything back. It was even satisfying. It is no longer raining so we can deliver the rest of the newsletters this afternoon. That deadline is approaching. It heated up outside, but the newsletters are done. Later I went to the community garden to pick broccoli that is quite mature. I also pulled a rather large beet. Hopefully the beet will stll be good. I had a couple things on hold at the library, but not sure that I will get there today. Maybe tomorrow that can happen after church. Paula

That Mystery Trip July 18, 2025 Hello, That mystery trip around Lake Michigan was quite fun. We did not know where we were going until we got on the bus and even then, sometimes, we did not find out right away. The first night we spent in Milwaukee. We had a hop on guide for a bus tour of the city. I did not know much about it so I learned a lot. It had some hard times, but is gaining economic stability. They have a very nice river walk. The three pictures are on that walk.

In the morning, we had to guess whether we were going north or south. It was not long before we knew we were going south. We had a nice bus tour of Chicago. Sarah had lived there for a number of years so I saw some familiar sights and learned some additional facts about the city. Not that I can recall any of them right this minute. It seems if I do not take notes, I do not have the information for very long. Listening is not my preferred learning style.

In the afternoon we stopped at Indiana Dunes National Park. Both Leroy and I feel ready to go back and explore more. We visited the visitor center and saw a film. There are miles of hiking trails and much flora and fauna to see. Paula

What is Right

Hello, Today we went to church to water plants only to find that two of the flower pots are gone. Whoever took them made sure that the rest were spaced nicely apart. I feel upset, but Leroy said it does not bother him so much. I do hope that whoever took them needs to have plants and color in their space and that they are not able to buy such. I think we need to move those pots and put them behind a fence. Leroy did not sound so keen on the idea. Earlier someone had said that plants in pots in front of the church would be taken. I am sad to learn they are right. It has been hot again today. However now it is raining and the temperature is lowering. I will walk later. We actually drove to the church and walked to the library which is only .6 mile away from there. We did have water with us and that helped. It was farmer’s market Saturday so there were many people around. There was also a book sale at the library, but we did not even look since we checked out some books that we had put on hold. That was enough to carry. Leroy has done quite a bit of packing already. I will do some today and the rest tomorrow. We are taking rain gear, but until now had not expected to use it. Storms can blow in and change things around. Paula

How Hot

Hello, Between higher temperatures and a body that does not deal as well with heat, I am not adapting to the outdoors very well. I did wash two loads of clothes and hang them outside. There were some plants that required pruning. After that there was a walk to church, filled water jugs, got them outside, watered plants that had been transplanted the day before, watered other plants, transplanted two more plants, moved flower pots to the front of the building, walked home, and brought in the rest of the clothes from the line. Both of us were ready to just sit for a while and cool off. We did drink quite a bit of water. I did not feel bad, but a bit tired and uncomfortable. Not many people were out there. There were four other people at church getting ready for the meal tomorrow night. Even though it is a holiday some things need to be taken care of. We also discovered one of the church doors had not been locked. It took a bit of fussing to get that locked. One of the people there talked about a church in a small town that does not lock its doors. We have lost some sense of community and a feeling that all will look out for the best of all. We do not trust each other to be good. Paula

Quieter Morning

Hello, Even though Leroy got up at 5:15, it was a much quieter morning. He gets up to do his exercises before he goes to the early morning bible study. He also eats breakfast. They always have breakfast, but it is often just sweet things so he eats oatmeal at home to help him get some good nutrition. I also did some stretching because I lead a class on Thursday and I like to prepare for that. I found a good article on ankles and some moves to go with that. I will share that at the class. For some reason my ankles have been stiff. Probably because I do not do so much daily stretching and working them as just part of a routine. At my age there cannot be so many days of sloughing off before a notice that things are not as good as they once were. Chi gong does not move the body in quite the same way. It is more meditative which is also very nice and relaxing. My blood pressure has gone done, is that why? Tomorrow morning, we will dig up the plants at church. I am not really looking forward to that as it is a question of what to do with them once they are out of the ground. But Leroy now tells me that he knows several people at church who would like some of them. Hope they all find good homes. Yesterday we brought home all of the potted plants which were looking quite sad. I am not sure they will revive to the point of keeping. I had a book on hold at the library. It is now ready for me, but I will be gone for a week. Not sure I will get it read before it is due again. Hopefully I can renew it. Paula

Early Morning Action

Hello, Bang, Bang, “Open the door!” Silence for a little while then, bang, bang, “Open the Door!” It was not on our door, but I did not know where it was and I heard the neighbor’s dogs barking. Looking out the hall window and between the ash tree and the second house over, I could see a helmeted guy in camouflage holding a large gun, banging and yelling “Open the door!” Because I could not see very well, I went down and opened our porch door, but the neighbor’s fence blocked my view. I looked to the street to see a van in the middle of street with two more guys in camouflage holding large guns and pointing them at the corner house. I told Leroy about all of this, but he did not seem as excited as I felt. I wondered if we should call the police, but he said, “This is the police.” “What about those people in MN who thought it was the police at the door?” There was a sound of a machine grinding. But I could not see what they were doing. I did notice there was another van in the alley in back of the house. Then I could see many more of these gun guys by the vehicle and trailer parked in back of the house two doors away. In a bit they seemed to get into the trailer. It was not so long after that they left. Later I asked the dog owning neighbor what had gone on. He did not know. “My dogs woke me. I thought they were aiming those guns at me. They had that house surrounded. I went on the porch and they told me to go back inside.” At some point I felt I should get dressed just in case… It is scary to think about how much can go down just next door and not know what it is about or even know it happened since they were gone without much fuss. I probably should not have looked out the windows. If guns had started to fire a stray bullet might have come through. I still feel our neighborhood is as safe as any other. Paula

Volunteering Mondays

Hello, I volunteer on Mondays at the organization that gives out meals M-F. almost every time I have been out of town recently has involved two Mondays. I am out of town for the next two Mondays. When I told them, I would be gone, I apologized. It is hard to get some tasks accomplished if volunteers are not regular. Both of the people I work under said, “Go enjoy yourself. We will see you in two weeks.” Today there were some large donations of food that we need to date and shelve. That took a bit of time and squinting to read the “best by dates”. Our large marker dates are easier to read when distributing food. It amazes me how many cans of green beans are there and then the next time I come they are almost gone. All of the donated foods are weighed as they come in. Not sure what happens to that information, but it seems to be required. I helped make sandwiches from the donated chicken. They also get a lot of donated hamburger buns, hot dog buns, and loafs of bread. If the breads have been there for some time, and they too are dated, we check to make sure it is still good. Today I threw away quite a bit of it. Bothers me to throw out food, but most of this food is being saved before the business would have to throw it away. It also bothers me that so many people in this country are food insecure. Something is certainly wrong, but I do not know how to fix it. Paula

Understanding

Hello, It is amazing how a simple thing can be misunderstood. For instance, when is it this week and when is it next week? For me Sunday is the first day of the week. Saturday it would be the last day of this week. When it is Saturday, such as it is today, any days after Sunday would be next week. I do not know if this is the standard or if is just the way I see it to be. The person I was speaking with was not interpreting it that way. She thought I was talking about a week from the coming Thursday when I said, “Next Thursday.” We solved it all by using the calendar and dates. It is easy to see how things get misunderstood and resentments happen when we could not easily have a conversation about the days of the week when something was going to happen. And we expect world peace and good relationships to happen among people who do not speak the same language. Being an interrupter is certainly a heavy responsibility. Look at how many different takes there are on the same Christian Bible. Even the written word is open for some variation in understanding. People need to be open to different ideas in order to have a good respectful conversation. Paula

Connected Again

Hello, Because of an upgrade, our internet was down when we came home. Now today it is finally back after a bit more than two weeks without. We did “borrow” from a good neighbor, but it feels better now to know it is back. We had to buy a new router, but it did not connect. Brian tried to help, but could not manage. Then a person tried over the phone, but they were unsuccessful as well. The first technician, who came to the house, did learn that the router worked, but there was not feed in from the outside. He said, “I will have them send a bucket truck to get up to the pole. They should come tomorrow or the next day.” No one came or even contacted us. Leroy called once again and spent a long time on the phone. This person also could not get it connected. He set up an appointment for a technician to come in three days. The technician who came today was very good and got the thing going. He put his ladder up to the pole, climbed up and fixed. He said, “They did not reconnect us after they had completed the update.” We had to call Brian to help us get the router up and working for us, with user name and password. I learned a little more about facetime and making the screen larger. Now hopefully I will remember that if I need it in the future. This shows how much we are dependent on the internet connection. Every day we missed it. Paula

Hot Days

Hello, While in DC we took a little trip to visit Yorktown which was an important battle influencing the outcome of the revolutionary war. It was an interesting place. I do not remember this battle from my history class. It was often a battle between ships trying to gain important trade routes.

The next day we went to Williamsburg to see an historic area where European settlers made a long-lasting settlement. It is a tourist area now with people wearing period costumes and working in the old ways. People seemed to be well versed on history and could answer many questions pertaining to earlier times. There were also some reenactments. It was quite a hot day and we started to notice that the crowd was about a third the size in the afternoon.

It is very hot here today with temperatures in the 90’s. There was a history walk in our neighborhood. It was very interesting about the early life of Grant Wood. He and his family lived in the neighborhood. We went supplied with sun shirts, hats, and water. We managed to do the whole two hour walk. I had thought I might stop after an hour, but there was a breeze and when we stopped, we all stood in the shade. I sat on the ground some of the time and that helped too. The sun has cooked two of the pots of pansies at church. Not sure they will be revived with more water and being placed in a shadier place. Paula

Getting to the Airport

Hello, The bus had not come to the stop on time, according to the paper schedule we had. I tried to look up the location of the bus on my phone. For some reason I could not find that even though I have found it before. I felt a little panicky, but Leroy was calm. He figured we had possibilities since we have to start so early to take the bus. We could even walk home and drive if need be. The bus came with just enough time that we could catch the next bus for the airport. We did learn that there is a summer schedule. Also, I think this bus was a bit late as all the other buses were at the bus station. When we went home this bus was late coming to the station, but it helped that we did not have to catch any other transportation. A number of people were on all of the buses that we used. I am happy to see that. It helps the environment not to have so many cars on the road. We like using it to go to the airport because we do not have to park the car there for a week or more. Seniors ride free and there is a little guilt associated with that. We could pay as we do in the cities of our daughters. The buses do not run sometimes when we need a ride so than we do have to catch a ride with someone in a car. In DC we use the metro. It is so convenient. As it stops about a block and a half from their house. This time when I was looking at the map a public worked came up to help. Telling me where we should change trains and which side of the platform, we needed to be on to get to our destination. There are good people everywhere. Paula

What Time Zone?

Hello, In the last month our time zone experience has been: Midwest, Mountain, Midwest, Eastern, and Midwest. My body hardly knows when to go to bed or get out of bed. We will stay in this zone until after the fourth of July, when we will spend some time in Eastern time zone once again. The direct flight to Washington, DC was uneventful except for a delayed start. At least we did not have to fret about catching another plane. Going through TSA, I was asked, “Do you have anything dangerous (or some word like that) in this bag?” Nothing came to mind. He pulled out my travel silverware set that I have so I do not use plastic when eating out. It is my idea of doing my part to help the earth from becoming overcome with plastic. Unfortunately, the knife in this set was serrated. The man then said, “I know it is a butter knife, but the serration makes it unacceptable. You could take it back out to your car or check the bag rather than carry it on.” Since we came by bus and the cost of checking the bag is at least $35, the knife was gone. It saddened me. He suggested, “Look for a slim none serrated knife and it will be ok.” Cutting back on the plastic in my life is not an easy task. However, I did use my two sets of silverware at least three times on this trip so it helped a little. I was also very quick to tell the server not to give me a straw. When at home I almost never eat out, it is not a fast was to cut back on plastic, especially one-use plastic. According to the kid’s almanac, the plastic mass in the Pacific Ocean is twice the size of Texas. There are five such plastic garbage locations in the oceans. Paula

Graduation Number One

Hello, We were happy to be in person for Olivia’s graduation. Only two wishes that it would have been shorter than two hours and that we could have heard a little better. There were over 400 graduates, but it was the talks that made it all so long. After the program, it was a little hard to find the girl even though she is taller than I am. Seems everyone is taller than I am. How did I get short?

Afterwards we went out for a nice meal. With the family and all the grandparents. Tomorrow, we head east for another granddaughter graduation. It is a smaller class so maybe it will be a shorter event. Can you believe there was a time when we thought we would not have any grandchildren and now we are blessed with six of them. While we have been home, we have watered plants at church, unloaded and put some things away at church, discussed moving flowers when the construction starts in earnest, and worked at the meal last night. I served because they were short some people and Leroy stayed on the clean-up crew. It was nice to serve because I got to greet the people. Paula

Our Bus Trip To the Airport

Hello, Just ahead of our stop, the bus stops at the meal site where I volunteer. We could see that stop from ours. There was a long line of people waiting. A woman who eats at the site came to our bus stop. I have seen her there as well as at the church meals. I greeted her. She then said, “Some people won’t talk to me because my husband is in prison. He did not do the crime, but he is there anyway.” I sympathized a bit. Actually, I had not a clue what would be a good thing to say. After a bit she asked, “What would you say it is like for me with my husband in jail for a crime he did not commit?” “It must be terrible for you.” I said. “Thank you,” she said and then she went off to the laundry mat. I saw the bus stopping at the stop ahead of ours, even more people got in line. That woman missed the bus as well as another one she could have caught. Perhaps she wanted to avoid the other lunch people. The bus was quite full. I perched on the edge of a seat next to a very large guy who really needed more space. But at least it was a stable place for me. Leroy stood, but almost lost his balance as the bus started. At that a woman moved her things off the seat and onto her lap so he could sit. That was better. Paula

Being Busy Away From Home

Hello, Miriam does have some jobs for us to do while we are there. I do not think I did so much because I do like to keep busy and I wanted to contribute to the house being ready for the graduation party. We helped plant some flowers, weed, deadhead iris, move soil, and Leroy mowed. Leroy dusted a little and ran the vacuum in several places. I did a small amount of dusting. Humm, it seems I did a bit of sitting around while Leroy moved. He did finish one library book and started another. I only managed to finish one I made breakfast for us each morning and he did his exercises. Maybe those exercises gave him a lot of energy. Leroy helped Andy string some wire for the new water heater. He also helped Andy, Miriam, and Olivia get the new heater downstairs. While Nora, Svea, and I watched, ready to call 911 if there was a mishap. I did make granola three times. The first batch was all gone and about half of the second, but since some of them like it so well, it was good to get a third batch made. I also went shopping for the ingredients. Some of them were in the bulk foods section and it takes a bit of energy to decide if I had the proper amount. So I was working. We took the dogs for some walks along with anyone else who wanted to go. Those dogs sense when we were going on a walk and they trotted right over. Paula

The Home trip

Hello, Our trip home started with ease, although I always get a little anxious about it all. We got to the airport in plenty of time. At the check in kiosk, it had no record of Leroy checking in even though he is sure he did that. I wondered if he clicked on all the possibilities. A kind woman helped us. But then the next thing was that it did not show that we had paid for the, to be checked bag. I was sure that this had been taken care of because we had gotten a receipt for the purchase. Course I did not find that on my phone. We just went ahead and repaid plus an addition amount because we were doing it at the airport. The friendly woman assured us that when we found the receipt our money would be refunded. The rest of the check in and security check went quite smoothly. Although my backpack was pulled out of line and checked. I had a bag of nuts in there and she said, “It is alright, but it showed up as a mass and we need to check those.” Once seated at the gate I calmly searched my email for the receipt and found it. Leroy suggested I take it to the agent at the desk. That was a great idea. The agent saw the purchase and commented, “I do not know why that did not show downstairs. Your last bag purchase will be refunded, but it will not show up for a couple days.” I was pleased to get that done and it did not involve a phone call. Paula

Happenings

Hello, We are leaving tomorrow for Utah for the high school graduation of our oldest grandchild and a niece’s daughter. We leave in the afternoon. It seems like a long wait as usually we fly in the morning. But we can manage to find some patience. Yesterday just after putting some new children’s books in the little free library, a couple walked by with their toddler. I got their attention and told them I had just put in some board books. With the first one the kid’s eye lit up and there was a big grin on his face. He was pleased with two more. His mother told me, “We have found books in here before. It is so nice. We will read this when we get home.” I was happy to hear that. What a good thing when people can find books that work for them. A large tree about four blocks from our house had died. It was taken down this week. It is really an art to take down such a tall tree in a city. We think the tree was perhaps 80 feet tall as it was much taller than the two-story house it was next to. The trunk was easily three feet in diameter. It did not have a single leaf on it, but I remember walking and enjoying its shade. Paula

Life Changes

Hello, When we had kids at home, we were not financially able to manage trips that much more than a few day’s drive. Now our grandchildren have been many places, some around the world. They can never really know what it was like to grow up like I did when at 4:00 pm we had to be home because the cows would need to be milked. It was years before I was comfortable staying somewhere after four as it seemed to be time to leave. There was no arguing this point the cows were important. When growing up it was rare to have a death of someone that I knew very well. That has changed now. I am not always close to the person, but I certainly know many who die and I have even laughed with them. It seems to me that laughter is a more intimate connection. As a young person, people my age only rarely had bodily aches and pains. Now it is a matter of course as people have both mental and physical issues to deal with. I notice some changes in myself. Generally, they are not such a big deal, but some are rather annoying. I could work to regain any strength that I have lost, but the truth is I only talk about it and do not lift weights. So far that has not achieved any positive results. Can you imagine that just thinking something does not make it happen? Paula

Seminary Graduation 50 Years Ago

Hello, Wow, it has been fifty years since Leroy graduated from seminary. That meant a move to his first parish in Missouri Valley, Iowa. He had to learn how to be a pastor and I had to learn the role of pastor’s wife. Actually, the learning went on for many years as each place is a bit different. Even in one place people come and go changing the dynamic. Leroy and I went back to the seminary for a celebration of this event. It produced less positives than we wanted. When Leroy graduated there were two seminaries that have now merged. His was the smaller of the two schools. There was only one couple there that we knew from days past.

It was good to see them again, even if we travel with them and had been together in April. We did have some interesting conversations with people we just met. Too bad we did not know them from the past.

We stayed with Brian the night before the event. That was nice to spend a bit of time with his family. They were a busy with work and school so there was not much time together except for being with Brian who is done for the summer since he works for a college. We drove in rain most of the way there and back. I now know how to use the windshield wipers on Leroy’s car. We were happy to have purchased tires that stop a bit better in the rain. We had one sudden stop and they did a good job. Paula

Second Bike ride of the year

Hello, Our church had a bike ride to promote Church World Service. We participated in that. I was happy that they had the start in such a place that it was three miles one way. It was a beautiful day with gentle breezes, sunshine, and ice cream at the half way point. Leroy commented on the number of people he had never seen at a CROP walk. Hopefully this will help them realize that their support of that event is needed as well. It was good to see so many families out enjoying the day. It was an added bonus to have crossing guards at the major roads. Usually, I have to come to a stop to evaluate the safety before crossing. Part of it was a beautiful mile ride under a canape of trees. Helps me think I must get out and ride some more. This is a nice trail. My seat would be more hardened for this if I did it more often. Legs would be stronger too. Paula

The Type of Weather

Hello, This type of weather dictates that I have three different weights of pjs at the ready. Cool, medium weight, and warm for those cool nights. There are also shorts, capris, long pants and sweatpants handy for whatever the day brings. Layers on the top keep me comfortable. This is all a first world problem because I have so many choices and do not need to put up with what comes. Comfort is a possibility. How rich I am. There was talk of a storm this morning, but it did not come. Now this afternoon the wind is blowing strongly and the sky is getting dark, but it might just blow over. We could use a nice rain. Leroy has new tires on his car so it is ready for the road. Neither of our cars have many miles on them. We walk and ride our bikes when we can and that does make a difference. Paula

Gardens Visited

Hello, On our trip east we visited three gardens. I enjoyed all of them. The first was at the Biltmore Estate. The house was the picture of amazing opulence and space. But the garden was beautiful and restful with ponds, fountains, and conservatory.

The season was more advanced in the south so there were beautiful flowers outdoors as well. It would be fun to go in more seasons to see the changes. Not sure that we made it to all areas of the garden. One thing about being on a bus tour, there are time constraints. But I like having someone drive us to the entrance, get the tickets and meet us at the exit. South Carolina had Brookgreen Gardens which is quite fine with flowers and statues. In the past it was created and owned by a couple. The woman, Anna Hyatt Huntington, was a sculptress. Many of her pieces are in the garden. They are beautiful. They also worked to preserve native eastern plants and animals. Thus, preserving the local feeling. It was beautiful and informative.

The last garden toured was The Elizabethan Gardens in NC. It was also beautiful and interesting. It was designed to be like a garden in the time of Queen Elizabeth I. It was also fun to see and soak up the ambience. Again, the flowers were much ahead of those around here. Trees were totally in their leafed out in summer finery.

Paula

Flapping Plastic Bags

Hello, Flapping Plastic Bags may not sound like much, but when it is one hour and forty-five minutes worth, it is a long time to flap. I volunteered this morning at the site where they serve meals and hand out food to people in need. Several other volunteers were there. They had many plastic bags donated. They were mostly in larger bags. My job was to separate them, spread them out and put one inside the other to make them stronger. I did manage to record a lot of steps doing this. It helped me when three elementary age kids helped and visited making the time pass more quickly. Another adult came a bit later. We managed to make the bag storing area neat and ready for use. While it was a tedious job, I am happy that these bags get a second use. I have to say if you donate plastic store bags here are some ideas about what is good. Do not have any trash in them or receipts. If they have large holes, they are not usable. Although this place knows someone who will take the torn ones and make a mat out of them that the homeless can use so they do not sleep on the ground. Clean bags are also appreciated. Each day at this place they have some things that will be available for people to take home. Odd sized bags went on that table. The other double bags were for use when people come in for a food supply. Leroy learned today that our tire in not repairable. After some consideration we decided to buy tires from the local guy who does our car repair. They were a little more expensive, but we hope this helps keep him in business. He has certainly been good to us. Paula

Where Does Time Go

Hello, It seems days and years go by faster than I can keep track. How does it happen that days in retirement can be so filled I do not know where they went? Last evening along with another couple we planted some flowers at church. I thought we could do it in an hour, but not quite. After that, Leroy and I had clean-up time at the Saturday evening meals. A couple helped with that. They had never done it before, but they stepped right up and were a big assist. It helped that we only served about 140. So, it was a bit slower than usual. We were quite tired when we got home. Not much productive was done after that. This morning, we went in early and watered plants again. I certainly notice the heat. It slows me down. Paula

Miles Traveled

Hello, On that 13-day bus trip to the Carolinas we moved around a lot. There were 3,880 bus miles, 30 ocean miles (on the ferry with the bus), and 20 river miles (on a tour in Savanah, GA). Leroy and I also put on 740 car miles to get to and from the starting point. We went through ten states plus our stating state so we could add one more for a total of eleven states. We have enjoyed our experiences with the company. It was a lot of sitting, but very interesting stops generally. When we were on the bus, we always heard information about the state we were entering. Our guide also gave much information about the places that we were close to, but not stopping. At least two times there were traffic problems with an accident or some such event. It was nice to know that I did not have to deal with any issues, but just relaxed and waited to move on. It was good to know there was a toilet in the bus if needed. It only rained when we were on the bus or at a motel for the night. It was generally sunny and beautiful. In future writings you will get to learn about the places we went. Paula

Home For a While

We got home yesterday afternoon. Lots of unpacking, sorting, and putting away occupied a bit of time. It was plant moving time as they were in the kitchen for watering ease when we were gone. We also looked at the mail that had been held at the post office. Surprise, surprise this included three Christmas cards. It was fun to get mail out of season. The grocery store was an important stop. There was very little in the refrigerator. I like to clean out much of it when the trip lasts more than a week. Leroy and I drive about six hours to get to the bus leaving place. It is quite a bit, but this company is good. They store the cars in a building so they are not subject to any weather incidents. We did find that we had a tire low on air pressure. It is low again today. It will be attended to on Monday. I thought you might like to see a picture of the bus as well as the driver and the guide.

The guide and the driver are very capable. It is so nice to have someone else take care of details. Paula

Would it Happen or Not

Hello, I have developed a strange sleep pattern. I fall asleep quite easily, but wake around 3 am to find sleep illusive. Sometimes I drift away, but never seem to reach real sleep. Last night, in the driftless region, I got thinking about what I would do with a billion dollars. You know a million is too small to make much difference. Without giving things particular numbers, I thought about all of the places I would like to give money. Especially those places that have been cut and it is noticeable to the poorest in our country. Refugees, people who depend on Medicaid, people who are food insecure, homeless with no shelter, people without health insurance, and those dealing with mental health issues. All of these groups were getting millions from me when I figured out what organization to give it to. Then I wondered, if I had that much money would I really be altruistic? It seems that so often when people have so much money they just want to make more and ignore the needs around them. Would I be sucked into that vortex as well? Paula

Tai Chi

Hello, Our tai Chi instructor is back from the winter months in a warmer place. I am glad for their return. Even though it was available on line in real time, it is great to have help right in the building. It is easy to miss things without a good camera person and just the camera on the laptop. We always visit some before and after class and I like those times as well. As we are learning, social interactions are of great important for our lives and health. Leroy and I are getting a bit of social expansion with our volunteering. We were at church briefly today. We were asked to help out more on Friday. It does not take long for someone to think of an area where more hands are a good thing. Along with helping with food delivery for the meals, we will stuff bulletins for Sunday. I can believe it will be a big job. We are happy to do it, but we are leaving on our bus trip on the Monday after Easter. I had thought of doing some other things in the time. We will manage to get it all done. I have some plants to put out that I kept over the winter. I think the geraniums can go out as well as the amaryllis. The real question is, where should they be planted? Could there be a late frost? Paula

Woosh!

Hello, I took a walk this afternoon. While on the sidewalk, I felt something brush my arm as I looked to see a young man on a scooter racing past. It was a motorized machine. I do not know how fast he was going, but I felt startled and a bit afraid afterward. I do not always walk is such a straight line as I look at the grass, flowers, sky, birds, or squirrels. If I had stepped over just a short way he could have hit me. That might not have had a good ending for me as he was quite a bit taller than I am and probably weighs more. He also had sped on his side. After that I kept looking back to see if anyone was racing up on me. Many walkers and runners pass me, but I can hear their steps before them are even with me. On the trail many bicycle riders say something before they go around. That is very helpful. Not many bikes ride on the sidewalk which is narrower than the trail. There is a lane for them on the street. Scooters with motors, should they be on the street too? When I volunteered today I learned that someone donated many cans of veggies that are out of date. They went out on the free table as they cannot be passed out when giving out bags of groceries, but if someone wants to take them, they may do so. In a good can the food is probably still good. We checked all cans to make sure they were still safe. It does bother me that people would hang on to these things for so long and then donate them. The cans were dusty and had bits of this and that on them. Paula

Afternoon Movie

Hello, This afternoon we watched a movie. I had borrowed the DVD from the library and it had been renewed once. So, it was time. The title is On the Basis of Sex. We both enjoyed it. It gives a bit of the story of the life of Ruth Bader Ginsberg. Sometimes I forget how restrictive life was for women. One of the issues that was brought up was that women took jobs from men who needed to support their families. When I was subbing in the schools while Leroy was at seminary, I was in one of the high schools. The librarian there told me that she was told a job was not given to her, but to a man because he needed to support his family. At the time she was a widow with five children. No one asked about her need for a job. I can hardly imagine not being able to have a credit card in my name, but that was the case in my early adult life. The job possibilities for women were certainly limited. I knew I did not want to be a nurse or secretary so teacher it was. When I got to college, I learned that other women had more vision of the world and pursued other career choices. Paula

What Flowers to buy

Hello, A few years ago, I started to help water the flowers at church then the job increased to getting some flowers for church. We, along with another person who also provided flowers, decided when to start this for the season. This year a couple people have been urging us to get flowers for Palm Sunday. I said, “I would not like to do that because it seems too early. I refuse to take them in and out with lower temperatures. That is too much of a twice daily task.” After the final push, I agreed to see if I could find some flowers that tolerate lower temperatures. Yesterday we stopped at a big box lumber store. They had two selections that were touted at going to the frost time. To me that says they will deal with low temperatures. We got three of one kind that I do not remember the name, but they are beautiful. There are two pots of pansies and dusty miller combined.

Hopefully we will only have to take them in and out a couple times. After Easter, Leroy and I will be gone so they may die. The other flower provided found some hydrangeas that were not so terribly expensive. She got five of those. I think we are covered for Palm Sunday and Easter. Later we will get some more that we do not worry about in the temperatures. Paula

Out and About

Hello, Both Leroy and I have had several reasons to be out and about. He counted money at church for the last time for a month. It took longer than usual because two people struggled to get the figures to be correct. All I can say is that it is a good thing he is doing this job not me since I switch numbers. I volunteered at the neighborhood meal service. I saw another one of my neighbors there getting food. It strikes me how vulnerable some are. I am glad there are resources for them to find help. We went to a talk about a birder who spent a year going around the USA on his bike to record birds. It was quite interesting. Made me feel like a bike riding wimp. He started in Boston in January in a snow storm. At some point the temperature was -10 F degrees. We don’t even walk below that temperature. He had beautiful pictures of many birds that I did not know even existed. Yesterday we spent much time at church. Leroy provided food for the men’s early morning bible study. I went to tai chi, not at church. Then we went to church service at noon and stayed for a vocal presentation. In the afternoon we came back for a meeting with some about volunteer jobs that will come as part of the renovation of the church. We stayed and ate at the church because we were on the cleanup crew after the meal. That was followed by choir practice. We were both rather tired at the end of the day. We also made granola in tandem in the morning. I started it and Leroy finished it. Paula

Lazy Weekend

Hello, Yesterday Leroy and I had nothing planned so we washed some clothes, hung them out and enjoyed the fresh air. It was rather cool, but our walk was long and kept us warm. We both spent quite a lot of time reading. I just finished Horse by Geraldine Brooks. Guess I must like race horses because this was about a horse named Lexington. Seabiscuit also took my attention when I read about him. Lexington was born before the civil war so he is much older. Someone at church said, “I have seen him!” when I talked about this book at book club. She saw the skeleton in Kentucky. Maybe some day I will see that too. This book also dealt with racism past and present. It was a thoughtful book but was easy to stick with it. It is a novel based on historical fact. Leroy went to a stamp event that is sponsored by the stamp club that he has joined. He was pleased to get rid of some books that he did not need. He also bought some stamps that his collection was missing. This evening, he went and helped with cleanup so it was a good thing for him. Paula

Ideas revisited

Hello, I am reading a book about women who have made a difference in the world. The reference to Hidden Figures made me realize that I wanted to see that movie again. I think that I also read the book in the past. Last night we watched the movie and both of us enjoyed it. There is another movie that I also checked out, but we have not yet seen it. It certainly brought to mind the time I grew up and the ideas that were passed on to me about racism and the role of women. It was quite good to be reminded of that and how some things have moved on, but some have not. Wondering what my role is in all of that. Paula

Clean up Job at Church

Hello, Leroy and I signed up for clean up after a meal at church last evening. It was not a big event so it was basically just the two of us. Leroy did the scraping and dishwasher running while I was on clean duty. That was a new job for me and I had a hard time with waiting for some clean dishes to put away. It was especially hard when I would see things that needed to be scraped and Leroy did not seem to move as fast as I would want him to do. At first another guy was helping with the chore, but then he went to eat and it was just Leroy on that duty. I tried to look busy, but it was not easy, so sometimes I went over and bossed Leroy around. That helped me a little, but maybe not him. The problem with the clean job is that clean and dirty do not mix. Once hands are prepped for clean work, they can not do dirty work unless they re-prep. Logically that makes a lot of sense as we want to have the dishes, etc. as clean as they can be. It is probably some type of law from public health. It certainly was hard on me as I kept wanting to help Leroy and just had to stand and watch him inch along. Paula

Left and Right Challenged

Hello, This is not an April’s fool’s joke. I went on a long walk today. Over half way around, I decided to check my steps on my phone. After I fussed with my phone a bit, I noticed that I did not have a ring on my finger. “Oh no,” I moaned, “I lost my wedding ring. Well at least it is insured.” Should I go back and look for it where I took off my glove? But just where was that? Should I seek out a metal detector? What is involved in replacing this ring? It was never attached to the diamond ring, but they fit together. Should I just forget about replacing it? But the insurance policy covers replacement, not just loss. I have lost a ring before in the cold weather, but I knew it right away. Frequently I do not wear rings because of this tendency. In the summer sometimes my hands swell and it is uncomfortable to remove them. I often do not wear them that season either. However, I wear my wedding ring all of the time. I looked again in my glove and realized that I was looking at my right glove so my ring should still be on my left hand. It was there! Problem solved. Now if I could just know left and right without having to figure which is which life might be simpler for me. Paula

Volunteering

Hello, There is no school today so the number of volunteers drops by about six people. It felt so busy without them. There seemed to be a lot of donations that needed to be dated and put on shelves. Then when the chicken came it was a big job to get it bagged up. I donated only about fifteen extra minutes, but it still was not done when I left. It is an internal mental struggle about quitting when I do not have a good excuse, but I am ready to leave psychologically and physically. Usually, things are very close to being done. I told one woman there about how our church reached a new high in the number of meals served on Saturday night. It is the last Saturday in the month which always makes it higher as people’s resources for food are running low. But 230 meals served is a lot when it is often around 150. On the last Saturday they also hand out some extras. This time it was boxes of cereal and a half gallon of milk. The woman at the Monday volunteer place commented that they usually serve about 120 meals on the weekdays and much of last week it was 140 meals. A woman also commented that her daughter has four kids, works two jobs and gets just a bit under $100 per month in SNAP benefits. That is not enough to keep them fed so she often buys food for them. And some think that the minimum wage is adequate. Paula

Day Trip

Friday, we went on a short, day trip mostly, so I could get some things out of the house. We took a brochure to a Monument company that is in Dubuque Iowa. They deal with tombstones. Why my mother had this I do not know. It was a little gift type brochure that had needles in it. We had quite an interesting chat with the woman who was working at the front desk. They were pleased to get this since they did not have any like it.

Following that stop, we went to a church that has over 100 Tiffany windows. It was quite amazing. There was one window that was not by Tiffany and it was possible to see the difference. Even the bathrooms had Tiffany windows.

There is a park in Dubuque where my family had reunions. I thought we would eat our packed lunch there. Unfortunately, it was not yet open for the season. After that we drove on to Elizabeth, IL to visit my brother and to give him my mother’s diaries that I had kept since her death. I told him, “I stored them for 20 years. Now it is your turn.” My sister-in-law said, “It has been 27 years.” I then added to his son, “In time it will be your responsibility.” The diaries are not so interesting. Mostly, mom recorded the weather and what crop might have been planted, or hogs sold on that day. No personal things. Paula

Plastic, Plastic, Plastic

Hello, Trying to keep the plastic out of our lives is not easy. Everywhere I look in the house, there is plastic. In the kitchen it is in the microwave, stove, dish detergent bottle and that is just stuff. It is not even about all the foods that came in plastic. Most of the nuts in the house are in plastic, frozen foods, and bread if we buy it. Pill bottles are also plastic. In the living room the clock has a plastic face, the TV must have much plastic in it, the remote is also a plastic case. Then there’s the bedroom. The clock has lots of plastic, the flower pots are plastic, some clothes have plastic in the construction, and zippers. In the office the laptop, printer, lamp, pencil holder, file cabinet tabs, and the list goes on. Limiting this stuff in the house takes a concerted effort that I find difficult to maintain. I buy soap that is not wrapped, but still keep a plastic bottle of soap for visitors. Body wash is in a plastic bottle, but I did buy a bar of shampoo although I have not tried it yet. I will use up the bottle of shampoo first. Sometimes price drives my decision to get more plastic incased product. However, I tend to feel a little guilty about that until I forget the purpose of my buying decision. Paula

Downsizing

Hello, There is a small book case with just three shelves in an alcove. Somehow it seems to be a magnet for things that have no home otherwise. I decided that I must tackle the things here. It is not an easy job. Many of them I have not looked at since we moved here 13 years ago. That should tell me that they are not so important in my life, however they seem too good to throw away. Would anyone else want them? I have gathered some in a bag to take to the museum in my home town. I also found a small brochure for a monument company in Dubuque. They are still in existence. I was able to send them an email about this item. Maybe they will want it for their history. I suspect that my family had dealings with them years ago. Some of the pictures on this shelf, will be shared with our children. They can decide what the future of those things will be. I do not look at the print copies and I can not imagine I will want to look at scanned copies. It would be easy to eliminate things if someone else wanted them. What I am doing is not really downsizing, but cleaning up and making it neater. And less weighty in my mind. Paula