Cat in the Garage

Hello, I put the garage door open as I was entering the alley so it is up by the time I get there. Just as I pulled into the garage the all-black cat, which we have seen often before, ran into the garage and under Leroy’s car. I parked, grumbled a little at that cat, looked under the car, saw it by the driver’s front tire, and told it to go back out. It looked at me wearily before it moved more to the center of the car. I walked around muttering, “What is long enough and light weight enough that I can slide it towards you and you will leave?” The ice chopper looked like it would work. When I looked again, I could not see the cat, but I swished under there just in case. The big door lowered and no cat appeared. The small door was open and it darted towards it. I stepped back and let it march out into freedom. Not sure why that animal wants to get in our garage, but Leory as had trouble with it when he was doing something out there and had the door open. My trip to the dentist involved a bit more than I expected. I will need a filling. Luckily, I have no pain there. Then there is a lower front tooth that hurt when we were gone for Thanksgiving. The pain went away most of the time after we came home so I have ignored it. I mentioned it to the hygienist. She did not see anything at first, but when she poked in the area it was painful. She saw something that she did not recognize. “I will have Doc look at this,” she said. When he looked, he had her take an ex-ray of the tooth and the root. He speculated as to what it might be. Something I had never heard of before. He told me, “Don’t you worry about this now. When you come back for the filling, we will discuss the possibilities.” Life holds new adventures all of the time, cat and tooth! Paula

What day of the week?

Hello, Even though I write the day and date when doing my devotions, I still wonder what day it is. There was something about going to a job that kept all of this straight in my mind. For some reason today has seemed more like part of a weekend rather than Tuesday. If I get hit in the head, could I answer the question about the day even though I might be functioning? Yesterday someone was insisting that it was a date later than it was. Even though I knew the date, I sympathize with the confusion. Early tomorrow, I go to the dentist for the last checkup of the year. The appointment card is in the table so I will see it at breakfast. How is that for a trick to help the memory? They also called me with the reminder, but I had remembered it before that. I am grateful for the dental care and that I still have a functioning mouth, tongue, teeth, jaw, and all of it. Last night I did not feel so well, more general than anything specific. This morning my voice was a bit stress. It was hard, but I did almost no talking. Breakfast was rather quiet. Guess I do most of the talking. I am feeling livelier now and my voice sounds better. I am not going to get 10,000 steps today, but I will try to get it up to 5,000. We are happy that the laptop functions well now. We still look at and talk about getting another computer, but just have not done that. Oh, we did give up our home phone. It needed to be replaced and we just let it go. Our cell phones will be the way to reach us. Paula

Early or Late

Hello, Rain predictions and rain falling convinced us to drive to church. We got there in plenty of time for me to greet and Leroy to usher. There was only one other car in the lot. After we wandered around a little hanging up coats, etc., we learned that we were an hour early as there was to be only one service today. Leroy spent the time greeting others who also came early. I went downstairs and put plastic spoons and forks into groups of 25 so they can be handed out at the food deliveries at the shelters. At least I felt useful. Later in the day we went to a funeral. We arrived in plenty of time, but not too early. The service, however, started a bit late and there was a lot of talk and music. At the end of the message by the pastor, it was already an hour and fifteen minutes. We had a birthday party to go to that would be over soon. We had expected the service to last about an hour. Then we would leave. We were sitting in the middle of a row, but asked to get past three people there. There was to be communion and some small amount of liturgy. We went out the wrong door so it took us a while to get to the car. I tried to tell Leroy it was not where we had come in, but he insisted. Why I let him do that I do not know since he does not have a good sense of direction. At the party place we learned that most people had come early and left early, so they had packed up and we missed out on that. I will contact the birthday woman and wish her well for her 80th. Paula

Quiet Morning, Volunteer Afternoon

Hello, Yesterday when at church, I asked if help was needed for the Saturday evening meal. The answer was yes. There are servers, but no clean up people or very few. Leory and I have cleaned up so it is a good job for us. We actually know what we are doing. Before we go to church we will walk to the city library. Leroy is on his last library book and I am out and feeling a bit unanchored. That mile and a half one way, will get us some steps. We are hoping to reach our goal before the day is over. Leroy did his exercises early this morning. I managed to get in mine a little later. Leroy does say that his day is good when he gets that done before other things intrude. I got another mouse trap set in the attic. It is hard to know where the mice find a way in, but there is also a trap in the back porch. At least that blocks all doors. Our downstairs friends seem not to be a stopping place for mice. Perhaps they go up the wall and have a hole somewhere. Or does that say something about the delectables in our apartment? Paula

Mouse Caught

Hello, That house broke mouse is now caught and out of the house. The trap is reset. Hopefully there were no mouse friends here. Christmas eve found us helping and worshiping at church. First, we gave communion at the 7 pm service. Leroy and I had a discussion about when to arrive. I wanted to come after the service started because communion is about middle of the service. Leroy wanted to come about half an hour before the service started because is what we usually do when we have a job to do. We compromised and got there about 10 minutes ahead of time. Leroy felt we should be there so they would know we were coming. After the service we cleaned up and got ready for serving communion in the 9 pm service. Choir practice started in 15 minutes so there was not much down time. Usually, when someone has a birthday close to choir meeting day, the choir sings Happy Birthday. Usually, the spouse tells the choir director about that. Leroy forgot about that. The director was heading out the door for other duties, so I just stood up and loudly said, “Tomorrow is my birthday.” Everyone laughed. They sang Happy Birthday to me in four-part harmony. We had signed up to do clean up after this service. It turned out to be more of a deal than we anticipated. It was to sweep the sanctuary. It was a big job, luckily five others helped us. We still did not get home until 11:45pm. What a full busy evening. Sometimes it is hard to remember that we are there to worship God. Paula

Christmas

Hello, I gave Leroy a hair trimmer. He read over the instructions and the most notable was: do not use when asleep. He thinks he can follow that. Yesterday, Leroy, in the kitchen said, “I think I just saw something dart past.” “Oh, it can’t be another mouse I do not see any evidence.” I stated positively. This morning, I looked at the mouse trap in the kitchen which had been sprung when I bumped it many days ago. The peanut butter is gone. I wailed, “I don’t see any droppings, there can’t be a mouse in here.” “Perhaps, we have house trained mice,” Leroy speculated. I rebaited and reset the trap, hoping it is just a fluke. We have had a quiet day today. We shared oven space by baking some casseroles for our downstairs friends. Later we took a walk with another friend. Paula

Some of the Best things

Hello, Some of the best things are small things. We have a white desk lamp that was quite dirty. I tried to clean it some time ago, but just managed to move dirt around. Leroy tackled it. It is now clean. Every time I turn it on, I am pleased. We chopped some ice off the alley. It is great to drive into the garage without slipping. So nice. Our children are far away, but technology keeps us connected to them. We lived far from our parents for many years, but calling was so expensive that we only did it once a week or less. However, I wrote weekly letters as well as getting letters from home. Leroy accidently bought garlic pretzels. He likes them. Pretzels are his favorite snack. Even thought we feel like we have scaled a mountain we sometimes can figure out technology on our own. There is a certain smug feeling that goes with that. Paula

Will We Get Cards?

Hello, Each year when I put up the wrought iron Christmas card older, I wonder, “Will get enough cards to bother putting this up.” It always takes some days, but it starts to fill and I wonder where to put the card that is in my hand. We have had this holder since we lived in Missouri Valley. We left there in January1984. Our lives have had a lot of changes since then. I do not get my cards done as early as many people do, but at least this year it happened before Christmas. Sometimes it is much later than that. I suggested that Leroy play Boggle with me for the evenings before my birthday. He groaned a bit but did it tonight. I often win so he does not like to play. When he wins it is usually a spectacular event with some long words. He would rather play a dice game with me where chance has more say in the matter of winning. Today we finished our charity giving for the year. Leory even hand delivered two of the checks. He did comment that the one place he should have done it on line as the person at the desk had no idea what to do with it. Hopefully it will be handled well by someone else. I volunteered again this morning writing “best by dates” on canned and packaged items. There is a great amount of giving at this time, but it slows down in other seasons of the year. So even though the shelves are very full of some items, it will not be there for long. Paula

Back To the Asian Market

Hello, This afternoon we went with a backpack each so we could bring home our purchases. We got 15 pounds of rice which Leroy carried. I carried other things including tofu and some spring rolls. Because we usually drive to get food, we have forgotten how one must be aware of weight, price and taste when shopping. It is five blocks away so not so far, but Leroy tells me he noticed the rice weight after a while. Almost no other shoppers were there while we were there. I hope it is still going to be a keeper for the neighborhood. Leroy volunteered to give communion at the Christmas eve service before the one where we sing. This morning, they asked him if I could help too. We will also distribute communion at the service where we sing. After that we will clean up, whatever that means. Leroy wondered if it means put chairs away. We will find out. Good thing we like to participate and feel useful. Cleanup is not such a popular task as some of the other services also needed help in that area. We can clean up as well as make a mess. Paula

No Obligations

Hello, No where to go, nothing to do. It makes us a bit on edge. We even growled at each other a couple times. We did finish the Christmas cards that we could think of sending. Seems our list keeping, last year, was not as complete as it could have been. Oh well, life goes on. We did manage to get a bit of cleaning done. Things are at least neat around here. This afternoon we took a long walk to two little free libraries in the area. So now all the books that I bought have been distributed. Then on the way home we stopped at the Asian Market that just opened yesterday. Neither of us had on our reading glasses so it was a bit of a guess to know what we were looking at. Some labels were in other languages and our glasses won’t help with that.

I was pleased to see so many shoppers there. Hopefully it will be a success for them. Tomorrow, we plan to go back with money and backpacks in hand. At least the produce did not need as much explanation. Leroy has his steps for the day, but I still need over 2000. I may have to take another walk. It is warmer today, but the wind is still cool. True confession: I thought Leroy had lost a paper. Instead, I learned today that I had moved it into a safe place which I did not remember. Life tends to keep me humble, but not all the time when I need it. Paula

Weather Changes

Hello, Midwesterners often talk about the weather. Perhaps it is such a neutral topic that all experience, so there is little chance of offending anyone. Or could it be that we are slightly surprised that it changes every day and during the day. No “same old same old” for us. It gets below zero and a few days later it is in the 40’s so we can talk about a heat wave before it turns again to the cold zone. Today we have been blessed with melting snow and rain before the wind came in strongly dropping temperatures. Changes of clothing are sometimes required to be comfortable. Does that justify the amount of clothes that I have in my possession? How many crèche sets can one couple have? We have nine of them. Leroy thinks it is time to downsize in that area. But what to do with them? Paula

Bah Humbug

Hello, The tree went up yesterday. The lights went on as did the garland. Leroy told me I could put on the ornaments. Today I did that, but there was little joy in that task. It just became a chore. I also have not gotten my part of the yearly letter done. Leroy put up some other decorations. Maybe later today I will get more done. I did get the gifts for Leroy under the tree. One was too large for any of the bags that we have, so I wrapped a tablecloth around it and not a Christmas tablecloth either. All of this activity does not really fit in my skill set. Even buying presents is a chore for me. Maybe I do not read people so well. I never know what to get. I am in the practical vein and some feel that gifts should be luxury. I even look around my house and think about getting rid of things that are just setting around. I could decorate once and be done for years. Decorating is not my skill either. Washing dishes is more it. I like some of the extras about Christmas. Such as opening Christmas cards. Or visiting with people. The church services are a highlight for me. Paula

Walking To Church

Hello, Last night we went to a concert at church. We drove because the temperature was dropping, there was snow on the sidewalks and the wind had come up. Several people asked if we had walked. They expressed relief that we had driven. We did not like it because we did not get our full amount of steps. This morning, we waffled between walking or not walking. The sun came out and walking became much more attractive. We have warm clothes and even though it takes some time to get them on and out the door, we did it. The temperature was only about 3 below zero Fahrenheit with almost no wind. A brisk walk is easy to keep up when cold is chasing you. This afternoon we went to a Christmas party, but drove there. Both of us have our steps now. So that is nice. We shoveled some snow after church. There was a thin layer left from yesterday. We did not have time to get it done yesterday. Today, I saw an article stating that people over 60 should not shovel snow. We are well past that day and have shoveled for years. At least we know Leroy has no heart blockages so he should be ok as long as he does not over do. I think I am good as well. Paula

Fixed Computer

Hello, Our computer that required such exacting ways to turn on and to use, it seems to have reverted to its former self of just turning on. We can use the laptop keyboard without restarting. It is a nice time saver. Ideas of getting another laptop have been set aside for other things. We don’t want to make any decisions. The tire pressure sensor on my car had a battery wear out. That battery is now replaced so it is good until the next battery wears out. There is one for each tire. Apparently, they generally last about seven years. We have not replaced this before so they are all at least ten years old. We have been given a gift of longevity. There was a discussion of spiritually meetings at church. We have not had any for a time. They will start again, but not at a time convenient for me. Do I want to give up Qigong which I find quite relaxing? This will require some thought and contemplation. If the time were 30 minutes later for the church meetings I could get to both. How can my life feel too full to get everything in? Paula

Downsizing

Hello, Today we managed to give away a set of Pfalzgraf dishes. That meant three heavy boxes are gone. The furniture rescue place was happy to get them. We did ask before we dropped them off. Having worked in the museum, Leroy knows that some dropped off gifts become a burden of unwanted stuff. While there, we got a short tour of the place. It made me realize many of the things they would accept. That will take some more thinking on my part as I do not have extras of many of those ordinary household items. We also gave them a cash donation. We had not used those dishes in 13 years. When asked, our children stated that they did not want them. I was happy to find a place that seemed eager to accept them. The tough thought came on the drive home when Leroy commented, “I think we should have had a meat serving platter.” I could not remember such, but looked in another box when we got home. There was that meat serving platter. The place was closed for the day, so tomorrow will be a phone call and perhaps another trip to the place. It is only about three miles away, so not far. We have some storage space now, but are reluctant to fill it up. Less stuff means a lighter feel to life. Tomorrow the tires on my car will be checked. Hopefully it will not be a big deal. My tires are six years old, but I do not drive much so they still look good. Paula

How much Snow

Hello, Leroy and I thought we had missed all the fun shoveling snow. We were pleased to learn that more snow was predicted for Saturday night. Leroy found a site that said 1-3 inches. That seemed like a nice amount. Not so heavy to shovel. The snow was coming when we went to bed. Beautiful stuff. It seemed to be over when I got up at 11:00 pm. It was very light outside so I took a picture to share with you.

Leroy woke up at 4:30am. He got up and went out to shovel the alley in back of our garage. I woke, but stayed in bed for another hour. I went out and started to work on the sidewalk by the house. The snow was definitely deeper than three inches. It was closer to six inches which is a bit more work to move. We cleared by the side of the house, but reduced our effort to a shovel wide path on the public walk. We also got that path on the next-door neighbors’ walks on both sides. It was time to stop because we like to eat breakfast. I trimmed Leroy’s hair and we took showers. All that takes time. On the walk to church, we both had on good boots. It was a bit more effort because most walks had not been cleared. Some of the cleared ones had ice on them. We got to church on time, but barely. I tense my hips when walking the slippery places. Why that would help, I am not sure. But I feel more in control. Now my hips hurt a little from all that muscle gripping. We feel like we did not miss winter. Do you think we will get to the day when we get tired of it? Paula

The Facts of Life

Hello, Just so you know even if you are still able to walk without help, public restrooms can be challenging. On this last trip only one toilet flushed while I was still seated. In more than one restroom, I had to put my hands by more than one tap to get some water to run. One friendly patron pointed to the one that worked. At least I was able to get the soap off my hands. Once I was stuck with removing it with a towel. This trip, there were no long lines in the women’s restroom. Nice! Because I was traveling with Leroy, I did not have to bring my bags with me, so it was easy to use a small stall with the door opening in. On one flight I used the airplane restroom. It was a puzzle for me to figure out how to flush. Even though there was no sign, I finally pulled a handle that turned out to be the right thing. I had been imagining causing some problem. Who knew what might drop or appear? There were family restrooms in the airports. I was glad to see those. I was also impressed that the DC airport had an adult changing room. The signage showed a person in a wheelchair and a changing table. That should be a help for people who are unable to walk or stand. Since we have been home, we have been busy with many things. Today was our first day with no obligations. However, late morning, we got a phone call asking if we could help at church with the distribution of boots and gloves. We had done that before, but the crowd was small that day. There are several boots and gloves left over. Hopefully this will meet the need for some more people. On the positive side we can get some good steps this way. Just so you know how crazy I am, we hung out bed sheets even with all the snow on the ground. It is now above freezing so they are drying some. Paula

Health Changes

Hello, Because I have been told I have prediabetes, I watched even more what I ate. I actually lost two pounds over the holiday. I do not need to lose weight. The focus will be: what can I eat and gain weight. The number of shoppers has increased. It makes me want to stay home since I am not a fan of crowds. Today we went to church for another time of deep cleaning. It seemed the room was fairly clean, but then we found some dust on chair rungs. There are more rooms to clean, but they are still missing some ceiling tiles, so there is not much point in doing anything now. I am reading Huckelberry Finn for a book club that meets on Sunday. I should have started it some time ago. There are too many words for me to get through before Sunday. I have read it before, but do not remember all of it. I have a book for a book club that meets in a week and a half. Also, a book I had on hold came in and it needed to be picked up or it would go back. Pressure to read, that is where it is now. We are so blessed. One orchid, two violets, and three holiday cacti are blooming. Three rooms have flowers to look at. The rest of the rooms have green plants, course that is only two more rooms. So good we too care of the plant pots at church and dug the amaryllis blubs before we left town. It would be a terrible job to do now with the cold and snow. Paula

Pull a Roller Bag on a Snowy Sidewalk?

Hello, After leaving the bus we had a two-block walk to the house. After I got a bit stuck crossing the first street, Leroy offered to help with my bag. I declined because I did not want to give in. The snow was a challenge. At one point I gathered two hard, baseball sized blocks of snow. A stop was required to extract them. Some places the snow was about an inch high, nothing like what was on the sides of the walk, but pulling became much harder. I even grumbled a bit to myself. It was wonderful to get to the house. Back on the bus, Leroy was sitting toward the back and I was in the front with my backpack on my back and my bag between my knees to keep it from rolling away. I signaled to Leroy to pull the “stop requested” strap. He misunderstood my great gestures and indicated I was to do it. I reached over my head and to the back, but my arm was not long enough. Finally, I half stood with my arm in the same wonderful position and managed to snag the strap. When I settled back in my seat, I could see the guy across the way smiling and laughing. At least I provided entertainment. I wish more people used the bus so it could afford to run more frequently. It would make our trips to and from the airport much quicker. I often wonder about the people who have that as their main means of transportation. And some people think poor people have an easy life just taking handouts. That is not true from my perspective. I even feel a little guilty that as a senior citizen I do not have to pay for my ride on the bus when I could easily pay the full fee. In DC and Salt Lake, we pay half price. Paula

Coming Home

Hello, Our flights were quite smooth, however coming home was a bit of a mystery at times. We got a notification that our flight had been delayed by half an hour. We hung around at Sarah’s and hoped that the rain would stop. When we walked to the metro, we decided not to use our umbrellas as it was not so much rain. On the escalator going down into the stop, I somehow got the handle of my roller bag under my backpack. I yelled for Leroy, who was behind me to help. He did not understand what was wrong and I had no idea how to work my way out of it. I finally managed to get my words clear enough that he could untangle me before the end of the escalator ride. As soon as we got to the airport, we got another notification that our flight had been delayed again by fifteen minutes. We finally boarded 1:40 minutes late. It was because of a low ceiling in Washington. Many flights were delayed and almost no planes were there. We got our seat assignments about ten minutes before we departed. Leroy and I had the emergency row seats. If we had needed to, I hope we would have handled it okay. Our bus was a little late coming to the airport. It seemed that it was a driver in training as some other guy was sitting at the front checking the time frequently. They even called the bus terminal and told them we would be late and gave the numbers of the buses that we passengers wanted to transfer to. It all worked out. Paula

Mouse Caught

Hello, One mouse is gone. The stye is still with me. Soon it might be gone as well. We know there could be more mice in the house. I rebaited and reset the trap in the kitchen. Our landlord will check at least once while we are gone so the deceased will not create a stink in our place. We are hoping this is the only mouse. It is so nice out. We got our 10,000 steps today out in the sunshine. It feels so good to me. I like the outdoors. Leroy repacked today, making sure that he had all of the items in that he wanted to have in. I just decided I will adjust with everything that I put in. The coat situation is a little more difficult to get figured out. Hopefully we have the right things to layer. My violets are sending up bud stalks. They might still be in bloom to welcome us home. They always brighten my day. Paula

Stye in the Eye

Hello, I have a stye in my eye and we have a mouse in the house. Warm compresses for one malady and traps set for the other. Two days ago, I saw that there was a hole in the bag of sunflower seeds. I wondered about a mouse; however, the plastic seemed to be lifted off the hole. It appeared to me that one of us must have torn it. Today there was a hole in the replacement bag and crumbs around the hole. We went on a nice long walk this afternoon, but no mouse in any of the three traps that are set in different spots. I coat them with organic peanut butter. I do not like to share my peanut butter with a mouse, but it frequently works to lure them in. Hoping mice know a good thing when they see it. One of the cacti are blooming and the other two have a nice crop of buds. I suspect many of them will open while we are gone for thanksgiving. Leroy and I packed this afternoon to make sure that we could fit everything into our allotted bags. We are making it work. It lets me know that I have gotten used to the extravagance of taking more than I need. We will have a washing machine available. Course even though we can check on the weather, we still want to be comfortable and do not always know the clothes that requires. Paula

Computer is Home

Hello. Our laptop is home again. The problem is not solved, but we can use it most of the time after we restart. Sometimes we have to use an external keyboard. Our tech friend tried many different things, but nothing worked for long enough. I finally cried “Uncle! I will put up with all of the inconvenience.” Email boxes were full and who knows what else I might have missed. Leroy is better at using his tablet than I am so he was not quite so far behind. I tried on my phone, but do not really like that. I did manage to check in for some appointments on the phone, but not without some difficulty. We have kept busy, but in other ways. I have had some more time to read books, you know, the paper kind. I have also had time to consider how attached to this machine I have become. We will go to Sarah’s for Thanksgiving so we will have another long break from this type of technology. I do have some magazines gathered to take on the trip. At least our health has been good. We can still walk to church, just not as fast as we used to. Paula

Work Done Before the Rain and Cold

Hello, Not that it was weather related, we had a zoom call with seminary friends. Technology keeps us connected even though geographic distance keeps us apart. We had a great visit. We got much of the water out of the rain barrel before we had to move on to other things. The Swiss chard is now, mostly out of the community garden. There were some very small shoots that we did not cut. Maybe they can tolerate colder temperatures than I remember. A large bag of chard was joyfully accepted by our downstairs friends. I will use quite a bit and the rest will go to the place I volunteer on Mondays. Hopefully someone will be glad to get it there as well. We also picked the last of the broccoli. All I can say is, are worms really a good source of protein or does it depend on the type of worm? Today we finished emptying the rain barrel and turned it upside down for the winter. It feels good to get that job finished. We also planted two mums that were in pots. Hopefully they will bloom next year. If not, we can say, “Oh well, we tried.” It started to rain this morning as I was coming home from the store. I get honey in my returnable jar. Today the honey stopped when only about a fourth full. It is being delivered later today, but I am good with the amount I was able to capture. It was interesting at check out. The person there did not know how to take off the tare weight of the jar. She commented, “Not so many people bring their own containers any more. Thank you for doing that and helping the earth.” Paula

Beautiful Fall Day

Hello, We did vote. It is so easy for us to do that since it is about a five-minute walk to the polls. It is fun to see a neighbor there and visit about the garden. This morning, we were at the to help dig sweet potatoes even though it was only one plant. As we waited for others to come, we pulled giant okra plants. By giant, most were taller than Leroy and some were about an inch in diameter at the bottom of the stem. Leroy pulled them and I broke them so they would fit in the compost bin. When others arrived, we used the shovel and a chopper to fit the rest in the bin. Rhubarb leaves are also in the bin along with some random weeds. I picked up trash that travels on the wind. There were not so many sweet potatoes so we only took one as we have some at home. The broccoli appeared not to have any worms. After soaking in vinegar water, vinegar water, and plain water they were a nice lunch, hopefully without worms. There were three in the water and I spotted one on a sprig before cooking. After voting we took a nice long walk. There were a number of people, frequently accompanied by a dog, out enjoying the day with a walk. Some of the maple leaves were just lovely. I had intended to bring some home, but we came home a different way. I still need more steps to reach 10,000. Paula

Lost and new purchased November 1, 2025 Hello, Leroy lost his sun glasses that fit over glasses. He had them in his pocket and forgot to zip it in. We hope someone who can use them found them. We shopped for a new pair only to learn that the price was now almost $10 more. Lucky Leroy, he found two pair in a package deal for less than half of the price of one. we could not open them in the store to find out how they felt. A store worker assured us that he could try them on at home and bring them back within 90 days if not to his liking. He likes them. He decided to keep one in the house and one in the car so he is covered at all times.

I also got an orchid that was discounted. It is still beautiful. We took a walk. Here is Leroy by a good-looking tree. Earlier in the day we went to a traveling exhibit of the orphan trains. I thought it was special that we know someone whose grandparent was one of these orphans. However, we learned there are 2,000,000 descendants of these children in the whole country. Life was good for some and not for others.

All of this was in an old train depot. They had information about the German POWs in the USA during WWII. I had no idea there were so many camps. Hopefully they were treated as decent human beings. Paula

Visits

Hello, Miriam and Nora were scheduled to fly in a little before midnight. We were at the airport in time and waited until about 12:20 before the plane landed. It was good to see them even if it was past our bedtime. Leroy wanted to get a smart watch so they helped him shop for that. Then Nora spent quite a bit of time helping him get it set up. He knows how to work some of it, but there are still many mysteries. A friend from church asked if we could help with the meal on Saturday night. They were still shorthanded even with the four of us helping. We just had to work harder or more intense. Leroy and I were quite tired by the end of the shift. We got in plenty of steps that day. When you come visit, do not expect to sit and do nothing. We might put you to work. It seems there are many needs. Being able to help lifts my heart. Paula

Leroy Helps And Gets Many Steps

Hello, Today Leroy walked to bible study, came home, and walked back to church to help move things back into two refurbished rooms. He said he now has 16,000 steps. We are planning to walk to church tonight. Seems he is going to the extreme. I only have 4,500 steps, but by walking to church and a little more I should get to 10,000. After my exercise class, I took things out of the kitchen and bathroom in prep for washing those floors. After lunch and washing dishes, Leroy took a nap. I read for a little while before starting to wash the kitchen floor. Leory heard the rag squeaking on the floor and he came to help. We got both floors finished before going outside to put the hose away. It seemed like a good time to put away the fences keeping the rabbits out of the garden. All that is in the garden is sweet potatoes. I am hoping rabbits do not want to eat those leaves. It is satisfying to get all of these things cleaned up. I have to confess that I spent a bit of the morning finishing the newest book by William Kent Krueger. It is well ahead of the 10 day check out deadline. I enjoyed it. Paula

Change in Schedule

Hello, Our morning went as planned. Leroy counted money at church. I volunteered at the place that serves lunch five days a week. The plan was that we would later wash the kitchen and bathroom floors. The walk to church to water flowers could be added on to a walk to the library. After lunch, I realized that I had earlier planned to get flu and covid shots today. It seemed to be the best day. Leroy decided he would come too. At the pharmacy, we learned that three people were ahead of us. I wondered about coming back another day. After more discussion, we decided to stay. Leroy had to fill out some paper work which I had picked up another day. We then learned that I too needed to fill out another page. By the time we got done filling that out, it was almost our turn. Course, we went in one at a time. After, mine was done she suggested that we stay in the store fifteen minutes to see if we still felt ok. We could walk around. Then it was drive off to church to water plants and deliver some items. That took some time. The mums had blown over in the wind. After getting them adjusted, we spent some time visiting with some people at church. Leroy “needed” more books. We got the large return load from the car and set off walking to the library. Got to get those 10,000 steps. At the library I could not find the book I was looking for so I asked for help. Silly me, I had overlooked a shelf. It was right where it should have been. But when we were checking out Somone returned a book that I wanted to read. If I had not asked for help, I would not have seen that book. It is new and only out for ten days. Read fast! On the walk back to the car, our next-door neighbor pulled over and asked if we needed anything. He recognized us by our sun hats. We are a rare breed. Paula

Garage Cleaning Morning

Hello, After some early grocery shopping, we cleaned the garage. It was a job chasing all of the spider webs away. We even managed to get rid of a few things. That seems to be a major accomplishment these days. We do not move enough to make us evaluate our possessions. Amazing how things cling. Leroy had gotten a new garage boom about six months ago. The end piece kept popping off. In frustration, he used a mallet to pound it back on only to have more of the end of the handle crack. Wish this had happen shortly after the purchase, because we could have taken it back. Now we are stuck with a broom that has an uncomfortable handle, but the brush end is in excellent shape. It meant moving many things out and then putting them back in a cleaned-up space. They are a bit more organized. Just hope we can find things again when they are needed. Both of us were rather tired after this effort. Are we getting older or would we have been tired in the past and just figured that was normal. Paula

I was Wrong

Hello, The company that closed was not a publisher, but a supplier or book seller. I had forgotten that, so publishing should not be affected. Libraries are still struggling to find sources for the books they want. Leroy walked to church twice, giving him plenty of steps. I took two walks and achieved the same goal. It was nice to walk in a bit different part of the trail. It has some trees and green grass to appreciate, along with squirrels and rabbits. In one place we used to see a fox, but have not seen her for years. It was a her because there were babies with her. I am trying to cut back on carbs and it is not an easy job. I seldom eat sugar or white flour. Instead, it is recommended that I do not eat so much rice, pasta, or potatoes. I thought I did not eat large servings. We did have a gallon of cider and I had been drinking that before I had the blood draw, perhaps that is culprit. We have not gotten any since then, even though we both really like cider. More aerobic exercise might help. But it seems to me that 10,000 steps a day helps. I could walk faster and I will make an effort to do that. Thanks for listening to my whining and moaning. Paula

Libraries

Hello, One of the major publishing houses in the country has closed. That will certainly affect libraries who often depend on them as a major source of books. Will that make it more difficult for authors to publish their works? That is a bit scary. Leroy thinks there will be more self-publishing, but the marketing is another matter. We certainly depend on libraries as a source of reading material. Seldom do I read a book twice so I do not want to buy them. There is something satisfying for me to browse the shelves and find something that I want to take home. Sometimes I do not like that item, but then I can just bring it back without finishing it. There was a time in my life when I felt I needed to read to the end, but no longer. Fifty pages is a good sample. If I do not like it then I just quit unless it is for a book club. Generally, I finish them because I want to know what others thought of the book. I also check out DVDs from the library. It is again because I do not want to buy them or pay to have the movie streamed. Am I cheap or what? I am reading a fiction book now, The First Phone Call from Heaven by Mitch Albom. So far, I find it interesting. Paula

Crop Walk and Clothes

Hello, Beautiful weather today for the crop walk. It was shorter this year. Not sure why, but we walked farther to get a bit over two miles done. It was good to be out in the breeze and in the beauty of fall.

Many people participated this year. Hopefully it was not just a big group, but that much money was collected. A person suggested we come to their house afterwards. We did that and had a nice visit. Before we left, they gifted us with some beautiful romaine lettuce, large spinach leaves, and a butternut squash. What treasures! I have decided that my legs are size small and my waist is size medium. My top is also size small and again my waist is size medium. It seems that at some point everything that was movable, moved lower. Finding comfortable clothes is a challenge. On our bike ride yesterday, we met a couple on bikes and thought, “We know them.” Today, they both asked if they had seen us. They were headed in the opposite direction, going for ice cream. Another man at church asked, “Did you ride bikes?” I thought he meant to church, so I said, “No, we walked.” He explained that he meant yesterday. He was driving and waited for us to make a left turn. I thanked him for that wait because not all drivers do that. There are some careful people out there. Paula

Bike Ride

Hello, We managed to take a bike ride in the beautiful fall weather. The bike trial has been reconnected. It was great to have that new stretch along the urban trout stream. Some of the trees are gone, but hopefully more will be planted. Much of the rest of the way is canopied by trees. It is restful and relaxing to ride. There are some hills, but they are not so steep or long. Now if we could just get this done more often my body would adjust a bit more. We are not so fast, but maybe that is not such a bad thing. We can enjoy the scenery. One complaint. I had about fifty more steps that Leroy before we started. At the end of the ride, he had five thousand more than I. I wish I could get some credit for the bike rides. It helps my heart, but not my bones so much. I am reading a book by a man who, with his six-year-old son followed the Oregon Trail. I feel ready to get in the car and try that too. I have been in some of the places, but not all. The other book I am reading is on memory. It is so interesting. Good to know I probably do not have dementia. One more book is about troublesome words in the English language. I will have to find a fiction book to round out the collection. Paula

Bird Watching

Hello, This morning, we went on a city sponsored bird watch walk. We enjoyed this new experience. We spotted 16 different bird species. Mostly our leader identified them. Some of them or most of them were common birds for the place and season. No pictures to share. They only ones that were close enough to get a snap of were the turkey vultures. When seen closer they are indeed a large bird. Usually, we see them high in the sky. Our guide explained that they were waiting for thermals to hep them get higher. It takes a lot of energy for them to fly. Sometimes we could only see them clearly with binoculars. The guide was disappointed the we did not see more varieties of sparrows. New to us was the pied-billed grebe. We saw several of them on the water or on the opposite shore. I had never heard of the yellow rump warbler, but we saw several. There were some double crested cormorants. There was another woman who went. She had two dogs and asked if she could bring them. They are Cesky Terriers. It is a rare breed. They seemed to be nice dogs. They did not bark and they do not shed. They are originally from the Czech Republic. In the afternoon we walked to church to water plants. We have more than enough steps. On the way home we stopped at the community garden and picked okra, watermelon, and Swiss Chard. We are blessed in many ways, food and experiences. Paula

Learning About Health Care

Hello, At a luncheon at church the speaker talked about the free health care possibilities in the community. There are three places in the city that do this. One of them charges, but on a sliding scale. They will no longer accept people who are on Medicaid since the government no longer funds that. Another group does not charge, but they also no longer accept Medicaid patients. Those people have one last option. The third clinic accepts all who come. They never charge. They are able to survive because of churches supporting their efforts. One of the hospitals in town also contributes financially as well as with volunteer staff. It is so good to know that there are people committed to care for others no matter their circumstances. If the affordable care act is not to be funded by congress, they expect that a huge number of people will need their services. As it is she said many people who work do not have health insurance so they come for care. This is especially true of young people. As their jobs do not often provide insurance and they cannot afford the bill to get it themselves. There is certainly an advantage to being old enough to get Medicare. In the past Leroy’s job included health care. I know that was a big bill for the churches, but it was such a gift to us. Not sure that I was always grateful, but just took it for granted. At least originally, many people had health insurance through an employer. Paula

Spiders in the Fall

Hello, It seems there are spider web or just strings of webs in the air in many places. When going though an arch it is advisable to wave something in the air ahead of you or those webs land in your hair or on your face. Sometimes a long stick or broom handle is a great tool for defense. Fall is a time when spiders seem to be quite active, especially overnight. True confession, but we do find some in the house. Mostly we try to catch them in a jar and transport them out, but some are in such a spot that killing is the elimination method. Luckily most of these spiders are quite small so not so scary to me. People are decorating for Halloween with webs and spiders, not my idea of anything I want to spend much time with. One house that I delivered newsletters to is a candidate for the best decorated house in the neighborhood. Today on our errand run, we dropped off some clothes, used an expiring $4 off coupon at the drug store, enjoyed flowers in a park, stopped at a big box store, got groceries, and lastly bought a new sudoku puzzle book. It was good to get all of this done in one circle trip. So, satisfying.

Paula

No Bike Riding Today

Hello, It might have been good to get out again today, but it did not happen. We did walk to church to water plants. The heat was noticeable on the way home. Then we took another walk this afternoon so our ten thousand steps are in the devices that store such information. It helped that we hung out clothes. Three peace lilies are too many for our house. Thursday, I put one out with a free sign. It could not be out in the sun all day. It went out again some of the time on Friday. Today I asked a neighbor with a tree in front of his house if I could put in the shade of that tree. It is now gone. I am happy. It was nice, but I think Leroy brought it home from the museum so it has no sentimental value to me. I hope the new place is good for it. The doctor told Leroy to get fish oil to see if that would lower his cholesterol. He bought some only to see that if taking a blood thinner it is not recommended. He talked with a pharmacist. They were not sure so he contacted the doctor. The reply told him what dosage level to take. Leroy can relax about that now. We are learning new things that we did not necessarily want to know about. It is helping our brains, right? Paula

The Fourth Bike Ride

Hello, I have only been on my bike for the fourth time this season. I have great excuses, it is too hot, or it is too hard to get my bike out as it is behind other things. Consequently, I have become uncertain while riding. Today we decided to ride the bike trail south of Ely. We have not done that yet. We have to haul the bikes to Ely because we are not capable of riding that far in one day anymore. There was a certain amount of grumping as we had not used the bike carrier in some time. It finally got on the car with the bikes secured, but not before Leroy cut his finger. A Band-Aid helped. But the bleeding seemed a bit much, guess the blood thinner is doing its job. We rode a round trip of 9.4 miles. We were happy to get back to the car. Certain body parts were talking to us. Even though it was during the week, the trail was rather busy, we probably met or were passed by 30 riders. Maybe we were the slowest people out there as we did not catch up to anyone. We did see some wild life. The rabbits seemed to run faster than we rode. There were some wooly bears on the trail and a turkey buzzard in the sky along with a number of butterflies. Leroy also saw a small snake and a praying mantis. We went in the morning and by the time we came in the house it was 86 F. degrees. Certainly, time to be home. Paula

Sunday News September 29, 2025 Hello, They celebrated Leroy’s 50 years ordination anniversary. We went to service Saturday night, and two on Sunday morning. During the service, they had a small validation and commendation along with a prayer. Leroy said a few words. After the service, Leroy and I stood at the door to receive congratulations and hand out bookmarks. The bookmarks had a picture of every church he has served as well as the years he was there. They were quite nice. There was also some time for fellowship and treats. It was nice. Another person on the church staff made a good slide show. By Sunday afternoon we were a bit tired. We both took a nap. I did get out and pick okra at the community garden. Half of it had gotten too large and went into the compost bin. Glad we have the bin. There was a Grant Wood Walk of the neighborhood. Grant Wood spent some time living here as a kid. We had gone on this tour earlier in the summer on a very hot day so they were repeating it. I wish I had gone again because one neighbor invited them in to see his historic home and what had been done to it. I had talked to him a few days ahead of the tour so I knew it might happen, but was not sure. I just stayed home and rested. Regrets. Amazing how 50 years can seem like such a short time when looking back on it rather than ahead to it. I was pleased for Leroy that the church wanted to honor him this way. Paula

Conundrums at the Grocery Store

Hello, Warning, if a potato is taken from the side of a heap, potatoes can fall. Only two went down to the floor, but it meant that the next potatoes came from the top of the heap whether they were worthy or not. Then it was time to move on to get eggs. How much should be paid for organic, free range, or pasture raised. Buying local was at the top of the buying criteria. Then some eggs were in plastic cartons and some were in cardboard. The cardboard carton, pasture raised, local with a small sale price won my purchase. Local honey that will fit in my own quart jar was an easy decision. Keeping it from dripping after filling was more challenging. The jar stayed in place while getting some other items across the aisle. On returning, all looked done, but just as soon as the jar was removed and capped a drip fell on the tray under it. Some tea we like was on sale. Should I get that or the not on sale, equal exchange organic kind? The on-sale tea found its way into my cart, but with some guilt produced. We support others around the world in other ways, but maybe buying their products gives them more dignity. I remember a day when I just went to the grocery store and bought the item we liked if it was priced at an affordable level. Life has more questions for me now. I try to go organic for the sake of the earth and the future, but sometimes the seductive voice of savings calls loudly. Who knew grocery shopping could be an ethical question. Paula

A long Day

Hello, Yesterday was another heart test day. We were there in plenty of time. We don’t live very far away, but did not really know the entrance they wanted us to use. Luckily, there were helpful people who could help at points of confusion. The parking ramp was rather full. I would slow looking for a spot to park with a car very close behind me. They kept honking every time I slowed. Pulling to the side, allowed them to pass and I was able to back into a spot. Leroy, as usual, thought it was a crooked parking affair, but I just ignored that. He did admit as we left the car, “It is better than I thought.” Just before Leroy was ready to go in, a heart attack person needed attention ahead of Leroy. I think it was a wait of an hour and a half. Leroy was bored, but not hurting so that is good. They found that he has no blockages to his heart. That means more tests in the future to try to ascertain what is the problem. Because they go in through an artery, he has to be careful with his right wrist. I zip his pants, button or snap, put on socks, shoes and tie them. He manages to eat with his left hand without spilling. No heavy lifting, no tugging, no vacuuming, no washing dishes, etc. for a few days. He feels a bit limited. I took the sticky pads off his arm and chest. Those places where they connected wires. He had already pulled on one side of his shirt so I missed two of them until last night. as the nurse stated, “If you wait too long the glue stays on the body.” Sure enough, there was a sticky feel. After searching for rubbing alcohol, I could not find the sticky places. How did that happen? Paula

How much water

Hello, I watered a mum plant at church that was inside the building. The dish under was not very deep. Just a little water was needed. Somehow my little got way too large. I raced to find a rag, asked the custodian. “Sure, I have rags,” he told me as he handed me a medium sized towel. The water was pouring off the table, splashing on the wall, and spreading out on the floor. The towel only held about half the water. The wastebasket was close; after wringing out some of the water, I raced back downstairs to find more of these rag towels. Back up the stairs, and sopped up as much as it could hold. Hurry down stairs for another towel when the flow finally stopped. It was a calmer affair to water the outdoor plant where the excess water would not cause any harm. It is good that Leroy is almost done getting drops in the first cataract eye. He seems to blink just as the drop falls. Or I might be aiming in the wrong place, or he might move his face just as it drops. It is definitely a challenge to get this job done. Seems to me he was more cooperative with the nurses at the surgery center. Hopefully, we have enough drops to make it to the end of the month. The trials of the easy life. Paula

One more on Leroy’s Health

Hello, He feels so good this morning. He even helped with dishes at noon. Last night he did have a headache. Apparently in the night it went away. He had taken pain pills, but that just took off the edge. I have come to the conclusion that everyone and their grandmother must have A Fib. Oops, it is probably just their grandmother who has it since age seems to be the major qualifier. This morning, I went to tai chi. When it is over I always report the number of participants to the person at the library desk. As I was telling the woman, she commented, “See that man out on the bench outside the window. He has been sitting there for some time and cursing.” “I will stay with you,” I told her. Not sure what I planned to do in the event of an issue. He had a small blanket with him, no shirt, not shaved, large tattoo on his back, and something that looked like mail. After a bit, the woman stated. “He has been much quieter now.” A woman came into the library with her two children. The man outside got up went to the garbage bin, put stuff in, and then I did not see him. Going closer to the window, he was spotted on the cement on his blanket using his phone. I suggested, “I think you should call someone to just check up on him.” She called the city office and the mayor came over. I left as he was coming. All that made my morning longer, but I was glad to wait with her. Paula

Leroy is Bored

Hello, Leroy’s second cataract surgery went well. It was earlier in the morning. He could drink water closer to the surgery, so he got up at 4:30 for his last drink. The anesthesiologist, came in and said that she would give him half of the dose he had last time, even though it was quite low. He was talking normally when they brough him back in the room and he remembered much of what happened in the operation. They too noticed how much better he was this time. No one had to ask, “Does he always talk like this?” This time they did not highlight the signs of a stroke. And they were not adamant about not leaving him alone for 24 hours. He is not to do much for the rest of the day. He is bored. He is listening to an audio book, but gets rather tired of that. Now we just have to spend some more time getting tests for his heart. Amazing how the focus of one’s life can change in a heartbeat. Paula

Leroy looks healthy

Hello, Yesterday Leroy had a call from the cardiologist. They had told us if the Doctor calls it is not good, no news is good news. The doctor reported that Leroy had more a-fib incidents when he was wearing the halter which monitors 24/7. Leroy feels nothing. When we saw the Doctor, he did comment that some people are asymptomatic. Guess that must be Leroy. Leroy asked if he should go ahead with the second cataract surgery. The reply was yes, but in the notes, he called it dangerous. We are hoping for the best result on Monday. This time he is scheduled for early in the morning and he can drink water much closer to that time so he should not be dehydrated. Leroy also is going to have a cardiac catheterization the following week. We feel as if our lives have been flipped upside down. Leroy admitted, “I have always been rather proud of my good health. Now this shoots it down.” We are getting used to the idea. I am almost starting to hover asking, are you thirsty, do you feel all right, do you want to sit down? Today we still walked to church to volunteer by watering plants, helping unload, packing grapes, washes and culling plums. We were there and on our feet for most of two hours. We were not alone another couple was there also helping the main person. We brought home some of the bruised plums. They had excellent flavor. Paula

Tomato Joys and Woes

Hello, We were able to pick a nice number of tomatoes in two days. I did give a small bag away, but I was happy to do that. Today was canning day. We think it has been three years since we have had enough tomatoes to can. My memory of how to, is a bit rusty. About how many make a quart? How long should they be in the water bath? What pans did I use to sterilize the jars and lids? Do we have enough jars? Where are the jar rings? What did I use to put the jars in the canner without burning my fingers? With some help from the internet, my brain, and Leroy’s memories it got done. All was good until I went in the spare bedroom and saw a tray with tomatoes on it. Neither of us remembered to bring that to the kitchen. We only had enough for five jars, but really there was enough for six jars. Now those tomatoes will have to be used another way, especially as they are quite ripe. Blessings overflow. At noon we ate beans from the garden and squash that was a gift. We have a very rich life. Food to share and more clothes than we can wear. We also have some mysteries. Why is there a dead mouse on the sidewalk close to the house and then another out on the main sidewalk? Why is there a dead bird by the fence? Is there a cat that hunts but does not eat the kill? Paula

Community Garden

Hello, Even though it is Sunday, we walked to the garden this afternoon. I try not to work on Sunday, but some things were ready to pick. We got a number of tomatoes and left some on the plants. Then it was time to pick okra. Two of them were too large and had to be put on the compost. Then there was a big picking of Swiss chard. It is beautiful. The broccoli looked very nice, but the holes in the leaves signaled cabbage worms in abundance. We washed all of these things even though that was work too, but I do not like to have them in the house unclean. As it was, the first washing of the broccoli had at least ten worms floating around in the water. Leroy picked off several more. The vinegar soak killed more of them. The last water was clear of worms. It is still a bit hard psychologically to eat this produce. Interesting how chemicals do not bother us so much because we can not see them. Ultimately, they probably harm our bodies much more than worms. We are going to read this evening, by reading or watching TV. Paula

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