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

Sleeping In

Hello, Leroy and I do not know how to sleep in. We had nothing on the agenda today except wash some clothes and do a little shopping. We got up, perhaps, a half hour later than usual. It seems that our bodies are already adjusted to the new time and wake up automatically. Leroy did do his exercises, but I did not. We have changed roles here. I always used to do them, and he did not. How does that change occur? We played some games tonight. One was Boggle. Leroy does not like to play this game and tolerates it because I like it. He managed to beat me with a score of 16, while I only had 4. The next round was about the same. I did manage to win the third time. I figure I no longer have to feel badly about beating him. See there is another change in our lives. I used to hop out of bed and be ready to go. Now Leroy almost always gets up before I do. I suspect some of that is that I wake up so many times in the course of the night. He also wakes up some in the night, but not as often. Paula

Plants in my house

Hello, I have a Rosette Sansevieria. A few years ago, the pot became crowded with six plants. I gave away all but one. it seemed that the lone plant was not growing and changing. Now it has changed it has become quite tall almost like a new species.

It is also sending out two shoots. I am not sure what the new shoots will grow into.

The amaryllis that I thought was too small to bloom, bloomed with two beautiful red flowers. The pink cactus put out two blooms and the lavender cactus produced two blooms. Frequently the second blooming has many flowers. Maybe just two helps me to appreciate their beauty. The coleus did not thrive as much this winter. It seems that maybe I should just cut them off and plant the salvaged stems outside. It is getting warmer all the time so soon they can be outside. I saved two geraniums. One is in a pot and it looks good. The other is in a jar with roots forming in the water. They will be good to go outside very soon as well. I always like plants in the house over the winter, but am happy to put some of them outside in the spring. Paula

Libraries

Hello, I like libraries. They have had a big influence on my life. When I was able to read my family took me to the library to get a library card. I had always liked books even though we did not have very many in the house. It was a wonderful thing to get to check out books, return them, and get more. I remember begging to go the library, unfortunately it was only open in the afternoons. My farmer dad did not want to go in the afternoon, but once I got that to happen it was insured, we would go back when the books were due. We did not have a school librarian until I was a junior in high school. I was impressed by the change in the selections and her help when I needed information to write a paper. Now, I am concerned about the fate of knowledge and learning in this country as there is a move to cut public funds to public libraries. Those people would have cost me the job of knowing about other things than just the world I occupied. Today, I also know that at the public library many homeless people go to spend the day. Some of them read the newspaper and some just visit and get warm. There are people who say they should get a job, but to do that they need the library and its computers since they need to apply to many jobs on line and not in person with a piece of paper. It seems that the foundation of many things is changing and being cut off. But it saves us from paying many taxes. Is that a virtue? What do we as a people want to have flourish? Ourselves or all of us together? Paula

Spring Is Coming

Hello, We delivered some neighborhood newsletters yesterday. There was snow on the steps and walks that faced north. This is just two blocks from our house. We were surprised to see so much snow. People on that block must not believe in shoveling. Today we went back for another sweep and walked past those snowy places to find that it had melted. It was 61 degrees so that would make quite a difference. Leroy and I still had on jackets, but a number of younger people had on shorts and short sleeves. It was nice to be out. One of the neighbors had many snow drops blooming. It was great to see that. There were other places that had green shoots coming up. Motorcycles are out and roaring around in the quite dawn. Last night we went to an organ concert. It was free, but the donations went to support the people in Ukraine who have been negatively impacted by the war. The total amount collected was more than I expected. People are generous. The organist came from New York. She asked if she could come and play for this event. She has often traveled to eastern Europe and played organ concerts there. Leroy told her that we had lived in Slovakia and it was fun to hear her say that she has played at the Lutheran church in Bratislava. Leroy changed the clocks last night before bed. The one with the weather station reverts back to the previous time. We unplugged it this morning when we went to church. After being set it holds the time properly. Paula

Afternoon Out March 7, 2025 Hello, After snow and rain in the morning it seemed a nice time to take a trip to the history center where there is a special exhibit on Mercy Meical Center. It was interesting to see the artifacts as well as watch the film on dealing with the flood in 2008. I once read a book about the start of Mayo Clinic and the involvement of nuns who ran Mercy Hospital in Rochester MN. This hospital was also started my nuns in the order, Sisters of Mercy. Was that the same order? Care and concern for the whole person was a part of their mission. We had been to the museum before, but I did not remember much of what we had seen or perhaps some of the exhibits were updated. It was amazing to me to learn that the first electric car was made here in Cedar Rapids in 1904. Somehow oil took over and electric cars became a thing of the past only to reemerge in the future. How would the world be different if it had not happened?

Also, there is a big exhibit on national oats which is now Tree Top and close to our house.

When we were finished at the museum we walked to the library and I was able to pick up three items I had on hold. That was a nice walk and gave us a number of steps. I consider it a successful afternoon. Paula

Those Toes

Hello, My plan was to walk to the podiatrist, but getting caught up in reading is not a good way to make that happen. The car helped me to get there on time. After the doctor worked on the “scabs” a bit, he told me that healing is going well and I can skip the band aids at bed time. It is nice to learn that I can cut back on some of the care issues. I still might soak toes, but not twice a day. Healing is a good thing. Last night when we walked to church, I felt a rock that became a boulder in my boot. It was larger than a grain of sand, but not huge. Amazing how those things seem to take over the shoe when they get in. This was a piece of salt that must have been kicked up and entered. Today I had an uneventful walk in the brilliant sunshine. There were dog walkers, walkers, bikers, roller blades and runners out on the trail. It is a used spot and I am glad to have it close to my house. Last night it was cool and very windy when we walked to church. Leroy does not have any long underwear so he wore some colorful bike tights under his pants. He complained on the walk that his pants were falling down. After we got in the door at church it was easy to see that his pants indeed were falling down revealing his red white and blue tights. I laughed and laughed. No one else saw it so he felt okay about it as he hitched up his pants and tightened his belt. The sole of my shoe came loose at church. I always carry shoes when I wear boots to and from. It was a bit disconcerting, but now it is stuck together with shoe goo. Hope it holds. Paula

Retirement Gifts

Hello, One very good thing about retirement is that when the weather is bad and driving might be unsafe, we can choose to stay home. Tomorrow morning might be that time. We go to chi gong about 12 miles away. If the snow and blowing snow are as predicted we will stay home. Instead, I will try to do some heart healthy moves at home. We also spend some time meditating. I have been reading many more books than I have in the past. I do not even feel guilty taking the time to do this. One negative is that I do not read as many nonfiction books since they do not come across my desk and look interesting. Instead, I have to seek them out. Yesterday afternoon, I was going to take a walk outside and get more steps, but the rain came before I got out there. So perhaps I can get more steps by marching indoors. I hope to walk to church tonight. It seems that most of the sidewalk if clear of the snow. I am also glad to have more time to volunteer. It helps me to feel that it is important thing to do. Gives me some purpose, sometimes in ways not expected. Another volunteer was telling me that her husband had died not long ago. It seemed to help her to talk about it. So that is volunteering an ear. Paula

Trust

Hello, Going through the car wash caused thoughts of trust to come to mind. It was the kind of wash where you put the car in neutral and ride through on the moving track as water and cleaner come down and obscure your view. It will bring us through to the other end with a clean car is what we trust in. I also think of how much I trust my car to work properly even though it is more than ten years old. This fall I will have owned it for ten years and it has required almost no maintenance, except usual things like an oil change. What a trust worthy vehicle! Today we got a letter from the dealer where we bought this car. They tell us that they would like to buy it above market value because they have a customer who is looking for this model. Do we sell? To be replaced or to own? Each day I trust that the appliances will work as they should, but of course sometimes this does not happen because something has broken. I might say I trust God, but for what? To do my will? To care for me? What does that mean when I know things do not always go well for many faithful people. Sometimes it seems that God is a good person to just visit with while trying to be patient enough to listen to the response. And then there is the trust in other people. I trust most to stay in their lane on the highway as well as in the store. Is a contract something to trust in since these days our government seems quite comfortable in breaking them. Will that spread around to many other places? Course I have been reading about the European settlers and their relationship with the first people with broken pacts much of the time. There is a history of this sort of thing. Paula I did not get this sent on the day I wrote it. I generally try to avoid political comments, but have added some today. Part of that is having a daughter who works for an organization that has had promised funds cut off for finished projects. Also, our favorite orchard says that the same thing has happened to them. And they have no way to pay for the finished work. How these things help our country I do not know.