Some Jobs Change

Hello, We had planned to be at church to do our usual unloading help. That was to be followed by cleaning the balcony. Our cleaning helper was not well so we would not do the whole balcony, but planned to do a part of it. We helped onload and put away some things. We finished the stowing of items and moved on to the balcony. The organist was practicing. He said, “It is just fine if you want to clean.” I moved a few things and got ready to clean the window blinds. It would not release all the way. Another guy came by. He also could not get it to release. He had another suggestion, “The new family bathroom is finished and needs cleaning so it can be used on Sunday.” Off we went in another direction. We had to brush or dust all surfaces to remove any leftover plaster. Then we had to clean the mirror, wash walls, the door, and the floor. We followed that by dusting and washing the baseboard in the area outside of that bathroom. All of the dust from one project seems to float around any open space. We were both tired by the time we went home. Paula

Another Trip Planned

Hello, One of the multiple cruise catalogs caught our attention. After talking with some of our traveling friends, we checked into the possibility. The trip to the middle east involved such a long plane ride that it lost some of the luster. I have wanted to go to eastern Europe. That seemed much more possible. After talking to the agent, we signed up and deposited money. We even upgraded the room so we have a balcony. Then we checked again with our friends about them joining us. For various reasons that will not happen. Almost immediately I had some quandaries. Could we travel without friends? We have not done that for many years. I have come around to the idea that it will be ok, but wonder if it will be as much fun. All of the excursions were a bit daunting with time involved. Some of them were listed as a higher difficulty. One has some altitude involved. I wonder now, can Leroy’s heart manage that? He tells me, “I will spend some more time working to get stronger.” There is only one city that we have ever been to and that is Budapest. We will again spend two nights there. All of the rest are just a one day stop except for Bucharest where we start. I believe it should be an interesting trip. We will go in November over Thanksgiving time. Hopefully the airports will not be too challenging two days after that holiday. That will be for the return trip. Paula

Harassing a Squirrel

Hello, Yesterday I came home to see a squirrel hanging on the birdfeeder. I came on the deck and told it, “Get off of there. Go away.” It moved but not really off the deck. I went closer and yelled again. It moved some more. It was almost within touching distance. I stamped my feet and repeated my advice. Finally, it left and ran up a close tree. Today I saw it back on the feeder. I raced downstairs, grabbed a broom, and proceeded to chase and run at it. It moved away very quickly to that tree. Later I saw it coming back on the deck. I opened the upstairs window, put my head close to the window, and yelled, “Get out of here. This is for the birds.” That squirrel ran up the tree. It must recognize my voice. But then it came sneaking back. “Oh no, it is back again.” I told Leroy. This time it was not impressed with the window yell. Once again for me it was time to go downstairs, grab the broom and go out. We were gone for a while. It was once again on the feeder. Leroy commented, “They are smart. It knew you were gone and it could do what it wanted.” I guess the squirrel is winning since I cannot be glued to the window all day. Paula

Saving money is a hard job

Hello, Saving money can be harder than shoveling snow. I would rather shovel snow at least there I know what I am doing. We have a foldable lamp that we like a lot. We can no longer recharge the battery. I ordered a new one today. The price was about what I expected, but there was a $7 shipping charge if the order was less than $35. What more could I buy that I really wanted? After thinking about it, I decided to get some make up. The phone rang and I answered as I was trying to put in the credit card numbers. Somehow the numbers were not correct. I forgot to see if the total was over the required amount which I had not written down and could not remember. When I finally thought to check about the shipping or not, the order was being processed and not changeable at that point. I had been just two dollars short of free shipping. Grumble, grumble. In the whole of life, it is a small thing, but annoying none the less. I do not order much on line. Leroy is more likely to do that. Practice does make it easier. Shoveling snow was not so easy this morning. It was wet and heavy. In places it was rather deep because the wind and blown it around. When we walked to church the places that had been shoveled were actually slippery compared to the unshoveled where we could walk though snow. When we came home the sidewalks that had cleared were dry even though the sun was not shinning. There must have been some residual heat to melt and dry it. Paula

Getting to Know my Dentist

Hello, Another dental checkup confirmed that I am healing well. It will be another month before the work is started on creating the bridge. Here I was hoping for it to be done. Guess I have no concept about how long all of this takes. Some minor adjustments were made so my jaw will not ache so much when I have the spacer appliance in my mouth. I can eat almost anything as long as the pieces are small enough that I do not have to bite them off. We have a dinner to attend for the volunteers at church. I will not be able to eat with this thing in my mouth. Can I handle eating in public with the gap in the front of my mouth? Am I vain? I like to think I am not, but it shows in this type of decision. Paula

Amaryllis Planted

Hello, I attended to some hard things this afternoon. The morning went well with a spirituality meeting. The first thing this afternoon, after I worked up my courage, I called the insurance company about a prescription. Does insurance rule the world? I learned that there was a pharmacy that was cheaper than the one where I had gotten my prescription. And the insurance company would not cover what I had purchased. The other more expensive place they did cover was forty dollars more than what I paid. Since I already had the compounded medicine, it will be next time before I check into this third place. After that I ordered more checks. We almost never use them, but we only have seven left. There are certainly widely varying prices for this item. I finally called and talked to a robot to get the job done. After that it was time to plant the amaryllis. They have been waiting patiently. Leroy helped a bit. We decided that it needed to be done in the garage because of the strength of the wind. There are now three pots in the house. The bulbs are small, but still feel firm so I am hoping for some growth and maybe even a bloom or two. Paula

Just an Ordinary Day

Hello, It is hard to know what to write about when the day seems so ordinary. Leroy has been sick, is that ordinary? He did not feel well on Sunday with respiratory issues. Yesterday he woke up, declared, “I feel so much better.” About half an hour later, he said, “I am so tired. I could go back to bed.” That is about what happened again today. I have heard of many people who have had some illness, comment on how tired they were for days afterwards. He is still doing some things to help me, but I have tried to step up for myself. My mouth is still delicate. I can do some of the tasks of other kinds. I too do not feel as peppy as I sometimes do. It is probably from too much sitting around. Seems to me that pulls a person down. Movement is energizing. Now if I just felt like dusting, the place would look better. One thing for sure we know some who have serious health issues and they are much younger than we are. We are grateful that what we are dealing with is something that will be resolved in time. Plus, we both had some time outdoors even if the wind was a bit strong. Paula

New Way of Eating

Hello, I am eating much slower with more care in placement of food. It seems to me I do not have as many green veggies in my diet, because many of them are rather crunchy, at least the way I serve them. Leroy has been very good about fixing meals and washing dishes. We do not have a mechanical dishwasher. I often say, “I have a dishwasher and I call it Leroy.” Yesterday I was eating the evening meal for almost half an hour after Leroy was finished. I usually eat nuts for my snacks or even in a meal some way. I had not had a nut for three days. Peanuts aren’t really a nut, but I have had peanut butter. This morning, I cut the apple quite small and enjoyed it immensely. Absence can make the heart grow fonder. Just a side comment. Spell check does not know what to do if I have the first letter of a word incorrect. It goes off on tangents that are not it. Leroy is more of a help. If he had not been here, I might have searched my mispellers dictionary for immensely. That miss word is wrong according to the checker, but the dictionary itself knows what I want to do. What do people do who do not have that dictionary or Leroy? Wow, today is son Brian’s birthday. Can he really be as old as he is? I know I am not so old to have a child that age, ops then there is his older sister. My children age me more than my age. Happy Valentine’s. Paula

Tooth Extraction

Hello, Yesterday, I had a lower front tooth extracted. I had not been given a time expectation. It took longer than the five minutes when Leroy had his abscessed tooth taken out. It seemed that it was at least five minutes and the dentist was still working. Finally at some point he stopped and said, “The tooth broke. There is still some of the root in there. I will get it, but it will take a bit more.” I was ready to be done before it was out. Such a relief to have him say, “I got it.” After a little cleanup of the area, two stitches were put in. I wonder if the procedure only took 30 minutes, but my mouth was tired from being open so long. I one point I did ask for some rest time. I have decided my teeth want to stay in my mouth. The first time I had a wisdom tooth extracted, the dentist was shaking before it was over. The next time the oral surgeon figured it would be about 20 minutes, instead I was there two and a half hours. Course some of that time was going under and coming out of the anesthesia. Today I got a temporary to block the hole so I do not look bad. The dentist commented that the healing looked good for just being one day. I have had little to no pain. I did take some over the counter pain pills but have stopped that now. I even, very carefully, brushed my teeth. I am missing the crunchy food that I often eat. I have another appointment next week. Seems I am spending more time with the dentist. Paula

Small Run Around

Hello, After tai chi we were out with the car so drove to the pharmacy to find out why I had not been contacted about a prescription that the Dr. office told me they sent in a week ago. I went in person because I do not like to use the phone, always avoid it as much as I can. The first person I talked with found my records, but did not know why it had not been filled. She called over someone else. They told me, “We called the office, but have not had a reply. This medicine is quite expensive and we want to order a generic.” I called the Dr. office. Where I was told, “There is no record of them trying to reach us. I will call them.” The office called back to tell me that the pharmacist wanted to know if I had taken this medicine before. Which I had done. I guess now the medicine is ordered. Life is full of many little mix-ups. Patience, patience is key to feeling good. Since we were in the neighborhood, we got my car washed. It is so nice to be much cleaner than it was. Paula

Where are my slippers?

Hello, This morning after we had done our exercises, Leroy was walking around muttering, “Where are my slippers?” He struggled for a while, before I asked, “What are you looking for?” “My slippers!”, he exclaimed. “I will help look,” I said as I headed to the bathroom. Nothing. Then it was on to the kitchen, again nothing. The living room also had no slippers. The spare bedroom has also clean. The office was barren. Then I went to our bedroom and there was a pair of slippers! But they were my slippers. However, I had slippers on. Oops! I had on Leroy’s slippers. I had put them on in the dark they felt a little different, but they were in my spot. We do have the same size foot. Paula

At Church Again

Hello, We had a nice walk to church. A little cold, but not bad. Leroy carried the backpack which had a bit of weight in it. I walk in different shoes than I wear in the services. So, there was a pair of shoes in there. We also brough three boxes of granola/protein bars. Plus, I brought an opened calamine lotion that we did not use much of. There is a person who volunteers at a health care place. They can use medicines that have been opened. I am pleased about that. We have not use this, but once. I do not feel good about throwing such things away. The choir sang so we had practice ahead of time. That is always good. After the service there was a light meal followed by the annual meeting. They kept to a fairly strict schedule so people could get away to watch the super bowl game. Neither Leroy nor I watch it. We noticed that help was needed for clean-up. We helped get papers, etc. off the tables. We then spent some time washing all of the tables. Before long another woman joined us. We made short work of that task with three of us. I like to write stories from my childhood for our grandchildren. It is getting much harder to think of new ones to record. I have moved on to college times for the two girls who are in college. Then I am trying to think of some high school stories. I have always enjoyed telling them stories about when I was little. My suspicion is that I do better telling then writing about it. Paula

At Church Again

Hello, We have both been at church for one reason or another for three consecutive days. Leroy is planning to go to a funeral tomorrow. I might go, I did not know the family as well as he did. There are services on Sunday. You would think we have some connections there. We don’t even have plants to water. Someone else takes care of the plants in the church. One time she told me that she has 100 in her care. That is a lot of walking and watering. We helped unload the reduced cost food again. We also put just a few of the things away. Often there are 54 half gallons of milk to put away. That has become my job. In part because I am comfortable squatting to get at the bottom shelves of the refrigerator. Today the woman who coordinates all of this made the comment that she has five meals to get together by Sunday. How she manages all of this, I have a hard time imagining even though I see much of the prep. I feel like a wimp. After putting the milk away, I packaged plastic silverware for her to use for some of the meals. I am glad to be able to save her from doing some of the work. She always has to be in charge because she knows the big picture. On a side note, I connected with one more college friend on the chat program so we can all meet. It takes a little while for people to get on. When we do it soon as a group, it should work quite well. I have had the pleasure of connecting with all of them individually. Paula

More Deep Cleaning

Hello, I am definitely against using scotch tape on glass. Paint is easier to get off with a razor blade. The custodian did show me a trick, but it still seemed more involved than just scraping the paint away. The tape itself came up but a lot of sticky stuff was left behind. I was just working on the glass in the classroom doors. I had not really noticed how many of them there are. Now I know them more intimately. Leroy and another fellow cleaner spent time in other places. Steaming an area and cleaning the wall board and many chairs in one room. We are happy to do this when thinking about it as we sit in the comfort of home, but get tired at the end of two hours. Leroy and I still have to walk home so we are not technically done. At least it was a bit warmer today. True confession. Our home is being neglected. It would not pass the white glove test. This morning, I did go shopping and get a haircut. Leroy stayed home and gathered, evaluated, and organized tax papers. We are still short a couple items. Paula

We will get lots of steps today

Hello, Leroy left for a bible study at 6:15 am. It was a bit cold he tells me. When I went at 8:30 am, so I could do a class on line followed by a spirituality meeting it was warmer, but not warm. I had walked around the house some doing this and that so my step count is nice. We have choir tonight and that will add all the steps we need for the day. Leroy volunteered this morning at the museum along with other stamp club members. He was pleased that some representatives of National Geographic from Czech Republic were there. They took some pictures of the guys working. Maybe Leroy will be in a magazine that is read overseas. There were also some high school kids at the museum. Some of them stopped and asked questions of the stamp workers. Leory sensed that they were interested. Maybe young people will find something good in the old. I washed and folded a number of things.That is satisfying to get that done and off my list. We got mail delivered to the house for the first time in four days. An inquiry told us that there has been a number of people sick so they cannot meet all of the demand to get mail out. It was rather like being gone on vacation and seeing what had piled up. Most of it was just waiting to be recycled. Paula

What is in a day

Hello, We woke up to see that it had snowed, hurried outside, and started shoveling. We managed to get it clean before we headed off to Tai Chi. There was a bit of a struggle to get on the zoom site. So, it all started late and there were two new people. After that we headed off to the dentist where I was expecting to have a tooth extracted. I suppose I was not paying attention when the appointment was made. Instead, an impression was made for the aftercare time. After that we went to the library to return books and check out more books. It is Leroy’s birthday. We had planned for him to take care of me for the day. Yesterday I made lasagna for his birthday dinner. It was good yesterday and today. At least he did not have to prepare anything and I could comfortably eat today. We did not really do anything special, but we just relaxed a bit more. I have not gotten very many steps. But will try to get at least 5000. I forgot to put on my watch before shoveling, so my body actually got more steps than I can count. Paula

Organ Concert

Hello, The organ concert was great. It is so nice to have the technology to be able to have cameras on the hands and then another window of the feet. It shows an astonishing amount of movement and coordination. I almost never tell anyone that I can play the organ, or at least I used to be able to, because there are so many organists that are so good around here. I have not touched one for several years now. I would be a little slow and awkward. Skills left on the shelf do not keep growing. Since we do not have a piano, I suspect even the keyboard is not as easy for me as it once was. We have walked to church enough to get our steps. On the way out of church, we stopped to help an older person put her walker in the car, get the snow off her windows, and adjust her seat. She offered us a ride home. We did not need the steps so we said yes. It was a bit of a challenge to stay calm. She came close to hitting something on her way out of the parking lot. She also tended to drive on the center line or even a bit over it to the other side. Now the question is do we have a responsibility to do something about this or just hope for the best? She was glad to give us a lift home since she thought walking was unsafe. We think walking would have felt safer. She did say I could “back seat” drive and I told her more than once to move into the lane. We could use some stickers that say the driver is older just like there are signs for student driver. Paula