What’s In the Attic

Hello, The person that we often help at church gets empty 32-ounce yogurt containers from me. I like to recycle things and she has a need for them from time to time. Just recently, she asked if I would give her some of them because she wanted them for freezing blocks of ice. At the time we were having lunch with two men who were working around the church. “I think I have some in the attic, but I might have gotten rid of them when I found them the other day.” I commented. “Who would keep empty yogurt containers in their attic?” one of the guys asked with a grin. He then started to laugh as did the other man. Leroy joined and I did too. I explained that I had been saving them when the pandemic closed things down as well as church remodeling. There was no room to store such extra items. Then I forgot that I had them in the attic. I found them in a plastic bag. We washed all of them again before taking them to church. I feel good about another use for a throwaway item. I thought my tooth saga was about done. However, next I am going to have another tooth pulled which should make it easier to put in the permanent bridge. I am getting to know my dentist with all of these visits. Paula

Great Forgetting

Hello, Leroy and I had books to return to the library. The plan was to return them on the way to do some shopping. It seems all we do is go to the library and then shopping. But we were out of figs so it was necessary. A week is long enough without a fig. I forgot and turned the wrong way at the end of the alley. That necessitated a bit more traveling. Not impossible, but I was disgusted with myself. Then on the way to the store, Leroy kept not hearing me when he confessed that he had not put in his hearing aids. At least now I could understand his lack. At the store I realized I had forgotten to bring some returns. We only go to this store about once a month so again, I was disgusted with myself. At least it was not so busy when we arrived. I do not like to shop with a lot of people moving around. Generally, I avoid Saturday. Leroy says we are perfecting our forgetting skills. When it was warm, I did not put out the suet for the birds as it was quite soft in the heat. Today I put out a block. It was impressive how quickly they found it and pecked away. Later we refilled the seed supply. That attracted many of them. A squirrel came a bit later and claimed the space. The birds and the squirrel remember quite well where food is. Paula

The Joys of Technology

Hello, I listened to a concert with Sarah singing in the chorus. It was great to be able to hear her and see her. I am more than one thousand miles away. But can almost be there for her. It was the same for Natalie’s piano recital. Technology allows us to connect to family and friends at a distance. We can discuss world events as well as things that are more personal. Paper and pen are also technology that has not totally gone away. I like to use them. At one time in history, they were only available to the wealthy. And now they are almost a throw away item. We can find movies and TV programs that we would like to watch. It does not matter if we see them at the time they are aired. Course sometimes things happen that we do not understand and the source stops. We had been watching some older programs on TV, but it just stopped. We can still get them on the computer. It had worked to cast that to the TV, but just recently it has not worked. Some of today’s technology is a mystery to us. We are grateful for the benefits that we have from technology. We can find open hours, schedules, address, maps, phone numbers and menus. Lots of times we have no excuses for missing something. I forgot to save this letter when I left the computer. Then I did not click on the right button to save it when it opened on my return. My memory did a good job of getting most of it. But you know my first run was much more entertaining. Paula

Breaking and Entering

Hello, We got to Tai Chi and no one was there. The guy who leads it came with a key. Unfortunately, there was a new deadbolt on the door. He did not have the key for that. I called the library person who lives in town, only to learn that she was at an appointment in another city. I called the library person who usually lets us in. There was no answer so I left a message, but did not hope for much result. There is another person in town, who would have a key, but I did not know her phone number. I called another person who would have a key. She was several states away. She gave me instructions about getting into her house. A door had been left unlocked because they were expecting someone. She also gave careful instructions for finding her key. It is a short drive from the library. Leroy went with me in case I did not remember any instruction. All went as planned. It felt a bit or quite uncomfortable going into someone’s home when they were not there. I have no such compunction going into downstairs friends’ place because I have done it so often to water plants while they are gone. There were only seven of us at tai chi. Some were on line and some in house. Usually there about eleven there. It was still worth it. I did have a challenge to calm down and move into a more meditative state. There is always more work to be done. At the end of class, I put the key back where it belongs. Someone saw me coming out the door. Did they realize I should not be there? Paula

Easy Shoppping Trip

Hello, Yesterday I went shopping. Leroy told me he would rather stay home. That sounded like a fine idea. We are looking for a new squeegee for the shower. Leroy had already looked at the closer hardware store. They only had some rather large ones. At the big box store, I searched in vain for such an item. A helpful store worker found them and directed me that way. They had two, one that was $7, but about a foot wide. There was another shorter one, but it cost $11. That did not seem like a bargain. I called Leroy to get his opinion. Because the old was still usable, we put off the purchase and would do more looking. I found a denim shirt in the men’s department that was on clearance for $3. I called Leroy again. That shirt went into the cart along with another $3 shirt. Then I found some long underwear on clearance at $3 per package. Small, large and very large were all that were left. I called Leroy again. Since he usually wears medium, we discussed the sizes as well as did he need them at all. He suggested, “Buy all of them and we know where to give away the rest.” At check out, my total was the cost of one shirt, if the shirt had been full price. Bargain, indeed! A stop at a big box hardware/lumber store produced a squeegee that I purchased. On to the grocery store. I only called Leroy two more times to learn if I should buy this or that. Would it have been easier if he had just come along? Paula

Another Visitor

Hello, Yesterday, Leroy heard noises in the spare bedroom. He said, “I think we have a mouse.” The chewing noise continued behind the bookcase that holds his stamp collection. Upon investigation with a flashlight and looking behind the book case, he saw a mouse run. Not the happiest moment in my life, but not the worst either. I set a mouse trap in that room. It was one that already had peanut butter on it. It had been in the back porch, but no mice came near. I had great hopes for catching one overnight, but it not happen. I moaned a bit about that when Leroy said, “Do we have a discriminating mouse that does not want to be killed?” I don’t like the word killed applied to what I am trying to do. What does that say about me? Today I refreshed the peanut butter on all four of the traps that are in our apartment. I was here all morning and never heard a trap snap. Mice are okay, but I do not want them to live in the house with me. We think the mouse came in from the attic. I had noticed that some of the insulation on the door had been pulled out. We suspect it was that mouse. Leroy wondered if it was making a nest. Oh, great, we could have an expanding population. Paula

Temperature and Relative Comfort

Hello, We moved here 14 years ago. It was 70 degrees F. Quite comfortable for the task of carting things into the space. It almost felt hot at times. Today the high might have been 30 degrees F. Leroy walked to church. He is part of a group that counts money. He wore his warmest coat with his face covered. I went for a walk and did not wear my warmest. But it was 30 degrees so it did not seem that it should be necessary. Several people had not shoveled their walks so that was a bit hazardous with the melting and freezing. Plus, there was a brisk wind. My walk was cut short because of discomfort. It was not as warm as I had expected. Some days 30 degrees feels quite fine, but wind and damp do not make it nice. I am so grateful that the furnace runs. Hot tea was also a nice soother. According to my phone, my walk amounted to 19 minutes. A bit of that was waiting to cross streets. Lots of traffic was moving around when I wanted to get to the other side of the street. Patience is a virtue and sometimes a health preserver. I am reading the book, James by Percival Everett. It is quite good. Gives much for contemplation. Paula

Snow Shoveled

Hello, We put on warm layers to out to shovel the sidewalk. Shoveling was a bit of a daunting task. The snow was not so much, but it had drifted. Under the snow in many places was a layer of ice. We attacked with metal, scraping the surface, but still left some ice behind. We were only able to make a shovel sized path before we got too cold and had to go in. We shovel in front of our house and the two houses on each side since both of those neighbors cannot complete the task. When we were younger and stronger, they both did their own sidewalks. We surely build muscles by doing this. We try not to push ourselves too fast. We rested a good bit. I then learned that the place I volunteer was closed today. We then went back out and worked on the alley by the garage. It was a difficult because cars had already driven on it. I slipped, but did not fall on the slant by the garage because it was coated with ice. Sand should help that be safer. Later the sun came out. The sidewalk became clear and then dry. We went back to the alley and removed quite a lot of the thick ice and some more snow. It looks good now. It is to be warm in about two days and it will melt. Paula

A Little Mix up

Hello. We brought home an extra umbrella. Leroy did not want to go back to church by the time we had discovered that. Probably it would not have helped since they were likely to have left. We had two umbrellas in our bag. Leroy added one more. I wondered about that, but did not check on it. Sometimes it is hard to get it all right. This morning, I noticed that one of the flower pots had been knocked over on the deck. There was also no bird seed in the feeder even though it had some in there when we went to bed. The birds and squirrels do not visit in the night. I am blaming a racoon on circumstantial evidence. One other day there was a lot of bird seed under the feeder. Again, I suspect the raccoons. We do have some in the neighborhood. They live in the storm sewer and come out at night. In a time between the rain storms, we put seed in the feeder. The birds came in groups. Apparently, they have a message system. We drove to church to avoid walking in the windy rain storm. It was not bad on the way to church, but coming home it was quite nice to be able to get in the car. Paula

Sit Up Straight

Hello, For some reason sitting up straight is escaping me. Does that mean that my core is weak? Or I am just not noticing? Leroy is even telling me to sit up from time to time. It seems we have switched roles. I do not like it but seem not to be able to solve this issue. I do not do as many exercise as I used to. Leroy is doing more than he used to. Perhaps that is strengthening him and I am getting weaker. Somewhere I have to find the will to work on it. We both notice that it is harder to take up bike riding when we have been away from it for a while. Guess the same is true of all other movements as well. At least we are both getting many steps. Even there too, I notice that I am not as straight as I could be. Some of that is that I do not want to fall so I pay close attention to the ground in front of me. Some of the sidewalks are uneven. It seems it could be easier just to take a pill and solve it all. Life does not work that way as I should know from all the years of observing. I do notice that I cannot lift very heavy things. At church there are nine half gallons of milk in a container. I can shift them between equal surfaces, but cannot life them from the floor to a higher place. They would equal about 36 pounds. I remember lifting children that weighed that amount. It was just a daily part of life. Yesterday we cleaned the choir room at church, but that did not require much heavy lifting, just moving chairs. Paula

Known by our Flashing Lights

Hello, Leroy was walking without me one night. He wears a flashing light on his arm so he can be seen, especially when crossing streets. We have had these lights for a few years and found them to be good. We can recharge them when they run down. Sometimes people we meet will stop us to ask where we got them. I think we should get a commission on sales. That night Leroy was without me; he walked through the campus. The security guy stopped him and asked, “Where is your partner?” We suspect that he was identified easily because this guy has seen us other times. If the lights have saved us from being hit by a car, we think they are a good investment. They go easily on the arm because they are a snap bracelet.

Our hats also seem to identify us for others. Once our neighbor saw was walking downtown. He pulled over and visited. He commented, “I saw your hats and knew it was you.” I might say we are a trend setter except for the fact that I do not see many others wearing either the hats or the flashy lights. Now if we were just famous it would probably happen. Do we want to be famous? Probably not. Paula

Healing Service

Hello, We had a prayer service for the healing of the nations. It was very meaningful to me. In the course of that service, we put candles on a map of the world. We chose a country that we wanted to pray for peace and the wellbeing of the citizenry. A part of me wonders where God is in all of this unrest, killing, and violence. There were several countries listed in the hand out. The number of killed and number of refugees was listed. It is so awful to see the number of people who are unsafe in their own country. Apparently, the number of refugees is higher than it has ever been. So many countries close their doors and do not give help to the needy. The refugee status became personal when we sponsored a refugee family from Laos back in the early 80’s. They came into our house with the clothes on their backs and one small suitcase for three people. Besides fear they had few resources. The woman told me she had sold jewelry into order to eat. Later we met a “kid” in Slovakia who was at a refugee camp there. His story is heartbreaking, but he was filled with hope. Is God in the sharing that people do? Paula

The Season is Changing

Hello, Daylight saving time started Sunday. Not sure how we are saving daylight since it is not in our control. Now we know that we must adjust. It takes a few days, but we can get that done. Another change, we started delivering the first neighborhood newsletters today. I rather enjoy it. It is an excuse to walk. I get into a part of the neighborhood that I normally do not travel. We both were too warmly dressed for this trek. It was good to get home and shed some layers. There are some tulips emerging by the side of the house. We do not remember planting any in that spot. Must just be our weak memories since they are looking good. The winter onions are turning green or sending up green shoots. Wish I had some regular onion bulbs in the ground. Maybe I should plant some lettuce. If I had a cold frame, it would be good to get that started. Leroy walked by the community garden. He tells me he spotted some rhubarb poking through the ground. Clothes were hung on the line outside. They were dry about noon. I hung some things out Saturday. That was not a successful venture. The wind might have blown out some of the moisture, but most of it came back in the house. The adult side of the little free library has only one book. I looked through the books I have been expecting to read and decided I can take out two of them. Surely a library somewhere would have a copy if I can remember that I want to read that title. Paula

Forgot What?

Hello, We sang parts II and III of Handels Messiah this afternoon. I carefully packed my music, spare shoes, glasses, and phone. Stopped at the bathroom, just to be prepared before going to the seat. Just when it was almost time to sing, I realized I had left my glasses upstairs in my backpack. I could see the director just fine, but the music was a challenge. The person ahead of me remained seated for the entire concert requiring me to hold my music up high. That was a good thing as it should be high to see the director and the music without moving my head. My arm got tired since the book is heavy and some of the selections are long. I was astonished at how much I remembered. Especially, the second part was almost all in my brain. That was a good feeling. The third part was more challenging. Apparently, I had sung the selections in part two enough in the past to have them in my memory. I did know two of the selections in part three, but the rest were not there. The last is the amen and that is the only word. Ahead of time I thought that would be easier. However, the notes were harder to connect to where we were. One thing that was good about this, my voice did not feel so stressed. It seems I am forcing it when I can see the notes. I just let them come with proper voice placement and breath control. It was even rather fun. Paula

Gleaner

Hello, I brought home some grapefruit that were fragile and had some bad spots. The person who gave them to me called me a gleaner. That must be true as I am quite comfortable cutting off the rotten spots to see if the rest can be salvaged. For instance, half of two grapefruit went to the compost pile and we ate the other halves. They were quite fine. I grew up with the idea that it was ok to cut off the rotten part and eat the rest. We fed food scrapes to the dog or the pigs, but we did not have that many things to give them. Perhaps it is because most of the food we ate, we grew ourselves. The labor of growing makes it more valuable. It is hard to throw away the result of hard work. If we had extra produce, I remember my mother offering it to others. much of that went to the minister and his family. When we butchered, meat was set aside to give to them. We had more things to share than money to share. There have been times when I have gone to a grocery store that marked down items that needed to move out of the store. Many of those bargains appeal to me. Is that another type of gleaning? Could this term be also applied to the fact that I am more comfortable buying clothes on clearance that at full price? We know spring is coming because the Dairy Queen close to our house has opened. Paula

Sparrows

Hello, We get many sparrows at the bird feeder. Leroy even got out the bird book to try to see how many different species were out there. He did not report. Perhaps he felt unsuccessful about identification. Many starlings also come. We are not so excited about either of these bird types. We do see some cardinals, juncos, nuthatches, and the occasional chick-a-dee. Some downy woodpeckers also come from time to time. We would like to see more color, but have come to appreciate the appearance of the sparrow. We seem not to appreciate the ordinary as much as the occasional. Is that true of much of life? We have paid our car insurance for another six months. Sometimes we wonder if we should just have one car since we are both retired. There is the day when we want to go different directions and we are glad to have two cars. In our visit to the insurance company, we took along the papers that they sent. Our purpose was to learn if we needed to keep these papers. It was decided that we could eliminate all of them because everything is kept online. Paula

Is it that cold?

Hello, Before we got into church someone asked, “Is it that cold?” They came in a car and probably did not go out of their house to get in the car. Leroy and I had on winter coats, scarves, hats, and mittens. We were not too warm. It was in the 20’s with a brisk wind blowing. It was nice to get in the building. The trip home was disappointingly not much warmer. I walked this afternoon and it was still cool even though it was in the 30’s F. One thing about being in the cold, it is so wonderful to come into a warm building. What a gift that we often just take for granted as our due. I thought that my Thanksgiving cactus plants were not to rebloom this year. But two of them are growing buds just now. It is exciting to see that. Only one of the three amaryllis is sending up a bud. The poinsettias are starting to lose leaves at a steady rate. The violets look good. It seems there is always something on one end of the bloom cycle. It puts a lot of color in my life. Our rubber band supply is set for a long time. I mentioned to a friend that I had gone to the store for rubber bands and they were out. He had some from his newspaper. He brought me many more than we need, or else they will last three years. Life is full of unexpected riches. Paula