Fall Day

Hello,

Leroy left for a church staff retreat. He went early with one other person because they were going to hike. He fussed about what clothes to wear. Long underwear or not? Heaviest coat or not? Facemask or not? In the end he went with the “not” choice because it was almost nice on the walk home from church.

This weather is difficult to figure out. I went for a walk this afternoon and was almost too warm. At least I could shed my gloves and unzip my coat a bit.

I had put the potting soil in the house in preparation to planting some vines that had nice roots started. We generally keep the soil in the garage where it freezes or is really too cold and shocking for the cuddled houseplants. It was almost adventurous to be doing this potting outside in the sun. I also added some soil to a plant that is going to move to Leroy’s office when it is not too cold and he takes the car to church. Last year I put several plants in his office. One died and one was rather messy, dripping leaves on the floor and file cabinet. I still think he needs some green in there to lift his spirits as well as the spirits of his two office mates. Leroy shares his office with the intern and a volunteer who sends cards to members who have had a loved one die. I am not sure quite how it all works out, but Leroy says that he seldom sees the others. I do not know how many hours the volunteer is there and Leroy is half time as is the intern. Any way it all works out. What a great use of space. Not so wasteful.

Now it is quite cloudy. Amazing how sun helps me to feel warm and clouds the opposite. Is it all in the mind?

Paula

Winter?

Hello,

This morning our temperature outside was 13 degrees F. We did not get as much snow as some areas did but it still seemed quite a change of season.

I even drove to church this morning for a women’s breakfast because I was going to speak. When I walk I wear a hat and my hair gets rearranged in styles that I sometimes do not like. Vanity won the self talk should I walk or should I drive this short mile. I wasted gas so I could look good.

I was a little nervous before I started talking, but that was ok as I just kept talking on. As I told them in the beginning, it was nice to know some faces when I looked out at the group. Each of these breakfasts has a speaker who is from the congregation. She shares details about her faith journey. That was a new experience for me to talk about that in front of a group.

This afternoon Leroy and I finished delivering the neighborhood newsletters. This was the longest walk away from the house, but still not too far. The hardest part was getting the letters apart with mittens on. A few were taped to the apartment buildings close to the door. We are not allowed to put anything in the mail boxes and there is no other place to put them so they do not blow around. The taping required bare hands so I did that as Leroy has cold hands even with terrific mittens. I was happy that one woman was at the door so we could just put it in her hands.

We will not have another newsletter to deliver until March when it might be warmer. We do not have neighborhood meeting in January and February so our time can be spent contemplating the world as it turns.

Paula

Weather equipment

Hello,

Snow on the ground with low temperatures did not seem too noticeable cold without wind. This afternoon the wind picked up. It was interesting to see what it felt like on our thermometer. I did not watch all the time but when I was close and the wind was strong it took the “feels like” numbers down quite a lot. For instance, right now the temperature is 23 and it feels like 17 with a fluctuating wind. I am not sure when it makes that conversion.

I delivered more of the neighborhood newsletter in spite of the knowledge of feels like cold. I am grateful for the new long underwear I bought that fits under my jeans without a problem. It is amazing how just two layers of clothing made it comfortable to take a few thousand steps. I did have to be careful in some places as there was ice underfoot. Luckily I could walk around most of it and only slipped once when I was not paying attention.

There are still some copies to deliver, but I was getting cold hands so I came home. We might finish it tomorrow or I can do it Sunday afternoon. Leroy is going to a retreat on Sunday so that would be only my job then. He is home tomorrow and we might get it done.

Leroy did not ride the bike today because he had some work to do for church that involved a bit more travel than he likes to do on the bike. Lucky him, he has a car that runs in hot or cold weather. Have you ever thought about how much variation in conditions/temperature the vehicles can tolerate? All those inventors have figured out a lot of things.

Paula

Leroy Is Well

Hello,

Leroy was lying on the floor by the bathroom when I came home Monday evening. He was cold and miserable, declaring with unusual firmness for Leroy, “I am not going to take the rest of that liquid.”

I checked the jug of colonoscopy prep, noting that he had consumed more than half, but not quite what I thought he should get into his body. However he was so emphatic that I did not argue, but tried to figure out how to make him a bit more comfortable. The first thing was to turn up the heat. After that I looked over the instructions and saw that he could have some warm tea or broth. He was tired of broth so we checked the teas. He did not want any of them but settled for some warm water with a very small amount of honey. Sitting at the table and drinking that made him feel a little better. He even looked at the newspaper comics before he went to bed. He was up just a few times in the night before I asked him about taking some more that prep stuff. Amazingly he said, “I too think I should take more, I am going to finish it.”

We both felt better about that. Guess we are people who like to follow instructions. When we got to the appointment, they said it was all good. He does have some diverticulosis. That is probably what caused the inflammation when he had his fainting episode.

At any rate it is not a cause for concern at this time.

Paula

Walking in the Rain

Hello,

When Leroy and I were ready to leave the house for church we had a little discussion about walking or driving. With an outdoor check of the current conditions which was just a little rain we set out with umbrellas up and mostly sensible shoes on the feet. About two blocks from home the intensity of the rain picked up. We did not turn back but kept up a positive outlook with comments that it still is not too bad, but Leroy said, “My pants legs will be wet by the time we get to church.”

I had little to no sympathy as I was wearing tights so my leg skin was less protected. In addition, my umbrella is much smaller. I had started out carrying the backpack, but asked, after a time, “Could you carry the bag as I think my umbrella does not cover it and me very well?”

As I knew he would, Leroy immediately took on that load while I held his umbrella so he could get his arms through the straps. Team work is still alive and well in our house.

On the walk home the rain was considerably less, however, from time to time there was a bit stronger wind. I was happy to be out. We cut through the close college campus and enjoyed one solitary tree that had not yet lost the bulk of its leaves. Besides looking at leaves which carpeted the ground in many places we also keep a sharp eye alert for the puddle. Our grandchildren might walk through them, but we walk around them.

When home, we did put Leroy’s pants on the clothes rack so they could dry. The umbrellas stayed down on the porch until they were almost dry. What a gift space is.

Paula

Work, Work, Work!

Hello,

Leroy and I came home from MN on Monday. I went to work about two hours after we got home. I then worked Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. No time to write with household things claiming my attention. Friday, I went shopping in the morning. In the afternoon I made sure the house was mostly shipshape so a friend could come and collect one of the violets.

It was wonderful to visit with her as we had not connected for a few years. Leroy had spread papers out on the table in the room where the violets were sitting in the window. I really wanted to pick them up but resisted the urge and more amazingly I resisted the urge to explain that Leroy had put them there and I was respecting his organization. Today Leroy and I did have some discussions about the issues represented by those papers and now all but two are filed or thrown. The two remaining will require a phone call on regular business hours.

Leroy will have a colonoscopy on Tuesday so he is adjusting his diet today, but not without complaining that there is no crunch in what he is eating. No seeds, no nuts, no fresh veggies, no fresh fruits, and no whole grains makes food that is hard to find in our house. However he is surviving. I keep reminding him it is only temporary.

I will have book club at church this Sunday. I had started the book before I left for MN, but I do not like to take library books with me in case I lose it. When I came home I forgot that I had not finished the book so now I am skipping and skimming. That is not my favorite way to read, but at least I have the basics of the story in my head.

Paula

Tired Leroy

Hello,
Leroy went to the airport with Brian and Jen. He then drove home by himself. He had looked at the map ahead of time so he had an idea of what he wanted to do. He could not hear his phone directions at first so he was glad of that look and his good memory. Before he got home Brian called to check about something and asked, "Is dad home yet?"
Until that point I had not been worried, but from then until he drove into the drive I was doing some serious thinking about where he might be. He took a different route home than they took to get to the airport, consequently he had a lot more traffic to contend with. Much of the time that meant he was slower. He did say that he was happy to get home. It is nice to have that navigator person in the car. We help each other when driving in slightly unfamiliar territory.
We went to my favorite shoe store where I spent more money on one pair of shoes that I have ever done. This morning I took them back because after spending two hours walking around in the house my toes were not happy. I decided why have unhappy toes for over $100 when if necessary I can have unhappy toes for less than $100.
Lest night or evening Leroy was a bit short with the kids. I expect that tiredness was the problem. Today he is taking a nap. Hopefully that will help to keep him calm. Being in another place even if we are familiar with it, is tiring. Not the same bed or the same utinsels for many things.
I encouraged Leroy to walk the dog this morning instead of me. I hope that helped when he connected with nature in the park even though he did not hear the owl.
Paula