Life Is Good

Hello,

Life is good for us. Leroy woke this morning to announce that his wrist was a little sore from falling. I consider that good. He also had me check for bruising around his hips, but they were perfectly clear. He did not complain of any discomfort there. Me, I felt normal everywhere. I did some more walking later and again managed to get my step goal completed.

Some of the ice and snow piles have diminished. Where have they gone? I am not sure where. There are some puddles on the streets and sidewalks. I suppose the storm drains are handling much of the load because I would imagine that the ground is still frozen and cannot accept water.

This morning Leroy commented, “I have not though much about the garden this year, especially the big community garden. But it might be quite a while before we can do anything there. Last year our raised bed did not do so well. He wants to change the soil while I just want to add some more on top because the bottom has settled. We will have more discussions about this issue before warm weather is here to stay. Gardening talk is surely a sign of spring on the horizon.

It seems to me that more and more geese are flying over the neighborhood. That should also be a harbinger of spring or are they just noisier now?

The icicle hanging from the roof close to our bedroom was about 10 feet long. After this warm spell it is now only about four or five feet. I miss being amazed by its length, but otherwise it can disappear without emotional distress.

Paula

Singing and Falling

Hello,

I realize that singing and falling do not have a lot in common, but for us they occurred within the same 24 hours.

Last night our church choir sang with an auditioned choir. We sang part 2 of Handel’s Messiah. It was great to be able to sing with this group and to do these selections. I was familiar with most of the selections, but Leroy went over much new territory. He diligently practiced with recordings as well as stuck with his partner from the church choir. He had never sung with a large group of such skilled performers. It was uplifting.

Today the walk to church took much concentration as the walks had clear spots, ice water, ice over water, and water over ice. We managed that without incident. Much of the time we walk in the streets, especially the less traveled streets.

The walk home was another story. Some of the most difficult spots are those where the snow plows have piled up barriers to the sidewalks. In some places people are helpful to walkers and clear our pathways between the piles of ice and snow. In other spots it is necessary to climb over them. At the first large pile we went over, Leroy was in front and just as he got down on the other side of the pile he fell, missing a large water puddle. He said, “It only hurts a little on my hand, luckily everything else is good.”

At another place we were walking on some sidewalk that had a thin layer of ice with water on top. Once again Leroy fell onto his back side. This time I reached out to maybe try to help him and fell too. I fell forward. Luckily neither of us was hurt by this incident. I went down quite lightly. Not even sure that I got a bruise. Walking on ice in the almost warm is much harder than walking on freezing cold ice.

Paula

Jobs done

Hello,

Yesterday, in spite of feeling a bit unwell, I got a lot done. I washed two loads of clothes. On indoor racks, I hang a certain amount of that because I like to hang clothes. However, I am waiting for the outdoor hanging which is not really possible now with all of the snow and ice in the vicinity of the clothes line.

I never leave the house with the washer or dryer running because once a long time ago we had a hose break on the washer. Another time, also a long time ago, we had a dryer fire. Fortunately I was home both of those times so I could tend to the situation even though I barely knew what I was doing. Guess I do not really trust these machines although I have not had anything untoward happen in the last 30 years.

Shopping was next on the agenda. That went off without a hitch. At home then I started to make granola only to find that I had failed to get oil. I grumbled, but with the warmer weather went out to chop ice in the alley. I do not really like to shop. Chopping ice seems to be my personal challenge. It was since to see my next door neighbor out doing the same. That gave us the chance to visit casually. I have always liked visiting with neighbors on an easy going basis as we see each other out and about.

Later Leroy and I walked to the closer grocery store to get the oil. We were happy to find some marked down rice cakes. We bought almost all of them. I also met my step goal for the day.

The granola got made along with some cornbread that we ate with the bean soup. Nice day indeed.

Paula

Snoring, who me?

Hello,

This morning Leroy said I was snoring as I spent the last part of the night on my back. Could that really be? Does he really know what he heard? Snoring is an activity that is beneath my dignity. Doesn’t he know that only men snore?

Our nights have a certain amount of drama to them. For instance, before I moved onto my back Leroy said, “It is almost time to get up.”

I was in a deep sleep at that point. When I asked him about it this morning he thought maybe he had been dreaming. Not to disturb his sleep, but to get comfortable I shifted to my back. Was my move a subconscious method of revenge?

Luckily, when my snoring disturbed him, he did not do much except jiggle the bed a bit which apparently caused the snoring to stop.

When Leroy is snoring, which really almost never happens, I just tell him to roll over and that works miracles. He thinks I treat him like a dog.

For some reason Leroy’s breathing is rather noisy. Sometimes I have trouble not hearing it. Can you imagine, Leroy tells me that he needs to breathe?

Peaceful sleep to you.

Paula

Cold Sun?

Hello,

Somehow the extreme cold does not fit with the warm looking sun. It looks inviting and delightful outside until the temperature is checked. It is 4 degrees F. or -15.5 C. With the wind chill factored in it is much lower from time to time. Our focus even when driving is what should we wear that will be warm? The cars have worked well with no break downs, but what if?

My job is quite fine. The biggest complaint that I might have especially this year, is that it is 12 miles away. I am grateful that the surface of that road has been upgraded and is very nice. The snow removal has also been much better than I remember from some past years. Perhaps it helps that the town of Ely has grown. When Leroy and I lived there in 1984 the population was about 400-500 people. It is now over 2,000 people. Many of those people work in Cedar Rapids and I meet them on the way when I go in the mornings. Consequently their side of the road is almost always in better shape than my side. Anyway I expect a good clear surface today as it has not snowed in a few days. Plus that amazing sun is able to give enough heat to melt any hold outs to the snow plow.

Once again I might wear my boots to drive to work. They are too warm to wear inside, but then I am prepared for any random snow that I might have to walk through. I am so glad that I found these good short boots last year. I did not wear them much then, but this year I have put quite a few miles on them. I do have a pair of emergency boots in the car if I should need them. Those boots are not so comfortable for a long walk, but they are even warmer than the new boots.

Paula

Flowers in Winter

Hello,

I know I keep talking about the flowers, but they do add a lot of beauty to my life. Yesterday Leroy said, “Those amaryllis are certainly beautiful.”

They are in the living room where we sit to read or possibly watch TV. Because they need support holding up their heavy blossoms I have them leaning against the rocking chair across from our reading chairs, consequently we can look at them often without trying.

We walked to church this morning. The temp was 3 degrees F. with a feels like -10 with the wind chill. We were grateful that many of the sidewalks were clear. If not we used the streets. Usually Sunday morning there are not many cars out. We are grateful that the college campus sidewalks are cleared with such regularity.

We walked right along to get the mile done before we felt too cold. I should take a picture of Leroy when he is all bundled. There is no skin to be seen. He got a pair of ski goggles at a garage sale and they have become his good friend. His nose can be covered and his glasses to not fog up. I on the other hand, have to keep my nose exposed so I can still see to walk. I rushed along and Leroy whose coat is more bulky complained, “I cannot walk so fast because I am so bulky and bundled.”

I showed no mercy and kept up the pace with a comment and a little laugh, “That is too bad.”

My nose wanted to be indoors. Leroy did manage to stay with me, course it helped if I had to wait to cross a street.

Paula

No Storm Weekend?

Hello,

We did not go to MN for Logan’s Birthday party because there was a predicted storm and because others had conflicts so the party was postponed. I feel a bit guilty for not going or saying we could not come because we have had no snow here for a few days. However Brian called to tell us that they got four or five inches with plenty on the ground. It might not have been so much fun to drive in MN.

We watched a kid’s movie from the library last night. We both laughed. Those are the best. Today Leroy has spent a bit of time working on his stamp collection. I do not really know what he is doing, but he is using quite a bit of space and is very happy. I am glad that we have space for him to use.

He also put air in his car tire. That turned out to be a hassle as the first station he went to had a non functioning air pump. After coming home and discussing with our downstairs friend where to go, he tried another that was successful. He was relieved. Now we are hoping that it is just the cold weather rather than a hole. Our alley has some serious ice hills and valleys so we slam down on them from time to time. I wonder about parts of the car being damaged. There was a bit more melt today so we cleared out a bit more by our garage. Grateful for these vehicles that operate in extreme weather!

I made gingerbread with no sugar and ¼ less molasses. Both Leroy and I thought it was sweet enough. Leroy even ate his with unsweetened yogurt. I know it is a little strange, but I put in a handful of frozen naturally sour cranberries as well.

Paula