Hello,
This morning it was time to make a
trip to the store. We, in Iowa, do not have a shelter in place rule. Pictures that
show an empty interstate are not Cedar Rapids. It was not as crowded as usual,
but there were still quite a few cars.
Hand sanitizer, wipes and mask were
part of my arsenal. I washed hands and
took along gloves. Leroy and I worked on the list so I would not forget
anything that we really wanted.
There were only two apples and four
onions left in the house. That was all of the produce. Except when moving, we
have not had that happen. As Leroy said, “This frig is about empty.”
I still have some canned things, some
frozen packages as well as dried beans. We could have gone for a longer time,
but we both miss the fresh foods.
The store was marked with directional
signs to keep us going in the same direction so we would not meet others. Some people
apparently did not see the signs.
Most people were wearing masks, but
not all. Some people stepped up close. I just stepped out of the way and waited
for them to move on.
Has it been two or three weeks since I
have gotten groceries? It almost felt that it was new territory as some things
had changed although there were still some empty places on the shelf. I found plenty
of fresh produce. It must not be such a “hot” item.
We are grateful we can still go to the
grocery story, that we have money to pay for what we need and that most people respect
others enough to give them space.
Paula
Tuesday, April 14, 2020
Monday, April 13, 2020
Haircut and Cleaning
Hello,
Last week Leroy gave me a haircut. It is ok even with a few unusual spots. Some of them are less visible than they once were. I had planned to get a haircut about the time it became not a possibility. Years agoLeroy used to cut my hair all of the time. I never felt that it was bad, but he only has one cut in his repertoire. I had a slightly different cut now and somehow just cutting this one shorter did not really work. One good thing for me is my curly hair hides many a change and it still curls up the same way as always, unless it is too short.
I have been cutting Leroy’s hair for years. After it got so thin that it seemed not worth it to go to a barber, I learned some sort of style. We do have a nice clippers and that helps me a lot.
This morning we spring cleaned the living room. Someone asked what we do when we deep clean. We move everything out, sweep the ceiling, walls, and vacuum the floor. The woodwork gets washed. All drawers are emptied, cleaned and put back. It might have been god to get rid of some games, but I could not decide which ones should go. Furniture is turned upside down or tilted so the bottom can be cleaned. It does not look so different, but we know it has been done. And that is the best. Since last October we have cleaned three rooms. It does take us a while to get this done. The two bedrooms are done as is the living room. There is still the office, kitchen and bathroom. It seems we will be mostly confined to home for some longer time so we can probably get at least one more room done. We would not want to get too bored. It seems to me that my mother did fall and spring cleaning. Am I lazy or what?
Paula
Last week Leroy gave me a haircut. It is ok even with a few unusual spots. Some of them are less visible than they once were. I had planned to get a haircut about the time it became not a possibility. Years agoLeroy used to cut my hair all of the time. I never felt that it was bad, but he only has one cut in his repertoire. I had a slightly different cut now and somehow just cutting this one shorter did not really work. One good thing for me is my curly hair hides many a change and it still curls up the same way as always, unless it is too short.
I have been cutting Leroy’s hair for years. After it got so thin that it seemed not worth it to go to a barber, I learned some sort of style. We do have a nice clippers and that helps me a lot.
This morning we spring cleaned the living room. Someone asked what we do when we deep clean. We move everything out, sweep the ceiling, walls, and vacuum the floor. The woodwork gets washed. All drawers are emptied, cleaned and put back. It might have been god to get rid of some games, but I could not decide which ones should go. Furniture is turned upside down or tilted so the bottom can be cleaned. It does not look so different, but we know it has been done. And that is the best. Since last October we have cleaned three rooms. It does take us a while to get this done. The two bedrooms are done as is the living room. There is still the office, kitchen and bathroom. It seems we will be mostly confined to home for some longer time so we can probably get at least one more room done. We would not want to get too bored. It seems to me that my mother did fall and spring cleaning. Am I lazy or what?
Paula
Sunday, April 12, 2020
Leroy, me, and sweets
Hello,
I am quite strong about not much refined sugar or white flour in my/our diet. I do like sweets, but I do not believe they contribute to health. It is much easier for me to pass them up in the store than at home. At work, I have a reputation and people believe I never eat them. Never is a strong word. When offered sweets, if I do not feel there is a polite way to refuse, I eat the smallest helping that I can. I do not eat chocolate because it makes me nervous/upsets me. I feel fine saying that it does not agree with me. Most people seem to accept that without problem.
Our granola also has honey in it and we eat that every day. Each morning we have a bit, less than a teaspoon of honey with apple cider vinegar and water as a get started with the day drink.
Leroy does eat sweets at work. I have no real idea how often this happens. Sometimes he confesses, but often he tells me about what he did not take.
He has not been to work with other people for three weeks. So no sweet to eat! Two days ago he confessed to wanting something sweet. I should say that at home he eats jelly (Rather a fruit spread that lists the fruit as the first ingredient and sugar second.) on peanut butter and bread or a bit of molasses on unsweetened cornbread, etc. Yesterday, as an Easter treat I made gingerbread which has not sugar but quite a bit of molasses in it. I believe from Leroy’s expression he found it quite satisfying.
Paula
I am quite strong about not much refined sugar or white flour in my/our diet. I do like sweets, but I do not believe they contribute to health. It is much easier for me to pass them up in the store than at home. At work, I have a reputation and people believe I never eat them. Never is a strong word. When offered sweets, if I do not feel there is a polite way to refuse, I eat the smallest helping that I can. I do not eat chocolate because it makes me nervous/upsets me. I feel fine saying that it does not agree with me. Most people seem to accept that without problem.
Our granola also has honey in it and we eat that every day. Each morning we have a bit, less than a teaspoon of honey with apple cider vinegar and water as a get started with the day drink.
Leroy does eat sweets at work. I have no real idea how often this happens. Sometimes he confesses, but often he tells me about what he did not take.
He has not been to work with other people for three weeks. So no sweet to eat! Two days ago he confessed to wanting something sweet. I should say that at home he eats jelly (Rather a fruit spread that lists the fruit as the first ingredient and sugar second.) on peanut butter and bread or a bit of molasses on unsweetened cornbread, etc. Yesterday, as an Easter treat I made gingerbread which has not sugar but quite a bit of molasses in it. I believe from Leroy’s expression he found it quite satisfying.
Paula
Saturday, April 11, 2020
Routines
Hello,
As a new routine, every day Leroy and I discuss the date and the day of the week. Otherwise it slips away and we are clueless. After all, we think we should know the day in case we would be asked by someone who is questioning our reasoning ability. So far we have managed to come up with the date and day without looking at the calendar although one of us usually looks afterward to learn if we were correct.
I write the date in the booklet in which I record my devotion thoughts. So I get more practice there. Writing to you is another practice point.
I like to hang out clothes to dry in the sun and wind. My mother always used a damp cloth to wipe off the clothes line. I do that as well, but wondered if it was needed especially in these days of less pollution. Yesterday I hung out clothes after a few days hiatus. I was amazed at how much dust was on the cloth after just wiping it once. I am newly convinced that mama was right to wipe the clothes line.
We have some serious walking routines in place with the first walk happening as early in the morning as we get up and out. I like to get to my goal so that requires another walk. Even when rain is predicted I go out, especially if it does not look like rain. In spite of my idea of it not looking like rain, it has rained on me at least two times. Each of those times it is not a hard rain, but enough that it is dripping off my hood by the time I get home. I have been logging
12,000 or 13,000 steps most days. Leroy says, “You are becoming fanatical about those steps.”
Guess he is right, but I am not ready to stop walking.
Paula
As a new routine, every day Leroy and I discuss the date and the day of the week. Otherwise it slips away and we are clueless. After all, we think we should know the day in case we would be asked by someone who is questioning our reasoning ability. So far we have managed to come up with the date and day without looking at the calendar although one of us usually looks afterward to learn if we were correct.
I write the date in the booklet in which I record my devotion thoughts. So I get more practice there. Writing to you is another practice point.
I like to hang out clothes to dry in the sun and wind. My mother always used a damp cloth to wipe off the clothes line. I do that as well, but wondered if it was needed especially in these days of less pollution. Yesterday I hung out clothes after a few days hiatus. I was amazed at how much dust was on the cloth after just wiping it once. I am newly convinced that mama was right to wipe the clothes line.
We have some serious walking routines in place with the first walk happening as early in the morning as we get up and out. I like to get to my goal so that requires another walk. Even when rain is predicted I go out, especially if it does not look like rain. In spite of my idea of it not looking like rain, it has rained on me at least two times. Each of those times it is not a hard rain, but enough that it is dripping off my hood by the time I get home. I have been logging
12,000 or 13,000 steps most days. Leroy says, “You are becoming fanatical about those steps.”
Guess he is right, but I am not ready to stop walking.
Paula
Friday, April 10, 2020
Random Good Friday Thoughts
Hello,
Why do we call it Good Friday? I might have known or been told this at one time, but have no memory of it.
This morning Leroy and I walked to church, planning to arrive at a little after 8:00 just after they opened the doors. We brought our masks with us, but saw no other people on the trip.
Astonished that the price of gas was $1.41 per gallon! Obviously we are not getting out often.
At the church, I opened the door with my bare hands, and held it for Leroy to walk through. He then put hand sanitizer on my hands. We put on our masks. We talked though the door of the office to learn where the book, which we were returning, should be placed. We then moved into the sanctuary which is open. Almost as soon as I was in there I started to cry, but did not really know why. Considering our vagabond life I am not so attached to a church building. Tissues and hand sanitizer were supplied at the door. After sitting and thinking I believe that I was crying for all of the losses in life, not just to me and my routine, but deaths and other more serious changes to lives around the world. Grief.
On the walk home we wore our masks. Between my cataracts and the fogging of my glasses, I decided that I was safer with the mask pulled down. Falling did not seem like a good thing. Mask off the nose certainly brought the walk surface into focus. As it turned out we did not meet a person, but saw a number of cars going by.
Interesting that in all of our previous lives we never thought of the risk of going to church as many people have done over the centuries and throughout the world. Also interesting that their risks involved people who wanted to do harm to them and now it is a virus that attacks randomly or at least it appears to be random.
Paula
Why do we call it Good Friday? I might have known or been told this at one time, but have no memory of it.
This morning Leroy and I walked to church, planning to arrive at a little after 8:00 just after they opened the doors. We brought our masks with us, but saw no other people on the trip.
Astonished that the price of gas was $1.41 per gallon! Obviously we are not getting out often.
At the church, I opened the door with my bare hands, and held it for Leroy to walk through. He then put hand sanitizer on my hands. We put on our masks. We talked though the door of the office to learn where the book, which we were returning, should be placed. We then moved into the sanctuary which is open. Almost as soon as I was in there I started to cry, but did not really know why. Considering our vagabond life I am not so attached to a church building. Tissues and hand sanitizer were supplied at the door. After sitting and thinking I believe that I was crying for all of the losses in life, not just to me and my routine, but deaths and other more serious changes to lives around the world. Grief.
On the walk home we wore our masks. Between my cataracts and the fogging of my glasses, I decided that I was safer with the mask pulled down. Falling did not seem like a good thing. Mask off the nose certainly brought the walk surface into focus. As it turned out we did not meet a person, but saw a number of cars going by.
Interesting that in all of our previous lives we never thought of the risk of going to church as many people have done over the centuries and throughout the world. Also interesting that their risks involved people who wanted to do harm to them and now it is a virus that attacks randomly or at least it appears to be random.
Paula
Thursday, April 9, 2020
Yoga or Morning Stretch
Hello,
From my living room, I did a live Facebook session for the Ely Library. I have been putting it off even after my boss asked if I would lead the morning stretch from home. I stewed and fussed a long time, about two weeks about it. I am not a certified yoga instructor, would I be able to keep moving from one pose to the next (In class I always look at my list.) would I look stupid looking at my list, and how would I get the camera to be on the floor as well as up for standing poses.
I lead these at the library, but it is very different thing to have people in the room and to be “performing” for a laptop. Who knows if anyone was doing it with me? I felt all alone. Leroy was there, but not in the room. He helped by adjusting the laptop camera so I could be seen after starting with standing positions. People could see him.
It certainly was not Jane Fonda. It was very casual and not always so smooth with me at the helm. Later when I looked I could see that four different people made some comments. I could not tell from those if they were doing it with me or if they thought it was worth looking at. “Good Morning, Thanks and she’s so flexible” were the comments.
We have deleted it now, but I will be doing it in the weeks to come. I have to put away feelings about how I would like it to look more professional and slick as if I knew what I was doing.
It does me good to have some pressure to put something together because that means I get the benefit of moving and stretching. As I have often told the people who come to my sessions at the library I am grateful they come because it keeps me practicing. Something about being responsible is a good motivator for me.
Paula
From my living room, I did a live Facebook session for the Ely Library. I have been putting it off even after my boss asked if I would lead the morning stretch from home. I stewed and fussed a long time, about two weeks about it. I am not a certified yoga instructor, would I be able to keep moving from one pose to the next (In class I always look at my list.) would I look stupid looking at my list, and how would I get the camera to be on the floor as well as up for standing poses.
I lead these at the library, but it is very different thing to have people in the room and to be “performing” for a laptop. Who knows if anyone was doing it with me? I felt all alone. Leroy was there, but not in the room. He helped by adjusting the laptop camera so I could be seen after starting with standing positions. People could see him.
It certainly was not Jane Fonda. It was very casual and not always so smooth with me at the helm. Later when I looked I could see that four different people made some comments. I could not tell from those if they were doing it with me or if they thought it was worth looking at. “Good Morning, Thanks and she’s so flexible” were the comments.
We have deleted it now, but I will be doing it in the weeks to come. I have to put away feelings about how I would like it to look more professional and slick as if I knew what I was doing.
It does me good to have some pressure to put something together because that means I get the benefit of moving and stretching. As I have often told the people who come to my sessions at the library I am grateful they come because it keeps me practicing. Something about being responsible is a good motivator for me.
Paula
Wednesday, April 8, 2020
Nuts and Squirrels
Hello,
Because we have a black walnut tree in the back yard, every year Leroy has been picking up some walnuts. Unfortunately it takes him a long time to get them cracked. If you know about very nutritional black walnuts, you know one of the challenges is getting the hulls off without staining your hands dark in any old pattern that can last for weeks. Leroy wears thick rubber gloves that are for serious jobs. He also uses them to pick them up. The green hulled nuts sit in the garage for a time until the hulls dry. He can take them off with more finesse at that point.
We both like to eat them, but I let him do all of the fun things. After they have dried they need to be cracked. These shells are very hard and the way he gets the job done is to wield a hammer with force and intent to harm. Once in a while he will hit a thumb or finger because he must hold them. He also does not have a work bench to make it possible at a nice height so he kneels on a garden kneeler and bangs away until his knees hurt or his arm is tired or it is to hot or too cold outside.
The squirrels are often very interested when Leroy is cracking nuts. He said, “Sometimes they come quite close.”
The other day one went in the garage with him and he had a bit of time chasing it out. He no longer leaves the garage door open as he feels the squirrels would come in and help themselves to the nuts that are still waiting to be cracked.
After the cracked nuts are inside, I help a little by sorting out all of the empty shells into one pan. I also put all of the free nut meats in another container. The last task is to put all of the partial shells that have nut meats stuck in them in a pan that Leroy pulls out of to attack with the nut pick.
There are some small shells and nut meats that Leroy throws out for the squirrels that come running and sort through the pile looking for treasure.
For some reason we do miss getting out a shell and it will blend in with the nut meats. I am not sure why, but when that happens I am the one who almost cracks a tooth by biting down on it. I have now gotten so that I put the nut meats on a white plate and take it to the window looking for those elusive shells. So far my teeth are still good. How do those squirrels do it?
Paula
Because we have a black walnut tree in the back yard, every year Leroy has been picking up some walnuts. Unfortunately it takes him a long time to get them cracked. If you know about very nutritional black walnuts, you know one of the challenges is getting the hulls off without staining your hands dark in any old pattern that can last for weeks. Leroy wears thick rubber gloves that are for serious jobs. He also uses them to pick them up. The green hulled nuts sit in the garage for a time until the hulls dry. He can take them off with more finesse at that point.
We both like to eat them, but I let him do all of the fun things. After they have dried they need to be cracked. These shells are very hard and the way he gets the job done is to wield a hammer with force and intent to harm. Once in a while he will hit a thumb or finger because he must hold them. He also does not have a work bench to make it possible at a nice height so he kneels on a garden kneeler and bangs away until his knees hurt or his arm is tired or it is to hot or too cold outside.
The squirrels are often very interested when Leroy is cracking nuts. He said, “Sometimes they come quite close.”
The other day one went in the garage with him and he had a bit of time chasing it out. He no longer leaves the garage door open as he feels the squirrels would come in and help themselves to the nuts that are still waiting to be cracked.
After the cracked nuts are inside, I help a little by sorting out all of the empty shells into one pan. I also put all of the free nut meats in another container. The last task is to put all of the partial shells that have nut meats stuck in them in a pan that Leroy pulls out of to attack with the nut pick.
There are some small shells and nut meats that Leroy throws out for the squirrels that come running and sort through the pile looking for treasure.
For some reason we do miss getting out a shell and it will blend in with the nut meats. I am not sure why, but when that happens I am the one who almost cracks a tooth by biting down on it. I have now gotten so that I put the nut meats on a white plate and take it to the window looking for those elusive shells. So far my teeth are still good. How do those squirrels do it?
Paula
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