Not the proper size

Hello, I seem to be the in between size for a number of things. First there is my new bike which is really a little small for me even after a handle bar adjustment. The seller tells me it is because I am right in the middle of what is available. Going too big does not appeal to me in a bike. Leroy is determined that I find a better fit so I want to ride more. Perhaps it can be done. Then there is clothing. I just bought two cuddle duds bottoms. One is too large and one is too small. The too small is going back and the medium size is staying because it is so comfortable. It bags a little here and there, but I can live with that. Maybe people will think that I lost weight rather than that I do not know how to find the right clothing. Should I try to gain weight? Should I try to lose weight? It is a sad question. For now, I am just going to stay the way I am and hope to find more things that fit well enough to feel good while I am wearing them. I do not do well with tight clothing, but I am learning that a fairly snug fit is warmer. Paula

Walking Into the Wind

Hello, The sun was out and it seemed warm in the sheltered area by the house. I started out wearing my packable down coat which is not so warm. It was unzipped, but it was not long before the zipper came up which was followed by raising the hood. My lighter gloves were ok. Too bad I do not get extra steps for the extra energy that it takes to keep going forward. I was going to a study at church and had just barely gotten there when it was time for the study on the stations of the cross. There was a nice group of people there, most of whom I knew. That is one of the best things about being in a place for a longer time, to see familiar faces. Then there was a concert/prelude to the mid-day service. The flutist played a regular flute, followed by an alto flute which had a curved part. She also had a sub contra bass flute. That certainly expanded my flute knowledge. It was beautiful. The service was meaningful. It was followed by a light lunch. One of the best things was having some time to visit with people. I earned over 7,000 steps so maybe I did get some credit for waging battle with the wind. I am going back to church tonight for choir practice. Leroy will go to church service before that, but I do not generally go twice in one day. Paula

Kind Words

Hello, I had just gotten one antibiotic when it was determined that I need another for a slightly different infection. The pharmacist got my pills for me without asking my name, he did ask for the birthdate verification. I do come in for two maintained meds. I commented rather disgustedly, “I thought you would know who I am by now. It is hard to realize that five years ago I was not taking any meds.” “Well,” he said, “that is something that happens with maturing bodies.” Nice to know I have a maturing body. That seems to sound quite positive to me. Perhaps better than, “at your age” which seems to bother quite a few people at my age. I also think about how I have now lived five years longer than my sister did. I am grateful for the added time. Yesterday at the grocery store I spoke to a young woman I did not know. She smiled and then replied. After a bit, she came up and talked some more. Somehow my comment seemed to meet a need of hers. One never knows what someone else requires. So sometimes we get lucky. It seems both speaker and listener have to be open to possibilities. Now to remember such a good thought. Paula

Leroy and Stamps

Hello, Leroy does spend time working on stamps at the museum every Monday. He and two or three other stamp aficionados work for three hours at a time. I think it has been about a year or more since they have been doing this. There are a lot of donated stamps for them to deal with. Today Leroy announced, “I am going to work on stamps today. I have not done that in a long time.” He got out a lot of stuff, spent a goodly amount of time arranging, and proceeded to change the mounts on many of his stamps. He acquired some good mounts, I do not know a good mount from a bad mount, from some one at the stamp club. In the old days he just got the cheapest that he could find. Now apparently those mounts are seriously showing their age. Leroy has a four-shelf book case full of stamps and the things that are necessary to deal with them. There are also at least two albums on the floor. Luckily here, he has a spare bedroom that he has claimed as his space. When we have lived in larger spaces, he has had a room that was just for his stamps. Then he could leave a table up strewn with stamps for days or weeks. I do not know if that will ever happen again. It seems we are in the downsizing part of life and not expanding.

Could Leroy ever give up his stamps? Paula

Am I losing It?

Hello, We spent a chunk of time this morning trying to make sure we have all the tax papers we need to send on to our tax person. It involved a call to the company that has my IRA from which I take out an RMD. How is that for a bunch of initials? It took some time on the phone with three different people to get some of this straightened out in my mind. I still need a paper from one organization to which I gifted some money so I can get some tax credit for not spending the money on myself. It feels like I am wading though mud uphill sometimes. Or am I just getting too old to take care of my own stuff. I thought I had a letter from the gifted organization, but cannot find it. Ugh! The local person who can deal with this is out of town for a few weeks. We like to have our tax papers delivered to the accountant by now so they can get things in by the dead line. It seemed important for me to get out of the house and get some steps in the process of clearing my mind and emotions. This afternoon, we parked at the church and walked to the library. It is still quite cold and we did not want to walk all the way to the library and back. On our way back at the church we noticed the car of the person who does the meals for the homeless. We like to visit with her. In the process of greeting her, Leroy asked if she needed help. The answer was yes, so Leroy, especially, spent some time unloading her van and putting some of the bounty away. It feels so good to have something we can do and feel that it is of such value. Certainly a lot less hassle then doing taxes. Paula

No Work for Leroy

Hello, Leroy went to the early morning bible study, but came home after as the museum closed because of the approaching ice storm. I was just getting ready to make a quick trip to two grocery stores that are close together. I asked Leroy to come with me in case I needed help with ice, etc. It was just started to mist when we went to the car. Leroy suggested we only go to one store. That was a good idea. By the time we came out of that one store there was ice on the car, but not much. The streets were clear yet. It was not until we stepped on the deck that we noticed slippery places. After lunch I took out the compost, but warned Leroy, “I am not taking my phone. If I am gone too long come looking for me.” I did slip on the porch and a little on the sidewalk, but remained upright. I am so grateful not to be going to work. Miriam told me that at their house in UT they have 1.5 feet of snow on the ground with more coming. I like snow, but maybe not that much. I really prefer snow to ice. Our downstairs friends are going to come up for a visit this afternoon. It is so nice that we can go between our places without going outside. We each have a door in the enclosed back porch. Super! Paula

Baltimore touring

Hello, Sarah and Stephen were home one day with us before we left for home. They drove to Baltimore so we could all do some sightseeing. We stopped at Edgar Allan Poe’s grave site. It was quite an old cemetery. Next was the Peabody Library which is part of the John Hopkins U. it contains many special or ratre books from the 18th and 19th centuries. It was quite a beautiful building.

The next stop was the other Washington monument, as well as a stop at the Basilica of the Assumption which is the first Roman Catholic cathedral in the United States. We also looked at the outside of a shot tower. After lunch, we headed to Fort McHenry which is famous as the place the Star Bangled banner was written. Rather Francis Scot Keys was in a ship looking at the enormous US flag in the morning. It could be a myth that he actually saw the flag, but he was on the boat and did write the words. The fort is in a star shape. There was a visitor center with some museum items as well as a short film. All around inside the fort there were rooms to tour. It made for some interesting facts. Because it was the middle of the week and not tourist season we were able to move at our pace.

I learned many things, but it would be kinder not to quiz me about them. Paula