Grey Day

Hello,

It has been a grey day outside, but fine inside. Leroy’s birthday is coming up on Monday. I had forgotten that I should buy a present. When I asked what he wanted last week he replied, “Hugs and kisses.”

So I went shopping today without finding any great ideas or presents. Hugs and kisses it might be even if they are cheap, but not easy the way that Leroy hugs and kisses. I am really locked into the idea that it must be something from the store. Certainly make your own gifts are not in my skill packet.

I did buy another clock at the second hand store. This could have been a present for Leroy but, I have been missing the clock in the computer room since that one stopped and the battery is more expensive than this clock which will run with a single rechargeable AA battery. I wonder if the clock was marked incorrectly because it was less than a dollar and it looked much nicer than some clocks that were more than three dollars.

Leroy tackled our bank statement. I have been doing that. There was a mistake in the last two months and I did not take the time to figure it out as usual the bank thought we had more money than I thought we had so I did not feel alarmed. Leroy also added up our expenses for the months of November and December because I had not taken the time to do that. Maybe it will be good having this guy with more time on his hands. Gives me a bit more guilt free leisure time.

We are participating in a spiritual study at church. This week we are challenged to have a 48 hour fast from media. So just to let you know I will not be using the computer from this evening until Sunday evening. That means no radio, newspaper, or TV. Nothing that is connected to the outside world is to be consulted. The internet will be the hard part for me. It will be interesting to see how it feels.

For Christmas, Sarah and Stephen gave us a gift of fruit delivered to our door. We now have the coldest pears on record. I am still not sure if they were frozen or not. In spite of being in the house for three hours they are almost painfully cold. I would not want to grasp them for very long. Fruit in the winter is nice, but these are subjected to some extreme conditions. Never fear even if frozen all will be eaten. We might have a pear orgy.

Paula

Day Off Together

Hello,

Our morning was devoted to giving the bathroom a deep clean. That meant we took everything out and cleaned all surfaces. For some reason I thought it would be done in an hour with two of us working, but it took much longer. Are we just slow? We got that job done before noon so that is good. Help is good with a job like this, but I find I want to do it my way while Leroy has other ideas. His methods seem slightly odd while mine make perfect sense.

I keep thinking that if we are to move in the near future, I would like to have at least some of the rooms ready and it will not be such a big deal to clean them. One is done. Perhaps we will even find my glasses in some unusual place.

This afternoon Leroy had a web chat interview with another bishop from Wisconsin. He was excited by the possibility when he was finished with the call.

I asked Leroy “Would you like to stay here if you could get a half time additional job or would you rather go to a new place?”

He sees plusses and minuses to both, but it seems to me that he is leaning to the leaving. This guy just likes something new much of the time. I am edging a little in that direction, but certainly not as much as Leroy. Perhaps my life and place seems so much more of an unknown when I think about moving. He however has a new job that ties him to a purpose and place. I would again like to find some part-time work. It has been great for me to have this outlet. Is there another satisfying job out there for me?

Paula

More News

Hello,

Leroy got some more news about his current job. It has been now cut to 15 hours per week. The other news is that the church in WI does not want to interview him at this moment, but are interviewing the other candidate. However they want to keep Leroy’s name in case it all does not work out. Leroy has also been contacted by the bishop of another synod in WI. He will have a phone interview with that bishop tomorrow.

Because I will be working more hours than Leroy I suggested that he might take on some of the cleaning chores. To which he replied, “I had already thought of that.”  He is also looking for part time work in this area. It becomes a bit tricky when you do not know the future. Do you really want to start a job that may only be for a short time? We can still pay more expenses. I have gotten a raise so that gives me just a bit more than the rent and utilities after taxes, etc. I am not sure what Leroy is going to be making, but I believe it will be less than I make.

We could get Social Security money, but we wanted that to earn a bit more before we use it. At any rate, we have enough saved for a period of no job so we can mange for some time to come.

Hope abounds! More good and exciting times are in store for us. When Leroy and I first started on this less than stable job trek, I had a dream. That would have been in Moorhead, MN in 1999 when we were just looking at Leroy’s job that might last a measly four months. I had been unable to get more than just a few hours in a part time job. At that time worry was my most faithful companion, consuming my day in insidious ways.

I dreamed that I was driving a convertible even though I have never in my life driven a convertible. It was night and the wind was whipping through my hair. I felt wonderful and freer than I had in days in spite of the fact that there were no lights on this car. It was very dark outside and I was driving at higher speeds than I would normally go. As I was flying along in this euphoric state, God said, “See, you do not have to know where you are going.”

I almost immediately woke and felt like crying, saying, “God, thank you.”

God has been with us in ways I could not have predicted.

Paula

Leroy at work

Hello,

Leroy and I both went out to shovel this morning. There was not much snow, making it an easy job especially for two people. At least he did not seem tired and he zipped off to work. Course I think it unfair that he can park in the garage at work and I have to park outside in the elements. Chivalry does not extend to all situations. While I am on that subject, Leroy’s entrance to his side of the garage does not collect as much ice as mine does so I tend to slip a bit when I park at home. Luckily I have missed a collision each time.

Leroy commented that last year he thinks he might have driven the car to work about 20 days, and some of those were because of rain. This year we could not come up with a number but have a hard time remembering the last time he rode the bike to work. Such a difference a year makes. Now we think it is nice that we have the two cars, especially since the bus depot has changed and it is farther for Leroy thus affecting his arrival time. He cannot easily use the bus and get to work on time.

I knocked the clock off the wall at work and it broke. Would you believe that Leroy fixed it? I am impressed. I will take it back today and hang it up once more, vowing never to touch it if it seems to be cracked. People can just adjust their vision, right? If it were to be knocked off again, I think I could fix it because Leroy showed me what he did. I could replicate it.

I am grateful for furnaces and heating ducts. Right now I am making granola. So I am grateful to have a heat source in my kitchen that I can run with a gentle touch of a button. Spoiled I am.

Paula

Leroy is almost well

Hello,

Leroy got up this morning, shoveled the sidewalk, took a shower, and then said, “I am so tired/exhausted that I cannot go to church.” While I was gone he slept for two hours. Guess that guy was tired. He did not go to work all last week. He felt very bad for only one day, but since then he has not felt strong and has spent much time sleeping. He is planning to work tomorrow, but we will see what tomorrow brings.

I had a pleasant walk to church with temperatures up to 30 F. The brisk wind made it seem colder, but not bad. On the way home a guy was walking in the street next to me, I was on the sidewalk. He told me that he had fallen and broken his arm so he was avoiding the sidewalk. I am once again reminded of how much I have. He told me that he could not afford health insurance and his bills for this arm would be close to $10,000. He was using his father’s life insurance to pay these bills. He complained a little because he could not go to places to pay the bills, but had to mail them in to the various concerns so he was spending quite a lot on postage. He was also walking over two miles one way to get to the post office. Not sure why he did not use the postal box that was on the way. He also informed me that he did not have a car and could not drive because he was unable to parallel park. Then he wondered if he would still have a job when this was done.

I would like to do more to help the people in my neighborhood, but not sure what that would be. At the moment I hope that a sympathetic ear is a gift worth having. It seems that is all I have to offer.

Paula

Leroy is well

Hello,

Leroy was up in the middle of the night. At least I knew that he was up around three and he had turned on a light in the living room so it was not just a short stint. Every day he had been getting better. Now I dreaded having morning come. However it was not as I had expected. He had gone back to bed at some time. But he declared, “I am much better. I just felt like it was time to get up and get going.”

It could have been those extended day time naps that meant he now did not need so much sleep. He has seemed almost normal today, although he is taking an afternoon nap now, but that is not so unusual.

I had gotten some re-gifted flour from our landlady. It is from an heirloom wheat variety. The bread is no knead, but Robin declared, “I will never make it.”

It was a bit of time involved. First I mixed it last evening. After which it needed to rise for 12 or more hours. Then, on a well floured surface, it must be folded over twice, covered loosely with plastic and rest for 15 minutes. A tea towel must be prepared with cornmeal or flour. The somewhat sticky dough was to be carefully shaped in a ball, placed seam side down on the towel, and covered with cornmeal and another towel. At this point it would rest or raise for two hours. One half hour before the end of that time the cooking container and lid must be put in the oven at 450 degrees. Only then could dough be put carefully in the pan, seam side up and baked with the lid on for 30 minutes. At that time the lid would come off and it was to be baked for 15-30 min. more.

I got it done and invited them up for bread and tea. Robin brought up her electric knife because it could cut warm bread. It was great. There is one more batch to make, but that will wait for another day. As with many types of bread it was not so much work as so much time to be aware of the process. Could that be compared to a relationship?

Paula

Such a Day

Hello,

Yesterday was a day that had its share of the unexpected. The cold was expected. I wondered if it were wise to head off an hour early so I could lead a group in yoga. However a check of the predicted temperature showed that it would be no warmer an hour later so I gathered more junk that I like to carry in one trip and headed off to the garage. I carried my lunch bag, purse, book bag, yoga bag, and a yoga mat with a strap. The hardest parts are locking and unlocking doors. I only had to put the bags down twice to get it all done. Again that car just started on the first turn of the key.

The sun was shining bright. About half way I remembered to take my eyes off the traffic and look for sun dogs. There were two brilliant examples with the one on the right outshining the one on the left. It was beautiful.

Two other people came for yoga so it was not wasted effort. Then it was time to work. Where are my computer glasses? I looked in the most likely places to no avail. I remembered putting them in my book bag, but they were not there. I called Leroy who looked around the house and out at the sidewalk, but did not see them. I retraced my steps from the car into the library. No glasses! Not only do they help me see, but they were rather expensive by my standard at $300. At least they were not new as I have had them for about three to four years. Later Leroy looked in the garage and reported not finding them on the floor.

I am disgusted. How could I lose such a large item in such a short walk? I wondered if they fell out of my bag as I was opening the garage door. I can just imagine that a squirrel might have found them, put them on, and impressed the neighborhood with a new look.

Paula