Life Goes on

Hello, Leroy got up fairly early and took his first bike ride in about three weeks. He declared on his return, “My legs feel like jelly.” He rode a few hills and he usually does not do hills on his ride to work. It was at least cool outside. And his leg did not hurt. It has been a longer time since I have ridden my bike. The problem for me is that is a chore to get it out of the garage. So, I do not bother. We both walked to church to water the plants. On the way we saw the second set of workers looking at the tree across the street at the end of the block. Not sure why it is taking so much discussion, but it certainly has not been removed quickly. On the way home we stopped at the college library so I could use the restroom. Leroy spent some time looking at the Marvin Cone pictures in the entryway. We then asked about his connection to the college. Both he and Grant Wood were on the staff there. Grant Wood taught Cone. Grant Wood’s paintings were up on the second floor. It was a nice morning art tour. Forty-nine years ago, we had our first child. Course we cannot be that old. She too tells us that it sounds old. The gift is that we have known and loved her that long. It was a full moon when she was born and we are coming up to another. One of the nurses asked if there were a full moon, because we were the seventh couple to come in that night. Many more came the second night and they filled all the bassinets. Busy times for them. Paula

Problems or not?

Hello, When at the store I used the restroom facilities. This automatic flushing toilet flushed two times while I was sitting on it. When I was leaving it did not flush even though I mostly stepped out of the door, the button for just such a time worked so it was good. While washing my hands, I heard it flush again. Summer is a great time of year. With the problem of too many good things to eat all at once. We have tomatoes, cucumbers, cherries, strawberries, watermelon, and a few green beans. It is hard to chose when it is all so good just as it is picked. On the hot days, it feels important to do everything that we can before the heat comes. How to get it all done and what to do with a quiet afternoon? How many free pens can we justify having around until the ink dries? How much scrap paper and note pads does one couple need? Paula

Adventures in Iowa

Hello, We had a strong storm last night. It had a lot of wind with some very strong gusts. It seemed to me in the level of about 90 mph. That burst did not last very long. I have to confess that we did not go to the basement, but we were thinking about it. Some parts of the city lost power, but we did not. Flashlights were at the ready. We went to a store this morning that did not have power so they were not open. A neighbor was telling me about a grocery that lost power and they had to throw out all of the meat. This morning there were branches and walnuts in the back yard and more branches in the front. It filled both of our bins that will go to the compost. Leroy spent a bit of time out there clipping it into smaller pieces so it would fit in the bin. He found it to be quite satisfying as the bins filled up, the yard looked neater. There was some rain with the storm, but I went to the church this afternoon to water plants because the rain did not provide enough. One block from our house I discovered a large tree across the street and a smashed car under it. Brought the 2020 derecho to mind. This was not quite the wind speed or the duration of that storm.

The temperature dropped 20 degrees in a short time. The night was quite fine but it has become hot again today although not so much as other days. Paula

Out and about

Hello, Because Leroy was home, he walked to church to help water. He also helped moving some things at church. I transplanted some coleus which might have a hard time given the current heat and not much good soil situation. We walked home past the community garden where Leroy bemoaned the lack of cucumbers in spite of many blossoms. Should we blame the heat again. Also, there are almost not tomatoes turning color. After a snack we went downtown so I could show him the murals in the parking ramp stairwell. They all deal with the history of Cedar Rapids. We did not know of some of the people presented. If you want to take a mural walk with me, just let me know I am happy to do that. The art museum was next on the agenda, but they did not open for two more hours. Crossed that off the list and went on to the library where we could get resupplied with reading material. No libraries would certainly change our lives. Because it is so hot, we are staying inside this afternoon. We even worked on a credit card statement. Leroy cleared out two files in the file cabinet. That is progress. We have booked flights so we can go to Holden Village with our friends. Paula

Visitors

Hello, We were blessed with weekend guests. It was one of the couples we had visited in St. Cloud. They come to visit us when it is hot here and we visit them when it is cold there. Sensible people, aren’t we? We did sit and talk some, but we also toured the area, however we did not visit an escape room. We might not have escaped yet. Visited the great creamery in Ely for ice cream and had a little tour of the town which is now very different from when Leroy and I lived there.

Church was on the agenda for Sunday. It was nice to show them where we spend so much time in the course of our lives in this city. All was good. Following that we did a drive around tour of the murals/art in Cedar Rapids.

It was a bit more complicated to get around since there was a run (need pizza and beer run) which blocked off some streets downtown. We finally decided that we could see it after we ate and toured Leroy’s work place museum. After touring the museum, Leroy was quite pleased to have a captive audience to show them the back room of the library. Our friend sells used books on line so he was quite into the idea of organization and value. In the evening we shared watermelon and talk with our downstair friends on the deck. It was just warm, not hot. It was a short but full visit. Paula

Water

Hello, It is not easy to know how much water is right for me. Today I had seven cups before noon. I was still sweating and weary, but that could just be the heat. It is hot and humid here which is a bad combination. Leroy drove to work again today. The flowers at church are thriving on their ration of water. It would be nice if it could come from the sky. I did take a small water bottle with me. When finished watering flowers, I sat and drank it. I could hear the organist practicing. That was quite nice. On the way home I stopped at the community garden and picked green beans, two types of kale and one gigantic leaf of swill chard. I then sat in the shade and drank that refilled water bottle. On the rest of the walk home no one was on their porch or out so all produce came home with me. Seems that should be enough water, but two more cups were downed after I got home. A neighbor informed me that the rain went around us again. It was necessary to water some of the things around the house. For some reason I do not tend to them as much as the stuff at church. Paula

Tag Patrol

Hello, Just what is tag patrol? For me it is someone noticing that I have a tag hanging out at the back of my neck. Today at tai chi something was tickling my neck from time to time. After an extended period of time, I realized it was a tag bothering me. The last time I wore this shirt Leroy informed me that I had this offending object out in full public view. It might not be a bad idea to have some other patrol in my life. Yesterday, on his way to the dentist, Leroy gave me a ride to church. I watered plants, took a couple of drinks from the drinking fountain. About half way home I started noticing how dry I was, then in a little while I did not feel so peppy. Not sure I had had more then three cups of liquid before I left the house. Not such a good idea in this heat we are now experiencing. Today, because it is on my way home from Tai Chi, I did not notice the thirst, plus I had a water bottle in the car. Tomorrow, I walk again, but I will carry water and go fairly early in the morning. Just a side note, all of our names have been written in Chinese. It is using other words than our names. For instance, Leroy’s title is “Powerful Guard”. It is the shortest and simplest to write. One of the class members suggested we all change our names. We are to learn to write our names without looking at the paper as we are doing it. Seems a bit daunting to me. These names were provided by a man who is from mainland China.

Paula