Wait for it...

here it comes, baby New Year is bouncing in and the big ball is about to drop. After a lovely and delicious early evening meal with friends, I'm at home, warm and comfy in my pajamas, waiting for the magic moment.  Somehow 2016 sounds rather ordinary.  Do you remember the excitement, not to mention nervous anticipation when we reached the year 2000?  Now, 16 years later, lots of things have changed in my life including four grandchildren who weren't around in the 20th century. So fun to think what's coming next.  Here we go, 3, 2, 1 Happy New Year everyone!!!

looking back, looking forward

Here we are on the eve of the eve of a brand new year and I'm wondering what might be in store for me next.  In 2015 I retired, down sized, got involved in some satisfying volunteer work and generally settled in to my new little nest.  But recently I enjoyed conversation with two different ladies whom I know from church. Each of these ladies is 95 years old, in great spirits and very intelligent and well spoken.  It occurred to me that I could also, conceivably, live to be 95 (another 24 years) which gives me time for a whole new career or at least avocation.  Now I just need to decide what it will be. I don't think I'm quite ready to write the great American novel, or become another Grandma Moses with my paintings, and for sure it won't be a musical career, but I think something will come along. 2016 looms full of hope.

A wonderful blend of old and new.

I saw the new Star Wars movie this afternoon.  My son took me as a birthday treat and it was a wonderful experience. I think they did an excellent and very smart job of pulling in many, many references to the past series of movies (not to mention a quick nod to "Indiana Jones") while introducing some new and very likable characters who are young enough to do the running around and adventurous stuff.  Although I will say Han Solo, aka Harrison Ford, ended up in quite a few action scenes and seemed to hold his own very well.  I remember watching the very first Star Wars movie (number 4 in the series) as a family when my son was about five and a half.  He literally sat on the edge of his seat and was entranced through the whole movie.  This new addition to the series, 30 years later, was every bit as spell binding and just as fun to see with my son.

a technological breakthrough

Those who know me know that I am a very surface computer user.  Technology is a tool I appreciate but I don't necessarily excel in setting up programs. But tonight I can declare success, at least in one area.  I was given a "fitbit" for Christmas,  This is a nifty little wristband that, as I wear it, will record how many steps I take in a day, how many calories I burn, sleep patterns and, probably, how much change I have in my pocket, although I haven't verified that one yet.  But, the success came tonight, when finally, after messing about with this off and on for three days, I finally have synced my fitbit with my computer so I can see all the wonderful information it's recording.  Syncing it involved using the wireless sync dongle ( I swear that's the real name) that was in the package with my fitbit and its charging cord.  I had no idea what the dongle was, it's a little 3/4 inch square piece of metal and plastic, until I got to the place in the setup instructions where it said "Plug in the wireless sync dongle." and, happily, included a picture.  I'm so glad I didn't throw it away. Tomorrow I will work on downloading information.

The river is rising, head for the hills.

Ok, it's true, I'm on the 10th floor so I'm probably safe but it has been interesting to watch the river that runs by my place over the last few days.  For several weeks I've noticed that the water level is down and mud banks have been visible on both sides of the river.  Yesterday I looked and the water was back up on both banks to the grass level and today it's up swirling around the roots of the trees along the bank, covering at least 4 or 5 feet more of the bank than I've seen all summer.  There's also a lot of branches and other debris floating down the river.  I know they were predicting possible flash floods and lots of rain over the last few and coming days but I didn't expect such a drastic change. It will be interesting to see what tomorrow brings.

love those leftovers

I'm not talking about the left over meat, potatoes and gravy, although that did make a good supper.  The leftovers I love are of the candy and cookie variety. A friend of mine baked some cookies from his mom's old family recipe and I dutifully put them out to share with my Christmas day guests, but there was so much else to eat that there were quite a few left over.  I discovered today that a piece of the strawberry cake my daughter baked got left behind in my refrigerator and another guest left some yummy mint bark. I also got two small boxes of candy as gifts. i probably should get rid of it all before new years so I can make my usual "cut back on sugar" resolution.  I think I can manage that.  How does candy for breakfast sound?

Another kind of Christmas peace

Much is made of peace and quiet of the Christian kind at Christmas and I treasure that peace as much as anyone but I realized today that there is another peace or quiet time that I also really appreciate. I had eleven people around my dining room table for dinner today.  I warned them they would be crowded and advised everyone to sit beside someone they like. After the prayer the usual bustle ensued - the passing of all the trays and bowls of food and piling plates full while talking of this and that.  Then suddenly it all gets very quiet.  People are too busy eating, and evidently enjoying the food, to talk. I love that moment of quiet because it means my meal is a success.

Merry Christmas

My home is ready for Christmas guests, gifts wrapped, beef in the crock pot, beautiful church service this evening.  Peace, make it your prayer. "Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night."

Will Gorilla Glue do the trick?

I have a large round oak dining room table with a matching corner cupboard and eight chairs, two of which are arm chairs.  Over the years I've been very satisfied with the looks and functionality of this set, with one exception. One of the chairs has a leg that keeps coming detached from its cross brace. The end of the brace pops out of the leg. Since we bought this furniture from a furniture outlet in South Carolina, sending the chair back never seemed like an option.  Over the years I've tried many approaches to dealing with this chair - various kinds of glues, braces - I even took it to a furniture repair specialist who said he couldn't fix it.  I've had the best success tucking it away in the corner of my bedroom and using it as a clothes rack. But on  Christmas day I will be entertaining 10 people in my apartment and I need seating.  So yesterday I bought myself a bottle of Gorilla Glue (the commercial looked convincing) and today I carefully followed the directions and glued my chair. I wet one area, spread the glue smoothly over the other part and shoved them together. The last part of the instructions had me puzzled for a while.  It said to put a heavy weight on or clamp together the two parts and keep the pressure on for at least two hours.  Well I knew I didn't have a clamp so I went looking for a heavy weight that I could balance over the chair legs while the chair is lying face down on the floor.  Finally I decided on my vacuum cleaner which is pretty heavy.  It is now lying over the back legs of the chair and appears to be exerting the necessary pressure. I'm not going to touch anything until morning.  A couple of the men who will be here on Christmas day are pretty hefty so it may get a real test.  The tension mounts - but will it hold? Hey, I take my drama where I can find it.

When is it right and when is it wrong?

I heard in a commercial for Thursday Night Football that this Thursday the Washington REDSKINS will be playing the Philadelphia Eagles.  Because of the recent name change at North Side High School and the subsequent raising of my awareness of things that are politically correct I immediately assumed that they must be redskin potatoes. But no, I googled them and there was their logo - a fierce looking native American warrior with headdress (sound familiar?). I'm so confused.  Why is it ok for a national team and not for a high school? I wonder what the Washington Redskins' new logo will be? I wonder when they'll be after my Woodlan Warriors?

Now I've seen everything...

well maybe not everything but something so bizarre that I won't soon forget it,  On TV entertainment "news" this evening they showed a young woman who is so determined to have a small waist that she was getting ready for her 15th surgery - not all of them for her waist - but this one was to remove six ribs so her now 18 inch waist could be squeezed even smaller with the help of a corset she wears.  Now I am aware that in Victorian times women wore tight corsets and aimed for tiny waists, but I thought that fad, like hoop skirts, bustles and mile high wigs had long since passed. It wouldn't be so bad (well it would) but she is pairing this tiny waist with the biggest set of boobs I have ever seen on anyone.  Pretty sure those are surgically "enhanced" too.  She looks like he has two watermelons bulging out of her chest. Picture a Barbie doll with a couple of marshmallows glued on, and I don't mean mini marshmallows.  I have to wonder who is paying for all this  and also how she walks without falling on her face.  I guess I'll never know. I'll just have to add her to my list of things I never need to see again, like road kill or Trump's hair.

beautiful show, lovely surprise

I attended the 2:00pm production of the Philharmonic Pops concert with some friends yesterday.  I've seen a few of these Christmas concerts over the years but I really think this was the best ever.  The orchestra, Philharmonic Choir, Fort Wayne Children's Choir and fine soloists performed an excellent traditional collection of secular and holy Christmas music.  CHRISTMAS, not holiday, not all secular but unabashedly CHRISTMAS.  From Ave Maria to Hark the Herald Angels Sing to The First Nowell it was a celebration of Christmas.
The Fort Wayne Children's Choir performed several pieces and my only frustration was that they, with the adult choir were at the back of the stage behind all the orchestra instruments so I couldn't see my youngest granddaughter who I knew was up there somewhere singing with the children's choir.  Toward the end of the second half the children's choir was ushered off stage and I caught a quick glimpse of her walking with the group.  Then ten of their group came back on stage to participate in one of the songs but I realized quickly that these were the older children so I didn't see her there. But at the very end my own little Christmas miracle happened.
\All of the children filed in from the back of the theater, carrying candles and stood in the aisles while singing Silent Night. I looked at child standing at the end of my row (I was three seats in from the end) and there stood my granddaughter.  She glanced over, we exchanged smiles; what more could I ask for?  What a great show.

How much is too much?

I saw a report on TV today about a woman who was posting pictures of the 300 gifts under her tree, all purchased for her children because she loves them so much. Seems a little excessive to me but I never heard how many children she has.  If she has say 30 kids that's only 10 each.  I'm pretty sure two of my grandchildren, because of divorced parents and multiple sets of grandparents, end up with about that many gifts each year.
Then I heard an update on the brat who got off with a very minimum sentence for driving drunk and killing four people. His defense was "affluenza" - having way too much money and overindulgent parents who never taught him right from wrong. Poor, poor thing.  He has recently violated terms of his parole and he and his loving mommy have disappeared, presumably to Mexico, to avoid having him hauled back into court.
I'm thinking that mommy number one should take a hard look at the mess mommy number two and her son are in and perhaps rethink the overindulgence.
I'm also wondering, as I work on gift wrapping tonight, how she possibly found time to wrap 300 gifts and whose going to clean up the mess on Christmas morning. Perhaps they'll just leave the muddle and move into a new house.

How time and technology have changed

Do you remember slide projectors? Do you remember taking endless pictures on vacations and then having them transformed into slides which you shared with anyone who would sit still and watch. Friends and relatives would watch each others' slide shows because that's what you did.  If you were considerate you kept your shows to an hour and of course you served snacks and, if you wanted people to really appreciate the experience, drinks.
One of the things I had to deal with as I was working through the downsizing process this summer was our slide collection - seven projector trays containing about 700 slides, none of them more recent than the 1970's. I sorted and sorted and sorted with the help of a little hand held viewer that my son unearthed in the basement. Heaven knows how it survived. After careful consideration, and the realization that I didn't have any idea where many of the scenic views had been taken, I narrowed it down to 32 slides of family and friends, which a friend of mine gave to his daughter who scanned and copied them on to a memory stick. This is so cool. I can watch them any time I want on my computer or, if I want to see them on the big screen, I can watch them on TV through my DVD player.
I plan to show the pictures to my children, probably over Christmas vacation, and then, who knows, probably just tuck them away. But believe me this little three inch gizmo takes a lot less space than seven slide trays, a projector and a screen. Let's hear it for technological evolution.

A party in the penthouse

I didn't know that this apartment complex even had a penthouse.  The building I live in has 14 floors but I discovered this evening that the East building has a 15th floor and it only houses the penthouse.  Only one elevator goes all the way to the penthouse. Early in December signs were posted on each floor inviting everyone to a Christmas cocktail party this evening in the penthouse. Free but everyone was asked to bring a non-perishable food item for the food bank. I went with some trepidation, realizing that I wouldn't know anyone there. I figured I could go, get a snack, stay a little while and then leave.  Happily, within the first fifteen minutes I had struck up a conversation with an artist named Santa (her mother was Italian) who then introduced me to an insurance salesman named Jeff who kept refilling my glass of white wine (such a nice young man). He introduced me to a CPA named Ted and before I knew it two and a half hours had passed in very pleasant conversation. And, oh yes, the shrimp cocktail, stuffed mushrooms, puff pastries, etc. were all very tasty. I think they have about four big parties a year.  I will be attending the next one.

Still thinking about the future

A few days ago I mentioned realizing, after conversations with two women aged 95, that I may have twenty years or so left on  this earth and I should find something productive to do. Mind you I am keeping busy with a variety of volunteer activities.  This morning, for example, I took my monthly turn babysitting for a gaggle of toddlers so their moms can attend MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers).  I was not alone.  There were four of us grandma aged women vs (I mean taking care of) eight toddlers ranging in age from 1 to 5.  Pretty good odds actually except we had three criers and I got to change a very poopy diaper which brought back some long surpressed memories. But I digress.  What to do for the next 20 years?  I did hear one idea on the news this morning.  NASA is looking for volunteers for a Mission to Mars. Hmmm... weightlessness, a space suit to cover up wrinkles and gray hair, amazing views, I wonder where I can get an application form?

meeting a childhood hero

Yesterday I went to a reception at the First Pres Gallery and had a chance to meet and talk with one of the exhibiting artists, a painter named Carol M. Popp Bennett.  You, if you're old enough, may remember her as Carol from a locally produced TV show on WKJG-TV called "Carol and Corkie". When I was about 12 it was one of my favorite afternoon shows.  I loved to watch her draw pictures, sometimes creating something from a random squiggle, sometimes using alphabet letters as the basis for a picture, sometimes simply drawing.  Her paintings on exhibit now are considerably more sophisticated and cover a wide range of subject matter from still lifes to western themes.  When we met I told her how much I had enjoyed her show and that, later, when I was an art teacher, I actually used some of her ideas in my classes.  She seemed quite pleased with that.  My son, who really is an excellent artist, had quite an involved conversation with her explaining some of the internet sources he uses for some of his productions. She seemed very interested in learning more about ideas she hasn't tried yet. All in all a fun half hour with a childhood hero. I also found out, from her print material, that in 1951 she was Miss Indiana and first runner-up to Miss America. I wonder what her talent was.

a fresh perspective

Today is my birthday and it's been a lovely day.  I'm now 71 and I'm ok with that but I admit I was feeling a little "old" when I went off to church this morning. During the course of the morning I had the opportunity to speak with two different women, one of whom I know better than the other.  It came up in the conversations that each of them is 95 (one shares my birthday and just turned 95 today). Each of these women is a bright,.articulate individual and very interesting to talk with. I was amazed they are both 95 and still going strong.  Then I realized that I too could, conceivably, live to be 95.  Wow, what if I did? That's 24 more years. That's time to start a whole new career.  I have no inclination to go back to teaching, banking or real estate, or anything else that would require me to get up early in the morning or leave my home when I don't want to. What to do, what to do?  I shall have to give this some thought, later. There's no rush.

such a sad sight

I was zipping through the Walmart on Lima Road today.  I happened to be in that area and thought I would brave the "13 shopping days left" crowd to pick up a few things I needed.  As I was working my way across the store from housewares to groceries, I saw the most sadly amazing sight.  Santa Claus was sitting on a decorative chair in an open space in the middle of the store (near the electronics department) and he was all alone.  I looked twice to be sure it was a real, live Santa and he was and quite a presentable Santa with a plushy costume and long white beard. But there were no children lined up to talk to him, no elves to keep him company, no signs that I saw directing people to Santa. Just Santa, all alone. Perhaps it was just a lull and he got really busy later.  I was tempted to make a quick run to the mall, approach people in line to see Santa there and tell them there was no waiting at Walmart.

It's beginning to look a lot like ....

April?  I find I'm having a love/hate relationship with current weather around here.  Mind you, I appreciate that we're not having some of the really wicked weather conditions that are happening in other parts of the country but I really would like some snow for Christmas.  I am enjoying driving out to shop etc on dry pavements and having it warm enough to walk comfortably outside in December, but I really would like some snow for Christmas.  But only for Christmas  If this mild weather wants to pick up again on December 26 that would be fine with me.  A considerate snow like the one we had a few weeks ago that only stuck on the grass and lasted about 48 hours would be ideal. Are you listening Santa?

It's finally home again.

Some time ago I wrote about my old rocking chair that got damaged in my move.  I moved into this apartment on September 16 and that was the day one of the rockers got snapped off.  It's been a long three months with several phone calls, misunderstandings about who had the rocker, who was working on it, and the last I heard, about a week ago, the furniture repairman was having a hard time finding wood to match the chair.  It's maple which I never thought was a particularly rare wood. Anyway, three days after I was told that he couldn't match the wood I got a call that the rocker was finished and we scheduled a time for it to be brought back to me. Today was the day!  And here it sits, finally, in my living room where it belongs, and it looks just fine and the new rocker matches the old one and it rocks evenly. Not exactly a Christmas miracle, but, since I wondered if I would ever see it again, I am truly delighted to have it back.

This made me laugh

and brought back memories.  I was watching a sitcom this evening, the Christmas program of "Modern Family".  In one scene of this episode the father who sells real estate congratulates his son on passing his real estate test and in honor passes on his old gold blazer from when he worked for Century 21. It looked like one of the original gold blazers, the 70's gold color that also showed up on houses, appliances and so much more. My C-21 boss referred to it as baby shit gold. After I had been with that franchise for a few years they modernized the color and we all had to turn in our old gold blazers and buy the new ones in, admittedly, a much better shade.  At a large national convention we all dumped our old blazers in large cardboard bins and bought the new. The company was very concerned that we  not donate our blazers to a charity like Good Will for fear someone would get their hands on one and impersonate a real estate agent. The rumor going around the convention was that all of the blazers were being bundled up and shipped to a poor village in Russia. I've had visions (nightmares?) ever since of an entire village clothed in those jackets.  Scary, right?

a delicious surprise

On Sunday I spent most of the day with my mentee (the young man for whom I am mentor through our church program.  We had time for a quick lunch downtown and I suggested McDonalds or Wemdys, neither wildly exciting but convenient.  However my mentee, when asked to choose said "We could go to Double Dragon."  I had walked past this restaurant once on one of my down town walks but since forgotten about it.  The Double Dragon is a very casual eat in or carry out Chinese restaurant with a wide variety of offerings at a very reasonable price.  The two of us ate for $13 and the meals included soup, double scoops of fried rice and, on this visit, Sesame Chicken.  Best of all the food was really, really good.  I think that the next time I stroll by there I will have to pick up some carry out.  Talk about motivation to take a walk.

not on my bucket list

I've discovered one more thing to add to my "I never want to do that." list. While not as life threateningly scary as sky diving (definitely the top of my "never" list) taking part in a baking competition would scare me.  I've been watching The Great Holiday Baking Show and, while I truly love to bake in my own kitchen with plenty of time to get things right, the idea of a time keeper shouting "Two hours" "One hour" "ten minutes" etc would take all of the fun out of the experience for me. I will continue to watch the show however. I don't mind vicariously experiencing the competitors' successes and failures. The only real down side to this show is that I want to start eating every sweet thing in my kitchen. Wait, did I say that was a down side?

Freezing Fog

I often listen to a little bit of local news and weather before I get out of bed in the morning. Perhaps to decide if I want to get up or not. Anyway, Saturday morning the weatherman said that we were experiencing freezing fog, therefore slippery roads, and visibility was 1/4 mile. Sounded like a day to roll over and go back to sleep if ever there was one. But curiosity got the better of me and I went to my balcony to see what 1/4 mile visibility looked like.  It was very white - I could barely see the trees across the river, and the bit about freezing on the roads must have also been correct. It seemed like I heard sirens all morning long and later in the morning when I tried to drive out of the apartment complex my usual exit was blocked by two police cars diverting traffic because of an accident in the next block.  My reaction to the whole weather episode was "I'm so glad I'm retired."  while my daughter-in-laws was "Why couldn't it have happened on a school day?"  She loves school delays caused by fog which absolutely never happened when she taught in Phoenix.

a fascinating tour

I went with my daughter-in-law, her mom and  my granddaughters to tour the Bass mansion (actually, we were told - the Bass summer home) and enjoy the lavish Christmas decorations. I think it has been 44 years since I had been in that building.  All those years ago it was the library for St. Francis College while I was working on my Masters Degree. Now the University of St. Francis uses it as an administrative/office building.  While I truly enjoyed the scrumptious trees and other awesome decorations provided by several decorators around Fort Wayne what really held my interest were the architectural details.  We were told that the size of the house is 24,000 square feet.  By my count there were four servant bedrooms, at least seven guest and family bedrooms, each with its own private bathroom (quite a feature in 1903) and of course the parlor, solarium, library, dining room, kitchen (in three rooms), den, men's game room, pool (billiards) room, ball room (my granddaughters loved this one) and I'm sure I've missed a few. We didn't get to see the servants' quarters but every other room we saw had beautiful ceiling details, unique fireplaces - some marble, some ceramic, some tiled - foot deep door and window recesses with extravagant carving, inlaid floors and more. My particular favorites were the carved, curved doors leading from the formal dining room to the solarium.  All in all a delightful experience.  I've been in castles in Europe that were larger but not more lavish. I salute USF for the wonderful restoration job they've done on this fine old building.

What's going on here?

Here it is December 4th (not 24th) and my Christmas notes have been mailed and I've finished my Angel Tree shopping. I've also finished shopping for my Spokane relatives and will have their package ready to mail on Monday, a full week or more before the UPS deadline for guaranteed delivery. What's wrong with this picture?  There have been years when I've paid big bucks to get packages to Washington on time and my friends expect that my Christmas poem will arrive sometime in the new year.  Now admittedly I do still need to do some shopping for local friends and family and I need to buy groceries for Christmas dinner but I do have 20 days for that and there I think is the key.  This year I'm retired which means I can shop any time, not only on weekends and evenings.  Yet another reason why I love being retired.

my first Christmas present

I received my first Christmas present today.  It was delivered by UPS and let me tell you those Omaha Steak people know what they're doing when it comes to packing perishables.  This gift was not without a little drama.  I was out at a church event until 9pm yesterday and didn't get to pick up my mail until then.  The first thing I noticed was a sticky note hanging on my mail box informing me that a perishable item was being held for me in the office.  Well the office was closed by then, of course, so I went to my apartment, checked my email and discovered two more messages, one from the steak company, one from an office manager informing me that I had a perishable item in the office.  I decided that it wasn't enough of an emergency to call out a maintenance man so I waited.  First thing this morning I retrieved my package (a thick styrofoam cooler with fitted lid) opened it with some trepidation, and discovered, to my relief that the four delicious looking little cheesecakes contained inside were still frozen solid, nesting on a bed of dry ice.  I quickly tucked them in the freezer but I doubt that they will survive until Christmas. Yummm!!!

more exciting than the presidential election??

I heard on the news this evening that a local, venerable old high school will be giving up its politically incorrect mascot.  I'm not sure how many years they've been the Redskins but it seems the time has come for a change.  Of course maybe they could just change the picture from a native American warrior to a potato, then they wouldn't need to change the name, but the fighting red skin potatoes is probably not the image they're after.  The students have been given a list of eight possible new names to vote on: Mustangs (car or horse?), Night Hawks, Falcons, Legends, Raptors, Rockets, Thunder and Nations. If I had a vote I would probably choose Falcons.  North Side Falcons has a nice ring to it. Definitely not Nations or Raptors.  But that's just my non-involved opinion.  What I'm wondering now is how soon Woodlan High School, my high school, will be compelled to change it's mascot.  We've been the Warriors at least since 1959 and the symbol - the head of a native American warrior wearing a full feather headdress - is quite similar to North Side's except for the color.  Personally I never thought that referring to someone as a warrior was demeaning or insulting but I guess I'll just have to see how this all plays out.

Lost and found

Ever since I moved into this apartment I've been losing and finding things.  Or, more likely, some things got sold or given away that I now wish I had kept.  On the other hand, every once in a while I open a box and wonder why I kept that?  Getting out Christmas decorations has been a bit like that.  All of my Christmas tree ornaments made the move but I can't find three little angels that sat on a shelf at my house. I did find all of the artificial greenery that used to decorate a dining room chandelier. Don't need that any more.  But today I found something I really do need. Last week I put my electric blanket on my bed but discovered when I unfolded it that the electric cord and control weren't with the blanket where they should have been. I finally fount them today, hidden behind some stuff in my linen closet of all places.  Ah well at least this lost is found and I will have warmth when needed.

Am I doing something wrong?

My tree is up and decorated and my Christmas poem is almost ready to mail, I've even strung some lights on my balcony railing.  But, according to the media I've missed out on the most important steps. I didn't shop on Black Friday, I didn't shop on Small Business Saturday and, so far, I haven't shopped on Cyber Monday. Since I'm retired and can shop when I want to, I think I'll wait for "The Mall's not Too Crowded Today Wednesday."

High tech, low tech, no tech

I spent much of this evening addressing envelopes, by hand, to mail our my Christmas poem by snail mail.  All very low tech by today's standards and yet 50 years ago a ball point pen was considered very forward thinking.  I searched for addresses in my address book and other paper directories, no tech, and on my phone, high tech by my standards, and even went back to my good old Sharp Wizard to find names and addresses still stored there.  I think I got my Wizard about 15 years ago as a Christmas bonus at work. Everyone in management got one and they were seen as cutting edge.  Not only could you enter data like names, addresses and phone numbers of your clients in this nifty little hand held devise, you could also keep your calendar, notes from meetings, expenses, and even check the time.  For some reason mine is showing the time in Norfolk, VA and Chicago right now and also a date of September 22, 2003. Obviously I didn't use that app much. I guess it was just quicker to look at my watch.  Of course the wonderful Wizard didn't make phone calls, send texts, access apps and games or other internet sources or allow you to check your email. So my little old Wizard has been relegated to the land of low tech which is probably why I'm still using it.

50 years and counting

I went with friends today to celebrate with other friends their 50th wedding anniversary.  It was a fun afternoon of seeing old acquaintances, admiring the grandchildren of the celebrating couple, and eating cake, nuts and mints (the ingredients of a successful reception). My daughter-in-law has commented that she thinks I'm very lucky to still have good friends that I've know since college, and, in some cases, since elementary school. I agree, I'm very blessed.  I've been trying to remember how four of us and our husbands (who all knew each other since college or soon after) started getting together almost every year, allowing us to stay close friends. The group pictures we've accumulated over the years show us gathered at everyone's houses or lake cottages or in mutually agreed on vacation spots, young, slim newly weds, parents of toddlers, posing with our teenage children, at each other's children's weddings, and on and on.  The pictures seem to prove that we really have known each other for over 50 years, but I'm still puzzled about how 50 years can possibly have gone by so quickly?  A joyful mystery I guess.

not too old yet

I invited my four grandchildren to come to my place this afternoon to help me decorate my Christmas tree.  This has become a tradition over the last many years, but this was the first time in my new apartment. Some years it's not all of us, sometimes one or more of their parents pitch in, but every year I have some help.  This year however I found myself wondering if they are getting too old to want to help.  At 14, 13, 13 and 11 they're not babies any more and there was a little bit of grumbling last week when I mentioned the idea. But, once we were all together they pitched right in, got all of the ornaments on the tree in two hours, snacked, laughed, teased each other, and ended up on the floor playing a rousing game of Jumping Monkeys. My tree looks just as cluttered, busy, messy, sparkly beautiful as it always does. I'm glad they're not too old yet.

One more thing to be thankful for...

Happy Thanksgiving.  I had a very pleasant Thanksgiving Day, full of the usual family fun, delicious food of which I ate too much as is traditional, and general good feelings all around.  Then I came home and watched a PBS special about the Pilgrims, their early years and the first Thanksgiving, based heavily on William Bradford's journal "of Plimoth (his spelling) Plantation".  This was a fascinating program and has left me feeling very, very grateful that I'm living now, not then.

Thanksgiving Eve

I'm really enjoying the fact that I'm not cooking Thanksgiving dinner tomorrow.  My son and daughter in law are hosting and my daughter is bringing dessert - mint chocolate cake and two apple pies. I'll be bringing sweet potatoes.  Up until a few hours ago I thought that would be my only contribution. Then I got a call from my son asking if I had a card table.  As a matter of fact I do, so I'll be taking that.  Just a little while ago I got another call asking me to bring two special serving dishes, so they are packed up and ready to go. It's good to still be needed, especially for the easy stuff.

never say never

I remember back in the 1980s when we bought our last house.  The buyer of our house in Ohio got a VA loan at 17%.  We were able to assume a mortgage to buy our house and got a read deal at 11%.  Soon after we moved I got my first job as a mortgage loan officer and was introduced to an amazing array of creative mortgages.  Adjustable rates and negative amortization loans were common place and the wisdom of the day claimed that we would never see single digit mortgage rates again.  In the last several years mortgage rates have held right around 4%.  So much for the wisdom of the '80s.  Now we are enjoying a drop in gas prices and I know I personally never thought I would see gas prices under $2 a gallon again. It's really fun to fill my car's gas tank for less than $20.  I think one gas station couldn't quite make the adjustment though. I was driving on the day that gas prices really started dropping and every gas station I passed had $1.99.99 posted as their price, except for one station. The price posted there was $9.99.99 a gallon. I thought maybe they didn't have any ones in their stock of numbers but my granddaughter theorized that perhaps they were trying to appeal to rich people - those who don't care how much gas costs. Interesting theory but I noticed by the next day they had corrected their price. Enjoy it while it lasts.

a fair weather walker?

I've been so proud of myself during the last several weeks because I've been walking to meetings at church and other places during the week.  Today, however, I decided to drive myself to my tutoring session because it was cold outside. How wimpy is that?  I guess I'm a fair weather walker - at least outside.  I think it's about time to explore the exercise room downstairs.

enjoying Korean cuisine

Today at church our Korean congregation hosted us all and honored US Korean War veterans at their annual Korean Thanksgiving Dinner, yumm. Since my husband served in Korea when he was in the Army I always try to go to this event.  Today I was scheduled to take the young man I mentor out to lunch.  It turned out he wanted to attend the Korean dinner, so, in addition to enjoying a delicious lunch, we also enjoyed a free lunch.  Truly a  win win situation.  I'm always somewhat surprised at how much gratitude the South Koreans still seem to feel for the American soldiers who served there. A Korean friend wrote an interesting booklet describing her life in South Korea during and after the war.  One of my favorite of her stories involved US soldiers.  She tells that when, after months of very restricted living, it was finally safe to go out into the city, her parents took her and her sisters (all dressed in their Sunday best) out for a walk. While walking they met a couple of US soldiers who made a little fuss over how cute the girls were.  After the soldiers had walked on my friend asked her mother who, actually what, they were because they looked so strange to her. Her mother answered "They are our angels."  For years after that's what my friend thought angels looked like.

Well behaved snow

We had a lovely snowfall today.  It behaved just like I think snow always should.  It coated the grass beautifully, flocked the bare tree branches, made the riverbank look pristine, and, most importantly, stayed off the streets What more can  one ask?  On a ride down in the elevator this afternoon, on my way to recycle some cardboard, I struck up a conversation with the young couple sharing the ride.  I asked them the same question I asked others in the last few days "What do we do with snow that accumulates on our balconies?" The young lady replied "I don't know.  I don't have a balcony." The young man replied "Everyone is required to build a snowman."  I liked his answer best.

I've become a cart lady,

not to be confused with a bag lady. I'm not homeless and I certainly have plenty of stuff.  It's the stuff that made me realize that living in this apartment required a change of habits.  My garage and laundry room are both 10 stories down, and, even though I get there riding an elevator, I realized early on that I didn't want to have to make multiple trips to carry baskets of laundry and bags of groceries from the ground level to my apartment. Hence my cart. I bought mine at Kroger's for about $16. I figured that was a good amount to invest to see if the idea even worked. I was concerned about the image problem (will I look like a little old lady with my cart?) until I discovered that almost everyone here has a cart.  It's fun to see the variety of styles, sizes and colors. As I was walking out to my car today with my cart, since I was on the way to the grocery store, a young lady coming in from the garage, carrying two heavy looking bags looked at my cart and said "I have to get one of those." While I was in the laundry room this afternoon a lady about my age came in with her puppy riding on top of the clothes in her cart.  She looked at my cart and said "I need to get a larger cart like yours." Huh, cart envy?  Who knew?

snow confusing

I'm always excited by the first snowfall of the year and, according to the weather reporters, we're going to have some on Saturday. What I find confusing, or maybe just amusing, are the variety of possibilities concerning this anticipated snow. Will we have two inches or three inches or will it all turn to rain or will it just kind of disappear before it hits the ground, or my balcony for that matter? I've heard all of these possibilities predicted.  Now this raises another question.  What do I do with snow that piles up on my balcony? Do I sweep it off (I didn't bring a snow shovel with me) and trust it won't hit someone below, or just let it pile up, or build a snow fort against the railing? Or, maybe, there will be enough to build a snowman? I suspect it won't be a problem this weekend but who knows what might come.

shedding a little light on the subject...

I did a little light shopping today.  Actually it was lamp shopping. I decided I wanted some new lamps for my living room because the old ones were, well, old. The new lights, one for each end of the sofa, have lovely white translucent shades and it's amazing how much brighter the room is. I bought the lamps at a place on Covington Road called Lamps, etc. Just coincidentally, my daughter (and decorating consultant) had a coupon so better and better. The only down side to this purchase is that now I want to replace all my other lamps - luckily, common sense and my budget will keep me from doing this in the very near future.

holding babies

One Tuesday morning a month I volunteer, with two or three other ladies, to baby sit a gaggle of toddlers while their moms attend a MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) meeting. This is very good for me.  I get my fill of holding crying babies while they adjust to the fact that their moms have abandoned them, perhaps never to be seen again. This often takes as much as 60 seconds after which they are off and running, crawling, walking and finding the nosiest toys to play with. Two long hours later, after several melt downs. when someone realized all over again that mom wasn't there, an animal cracker snack, and a lot of toy picking up (great bending, stretching, lifting exercises) all 11 moms (one had left 2 little ones with us) came back and claimed their children. Great rejoicing all around.  Tomorrow I will pick up my 11 and 13 year old granddaughters after school and eye the time they spend quietly working on their I pads with new appreciation.

An eternal truth

Women of all ages love new clothes.  I was reminded of this truth when the 4th grade, recently turned 10 year old girl who I tutor on Monday afternoons came strutting off the bus and into our meeting room.  I though her outfit looked new and it was confirmed when she proudly told me that she and her mom had gone shopping this weekend and these were her new clothes. She is one of seven sisters so I suspect a shopping trip alone with her mom is a pretty special occasion. Her new outfit consisted of a "Minion" t-shirt (Minions are very popular with my granddaughters so I recognized this) and dark blue denim overalls decorated with silver studs. Altogether a perfect outfit for a ten-year-old.  I think, to celebrate her excitement, I should go shopping. It seems appropriate.

as heard on TV

The cute young lady reporting the weather on a local TV station last night said that the weather for the next few days would be "seasonable". Really? Seasonable? Does that mean I can sprinkle salt and pepper on it?  I assumed she probably meant "seasonal" but then I got to thinking, maybe some weather is seasonable.  In the winter we sprinkle salt on icy sidewalks. Does that count?

a new taste sensation

I went with a friend to an event at the Fort Wayne Museum of Art this evening. After the event we decided to stop at a nearby restaurant for a snack. We shared a nice tasty little pizza but the real treat of the evening, for me, was a peach martini.  Who even knew there was such a thing? I've never liked the very few martinis I've tasted before but it turns out, if you add some peach liquor, peach juice, a slice of peach, and sugar around the rim of the glass you get a really tasty drink, sneaky too, but I managed to walk out under my own power. Next time I may try their chocolate martini.

What if the power goes out?

Another elevator conversation, two of us were discussing the weather forecast for tonight - possible high winds that could result in power outages. The lady in the elevator said if the power goes out we'll have to walk down 10 flights of stairs.  My immediate thought was "Why?" And then I realized she is probably one of those unfortunate people who have to go to work in the morning.  As for me, I found my super good little flashlight and will stay put until the power comes on again. How's that for a plan?

my comfort dilemma

I overheard two people talking in the elevator yesterday. They were discussing the high electric bills here in the apartments and how they cope. I had heard, before I moved in, that the electric bills can be pretty high in these total electric apartments. It was one of the negatives on my list of pros and cons but I decided to move here anyway. One of the two people in the elevator mentioned putting insulating strips around her windows, another said she had unplugged all of her heaters. I think that last sounds a little extreme.  My apartment has three heating units, one in each bedroom and one in the living room, plus a space heater in each bathroom. Earlier this month I had shades installed on all my windows and added curtains in the bedrooms and these seem to be doing a good job of holding in the warmth on these chilly evenings.  I haven't had to run my bedroom heaters much at all.  Now I know colder days are coming and my bill will go up.  I just paid the October bill - $32.00.  My problem is I really like the view, night and day, from the big wall of windows in my living room. Do I close the shades or do I pay the big bucks?  Time will tell.

cannon booms and foreign flags

Another unexpected view from my balcony - Saturday morning I looked out and saw a strange, unfamiliar flag flying over the old fort.  It was bright red with a small union jack in the upper left corner.  I don't know what time in history the flag was from but I'm guessing there was a re-enactment going on at the fort because later I heard several loud booms as cannons were shot off. I'm assuming they were firing blanks because I didn't see any cannon balls zooming across Spy Run or splashing into the river. That would have been something to see though.

beautiful music

I saw a performance by the Fort Wayne Children's Choir this afternoon. Every song they performed was beautiful and I really enjoyed all of the music but most particularly that performed by the Concert Choir.  Of course I may have been biased because of the beautiful red head in the second row from the top.  It was fun to watch all of the younger choirs and remember the stages that my granddaughter has gone through to get where she is now.  Sing on!

the perfect paper route

Did you have a paper route as a kid? My husband did and he had memories of lots of snowy, cold dark mornings and people who wouldn't pay their bills.  I'm sure there must have been a few lovely early summer mornings but I didn't hear about those memories.  When I lived on Tonkel Road my paper person drove a truck and had fun making me guess where the paper might be - in the snow in the driveway? in a bush? maybe in the paper box? Every Sunday morning was an adventure. Today I was explaining to a friend that every Sunday morning my paper is left in a plastic bag neatly hanging from my apartment door doorknob.  We both agreed that delivering papers along the indoor hallways of an apartment complex has to be one of the best paper routes ever.

new lights on the horizon

One part of the view from my balcony that I always enjoy in the daytime are the colorful chimneys on the Science Central building. I'm not sure who the genius was who decided that the remnant chimneys from its days as a power plant should be painted in brilliant "crayola crayon" colors to celebrate its current use as a children's hands-on science museum but I salute her (or him). Now, brand new tonight, they've added lights!  Those colorful chimneys are glowing on my horizon.  Quietly awesome!

bridge vibrations

As I was spending one of my relaxing times on my balcony today I noticed an interesting phenomenon. The river was very still - if this river flowed any more slowly it would be a pond - and the reflection of the bridge was sharp and clear in the water. Then the light changed, cars started to move across the bridge, and under the bridge the water was vibrating, rippling in a curious cross current kind of way in time to the traffic overhead.  Who knew bridges vibrated so much? I don't know if I like the idea of the bridge vibrating beneath me when I drive over it tomorrow. Maybe I'll just go really fast.  "I'm sorry officer, I just wanted to get across before the bridge collapses."

The results are in

I did my duty, found the right place and voted - and in the process discovered that the senior center has a shuffle board court and a pool table. I won some and lost some in the election but at least I exercised my right to vote and I'm pretty sure the city will carry on without too much trouble.

a gaggle of geese

I watched a gaggle? group? bunch? of Canadian geese yesterday morning apparently getting organized to fly south for the winter.  It reminded me of a conversation I had recently in the elevator. I am enjoying my elevator mini-conversations. Anyway, in this case one young lady in a group was from Canada.  I'm not sure how the conversation got around to geese but the young lady informed me that in Canada they call them Canadian geese. Then she got off the elevator before I had a chance to tell her that that's what we call them here too.
But back to my nature observation.  It was fun to look down on the geese from the 10th floor.  While they eventually flew above the tree tops they never got as high as my eye level. There must have been at least 30 of them and they flew up, circled around, landed in a grassy area along the river and repeated the whole process at least four or five times before eventually getting their act together and flying off - west not south.  Perhaps a failure in leadership?  The whole process reminded me of what is going on in the Republican presidential race these days.

I survived

Got through my colonoscopy with no problems - one little polyp that was removed.  It amuses me that the day of the procedure is so much more enjoyable that the day and night before. Lots of friendly people milling around, soft talk, a little pin prick and hey, presto it;s a half hour later and we're all finished. I even, after it was over, got a heated blanket when I mentioned I was chilly.  Such luxury. But now they want to see me back in three years.  Three? What happened to 5 or 10 years?  Ah well, if it can prevent colon cancer (or at least catch it early) I'll play their game.

feast before famine

This Friday I'm having my once-every-five-years colonoscopy, yuck!  Which means that Thursday I can eat nothing but clear liquids and something called MoviPrep which has absolutely nothing to do with getting ready to go to the movies.  But tomorrow I will prep for the prep day by eating lots at a luncheon I'm going to and even more at supper with my grandkids.  Bring on the pizza!!!

political decisions

This year, for the first time since 1978 I am a resident of the city of Fort Wayne and eligible to vote in the city election next week.  I changed my voter registration address some weeks ago when I changed the address on my driver's license and car registration (worst license picture ever!!!) and have since received all sorts of mail assuring me that I am registered to vote and where and when. Sooo, being a good citizen, I watched the mayoral debate this evening.  It didn't firm up my decision on who to vote for but it didn't really change my mind either.  I have eight days to decide. The anchorman hosting the debate said anyone interested could rewatch the debate on line over and over again.  Hmmm, no.

an unexpected inconvenience

I received a notice in the form of a note tucked by the doorknob of the door of my apartment informing me (and all of the other tenants) that they are going to resurface our parking lots and that no one can park in the underground garage or in most of the large parking area from today until Tuesday evening. We were given a list of several parking lots around the area where we had permission to park. I opted for the lot of a nearby restaurant, less than 5 minutes from my front door, dutifully parked my car there before 5pm today as requested.  This wasn't really a hard choice since I was meeting some friends there for an early supper.  As I was walking back to my apartment later I found myself thinking "Well, this type of inconvenience certainly didn't happen when I was a home owner." Then I remembered the time, 11 years ago, when the county dug up a one mile stretch of the road in front or our house to level it and install a traffic light.  We had to park in a nearby church parking lot for almost a month. I guess two days isn't so bad after all.

a wonderful one-woman show

My internet connection has been down for a couple of days but has now mysteriously healed itself so I can report on a play I saw yesterday.  Billed as a musical biography, "His Eye is on the Sparrow" is the story of gospel and jazz singer Ethel Waters.  It;s a one woman show and Nickie White is amazing both singing and acting. It's on tomorrow and next Friday and Saturday at First Presbyterian Theater.  On a scale of 1 to 12 I'd give it a 23!

the reviews are in

I had a jewelry party last night. It was really an excuse for people to see my new apartment.  I probably can stop saying new now. I've been here 4 weeks; met a young lady in the elevator yesterday who had just moved in two days ago. I guess I'm not the new kid (hah!) on the block any more.  There were a lot of firsts involved with this party - first brownies and gingerbread baked in my oven (it worked), first scrambled eggs for the friend who stayed over.  First cleaning up after a party. That was actually pretty easy. I found the comments about the apartment interesting. Most people loved the view. One friend said the place was too elegant for her. Obviously she didn't look closely at my furniture. Another said she thinks the apartment suits me. I really liked that comment and I agree.

a weird vision

Today the man came back to my apartment to put the new top on my desk. Two weeks ago when he assembled the office furniture I had purchased we discovered that a big hunk had been broken off one corner of the desktop. So today the new top was put on and now everything looks fine. But when he was finished he left me with the damaged top and the big cardboard box the new one came in. He said that some people cut off the damaged section and use the rest to make a book shelf or something.  That made me laugh because it reminded me so much of my husband's way of thinking. Always save everything, there may be a use for it.  After the furniture man left I hauled the damaged top and the cardboard down to the place in the basement where I've been told to leave such things. A couple of hours later as I was leaving for a meeting I walked past the place where I had left the stuff on my way to the garage and saw that it was gone.  That got me to wondering. Do they really recycle all the big cardboard boxes and other stuff (like desktops) that people leave down there or is there, somewhere in the depths of the basement, a room full of stuff that might come in handy someday?  I hope I'll never know.

the ultimate downsizing

For the last couple of months I've been patting myself on the back because I managed to downsize and get rid of a great deal of personal property.  Good for me, but recently I've been watching coverage of the Syrian refugees making their way to Germany to escape horrors at home and in search of a better life. In the footage I've seen the refugees are carrying small bundles of stuff and. often, their children, and that's all.  Talk about downsizing.  Ironically I know that my own ancestors left Germany for a better life here, bringing with them a few bundles and boxes and at least two spinning wheels - more than the Syrians have - and apparently on safer boats. I'm not sure I would have had the courage in either situation.

not all basements are created equal

One of the reasons I decided to sell my house this summer was that it had a big basement with a garage and much to much storage space that I really didn't want to take care of.  It occurred to me today that now I have an even larger basement, still finished, still walk-out, but this one has a laundry room with 10 washers and 10 dryers, a work out room with eight or none pieces of exercise equipment (none of which I've tried out yet but I plan to), long hallways, pop machines and a huge underground parking garage.  All very nice, but the best thing about my apartment basement is that I don'y have to clean it, ever. Hooray!

my old rocking chair

On my moving day four weeks ago the movers managed to move all of my possessions in tact except for two of the oldest - a picture that has been in the family since I was about five and the rocking chair in which my mother rocked me when I was a baby and in which I rocked my babies and my grandbabies. So you could say items of great sentimental value. I didn't discover that the glass had been broken out of the picture until two weeks after the move, too late to make a claim, so I took it to Frame Art this week and ordered new mat and glass, only this time I'm going with picture quality plexiglass. So the picture is taken care of. Now about the rocker, After the move, when the damage was discovered, the movers took the rocker with them, explaining that they would either be able to repair it or to make a financial adjustment.  I told them, and retold them in repeated follow-up conversations, that if they couldn't fix it I want it back. Today I got a call from a furniture repair company saying they had been contacted by the movers to repair my rocker and when could they come pick it up. I told the nice lady on the phone that the moving company still has my rocking chair and she said she would contact them.  Now I'm wondering if and when I'll ever see that old chair again.

strange messages

I dealt with two communications today that left me feeling bemused or amused or a little of both.  First I received two very stern  sounding phone calls (one in person, one left as a voice mail) informing me that I am in big trouble with the IRS. I hung up on one and deleted the other. Second I received a document in the mail telling me that one of the pensions that I receive monthly will now be handled by a different company. It took them 18 pages to explain this with frequent reassurances that nothing would change. Finally, on page 17, I found a phone number to call to inform them of my new address so I guess it was worth wading through the verbal swamp.

so close to stardom...

Some months ago a friend and I went to Chicago to try out for a commercial.  We did the preliminary interview, did not get the call back and assumed that was that. Since it's not that easy for me to get to Chicago I didn't submit any of the follow up information they asked for. Early this afternoon my friend called me and said she had been invited to try out for another commercial - they wanted cheerful, old fashioned grandma types (boy do we qualify) so I cheered her on and thought nothing more about it until I got home and received a phone call of my own, and an email.  I thanked the gentleman kindly but explained that I couldn't come to an audition or call back any time during the next couple of weeks. Will I ever get another call? Doubtful, but it's fun to dream.  If my friend becomes rich and famous she'll owe me big time because these calls were based on the interview they recorded of us together.

balloon bonanza

We saw lots and lots of beautiful balloons at the Balloon Fiesta in Albuquerque. It was a visual feast of brilliant colors and fancy and funny shapes - flying cows, pigs, stagecoaches, Darth Vader and so much more.  The only possible negative was that balloons seem to have to launch at dawn so we were at the balloon park by 5:30 each morning. It was worth it.  The dawn patrols and mass launches were simply beautiful. Now I'm off to bed and I really won't care if I'm not up in time to see the sunrise tomorrow.

not flying quite so high

I'm off to see some balloon launches over the next few days.  It should be a spectacular sight. However the flight I was dreaming of taking in a hot air balloon is not on the agenda any more - not since I found out that the cost would be $429!! I will just admire the show from the ground and, when I need a lofty experience continue to enjoy the view from my balcony.

I can see clearly now...

or at least I understand something a little better. The last few mornings have been foggy and the view from my balcony has been hazy.  I'm used to fog at ground level and have driven through some fairly dense patches and been confused sometimes when the weather man says something like "Visibility at the airport is less than two miles." It doesn't seem like I can see two miles when I can't even see the traffic light until I'm under it. But up here on my balcony where I can see for 10 miles (possibly 9 as the crow flies) on a clear day it becomes very obvious when I can only see for two miles. And on a tangent subject why "as the crow flies"? Why not the sparrow or the pigeon? What about an eagle or a hawk?  Why does a crow get all the credit for flying straight?  Do crows actually fly straight?  Maybe as the crow flies is a longer distance??? For that matter I can't remember the last time I actually saw a crow fly.  They're usually sitting clustered in trees making raucous noises. Perhaps I should do some research on this (when I'm fogged in for three days and have exhausted all other possible forms of entertainment).

Possibly the world's most perfect food

unless you have allergies, of course.  If you haven't guessed already, I'm talking about peanut butter.  That amazing spread (which I am presently snacking on) which can be eaten by the spoonful, on apple slices, on celery, on crackers, creamy or crunchy, on bread (white or wheat) - sweet with jelly or banana slices, tart with olives or pickle slices - the possibilities are endless.  Perhaps I should write a peanut butter cookbook?? Peanut butter and chocolate fondue anyone?

seeing the space station

I heard on the 6pm news that the space station would be passing over and visible at 8:05pm for five or six minutes. The announcer said it would be coming from the south west and visible if I looked ENE so I did.  I had a great view from my balcony.  Promptly at 8:05 I saw a bright white spot tracking across the sky just where it was supposed to be.  Then, just as it was fading on the horizon, another brighter light went tracking across the same piece of sky only this one was flashing three different lights.  Was it the space station or a plane or a visitor from outer space?  I may never know, but one way or another I saw it.

my "fortress of solitude"

Another reflection on my apartment. When I walk in here after being gone most of any day I lock one door, with a lock and a deadbolt, and feel comfortably alone and secure. Granted, I can also lock the sliding glass door that opens on to the balcony but I'm not too worried about that.  If someone is determined enough to climb up or down to my 10th story balcony in an effort to break in here I'm pretty sure he/she would just break the window and come on in.  But that's not the point.  In the house I sold I had six doors (4 up, 2 in the  basement) that led outside, either directly or through a garage. Five of those doors either had glass in them or a window immediately adjacent so for 33 years that house was never really secure.  Granted I didn't waste any time worrying about it but now I only have one door not to worry about - so relaxing.

Possibly too much of a good thing

Today my son-in-law delivered the items I had ordered from my grandson's band fundraiser a couple of months ago.  It seemed like a good idea at the time, buying something I could really use instead of the usual candy or cookies, which I certainly don't need more of.  However when he delivered the laundry and dishwashing detergent I had ordered I realized that 10 gallons (in two 40 pound tubs) of detergent is more than I had envisioned.  The tubs are sitting in my kitchen now while I figure our where to store them.  Happily, they come equipped with pumps that can be inserted to get the goo out and into manageable containers.  I'll tackle that tomorrow.  Oh well, at least I won't be buying detergent for a while. Perhaps I'll pump it into small bottles and give it away for Christmas.

An interesting factoid

I met another neighbor today.  Her name is Brenda and she lives at the east end of my hallway with a white fluffly dog. She started our elevator conversation by saying "Oh, you're the new tenant in the split bedroom plan." I agreed that I was and learned that she has lived here for several years and her husband's parents also.  Her parting shot, as she was walking down the hall was "This is a very safe place to live. There hasn't been a robbery here since 1978. I find this very reassuring but, of course, now I'm wondering what happened in 1978.

another walk around the block

Keeping the promise I made myself.  This afternoon I ended up with some unexpected free time so I took  a walk. One block up and over from my apartment is the Fort Wayne Museum of Art. I think this will be a great place to walk to and through, accomplishing my daily hour of walking with at least some of it inside. Should be a good plan for winter, right? So I joined the museum, then, after a browse, walked on through the park around the block and home. I find I'm really liking walking on sidewalks as opposed to very busy country roads.  I know, I know, I'm easily entertained.

Rapid delivery

Yesterday I stopped at Office Depot and ordered a new desk and file cabinet because, of all of the things I got rid of, I should have kept my desk.  Turns out I have a perfect space for it here and lots of stuff that really only goes well in a desk. So I bit  the bullet and bought a new desk. That was yesterday afternoon.  This morning at 9:00am I got a call from Rhonda in the office down stairs telling me there was a delivery for me and she would send it up. While I was waiting for it I got a call from Office Depot telling me my order had been shipped. Nice timing. Anyway I think a one day turn around was pretty good. Next step - get it assembled. An assembly guy is coming on Friday to do that. That gives me a day to clear the space where I've been stacking stuff while I decided that I needed a desk.

When does it feel good to pay bills?

When you have money in the bank of course.  Today the deposit I made after my closing finally was cleared and I could start paying off some of the debts incurred while getting the house ready to sell.  One step was to get a cashier's check made out to the window company and the new owner so he can hand it over when the window installation is finished to the buyer's satisfaction.  I delivered it to the buyer's wife at the house today.  It felt a little weird to pull up to what used to be "my house" see strange cars in the driveway, not have a garage door opener in my car and need to ring the doorbell.  Even stranger to see furniture in the rooms that doesn't look at all familiar.  Some things hadn't changed though.  The windows across the front of the house are still the same old windows even though Bill (the window guy) called me last Wednesday to tell me the new windows had arrived. Ah well, it's not my battle to fight any more.

life on the river

I figured out today that the river that runs past my apartment is the St. Mary's.  I figured this out when I drove across the bridge I can see from my balcony and saw the sign that said St. Mary's River.  So far, in my sporadic observations of the river (I tend to stroll out on my balcony about six times a day) I have seen three pontoon boats, one kayak and one canoe.  Also four ducks. I'm obviously living in the fast lane now.

An unexpected benefit

Today my granddaughters had a youth group meeting downtown at our church. My son texted me and asked if he could just hang out with me for the two hours of their meeting, 5 to 7 pm. I said sure - I always like company - then realized I didn't have anything I could serve him for supper so suggested he bring my daughter-in-law along and we would walk across the street to Hall's for supper.  They both thought this was a fine idea. We enjoyed our supper then came back and "hung out" here. What a handy apartment.

fulfilling a promise to myself

One of the things I've been looking forward to since I'm living downtown now is the chance to walk on sidewalks in relative safety. I've also been thinking that, while I'm living here, I'll be able to walk to special events. Today I accomplished both.  I walked for 35 minutes from my apartment to Parkview Field where I enjoyed Fort for Fitness.  It was inspiring to watch all those runners crossing the finish line after running in various races while I sat in the stands eating sweet potato fries.  A friend of mine (my age) took part in the 4 mile walk/run event. Her time was one hour, ten minutes - somewhere in the middle.  She's a walker, not a runner. We met up after the race, walked 20 minutes to where she had parked her car and she gave me a ride back to my apartment on her way home. Maybe next year I'll try the 4-mile walk.  I wonder if they'll let me use my cane?

a very funny play

I saw a very funny play at First Presbyterian Theater this evening, "Escanaba in da Moonlight".  I've always wondered what goes on when men go hunting in the wilds of Michigan, the UP that is.  Last week I worked front of house during the play and could hear some of the dialogue even though I couldn't watch.  I thought it was mildly humorous.  Tonight I could appreciate how much the physical action added to the play. It was hilarious but you really had to be there. It's on for one more night if anyone is interested.

I'm back!!

Never did find out if we have free wifi in the lobby here but today I got connected again.  It took the Frontier installer almost 4 hours but I have my internet connection and my land line (same phone number) and suddenly the world and I are back together. I think it's interesting how dependent I've become on technology which I didn't have at all for the first three-fourths of my life, Except for the phone of course but that hardly counts as the same instrument.  Do you remember rotary dials or, further back, boxes on the wall with crank handles? Text referred to the words on a page and was not a verb, and pictures were taken with a camera.  Isn't life fascinating?

Free Wi Fi?

The list of amenities published on the Three Rivers Apartments website lists, among other amenities, free Wi Fi in lobbies.  I hope that's true.  I also hope they have some comfy chairs in the lobby and don't mind me sitting around in my pajamas in the evenings.  I finally (after many days of phone tag) heard back from Frontier today.  They are only too happy to hook me up, and I have decided to keep my landline but the earliest they can hook me up for phone and internet is Sept 24 so I may not be able to blog for a while. I also will be dependent on my cell phone which will be a good test of if I need my land line at all.  Time will tell.

FHA appraisal results

Well, I heard the results of the appraisal today.  The house appraised for over the purchase price so that's good.  However the appraiser required that two windows be scraped repaired and painted.  The buyer, who is very anxious to move, by this weekend if possible, came over today and fixed and painted the two windows. Of course those are two of the ten windows that will be replaced on Thursday, a fact that I was told not to share with the appraiser because it might delay the closing.  Now we have to wait for the appraiser to come back out and check the repairs (which will probably happen on the day the windows are being replaced). Isn't life fun?

Well, now I've done it.

Today I served the last family dinner that I will have in this house. We celebrated three birthdays, the food was good and everyone seemed to have a good time. My son wandered around the house, inside and out, admiring the emptiness and, I think, saying some private goodbyes to 33 years of memories.  But, as he and his family were leaving he asked if I would be having a Halloween party in my new apartment.  I kind of thought I was passing the party baton but maybe not.  Luckily my big old dining room table is moving with me.

A Far Cry

Saw an interesting musical group this evening a 16 piece chamber string orchestra called "A Far Cry" from Boston. They played 20th century orchestral music by a variety of composers, mostly from South America. At the intermission I asked a friend who was sitting in the row in front of us how she liked the performance so far.  Her answer, "Well they're very skilled musicians and I do enjoy watching their facial expressions. I was feeling a little bit the same but found myself enjoying the selections in the second half much more.  In fact by the end when they played a very traditional rendition of "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes" as an encore it seemed rather ordinary by comparison.

Some will come, some won't.

I was talking to a friend at church before a meeting the other evening, telling her about my 10th floor apartment. I'm very excited about it but she said "You know I can never visit you there." Turns out she has an elevator phobia. Who knew.  Then we got to laughing because in all the years we've know each other (about 32 since I joined First Pres) she has only been to my house twice.  On the other hand one of my cruise buddies can't wait to see the place. She's bringing supper and coming to help me empty some boxes the day after I move in.  Now I just have to learn how the buzzer works to let people in. I'm hoping she will be the first of a steady stream of visitors or maybe a steady trickle - I do have a finite number of friends.

They don't make it easy.

I spent more time than I should have today trying to get electric and Fios service for my apartment. Yesterday my rental agent emailed me an information sheet with the phone numbers I should call for electric and internet service. I started with I & M, called the number provided, explained my situation to a pleasant sounding young man who, after many questions back and forth, told me that they didn't have any record of electrical service to my new address.  Seemed strange to me.  I have to assume the tenant before me had electricity.  He told me to call the apartment complex and get the meter number. So I called and was told in no uncertain terms that I&M never needs the meter number and Three Rivers definitely has electricity. She did some phoning for me, called me back and told me the young man had been using the number 3 instead of the word Three in the address.  I called back, got someone else, explained my situation and finally got things set up so I will have electricity.  That will make my life easier.
Then I decided to tackle Frontier.  I called the number provided, left a voice mail, got a call back within the hour. The nice lady told me to call a different number. I did, got voicemail, left a message, finally left to pick up my granddaughters from school.  When I got home there was a message waiting on my phone - someone returning my call.  I called the number provided, left  another voice mail message, after being assured by their recorded message that they were open.  So far no call back.  I'll try again tomorrow.

Simple minded

or simply brilliant??  Sometimes I amaze myself with my own brilliance. Of course it can be very slow in coming. I have been having a small glass of red wine after supper each evening, for medicinal purposes of course.  Dr. Oz recommended it.  This habit means that I have had to learn to get the corks out of wine bottles.  I'm doing pretty well at this. I've only had one cork crumble and I haven't broken a corkscrew in over a year. However I found myself struggling to get the cork back in the bottle after I had poured out my drink. It came out, it should go back in, right?  but it wouldn't fit, until one evening I turned the cork around.  The skinnier end, that had been at the top of the bottle slipped right in.  Brilliant, right?  I'm sure every other wine drinker in the world already knows this logical fact so why isn't it printed on the bottle, or on the cork - maybe a discrete little arrow and the message "put this end in first, dummy".

News about Stonehenge

I've always been intrigued by Stonehenge. I was lucky enough to see it a few years ago and it's just as wonderful and mysterious in person as it has always seemed in pictures.  So when I heard on TV this morning about a new discovery at Stonehenge I was interested.  It seems scientists have discovered, three miles from the center of Stonehenge, a row of stones that are now three feet underground.  I'm not sure if they are arranged in a giant circle or just in a row. The interesting thing is it looks like all of the stones were originally positioned standing upright but then at some time knocked down.  One of the commentators said it was like a giant row of dominoes arranged and then knocked down.  It seems those prehistoric people had way too much time on their hands.

nail biting time

Tomorrow the FHA appraiser is coming to do the appraisal on my house for the buyer's loan.  My logical mind tells me that the house is not overpriced and it will appraise with no problems. Unfortunately my worry genes seem to have overridden my logical mind. I am beset with "what ifs" and the worst part is I won't know the results of the appraisal until sometime next week. What if the house doesn't appraise and the deal falls apart after I've moved out? What if the appraiser decides I need to install a new septic system? (I recently heard a horror story about that happening to a seller.) What if I just go to bed now and hope for the best? I think I'll go with plan C.

great idea but it confuses the customers

I went to a movie today with some friends.  We went to Coldwater Crossing and saw "A Walk in the Woods", an excellent movie with some amazing views of the Appalachian Trail. It brought back memories of camping in the Smoky Mountains.  I think the aging heroes made it even more appealing to people of my age.  Lots of good humor, however we weren't laughing so much at the seating arrangement.  This is the second time I have attend a movie at Coldwater Crossing since they installed their super new plushy reclining seats, really very comfortable. The seats are wonderful but the requirement to select your seat from a chart when you buy your tickets slows down the ticket buying process. The next problem is the way the seats are marked.  The seat numbers are posted on the ends of the armrests which caused a certain amount of confusion - I was assigned seat 8 in row I - is this the seat to the right or left of the number 8? Add that to the fact that the letters identifying the rows are small and hard to see, especially if you come in after the previews start and the fact that some of the seats were evidently sold twice, made for an entertaining show for those of us already seated as people searched for their seats. The movie was great, the seats are really comfortable, but I don't see the necessity for assigned seats.  Ah well, nobody asked me.

Boxing

Not the kind where you hit people, the kind where you load stuff into them.  I am beginning to have a very fine collection of boxes sitting around my house. After selling and donating and trashing 4/5ths of everything I owned, how can I still have so much stuff?  And now I'm at the point that I don't really want to get rid of anything more.  So I'll just keep boxing and hope that all that closet space in my apartment will be enough.  Several years ago my dad downsized from a 3 bedroom house with a full basement (and I do mean full) to a tiny studio apartment in an assisted living facility. Of course he was 86 at the time.  I read recently of a woman who downsized to the point that she only owned 100 items. Hah, I have more than that in flatware and glasses.  To top it off, I spent some time today making a list of things I "need" to buy.  I guess I'm not really clear on the concept of downsizing.

Well, I've broken the ice...

...metaphorically speaking. Here it is early in September and I've actually ordered my first Christmas gift for this year. Nothing like needing to buy stuff for my granddaughters' fundraiser to get me motivated.  One down, many, many to go.

Saying goodbye slowly

I'm moving to my apartment in two weeks. I've been envisioning a slightly sad moment as I drive away from the "cow house" for the last time. Until I discovered that I had to come back the very next day  at 8:00am to let the window installers in, and the day after that to let the cleaning crew in.  Ah well, sooner or later I'll say that farewell. In the meantime I'm eyeing the apple tree which is loaded with apples this year and trying to decide if I have time to make one more batch of applebutter. Oops, just remembered, I've already packed my cookbooks.  I may have to make applebutter in my new apartment. Decisions, decisions....

Things I'm not allowed to stay

I picked up two of my granddaughters after school today as I do every Wednesday and Thursday.  In conversation as we were driving home I was informed that I am too old to use words like cool, awesome, rad, dude, etc. All right. I have a broad enough vocabulary to struggle along without ordinary expletives. However this is the last straw.  After receiving a funny e-mail from the older of the two aforementioned granddaughters I responded LOL only to learn that I'm no longer allowed to use LOL. Really?? None of my super cool, rad awesome friends of my own age have ever complained.

Do I sound like a lush?

I scheduled a bone density scan today.  This is one of my favorite physical tests.  You just lie on a flat surface while a machine hums above you, no pain, no discomfort.  As opposed to, say, a colonoscopy or endoscopy (same thing I think). Prep for that test, which I have coming up in October, is not fun. But back to the bone scan. In preparation for the test this Thursday I needed to answer several questions. I'm happy to say I knew all the answers but I was brought up short when the lady on the phone asked me if I smoke or drink alcohol. My first impulse was to say no, which is still the correct answer for the smoking question, but then I remembered that I have been drinking a glass of red wine every evening after supper. Dr. Oz says it's good for me.  So I told the lady "Yes, I drink one glass of wine each evening." To which she responded "Uh huh." Such a skeptic. It's a good thing she didn't ask about my chocolate covered almonds habit.

one more thing on my list

 I've just added another event to my "not gonna do that" list. I admit this doesn't sound as scary as sky diving or bungee jumping off bridges (both very high on my "not gonna do that" list) but I've decided, after seeing an example on TV, that I will not be trying gravy wrestling.  So don't bother to invite me to your next GW event.

happy news, sad news

I had an unexpected visit this afternoon from my cousin and his wife.  They had come to my sale a few weeks ago and decided to stop by to see if I had moved yet. We had a lovely visit and they shared lots of information about their children and grandchildren. That was all good. On the other hand they told me that one of my other cousins (one who was also about 10 years older than me) died about six weeks ago.  I had no idea and now I feel really bad that I didn't attend her funeral. But really, how hypocritical is that?  We weren't close. I hadn't spoken with her in  about five years.  My first reaction was I need to do a better job of checking the obituaries.  My second thought was I need to do a better job of staying in touch with family members. I think I'll work on the second one.

Fort Wayne Taste of the Arts

I had a wonderful time at the "Taste of the Arts" festival downtown today.  Great food, great musical performances and a reminder to me that within a few weeks I'll be able to walk to downtown festivals all summer long.  Of course I'll need to wait until next summer for most of them.  One of the unexpected pleasures of the day for me was meeting a local (also nationally known) church music celebrity.  My friend and I stopped at the Trinity English Lutheran booth and Al started talking with a friendly man  whom he introduced to me as Bob, their youth choir director.  After a little bit of conversation something clicked and I said "Bob? Are you Robert Hobbey?" Turns out he was and I explained that I know his name because we play a lot of his music in our church. We then had a fascinating conversation about the music he has written for the Pope's visit to the US. He will be in New York to hear both pieces performed.   How exciting is that?

A happy insurance surprise

One more step toward becoming a renter.  I checked into my apartment's requirements for renter's insurance today and was told that they require $100,000 in personal liability insurance plus whatever property coverage I choose. This seemed a little steep to me but maybe they are concerned about people falling off the balconies. Whatever??? I called my insurance agent and explained what I needed. He said their standard renter's insurance policy included $300,000 in personal liability so that part sounded ok.  Then he asked me how much property coverage I wanted. I suggested $10,000 but he told me their minimum was $16,000.  Ok, how much will all this cost? After working through the new computer system which his national franchise had mandated, while we chatted for about ten minutes about the weather and our grandkids, (he has been my agent for 33 years after all) and considering that I have never had a claim on my homeowners insurance in all this time, he finally came up with a number $142. A month??? No, no, $142 a year, about $12 a month. I'm liking renting more and more.

rapidly approaching broke

I thought that I might have budget problems between now and that time my house closes. You know, like making payments on windows and carpet and stuff, but it turns out the financial pressure is coming from my grandchildren.  In the last week I've agreed to purchase candles, a coupon book and detergent, all to help school and/or band fund raisers.  School is obviously back in session.

lost and found

Happy to report that my terrible problem from last evening has been resolved. This morning I realized we had probably booked our flight with American Airline, found a phone number on their web site, called and spoke with a robot who was able to give me my code number. With that I could pull up our flight information which I printed out so I won't loose it again. Let's hear it for a low tech, old fashioned phone call (well, except for the robot voice).

Lost on the internet....

Dumb move of the month - a couple of weeks ago my friend and I ordered some plane tickets on line for our trip to New Mexico in October.  We searched out the information on my computer but paid for the tickets with her credit card so she could get the points.  I carefully wrote down how much I owed her and have since written a check to her.  What I neglected to do was print our the flight information. I know where we're flying from and the dates of the flights but don't know how to retrieve the actual information, like, for instance, the airline we are flying on.  I'm hoping my friend can track it back through her credit card charges.  Any other suggestions?

Wouldn't you just know it?

I had an email from a friend this evening asking for the route I had driven home from Washington state last year.  It's a route I like that avoids Chicago traffic. Her daughter and family are coming from Idaho to visit and she wanted to make the drive as easy as possible for them.  That's all fine and I was happy to provide the information but I realized that I didn't know where my atlas was. After a little digging I found it in a box bound for the used book store. After sending the information I began wondering what else I have given away, sold or trashed that I will go looking for in the months to come. I fretted about this for a few seconds, then realized I can always google it.

advice from the oldest man in the world

I saw an interview on TV this morning with a man who is 112 years old, believed to be the oldest living person in the world. His secret to a long life "Take it easy." He said it in Japanese but that was the translated gist. I'm happy to say I promptly followed his advice, spent this afternoon at Lake George relaxing on a deck, chatting with friends, enjoying the view of rain speckled lake and sipping wine.  I know how to follow good advice when I hear it.

Who needs an ice maker?

I do, that's who.  About a week ago the ice maker in my refrigerator started making strange noises and stopped making ice.  Because of their schedule and mine, the friendly Sears repairman was not able to come until today.  In the meantime, because I really like ice in my ice tea and ice water, I had to remember the recipe for ice cubes.  Once I remembered the recipe  - fill ice cube trays with water, place in freezer, wait patiently - I realized I had another problem.  In my zeal to clean out my house and give away or sell anything I didn't have a use for, in preparation for my move, I managed to get rid of the ice cube trays that used to lurk unused in my cupboard. So I half filled little plastic cups that are usually stacked in my guest bathroom, and set them in the ice bin.  It worked and I managed to have enough ice to get through the week. Today the necessary repairs were made and I now have ice in abundance. Hooray!! But now another question is haunting me. What if the refrigerator in my apartment doesn't have an ice maker?  Will that be a deal breaker, or will I, gasp, have to go shopping for ice cube trays?

giving up my land line???

I'm debating whether I want to keep my land line after I move or just get along with my cell phone. My daughter and family gave up their land line recently and I'm still able to stay in touch quite easily. More and more of my friends and family are calling or texting me on my cell these days. I admit that I really enjoy texting. I started keeping track a couple of weeks ago of calls received on my land line and it seems that 90% of them are trying to sell me something, ask for a donation or "give" me something.  My favorite was the caller with a very thick accent who informed me that the US government had selected me to receive an award of $9,000. Right! I laughed and hung up. Maybe I should keep the land line for its entertainment value??

a fine addiction

I must admit it. I have an addiction. Not cocaine or meth or even alcohol. My addiction is to old episodes of "Friends". My enabler, or maybe it's my supplier, is Netflix. Case in point - this evening I decided to watch one episode.  Four episodes later it's too late for me to write a decent blog.  I may need to join Episodics Anonymous.

Last Comic Standing

I have a new favorite reality show, "The Last Comic Standing". Some of the jokes are a little off color but overall there is a lot of good, original humor. My favorite so far this evening - a young comedian said he had just written his will and left everything to his grandma because he loves her so much. Then he mailed her a copy just in case she was thinking about writing hers.

the boxes make it real

Yesterday the movers delivered a large stack of boxes in a variety of sizes so I can start packing up everything for my move.  Even though I've been planning this move for a couple of months now suddenly it seems much more real. And suddenly I realize I'd better get busy.  This stuff isn't going to pack itself, but putting everything into brand new fresh smelling boxes will be satisfying.

family history I never knew

I was sorting through even more pictures today and came across a box of very old pictures of my husband's family.  These pictures seem to date back to the 1920's or earlier.  Among the pictures were some newspaper clippings (mostly cut out without any date). These are typical notices of funerals, weddings, visits to their home towns, the usual.  However, in among them I found a small notice that my mother-in-law and father-in-law had been involved in an auto accident in their roadster and Helen (who was 33 at the time, so two years before my husband was born) ended up in the hospital with some broken bones. The first article quoted the driver of the other car as saying that they ran into the back of his car.  However a later clipping said that they were suing him for $5,000.00 because of her injuries. $5,000.00 was a good amount of money in 1931.  Unfortunately there was no more follow up information.  Did they win the lawsuit?? Sadly, there is no one left on that side of the family to ask.

sorting through pictures

Today I started one of my last "sorting" projects before my move. Pictures, many many pictures, two big deep drawers full of snapshots.  Some pictures are easy to keep - old pictures of parents and grandparents, pictures of grandkids, pictures of friends.  Some are easy to get rid of - unidentified scenic views, blurry unidentified scenic views, mystery people.  Some I can give away like packets of pictures that belong to my daughter.  Why are they in the drawer?  But some are a bit more problematic. I'm not keeping pictures of my ex children-in-law but what about a picture of my daughter in her wedding dress from that first ill fated marriage?  I guess if it was easy I would have done this long ago.  My plan is to save the best family pictures, arrange them chronologically, and have my son copy them onto a cd or whatever electronic device he recommends so I can hand on to my kids one little cd or memory stick of pictures which they can then tuck away in a drawer until they start sorting stuff out.

curiosity satisfied, decision made

Well, I finally got to see a condo in Midtown Crossing in downtown Fort Wayne.  This was my other option if I liked it better than the apartment at Three Rivers. I was underwhelmed.  Too much work, a strange floor plan, just not my cup of tea. So I have decided to rent at Three Rivers for at least one year to see if I really like living down town.  One thing I keep hearing from friends "but there are no grocery stores down town." Today I timed the trip from the apartments to Kroger on North Clinton. The drive took seven minutes. Where I live now it takes me 12 minutes to get to the nearest grocery store. So I guess I don't see the problem. There's also a little convenience store in the apartment building in case I run out of milk or something.

Really??

Now I've seen it all.  I have lived in my present house for 33 years. It's located on a fairly busy street and for some reason people driving by seem to think it's ok to throw stuff in my yard. Over the years I've picked up sandwich wrappers, soda cups and straws, beer cans, pop cans, cigarette packs, pieces of wood and plastic and more, much more.  Happily, only about one bit a week but after 33 years it adds up. But today, for the first time ever someone threw a pillow in my yard.  A pillow?? Appeared to be a standard size bed pillow with a blue pillow case. Happily tonight is the night to put out the garbage so, after pushing the cart out to the curb, I gingerly picked up the pillow by one corner and dropped it in the bin  Now the pillow is gone but I'm still left with the burning question - why would anyone toss a pillow in my yard? Any ideas?

miracle cure

It was a faulty battery, wouldn't hold a charge, so now I have a brand new battery and my little blue car is humming along again.  Everything is still under warranty so no cost for anything, that's good.  No explanation though of why a battery in a car with 2200 miles on it should go bad. Perhaps it's just as well that I didn't get an explanation.  I had some necessary electrical work done at my home today and the helpful electrician spent 15 minutes explaining what they had done and why.  After a lengthy lecture on wires and double taps and new sub breaker boxes and three lines vs four lines and so much more I came away with this - I know which breakers go to which appliances (nicely labeled, thank you) and which master switch will turn off the stove. If the buyers need to know more I will give them the electrician's name.

good day, bad day

Today started well. I picked up two granddaughters for the day. Made a few phone calls before we started our day of roaming the mall. Discovered that I could get a larger apartment on a higher floor. That's good. We drove to the mall, had lunch there, all good, decided to come back to my house for a while before returning them to their home. Still all good. After relaxing for a while, we hopped in the car (my 2015 Fiat with 2200 miles on it, that I have only owned for four months) and discovered that it wouldn't start.  Dead as a doornail (whatever that is). No lights, no grinding noise, can't get the key out or shift gears. Not good.  It's in my garage, not in the mall parking lot or along the road somewhere. That's good.  Called the Fiat dealership, after several left messages and attempts to reach someone (not good), discovered it's all covered by warranty. That's good.  A nice man came from the towing company, jump started the car and hey presto! it started right up. "Let it run for about 25 minutes." he said. So I thought that would be a good time to drive the girls home.  Backed the car out of the garage, put it in drive, and it promptly died. Not good. Called for service again. Knew the process a little better this time. told them to send a tow truck this time which they did. Actually a flatbed truck. That's good. Watched my car being driven away, not good. Will find out tomorrow what's wrong. Clinging to the promise that everything is under warranty. That's good. Realized, after everyone was gone that I had no way to get to a meeting I was supposed to attend this evening. Not good, but realized I really didn't care about missing the meeting. Called, made my excuses, emailed my report, relaxed for the evening. That's good.

Thin places

We did something different at our church today, we moved our worship outside to the courtyard. It was a lovely service; the day was overcast and breezy but no rain, perfect to sit outside and I appreciated the emphasis in the hymns and sermon in praising God through and in nature.  In the sermon the pastor talked about "thin places" on this earth where we feel closer to God. He mentioned that his thin places were always on the water - lake, river, ocean - any body of water.  Naturally I started to think about my own thin places and I realized that my "thin place" experiences always involve hills or mountains. How strange, since I grew up in very flat country, or maybe it takes something out of the ordinary to sharpen one's awareness.