Snow Day!

We're going to have lots of snow tomorrow according to the weather experts.  All day they've been predicting up to 10 inches, maybe more, of snow, most of which will fall during the day tomorrow, And all day I've been dithering about if I should try to go to church in the morning.  It sounds like the worst will come from mid-morning on so it might be trickier driving home than actually getting to church. what to do?  What to do?  I had pretty much decided to stay home (even though we are scheduled to have our big annual meeting tomorrow) and then, just about an hour ago, hooray, hooray, the message came through text alert that our church is closed tomorrow, so, goody, I can stay home with a clear conscience.  I think I'll bake some muffins.

Another apparent advantage of being 70

Well, now I'm feeling even better about being 70.  I heard on the medical segment of the morning news that a recent study showed that heavy consumption of alcohol in middle age leads to a much higher incidence of strokes. They didn't say anything about seniors drinking and what effect that might have on our health. In fact moderate drinking in later years appears to be good for you. So I guess I'll continue my glass of wine a week habit.  Cheers!

my magnum opus

Every year, since I started my current job five years ago, it has been my job to put together the Annual Report for our church's annual meeting which always happens on the first Sunday in February.  I don't have to write everything that goes into this book, thank goodness, but I'm the one who pulls it all together - 48 pages of committee reports, financial reports, statistical reports and more.  Today this year's report was delivered from the printer and it looked good, no glaring errors, and I realized that that job was finished for the last time!  I left work today with a really big grin on my face. Eight more days, one more newsletter, two more bulletins and I'm done.

I can wear purple now.

For years I've claimed that I can't wear purple, it tended to make my skin look greenish - not a good look.  Mind you, I like the color, just not on me.  But this past Christmas my brother and sister-in-law sent me a lovely, warm fleece jacket that happens to be a pretty shade of purple.  Well, what should I do, wear it because it's comfy and warm or leave it in the closet because I'm reluctant to wear the color?  Happily, I have reached a phase in my life when comfort wins over style on a fairly regular basis so, of course, I've been wearing it.
In fact I was wearing it today when my daughter popped into my office, looked me up and down and said "I like you in purple."  Well, what do you know?  Maybe its the gray hair, but I guess I can wear purple now.

Things I nwill miss

I'm counting down now - 11 working days 'til retirement, and I'm starting to think about things I will miss.   One of the things I will miss is occasional conversations with children in our Day School.  A little girl today proudly showed off her new backpack and spoke at some length about her new Barbie doll.  Eventually she got around to mentioning that yesterday was her birthday and now she's 5!  Later in the day, I was walking past one of our kitchens as a gaggle of 3-year olds came out of the kitchen each carrying a cup or bowl of ice and following their teacher like a row of little ducks.  They were marveling at how cold it was and how it couldn't spill, pretty cool. Their teacher was talking with them about how cold it is in the Arctic.
These conversations I will miss, but the ones that happen in the rest room - not so much. Questions like "Watchyadoin?" as I'm coming out of a stall or washing my hands tend to leave me less than charmed.  I've taken to making up answers like "I'm rowing a boat to China." or "I'm in a rocket flying to the moon."  I do get some strange looks but at least I get some fun out of it.

Blue Bird School Buses

As I was driving carefully to work this morning because of the slippery road conditions I ended up behind a school bus since the schools had a two-hour delay.  As we drove carefully along I happened to notice a decal on the bus's back bumper that said Blue Bird.  Wow! Blast from the past... Throughout my youth and childhood I spent a lot of hours on Blue Bird buses. In fact, I think if anyone ever did a study they would find a correlation between children who rode school buses many miles over bumpy country roads and adults who develop back trouble (but that's a subject for another blog).
I caught myself thinking "I didn't even know they still made Blue Bird buses." Then I got to wondering who "they" were and so I googled Blue Bird Bus and discovered that the company has been building buses since 1927.  Note: I was not riding in the original bus, although there is a nifty picture of it on their website. I discovered that the factory is located in Fort Valley, Georgia, they now have 1500 employees, they bill themselves as the "world's finest school bus" (who am I to argue?) and they sell their buses in more than 60 countries. The one burning question that still remains is why the name Blue Bird?

a new recipe

I love to try out new recipes when I'm cooking for someone else, which makes sense when you think about it.  Why would I go to the trouble of cooking up a big new recipe just for me? Today I had volunteered to make a vegetable dish to feed some people at a homeless shelter.  Someone else was bringing the meat and still another person brought dessert so it was a pretty easy assignment.  At first I thought about scallop potatoes but was told someone else had done that earlier this week.  So I started flipping through a favorite old cookbook and discovered a yummy  sounding broccoli casserole recipe and I must say it was quite tasty; broccoli, slivered almonds, grated cheese, mushroom soup, all mixed up together then topped with canned onion rings. I hope the people liked it, I couldn't stay to find out.  I think if I ever make it again I'll add some bacon bits (everything's better with bacon) and maybe some mushrooms.

shark tank troubles

I think Shark Tank is a fun, sometimes fascinating show.  It amuses and occasionally amazes me. This evening for instance people have pitched a sling type doggy carrier that lets you carry your dog in a snuggy sling across your chest, a ninja card/dart board game, and now drum pants that let you play music wherever you are.  For some unimaginable reason, the sharks have been underwhelmed this evening. But wait, two of the sharks have made offers on the drum pants.  Really, two offers on drum pants, and the inventors can't decide who to accept.  And they just lost one offer and now they've lost the other one.  Such drama, such sorrow.

pondering distracted driving

How much distraction is too much? I don't text and drive - it's all I can do to type out a text message on those tiny little keys while I'm sitting still on my sofa.  I don't talk on my cell phone while I'm driving or do my make up or drink hot coffee or any of a long list of things that might be considered distracting.  I do, however, like to listen to recorded books on CDs, and, while I don't change the CDs while I'm driving (my nifty CD player can be loaded with 6 CDs at a time) I must admit to getting pretty involved in the exciting parts of a story.  I've caught myself driving faster during chase scenes. I'm not ready to give up on my stories full time but I'm compromising.  Whenever I'm involved in white knuckle driving, you know, in ice or snow or pouring rain, I turn off the radio.  That's as much as I can promise right now.

"Drivin' in the Ice"

Not to be confused with "Singin' in the Rain". I woke up this morning to school delays which rapidly changed to school closings.  Not a sign of snow anywhere, merely drizzly rain which was freezing as it hit the roads.  Lots of slide-offs but I had to be at work by 9am so I risked it.  Used my usual technique, driving like a "little old lady" and made it to work with no problems. It may be a similar drive tomorrow.  Have I mentioned that I'll be really glad to be retired, able to listen to nasty weather reports, roll over and go back to sleep. Three more weeks.....

A quick step closer

Well, today I am one giant step closer to my retirement.  We have agreed on who will be hired to replace me (it will be official tomorrow) and, if she agrees to the proposed schedule, she will start on February 2.  Then, after one to two weeks of overlap, I will walk (skip, hop, run, boogie) on out of there two weeks earlier that originally estimated.  The fact that in this next three weeks I will finish the Annual Report, the next newsletter and two brochures, clean out all my paper and computer files and bring my replacement up to speed will make the leaving so much easier.

I'm getting out just in time.

As I may have mentioned once or several hundred times, I will be retiring in a few weeks and it appears that I'm retiring just in time.  I heard an interesting health report on the news this evening.  It appears that too much sitting is bad for your health.  Sitting for four hours at a stretch can increase your chance of becoming diabetic by 90%.  That was one of several interesting statistics.  Obviously all the sitting I do at work in front of my computer and during meetings is a hazard to my health.
I'm sure I'll be on my feet more when I'm at home but I would like to see a companion study on the effects of lying down (as in sprawled on the couch with a good book, which is definitely on my retirement radar).

differences and samenesses

I have now concluded all four of my Christmas gift shopping sprees with my grandchildren. I am officially exhausted. I did the last two this weekend.  My granddaughter on Saturday and my grandson today. The most striking difference was that when I shopped with my grandson we didn't look at a single article of clothing, no one. Which is good because I'm pretty sure I've seen everything there is to appeal to 10-12 year old girls in all of the mall stores and Target.  The other difference was lunch choices: Quedoba, Cracker Barrel, Culver's and Chuckie Cheese.  Chuckie Cheese was with my grandson today and we spent a fun hour or so playing games and accumulating tickets. The most surprising thing to me was that each grandchild wanted to spend at least part of their time and money at Target.  It seems to be quite an appealing store whether you're looking at clothes, bargains in the $1-$3 bins, cosmetics or Legos.  There are three Targets here in town, I've shopped them all and I'm pretty sure I should be qualifying for some sort of frequent shopper award.

Excellent test results

It's always good when things work out the way I hope they will.  Three weeks ago, on the day after Christmas, I attempted to give blood at our local Red Cross but was deferred because my blood pressure was two high - 152/128.  I was shocked, and a little concerned. Less than two months before at my doctor's office my blood pressure was 124/90, not great but in the ok range.  I knew I had been overeating (especially sweets) and had been under a fair amount of tension, what with remodeling a bed and bathroom, hosting a party and all the usual busyness of Christmas time.
So, I cut way back on heavy sweets, explored and sort of followed the DASH diet, which is supposed to be good for blood pressure, and agreed to try again to give blood.  They happily took my blood today. My blood pressure? 124/82.  I think this low sugar, lowish salt, lots of fruits and vegetables, whole  grains and nuts diet is worth pursuing.

Why is this funny?

A friend asked me at work today how many days were left until my retirement, I told her 24.  That's just work days, I haven't included weekends.  She laughed and seemed surprised that I actually had counted the days.  Why is that funny?  Little kids (and not so little kids) count down to Christmas and Birthdays and the end of school years. Believe me, this is just as momentous to me, so I shall not apologize for counting.  However I have not calculated hours and minutes yet.  I do have some self control.

the slick and the beautiful

When I woke up this morning the first thing I heard on the early morning weather report was that we were experiencing freezing fog and that there had been several slide off type accidents, so I gave myself permission to go back to sleep, at least until daylight.  It sounded nasty and scary outside. Then, when I did pull myself out of bed and made it to the kitchen to start the tea, I looked out the window and discovered that the tree outside my kitchen window had been meticulously coated, branch by branch, with a beautiful coating of thick white frost. Wow. It was breathtaking.

exploring the D.A.S.H. diet

I've been hearing a lot lately about the D.A.S.H. diet and how good it is for lowering high blood pressure and maybe even loosing or controlling weight.  It's been ranked as one of the best diets for overall health, so of course I was curious.  I bought an inexpensive book on Kindle and have read a little about it.  It looks like it involves eating lots of fruits and vegetables, low fat dairy products, minimal amounts of lean meat, nuts, whole grain breads and other good stuff.  It also stresses lowering your salt use.  So far, so good.  I could go along with a lot of what they suggest and I appreciate that the book suggests starting slowly with one meal a day that follows the diet.  However, they don't seem to approve of butter. Hummm, low salt and no butter - this doesn't bode well for my famous salt and pepper buttery popcorn. I may have hit a snag.

too much of a good thing

What if you have too many good applicants for a job?  Until today, based on the interviews I've participated in, I was pretty sure who I would vote for to take over my job but today we held our fifth and last (I think) interview and she was really good, so now I'm conflicted and glad that I don't have to make the final decision.  On the other hand I'm tremendously reassured that there are two good and seriously interested candidates for my job. That end of February retirement is rapidly becoming a reality.  I'm so excited.

sucked in again

Are you a fan of "Downton Abby"?  I am. I didn't mean to be.  I actually missed the first show of the season last week but tonight I watched it, thinking I would switch to another show if I couldn't catch up with what was going on.  An hour later, I realized I was hooked again.  It's such a wonderful "high brow" soap opera.  Budding romances, mysterious jewel robbery, an illegitimate child, class snobbery, and so much more, all wrapped up in an elegant English setting so I can admit to watching it and not be looked down. It's no wonder I love that show.

The wonderful old picture

Last month I celebrated my 70th birthday and one of the very best birthday gifts I received was a large framed print from my brother.  This particular picture has been stored at his house for some time but originally it hung in the living room of our family home for all the years I can remember.  It is a softly colored scene with small buildings in the distance, some trees, a long winding lane, and walking away from the viewer, a woman in a long old fashioned leading a little girl by the hand.  When I was very young my mother would rock me on her lap (in a rocking chair which still sits in my living room) and tell me stories of where the mother and her little girl were going.  I don't actually remember any of the stories but I remember the experience.  Needless to say I am thrilled to be reunited with the picture.  Now I just need to decide where to hang it, locate a stud and hammer in a very heavy duty hook so I can hang it.

Let's hear it for sunshine..

The weather forecasters seem to be having a lot of fun these last few days.  They seem to delight in telling us about the wind chill factor and bandying about numbers like 25 below and even, gasp, 30 below but they never talk about sunshine.  Lets hear about the "sun warm factor". It was, according to it's built in thermometer, 10 degrees outside as I started my car to leave work today but the car had been sitting in sunshine all day and it wasn't too cold inside at all.  As I walked out of work, I stood and talked with a friend in the parking lot and it didn't feel too bad because the sun was shining down on us.  As I drove home I was delighted to see how much clearer the roads were than earlier in the day - thanks to all that sunshine again. Wouldn't you like to hear a weather report sometime that said "the high today will be 10 degrees but if you stand in the sunshine, sheltered from the wind, it will feel like 30 degrees."?  I would.

more job interviews...

We did two more interviews today with people applying for my job.  These two both happened to be young ladies just finishing their bachelor's degree at IPFW  Both were very nice and had a lot of the abilities we're looking for, but they seemed so young.  I don't mean to be ageist, but they seemed so young.  On the other hand, maybe if they hire someone just out of college they can train them up in the way we want them to go.  I was impressed that one of the ladies came to our church last Sunday just to check us out.  She admitted to being Lutheran (we didn't ask, she volunteered the information) but, being ex-Lutheran myself, I really can't hold that against her.  I think we have two more interviews to go next week and then it will be decision time. I'm glad I don't have to make the final decision and getting more and more excited that my time is almost over. Woo Hooo!!

The job interview

As I may have mentioned once or a hundred times, I am retiring at the end of February. Today I had the unusual and somewhat humbling experience of sitting in on an interview with a potential replacement.  She was good!  All kinds of related experience and know how that I wish I had.  Actually she has the qualifications I've been hoping for in my replacement, the ability to take the job to a higher (more contemporary) level.  I will be sitting in on two more interviews tomorrow.  I'm curious to see what these people have to offer.but honestly I will be amazed if they can top today's applicant.  We shall see...

wind chill -20

That's what they're calling for tomorrow morning - minus 20 degrees wind chill.  These are the kind of days that make me really happy I'm not Amish.  Nothing against their life style but riding in a car with a heater must be better that riding in an open buggy.  It also makes me really appreciate what I consider one of the great inventions of the late 20th century - the seat heater.  The car I own now has seat heaters in the front.  This is the first car I have ever owned with that feature but I will never own another one without it.

I'm hooked on Doc Martin

If you haven't watched the British series called Doc Martin, available on Net Flix, I don't know whether to recommend it or not.  It's great fun to watch, every hour long episode is an interesting story, but it's also quite addictive.  I find myself watching an episode almost every evening.  And every episode has an unusual twist that leaves me laughing or shuddering.  Case in point, in the episode I just finished watching the really weird brothers who, with their weirder father, were taxidermists,and whom the doctor successfully treated for Salmonella, presented him with a stuffed dog as a thank you.  I really didn't see that coming.

Resolution Number Four

Create a daily schedule for after I retire.  When I was a youngster (yes, I can remember back that far) my mother, who was a teacher, created schedules for our summer days.  That may sound terrible but it really was very comfortable.  We knew each day that we would have a couple of hours of chores but we also knew that we had play time and private time and that daily schedules could be flexible.  For example, on Wednesdays, when the bakery delivery truck came and Mom bought her usual order of bread for the week, she also bought a box of sugar glazed donuts and we promptly took a mid-morning break to devour them.  So anyway, knowing my basic personality, I think I'll do better when open days spread out in front of me if I have some sense of how I will fill them.  I also suspect that it will help me avoid over committing to volunteer activities.  it's amazing how many people have already approached me with suggestions for post-retirement volunteer work.

"Water, water everywhere..."

I am now the proud, and much relieved, owner of a brand new shiny blue pressure tank for my well and water is flowing through my house in a controlled manner through faucets, pipes, etc. as nature intended.  And, as a side benefit, I have a jump start on my third New Year's resolution - to clear out the playroom.  It's quite empty now and the floor is freshly mopped.  Of coursed the years and years worth of accumulated toys are now scattered around the basement family room, pretty much dried out.  Ah well, one resolution at a time.

Resolution Number Two

Resolution number two is "buy a larger mop!"  Had a little excitement here at home this evening.  I was just finishing up my after supper chores when I heard a large crunching noise coming from somewhere in the house.  I was curious of course but didn't go exploring right away.  However, a few minutes later, when trying to fill the cat's water bowl, I discovered I didn't have any water.  So I went down stairs to the utility room and quickly discovered that I actually had quite a lot of water but is was running all over the floor of the utility room and play room.  I turned off the water pipes but the water just kept coming.  Called my faithful family plumber (my sister-in-law's brother-in-law) who listened to my rather panicked explanation of what was happening, calmly told me to turn off the breaker to the well pump and he would be right over. As soon as I flipped the breaker the water stopped flowing and I started mopping.  Tom (the plumber) arrived in about 20 minutes, bless him, confirmed what I had begun to figure out for myself - my well pressure tank had sprung a massive leak. I should have know that rust around the bottom was not a good sign.  He left, saying he will be back sometime tomorrow with a replacement.
I continued mopping and two hours later with dry (or at least only damp) floor all around me I decided I really need a larger mop.
The good news is the water doesn't seem to have spread to any carpeted areas.   I'm really glad this happened while I was at home, could have been so much worse.

Resolution Number One

Here's a sign that one is not the world's greatest house keeper (or maybe cook, you choose).  The sun shone brightly in my kitchen window this New Year's morning, splashing a great deal of light on my black stove and revealing that it was dusty. Dusty?  How does a stove get dusty?  2015 Resolution Number One - become a better house keeper.  Mind you, I'm not aiming for perfection, just a higher level of clean.