Finland, continued

I had very little concept of Finland before my recent trip although I did find the recent news piece announcing that the Fins are the happiest people on earth interesting. As I walked with friends along the sidewalks of Helsinki I didn't notice an unusual number of smiling people. I did notice lots of people walking their dogs and one man walking a cat on a leash. Maybe there is a relationship between pets and happiness.  I also noticed that there are a lot of tall people in Finland. Perhaps height relates to happiness?
Our guide for our city tour one morning pointed to the country-wide school system with free education for all students, kindergarten through graduate school.  I must admit that would probably sound appealing to many students in this country who graduate from college with outrageous student loans to be paid off.  On the other hand, their federal taxes range from 30 to 60 percent. So nothing is really free is it?  

back from the wilds

I've just returned from a trip to Finland with most of the time spent in Lapland, far beyond the Arctic Circle. Lots of snow and pine trees, reindeer and sled dogs, but no Northern Lights.  That was a disappointment.  It was all quite beautiful and we did lots of fun things but, as I was trudging along snow covered paths, I found myself thinking longingly of spring in Indiana. Hah!  Rain, rain, rain.  At least there was sunshine near the North Pole.  I hope to have some pictures ready to share tomorrow. Stay tuned.

it was a lovely wedding

I attended a family wedding in Biloxi, Mississippi this past Saturday.  My brother and I drove down for his grandson's wedding.  We were invited to the rehearsal dinner on Friday evening.  The Mexican food was excellent and it was fun catching up with relatives and ex-relatives.  I had a nice visit with my ex-sister-in-law (the grandmother of the groon) whom I hadn't seen in several years and a quick chat with my great-nephew's half-sister whose three children were in the wedding.  Also met the mother of the bride who is very nice. No surprise there.  Her daughter is very nice.  On Saturday we all gathered at an interesting historic hotel on the beach for the wedding, which was held on an outside terrace facing the ocean.  I'm sure the wedding pictures (and there were many of them) will be beautiful, as long as the goose bumps don't show.  It was a cloudy breezy day with a temperature around 57 degrees.  I sat there for the ceremony, which was very nice, bundled in my rain jacket, and watched the bride's maids standing and smiling in their sleeveless dresses.  The bride was also in a sleeveless, very pretty dress.  She was probably too excited to feel any cold.
The groom, on the other hand, was not in such great shape.  Turns out, due to flu or nerves, that he was really sick all day.  The wedding was held at 6:00pm.  At 4:00pm the groom was receiving a transfusion to rehydrate him.  He made it to the wedding, danced with his bride, and generally carried on like nothing was wrong for most of the evening.  
I'm sure the pictures will make it all look just lovely.

a close call

Sometimes you just have to say "Thank you, God." and presume that a whole bunch of guardian angels are working over time.  
My brother and I were driving home this morning from attending a family wedding in Biloxi, Mississippi.  It was a lovely ceremony, and we enjoyed our visit.  More datails about the wedding on another day.
We were leaving Elizabethtown, KY, our stop over place last night, early this morning, while it was still dark.  After a stop for gas,before we got to Louisville, we pulled on to I65.  My brother was driving and pulled into the middle lane when he could.  Just as he got into the middle lane we saw a semi trailer stopped dead in the right lane.  No flashers, no reflectors that we could see, and no tractor.  We were, of course, past it pretty quickly and within a few seconds came upon a semi tractor, with one trailer attached, pulled off to the side of the road.  Our best guess was that the driver had been pulling two trailers (we had seen several of these double trailer rigs while we were driving over the last few days) and his back trailer became detached.  It must have happened just before we came by because there were no flares or reflectors set out.  We were very relieved to see two police cars rushing to the scene.  I sincerely hope that no one plowed into the back of that dark trailer before the police got there.  It would have been like slamming into a brick wall at 70 miles an hour.  
Needless to say, we were saying thank you prayers for the rest of the blessedly uneventful drive home. 

cause and effect

According to a recent study, reported on this evening's news, morning people, those who gleefully leap out of bed at the crack of dawn, have all sorts of advantages over late sleepers.  According to the report those early risers tend to be happier, have better jobs and many other advantages.  That all sounded good to me.  Then they went on to say that these same 'early birds' tend to be married and have young children in the house.  
OK, back up the boat here.  I would never want to question the results of their study but I'm guessing that being married and having small children in the house leads to early rising and not the other way around.  Just a thought.

a curious report

I was amused today by the news report that several famous  wealthy people have been charged with bribing (in a convoluted scheme) top colleges to get their children accepted on athletic scholarships, even though the kids haven't participated in the sports involved.  What I don't understand is why bother?  If you're rich enough to bribe your kid's way into a top college, couldn't you just pay their way?  Oh, but wait, the bribes were evidently being processed through a fake charity, allowing the bribers to claim them as a tax deduction.  Clever, except now their facing tax fraud charges.  

the art of napping

A friend told me that today is National Nap Day.  Now there's a day I can appreciate.  Interesting that it comes two days after "Spring Forward" when we are all feeling a little sleep deprived.  Sadly, I didn't have an opportunity to nap today, but I am a big believer in naps.  It's a life-long love and something I do really well.  To be really effective a nap needs to happen stretched out on a couch.  I suppose a recliner might also work but I don't own a recliner.  Generally, my afternoon naps last 20 minutes.  I don't know why that is but I suspect it goes back to childhood training.  My mother always made sure that, when we weren't in school, we took a half-hour rest after lunch, each of us in our own bedroom.  Looking back from an adult perspective, I realize that this was her chance to get a break.  Wise woman.  Anyway, during those summery afternoon breaks I would generally read for a while, then doze off for about 20 minutes, before one of my less nap-happy brothers would wake me up.  In fact, on one memorable summer afternoon, I napped so well and so deeply that I slep through a fire engine arriving at our house, siren blaring, to put out a fire in the basement. Actually it turned out there wasn't a fire.  Our old dryer was simply billowing out lots of smoke as it gave up the ghost.  
In a similar situation later in my life, my college roommate can testify that I almost slept through a fire drill in our dorm, and the alarm was in the hallway right outside our room. 

Did they move?

I drove out to my daughter's house today to pick up some clothing she's loaning me for my upcoming cold weather trip.  It has been some weeks since I had been to their house since we had met for meals at restaurants or they came to my place more recently.  It had been some time, as I said, but I was pretty sure they would have mentioned if they had moved.  Imagine my surprise then when I drove into their driveway and saw two strange vehicles in their garage.  They often leave their garage door open so I can come in that way so that was no surprise, but the BIG pick-up truck and the little red car in the garage were.  
I had momentarily forgotten that my daughter and son-in-law trade cars like we used to trade bubble gum cards. Can't wait for a ride in that truck but I might get a nose bleed from the altitude.

spring forward

I am so ready to "spring forward."  Thunder is rumbling right now.  I heard a bird chirping ourside my window this morning, and the river has thawed and geese are honking as they establish their territories.  I've even heard that the outdoor temperature is supposed to get up close to 60 degrees later this week.
These all seem like sure signs of spring to me, and, as I said, I am ready.  I just don't understand why I have to give up an hour's sleep to get there.  Ah well, spring forward everyone.

another restaurant review

Finally, finally I was able to eat at a new, very highly reviewed. deli style restaurant today.  Pastor's Place, on Dupont Road near Lima, is only open for lunch so that's when some friends and I went.  It was a very pleasant experience made better because I was in the company of good friends.  Everyone enjoyed their lunches.  Among us we tried hummus, basil tomato soup, a toasted cheese sandwich, clam chowder, lobster roll and jambalaya. It was all very good and we were quite full when our waitress suggested dessert.  We were all ready to pass until she mentioned Key Lime Pie.  Well, not wanting to be rude or anything, we decided that we really should try the pie.  Sooooo good!! They also had some excellent looking cheesecake in the dessert case up front, which means I really do need to go back.  We learned, from observation, that 1:30 might be a good time to go.  The crowd clears out some by then. While this restaurant is currently enjoying the booming business that new restaurants in Fort Wayne always do if they are any good,  I thimk this one will be around for a good long time.  Try it!

a new prescription

I had my annual physical today.  I do these once every two or three years.  I met my new doctor and I like her very much.  She's young and seems very common sense.  Generally speaking, I'm in good shape, but I told her I was having a weird tingling sensation in my left shoulder. She checked my shoulders, said I am very tense in my shoulders and recommended I get some massages. Well now I have to do it, right?  I mean if the doctor tells me to, it's not a luxury. She also told me that I'm due for a colonoscopy but that doesn't sound like near as much fun.

Ash Wednesday

I attended a very nice Ash Wednesday service at First Pres this evening.  I'm not quite sure when Protestant churches started putting ashes on people's foreheads.  When I was a child that was definitely a Catholic Church practice and not something we did in the Missouri Lutheran Church.  But now many church denominations, Presbyterians included, are dabbing on those ashes.  Interestingly, when I got back to my apartment I rode up in the elevator with five other people (and two dogs) and no one made any comment about the cross shaped mark on my forehead.  Maybe they all knew what it was, although none of them had ashes, or maybe they just assumed that I always walk around with a big smudgy mark on my forehead.  

a taxing situation

I'm having my taxes done on Thursday.  That's local slang for having my tax returns prepared and submitted to the state and federal governments.  Last year I got a little bit back from the federal government but had to pay the state a big two dollars.
Years ago. long before my husband died, while he was working on our tax return one year he said to me "You really ought to learn how to do this.  If something happened to me you would need to know how." to which I replied "No, I will just take all my paperwork to a professional."  And that's what I've done for the last several years.  
I'm waiting for filing instructions to become really simple before I do it myself.  Something like "Record your total earnings here _$____."  "Now send it in."  Just kidding.  

I'm such a meanie.

The 4th grader I tutor on Monday afternoons was in an interesting mood today.  He read really well but then didn't want to continue playing the game I taught him when it looked like I might win.  He spotted his journal that I had laid out on the table and said he wanted to write something.  This was new for him.  He seldom writes more that four or five words, and then only with prodding. 
I gave him the journal and a pencil and he wrote "Miss Luci is mean to me." so I suggested that he make a lsit of all the ways I'm mean to him.  With a few suggestions from me he came up with quite a list.  I won't let him cheat when we play games, I make him read, I wouldn't let him lie on the table and I refused to let him get some coffee.  I don't give him candy and I don't have good handwriting.  I had no idea I was such a meanie.  
Before he knew it, he had filled a full page and we were both laughing.  I love it when silliness turns into a learning experience.

mixed messages

I'm taking two trips later this month.  One is just a long weekend sort of trip to Gulfport, Mississippi (I love to spell that state's name) where I hope it will be warm - at least warmer than here,  We will be staying in a very nice hotel on the beach and attending my grandnephew's wedding. The other is to Finland, specifically to far northern Finland where we will stay in a glass igloo and hope to see the northern lights.  It will be very cold there, or so I am told.  
So on the one hand I need to pack a heavy coat, boots and long underwear, while for the other event I need two fairly dressy and light weight outfits suitable for a rehearsal dinner and wedding.  
I tried shopping on line earlier this evening for a heavy winter coat but all the stores want to sell me are spring jackets and bathing suits.  Ha ha ha ha ha!  Not buying that.  
Have they stepped outside recently?  There is still a need for winter coats out there.
And speaking of coats, friends and family have been trying to help.  My brother gave me a coat that was very warm but a size XXL at least.  Fit his 6' 6" frame very well, but for me it was much too much of a good thing.  A friend has left a coat with me that I can buy from her.  She bought two before a trip to Iceland last year, decided to wear the other one and hasn't even taken the tags out of this one.  It fits ok but it's black, not the style I want, and just not very exciting.  I know, I know, picky, picky, picky.  It will be my backup as I continue my quest for the perfect puffy coat with 'fur' trimmed hood. Wish me luck.
In the meantime, what am I going to wear to the wedding?

The good, the bad and the rediculous....

In the last three days I have seen two movies and two plays, and it has been an amazing variety.
On Thursday afternoon friends and I saw "Cold Pursuit" staring Liam Neeson. If you like shoot-em-up adventure movies, this one's for you.  It was good, with lots of interesting plot twists. I would see it again.
On Thursday evenng we went to the First Presbyterian Theater production of Shakespeare's "Twelfth Night."  This comedy was very well done and lots of fun.  I will see it again because I'll be working front of house next Saturday.
On Friday afternoon we saw the new Madea movie - sorry I don't remember the full title.  This one couldn't quite decide if it's a comedy or not.  Some of the usual Madea style slap-stick comedy but also a lot of moralizing about infidelity.  I wanted it to make up its mind if it was a serious movie or a comedy. 
And tonight, as a kind of grand finale, another friend and I saw the musical comedy "Once Upon a Mattress" presented by the PFW Department of Theater.  This high energy telling of the 'true story' behind the legend of "The Princess and the Pea" was hilarious. The romantic interests were the weedy Prince Dauntless the Drab and the boisterous Princess Winnifred the Woebegone (nickname  Fred). One of my favorite scenes was King Sextimus the Silent (who can't speek because of a curse) trying to explain the birds and the bees to his son Dauntless using pantomime.
All in all, a fun few days.

Truth in advertising?

Perhaps I should be giving this company kudos for their truth in advertising.  A company who sells hot tubs ran an ad on TV this morning.  According to their copy their hot tubs are "available for an incredible price."  Notice that they didn't say "an incredibly LOW price" just an incredible price.  I haven't priced hot tubs lately (or ever) but I suspect that their prices run more toward the incredibly high side.  Ah well, as I said, I appreciate truth in advertising.