Don't go there

 Two of my travel buddies were visiting this weekend and on Sunday afternoon we decided to go to a movie.  We didn't really know what was playing but read the descriptions on the posters at the theater and decided on "Spiral" which sounded like an interesting police procedural / adventure movie.  Well, it actually did have a fairly interesting story line about some mysterious avenger killing supposedly crooked cops. However, since I spent about half of the show with my eyes shut to avoid seeing all the blood and gore, I may have missed some of the finer points of the story line.  Bottom line, if you have to choose one movie to NEVER see in your whole life, make it "Spiral."

Almost

 My oldest granddaughter will be 19 in June.  My oldest grandson will be 20 in June.  Another granddaughter was 18 in November and the youngest turned 17 in May. 20, 19, 18, 17.  How did this happen?  I don't mean how are they stairsteps age wise.  Two sets of cousins explains that.  I mean when did they grow up?  I'm not sure I approve and they certainly didn't ask my permission.  I remember a time when I wondered if I would ever drive a car without booster seats.  Now they are all driving.  Since they all live nearby, I spent many afternoons picking up one child or another from pre-school, then fast forwarding to middle school, still giving them rides.  I've attended pre-school graduations, fifth grade basketball games, middle school concerts, baton recitals, marching band competitions, football half-time shows and more.  Next week I will be attending the third high school graduation.  Admittedly, last year it was by live stream, but I did "attend."  Actually, considering how long the graduation ceremonies take, attending from my recliner wasn't all that bad.  But, this year I will be there in person again.  Just as I was thinking they are getting so grown up, though, I received the almost 19 year old's birthday wish list, and decided to give her the Harry Potter cookbook she asked for.  It turns out she belongs to a Harry Potter Club at IU.  I guess they aren't too grown up yet.  

high expectations

 Back in the days before Covid, the ladies in my book club were in the habit of having lunch at The Deck after our weekly meetings.  It was a flexible arrangement but we came when we could.  For the last many months we have been meeting by Zoom, and, obviously, eating in our own kitchens.  But last week it was announce on the news (no kidding) that The Deck was opening this week.  Hooray!  We are still meeting by Zoom but decided that we would meet at The Deck for lunch anyway.  We were going to go on Tuesday, a lovely sunny day, but there were too many conflicts so we opted for Wednesday, when it rained and rained and rained.  Lucky for us Hall's also has indoor dining so all was not lost, and, being the persistent types, we will try again next week.  Also lucky for me, when I was switching purses, I found a Hall's Gift Card to me from my daughter.  It was a 2019 Christmas gift.  Better yet, it hadn't expired.  :)  Hooray for eating out again.

interesting decoration

 On Sunday our youngest pastor was ordained so now she's a Rev.  After the ordination service there was a reception.  That in itself is not surprising but it was the first real reception at our church in 14 months.  A few times they handed out wrapped cookies but that really shouldn't count as a reception.  At Sunday's reception we had little sandwiches and veggies and dips and cupcakes and actual coffee to drink, bliss!  However, there was one mystery at this reception that wasn't answered for me until today when I read the explanation in a Facebook post.  Leaning up against the walls all around the large dining hall were large, I mean really large (about 8 feet by 12 feet? maybe larger), pieces of plywood painted with slogans and flowers and various designs.  I thought maybe these panels were decorations for our children's art camp which is coming up in two weeks, but I couldn't figure out the theme.  Today I found out that these panels were actually the plywood covers put up over windows down town during the demonstrations last year.  Once they were hung on the buildings various street artists painted the symbolic decorations on them.  I'm not sure how our pastor came to possess these, or borrow them, but they were really quite effective.  I think she wanted them because they represented what was happening in Fort Wayne when she first came here.  It has been quite a year.

mask confusion

 When we all had to wear masks, everywhere we went, I was fine with wearing a mask.  In fact I positively liked wearing a mask.  A mask covers most of my wrinkles and my saggy chin and I saved a ton of money on makeup this past year.  I have actually accumulated quite a few cute masks by this point and am happy to keep wearing them if I only know for sure when it's required.  For example, our church has become much more relaxed about this whole mask issue.  If we have been vaccinated we don't need to wear masks in the church building, unless that is, we're working with children.  And, oh yes, if we're singing.  We are still sitting well spaced out during worship services and, for the most part not wearing masks, except our choir director has decided that we should still wear masks while we sing.  I suspect that he just doesn't want to hear some of us sing.  The problem here is that I need to wear my glasses to read the hymns, and as soon as I put my mask on my glasses fog up. By the time I get my glasses cleared, adjust the mask, find the page in the hymnal and stand up the hymn is over.  But it isn't just church.  Today I went to my bank and as I was walking in saw a sign in the door that said masks were required.  I immediately wondered really?? Or have they just forgotten to take down the sign?  I had a mask ready but as I walked in saw that none of the employees were wearing masks.  I was the only customer in the lobby so I decided that if they didn't need to neither did I.  No one yelled at me so I guess it was ok, but it was easier when I knew I had to wear a mask and that was that.

heard in church

 I mentioned a couple of days ago that I would be hosting a friend of our pastor's who is here for her ordination.  Well, we've been getting along just fine and finding lots of things to talk about.  We've done so much talking, late into the night, that I have forgotten to blog for three days.  But I'm back now.  At a church meeting last week we welcomed a young couple into membership.  During our conversation with them, the dad mentioned that we might have overheard his seven year old in church two weeks ago.  When the pastor, in her sermon, asked the question, "Be honest, how many of you find the Bible boring?" his son answered loudly "I do."  This reminded me of an incident with my son many years ago when he was only four years old.  We were sitting fairly near the front of the church (we had been a little late coming in) and the preacher was preaching about the evils of this world.  He repeated the word evil several times.  Suddenly, our son piped up, in a very carrying whisper, "Mom! He's talking about Evel Knievel!" I thought the man in the pew behind us was going to fall off the pew, he was laughing so hard, and the laughter quietly spread.  I'm sure the pastor, who wasn't the fun loving type, was wondering what was so funny about his sermon.  

company's coming

 I'm having company this weekend. In fact he should be here any time now.  As a general rule I really like having people to stay over.  I have a guest bedroom and a guest bathroom so it's very convenient.  What makes this weekend different though is the fact that this guest is a stranger.  Our resident pastor is being ordained on Sunday and she has lots of friends and family coming from all around the country so I said I would be happy to host one of her friends.  This is someone who has been her good friend since high school, twenty years ago.  When she was asking me if he could stay, she described him as quirky and nerdy.  Since I was married to one of those and am mother to another, I think we'll get along fine.  

a home town hero

 

Today I heard an interesting lecture on Philo Farnsworth, the inventor of television.  I understand there is some debate about did he or didn't he, but he did have the first patent on the system that made TV, as we have it today, possible, and actually developed the idea before he was twenty.  Farnsworth lived, and had two factories, in Fort Wayne in his later years.  A little later he worked for ITT here in town, which is why my husband, who also worked there (not at the same time) was always so interested in him, and how I first heard of him.  The house he and his family lived in is on East State Street, surrounded by a white picket fence so it's easy to identify.  When I was selling real estate, if I happened to be driving a client along State Street, I would point out the home of Philo Farnsworth.  I always got one of two responses. Either "Who?" or "Oh yes, the inventor of television."  

the nicest thing

 My son-in-law, who is an all around great person made me an offer today that I couldn't refuse.  My granddaughter, his stepdaughter (he is also the world's best stepfather) is graduating from high school on June 6th and I had hoped to go.  However her school decreed that the family is limited to four tickets, still some Covid restrictions, and those are earmarked for her mother, stepdad, biological father and brother, which seems right.  This morning, though, my son-in-law texted me and told me he is giving me his ticket.  I am thrilled of course.  After checking with the rest of the family to be sure they were all ok with this, I accepted gratefully.  Hooray!

too easy...

My oldest granddaughter is turning 19 next month.  She and her younger sister are very organized and that includes providing birthday wish lists with each item linked to the site on line where it can be purchased, making it very easy for someone like a grandma to buy them something they really want.  This evening I ordered an item for her and afterwards realized that I might be able to order something else I want, on line.  I have ordered things on line before but not very often. This was a simple little item that I had searched for at Kohl's and Walmart without success. The item is a mesh laundry bag, the kind you wash hose and other delicates in.  I googled mesh laundry bags and presto, I was presented with an ample choice.  I ordered a set of two and then (this is where the problem comes in) I started to play the "I wonder" game.  Since I found one item I wanted, I wonder if???  A half hour of google shopping later I had successfully ordered a new summer dressy cardigan and a new pair of shoes.  That's it.  I'm done.  Really, I'm done.  But it was so easy.  

pass the mushrooms

 Today is National Mushroom Hunting Day which reminds me of a story a friend told me at a high school reunion some years ago.  He assured me it was true and that he knew the parents of the people involved.  A recently married young couple went out mushroom hunting in the woods near their farm one day.  They found a lot of mushrooms, brought them home and started cooking the mushrooms for supper.  While the mushrooms cooked, they started to have second thoughts.  They were pretty sure that the mushrooms they had picked were not poisonous but not quite positive.  So they decided to feed some to their dog who had been circling around hoping for a handout.  The dog ate some and seemed fine so the couple ate the rest.  Suddenly the dog appeared to be having convulsions.  The young couple, who didn't have a car, ran to the nearest driving neighbor, about a half mile away and got a ride to the emergency room where they had their stomachs pumped.  After a few hours they seemed fine so they were sent home where they discovered that, in their absence, their dog had delivered seven puppies.

still talking

 A month ago I wrote about a Sunday afternoon face to face gathering with some friends in a church group.  I hosted it at my place and what usually was a 45 minute conversation, when we met via Zoom, stretched to two and a half hours.  Well today another member hosted the gathering. Delicious snacks again; five trays of crackers and dips, and a lemon sponge cake with raspberry filling for dessert.  Once again we talked and talked and talked.  This time it stretched to three and a half hours, including a brief discussion of Sophia (Wisdom) as mentioned in Proverbs 5-7.  So in a matter of three months we've gone from under an hour to three and a half.  We've scheduled our next meeting for June 27, and while I'm looking forward to it, I'm beginning to wonder if I should pack my pajamas and tooth brush.

a different point of view

 Today I rearranged the furniture in my living room.  Woo hoo! Right?  But wait, there is a reason behind this sudden urge for a change.  For several weeks now I've been going to physical therapy sessions for a pain and other problems in my neck.  Thursday I had a CT scan (still waiting for results) but on Friday something different happened.  Instead of one of the two therapists who had been giving me lovely deep massages and putting me through a series of exercises, they brought in the big guns, the head therapist.  Not sure if that's her official title but you get the idea.  Instead of massage she asked me lots of questions, showed me ways to improve my posture, asked about my sleeping habits and anything else that might have caused the apparent pinched nerve in the right side of my neck.  I'm not saying this is cause and effect but as we talked I realized that ever since I bought a recliner (just before the Covid shut down) and put it in place in my living room, I have been turning my head to the right to watch TV.  Not a lot, just a little angle and it never hurt, but I mentioned it to the therapist, and she seemed to think it was a possibility.  So today I pushed and pulled and shoved things around until I got things arranged so I can still relax in my recliner to watch TV but I'm looking straight at it.  It's a little soon to tell if this will actually make a difference, but it can't hurt,  right?

Will I or won't I?

 It's safe, they say, if you're fully vaccinated, to take your mask off when you're outside and inside, just about always, I guess.  It seems that while everyone has heard the latest CDC recommendation there is still an element of confusion.  Yesterday when I was having my tests done I had a mask on for the full time and so did everyone else; of course that was in a hospital.  Yesterday evening I attended a meeting where 12 of us boldly took our masks off while two kept theirs on.  This afternoon at therapy, masks on, then a quick stop at Kroger's, masks on.  Later this evening at a gallery reception at out church most people had their masks off, which was kind of fun.  I saw some faces I hadn't seen in months, except by Zoom.  Not knowing when I might or might not be required to wear a mask I can always keep one in my purse, but here's the problem, do I go back to wearing makeup everyday in case my face is going to be hanging out there, or do I take my chances, go without makeup (I saved a ton of money not buying makeup in 2020) and quickly slap a mask on if I see someone who might care how I look? Decisions, decisions.

An interesting day...

 Today I had a CT scan.  It was a very simple straight forward procedure because they were only scanning my neck.  I just laid down, put my head in a little head brace, held my breath a few times and it was over.  Great. While I was at the hospital I also had a blood test, easy, and both of my knees x-rayed.  The x-rays were a different matter.  No pain of course, but a very strange series of snapshots. I lost count after 20 or so.  I went in assuming that I would just lie down on a hard flat surface (I will not dignify it with the name bed) hold still and let the tech (he was a jolly sort who reminded me of Santa) take a few pictures.  But no.  He did take a few pictures while I was lying down but many more sitting, leaning and even on the 'bed' on my hands and knees so he could get views of the back of my knees.  Not a pretty picture in so many ways.  

not my day

Today is National Root Canal Appreciation Day.  My first reaction, when I heard this, is that I really appreciate that I have never, ever had to have a root canal procedure.  I started to wonder, who would appreciate root canals?  Certainly not anyone sitting in a dentist's chair.  Then the obvious answer occurred to me.  This is a special day for dentists.  I have no doubt that they do cheery little happy dances all the way to the bank after every root canal.  Today is also National Nutty Fudge Day.  I certainly appreciate nutty fudge way more than root canals but it occurs to me that this might also be a special day created by dentists to encourage the eating of nutty fudge which will no doubt lead to some kinds of dental work, probably including root canals.  I'm beginning to suspect collusion between dentists and candy makers.  Does that make me a conspiracy theorist?

What if?

 All through our lives we have 'what if' moments.  When we're pre-teens they can actually turn in to night mares.  Panicky ones like forgetting your locker combination or your class schedule or really embarrassing ones like showing up at school in your pajamas (although that doesn't seem to bother people these days) or worse, naked.  Gradually we mature and these what ifs are replaced by real life concerns like keeping a job and paying the mortgage.  But every once in a while a sneaky question pops into a person's mind like "What if I give a party and no one comes?"  That actually never happened to me but I do remember wondering sometimes, just before people were scheduled to arrive, if anyone would show up.  But that was years ago and now that I'm, gasp, past (make that way past) middle age, different concerns pop up.  Well not so different actually.  Today, for example, I went to a meeting at church.  It was a meeting of a yarn group that I belong too.  Some people knit, some crochet, some do craft work, I weave, and we all share our joys and concerns.  It's a very nice group and today's was to be the second time we have met since the church opened up for meetings again. It was scheduled to start at 3:00pm and I arrived at 2:55.  No lights had been turned on in our meeting room and I was the first one there.  No concern, I've been first there before.  So I set up my loom and got to work on a new project.  Time passed, about ten minutes, and finally one other person showed up, just as I was beginning to wonder, you know, if I was there on the wrong day, and it was good to see her, but since I had called her yesterday to remind her about the meeting, day and time, I wasn't really reassured.  What if I had the wrong day and time and had misinformed her?  We chatted amiably but after twenty more minutes passed I was really starting to wonder.  I'm on a group text with most of the people who come to this group so I sent out a text "Where is everyone?"  And the excuses started to come in - stuck in another meeting, running late, not feeling well, and so it went.  At least I knew I had the right day.  Even though this technically wasn't my party, I was feeling stood up.  Finally, 45 minutes into the meeting two more people showed up and we four had a good time.  And I came away feeling that I hadn't totally messed up.  Shades of junior high.  

 Today is Trust Your Intuition Day.  This morning I intuited that I probably ate too much pizza yesterday.  But I'm all better now.  My second flash of intuition is that I absolutely don't have anything else to write about tonight.  No close calls, no spine tingling escapes, no soap opera type drama.  Nope, nothing.  Good night.

Mothers' Day part 2

 I spent most of this afternoon at my daughter's house for the second part of my Mother's Day weekend.  They had asked me, a few days ago, what I might like for dinner, something I don't often make for myself.  After a little thought I suggested meatloaf.  A friend had mentioned meatloaf last week and I realized that I hadn't had it for a long time.  I used to make really good meatloaf but it's not something I typically make just for myself.  But that's a story for another time.  After I arrived at my daughter's house, my son-in-law told me he was leaving to go pick up lunch. Huh?  That didn't sound like meatloaf to me.  As he drove away, my daughter informed me that they had decided on pizza instead, because I had mentioned a while back that I don't get pizza very often.  I didn't have the heart to tell them that I had just had pizza yesterday, besides it had already been ordered.  Happily, today's pizza, from Marco's, was equally delicious.  Later in the day my son-in-law casually asked me what I had for dinner at Chili's yesterday.  So I explained Chili's being closed and confessed that I had had pizza yesterday also.  We laughed about it and I was sent home with more left over pizza.  Oh, I almost forgot to mention, dessert today was a brownie, still a little warm from the oven, topped with mint chocolate chip ice cream and I also brought home a brownie so all in all a delicious Mothers' Day weekend.  And oh, by the way, it was also a wonderful weekend because I was actually with my families, able to hug and laugh and just be together.  

Mother's Day, part one...

 This evening I had supper with my son and his family.  We were celebrating my youngest granddaughter's 17th birthday.  The evening didn't quite work out as planned.  My son picked me up and we met the rest of the family at Chili's at 5:00pm as pre-arranged.  So much for plans.  Turns out Chili's was closed.  For some reason they have restricted hours now, 11 to 4.  Maybe something to do with the shortage of workers I keep hearing about?  We were surprised that they would be closed on a Saturday night but quickly changed plans and headed across Coldwater to Blaze, a pizza place.  I've only eaten there once before but I seldom get pizza so it was actually more of a treat that Chili's would have been.  What I really like about Blaze is that each person gets their own made to order pizza.  I prefer mine with white sauce instead of red and they can do that.  After that they piled on all my choices, lots of cheese, four different kinds, pepperoni, bacon, black olives, kalamata olives, and a few other goodies.  It was the best pizza I've had in a long time, so happy mothers' day to me.  I did bring some of the pizza home and I think, yes I'm pretty sure, I'm feeling the need for a bedtime snack.  Good night.

world class...

 I am a world class procrastinator.  I put off some things because I just don't want to do them, like many forms of house work.  On the other hand, I put off some things because I want them to be done really well when I finally get around to doing them.  Happily, over the years, I've learned that it's better to just get things done, but it does help if I have a deadline.  Like company coming as a spur to getting the housework done. When I taught, grades had to be turned in by a certain time.  When I did mortgage lending, paperwork had to be ready for closings.  Now that I'm retired, I don't face those deadlines very often but this week I had two.  One was a rather detailed report that I have to turn in to Presbytery each year to let them know everything is ok with our church records.  The actual deadline for that was April 30 but at a Zoom meeting last week we were told that the deadline was flexible.  Really not a good thing to tell me, kind of an invitation to procrastinate, but, since I was almost finished anyway, I turned it in on May 5.  When I did so I was told that I wasn't the last one.  Kind of good to know.  The other deadline was more self imposed.   On May 14 we're having a reception for a show in our church gallery featuring art created by church members during the pandemic.  I've been weaving a series of four tapestries (I use the term tapestry loosely) that are symbolic of what we've been through during the pandemic.  As I finished each one I gave it to my friend who is organizing the show and she would hang it in the gallery.  Finally, this morning, I delivered the last piece, just in time for the show and for a camera crew from WANE tv who came today to film an interview with the people on the gallery committee.  I have no idea if my pieces will show up on tv but at least they are hanging in place ready for the opening next weekend.  And I am feeling no pressure at all.  It's wonderful.  Kind of what I thought retirement was supposed to feel like.

a delicious coincidence

 According to my west coast brother today is International No Diet Day.  Since I was planning to meet some people at IHOP for lunch I decided that that was a fine idea.  Not that I spend a lot of time dieting but this way I could not diet and not feel guilty.  In case you're concerned, I don't spend much time feeling guilty either.  Then, as I was getting ready to leave he texted again and told me that today is also Crepe Suzette Day.  Altogether excellent!  I checked out the IHOP menu, and, since I couldn't find any hint of Crepe Suzette on the menu I decided to settle for lingonberry crepes (delicious).  Every bit as good as Crepe Suzette.  Actually, I have no idea what or who Crepe Suzette is.  I should probably Google it sometime.  

nothing changed

 I rode to Indianapolis today.  Thankfully someone else was driving.  It was an uneventful ride to attend a Presbytery meeting.  During the meeting our young associate pastor easily answered all the questions asked of her, and was approved for ordination by a unanimous vote.  So all in all it was a very successful trip.  I was amused by one thing though.  It had been at least three years since my last trip to Indy but as we drove along I69, going and coming back, I couldn't help but notice that the road was still being repaired, and it seemed like the work was being done in the same areas as three years ago.  That couldn't be right could it?  Three years later and the work has only moved a few feet down the road?  I assume that Covid restrictions slowed things down a little, but working outside in the fresh air (well kind of fresh if you don't count all the vehicle exhaust) they might have moved a little further down the road.  After I69, on the way down, we hit a stretch of 4-lane highway that was so lumpy and bumpy that we could hardly hear ourselves speak.  That proposed infrastructure bill is looking better and better.

keep your day job

 This evening at 6:00pm I took part in a Murder Mystery game or party?  I'm not quite sure how to describe it.  Partying by Zoom is just not quite the same.  We did have fun though.  I was right. It was a circus theme. In fact, the victim was the ring master, Rhett Coate.  The names were a fun part of the program.  Isalotta Haire, the bearded lady was my favorite.  I played Tango Splatt, the human cannon ball.  My specialty was being shot from a cannon into a brick wall.  Needless to say I wasn't the brightest bulb in the chandelier.  No one guessed the identity of the murderer but no one seemed to care. An ex-girlfriend I think. There were some lines that I'm sure the original authors (I use the term loosely) hadn't anticipated.  "You're muted."  "I can't find my questions." and "There's someone at the door." to name a few.  All in all a fun, very low stress kind of acting (again I use the term lightly).  I will do it again if invited.

What's under that rug?

 My west coast brother, always on top of these things tells me that today is National Chocolate Custard Day and also National Lumpy Rug Day.  I told him I thought that either of those is better than lumpy custard, but now I'm wondering, what's under that rug?  How lumpy is it?  Lost Lego pieces make little lumps under rugs while a body would be a pretty large, obvious lump.  Woops, I may be thinking too much about murder mysteries.  Honestly, everything that I can think of that might make a lump under a rug is kind of disgusting.  I mean, what are the odds of finding a diamond ring or a bag of silver dollars under there?  Why would anyone want to celebrate a lumpy rug?  I guess I'll eat some chocolate custard and try not to think about it.

About that mystery

 I was just sent my information for the murder mystery play I'm supposed to be in on Tuesday evening.  The title is Murder at the Big Top.  Evidently a circus theme.  My character's name is Tango Splatt.  I like the first name since my current favorite series on Netflix is "Last Tango in Halifax.  I recommend it, but back to my role.  Evidently I'm not the murderer, and I'm pretty sure I'm not the victim, although, with a last name like Splatt, I do wonder.  I'm having visions of taking a misstep off the high wire.  Stay tuned.

It's a mystery

 Back in the day murder mystery parties were popular.  A scene was set, each guest was given a part to play, and while you ate dinner prepared by the host, you tried to figure out who the murderer was.  I participated in one or two of these events and hosted one.  I was even in the audience for a murder mystery dinner on a cruise ship once.  That was more fun because none of us had to cook.  Now there seems to be a resurgence of this idea.  This evening I was the audience at a murder mystery performed (and I use the word loosely) by a local Mensa group that a friend of mine belongs to and some of their friends.  It was fun in a disorganized sort of way since it was done by Zoom and we were cut off twice,  people forgot their scripts and had to go find them in another room, some over acted and some just had fun with it.  I thought it was fun, especially since as the audience there was no pressure on me.  So naturally I volunteered for the next one which is this Tuesday evening.  I'm supposed to get my script tomorrow.  At least, since we're doing this by Zoom, no one has to cook dinner.  I might have a glass of wine handy though, just to kind of numb the experience.