A While Back

This is a circular cut from a tree that was cut down in our back yard since we moved here in 2007.

It reminds us of the blind date we had sixty-seven years ago. It was a picnic which Lee's mother fixed for us with fried chicken.

Ever since that date, he has been in my thoughts every day. 

I think it's the same for him.

Ceiling Fan Woes

In our middle bedroom which I guess you could  call the guest room, we have a tiny little ceiling fan. It is really cute. I went in to turn on the light so we could see the area when the new O2 machine was delivered.

No light. I pulled on the chain for the fan. No fan. So of course I tried the light pull again. The glass globe fell off, hit the bed, the carpeted floor and bounced off the bed leg and broke.

So now we have no "globe" in there or in the computer room. It seems the one in the computer room doesn't want to stay in place either.

The naked light bulbs remind me of pictures from the depression with bare light bulbs in a room.

I try not to look up at them.

More on Miss Smith

I turned on Smerconish at 8:00 CDT this Saturday morning (CNN) He had the story about Kate Smith with this follow-up.

A transcript (no audio is available) of a radio program from 1945 has been found with a long section of Miss Kate Smith commenting on tolerance and the need for hatred to be taken away from our society. It was very moving. This was right after WWII had ended and reminds me of Frank Sinatra singing "The House We Live In" which can be found on YouTube.

In the words of a black man who was beaten in California after a traffic stop, "Can't we all just get along?'

And later:  Sunday morning, April 28th, CBS Sunday Morning program stated that the New York Yankees had played the recording of God Bless America by Miss Smith during the seventh inning stretch. They have stopped doing this now. They also mentioned many other singers who sang songs similar to the ones mentioned before. George M. Cohan, Al Jolsen and others that I do not remember.

It was a different time - not a "good old days" time but different.

You can't change what happened but you can learn from it.

Non-Political

I hope no one thinks this offering is political. I don't mean it in that way.

The way I want this to be viewed is just STUPID.

When I was a kid, we listened to Kate Smith on the radio. She had a wonderful voice. She was even in a few movies. She introduced the song, God Bless America.

She was inspiring and I admired her success. She showed that people could do well without being a typical model figure. (She and my mom were quite similar in build.)

This item has not received much notice in the news or maybe I have missed it on the tv media. I did see it on the internet. Because she sang two songs in the early thirties that mentioned black people as "darkies," they have wrapped her statue at the Flyers stadium in cloth and are considering removing it altogether. I understand the Flyers played a recording of her singing before the game or at the half. They have also stopped that tribute.

I do not agree with removing our history.

What will they remove next?

Really?

This month started out with six dates marked on the calendar with various doctor appointments. With one canceled and three added that makes eight.

Luckily we live close by but this is ridiculous. None scheduled in May and only one in June.

I hope that remains the case.

Another Challenge

Backing out of the drive, the garage door didn't go all the way down. I was on the way to a doctor's appointment so we didn't have time to mess with it.

When we came home it was still half way up - or half way down. I managed to lean over enough to get inside so I could unlock the front door. We tried to call a company who had worked on the door before. No answering machine or notice that the number is out of order. Just a fast busy signal that has a name in the telephone business but I can't remember what it is. It might be called a "reorder."

I called our neighbor and she told me who had installed her new garage door. We called them and they were out here within an hour! Another hour and it was fixed! I love it when you get good service.  It was a little over one hundred dollars but that's not bad for same day service.

Quiet

It's too quiet in here.

The dogs are missing the company but not as much as we are!  We had such a great time seeing two great nephews, a great niece, a niece, a sister and a brother! I'm glad I married someone with relatives. None of those classifications appeared on my side of the family.  Being an only child does that. (How I hate that term - it's usually preceded by the word "spoiled."). I got plenty of whoopins when I deserved them. And plenty of love too.

They are now on the road west with a stop in Dodge City planned.  We know that between western Kansas and eastern Colorado there is not much to see but the Rockies will make up for it.

Safe trip for all and come back again!

The complete group with black Jack who is getting grey like the rest of some of us.

Visitors from the East and one from the South

Here is our group selfie very handled by Number One. (Lee can't remember the boys' names.)

Only one missing is Jack, the black dog. But the bully, Jill, is looking very cute (and a little heavy.)

Saturday

We have a visitor from the south that arrived last night. So glad to see her!

Now we are waiting for five visitors from the east. So far we have news that there were maintenance problems on two planes. No later bulletins so maybe that is the good news that they have left Ohare. Not sure how you write that O'Hare? Anyway, Chicago.   More later.

The group arrived from the east and what a nice group they are! The dogs loved them as much as we do! We talked and talked and ate. I introduced them to Kroger's Death by Chocolate ice cream. There are no Kroger's in the east! I think they thought it was ok but there were no excited yells of joy. After a long day of flights delayed and an hour car ride from our nearest airport with an airline available, I imagine they were all pretty tired.

Maybe I over sold it.

Spring and a Fall?

We are still alternating between warm and cool days here. Yesterday we had to run an errand. After getting out of the van with a small box in one hand, I went to the two steps that lead from the garage into the utility room. I grabbed the handle that Lee put up several years ago to help steady someone entering the door.

Suddenly, I felt myself slowly slipping down toward the step. My legs felt like pipe cleaners with no wire in them. I didn't fall or hit the floor hard; it was more like melting body parts (legs.)

Luckily Lee was behind me. I turned my legs around so they were out over the steps and with his help he was able to get me up.

Wow. I don't know what that was.

So today I am doing my own physical therapy. Strengthening those thighs (which are actually about the size of pipe cleaners.)

Strangely, the back is better.

Thursday Morning

We got the phone call from the doctor's office. A fracture of the L2 vertebrae is confirmed.


Oh Snap!

Appointment will be set up with pain doctor.  I think that is better news than an appointment with a surgeon.

Time Marches On

At ten minutes till two I get a phone call. Can I come in at 2:15 for the MRI?

Yes, I can.

I had not had one of those procedures for several years but I did remember that there is a lot of noise involved.

I arrived and after a bunch of questions, they placed me "in the machine." What kind of music. I don't care. Western? I don't care. Old Western? I don't care.

It's good that I did not care because I could hear no music except a faint sound in the left ear. Right ear was filled with terrible, loud, horrible noise. Half way through the twenty minute ordeal, the voice broke in and asked if I was doing ok. I told them the noise was very loud in the right ear. They said it might not be on tight. Well, they put it on. I don't mean to sound bitter because the helpers were all very nice. They just need to advise how loud the noise it and check the head phones!

So I may hear something about the results tomorrow afternoon.

Another Appointment

The next to the last of five visits for the two of us to the clinic this month to see various doctors.

My back is still whacked so an x-ray was ordered. Phone call several hours later says there may be a fractured vertebra. (oh joy) So tomorrow I'll get a call telling me when to come in for an MRI. (more joy)

How can you fracture something with no fall, no blow to the back - no injury? Osteoporosis?

We'll see, maybe.

White Grape Juice

I like white grape juice and bought a bottle of it some time ago.

I found this in the fridge. I guess I had been ignoring the bottle in the back of the "ice box."

I took a look at it yesterday and the white has turned purple. I believe I will pour it out.

The use by date is 8-31- 2017. I double checked and this was the oldest thing in refrigerator.

Saturday - where does the time go?

An aching back slows me down but the days fly by without posting in the blog.

With nothing happening, except cold temperatures, there is not much excitement.  Old movies and working on Blue Hues, the name of the newest afghan, is about the extent of the days.

Is It Like This Everywhere?

Today it was 84.

Tomorrow's high is forecast to be 47.

It happens in Kansas a lot.

Mom's Jelly

I read a blog today about making jelly and jam from a gift of fruits and juices. My mind went back to a story that I remember my mom telling friends. (Why do we remember certain things from when we were a kid? I wish I had a better memory from that time.)

Anyway, my mom could never make jelly and make it Jell! It always was a thick liquid which we used on biscuits or toast but it was never jelly.

Our neighbor Avis Minor, made wonderful canned things and was best known for her jelly. She told mom she would come over, watch her and she would assure her that it would "jell."

They spent the morning making the jelly. I don't remember what kind she tried. The next day, Avis came over and in the kitchen where the jars were lined up, she grabbed the nearest one. Before mom could say No, Avis turned it upside down over the linoleum floor space. That is how confident she was that it was perfect.

There was thin, runny, juicy jelly splattered all over the floor. They had a good laugh and cleaned it up. Avis could never understand what went wrong when she watched every step of the process.

Two Trips Today

First trip for peanuts for the squirrels plus Gorilla Glue which luckily was available at the same store.

Second trip this afternoon for the $3.37 SMALL milk shake for Lee. I passed on that item.

Maybe only one trip tomorrow.

I certainly hope so.

Bad Back

Man! It's hard to do stuff when your back is out of whack.

Load the washer. Check.
Let Lee load wet towels into drier. Check.
Mopped (Swiffered) the kitchen floor very slowly and gently. Check.
Let Lee run the sweeper. Check.
Did the haircut routine that saves $10. Check.

Now resting.

Yes. We Found the Broom

Lee happened to glance over in the corner of the garage near the fireplace outcropping.

There was the missing broom. That is absolutely the weirdest thing. We looked all over that garage and we did not see it. How is that even possible?

Maybe someone is trying to "gaslight" us. (I loved that movie, by the way, even though it was cruel and scary.) Charles Boyer was able to make you believe he was truly evil.

Wonder what amazing thing will surprise us next.  ( I won't even mention the extra walking aid that Lee forgot about.)

Seventy-three Degrees

What a nice day. We got out to go see a doctor at the clinic. Lee thinks she's too young to be a doctor.

That's what happens when you have watched three doctors retire from 1959 and you need to seek a new one! They just look too young.

Saving Money

Our grocer has a card available. We use it every time we buy groceries. Yesterday the card was not in my wallet.  Lee had gone into the store last week and he had used it.

It was my fault I didn't check my wallet and I left the keys in the car with the key ring card on it so Lee could listen to the radio if he wanted to.

So I get to the cashier and no card. But I know our phone number! It wouldn't key in on the device. So the cashier tried to key it in. Nope. Then he asked me what the expiration date was on the card.
What?  I didn't know they expired. So nothing worked.

My receipt was the shortest I have ever received there. No discounts on anything. And at the bottom is an invitation to get one of their cards. And - "You could have saved $12.21 if you had had a card."

Bummer.  I'm still mad at myself for not checking my wallet for the card, for leaving the keys in the car and for the device not accepting my phone number.  AND for the cashier unable to key in the phone number.

The nice customer behind me offered to let me use his card.. .. .. is that even legal?

Getting into College

Several generations ago when I graduated from high school, I remember taking the test at the local  junior college to see if I knew enough to enroll there. As far as I remember, my mom and dad did not know about it except that I was taking the test. I don't know if it was called a SAT test or college entrance exam or what! I do remember that I was nervous because I wanted to do well.

A generation later, our boys both enrolled at the "community" college. Someone decided "junior" was demeaning. I had no conversations with them about taking the a test for entrance. Later they both dropped out of the local school and went to Kansas State University.  Again, no contact with them about testing.

So what happened from the 1980's to the present time when parents are arranging fake tests, fake athletic scholarships and other illegal ways to get their kids into preferred schools?  Maybe this was happening years ago with large monetary donations and it was kept quiet.

Wouldn't life be simpler if everyone just told the truth and stopped cheating to advance their position in  life?

Notes from 1834

Someone in my dad's family researched his family. I have a copy of the results. There are twenty-four pages of names beginning with my dad's great grandfather, born in 1789.

Thomas Brown married Nancy Markly in 1810 or 1811 and they had sixteen children over the next twenty-six years.

In a side note, four children died from scarlet fever during a two week period in 1834. One boy was fifteen; three little girls were six, eight and nine. Henry, Christiana, Lucinia, and Rebecca  were gone.

How fortunate we are to have vaccines. It is a terrible thing that some people do not believe in protecting their children.

Sugar Mill

This building is 140 years old. It originally was a sugar mill. Later it was used for various purposes.  About a week ago the elevator shaft collapsed in the back. The people who own it do not have the money to restore it so it will be razed. 

A little more history gone.