Silly Me

When I first thought about retirement, one  fear crossed my mind.  What would I do?  What if I became a recluse?  What if I never went outside the house?  What if I sat for hours on end, just watching television, playing on the computer, or staring into space?  What if each day my good intentions turned into "Well, I guess I can just do that tomorrow?" only tomorrow never came?

I remember sitting with Darlene Mellon at the West Central Retired Teachers lunch in May and mentioning to her that I was afraid of becoming a hermit.  She laughed and said that was the LAST thing she would expect me to be.

My sister has a great comeback every time I mention something that I did or somewhere I went. 
"Oh really?  You really are sitting around doing nothing during your retirement!" or "Way to be stuck at home all the time."  Or something similar.

I like January and February.  Not that I like winter time, because I really don't, but because I like wearing winter clothes.  I like long pants.  Boots.  Sweaters. Sweatshirts.  Gloves, scarves, and hats. Coats.  Vests.  Those are my kind of clothes.   Karen W. told me I must feel more self-conscious about my body because I like to have it more covered than summer clothes will do.  Part of that is true.  I don't like my legs and would rather they be covered.  My feet are ugly and the bunions make them look distorted.  Plus my ankles will swell sometimes and it is easier to hide swollen ankles in boots than in sandals.

Back to liking January and February - all I have to be concerned about is keeping the inside of the house clean and presentable.  From April to November it is a constant battle with grass, weeds, leaves, flowers.  A quick sweep of the sidewalk occasionally is all that is needed.   No one expects the outside to look great because of the cold weather, winds, snow, and ice.

Plus I do like inside activities - reading, knitting, crocheting, watching tv. 

Here it is, January 28, and I have had no desire to sit around in my pajamas all day, nor have I missed a day of showering and shampooing.  Trips to Ohio.  Visits with Landon, Tessa, Cooper, and Owen (and their folks).  Movie matinees.  Visits to the quilt shop.  Lunches with friends.  Shopping in the middle of the day.  Late nights reading.  Early mornings with devotions.  More meal planning and food prep. 

Silly me.  And I thought I would be sitting around in my pjs.

Morning Person I Am

I like mornings.  I just do.

I like the quiet, the calm, the peacefulness, the anticipation of a new day.

I remember when Gary and I were first married, we had hogs here in the hog house behind the barn.  One morning we were loading them up to take them somewhere, not sure where they were going.  Loading hogs is rarely successful with just one person doing it, so I was enlisted to help, and being somewhat newlyweds it seemed like a 'togetherness' type of thing too. I don't remember too much about actually loading the pigs onto the trailer or truck or whatever the mode of transportation was, but I do remember the morning.

That morning was so quiet (except for the squeals of the pigs).  The air was cool, even though the summer heat would take over in a few hours.  The sun was just starting to  peek above the horizon.  Birds were chirping (or as my dad would say "Churdies are burping") and the cats were slipping around, checking out the happenings in the back yard. I recalled mornings at Grandma's farm and how I loved those quiet times on the back porch, watching the day come alive.  Nothing is better than the quiet morning on the farm, and I was blessed to be a farmer's wife who could enjoy those mornings often.

When I was teaching at West Central, I liked being in my classroom early.  My best days began with coming into the building before Glenn clicked on the main lights in the hallways.  I liked the quiet. I liked the absence of people walking through the halls. I could accomplish so much in that hour or so before the building came alive.  In the last couple of years I would go through the morning paper to make a scavenger hunt for our newspaper activity or be sure I had the copies needed, double check the day's lesson plans, or catch up on grading.  When I saw Glenn walk past my room with the cup of coffee for Darla, I knew the atmosphere was about to change into the noisy clangs of lockers as the students grabbed books for their next classes.

Last year I started my day, four days a week, with either the drive to Rochester to teach the dual credit class or to Logansport to teach ENGL 111 to my regular Ivy Tech students.  I like routine, and each day I left at nearly the same time, usually around 7:15 or 7:30.  Listening to Shamus and Annie on K105 was always entertaining, and I could time my drive by the components of their morning show.  Birthdays on the drive to Pulaski.  Talking to the guy from Twin City Dodge between Winamac and Rochester or south of Royal Center. Battle of the Sexes as I was pulling into the parking lot at Ivy Tech.  Morning routine.  Great way to start the day, even the very busy Tuesdays and Thursdays when I taught three classes practically back to back. I still started with the quiet morning.

Today I am sitting in the recliner, watching the day begin.  I sat here for quite a while, not looking at my phone or iPad, not picking up my Nook to continue reading Eden Hill, just sitting in the quiet.  It is already 8:00 and the sun isn't up yet. (not sure whether the sun still exists because we haven't actually seen it for several days now).  There is still haze in the air; the security light is still bright.  As I look outside through the picture window, I see the skeletons of trees, still and silent.  No cardinals are fussing around the bird feeders yet.  The house is dark except for the glow of the window candles, the light of the clock on the microwave and the shine from the computer screen. No sounds except the furnace clicking on and the warm air escaping through the registers. Other days this week I have enjoyed this time for work on the OBS, but today is a catch up day with no new assignments.  Reflection on "I am the bread of life" has been on my mind.

Soon the move will be made to the kitchen for breakfast, to the bathroom for the morning shower/shampoo routine, and upstairs to select clothes for the day.  The sewing machine will appear on the dining room table.  The iron and ironing board will be placed next to the kitchen counter with the jug of distilled water ready to keep the steam going as I press seams.  Gray blocks (cut by Betty for me yesterday) will be sewn to the 9-patch squares and the quilt top will begin to take shape.  A trip to Krogers may happen later on, or it may wait until tomorrow after church.    The day will begin.  The television will be adding noise.  Meals will be prepared.  A drive to The Farm to move the trash can and check the house is on the agenda too. 

Then tomorrow----morning again.  Quiet.  Bliss.

Working the Retirement Gig

Several times in the last couple of days I have been asked  "How are you enjoying retirement?" or have heard "You are really enjoying this retirement thing, aren't you?"

Answer to first question:  YES!

Response to second comment:  YES!

Reasons?

Here goes:

• Spending time with grandchildren (and their folks, of course). What can be better than hearing a 4-year-old and a 3-year-old squeal with delight when I walk into the house?  Or seeing Landon run up the driveway and throw himself on me?  Or Owen's eyes light up when he sees Papaw?    Yesterday Tessa asked me a couple of times, "Mamaw, will you play with me?"  Cooper asked me last night if I would go downstairs with him to play basketball.  Landon wanted us to stay on Tuesday night and sleep in his room.  So many grandparents have to travel great distances to see their grandchildren and don't have the opportunity too often to do so.  We are so fortunate that we can visit ours at least once a week, usually two or three times.  Four perks of time felxibility:  Landon, Tessa, Cooper, and Owen
• No planning. No teaching.  No grading.  Now I can open the computer and not check Blackboard.  I no longer thing of Saturday mornings as my time to grade online submissions that were due on Friday nights. Is the Rochester bag in the Escape for Tuesday or Thursday morning?  Not anymore!  My time is my own- first time since 1973 when I stepped in my first classroom.  Can you believe that I was so excited to be grading papers during my first year?  I could hardly wait to get home and start marking with the red pen.  That didn't take too long to change!
• Matinee movies midweek.  Yep.  Going to the movies during the week.  Lower prices.  Smaller crowds that are well-behaved (except for the couple that tried to sit on Gary after Hidden Figures had already started).  Pair that with lunch somewhere, then add in a visit with the kiddos---perfect day!
• Time to quilt.  I love to sew.  I like putting fabric together and making something that will be treasured for a long time.  Plus I enjoy going to the quilt shop and getting new ideas and learning new techniques.  This is fun!  I really really like sewing and quilting.
• Time to read.  I have always been a reader.  I remember the first time I could actually read something that wasn't a school reading practice in elementary.  It was the Alliance Review, the comics, and I was lying on the floor in the living room in the Little Brown House on Rt. 62.  I looked at the comics so I could see the pictures and lo and behold!  I could read the words.  I could put together the phrases and sentences.  I could read!  I never looked back.
• Lunches with friends!  Gretchen used to tease me when I started at Ivy Tech that I would be so excited about lunch, especially on Fridays when she, Barb, Phylliss,and I would meet for lunch before the faculty or All Hands meetings.  After 33 years of inhaling lunches either in the teachers' lounge or in my classroom during a 25 minute time period, going out for lunch in a real restaurant was a treat.  This week's calendar included two lunch dates - Wednesday with Tina Davis at One-Eyed Jacks in Winamac, and today with Chris Foerman at Sublettes in Monticello (and after I drove to Burnettsville to the quilt shop!).  The only problem is the time period for lunch usually expands to more than I had originally thought.  Oh well...the perks of retirement!
• Online Bible Study - This is the 3rd OBS I have done since I retired.  I like the Proverbs 31 series, and I really enjoy Lysa TerKeurst's books and her video teaching lessons.  This study I am discussing in two, actually three, Facebook groups.  One was selected by Proverbs 31, has 20 members, and is led by a very nice lady from South Carolina.  The only drawback with that group is there is no option for anyone posting a new idea or discussion point or question other than the leader, and the leader is posting only reminders about the weekly activities.  Group #2 is formed by three of us who 'met' while in Group 9 during the last two studies and we decided to form our own group.  The third group I was invited to join and was organized by Amy and Sarah who clean our house.  How does this relate to retirement?  I have been reading and completing the workbook and posting in two groups in the morning, usually as soon as I get up.  I couldn't do that if I were teaching, especially since I would have a class at Rochester that began at 8:00 a.m. two mornings each week.  Growing in my faith and in my walk with God.  A definite perk to retirement!
• More time with Gary.  We have been doing more things together and have two trips planned before summer.  We couldn't go on the cruise with Karen and Clay, Mike and Angie, and Nick and his friend at the end of March if I were still teaching.  We couldn't go to Charleston and Myrtle Beach in May if I were still teaching.  Definite plus to retirement!
• Ability to care for our parents.  They need(ed) care; we provide(d) care.  That is all.

Am I enjoying retirement?  What is not to enjoy?  I  am so busy, I am having fun, and I don't feel pressure to meet any type of deadlines.

 Working the Retirement Gig--yes I am!

OBS - Finding I Am - Day 4

"When we are going through a storm, we often try to face it velour.  We pull out the tools we have in our tool belt and start fighting the battle.  Frustration, exhaustion, and exasperation set in. Finally, we ask Jesus to help us.  He has everything we need to win this battle and overcome this struggle. We can trust Him.  So I wonder why we so often make Him a last resort rather than our first response?" Lysa TerKerust, Finding I Am, page 33.

This was part of the Day 4 lesson today in the Proverbs 31 Online Bible Study.  This is how I often feel.  I tend to hit the problem head on, get upset over it, spin it around in my mind over and over until it is all I can think about, then worry sets in, and frustration, then I feel my heart skipping beats.  Finally I turn to God and say "I need help!  Help me, please!" and invariable I feel a peace settle over me.  My heart calms.  I am not frustrated, and I can face whatever the situation is.  I just don't do that enough, or when I do it, I wait too long to remember that God really is in control and He's got this!

Good lesson today!

As Greta often reminds me, "Be still and know that I am God."  Psalm 46:10



Good verse to remember! Our focus today was on John 6:16-21.  Perfect picture to go along with today's study.

Sloggers

Greta told me about her new garden shoes, Sloggers.  I had never heard of them, but since I sometimes live in the dark ages, I asked Megan and Hilary.  Neither of them had heard of Sloggers either.  So I investigated.

Not really too interested.  After all I have old tennis shoes in the sunroom that I wear outside for working in the yard, planting flowers, raking leaves, mowing the lawn.  I don't need to spend money on shoes to get dirty when I already have plenty of shoes that have been relegated to the 'still good enough to wear around the house but not good enough to wear out in public' category.

But..I do think the rainboots are so cute.  Tessa has a cute pair  Landon and Cooper have pairs of rainboots.   They have fun in their rainboots, and I have seen rainboots for grown-up people in stores too. In fact the last time we were in Rural King in Lafayette, I checked out the rainboots and found a pair I really liked...but decided I didn't really need them.

Then Greta showed me he Sloggers at The Barn when we celebrated Landon's birthday.  Cute shoes.

Then she sent me a link and the Sloggers were on sale.  Cute selection with different colors and patterns.

New concern - what about the insides?  I didn't want the to feel like galoshes and the rainboots I looked at that had the vinyl insides.  That would make my feet sweat, and i wouldn't like that at all.

Ok...I will order a pair and see what I think. I can always return them.  I selected a pair kinda peachy in color.  I showed them to Gary and he wasn't too thrilled about them.  Then I showed him a black pair with bright red poppies.  He said "Hey, I like those!" so that was enough for me.  I ordered them.

Today I was bustling around the living room, running the sweeper, putting away the Willow Tree nativity finally, straightening up the random pens lying all over the place, and I glanced out the picture window.  A red jeep with black lightning bolts was in the drive, flashing light on the top, and I noticed US MAIL written on the side.  Delivery!  My Sloggers?

Yes, indeed.  My Sloggers.  When I opened them, they were pretty darn cute.  I really liked them. The insides are more like the insides of a tennis shoe with some padding and cushion.  I tried them one and walked around the house for a bit.  Pretty comfy.

The more I think about it, I can see myself slipping on these shoes to run out to the mailbox.  I wouldn't need socks and they would be warmer and keep my feet drier than the usual sandals or flipflops that I usually put on.  I dislike spending the time to put on socks, tennis shoes, and tie them just to run outside.  These would work perfectly.  Also if they get wet from walking across all of the wet leaves, they will dry!  No more ruined shoes from the wet outdoors. 

Cute shoes!

Hidden Figures

Going to a movie is a treat for me.  Usually we don't have time to drive to Lafayette to go to a movie.  When we do drive to Lafayette, it really isn't to Lafayette; it is to Pyrmont or Frankfort or for a doctor's appointment and then to see the kids.  Visiting the grandchildren is more important to us than going to a movie.

Well, times have changed.  Now we have more flexibility and can work in a movie now and then.  Today we went to see Hidden Figures at the theater by Pizza Hut.

What a fantastic movie!  I was captured from the very beginning.  I had focused so much on the three actresses in the promos that I had no idea that Kevin Costner and Jim Parsons were portraying key characters in the story.  The references to the space program and especially to my favorite two astronauts, John Glenn and Gus Grissom, were meaningful for me, and I think Gary enjoyed that aspect as well.

Two things to note:  The title.  Hidden Figures - double meaning.  "figures" can mean working with numbers and that is what the three women were doing. "Figures" can mean key people also.  These three women were key components of the successful space program.

The second thing is this:  recently the Women's March in Washington DC and other large cities across the United States and even in other countries has made the news.  Women are marching for equal rights for women, for being able to have abortions and obtain free birth control, and to protest the election and inauguration of our President.  Many women marched and if they didn't march, voiced their support for those who did.  Many women also expressed their disgust at some of the costumes, threats and crude remarks made by some women in the entertainment industry, and cited the lack of freedoms many women in other countries endure.    My thought was this - the three Hidden Figures inn the movie and their 'colored' co-workers made more strides for equality by their actions, their patience, and their perseverence than the women who marched over the weekend.  And they did it peacefully.  And many women reaped the benefits of their actions.

If you haven't seen the movie, plan to do so.

Shoes

I went into a shoe store today to look for a pair of black flats.  I found a pair I liked and pulled out the box for my size.  The box contained a right shoe only.   I tried it on, liked it, decided to buy it.  I looked for the left shoe on display, but it wasn't. So I pulled out another box of the same style and size.  Right shoe only. No left.  I pulled out another random box.  Right shoe only.  No left.  I asked the guy stocking the shelves in the next aisle and he said he would go to the back room and obtain the left shoe for me, which he did.  I asked the girl about it when I paid for my shoes.  She said they have to take out the left shoes now because so many pairs are stolen and this helps to slow down theft.  How sad that some people need to go into a shoe store and steal the shoes - because they can't afford them?  Because they can?  Because it is fun? Because they think shoes are overpriced anyway?  Just rhetorical questions.


I posted this on Facebook yesterday after a stop at Shoe Dept in Monticello.  I was curious about responses.  What I read this morning was kind of sad.  I'm still not sure of the reason, whether it is out of necessity or to see if someone can get away with it or just not having enough money.  What is sad to me is the lack of the difference between right and wrong.

My dad was 19 when he graduated from high school.  He graduated 13 years after he started.  He  was very smart, and he wasn't held back and there was no need to repeat a grade.  One year he didn't go to school.  There wasn't enough money for all of he children in his family to have new shoes so Aunt Mikdred got the shoes that year and went to school.  The next year Dad wore those shoes and he was able to go.  This was in the late 1920s, so times and products were different then.  But how sad for Dad, for Aunt Mikdred, and for Grandma and Grandpa that they couldn't afford shoes for everyone,  I also thought about Dad not going to school, which is sad in itself, but the next year wearing his sister's shoes?

They would never have thought about stealing shoes.  I also remember the Union coming to the Little Brown House during a strike at Christmas time.  They were delivering food baskets and gifts for the children of those workers on strike so they could have a nice Christmas.  Dad sent them away.  He told them his wife had canned food for us, we had meat from butchering, and she had planned in advance for our gifts.  Maybe another family in need could use the food and gifts.  I remember I was sad, because whatever the gifts were I was sure I would like them, but dad explained why he did that. We work for what we have.  We plan ahead.  If we can't pay for it, we don't need it.

In the last few days another story came across the news.  One of the trustees in our county was charged with embezzlement.  Several checks were written for Cash over a period of time with no receipts to verify the need for that money to be taken out of the township funds.  Because the trustee had access to the money, and she must have needed extra cash for some reason, she wrote checks and took money that wasn't hers for her own use. Wrong.  I recall times when Gary had power over various check books -- the Medaryville Lions, the District 25A when his dad was District Governor, St. Marks Lutheran Church. If an unexpected bill came, such as for a car repair or something one of the girls needed for school, never, never did it occur to him or to me to use some of that money from one of those accounts, even if it would have been easy to "borrow" an amount and repay it later.  We never did that with our farm account money or with his folks' expenses when we bought groceries for them or picked up meds at the drugstore.  We could have taken extra for us, but that is dishonest, unethical, and just not right.

So back to the shoes.  If someone needs shoes so badly that he or she needs to switch old ones for new, right there in the shoe store, then consider other options.  What about Goodwill?  The Salvarion Army?  Walmart?   There has to be another way.  If they are stealing just to do it, for fun, or because they can, then they need a wake up call about their values. Sad that this is the direction we are heading.

Monday, Monday

It was a Monday with no firm plans but many possibilities.

First order of business - starting the new Online Bible Study.  Day One in the workbook. Participation in three FB groups.  Well, make that two because the Group 9 is already in that same groove - be sure to read and watch.  

Lots of interaction with the  Girls Group.  I love the excitement and the questions and the interaction.  Good conversations today.  With the Ladies Group - Since Rhonda is at a conference, her participation is limited but Debbie and I participated.  So far, so good.

Next up - A drive to Betty's Quilting to pick up fabric for the solid blocks and be sure I knew what to do.  When I walked in, Betty apologized because she had no fabric!  She had neglected to 'put back' the bolt I had used for the solid gray and someone had purchased the rest of it.  So she had ordered another bolt and it had not arrived yet.  Sigh.  We talked about what I needed to do next with it.  Then we discussed a plan for the dinosaur quilt for Owen.  And we talked about possibilities for Cooper's quilt.  After I watched her prepare a quilt top, batting, and backing for quilting, I left.

What to do? What to do?  We were going to Lafayette tomorrow so I could stop at Meijer or Target to pick up the things i needed, but I was planning to be gone from home all afternoon at the quilt shop, so I took advantage of being by myself and some extra time to drive to Monticello and Walmart.  As usual, the intent to go in and buy two items - distilled water and Palmolive dish soap, was destroyed when I pulled out a cart inside the front door.  I limited myself though - only $50 worth of goods today!  Oh..and as I rounded the end of an aisle, I ran into Donna Corn.  She had been in my ENGL 111 class in the OLD building, then several semesters later in ENGL 112 in the NEW building.  She is now working at Ball instead of Caterpillar, and she is still working on her degree, one class at a time. It was good to see her.

As i was leaving Walmart with the intent to stop at Taco Bell for....tacos, I swung into She Dept. to look for a pair of black flats to wear with leggings when I don't want to wear my boots.  Surprisingly I found a pair I liked which seemed appropriate. The thing was - no left shoe in any of the boxes I checked.  Turns out the left shoes are removed from the boxes and must be retrieved by a clerk from the store room before check out.  Why?  Too many people are stealing shoes, leaving their old shoes in the boxes and walking out wih the new shoes on their feet.  Sad, isn't it?

After a stop at Taco Bell for three tacos and a large Diet Pepsi, I headed home.

Beefed up Biscuit Casserole for dinner.  It was good but since I measured everything this time and can sizes are smaller than they were when the recipe was written, the taste was just a little different. Next time I will return to my method of just guessing on the amount of sour cream and sprinkle as much shredded cheddar as I want.  Also I would add more tomato sauce since the 8 oz can I used didn't contain the full cup that was needed for the recipe.

This evening I worked on the OBS again, another FB post, and I worked on Day 2 so it is completed ahead of time.  All I will need to do tomorrow is post in the groups and be good!

It was a good Monday. Even though I am a little disappointed that I couldn't cut fabric and begin sewing rows of blocks together, I still feel like I accomplished a lot.

Going upstairs to read more of the book about President Garfield (who was just shot in the train station by a would-be assassin) and to think about which leggings I will wear to the movies tomorrow with my new black flats!

Starting a New One!

It's that time again - starting a new online Bible study through Proverbs 31.  I really like Lysa TerKeurst and we are studying her book, Finding I Am.  I ordered it through Amazon, like I usually do, and when it arrived, I first thought I had the wrong book.  It was a study book with daily assignments and places to write answers to discussion questions and take notes. Not a book like I usually read.  But I liked it.  This is an all-in-one type of OBS. 

Next was the dilemma of the Facebook discussion groups.  I like discussion. I like to share.  I like to read what others think.  If I were face-to-face with people in a live situation, I probably wouldn't share much, unless I HAD to share.  I am quiet, hard as that may be to believe.  If prompted to respond spontaneously, I hesitate because I am afraid what I mean won't be what I say---or it will come out wrong---or people will look at me like I am nuts---or someone might argue with me.  I like discussion but I don't want anyone to attack me for my beliefs or opinions.  Not enjoying this type of discussion may seem odd, especially since I was a teacher and class discussion was a necessity in my classes.   But that was different.  I was leading, directing, watching for good interaction, giving prompts, watching time---different. 

The first FB group I tried was not good.  Not too much discussion, not too many ladies participated, and I felt empty.  So I passed on that option for the next couple of studies.  Finally three studies ago I gave it another chance.  I found a new group, Group 9 with Teresa, and felt at home. I liked her style, and the members of the group were from a variety of backgrounds, many locations, and at different points in their lives. It was a nice blend.  Actually I was so comfortable with participation that it was the first OBS that I actually finished.  On to the second group.  This one was different.  Teresa had had surgery and was still in the hospital when the study began.  We never did get off the ground.  I tried to post often, as did a couple of other ladies, but our leader just didn't try to keep things going.  Soon the group fizzled, but I finished the book!  Again!  The third time was the most recent study on Wait and See.  This was a tough time for me because it started just before Agnes died and I needed to continue on, just because I needed to.  However the FB group was weak.   Very weak.  Most of the posts from the leader were "Read the Weekly Lowdown and be sure to watch the video because there is good information in it."  Ok...I know we need to do that.  Then one person said she was really enjoying the group because one group she was in, the leader posted something every day and she felt obligated to respond and she just didn't have time, so she was glad this wasn't the case now.  Ok...the leader is posting nothing so this is the other extreme, I think.  Then I started to post on a regular basis.  I would receive responses, and finally at the end, a few of the group thanked me for making them think, giving them something to consider, and so on.  Rhonda from San Antonio sent me a message and suggested that she and I become "leaders" the next time (of course we can't do that since we are not associated with Proverbs 31).

New study.  So what to do?  I did sign up for FB groups again, and once more time, I am in Group 9 with the same leader.  I decided that I am going to 'lay low' and not post anything originally, just respond to others.  We shall see what happens.

But I crave interaction and discussion, remember?  Rhonda and I have a secret closed FB group just for the two of us and have already started our discussion.  I think it will be great!

Then through a series of FB posts, Amy Morales and Sarah Franiak decided to participate in the OBS and formed a secret group also and asked me to participate.  I was thrilled!  This is the first time that people I actually KNOW will be reading and studying the same book I am! I am so excited!

Plus I have another friend from Group 9 who is in a different group this time and not sure how happy she will be.  I may invite her to join Rhonda and me. I need to check with Rhonda first.

At any rate I am very excited about this study, and not just because of the FB groups.  I enjoy Lysa's writing and her commentaries.  She is so honest, down-to-earth, and compassionate.  She seems to know what I need and where I am coming from.   I am intrigued by the title of the book and what it will mean to us.  I am eager to become more of a Jesus girl, to spend more time studying His word, and to come to prayer daily. 

And yes, I am excited about the FB groups.  I hope that Sarah can break through the shell and enjoy studying the Bible.  I hope that Amy will find more peace.  And I hope that the others in the group develop a new relationship with God through our study.

A Day in History

I really don't care what your political beliefs are.  I really don't care who received your vote for President.  I really don't care to share anything about my political beliefs except that I always split my ticket and on some issues I am conservative and on some I have liberal views. 

Today was the transfer of power for the highest office in the United States.  Reflecting on the first paragraph of this post, it was historical.  It would have been historical if Hilary Clinton had taken the oath of office.  The point is that today was important to our county.  It was a day rich with tradition, with symbolism, with pomp and circumstance.  It was a day to be respectful of the office of President, to reflect on what it means to be an American, and to look forward to what lies ahead for our county and what we can do to move it forward.

Cooper, Gary, and I watched the inauguration most of the day.  Even though Cooper is only 3 and he probably won't remember much of what he saw today, he was very focused on the events at the capital.  He wanted us to fold our hands and pray during the invocation and scripture readings and during the benediction.  He told us to stand when the National Anthem was sung and we had to place our hands over our hearts.  He 'directed' the choir from Missouri State University.  He yelled "That's Donald Trump!" when he saw the new President.  

And there was no judgment. 

It was the transfer of power.  It was a day of tradition.  It was symbolic.  And that is what Cooper saw.

I am sad for people who are professing gloom and doom for the next 4 years,  for those who pick apart everything, and I do mean everything, that they see and hear about the new President, and for those especially who proclaim "He is not MY President."  First of all, give the new administration a chance.  Next stop hanging on very word and twisting and turning it, taking phrases out of context, and analyzing everything.  Finally if you live in the United States of American and are an American citizen, Donald Trump is the President.  That's it.  He is. 

I watched as much of the festivities today as I could and I enjoyed all of it. Because I am a fan of Donald Trump?  No.  Because I am an American, and I value our freedom. I value our traditions.  I value the symbolism - of the Bibles, of the administration of the oath, of the helicopter lifting from behind the Capitol building, of the Black Horse Troupe marching in the parade, of four of the five former living Presidents sitting on the platform, all of it.  No other country has the rich traditions that we in the United States are fortunate to celebrate.  I felt the same way when Obama became President, when Bush became President, when Clinton became President, and I will feel the same in four years when I watch another inauguration.

It was a day in history.  We have a new President.  And yes, he is MY President.  Because I am a citizen of the United States of America.

This was just a good day!

Even though it was dreary and rainy and yucky outside, I had a good day.

Lots of sewing accomplished!  I finished a set of 17 blocks of 9-patch.  Then I started another set of strips and would have finished those if Clay hadn't called to invite us to dinner.

The Escape has a new something-or-other that will prevent the tire from falling off in the front and low level on the fan now works.

Because the Escape went to Dobson's in the morning and was picked up at noon, we ate breakfast at Kosta's (my French toast was great; Gary's omelette was not), then One Eyed Jacks was the place for lunch (my cheeseburger wrap wasn't as good as the first one I had; Gary had a pork/mashed potatoes special that was good).  Our unexpected dinner plans were at Poblanos and we both enjoyed a half-order of arroz con pollo (taking the other half home).  Conversation was good and the first time we had gotten together since the Gatlinburg trip.

Tomorrow we go to Frankfort to take care of Cooper who is sick, then to Pyrmont for dinner with Hilary, Blaine, and the kids, then to Rossville for a basketball game where Landon will be introduced at halftime as a player on the 1st grade team.  Full day of children and grandchildren!

So with that, since it is 10:00 p.m. and the alarm is set for 5:15, I need to sign off.  Good night.

This is fun!

 


On Saturday I took my first (well, actually my second but it really felt like the first) quilting class with Betty. I was so nervous.  Why?  What if I seemed to be too much of a rookie?  What if the other ladies thought I knew nothing and laughed at me under their breaths?  What if I embarrassed myself?  After all, I do have a degree in home ec (old time word, I know - ummm  Family and Consumer Science) and my girls sewed for 4-H, and I have been making quilts for a few years so I am not really a rookie.  But the finer points?  Yes, I am. 

The other class I took was in Monticello and while I enjoyed the process, there wasn't much of a follow-up or encouragement to do more.  I did what I could with the project we started, but now I am not even sure what it was and I am so happy I didn't cut more of my layer cake fabric into tiny pieces because I can now use it for something else!

Anyway....I drove to Burnettsville on an icy Saturday morning for my class on 9-Patch.  No one else was in the shop except Betty when I arrived, and after chatting a bit, I asked if I were early or when the others were coming.  Turned out---I was the only 'student' of the day!  Lots of one-on-one attention!

She showed me the 9-patch quilt she was using for a pattern, one that she had made several years ago.  It was a large wall-hanging size, or maybe a lap quilt size.  She said I could do whatever I wanted with it.  Just choose the fabric and we would start small to see how I liked it and then decide on my project---or not, if I decided I didn't really want to continue with it.

My goal was to make a quilt for our queen-sized bed because I want to re-do the bedroom in the spring. It is currently pink (which both daughters have said is unfair to their dad, but he really doesn't care) and the quilt is one that I picked up at Shipshewana several years ago on a trip with Barb and Gretchen.  So I selected a gray (because I want to paint the room a light gray) and a coral/peach print for the two fabrics.  Betty cut enough for me to make 17 squares. In the amount of time I was there (which was about three hours) I sewed together three sets of strips, cut them into smaller strips and joined two sets of smaller strips together, ready to add the 3rd small set.    Betty then cut enough fabric for me to put together 5 more sets of 17 squares.  Cost of all of this?  Just for the fabric.  Good deal.

I loved the quilt class.  Betty and I chatted casually.  It was not a forced conversation, just when we wanted to talk, we did.  We talked about quilting some, but we also talked about her dad dying, her niece Lindsey who I had had as a student, my mom and our trips to Ohio, our grandchildren, friends we had in common, her background, why she bought the store in Burnettsville rather than one in Royal Center, and more.  Not an uncomfortable conversation, just casual friendly talk while quilting.

I also learned a few things.  I didn't know that I could use the iron to 'set the stitches' before I pressed the seam open or to one side.  I never knew that.  I did know about chain stitching the pieces, which means pinning everything, then feeding the sets continuously through the feed in one long motion.  It is time consuming to sit and pin everything together, but the stitching time is easy and quick and overall it is much more time efficient.

I liked watching Betty calculate the needed fabric length and width and how many we needed and exactly what to do.  So far, it has worked perfectly.  I have to think about it, figure by adding and multiplying and subtracting and then doing it all over again a few times, just to be sure I am right.  I like that I could stitch the lengths of gray and coral together in three strips, then cut them into 2 1/2" smaller strips and sew those together for the squares.  Saved SO much time and cutting and I would have not thought of that myself. I might have seen in on YouTube, but I need to watch the real thing and do it, then I can remember the process.

Finally there is something about seeing it all come together.  I like starting the process with the strips, then cutting into smaller strips, then sewing them together and VOILA!  9-square blocks.  I like crisp seams, seams that meet and even edges. I like using steam and pressing everything flat.  I like the look when it all comes together.



I know that there is a new interest in quilting, especially with women in my age group.  I keep thinking about Grandma and Great-Grandma and how they quilted so much.  I remember the quilting frame in the living room at the farm and the ladies from the Friends Church sitting around it, hand-sewing those tiny stitches as they quilted a comforter or blanket.  I remember Grandma making a quilt for me, one for Greta, and one for Sherry.  I still have that quilt and a couple others that Grandma and Great-Grandma made.  I love quilts.  They all tell stories. 

Maybe my interest comes from my heritage from Grandma Greta and Great-Grandma Eva.  I remember sewing in the front bedroom on the treadle machine when I was young.  I remember Grandma telling me to press everything and how important it was to take my time and do it right.

As I work on this quilt, I have been thinking of her so much.  I have a feeling that she is smiling down on me as I piece together the gray and coral squares to make a new quilt for our queen-sized bed. And it will be beautiful!

Quality Time

Hilary and I had an interesting discussion this evening as we were driving from Faith Christian Church (Landon and Tessa's swimming lessons) to Frankfort (Landon's basketball game).

She said that her dad and I enjoy spending time together.  We do.  I don't like to go places without him.  Now I don't mean to pick up medicine at the drugstore or to run down to Jane's to pick up something.  I mean if a trip is made to Lafayette, then I would prefer going with him. 

One spring break Kathy invited me to go along to the Bahamas with her and a friend from Monticello.  The two people who had planned to go had cancelled, and I was offered one of the two available tickets.  I didn't know the other two on the trip, and I enjoyed the scenery of the beach and the quick day cruise we took from Ft. Lauderdale to Freeport and back, but I would have enjoyed it more with Gary.

There were times when I was teaching at Ivy Tech, and even when I was teaching at West Central, that I would come home and say that I was 'tired of people.'  It was true.  I was so tired of having to be nice, to smile, to listen to ridiculous rantings, to students begging for grades, to watching manipulations that I just wanted to be home and with him.  No judgments. No rantings (except mine).  No expectations (except what was for dinner). 

I like to be with Gary. He is my husband, but he is also my best friend.  He doesn't always listen to me, but most of the time he does.  He often tells me I am making too much fuss about something, and he is usually right.  He never understands why I cry, telling me 'there is no reason to cry' which just makes me mad, but he doesn't understand that crying for me is a release of emotions.  Some people yell and scream or hit a wall or slam a door or throw something - I cry. 

But mainly I think of this.  When I met him and fell in love with him and he asked me to marry him, it was to be together as a couple.  We enjoyed being together, sharing our lives, building a future, raising a family, anticipating growing old together.  There is no one we wanted to be with then, other than each other.  Why get married so that we can do those things, then not do them once we are married?  Why spend our free time with friends or at work (longer than necessary) or at a bar or club when we enjoyed spending our time together?

This is not to say that sometimes shopping trips or a lunch date or having dinner with girlfriends is not a good thing.  This is not to say that I can't spend time working on a quilt or reading my book or going to a Pulaski County Retired Teachers Meeting.  This is not to say that I can't go to the Tuesday morning Ladies Bible Study at church or that he can't stop at Cervenka's and visit with Mark.  This is not to say that he can't go over to The Farm by himself and work around the machine shed doing whatever needs to be done. 

It is to say that we love each other and married each other so we could be together.  My best times in life are those when we are together, doing the things we enjoy whether it is dinner or lunch out somewhere, being with the grandchildren, going someplace with Blaine and Hilary or Megan and Matt or all of us together, watching a movie, or going on a trip somewhere. 

I hope we set a good example for our daughters and sons-in-law.  Quality time.  Being together.  Enjoying each other's company.  Family.  That is what our marriage is all about.

Pork Roast in the Instant Pot

i don't use this kitchen appliance enough!

Dinner tonight:

http://amazingonepotmeals.com/pressure-cooker-pork-roast/

Hope it is good!  Pork roast is in the pot.  Potatoes and carrots are browned and ready to add. Sauerkraut is in the oven.

Six Weeks Later....

..the Christmas decor is put away. 

Unusual year this has been!  Decor was up on the Monday after Thanksgiving.  That was earlier than usual.  Usually it is a hit and miss type of thing with Gary putting up the tree itself while I am gone, then I put the decorations on and try to finish everything else throughout the next week.  This year it was all done in a day or two.  Why?  Retirement!

Our tradition with decor is from Thanksgiving to New Year's Day.  After we hosted the family New Year's Day dinner of pork and sauerkraut, it was time to put away the gifts and take down everything, straighten the house, and be ready for school to start again in a day or two.  All of that changed for several reasons - the girls were married and not living at home anymore.  Ann and Bud were gone, Mike was gone, and we drifted away from the pork and sauerkraut dinner for everyone.   Then Dad died on New Year's Eve morning and none of us were here.  After that Karen, Clay, Gary, and I began our annual pilgrimage to Gatlinburg for the NYEve holiday.  Also the Ivy Tech schedule was different than the West Central schedule so we could play with that a little bit.

This year the tree coming down was postponed until Monday, January 16.    Why?  We were home less than a day between the Christmas celebrations and leaving for the Tennessee trip.  Then when we returned home, I was plagued with welts and red patches on my legs and arms which appeared beginning on Friday of the trip.  A trip to Urgent Care, then medication to take, and ointment to apply was the remedy for the unknown cause of the welts.  Following that day was a babysitting day with the kiddos, then the call came from Greta about Mom's emergency surgery and we all left for Ohio, expecting to attend a funeral.  When Gary and I returned after staying in Wooster for nearly a week, we spent the next two nights with Hilary and Blaine so we could stay with the little kids while they took Landon to a wrestling meet at Purdue (on Friday night) and so they could take Landon and his five friends to the Elite Air and Pizza Hut for his friends birthday party.  Finally the time came for us to just stay home and take care of the de-decorating.

After spending a few hours removing ornaments, gathering up sowmen and Santas and other decor, putting away the Willow Tree nativity, taking Christmas plaques off the walls and replacing the with the usual items, I know these things.

One is - I have too much Christmas decor.  There is absolutely no way I can use all of it.  Some of it is shabby. Other things are outdated.  At any rate there is just too much of it.  I need to go through it and sort out what I won't use again and get rid of it.  Really.

Two is - as nice as the house looks for Christmas, it is nice to have it back to rights again. I found myself sighing and thinking 'well, we don't have to do this for another 11 months, well 10 1/2 now.'  I always forget where I had things placed, and I like the 'look' that was in the rooms prior to Christmas that doesn't seem to be re-captured.  I like the homeyness of the house without the decor.

Three is - I have too much stuff!  Another item on the to-do list needs to be to sort through all of the knick knacky stuff and thin it out also. It is just too much. 

Four is - Christmas decor is magical during the holidays, but a week or so after and that magic disappears.  The tree lit last night just didn't seem as beautiful as it did two weeks ago.    Same tree. Same lights. Same ornaments. Same darkenss.  Different feeling.  It was time for it to come down.

Next year we will do it all again.  I hope that sometime between now and then I can do the 'weeding out' of decorations and ornaments and such.  Many reasons for that, but it has to be done, nonetheless.

Back to normal, once again!

It Happens

They say (whoever 'they' are) that when one is run down, then the immunity system is more susceptible to picking up colds and coughs.  This is true.

How could someone who has been visiting a hospital frequently last week, who used hand sanitizer often, pick up a cold?  Ok...it is a hospital full of sick people, but still.  

Usually when I feel the usual signs of a cold coming, I stock up on Mucinex, start taking it every 12 hours, and ward it off.  I have done that a few times this fall/winter.  But this one sneaked up on me.

Saturday my nose began to run.  Little rattles of a cough started to plant themselves in my chest.  Sneezes could not be stifled, which prompted a nose that dripped often.

And what could I do?  Nothing.  My Mucinex was at home on the dining room table.  

After a night of blowing my nose on toilet paper (and fortunately Hilary had two ply tissue even though she ran out of kleenexes), after sitting downstairs in the recliner for an hour because I just couldn't breathe, and after opening my nasal passages by breathing in the vapors from a hot shower, Gary and I went to Meijer to pick up a new box of Mucinex DM and four boxes in a pack of Kleenex.  
Another dose of meds will come before I go to sleep, once again in my own bed (which I have not slept in much in the last 30 days).  I sleep well on the mattress at Hilary's house, but it just isn't the same as my own bed in my own bedroom in my own house with my own blankets and my favorite pillow.  

Plus we picked up a bottle of orange juice at Kroger's this evening on the way home.  An extra dose of Vitamin C can't hurt anything, can it?

Yes, it happens.  Colds hit when least expected, after trying hard NOT to get one, and seem to not care what other activities are planned that they may interrupt.   

For now I have a nearly complete pack of Mucinex, a full bottle of orange juice, a supply of tea bags for hot tea, and several boxes of Kleenex to blow my drippy nose into.  And I have my bed.  Ahhhh...sleep.  The best medicine of all!

Single Ply Toilet Paper

I understand that single ply toilet paper is more gentle on ancient septic systems, old pipes, and antiquated toilets.

However, single ply toilet paper is just too thin to be useful!

 

The bathroom at Mom's house is stocked with single ply toilet paper.  It is tissue-paper thin, and about as useful as it would be for that purpose (meaning stuffing gift bags)..  Actually I think some tissue paper is thicker than the TP we were forced to use the past week.

 

Think about this:

Sometimes the paper must be strong enough to clean the area for which it was intended. Sometimes that area is messy.   With super-thin TP, multiple reaches for more tp must occur because the thin stuff just doesn't work for the clean up that is needed.

 

Single ply TP is thin.  Very thin.  So thin that fingers can poke through it easily.  Ewww.....



By the time lengths of super-thin TP are pulled from the roll to achieve the thickness needed for the job, more is used than what would have been if the roll had contained double ply toilet tissue.



Now granted, this tissue may break apart more easily as it travels down the tubes through the pipes under the house and out into the septic system, but sometimes the residue adheres to the tissue, creating a clumped together mass which would be just as thick and un-disolvable as other thicknesses.  Understand?

I, for one, was super glad to return to our home bathroom where Northern double ply reigns supreme.  No single ply madness for this house!  We can pull off a reasonable length, use it for its intended purpose, and drop it into the pot to be flushed away into the great septic tank in the pasture west of the house.

 

Oh to be home again and enjoy the bathroom ritual with softness and multiple ply TP!



The question is this, though?  Mom is a packrat, afraid of another depression, or a hoarder, whatever fits.  Bales of toilet paper can be found in the laundry room.  In the garage. In the bathroom.  In the backseat of the car.  What will we do with all of that toilet paper when we clean out the house, whenever that may be?  Who wants one-ply toilet paper?  If each of in the family took enough for a year at our own homes, there would be rolls leftover!  Really!

 
 

One ply toilet paper.  There should be a law against it.  Who's with me?