Christmas Day in Maryland

Spending Christmas in Maryland with family is a wonderful way to share the holiday. Richard & Anna Gordon and Aaron and Rachael were here before us, also Lloyd and Judy. We arrived last night, as did Kim. Barb, Dan, Maggie & Ella will be here this evening. Emma Lou will have quite a houseful. She's so generous with her time and cooking and her house space. We are grateful and will enjoy our time here.

My Last Day of Physical Therapy - Mon, Dec 14!

Monday was my last day of physical therapy -- left over from my bike accident a year ago. I'd been going every monday for about 2 months as my leg (on the opposite side) was giving me trouble. The weekly sessions helped and this past week I had absolutely no pain at all, so it was time to end the sessions.

I still need to exercize but that's fine. I'm so happy!

Thursday night-Friday (Dec 10-11)

Still snowing 2pm

Thursday night it started to snow, after blowing most of the day. Schools were closed in anticipation of the storm, but the most we got her on Thursday was high winds.

Friday was a different story. It snowed all night Thursday and blew the light snow all around. Schools were closed again. Visibility was practically nil. The library was closed. I went with Gordon to his office where most of the patients were called and re-scheduled. Two were seen and the office was closed by lunch time.

We got stuck in the Post Office's exit driveway due to lack of visibility. We couldn't see the driveway at all and missed it (as had others before us because there were tracks). Gordon rocked the car & I pushed until we could back up into the parking lot. Then we turned & went out the entrance which we could see a little anyway.

We are grateful for our neighbor who took his snow blower to our driveway in the morning before we left and then again in the afternoon after we got home. Still it kept snowing until evening.

It took two to clear our driveway!

There were numerous accidents all around due to the blizzard-like conditions. Lack of visibility; lack of traction; lack of ability to stop quickly. It all made for a dangerous day.

I am thankful that we, and our staff, stayed safe throughout the storm.

Looking down Park St.

Advent Already - Where Does The Time Go?

Advent -- a time of preparation for the birth of the Christ Child on Christmas. I am thankful for many parts of this season, though not the feeling of stress that frequently accompanies it. I am trying this year not to allow stress to invade the preparations.

I'm discovering, as I mention what I am thankful for several days during the week, that it is often related to the weather. I am surely thankful for more than weather-related things, but it is frequently weather that I mention first. I suppose that is reasonable, since it often affects how I arrange my day -- what I wear, whether I walk, ride the bike, or drive to work. It also sometimes affects my mood. I always feel better on a sunny day than I do on a dark & dreary day. At least on a dreary day I have to work harder at being positive. But I am thankful for my life, even on a dreary day.

First of December – First Snow

This is quite late for the first measurable snow of the season.

I find myself both thankful that it held off this long and also thankful that it has finally come. I really do like snow, though not the travel difficulties that go with it. But I appreciate its beauty on the scenery and the quietness it brings.

So, today I am thankful for snow, its delay and its coming.

Thanksgiving Thankfulness

I am thankful that we have a day set aside when we think about our blessings. If I start to count, I find they are really numerous -- from family, friends, job, abilities, life itself.

I am thankful for a day I could spend, slowly, preparing our Thanksgiving dinner. It wasn't a rushed thing with a time limit. I'm planning for a 6pm dinner, but that gave me all day to prepare things, then stop and do other things, then do the next step in preparation.

I am thankful for scenery to be seen from our front door, like fading sun on trees behind the houses across the street. it was really quite beautiful.

Sunday a Returned Peace Corps Volunteers Thanksgiving

Sunday was a day of celebration and thanksgiving. The Returned Peace Corps people, along with people from the YWCA, hosted a dinner for refugees in Buffalo, with special emphasis on those from Bhutan, also Nepal, Somalia and other places.



Turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes & gravy was supplied, and besides that it was a "dish-to-pass" event, and oh those dishes! Many were rice-based and all were absolutely delicious. There were over 200 people there; the Peace Corps group waited until all went through the line before we got our own dinners, and then found places at tables if we could. After dinner there was entertainment, mostly dancing by several ethnic groups in costume.

I was surely thankful we were able to go, contribute our small dish, and participate in the festivities. They are planning to have another next year. We will plan to be there.

A good, and thankful, day.

Rain, Rain, Rain

It wasn't too cold, so I should be thankful for the rain. It's the first we've had for about 12 days they say. It rained off & on much of the day & went from drizzle to downpour at times. Fortunately, when I had to be out it was only at the drizzle stage, for which I am definitely Thankful. Others were saying they were thankful it was rain and not snow.

Busy Day & Break Making

I am thankful for my busy, and hopefully somewhat productive, day. It was sunny, chilly in the morning, warmer mid-day. I am thankful for Curves -- it gives me the opportunity, and challenge, of exercising several times during the week. I always feel good afterward.

Gordon's office is always busy and I am always thankful when I can help -- someone will have a question that I can answer or something I can do, including writing checks to pay the bills!

Then today I filled in at the library for our director who had a meeting to go to. I can't always do that, but was glad to be able to.

Then this afternoon I was very thankful that the sourdough starter that looked so very ugly in the refrigerator was, in fact, still okay. I made 2 loaves of bread from it, which smelled so good. It always makes me feel good to smell fresh bread.

Yes, a good day to be thankful for.

A Very Sunny Day

I am always thankful for sunny days. They always improve my mood. Tomorrow is to be another one. I am thankful even in anticipation of it.

An Early Thanksgiving

We will have several Thanksgivings this year. The first was Sunday after church as we gathered to share turkey and all the trimmings. I am thankful for the fellowship and sharing this meal represented. Many hands prepared it, shared it, and cleaned up after it -- all very pleasantly. It was a good time and a thankful time.

Today I am thankful that my physical therapy for my leg is progressing. I am getting weekly treatments of heat, stretching of the leg, exercises, followed by icing. By the time I leave I am a bit sore from it all, but within an hour or so I feel great.

A Good Saturday at the Library

I'm thankful for programs that bring people into the library. Today we had a local author, Cassidy O'Connor, who has written Haunted buffalo: Ghosts of the Queen City. She grew up here & is a Pioneer grad (2002). About 70 people came to see/hear her and get an autographed copy of her book. She came with a partner who had a PowerPoint presentation on the sites they've been to and the equipment they use. It's really good to see so many people come to the library for a program.

It was so popular that she wants to come back again next month -- 12/12 at 12.

Friday the 13th

It was a beautiful day today and I am thankful for that. It got up to about 65º and was sunny -- quite un-fall like. It just felt good whether I was inside or outside. A day to be thankful for.

This evening I made an apple pie for our church's Thanksgiving dinner this Sunday (yes, an early one). I'm thankful for the apple peeler-corer Barb & family gave me last year. I chose this time to just peel & not core & slice because I wanted to cut the apples myself, but the peeling was so much easier using this gadget. Next time I will do the whole thing. I am very thankful to have it.

A Pretty Morning

It's good to wake up in a good mood. I'm thankful every day that I wake up that way. It's a good way to start any day. No matter what happens today, at least I have a good start when I wake up in a good mood. May those days be abundant.

I am also very thankful that our house does not have gas, only electric. The gas company is digging up front lawns on Park St, I think to replace connections from the main line to the houses.

Frosty, Sunny Veterans Day

It promises to be in the 50s today after starting out in the low 30s with frost all over. I am thankful for such pretty mornings -- crisp, sunny, beautiful clouds.

The Last Rose of the year?

This morning as I went to the garage to get my bike to ride to work, I spied a rose just blooming in our rose garden. I had not taken particularly good care of our rose garden this summer, but they did bloom anyway.

To see this dark red rose blooming on November 10 is a joy, and one I'm thankful for. I'm also thankful that the weather is still such that I can ride to work.

A Season of Thanksgiving

It's not Thanksgiving yet, but I don't want to wait until that day to think about what I'm thankful for. So, I think I'll post something every day or so this month.

I'm thankful for a good summer.

I'm thankful Gordon's trip to Honduras in August was relatively uneventful, and successful. After the coup in June, it made us a bit nervous & we wondered for a while whether the trip would happen. Thankfully, it did & thankfully all who were on it were safe.

I'm extremely thankful for a wonderful trip to Scotland with Kim. It was fun seeing places I'd only heard about, but not seen or experienced. It was also fun traveling with Kim & getting to know her better. (You'd think I'd know my own daughter, but there's always something new to learn & it was fun doing so)

I'm thankful for a retreat/meeting in the Adirondacks on a weekend in October (beautiful colors) that also gave us the opportunity to continue on to Lebanon and see Barb, Dan, Maggie & Ella. It was a short, but sweet visit.

I'm thankful for what might have been the last warm sunny weekend before the weather stays cool & cold for the rest of the year. Today the high is to be 70 & it's really nice out. Then tomorrow it will get only into the 50s. So I'm thankful for the weekend, and also for today -- a nice day to walk to work & enjoy the outside.

A Wonderful Trip to Scotland with Kim in September

It's been a while since I've written down my "musings" partly because I've been too busy since I got back from Scotland. I've been working on getting my journal and my pictures "organized" Soon, soon. Almost.

Anyway, I am still thinking about what a great time we had on our own "self-made-tour" of a part of Scotland, Edinburgh, Stirling, Oban, Iona & a very brief time in Glasgow. Not long enough, but we did enjoy what we saw and were glad we did our own planning and also that we spent two nights in most places we visited. Than meant we had more time for seeing what was there & didn't feel like we spent all our time moving from one place to another.

Pictures will be posted here soon. Just a couple for the moment.

Two Weeks Without Gordon is Definitely Too Long

I know a two week trip is best for the mission. Much more can get done and it takes a day or more to actually get supplies & get to the village & then there's at least two days at the end for coming down from the mountains and having a bit of R&R before the flight back. I agree with all that. Been there, done that, & understand those time frames. But, two weeks is still too long from my point of view when I'm not on the trip.

The first week I did fine. I was busy & had things to do & catch up on. There are still a few things to catch up on. But this week is beginning to be difficult. I've already spent more time at the medical office than usual and I'll be going in tomorrow morning before heading to the library. "Stuff" that needs taking care of, that Gordon would do if here were here. I'm not really complaining, it's just harder, that's all.

Then there's the weather. Today was another day of partly okay and partly downpours (as well as hot & muggy) & I think tomorrow is supposed to be more of the same. Wed it's not supposed to rain I think. That's good, because I want to hang out a laundry. We'll see.

A Very Noisy and Wild 'n Wet Night!

Starting yesterday afternoon we had off-and-on storms of varying intensity. I fed & walked Casper a bit early to be sure I'd hit a dry spot. He has spent half the afternoon inside as it got very dark, rumbly and stormy. When it cleared up I did get to the store & post office (picked up the accumulated mail for the office) & was able to put Casper out again.

Just before I went to bed, it started again & rained very very hard (& very very noisy) for a while. There were several ambulance & fire calls over night. There was one flooded basement farther down Park St. Ours was fine, thank goodness.

This morning several communities were without power and Springville was in a state of emergency -- downed trees I think. There was a report of a possible tornado in Rushford, to be confirmed today. We did not lose power here -- just some sleep I think.

Today several counties are under a flood watch. I noticed when walking Casper this morning that Cemetery Creek was running fast with lots of muddy water.

A Sometimes Stormy Day

It started out muggy and a bit foggy. Then after church the sun came out for a while. Then the clouds rolled in. I had planned to get corn from Arcade Center Farm, then go get groceries & get gas on the way home. I skipped the groceries & it was a good thing!


There's lots of thunder now & it's gotten quite dark. But it's still 78º so it's still sticky. The map doesn't show that it has reached Arcade yet, but believe me, it has!

This is the Civil War weekend & I feel bad for those camped in the Arcade Park as they must be quite soggy. Much of yesterday was okay for them though, until late evening.

No garden work today -- but I will have some time to read the Sunday paper which I didn't finish before church.

Thoughts While Walking Casper

I decided to feed & walk Casper a bit early tonight, to get ahead of the large rain cloud that the weather radar is showing. It was raining gently, mostly pleasantly while we walked.

When I walk Casper, especially in the evening, I think of Gordon. We usually walk him together (that is, he walks him & I go along) and get to spend some time together and talk. Even if, after the walk, Gordon has to go back to the office to finish charts, or to the hospital to admit a patient, still there is this time when we walk the dog and get to talk. I do miss that when he's away in Honduras. It's not that I'm not in favor of his trip to Honduras, I definitely am. But that doesn't mean I don't miss him - not only at dog-walking time, either, but often.

Waiting for (more) Rain

It hadn't rained yet when I got home from working at the library a little after two, though it was cloudy and the radar showed it's coming. So I decided today is was a perfect day to weed the vegetable garden. It hadn't been done in I don't know how long. Only the tomatoes, which have grown tall, are taller than most of the weeds. I really haven't been good to my garden & I feel bad about it.

I was out there about an hour and a half, yanking weeds, while being careful not to pull up the plants we had planted! Some things haven't made it, but I don't think it was the weeds that killed them. I think they just didn't thrive. But I found most of the pepper plants, some even with small peppers on them! I found one red tomato and at least one more that is thinking about being red soon. The lettuce is doing well, but some of it is really starting to bolt. I t almost always happens -- by the time the tomatoes start to get ripe, the lettuce is about done. Not ideal. I wonder what would happen if I planted another row of lettuce? I might try. It can't hurt. Either it will grow, or it won't. We don't seem to be having luck with squash these days. One plant seems to be going okay -- it's yellow squash. The others either are looking sick or aren't there. We ate our early broccoli & now some side shoots are producing little broccoli-ettes.

After an hour and a half I was tired, sweatty, and had collected two wheel barrow loads of weeds to be dumped behind our old tree house at the back of our property ("the woods"). It hadn't rained yet, but it was getting very still, so I think it's coming soon.

I feel quite satisfied with my afternoon's work. I didn't want to do it & had been putting it off. But I'm sure glad I persuaded myself to go and get it done. Maybe I can persuade myself to do just a little bit of weeding more often -- it would be so much easier.

Just as the first few gentle drops of rain started I remembered to get a bowl & pick that one red tomato. Then I went back to the bushes where I'd dumped the weeds and picked some raspberries, a few black raspberries (or blackberries) and on my way in I gathered the last couple of strawberries growing just off the deck. It's not enough to do much with, except eat, that is. Maybe a small portion of mixed berries over a similar small portion of ice cream?

Need to Organize

Today was my day off from the library. I was at Gordon's office this morning, paying some bills, checking on others. Why won't the company apply a credit to our account which amounts to more than the bills they sent along with the credit memo & saying they were overdue? When I called them they said the couldn't apply the credit until I told them to -- I DID. Even with the bills, we still have over $15 credit, so now I'll have to inform them AGAIN to apply this credit to the bill? Seems silly to me. Why wouldn't I want the credit applied to the amount owed?

I made bread this afternoon and bought flour so I'll be able to make more. I also bought myself 2 ears of corn for dinner. Yum. I got more plums so I can make jam. I had cut up 4 cups, but need six. Now I'll have enough. Maybe I'll make the jam this weekend. Peaches will make good fruit for lunch -- or for cereal.

I need to do some filing. I have receipts and haven't lost them, but they need to be in the files & not sitting in a pile on TOP of the filing cabinet. I promise I'll get to it before Gordon gets home from Honduras.

I did look up B&Bs in Edinburgh. I listed those that are reasonable in price, relatively close to the Edinburgh castle area, and seem interesting. I checked them all on Google Maps and was able to get a "street-side" view of them as well. We just have to decide which one looks good & inquire about getting a reservation. They're not like hotels, where there are lots of rooms. Some of these have as few as 3 rooms, so we may have to try more than one place.

I check the news from Honduras every day, just to see how the political situation is doing. It seems to be both somewhat stable (not violently flaring up every day) and also not settled at all. Constitutional questions are being raised about how the coup was carried out by International Observation Mission for the Human Rights Situation in Honduras. http://upsidedownworld.org/main/content/view/2040/68/ I wonder how this is all going to get resolved.

First for a While

Between Barb, Kim and Barb's two girls visiting in mid-July and then getting Gordon ready for Honduras

life has been pretty busy here. That hasn't left too much time for "musing" at least writing down what I'm musing about.

The July visit was wonderful, if too short, of course. We rode the train and played in the elementary school playground and had an all-around great visit. We enjoyed the grandchildren immeasurably. We enjoyed the time with our daughters as well. We wish we could see all of them more often.


Then pretty soon it was time to get Gordon ready for the trip to Honduras. We kept watching the news as the elected president of Honduras had been ousted in what's being called a coup at the end of June and we've kept an eye on the situation to be sure it's safe for the mission trip to proceed.

On Sunday, August 2, four NY/HELPers left from Buffalo for Honduras for 2 weeks: Gordon, Eileen Brittain, Nancy Savoy and Hannah Zetterstrand-Robinson (pictured below).



Gordon lost his passport on the first leg of the trip from Buffalo to Atlanta. Fortunately he found it again, but not in time to make the flight to San Pedro Sula with the other 3. After phone calls back & forth from him to me, me to Yovany in Honduras (with the help of Jeff Mason) we got the word out that Gordon would be delayed 24 hours but would arrive on Monday instead of Sunday. Then there were more calls between Gordon & me & me & his sister Marty who lives in Atlanta. She went to the airport and they located each other, so he was able to spend the night at their house before going back for his flight on Monday. Then there were more phone calls. Lito Gutiérrez (another NY/HELPer & doctor) called the clinic nurse Mirtila to tell her Gordon would be late. Then on Monday evening he called Honduras again and then let me know that everyone had made it to La laguna safely and all was well.

It's funny (or maybe not). I didn't think I was really worried -- either about the group's safety in light of the political difficulties in Honduras right now, or about Gordon getting their safely one day late. But, after Lito's call to assure me that he, as well as the others, were definitely in the village, I felt a great relief. So, I guess I was worried even though I didn't really realize it.

I know I won't hear from them now until they come down from the mountain, around August 13. So I will trust that they will have good clinics and learn and teach a lot and all will go well, even if not exactly as planned.

Strawberries on July 4th

How nice it is to pick a few strawberries just off the deck at the back of our house. First I hung up the wash on a July 4th morning that is supposed to get sunny, though it certainly is cloudy now. Then I picked strawberries by the steps to the deck. They are not large and there are not enough to make into jam. But they are sweet and there are enough to put on cereal in the morning. Yum!

Later I'll look farther out in the lawn where some very small wild strawberries are trying to take over. They're so much better than the usual lawn weeds!

Yes, it Rained!

We met the bikers at our designated spot. Brian Krause, navigator for the group, called just after we arrived at the meet point to say they were just leaving their "lunch" spot & would be along in a while (about 4 miles down the road I think). During the half hour or so we waited for them it started to sprinkle (& was a little chilly for my taste), so after getting the bikes off the rack & ready, we climbed back in the car to wait out of the wind. The first person we saw coming along with Michael Caine (area minister from the NY Metro area - the one who suggested I ride) and 2 others. He introduced us; we chatted for a few minutes, as it started to sprinkle & then we started off.

Our spot was most of the way up a hill on Rt 20, but there was still some up grade to go before the crest. I'd been a bit worried about starting out going uphill, but it really wasn't so bad. Michael's 2 friends got ahead of us, but Michael rode with us & we chatted. Some of the time we were in single file, sometimes 2 & 1 and sometimes all 3 abreast.

Going down the first big hill we hit 25 mph -- nice! It started to rain a bit more & shortly was raining quite steadily. The worst part of that (besides being just a bit chilly) was having glasses all spotted up. Gordon knew of a "short-cut" before a left turn from Rt 20 to Rt 98. It cut the corner quite a bit, got us off Rt 20 & away from the large trucks; in fact away from most traffic. We joined Rt 98 a bit South of where the "official" and full-of-traffic turn was. Then just before we got into Attica, Gordon told Michael about another short cut. This one avoided the main intersection in Attica & took us by back roads onto the road the church is on -- past some very nice looking houses & lawns. By the time we got to the church the rain had stopped & we had begun to dry off a bit.

We had to wait until Harvey & Vanessa arrived at the church with our car (& dry clothes, as well as our part of dinner) before getting out of our wet-but-drying clothes. I did take my shoes & socks off & that helped a lot. The one thing neither Gordon nor I brought was an extra pair of shoes, so we ended up putting on dry socks & then got back into our wet sneakers. It was still better.

The ride was not as hard as I'd feared it might be. There were 2 or 3 hills I puffed up, but not much slower than Gordon or Michael. The down hills were nice & the flat places & small rises were just fine too. The traffic, especially trucks, splashed us quite a bit, but since it was raining anyway much of the time, it was hardly noticeable!

The church provided a dinner of spaghetti, vegetarian lasagne, chilie, 2 salads (1 mine) about 3 kinds of bread, apple sauce, several choices of things to drink, then cookies for dessert. After dinner Brian presented a PowerPoint on alternative transportation ( or why biking makes more sense -- my words, not his). It talked about Portland Oregon being the most bike friendly city and how some others are working on accommodating bicyclists. We have to bring awareness to people about it. After the program Vanessa said she thinks she'll start biking to church! (someone asked whose church has a bicycle rack -- one or 2 of those there). I said I was willing to do that too. Then she started thinking about perhaps getting the youth to bike to the Regional Youth Event next summer (2010) which is being held in the middle of PA.

Anyway, a good time was had by all. It was a positive experience. Hopefully I won't be too muscle sore. I did notice that when I went upstairs a few minutes ago, I definitely felt it in my legs. Good -- it means I've been doing something!

The group is asking for prayers for no rain for the next week as they continue on to Grand Rapids.

Rain on Wed?

The new weather forecast is calling for rain on Wednesday -- showers & thunderstorms in the morning & then again in the afternoon. Well, the ride will be "interesting" anyway. I would think that the group leaving from Canandaigua will be a little slower getting to Attica than they might be if it were clear weather. So -- rain pants & jacket (& sweaty) or not (& soaked)? I'll opt for the rain gear. Don't know what Gordon will wear. Maybe the forecast will change before Wednesday.

Ready for a Bike Ride

On Wednesday we plan to join the bicycle riders who are on their way from Syracuse NY to Grand Rapids MI to the UCC General Synod. Wednesday they will be riding from Canadauiga to Dunkirk. It is our plan to meet them 10 miles before they arrive in Attica and ride that way with them. Then we'll stay for dinner and the program they will be presenting on alternative transportation.

Today we decided we should do an experimental bike ride to get ready for the expected 10 mile ride on Wednesday. The route we took ended up being only 7.7 miles, but I think it will do. Our muscles felt it at the end, and we proved we could do it. I had been planning to do this, then yesterday Gordon said he wanted to ride too, so we planned out a simple route to do today. We went from our house to Yorkshire right onto Rt 16, down a hill & up the other side to Schutt Rd. There we turned right & rode back toward town (a few hills on that road). We followed that until it hit Rt 98 near the Fire Hall, then turned toward Main St & down to Park St & home. It took us a bit over 50 minutes.

We were pretty satisfied with ourselves I think. After changing out of sweaty shirts & drinking lots of water & having some food, we set off to do the rest of our afternoon errands. We needed to buy a new coffee maker (our old one suddenly broke & spilled water all over the counter). We also went to Buckwheats garden store and bought vegetables plants for our garden & some flowers for the barrels in front of our house & enough Impatients for 2 hanging pots for the front porch. These were all thanks to the Mothers Day gift certificate from Barb. It was the first chance we had to go and use it & we still have some money left for later purchases.

Before supper we planted the veggies we bought & fixed the flowers & they look quite nice. Later they will spread and look even better.

A very good day indeed.

50 years isn't so long

This afternoon Gordon & I were talking (I don't remember what, exactly) and something came up about 50 years ago. I think we must have been talking about cars or car companies, but I'm not sure. Anyway, he said he'd been driving for 50 years! It's only been 49 for me; my parents wouldn't let me get a learner's permit until I was 17! Then I got to thinking about what other things were like 50 years ago -- I was 16. Somehow it doesn't seem all that long ago, at least sometimes it doesn't.

I'm sure everyone is tired of those "do you remember when" things, but I just feel the need to put it down here anyway.

How Much things cost in 1959
Yearly Inflation Rate USA 1.01%
Average Cost of new house $12,400.00
Average Yearly Wages $5,010.00
Cost of a gallon of Gas 25 cents
Average Cost of a new car $2,200.00
Movie Ticket $1.00
Loaf of Bread 20¢
1 lb coffee 77 ¢
Postage stamp .04¢
Kodak Movie camera $67.50
Ladies Stockings $1.00

1959 was 50 years ago this year
1959 the unemployment problems eased to 5.5%.
Television programs included "Rawhide", "Bonanza" and "The Twilight Zone", movies included "Some Like it Hot", "Ben Hur" and "North by Northwest".
Alaska was admitted to the union and became the 49th state and Hawaii was admitted to the the Union and became the 50th State.
The Boeing 707 Jet Airliner came into service and little girls loved the Barbie Dolls made by Mattel.
Fidel Castro came to power in Cuba.

Some other things:
St Lawrence Seaway a joint US / Canadian venture is completed linking the great lakes to the Atlantic Ocean
NASA introduces America's first astronauts to the world including John H. Glenn Jr, and Alan Shepard Jr.
First Pictures Of Earth From Space Taken By Explorer 6
US Launches first Weather Station in Space

I'm not wishing we were back in 1959, or that I was 50 years younger. Just remembering events that I hadn't realized were that long ago.

I have yet to write anything about the NY Conference UCC's Annual Conference in beautiful Silver Bay. Maybe tomorrow.

A Beautiful Day

Today was warm (into the 70s) and sunny, though it started out in the low 40s. After I left Gordon's office this morning I brought the car home & switched to the bicycle to go to the library. I'm so glad I did. It's really nice to ride on a sunny warm day. I know I don't go far, but it's good when your transportation is also fun & good for you!

Riding was good for another reason. It helped me be more alert & awake. Last night was very late & I am tired. The wind in my face had a good effect on my sleepiness. I may end up going to bed a bit early tonight, though.

A late evening I guess

It seems Gordon has three patients to admit to the hospital tonight. Plus one he admitted earlier in the day (but the work has been one on that one). I offered to accompany him to the hospital, and was warned it may be a very late night. It takes about an hour to admit a patient.

So I rushed to get a simple supper & have already washed the dishes associated with the making. I also made the sandwiches for tomorrow's lunch, and wrote a check and deposit that I will take care of in the morning. While he walks Casper I will set up the coffee maker. I want to have everything ready, so when we get back there won't be anything hanging that has to be done tonight. But he will have to go back to his office to complete a couple of charts and go through today's mail. He can't leave charts for morning or run the risk of 1) not remembering important details that should be in it from the patient's visit and 2) be so pushed for time in the morning that he starts the day already way behind. So, it'll be a late night.

I like going with him when I can. We get to talk a bit on the way over and the way back -- a little "visiting time" that we don't always get. Also, I just think when you're driving late at night & tired, it's not bad to have someone else with you.

Not a biking day

Today I wimped out & decided not to bike to work. This morning was windy & rainy with predictions of more of the same -- storms & high winds were predicted. So I decided I'd drive instead. It did rain & wind off & on until late afternoon, sometimes pretty hard rain and strong wind. Now, of course, it's sunny and nearly 70º when the prediction had been only high 50s or maybe 60.

If I'm really organized tomorrow maybe I can park the car at home after being at Gordon's office in the morning & ride my bike to the library. That will be if we've decided we don't need me to pick up take-out boxes of the church's German Dinner tomorrow. We'd really rather eat in than take out, but it usually depends on when Gordon can leave the office. We'll play it by ear.

I can't wait until the weather is reliable enough for us to plan our garden. I have basil, mustard, lettuce & tomatoes sprouting in containers in the house. I don't think lettuce does well transplanted, but it's fine with me to grow some inside & some outside. I still have to turn the garden over again & work harder on getting last year's weeds out of it before planting. I want the soil to at least start out without weeds!

Our "green mommies" are coming to clean Saturday morning & for the first time it's a Saturday when I'm not scheduled to work. That means I'll have to find someplace to be for a few hours while they clean. That shouldn't be too hard. If I find I don't have any errands to run that will take that long, I can always go to the library and read or work on the computer.

A Sunny Tuesday

As was yesterday, today is sunny, which fools one into thinking it's warm as well. Yesterday there was a frost and it was about 33º or 34º Fortunately, there was no wind, so it didn't feel quite that cold. This morning it was in the upper 30s and didn't frost here.

Today is a bicycle day for me. Mon, Wed & Fri I generally don't ride the bike to the library as I first go to Curves, then the bank, the post office and then Gordon's medical office before heading to the library. Between the distance, and the timing, it would be much harder to go on the bike. I would have less time to be at the medical office. So, Tuesdays and Thursdays, and the Saturdays I work at the library I try to ride. Yesterday I did bring the car home between office & library and walked. It's really faster to ride the bike than walk, but walking is good too.

Today I'm starting to record Spanish I tapes to help our newest NY/HELPer who doesn't have Spanish. We will be meeting on Sunday & I'm hoping to have a CD of at least the first 10 lessons or more which I hope will help her out. Pimsleur has a very good Spanish program based on listen and repeat with minimal English in the lesson. It doesn't worry about parts of speach or grammar as such, but tries to teach language as we first learned it -- by listening and then speaking.

I am finding that the last lingering pain from what seems to be a tight tendon is nearly gone. This started (on the good side) as I recovered from my broken pelvis and probably is due to compensation. But now it's nearly gone, which is great. Riding the bike (or even the exercise bike) helps a lot. Just walking around helps too.

I am determined that today will be a good day. Yesterday at the library was a bit "strange" as people came in with strange questions, too many $20 bills to pay very small fines, in the evening jumped from computer to computer. One boy lost his library card (dropped under the computer he was using); another lost his cell phone & when we tried calling it he gave us the wrong number! It was just a strange day. Today is bright and sunny and I'm determined it will be a good day.

Mothers Day

Mothers Day dawned much too chilly (and it's supposed to frost tonight!), but it was bright and not raining. We went to our church's Mothers Day Family Breakfast which was lovely and well attended, and delicious. Our pastor's sermon was on Mothers Day - "Isn't Mother another name for God's love?"

On Mothers Day we all have something in common. Even those who are not mothers have had mothers.

Mothers Day can be bitter-sweet at times. There are good times and good memories of being honored or pampered as a mother. Then there are memories of a mother no longer here, and perhaps not appreciated as much as she should have been at times. I think those times were in the minority, but sometimes it's hard to remember. Every life has good times and bad and it's best to remember and honor more of the good and dwell less on the bad.

My Mothers Day was a good one, even though Gordon was on call. He got home fairly early in the afternoon, which was good. Barb called mid-afternoon and we had a lovely, if short, talk (Ella had other ideas about Mommie on the phone I guess). Kim called later in the evening (her afternoon) and we had a very enjoyable talk as well. My presents (not that Mothers Day is really about presents, but they frequently come) included a gift certificate to Buckwheats Florist & Garden Center from Barb, Dan & the girls and a set of 8 drinking glasses (sometimes called tumblers) from Gordon. It's been hard to find anything smaller than 18 oz or so, but he managed. We've broken so many glasses we really needed more to have matching ones.

Successful Basket Auction

Successful for the Friends of the Library. Neither my boss, Sue, nor I won any of the baskets. But it's still a good worthy cause to donate money to. There were about 68 or 72 baskets donated and some very very nice ones in the bunch.

This morning started out sunny and somewhat warm, even got close to 65º then turned dark & threatening. Then the sun came out again. It was like that off and on much of the day. By the time we closed the library at 2pm the sky to the west was very dark and threatening and the wind was getting strong. I went to the supermarket quickly to pick up a few things. As I got out of the car I had to hang onto the door it was so windy. By the time I came out again it was sunny, though there were raindrops on the car. The temp had started to go down and now after dinner it's in the 50s, but feels colder due to the wind. We're under a high wind warning until midnight or 2AM & I heard the fire radio reporting downed trees & power lines in nearby towns.

With all of that, it's still been a nice day. I successfully made some beans & rice for dinner (success means it turned out well) which we served wrapped in a tortilla. Now I need to learn to make tortillas. But for now, buying corn tortillas will have to do. Apple crisp made by using my new apple peeler corer (a birthday present from my girls) topped the dinner.

With luck we won't lose power due to the wind, or any of our trees in the back yard.

Friday and a Full Moon

Even if people weren't acting the way they were this week, I'd know it was a full moon. In the middle of the night the moon was shining brightly in our bedroom window. It comes in the window that looks out over our garden & driveway, so it doesn't fall on our bed, but does light up the window.

It was a surprisingly nice and sunny morning, warmer than I expected it to be, which is a good thing. Now, in mid afternoon it's starting to get cloudy & perhaps we'll get the rain that was predicted, but it's been up to 70º so I have no complaints.

This week there have been a lot of books going out for inter-library loan, or coming in from other libraries for our patrons, so I've had a good look at all sorts of books. When I find one I just want to sit & read, I put it on hold for myself or put it on my "wish list" for later. I do wish I either had more time to read, or read faster. Oh well, I read what I can.

The Friends of the Library are having their annual basket auction tomorrow & there have been some beautiful baskets come in. I plan to get out there briefly and ask someone to watch my tickets for me in case I win anything. I have won some nice baskets some years, and other years it's strictly a donation to a good cause. Either way is okay.

A Not-So Bad Day

This afternoon proved to be better brighter and warmer. The misty rain stopped & the sun came out, and even if it was a bit wan it warmed things up.

I'm looking into a couple of books for Maggie's 6th birthday. It's fun looking at children's books & reading various reviews to see if they're the right age-range and what the reviewer's think about them. Our library director recommended the School Library Journal as a good place to look and their age ranges are better than Amazon or other sources.

A dreary morning weather-wise

Just because the weather is dreary, it doesn't mean the day will be. The darkness of the sky brings out the green in the yard (& the weeds growing so well in the as-yet unplanted garden as well!). The trees also look brighter this morning in contrast to the atmosphere.

Afternoon of Baking

I'm not sure why, but while I was mixing up, kneading, raising & baking bread today, the phone rang several times and someone came to the door. Some Wednesday afternoons are very quiet, whether or not I am making bread, but not today. I hope it comes out all right. It looks like it's overproofed a bit. It's a new recipe, makes 3, rather than 2, loaves & I'm working on getting it right. It tastes good anyway, but I really want it to LOOK good too. Silly me.

I also cut the first rhubarb of the season & made some strawberry rhubarb compote. Yum!

Had I realized it was not going to rain today, as was predicted yesterday, I would have done a wash & hung it out this morning, instead of doing it this afternoon & having to use the dryer. On the other hand, then it would have been out when the men came to clean out our gutters. That would not have been a pretty sight! So, I guess things turned out for the best. That's always good & you can never tell except by looking back on it.

Cinco de Mayo

Today was not rainy as originally predicted, so riding my bike to work was a very pleasant thing to do. My pannier generally has my rain pants in it just in case it rains before I get back home.

It was a busy, and somewhat strange, day at the library. We keep thinking it's because the full moon is coming that people act the way they do. Whatever the reason, it does keep life interesting, which has to be a good thing.

I find it bothers me a bit that people seem to be so worried about my riding my bike. I am doing fine, have no trouble with my balance, or any other ill effects from my accident on black ice in November. In fact, biking helps my good leg, which has been just a bit stiff (over compensation?). People are always admonishing me to be careful riding. That's good advice, and I'm glad they care, but it's said in a way that leaves me thinking they doubt my ability to ride my bike safely.

I'm glad Spring is coming along nicely. The leaves are almost all the way out now. Also the lettuce & basil I planted in pots in the house have started to come up. Today I started some tomatoes I bought. It's a package of pre-planted seeds that need watering & caring for until they are large enough to transplant. I haven't done tomato seeds for a while, so we'll see how this works.

Since I don't seem to have the time to read my Bible lesson before Wed evening's Bible Study, I brought home the Bible on tape & am listening to the book of Exodus. We are doing a chapter each week.

All in all, a good day.

Musings of a Grandmother

Yesterday I posted this. Then I decided I'd give it it's own page.

I'm not sure what a "grandmother" should look like or feel like. My grandmother was quite old when I was born and when I knew her. I don't feel "old." I have seen grandmothers who look quite young. I don't look quite young. I am just me (I remember saying that as a child, usually when someone was trying to decide who I looked like & I insisted I looked like me!).

The reasons for my musings? Well, first I have been a grandmother for nearly 6 years, & while I like it when Maggie, my oldest granddaughter, calls me "Grandma GG" or just "GG" I'm still getting used to being a grandmother.

Also, today as I turn 66 I wonder. What should I feel like at 66? I surely don't know. I don't feel much different from when we moved to Arcade when I was 38, though I know I am different. I look different -- my face is older, my hair is working toward gray, and I guess I can't do quite all of what I could then, or at least not as fast. But really, I just don't feel that much different. I still walk, ride my bike, go to Curves and exercise 3 times a week. I would like to exercise more, but at least I am continuing to do it. I work two jobs, both part-time, though between the two, it probably amounts to full time work.

I admit to getting "older" but certainly not be being "old." I have seen some people my age, and some even younger, who seem to be and act old. I look at them and know that I am not like that, not yet, and maybe not ever.

As long as I can keep a positive attitude, most of the time, and learn something new every day, most of the time, I don't think I'll feel "old." That is what I intend to do.