The Spider Won

 We have been enjoying the See's fudge my sister sent us from California. Only a few pieces left now. I would highly recommend it. It is not too sweet, just right, and chock full of walnuts. I put it in a Christmas tin covered with plastic wrap to keep it from drying out once I sliced it into pieces; it comes as a big slab.

All that remains

This morning after breakfast I saw a small insect on the counter. It looked like a spider. This was an extraordinary spider it turns out. I brought the heel of my right hand down to smash it, and it jumped from the counter into the adjacent kitchen sink. I didn't go after it  right away because my hand was hurting. I guess I "broke" a vessel. By the time I looked again I could not see it. I have a purple hand. The spider won.

We have mostly grass to view from our windows as we are in the 40's and today 50's. Rain the next few days will finish off the piled-up snow. Have a blessed 2023.

In the Deep Freeze

 Today is not fit for man or beast. We woke to minus 9 degrees; at lunch it was minus 3 but predicted to start falling again soon. The winds are around 25 mph, but there are definitely gusts higher than that. The birds have enough sense to hunker down somewhere and not come to the bird feeders. We probably have all the snow we will see from this storm, unlike areas near Lake Michigan. It isn't the amount but the blowing of the snow that reduces visibility and drifts roads shut.

This is what my front door looks like currently. Our polywood porch rockers are coated with snow, too.

I put out my holly placemats last night. The Pfaltzgraff Winterberry trivet I have owned several years; the coasters also have been around many years. It is a set with different birds depicted.

Tomorrow I am going to make split pea and ham soup for lunch. I sometimes make this for New Years, but with our blustery weather I decided to cook up a batch sooner.

This afternoon I will have a cup of hot chocolate and a cookie as I enjoy my warm comfortable home. My bathroom scale decided to die (it has a digital display) this morning so I guess I can feast on goodies with no worry of seeing the "damage".

Merry Christmas to you.

Internal Hordeolum and Other Matters

 October was a momentous month for me. On the 14th, my spine doctor and I agreed to have a lumbar laminectomy done. Alas, that will not happen for several months as I deal with other health issues.

On the 15th, my left eyelid was red and swollen and painful. When I turned the eyelid up, I could see a small white dot, but it didn't want to drain, and my eye started crusting especially overnight. After trying warm compresses as I had on other styes and seeing no improvement, I saw an optometrist at Grossnickle's on October 24th. 

I had an internal hordeolum (sounds like an exotic dance or a wild musical instrument, doesn't it?) It is just a stye, but one more under the eyelid than along the edge, and it involves an oil gland. It is more painful than an external stye. The optometrist gave me a prescription for an oral antibiotic; styes are infections by bacteria. Usually, warm compresses will help the eye drain, and there is no need for antibiotics; but the internal stye often will not drain. I probably got mine from rubbing my eyes frequently when I had itchiness from allergies. He also prescribed an ointment. He suggested I purchase an eye mask they sell at Grossnickle's that you heat in the microwave. I had been putting cotton balls in hot water, but the cotton didn't maintain the heat for very long. With the mask, I can easily wear it up to 10 minutes, and it stays warm. 

At my follow-up appointment two weeks later, the eye did not hurt much, and the crusting had stopped but it was still swollen and the little white/yellow dot was visible when flipping the eyelid up.

I was told to make an appointment with one of the ophthalmologists if the swelling did not go down, and it could be surgically drained. When I finally did make an appointment, the swelling was the size of a pea. However, it was flatter by the time I saw the doctor, and he said it had become a chalazion. He didn't recommend draining it because there wasn't much to drain, but the meibomian gland was probably still slightly blocked. 

While dealing with the hordeolum, I had the blood in my stool on October 17th, 18th, and 19th. That meant my primary care doctor would not sign the release for surgery for the spine until an upper endoscopy was done. As I mentioned in my previous post, the surgeon wanted a colonoscopy done as well. 

It has been downhill ever since. The scopes, the aspiration pneumonia, the diagnosis of a fairly large hiatal hernia, the stay in the hospital.

 One bright spot is that after having reflux, regurgitation, and spasms for several years (and definitely worse this past year), I have been referred to a doctor that specializes in these problems. He is not a gastroenterologist, but a general surgeon who deals with GERD, hiatal hernias, and does bariatric surgery for those needing help with obesity. I will be having a manometry test on January 5th. This measures motility issues. The barium imaging I had done showed some possible motility problems. On January 12th I will have another EGD scoping but with BRAVO (some kind of device attached to my esophagus to measure pH). These tests will be done in the brand new Lutheran Hospital downtown Fort Wayne. 

I have felt under siege for the past few months, but the new year promises some answers and possible improvements.

Aspiration Pneumonia

 The week of November 20th was not a good one for me. I did the bowel prep for my colonoscopy on the 21st. My scheduled 11:45 a.m. procedures didn't take place until 1 p.m. on the 22nd. This was done at the local hospital in the surgical center. When I woke up from the conscious sedation, I was coughing a lot. Once that settled down, my husband drove me home. My throat was a little sore from the upper GI scoping (EGD). I drank a cup of decaffeinated tea to soothe my throat and ate an English muffin. I figured we would have a light early supper, maybe just soup for me, around 5 p.m.

Around 4:30, a wall of fatigue hit me, and I felt cold. I crawled under my electric blanket trying to get warm. I cranked it up again and again, until I was shivering so hard my whole body was shaking. I felt really bad. 

My husband took me to the emergency room at the hospital where I had been earlier for my colonoscopy and EGD. We didn't have to wait even 10 minutes before being admitted and placed in a room. I had a fever, and they said my heart was racing. Lots of waiting for tests including a CT scan of my abdomen and chest. Several people came through and drew blood samples. 

Several hours later the nurse who had checked me over when I arrived, popped back in to announce that I had pneumonia. By 10:30 p.m. when I was wheeled to my hospital room, I was coughing again, and my chest hurt when I breathed in. 

I spent November 22nd (p.m.) to November 25th in the hospital. I tried to enjoy turkey breast, sweet potatoes, and green beans Thanksgiving evening, but I had little appetite. I had asked the food department to give me just small portions, but still didn't finish it. I think one of the antibiotics (flagyl) causes loss of appetite and makes food taste bad, as that has lingered even when home and taking it as oral medicine, not IVs.

When I was discharged, I found part of the diagnosis said suspected aspiration of food causing pneumonia. At my follow-up yesterday, the nurse practitioner called it aspiration pneumonia, and said yes it could have been caused by some of the secretions that were disturbed by the scoping entering my lungs. So I don't think it was food, but saliva or gastric juices. 

I had not spent time in a hospital since 2003. I knew it would be unrestful, but I was surprised by the constant churn of employees. Maybe it was more than usual because of the holiday. I soon learned that when I rang the call button, and the tech or nurse said they would be in my room soon, that meant at least 30 minutes and often several hours would go by. I became rather adept at unplugging the IV "cart" and dragging it with me to the toilet. 

It is ironic that my husband and I have been avoiding group activities and watching church service on-line to avoid COVID and the flu because I thought that I might have back surgery in November, to end up with pneumonia. It will be several months before scheduling back surgery is a possibility.

This beggar is not very happy with the "rations" filling my life, but I have to accept that this is what God wants. It is my portion for now.

Twas in the Moon of Wintertime

 The director of the Grace Village choir asked me to research this song that will be sung in the choir Christmas concert December 16th. I did not take the time to put the acute accent over the e in Bre[beuf]

Though unfamiliar to most of us, the song “Twas in the Moon of Wintertime” or sometimes called the Huron Carol is well-known to most Canadians who treasure its antiquity and tie to the indigenous heritage.

Written in 1642 by the Jesuit priest Jean de Brebeuf in the native language of the Huron Wendat people among whom he lived at Sainte-Marie in the Ontario Georgian Bay area, it is considered Canada’s oldest Christmas song and was honored with a national series of postage stamps in 1977.

The label Huron was seen as derogatory by the Wendats. It was derived from the French word for a lout, an awkward brutish person. Modern descendants find it offensive.

In 1625 Brebeuf was sent from France where he had joined the Society of Jesus to New France (Canada) when his superiors recognized his facility in languages. His age was about 32.

The Jesuits sent to New France expected to endure hardships and possibly martyrdom. Brebeuf was tortured and killed by Iroquois along with some of his converts in 1649. He was later canonized and is one of the Patron Saints of Canada.

It took many years to learn the language and culture of the Wendat, but finally Brebeuf’s mastery allowed him to write a Christmas carol as a gift. Music was a significant part of their culture. The Wendat language contains at least 8 different words for singing and song.

The Wendat text of the song known as Jesus Is Born incorporated some of their culture: Sky People for angels, tribal elders greasing the baby’s scalp over and over as a show of reverence.

The song was passed along orally with no written record until over 150 years later in 1794 another Jesuit priest wrote the words as he heard them. Later Paul Picard translated them into French.

Jesse Edgar Middleton, a Canadian newspaper man, is listed as the English translator. Except his 1926 version was not a translation but a complete rewriting picturing how baby Jesus would experience birth in a Canadian wilderness forest among the First Peoples. Jesus is born in a bark lodge and wrapped in rabbit fur. God is called Gitchi Manitou which is not a Huron term but Algonquian, an unrelated language group.

More modern versions omit the verse describing such a birth and do not call God Gitchi Manitou.

The Wendat tribe was decimated by illnesses brought by Europeans. Later they were driven from their territory by the Iroquois. The remnant resettled in French-speaking parts of Canada and slowly lost their original language. Today scholars are using the Wendat version of Jesus Is Born to restore a tie to their past language and culture.

Twas in the Moon of Wintertime (Version to be sung by the Grace Village choir)

Verse 1 Twas in the moon of wintertime when all the birds had fled, that God, the Lord of all the earth, sent angel choirs instead. Before their light the stars grew dim, and wond'ring hunters heard the hymn.

Chorus: Jesus your king is born! Jesus is born! Glory be to God on high!

Verse 2 The earliest moon of wintertime is not so round and fair as was the ring of glory around the infant there. And when the shepherds then drew near, the angel voices rang out clear.

Chorus: Jesus your king is born! Jesus is born! Glory be to God on high!

Verse 3 O children of the forest free, the angels' song is true. The holy child of earth and heav'n is born today for you. Come, kneel before the radiant boy who brings you beauty,  peace, and joy.

Chorus: Jesus your king is born! Jesus is born! Glory be to God on high!

Grace Village ArtCare

 For several years now, Grace Village has offered ArtCare, scheduled times to color, paint, do crafty things on Wednesdays. People from health care, assisted living, and independent living (including a few from the condos) are involved. There is an instructor/helper with an art background to encourage those creating.

 Today we attended an ArtCare Open House with items for sale as well as art works on the walls displayed but not for sale. The hallway outside the activity room has photos of the residents involved; I would guess maybe 30-40.

Today's offerings were mostly note cards featuring the pictures created by the resident artists. There were a few handcrafts, too.

I bought a magnet.

Many people color printed pictures, but some draw and paint their own compositions.

It is a good way for residents to socialize and be creative. The socialization aspect was on hold when COVID was most virulent. People with dementia do well coloring printed pictures provided for them. It seems to soothe them. 

In the spring there will be another sale which will include some wooden baskets my husband made and donated to ArtCare. They are going to paint/decorate these. 

If I lived in one of the apartments, I might join in. Right now, I am busy on Wednesdays with literary club twice a month, and with singing with the choir in chapel once a month. It would make a nice activity during cold months when being outside is difficult. Something to think about for the future.

Brought the Cushions Inside

Today is one that folks probably wish we were still on daylight savings. 73 degrees this afternoon, but after sitting on the porch an hour the sun was sinking lower. This morning I had my husband put my geraniums and the wax begonia next to the trash bag. This afternoon I brought in the porch rocker cushions.

 After I spot clean them (bug poop?), I will try to find room in my cedar chest for them so they are out of the way. Tomorrow will start out in the low 50's then fall all day. Saturday thru next Saturday, our projected highs are in the 30's. No more sitting on the porch. Even some rain and snow Saturday. 

I set out a puzzle from a garage sale in the den. Looks like tomorrow will be a cozy stay-inside day. I have two hot chocolate packets I picked up from the give-and-take table last spring, a brand unfamiliar to me. I have a streusel coffee cake mix which is sure to be baked up this weekend. 

The ornamental pear trees on my street still have leaves, though greatly thinned after the windy days last week. We drove to Fort Wayne this morning; the trees in sight were bare. 

We stopped at a Skechers Outlet store. My husband was looking for shoes. They had a "Black Friday" deal, buy 1 and get the 2nd pair half off. I tried on a pair of lined booties, but since my husband couldn't find a pair that fit him, I didn't buy the booties as the regular price was not what I would pay for them. I don't really need them. I was surprised to see slippers made by Skechers. 

My husband had some credit from a return at the Warsaw Kohl's. We stopped at Kohl's in Northcrest in Fort Wayne. I was going to apply the remaining amount to a brassiere. I felt totally disoriented in the store. They have made Sephora the centerpiece and moved everything else around. I couldn't even find the lingerie department. When I asked, I was told it was upstairs now. Much smaller than before and poorly stocked. I couldn't even find my size in the Bali bras I usually buy. I really liked the Chaps clothing line at Kohl's. It disappeared from Warsaw a few years ago, and now from Fort Wayne. The Chaps space is taken up with athleisure and sports items. If Kohl's wonders why they are doing poorly, I would be glad to give them an earful. 

We ate lunch at Casa Grill, one of our Fort Wayne favorites. At Costco we looked at TVs a bit. We are thinking maybe we should replace our 12-year-old TV for a smart TV. It would be our Christmas present to ourselves. Haven't done enough looking to make a decision, but we did decide we should *not* get an 85-inch one as it would be overwhelming in our small living room.

I bought a jar of the fancy mixed nuts to use on November 30th when I co-host literary club. We also bought a 2023 calendar. We already have dental appointments, etc. to mark down next year. As I look at the calendar, I realize people today use their cell phones as calendars. Oh, well, I like the old-fashioned wall calendar. Yes, there have been times at medical offices that I wish I had my calendar information before me, but I still don't even turn on my cell phone every day. 

On our way home, we stopped at the Kroger's in Columbia City. The Warsaw store has been out of Newman's Own Pineapple Salsa for weeks, and my husband ate up the last bit this morning. Hooray. He found and bought two jars. I am not a salsa fan, but I like this pineapple salsa on my microwaved breakfast burritos. 

Simple day, simple pleasures, simple life. Just the way I like it.

Honored Guests

 

Grace College invited us (Grace Village residents) to attend the Women's and Men's basketball games free. They announced our attendance over the loudspeaker and had refreshments in the alumni suite for us. They provided a shuttle bus for those who needed transportation. I would say 30-40 attended, about a third apartment residents, the rest condo dwellers. 

Besides a fruit tray, there were crackers and cheese and cookies. Also soft drinks and bottled water. We spent a little time in the alumni suite, but most of the time we were in the stands watching the games.

The mascot for the team is a knight.

The women played Holy Cross College. Grace College won.

The cheerleaders performed at both the women's and the men's games. The do acrobatic stuff besides the traditional cheers. One of the pyramids collapsed but thankfully nobody was hurt. 

The men played Saint Xavier College. We left at 9 p.m., but we learned that Grace did win the game. 

Entertaining me was a 3-year-old fan right in front of me. I know her age because when the men's game started, she went down 2 rows to play with a little blonde girl. Blondie asked her how old she was. 3 fingers were held up. Blondie then held up 5 fingers and said, "I'm five" and made it pretty clear she was going to be the boss.

Earlier, I showed the little girl that my Skecher shoes had pink knobs on the bottom; she wore shoes with part of the sole pink. She was pretty impressed that we had similar shoes. I wondered if her mom who was not at the game knew what the dad was feeding his two daughters 8 o'clock at night (cheese nachos). The older girl was not in front of us the whole time; I think she too must have found a friend to sit with. But she settled in to get her share of nachos.

On Hold

 On October 14th, my spine doctor and I agreed to schedule a lumbar laminectomy. However, on October 17th, 18th, and 19th I had blood in my stool. My primary care doctor said she would not sign the clearance for surgery form until the cause of blood could be found.

Today I saw a doctor to schedule an upper GI endoscopy. That was the procedure for which the referral was made. However, after reviewing the "symptoms" he said he felt a colonoscopy should be done as well. I had been taking Aleve once a day for about 9 months but have stopped taking any NSAID or aspirin. If at least part of my problem is an ulcer, stopping these meds should help.

The earliest date available is November 22nd. Since both procedures will be done on that day, I have to do the prep for the colonoscopy on November 21st. 

With the Thanksgiving holiday, I am sure the results will not be transmitted to my main doctor until the last week of November. So the earliest any back surgery could be done would be mid-December. That assumes the treatment for the "blood problem" is not complicated.

The back surgery is on hold until my doctor feels confident about signing the clearance form. It is going to be a long wait. I have to trust that this is God's plan; it surely isn't the timing I would plan for myself.

A big downside is that the outdoor walking they want you to do after surgery will not be fun in January. I have no control over speeding things up, though I could put the back surgery off a few more months I guess. Going with the flow, but the flow is slow.

Autumn colors, pottery, loons

 Today we drove to Columbia City which still has a Richards Restaurant similar to the one we liked in Warsaw that shut down. We took Old 30 (Lincoln Highway) until we came to a section shut down by road work. South to Highway 30, but then at Indiana 5 we turned north toward Old 30 again. We wanted to enjoy the fall foliage. Actually Indiana 5 had one of the nicest stretches of colorful trees right off of Highway 30. 

When we arrived home, we noticed that we have some nice color right in our neighborhood. The fothergilla bush has turned yellow just as I predicted last week.

It is 75 degrees and sunny. When I finish this post, I am going to sit on our front porch and read a book. It is windy, but the porch is somewhat sheltered. 

As I looked down at my feet while taking the photo of the above tree, I saw one of the bright red leaves that had fallen from our backyard maple. The wind yesterday and today and probably tomorrow is going to knock more leaves from the limbs.

I moseyed down the west side of our house and was surprised to find a hydrangea bloom and some other colorful leaves with blooms. Since I hardly ever enjoy those plants because I don't walk around out there, I snipped them for a vase inside.

I cut down the Veronica (speedwell) and pulled up the last of the moss roses yesterday. Now the cheddar pinks are all that remain in our patio plot.

One of my neighbors is going from a conventional brick house owned by Grace Village to one of its apartments. She had a moving sale this weekend. I bought a piece of pottery and a book. She has lots of big furniture to get rid of (two dining tables, a stand-alone fireplace, side tables). 

Monterey Jade pottery was made in the Carmel Valley and sold in gift shops in Monterey and Carmel-by-the-Sea mostly from the 1940's to the 1960's. Since it incorporates my favorite color (blue), I paid the $2 and brought it home. I don't know what I am going to do with it. I have some places it could be displayed, but right now I have fall decor out. It does look especially lovely with light coming through the window of the sunporch bringing out its iridescence. 

The other item I bought at the sale was a book about loons. I have never seen nor heard a loon in nature; I have just seen them in movies, etc. This goes through the whole life cycle. I think it will be fun to learn about these intriguing birds.

Changes All Around

 

The cold nights this past week have brought on the fall colors. I don't ever remember my neighbor's hydrangea bush having such bright leaves in the 4 or 5 years since it was planted. 

He is not home right now. He went to Kentucky to propose marriage to his lady friend. They have been burning up the phone lines the past 5-6 months (well figuratively because I think that they use their cell phones). He told us he would be gone 2 weeks, but we have heard that they went ahead and tied the knot. He and his new bride will return around Thanksgiving. I met her this summer when she visited and stayed in a guest apartment. This is marriage two for her (she is a widow) and marriage 3 for him (his previous 2 wives are deceased). He knew her and her husband in the past. She has no children; some of his children live near Winona Lake so they decided to move her to Indiana.

In just one week the fothergilla leaves have put on their red shawls. I think by the end of next week the central leaf will turn yellow. It makes for a pretty contrast.

My backyard maple whose leaves normally turn a dull yellow and brownish red is the brightest since we moved here 11 years ago.

That is my house in the background. This tree is usually vibrant in the fall. It's working on presenting a finished picture. It has been windy today and yesterday. Because the leaves are still firmly attached there have been few falling, but next week will probably start the downward floating.

I love autumn. We are in the middle of all its glory now.

This morning my spine doctor and I agreed to schedule surgery. No date picked yet. I have to get clearance from my primary care doctor, have an EKG and some labs done, and get authorization from my insurance company. Probably by the end of next week I will know more. He at one time mentioned doing some fusion with rods and screws, but on this visit he said a simple laminectomy would suffice. That makes for a shorter less complicated operation though it will probably still include 2-3 levels. He will remove bone spurs and do cleanup besides removing the back layer of lamina to decompress the nerves. 

 Because I had quite a bit less pain in my legs after the steroid injections, he seemed encouraged there would be a good outcome. He said the back pain itself may or may not get better. Of course, the surgery will do nothing for the spinal arthritis and there will be more degeneration down the road. But for now I am going to focus on the potential for standing longer and walking farther. I have missed out on so many activities this past year. 

Before our first hard freeze this past week, I clipped the last rose on my front bush. It has a little stem coming out the side with a tightly closed bud. The main flower started dropping petals Wednesday; the bud has opened; it truly is the last rose of the season.

Bits and Pieces of Past Roles

 As I am sorting through and disposing of "clutter", I have come across things that were useful to me at one time, but which I haven't used for years.

At our Dallas church I created flyers to publicize the ladies' Bible study. The church installed plexiglass holders on the inside of the women's bathroom stalls as well as having a central bulletin board. I tried to tie the theme to the season or the subject matter of the study. I never used the entire packet of decorative paper; sometimes I would use the same paper again during my two-year stint. Having been gone from Dallas for 15 years now, I find I rarely have a need for these papers. I am taking them to give-and-take table at Grace Village tomorrow. If I had timed it better, they could have been part of the swap shop, but I didn't sort these until this weekend. I did keep some solid-colored paper in various hues.

For a while as I managed the Grace Village library, I had somebody helping me with the hall bulletin board. However, for most of the almost 8 years of serving in this role, I decorated it. I used some of the paper above for poems or announcements or lists, photocopied book covers (the front desk receptionist was kind enough to copy them in color at no charge), or added seasonal/holiday decor. The framed corkboard was maybe 5 x 5 feet. It had a plexiglass "ledge" at the bottom where books could be displayed as well. Time to get rid of the bits still stored in my home. I do not foresee doing bulletin boards anywhere. They are good candidates for decluttering.

October Surprises

 When my husband returned from the Robin Hood workshop, he brought a stained-glass autumn leaf suncatcher made by one of the shop guys. The gift was totally unexpected.

We are having really nice autumn weather: days are sunny 65-70 degrees, nights are in the 40's. This should last through Wednesday re the forecasts. It does make it difficult to know what kind of blanket to have on the bed. I have my electric blanket on my bed, but I didn't turn it on last night at all. In fact, I had it folded down by my feet until about 6 this morning. Too heavy. The sun warms up the house nicely, and we don't need the furnace. Apparently, I don't need an electric blanket right now either.

I still read Ann Voskamp's blog regularly. She has guest posters, especially if they have a new book to publicize. A few days ago, she had Clutter Fix by Shannon Acheson. I decided to search Hoopla, but I didn't really expect to see it there as the book was published mid-September. Surprise! Not only the e-book but an audio edition was available.

 This is written by a Christian lady with a Biblical perspective. In the introduction she says that "sparking joy" does not work for everybody. (Guess we know she is not a fan of Marie Kondo). I am quite sure she won't be asking me to say goodbye to my stuff and wish it a happy new life so its feelings are not hurt. 

Do I really need to read another book on decluttering? Actually, my condo looks good, but when/if we move into an apartment in 4-5 years, all of my things won't fit. They will be clutter. Even some of my furniture will have to be replaced by smaller pieces, e.g., the dining table and chairs. I am fortunate that we have "swap shop" two times a year and the give-and-take table at Grace Village. It makes it easier to discard items. Also, the Robin Hood garage sale in June where GV paid the ad. I did take some unsold items to Goodwill. Working with the future in view motivates current action.

Mrs. Acheson has some lists and exercises to identify why an individual hangs onto clutter and what kind of organizing works for a particular kind of person. I have just started the book so will have to share more later; I just wanted to share the surprise that such a new book was available free to me on Hoopla. The book also gives an address to a blog that has the lists to print out since I cannot photocopy from my Galaxy Tablet. I am looking forward to seeing what the author has to share.

Margaret

 I haven't posted for a while because I haven't had much to share. I have done so much reading and playing games on my Galaxy tablet the past few weeks, I decided last night to do something different: color an autumn picture.

 I will have some nerve root block injections this Thursday (the 29th) at L5, a level lower than the last injections. Though I had less leg pain, the back and buttocks pain did not get better with the L4 injections. We will see what L5 tells us. The lessening of pain in my thighs is starting to disappear. Now the left leg again has a stabbing pain at times. It has been a little over a month since the L4 injections.

When my husband and I took over the supervision of the Grace Village library in February 2012, Margaret was already working there. I went to her funeral today. She was 101 when she died. I had not kept in contact with her for several years, especially when she moved to healthcare and the pandemic shut out visitors. I think I sent her one card, but I didn't try calling as she could not hear well enough on the phone. She had a wonderful smile and laugh; several people mentioned that about her today. I wish I had made more efforts to send her cards and notes so she could have had more smiles.

People shared memories. One woman had been a child living next-door to Margaret and her husband and eventually 4 boys. Her missionary parents in Argentina shared a building that had been divided into two apartments. Margaret became "Aunt Margaret" in her eyes.

Margaret was 90 years old when I met her, heading for her 91st birthday in about 3 months. She was an avid reader and sharp as a tack. I observed some aspects of her personality that were not shared today.

 She was spunky. While most of the retirement residents would not use the library stepstool, Margaret shelved books on the top shelves regularly. I watched closely the first time I saw her doing that. She carefully placed each foot firmly on the stool and just as carefully placed them on the floor when she was done. I had no qualms about her activity. When she reached age 95 or 96, I suggested she leave the high shelving to me. She also did not have the strength at that time to shove books around on the shelves to make more room. I am trying to remember when the two of us had a chat and decided she no longer had the stamina for that kind of work. She was 96 I think.

 She had been typing the book spine labels; unfortunately, the typewriter part that allowed one to roll the sheet of labels into the platen broke off. Grace Village could find no replacement part to fix the typewriter nor repair service for such an old machine; we were forced to generate labels using the computer. Margaret was pretty sure she didn't want to use the computer. I think she was almost 97 when she "retired".

She sat next to me in the alto section of the choir. Our director did not have a strong voice; many singers could not hear her announcement by title of moving on to a different piece. I knew that was a problem for Margaret. I would pull out the piece and show her. She sang on-key most of the time though her hearing gradually got worse; finally, she recognized that she could no longer participate in vocal and chime choir because of her profound hearing loss. It was a sad day.

She was not shy about sharing her opinion on any suggested changes to the library. I forget what my husband suggested, but she dug in her heels and said no. Of course, unless the changes directly affected her, she knew she had to accept them. She was not in charge.

 She chided me once for weeding out some old book-of-the-month-club books. I had placed the withdrawn books on the give-and-take table. She had taken them to reread. These were mostly published in the 1940's and 1950's, and I doubt most people were familiar with the authors (I wasn't). But she considered them treasures. We had to make more shelf space, and these seemed good candidates, not only because they were old (but not classics), but the print was very small. I was surprised she could read such fine print. Her hearing might not be good, but her eyes still worked great.

One time when I mentioned to her that I was taking a book over to Assisted Living for Kathryn (the fellow missionary she knew in Argentina), she confided to me that she and her husband tried to avoid eating at Kathryn's place while missionaries because Kathryn wasn't a very good cook. Today several people mentioned how Margaret was excellent at feeding crowds of people tasty food. Probably Kathryn's cooking was passable but not up to the standards of Margaret at least not in Margaret's opinion.

Speaking of cooking, my husband at my request helped me with the preparation of the two Home Chef meals we received Thursday. They were considered "oven-ready" but did require washing produce, adding seasonings and making sauces. He did a good job. I haven't been ordering many because of the expense, but I kept my membership because if I have surgery these might be do-able for him. 

Estate Tag Sale

 This morning we ate breakfast at Creighton's Crazy Egg not far from Etna Green. Then we drove a few miles to an estate tag sale. I know I don't really need stuff, but it is fun to look.

The deceased lady had an unbelievable number of collectibles from china, glassware, and figurines. I did buy two decorative items, 4 napkins in a package so never used, and a little spatula. I already have two little spatulas like I bought, but there are times when I could use another one. Lots of kitchen tools and gadgets for $1 each.

Tomorrow most of the things will be marked down half off. There was some beautiful furniture. I coveted a white wicker chaise longue but of course have no place to put it in my home. In the past I went to another estate tag sale run by J & J Taggers, and I got some good deals on the last day. Etna Green is pretty far away to return. 

I think I will try to go to Warsaw Farmers' Market to look for tomatoes and baked goods. 

Autumn Plates

 My little autumn plates arrived via UPS today. I am not putting them in the plate rack today except to see how they fit. They are 6-inch canape plates rather than 8-inch dessert plates. Maybe I should have paid the extra $20 for the bigger plates; these tilt backwards some. But I was splurging to buy any plates.

At least they won't take up much storage space. I really like them. I will have fun in 10 days putting them back in the rack and getting out my other autumn decorations.