Sunday, January 31, 2021

Sunday, January 31, 2021

Wow! January is ending with a soft snow falling from the sky, it was really pretty when I took Frisco out at about 7:30. That was after a full 9-hour sleep.  I don’t think I even rolled over and looked at the clock during the night and that is a rarity for me.

I watched the last episodes of Schitt’s Creek last night and I’m kind of sad that there are no more. The characters are just so outlandish that I found it to be very entertaining and would watch several episodes in an evening. Talking with Tom about the series, he didn’t like it as much as I did and had  to stop watching after a couple of episodes, as the characters were too outlandish. Funny!

Friday, January 29, 2021

Friday, January 29, 2020

I really don’t have much to write about, the days around here have been cold (low 20’s) and gray. I haven’t gotten outdoors for a good walk in over a week. I do manage to do a fitness walk most days and a few short walks with Frisco and I think he is bored with this routine too. So my days are filled with indoor activities like reading, crochet, phone calls with friends and family, some cooking and cleaning, and a good nap on most days.

I watched a good movie the other night, Radium Girls, a story about female factory workers in the early 1900’s, whose job was to paint the faces of clocks with luminous paints and most were poisoned from the radioactive paints.  They were all told that the paint was harmless, instructed to lick the brush to form a point, and then to hand paint the numbers on the clock face - “Lip, Dip, and Paint”. It was used because it glowed in the dark. Many got sick and died from the exposure to radiation but were told by the company doctors that they had Syphilis.  A few conscientious gals found a lawyer to represent them, took on the company, and sued for damages due to labor abuse and helped to establish industrial safety guidelines in this country.  The case was settled in favor of the Radium Girls. Future dial painters were provided with protective gear and instructions in proper safety standards. Radium continued to be used in clock faces until the 1960s.  It is said that a Geiger counter placed over the grave of a Radium girl would continue to detect radiation forever. 

Lily Tomlin was one of the directors and I thought the movie was very well done and accurately depicted the era.  Just another example of corporate greed and it’s all about the money.

I signed up for a craft night on Wednesday and actually got to meet a few women. It was a ‘distanced and masked’ activity but we were certainly not 6 feet apart. We made a paper valentine that turned out to be rather cute. I sat at a table with Linda and we got to talking about our reasons for being here - our kids and grandkids - and learned that her family are neighbors to my family and know each other. They live about a block apart. What a small world it is - I love those stories.

There were rumors going around that management and maintenance staff may be in quarantine due to COVID exposure - I’m glad that I haven’t had any contact with them. I really wish that this information would be disclosed to residents - some felt that it would cause panic, but I would rather be informed than be ignorant.

Saturday, January 23, 2021

Friday, January 22, 2021

The days run on and not much happens but night falls and I wonder where the day went. I’m usually able to stay busy, sometimes getting a nap in to fill a gap. I’ve spent quite a bit of time on the phone this week, catching up with family and friends and I managed to work out in the recently reopened fitness room one day. There was nobody else in there, masks are required, and there are sanitizing wipes to be used when you are finished with the equipment.  That is really a difficult thing for me to do, I would much rather turn on a fitness video and do a workout in my own apartment.

I watched the inauguration of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris and they pulled it off without riots and protests - there were 25,000 troops guarding the area, streets blocked off, and walls built to protect the White House. There were riots and protests in many other parts of the country. I got a little bit teary when Kamala Harris arrived, quite a big deal to me to have the first woman Vice President, the first person of color be the Vice President, and I look forward to seeing how that team does. President Biden started off on that same day by reversing several of the executive orders that Trump had signed.

I got a new couch with chaise this weeks - long story.  I was heading for the elevator when I saw a neighbor wrestling this couch out her door and into the hallway. I offered my help and that started a conversation. She had just bought this couch in November but has replaced it and was giving it away free. There was a catch though. There are two small burn holes in the seat, so I asked how that could be when this is strict a non-smoking facility and I was told that a friend who spent the night did it - who knows. It doesn’t smell like cigarettes, nor did her apartment, but she kind of did - you know how it is when you pass a smoker and you can smell the residue.  Anyway, I took the couch and started to research ways to repair the burn holes and I proceeded to set it up in my now crowded apartment, giving it a complete vacuum and wipe it down with a damp cloth.



















So then it was necessary to get rid of the other furniture that I had, so I put a poster on the wall in the lobby and it was gone in two days. I like that!

I made a pot of Creamy Wild Rice with Chicken soup for myself and to share with the family, delivered it and spent the afternoon with the girls on Thursday.  Since the weather is expected to turn much colder, we started out by walking to Beard’s Plaisance where they played on the swings and playground. It didn’t matter that the ground was icy and slippery, they had lots of fun. It got a bit dramatic when they were all thirsty and we hadn’t taken and water with us. We made it back home and they all scrambled to get drinks of water. We then played a game of Spoons, ate snacks, they dressed up in Mommy’s fancy dresses, and we all built Lego beach houses - interesting to see the differences in interpretations. 















































I rented and watched the movie “Yellow Rose” last night, a story about a Filipina teenager who has to decide whether to stay with her family (sent back to Manila by ICE) or to leave Texas to become a country music singer.  She is encouraged by Dale Watson who also acts, directs, and writes the song track.  I heard about it a couple of years ago, it was recently released, and I finally got around to watching it. I don’t think it is blockbuster material, but I enjoyed it, especially since I am such a big fan of Dale Watson.









Wednesday, January 13, 2021

Wednesday, January 13, 2020

Another ‘what a day’ to write about. The House of Representatives has voted to impeach Donald Trump for insurrection leading to the violence last week at the Capitol, for the second time during his term, it now goes to the senate.  Information is coming out that several of the extremists who stormed the Capitol last week have been arrested and we are now hearing rumors that it could have been an inside job - meaning that some congress members are suspected of aiding it. The National Capitol and state capitols are gearing up with troops in place, expecting possible violence next week for the inauguration on the 20th.  The Trumpers still believe that the election was fraudulent and was stolen from them - the numbers don’t say that at all, he lost by a sizable number of votes. 

I tried a new recipe today, Butternut Squash and Black Bean Enchilada Casserole, doubled it up and took it to Ben and Jill for dinner. I think it was great, will be interesting to hear the family’s feedback. 

Frisco and I got a couple of good walks in this week, as temps have been back up above freezing and we have seen the sunshine a few days.  While walking a stretch of the River to River trail today, I stopped to chat with a man who gave me some information on the trails and also answered my question about what is going on a block away where I have seen some construction going on.  The good news is that the trail is going to connect right across the street behind the library and they are putting a tunnel under Robert Street which is a very busy 4-lane neighborhood street. Also, the construction is a new Hy-Vee going in on the property that was the Thousand Oaks Golf Course that was failing - the privately owned company sold the property recently.

Thursday, January 7, 2021

Thursday, January 7, 2020

What a day yesterday was - most important in my life is my brother Randy’s birthday and I started the day by sending him birthday wishes.

As far as America - it is the day that the Congress meets in a joint session to formally count the Electoral College votes for the newly elected President. Biden won with 306 votes to Trump’s 232 votes and today, Congress tallies the votes as submitted by the states.  The problem is that Trump still believes that he won the election, that it was rigged in favor of the Democrats and several Republicans have said that they will challenge the tally of several states, which causes a lengthy delay in which both parties argue and then vote again.  While this was going on, large numbers of protesters were swarming the Capitol and some very violently, breaking windows and doors and forcing their way into the building.  The Congressmen and women were ushered off to a safe place while the violent looters had access to the building, waving confederate flags and looting.  Eventually, DC police, FBI, and the National Guard got control of the situation and a curfew was put in place to get control of the crowds. Later that night, Congress was able to meet and tallied the votes in favor of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris.  Trump is accused of inciting the violence and for encouraging it.

What happens next will be interesting as many are calling to invoke the 25th Amendment and remove Trump from office or to impeach him. The inauguration is scheduled for the 20th of January.

I have started a routine that might help me lose a few pounds. I am doing intermittent fasting where I eat normally for a day, then fasting until dinner time on the next day. We shall see how things work out.  I have also been good about doing the fitness walk videos and taking walks with Frisco.

We have had several days of freezing fog (I had never heard of that before) and it is just beautiful, especially when the sun comes out and the trees are just sparkling and beautiful.






Friday, January 1, 2021

Friday, January 1, 2021

Happy New Year to ALL and let’s hope there is some success with regard to reducing COVID-19 - a drop in cases and deaths and vaccinations distributed to all who are willing to get them.

I usually take my Christmas decorations down on New Year’s Day but since I had plans to be with 
Ben and his family that day, I took them down on New Year’s Eve instead. I left the apartment to pick up some drapery panels and rods from someone on Marketplace and stopped at Applebee’s and picked up a BBQ rib dinner for my New Year’s Eve meal. And then I talked on the phone and connected with family and friends, basically for the rest of the day and night. I didn’t make it until midnight, headed for bed about 10:00 instead.

I learned this morning that Rene was released and was going back home this morning, she is quite tired but feeling much better and is going to be okay.

The ‘hang the drapes’ project took me all morning, as nothing ever goes smoothly. The first challenge was that the window is 94” wide and there wasn’t a good place to put the center supporting bracket. I ended up mounting it to the valence for the window shade with Command tape and then wiring it to the heating vent in the ceiling for extra reinforcement. I’ve had really good luck with Command tape in the past, so am hoping this will be sufficient. The next challenge was the drapes were a bit too short, so the fix was to take out the hem and restitch, making them just the right length.

I had a nice afternoon with Ben and the family, as we gathered in their back yard around a campfire. We managed to stay relatively warm for 2.5 hours and had some good conversation, a nice way to start the new year.