Surprise Frozen Fruit

This weekend Hubby Tony and I traveled to the other side of the state for a fellowship business meeting. The actual meeting was all day Saturday and Sunday morning, but to make it easy we arrived on Friday night. The hotel room includes a small refrigerator, so I brought some breakfast food and snacks.

I've heard about some great breakfast restaurants close to the hotel, but that would require me to either wake up earlier or hustle to get out the door so I could be finished by the time the meeting starts. I much prefer to eat in the room so I can move slowly.

On Saturday morning we had overnight oatmeal (pre-prepped containers with oats, chia seed, raisins, and dry milk, then activated with water before bed and put into the refrigerator with raspberries mixed in at the last minute) and coffee from the in-room pot. When I pulled out the containers in the morning I noticed that the oats had a couple of ice crystals but the raspberries were fine, and attributed the issue to the fact that the containers of oats were on the top shelf of the refrigerator and the fruit was on the bottom shelf.

This morning's breakfast was prepackaged hard boiled eggs, grocery store muffins, oranges, and coffee. The eggs had been stored in the refrigerator door and were fine, but the oranges from the bottom shelf were downright frozen! We used a plastic knife to saw through the oranges and cut them into chunks. Tony chose to peel his. I just used my teeth to munch the fruit off the peel. The first few chunks were popsicle-like. As they unfroze the last few chunks were pretty mushy, but still tasty.

Five years ago: Noisy Neighbor Issues

Medical Meditations

Because my yearly routine blood work requires me to fast beforehand, this morning I was at the Urgent Care right when it opened. I was the first patient, but the receptionist asked me to have a seat in the waiting room while she logged into her computer.

The waiting area is a small rectangular room with chairs arranged along two of the walls and a television hanging in the corner. The other times I've been to the clinic the TV was broadcasting a non-offensive channel like HGTV. Today, while I was waiting there was a mixture of health-related public service announcements, healthy living tips...and something I had never seen before, a guided breathing meditation.

Five minutes later I was called over to be checked in. While the receptionist was pulling my orders up I heard another meditation from the corner of the room. This one invited people to tap on different parts of their body to relieve stress and tension. Even if I had been seated in the waiting room I doubt if I would have followed along 😏.

Five years ago today: I Live In A World Of Wonder

Now That's Self-Confidence!

A woman told her husband, "You know what, yesterday I saw a very attractive girl!"

The husband couldn't believe his wife would say such a thing, so he asked, "So what happened?"

"I just kept looking at her, admiring her..." she replied.

"Wow, really!?" he exclaimed. "What happened then?"

"Well," she answered, "then I moved away from the mirror." 

Public Domain Pictures

Five years ago: Just a Tuesday In Retirement

Fall, Finally

The St. Louis area had an unseasonably warm October. Mid-month when the temperatures dipped into the 50°F range I got out my fall and winter wardrobe and put all but a handful of short sleeved shirts away. Four days later things jumped back up into the mid and high 70°s. The early fall shirts got pushed to the back and stayed there for the rest of the month.

But today finally felt like Fall. The change back to Standard time meant that it was less than completely dark when I got up. It was cool and gloomy all day; the dusk to dawn sensor pathway lights outside the condo building never turned off. And thanks to the change sunset occurred at 5:03.

Looking at the ten-day forecast I decided there would be no more eating outside. It was time to cover the table and chairs on the deck.

Needpix

Every year when I uncover the small rectangular bistro table and two chairs I think that this year will be the one I invest in a dedicated waterproof cover to use in the fall. Then all of a sudden it's the end of the season and the outdoor furniture department at the hardware store has turned into the holiday decoration department. The first year it happened I bought a tarp and set of bungee cords and MacGyvered the protection into place. I've done the same thing every year since.

After unfolding the tarp I draped it over the table and chairs, then pulled it down snugly, lifting up the table and chair legs and putting them on top of the tarp to help hold it in place. I folded in the excess tarp at each end, used the bungee cords to secure it at the bottom, and called the job done.

Music For Meditation

Last week I received a flyer about a Sound Healing session that was going to be offered in the community club house. I read that:

"This sound healing journey will last 45 minutes. Tibetan singing bowls, gongs, chimes and drums will be used to facilitate energy clearing and to promote a meditative state of consciousness for relaxation. You may come with your own intention or you may simply join us to experience healing vibrations in a safe space."

The event sounded intriguing, and I decided to sign up.

When I walked over to the club house it was still bright outside. The door was open, the inside lights were dimmed, and there were candles burning on the fireplace hearth and in the far corner of the room, where the collection of instruments the practitioner would be using was set up. The atmosphere was serene but also a little mysterious.

I arranged my yoga mat at the end of the row of other mats, then took off my shoes and sat down.

The practitioner briefly explained the flow of the session, then invited us to lay down and get comfortable. I took off my glasses and put them inside my shoe so they wouldn't get stepped on. As soon as I stretched out I realized my sinuses were clogged up and I should have taken some allergy medicine. The headache meant that I had trouble getting comfortable, but I did my best.

For the next 45 minutes the practitioner played a sequence of instruments-gongs, chimes, rainsticks, and bowls. The sounds went from soft, to loud, back to soft again. Sometimes the sound was a vibration, and sometimes it sounded like there were multiple instruments going at once. It took me a while to stop thinking about my sinus issues, but eventually I entered into the wall of sound. 

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 I am the world's worst meditator; I can't clear my mind for more than a couple of minutes, but concentrating on the music kept my mind from wandering. I lost track of time, and although I didn't fall asleep I entered into a dream-like state.

At the end of the session, the music faded and the practitioner let us know it was time to slowly return to the real world. When everyone had sat up there was a short decompression discussion, then everyone gathered their things and left. 

It was dark and peaceful on the way home, and the peace lasted all the way until bedtime.

Five years ago today: What Do You Do?

What Do Skeletons Do While They Wait For Halloween?

They work out

They do gymnastics

They go fishing. (See the tiny white fish swimming through the "water"?)

They play music

They pole dance

They wish people in the neighborhood a Happy Birthday.

Five years ago: Halloween Spirit

Exercising And Eating

I had a marketing birthday coupon from a Mediterranean restaurant twenty minutes away from the house that expires at the end of the month. There was nothing on the calendar for today, the forecast called for lovely weather, and the Grand Center area around the restaurant is quite walkable, so last night I told Hubby Tony I was going to combine exercise and eating. It took him about a second and a half to decide to come with me. 

This morning I was reading the newspaper. When I got to the page with the horoscopes I decided to see what mine said for the day. All I would have to do is substitute the word 'morning' for the word 'afternoon' and it was a great summary of today's adventure.

Parking can be tough in the Grand Center area, so I came up with a plan to park at a grocery store lot several blocks to the west and walk through the Saint Louis University campus to get to our destination. At 10:30 in the morning there weren't as many students on campus as I would have thought so we were able to get a good look at things.

The campus of the Catholic university is a mix of historic and newer buildings, some going back to the late-1800s. The Cupples House was originally a private residence, then a student center, and today is a museum and art gallery.

Cupples House

What would a Catholic university be without an awe-inspiring church? St. Francis Xavier was a missionary who co-founded the Society of Jesus (Jesuits). The church named after him is built in the Gothic Revival style.

St. Francis Xavier church

The campus clock tower and fountain was in the middle a large plaza, and could be seen from quite a distance.

Wikipedia 

When we got to Grand Boulevard several blocks south of the restaurant it was still too early for it to be open, so instead of turning left we waited at a crosswalk, then followed a stream of students across the street.

 

We eventually ended up in the athletic complex area...soccer, baseball, and softball fields, and the Chaifetz Arena where the basketball team plays.

Main entrance

Across the street from the arena is the campus of Harris-Stowe University, a historically black college formed by the merger of two teacher training schools (Harris Teachers College for White students and Stowe Teachers College for Black students) in 1954. Tony and I wandered through a little bit of that campus, and then decided we were hungry and turned at the first main street we saw to double back.

I was surprised that we ended up on a section of the Brickline Greenway, which is still under development. By 2030 it will stretch for ten miles. This section of the trail was nicely designed, with separate sections for biking and walking. We passed some historical placards, several of them highlighting the history of the Mill Creek Valley, a predominantly Black neighborhood that was demolished in 1959 in the name of urban renewal.

We also saw a mural honoring the St. Louis Stars, a Negro National League team, who won the Negro National League World Series in 1928, 1930, and 1931.

 

When we reached the restaurant both Tony and I were hungry. The associate at the counter apologized for having trouble inputting our order into the computer, explaining she was new on the job. I told her to take her time. We ordered a falafel entree and a large chopped salad of tomato, cucumber, green pepper, and onion to share and each of us got a coffee drink. The food came quickly, and we dug in. Just about the time I realized I wasn't sure if there was enough food an associate came over with a piece of red velvet cake on a plate with two forks. She wished me a happy birthday as she set the plate down. After dessert Tony and I agreed we had eaten enough.

We walked back on different streets so we could see more of the area, but before we got in the car we stopped in the grocery store to buy a couple of items so we didn't have to stop on the way home. At the checkout counter there was a sample station with small oatmeal cookies. Tony and I each took one.

Five years ago: Oh My 'Gourdness'

Not Quite Written In Stone Yet

Hubby Tony and I scheduled our next visit to California to see the kids and grandkids way back in May. We recently learned that Son Donald was interested in coming for part of the time, so tonight he came over for dinner and a scheduling powwow.

The family chat texts were flying back and forth as we hashed out details. We thought we had the schedule finalized, but then DIL Nicole weighed in that she had a work trip scheduled and it would be nice if we could be at that house to help Son Brian with the grands on a couple of days we had planned to be 90 minutes away at the other house.

Once again, we remembered how hard it is to coordinate four households and their schedule requirements. After another flurry of texts we have a (very) tentative schedule, but I'm not holding my breath.

Rawpixel

Five years ago today: Shelter From A Storm

Settling In

It has been three weeks since Foster Cat Tilapia came to live with us, but it already feels like she's part of the family.

We learned from the shelter that at Tilapia's intake examination our petite little lady (all of seven pounds) was determined to be somewhere between 1 1/2 and 3 years old. She was pregnant at the time, and that may not have been her first litter. As foster caregivers, Hubby Tony and I are treating her so she learns how to be a cat-cat, rather than a mama-cat.

Tilapia started out so scared she spent most of the time under our bed, to only occasionally heading there. For a while she would stop and chase her tail for about 30 seconds before resuming whatever she was doing. When I checked her tail there didn't appear to be any type of sore, and I wondered if she was reverting to kitten play.

In the afternoon we can find Tilapia curled up in a patch of sun in the bedroom. For the past several nights she's joined us on the bed, but not until she thinks we're asleep. She's not a fan of wand toys, but she'll occasionally bat around a small stuffed mice. However, just like a young child who often prefers real-world items to purchased toys, her favorite thing to play with is a decorative toilet bolt cover from my bathroom.

Five years ago: And Then There Were Five....

Going Back In Time

A while back when Son Donald was at the house for dinner he was looking for matches. I told him where he could find them (in the cabinet with the measuring cups, bottom shelf, inside a Ziploc bag).

He came back with a matchbook in his hand and a quizzical look on his face. When he showed me what he was holding I was transported back to junior high and high school.

In case you're young, or you never had the opportunity to type on a typewriter, you're probably not familiar with correction tape. It was one way of fixing errors (the other one was liquid), and the only one allowed in typing class. The tape was coated on one side with a film that covered up the mistake. It came in several styles; this type had small sheets bound inside a matchbook-sized cardboard folder.

Fixing a mistake with correction tape was a laborious process. The first step was to backspace to the exact spot to be corrected. Next was to take a piece of correction paper, place the coated side down over the mistake, hold it there with your finger, and type the incorrect character again. That pressed the powder onto the page, covering the letter. The next step was to remove the paper and check to see if the mistake was completely erased, and if not repeat the process. Finally, the last step was to backspace again, and type the correct letter. The tape could only be used a finite amount of times before the film was all used up.

In college I was able to choose my own method of typo correction, and moved on to Liquid Paper. After college was over I set the typewriter aside in favor of word processing programs. 

So how did the tape get mixed in with the other matchbooks? It probably would have been when we were packing up to move to the condo six years ago, but other than that I have no idea. 

Five years ago today: Candy...And Much More