Making The Best Of The Nice Day

Hubby Tony is one week removed from ankle surgery. The accident was on November 5 and (except for medical visits) since that time he's stayed at home and kept his leg propped up on a pile of pillows. He has his next doctor visit in a week and a half, so until then it will be more of the same.

Yesterday was heavy winter coat weather. Today the forecast called for a high close to 60 degrees. Before I left the house to go to the church and cook lunch I moved one of the kitchen chairs out to the deck so Tony could maneuver outside and sit if he wanted t.

I wore my lightweight winter coat, but by the time I was finished no coat was necessary. When I got home I saw the deck door was open. Tony was sitting on the chair and using his knee walker as a leg prop. The sun hadn't made it to that side of the building yet, and it was still a little chilly, but Tony was wearing a light jacket and seemed to be enjoying the outdoor sounds. 

We chatted for a few minutes and then I left for my walking errand-going to the post office to get postage for a volunteer mailing job Tony was doing. Tony headed to the bedroom to take a nap. I left the house with a long sleeved t-shirt and a scarf around my neck. Halfway to the post office I removed the scarf and marveled at how nice it was.

At the post office I picked out Mighty Mississippi commemorative stamps. The sheet of ten stamps had a photo of each of the states that abut the banks. I took the long way back home, and ran into a lot of other people who were out walking. There were also quite a few people doing yard work.

When I arrived back home I noticed that the deck was now in the sun. Tony and Jackson the Cat were laying together on the bed, but Tony got up and went back outside. I brought out another chair and sat with him.  Three of the building neighbors were outside. We said hello to them all, had a more extended conversation with the person who lives directly underneath us, and then just chatted. 

At this time of year it doesn't take long to go from pleasant to not so outside, and that was the case today. As soon as the sun went behind the trees across the street the temperature dropped and it was time to go inside. 

Five years ago today: Mother Of The Wedding Dressing

What Is Your Response?

I'm signed up with a couple of survey companies. One of them is Esearch. Every few weeks I get an email with an invitation to complete one of their projects. Today's message said that the data gathered from the survey would benefit a 'National TV Game Show'.

There were several pages of questions, each requiring a short written answer. The topics were things like "Name Something Children Wear, But Adults Don’t" or "Name A Gift You Would Not Like To Get From A Secret Santa". I was making my way down the list when I came to a question that mentioned Steve Harvey, and all of a sudden the light bulb in my head went on. Steve Harvey is the host of Family Feud, I wondered if I would be one of the '100 people asked for a responses to a question' for the show.

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I'll eventually get $1 deposited into my PayPal account for my efforts, but knowing that I may have helped shape one tiny moment of a TV show was even more satisfying than the payment. 

Five years ago today: Cat On Rag

I'll Never Know What Happened

This afternoon I left the house to run a couple of errands. The first stop was the grocery store, which is the anchor tenant in a small strip mall. The other stores are to the right and across the parking. The lot was very busy, and I had to drive almost to the end of a row before I found a space in the row next to the strip mall shops.

The car next to mine had the passenger door wide open, but the vehicle was unoccupied. I looked around and didn't see anyone who might have come from the car. There are a couple of fast food places in the strip; maybe the driver and passenger rushed in and the passenger forgot to close their door?

I was in too much of a hurry to think about the issue any more. I walked across the parking lot to the post office and dropped off some envelopes, then came back and did my grocery shopping. I was probably gone about 20 minutes. When I returned to my vehicle the next-door car passenger door was still open.

This time I decided to take action. I looked up the municipality's non-emergency public safety number, called, and explained the situation. The dispatcher asked for my name and the number I was calling from, then said they would contact an officer.

I left and went to Sam's Club. Counting driving, parking, shopping, and checkout time I was there for a little under a half hour. On the way home I was nosy enough to swing back by the grocery store lot. The car was still there, but this time the passenger door was closed.

I'll never know what happened.

Five years ago today: Packages On Porch

Thanksgiving Friday

One of the worst things to come out of Hubby Tony's broken ankle accident was that we had to cancel our  trip to California to see the kids and grandkids. Then I put plans for Thanksgiving on hold because we didn't know exactly when his surgery would happen. In the end we had a very low-key Day After Surgery day. The main dish was a 'Bob's Barbecue' brand smoked turkey breast from a local grocery store. It was accompanied by boxed stuffing, twice-baked sweet potatoes, green bean casserole, homemade cranberry sauce, and apple pie gifted to us by the Realtors we worked with when we sold the house/bought the condo.

Tony spent the day on the couch with his leg elevated except when Son Donald came over for dinner. After we ate we played a game of Rummikub. Even though the meal was easy to put together I was exhausted and fell asleep on the couch before it was time to go to bed.

Today was also low key. I try to stay away from stores on Black Friday, but in the morning I did a produce run and found out that grocery stores are a great place to shop the day after Thanksgiving. Mid afternoon I decided to go out for a walk, but wanted some type of purpose. I decided it would be interesting to head to the mall that's a fifteen minute stroll away.

Back when I worked at a mall Customer Service desk Black Friday morning was beyond crazy, but things died down a bit as the day went on. Without a car I wouldn't have to navigate the parking garage, and without a plan to buy anything I could do some great people watching.

I figured traffic turning into the mall would be heavy, but the gridlock I encountered surprised me. Then I noticed that there was some type of disturbance on the main road about a quarter of a mile away. I saw a patrol car with its lights on and a large group of people parading across the intersection. There were so many people the cars headed north couldn't go anywhere, and neither could the cars trying to exit the mall. When I reached the mall entrance there was a man waiting for the light to change. I asked him if he knew what the commotion was. He said he believed it was a pro-Palestine demonstration.

After the excitement outside, the inside of the mall was anticlimactic. I made one loop, then headed back home. As I exited the mall there was no sign of the earlier excitement.

Five years ago: Some liked it. Some left it.

Let The Healing Begin

Today was Hubby Tony Ankle Surgery Day. (Whoo Hoo!)

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The surgeon Tony chose is associated with Barnes-Jewish Hospital (colloquially called "Big Barnes") , a teaching hospital affiliated with the Washington University School of Medicine. The huge campus is almost a half mile long and wide, and before Tony's ankle incident I never had any reason to go into any of the buildings. After two visits to the surgeon's office I knew how to navigate there, but today the directions were completely different.

Tony was the first procedure of the surgeon's day, and we were to be there two hours beforehand, so it was still dark when we left the house. However, the early hour meant there was no rush hour traffic to contend with. Both the parking process and navigating over the sky bridge to the building were easy. Despite the early hour everyone we interacted with was pleasant and polite.

The check in procedure went smoothly, and then an associate walked us back to the pre-op section. While waiting to go to the operating room Tony had a series of professionals stop by. There were a couple of nurses, several anesthesiologists (some full-fledged professionals, some in training), the surgeon and one of the fellows who would be assisting. 

When it was time they wheeled Tony off and directed me to the waiting area. I had a pager to provide  updates, and the surgeon called me at the end to let me know things went well. During my three-hour wait I killed time in the waiting room, walked around, and visited the cafeteria. I was excited to receive word when it was time to meet up with Tony in the post-op area. 

The post-op nurse gave me a set of instructions, as did the pharmacy tech who showed up with prescriptions. When it was time for Tony to leave I went to get the car. As soon as I pulled up to the entrance I saw Tony in a wheelchair by the front door, accompanied by a porter. The porter helped Tony into the car and we were free to go!

G.L.A.D.

I was recently introduced to the G.L.A.D. Technique, a method of highlighting the positive things that happen to me each each day. G.L.A.D. is an acronym for Gratitude, Learning, Accomplishment and Delighted. Each night before I go to bed I come up with at least one example in each category.

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• G stands for Gratitude, which is something I am thankful for today. The thing can be physical (food/water/a roof over my head) or spiritual (good health/positive relationships with other people/ meaningful activities).
  

• L stands for Learned. This could be a new fact I learned, or something I learned about myself or another person.

• A stands for Accomplishment. This can be an item I can cross off my to-do list (big or little), or an act of self-care (getting enough sleep/eating healthy meals/exercising).

• D is for Delight. Things that made me smile or brought me joy, like something I observed in nature/great food/something funny that made me laugh out loud.

Some experiences could go into one or more of the categories, but each day each slot must be filled with something.

Five years ago today: A Tale Of Two Pies

Contribution And Cone

Scouting For Food is an annual program of the Boy Scouts of America that collects for for local food banks. It began in the Greater Saint Louis Area Council in 1985, but now it takes place all over the country. 

On a weekend in mid-November Scouts distribute plastic bags with instructions to fill them with non-perishable food and put them out the next weekend for pick up. After the bags are picked up the food gets sorted, packed up and delivered to local food banks. 

We've lived in our condo for three years, and I've learned that the Scouts don't deliver bags to the apartment-style building. Two weekends ago I was out walking and saw a group of Cub Scouts putting bags on front doors. Several adults were standing on the sidewalk supervising the group, and I asked them for a bag

This past weekend was the bag pick-up, but I knew that wouldn't happen. Instead, I researched drop-off locations and found out that both a local grocery store (Dierberg's) and a fast-food restaurant (Lion's Choice) were accepting bags. The closest branches of both were a little over a mile from my house, and right across Manchester Road from each other. 

I'm at Dierberg's on a regular basis, so I decided that Lion's Choice would be a nice change of pace. And as an added bonus, while I was there I treated myself to a 50-cent mini cone.

Why Didn't I Think Of That?

When I bought my wallet I chose it for its size, the number of slots for cards, and the fact it had a nice window compartment for my driver's license. It wasn't until I got home and started putting my things in that I realized the license compartment was a little tight and if the card was inserted all the way in it was a struggle to remove it.

I solved the issue by trying to remember to leave the license sticking out a little bit, but every once in a while I would forget. Recently someone needed to see the card, and when they watched me struggle to get it out asked if they could show me a trick to make it easier. I agreed.

The trick couldn't have been easier. They just used a small piece of scotch tape to make a pull tab.

The tab makes it very easy to pull the license out when I need it.

 Five years ago: Does It Click?

Dance Party In The Pool

 Last night I was searching through the group fitness classes at my local YMCA when I came across something new to me - Aqua Zumba. I've taken pool-based classes and I've taken dance-based classes. I would have never thought to combine the two. I decided to sign up and see what it was all about.

The description on the app said the class:

"Combines high energy and motivating music with a mixture of body sculpting dance. Perform fun, invigorating moves while you use the resistance of water to get a cardio conditioning and body toning workout"

I showed up on the pool deck five minutes before the class started. There were several women already in the water, and another getting ready to get in. I asked her if the class required any special equipment and she said it did not. She also said it was a lot of fun.

Things started right on time. I recognized the instructor from a conventional Zumba class. She stood on the deck and demonstrated the steps as we followed along in the water. The sound track was a traditional Zumba mix of Latin and international music. The pace of the dances was slower because of the water resistance, but it was still challenging. Because of the water resistance I was able to move around easier in the pool than I would have on land. 

At the end of the class I was nicely winded and could tell I had exercised.

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 Five years ago: A Lovely Way To Spend A Day

Giving Is More Rewarding Than Taking

There was once a pizza delivery driver named Sam. Every shift he would take the orders that he knew would gain him the highest tips.

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One day Sam was asked to take a pizza to an address he had never been to. When he arrived he saw it was a small house with a tattered yard. Sam was disappointed, because he knew he wouldn’t make a good tip at this house.

He knocked on the door and when a man answered Sam gave the man his small cheese pizza. Just as he had expected, the man gave him only one dollar as a tip. “I’m so sorry, this dollar is all I have" said the man.

Sam was frustrated that he had driven so far for such a small tip, but what happened next surprised him. The man turned around and called his children to the door.

“Hey, kids,” said the man “Do any of you have anything we can give to this nice man for bringing us our pizza?” One by one, the man’s children stepped forward and emptied their pockets. The man handed Sam all that change.

Sam was overwhelmed by the generosity of this family. When he got back to the restaurant, Sam made three large pizzas, two large orders of wings, and three orders of bread sticks. He paid the food himself, then took all of it back to the house that he had just been to. 

When the man opened his front door and saw that what Sam had brought he burst into tears and said “I wish there was some way I could repay you for all of this!” 

“No,” insisted Sam. “In fact...” Sam reached into his pocket and pulled out the tip the family had given him. He handed the dollar and change back to the man and said, “Keep the change.”

~~Author Unknown~~

 Five years ago: A First Time For Everything