May 31, 2016. Madison, Mississippi. The Dermatologist.

Today we got lucky.  For the first time in many visits to Ken's Dermatologist's office, the waiting room was empty.  We were stunned, and pleased.  Normally we wait a long time.   Ken went to the rest room and immediately was called in for his surgery.  Every time he visits, there are more procedures.  Today was surgery to remove two areas with some type of cancer.   Although there are not huge areas to be removed,  it always makes you feel miserable, in addition to the time that must be taken to heal the wounds.

When we drove into the parking lot, a man was washing a car.   I asked if he had a business washing cars while people were at work and he said that was exactly what he does.  His business is to keep your car clean with no hassle to the owner.   He has a bunch of customers with contracts with him where he washes their car every week while they are at work.  He comes to them.   I immediately asked if he could wash our truck immediately after finishing his present job.  I was assuming a long wait.  He was happy to oblige.  As soon as he was finished, he said he would come and get me in the waiting room.  As our truck has never been washed, I thought that we had hit the jackpot.

Unfortunately, we came out of the office just as he was finishing.   But he gave me his phone number and said he would be happy to come to Roses Bluff to clean the truck.  He has three customers already in the Roses Bluff subdivision, said he.  It is amazing what people find to make a living.  We came close to driving to Texas with a clean truck!!

May 30, 2016. Madison, Mississippi. Argentina.

Everything we learned about living in Argentina we learned from Fritz and Judy when we were friends in Galveston, Texas.  The society they lived in there was all new to us.  Fritz was German even though he had been born in Argentina and lived there all his life.  He spoke English with a German accent and he had attended German schools.  Of course he also spoke Spanish but with a German accent too.  His family operated in a German society.  It seemed odd to us but he assured us that there was a large German population which included sports teams and different clubs, of course all German.

Judy on the other hand, was born in Argentina but brought up in an English society there.  She spoke with a proper English accent and attended English school.   Her life in Argentina was more like a British life than the British, she said.   She also spoke Spanish but not with an English accent.  Eventually, Judy and Fritz stepped out of their own societies and married, then moved to the US for Fritz could continue his training in Internal Medicine and then Cardiology.

The question that Marilyn asked me the other day was whether or not Fritz's Father was a Nazi?  The question was never discussed in Galveston days.  Of course, we will never know.  Near the end of the war and directly after, many Nazi's moved to Argentina who were more than welcome to take them in, give them new identities and help them settle.  But earlier in the 20th Century, many Germans moved to Argentina to get away from the German economy and ideology.   They intended to return so put all the clubs and schools in place for when things got better.  So as we do not know when Fritz's father moved to Argentina, we will never know if he was a Nazi.  I wonder why it was never asked when we were together?  Interesting.

May 29, 2016. Madison, Mississippi, Pelican Cova.

Two weeks ago we saw a sign on Post Road saying "Sunday Brunch".   There are several restaurants at that end of the reservoir but they have never served a brunch, so Ken and watched carefully the next time.  We are required to drive down that road in order to get to our home so investigating was not a hardship.  I was forced to slow down so Ken could read who was offering brunch.  Pelican Cove was the place, a restaurant where we ate lunch in the Fall when Don and Doreen were here.  At that time we were pleased with our food and service but for some reason, we never returned.

Today we went for brunch with the family.  This was only the third time the Pelican Cove have served brunch and the only time when there was a holiday weekend.    They were busy.  The food was excellent but the service was terrible.   But the most important thing was the ambiance.  The whole place looked like a summer vacation place.  There were boats everywhere and people wearing bathing suits.  Boat people had docked their boat and come for brunch.  A guitar player was singing and playing and at 2:00 a musical group were going to be playing.    We were pleased to be leaving just before 2:00 because I think it would be noisy.

We enjoyed our lunch at The Pelican Cove.  It seemed as if we were away on a holiday weekend in the boat and entered another world.  The last time we were there, the place was quiet but today, the place was hopping.  Not our normal elegant Sunday brunch but lots of fun.

May 28, 2016. Madison, Mississippi. Q. & A.

Christina's family always spends the last week of June at a resort in Maine.  Then our family comes to see us in Nova Scotia.   This season, Ken and I were coming mid July so I asked Christina if she would enjoy inviting friends up to visit.   The Sutherland family accepted her invitation except they have decided to make an epic journey and drive from Mississippi to Nova Scotia, then drive to Chicago on the way back.  Eleanor and the four children will be gone for over 7 weeks while Jim will join them part of the time then fly home for 2 weeks of work before rejoining the family for another week.  Ken and I will join them for the last 4 days of they visit in Nova Scotia.


I knew they were stopping on the way north but I was not sure of their route or their time period so I invited them for dinner for a period of Questions and Answers so we could quiz them about their trip.  The Mills family came too, as well as Jim's parents and Linda, Christina's mother.  We were a merry group of 20, sitting on the deck sipping wine and nibbling on sushi while we peppered Jim and Eleanor with questions.  What a trip they are taking.  The children are very excited.  They will stop in Nashville, Asheville, Williamsburg, Washington, Philladelphia, New York, Boston and Portland, where meet Christina at the ferry dock bound for Yarmouth.  At our home in Nova Scotia they will stay two weeks before heading west for Niagara On The Lake and then Chicago.

After learning all about the journey, we came in side to eat a casual dinner of barbecue sandwiches and all the trimmings.  Next appointment will be sitting on the deck in Nova Scotia.  The evening was a wonder.  And Greta Barbour even took notes.

May 27, 2016. Madison, Mississippi. Galveston Days.

Our friend Marilyn reminded me in an e mail about Galveston Days.  She was remembering what an eclectic, energetic and international group we were.   Her recollection was that we all had tickets to The Alley Theater in Houston even though we lived in Galveston and she recalled that our friends included people from Denmark, Argentina, Germany, Ireland and of course Americans.  She specifically asked about Fritz Anderson who with his wife and two children lived in Galveston when he was completing his Internal Medicine Residency.  The whole group were from someplace else and were living in Galveston to further their education, all medical in some way.

I still have good friends from that time period.  Alice Anne, The DeGroots, Tupin, Tom and Carolyn and of course Marilyn but I had not thought about that group as a group for a long time.  We did have a good time and even though no one had much money, we enjoyed ourselves and each other, and we began raising our children.  We all attended an international film festival at the University and we had many parties.   Our group was lively, always willing to go and do.

Ken looked up Fritz on the Internet as Marilyn had asked about him specifically.   We knew their family had moved to the DC area and we continued our friendship although they lived in Northern Virginia and we lived in Bethesda.  All went well when I was at graduate school but when I became a real estate agent and then a very successful real estate agent, Judy, Fritz's wife did not like it.  In the meantime, she had finished law school and the last conversation I had with her was that she was taking a job in the settlement business.  We never heard from them again. Recently, Fritz had health issues but now is well and is retired and with a new wife.  The article about his health which was in the Washing.ton Post, said nothing about his first wife.   And that is all I know.  But it was an interesting visit down a very pleasant memory lane which took place many years ago, specifically from 1964 to 1970.

May 26, 2016. Madison, Mississippi. Pedicures.

Everyone enjoys the event, which has become a tradition with our family in Mississippi.  After school is over for the season, I take the girls and Christina to have pedicures.  After we are finished, Ken drives down to join us for lunch at Amerigo, a lovely Italian restaurant.   As the grandchildren get older, the special events might no longer be so special.  Going out for lunch with grandparents could get boring.  But all the girls along with Christina look forward to our day doing our nails together.  I too enjoy the time together.

One reason that is so special is that the folks doing your nails treat the girls like queens.  They are not used to being fussed over and the attendants certainly fuss over the girls feet.   Today while we were there, a pretty young woman who looked to be 18 was having both a pedicure and a manicure because she was being married on Saturday.  Turned out she was actually 23 and was there with her Mother so that was exciting too.

Christina, Kate, Mary Frances and Molly have had our nails done together with me since the first year we moved here which would be over 7 years.   It is a good tradition.  Now we all are set for the summer.

May 25, 2016. Madison, Mississippi. The Poltergeist.

When the house was built, a set of lights was installed at each corner of our house.   We have never been able to turn those lights on.  Our assumption was that the light bulbs had burned out or that the electrical lines had broken so we paid no attention to them, knowing that the lighting man would eventually make everything right.  

But last evening as I sat on the deck, I realized that the outside spot tights were turned on.   Ken and I thought it would be an easy task to find the switch that controls the outside lights so we laughed and said that a poltergeist had snuck in and turned on those lights.  We spent an hour checking switches and finally ate dinner at 8:00 before returning to our task, all to no avail.  We could not get those lights turned off, even though we checked every switch in the house.

This house has a complicated lighting system.  It took the electrician three days to get things working.  Even today, there are switched that do not seem to control anything.  It is bizarre.  We wondered if the switch might be on a lower deck but Ken could find no switches.  Definitely, this house has magic powers.   Once I thought that my desk had magically locked itself but it turned out that Elizabeth had locked it and hidden the key.  This time though, the lights have just turned themselves on all by themselves.  Sooner or later we will find out how.

May 24, 2016. Madison, Mississippi. The Pool Party.

Kate and I could hear them for half a block away, the voices of happy children at play.  When we got closer, we could see a truck dispensing snow cones so we knew a party was underway.  I had asked Kate to walk with me to the pool so she could check to see if the water was warm enough for me to swim.   When we got there we discovered that our across the street neighbors were having a pool party for their daughter who had turned 12.  It was quite a scene with about 30 children in the pool, playing with every pool toy known to man.  Everyone  looked to be having great fun.   Many mothers were sitting watching the action.  The only father I noticed was our neighbor, the father of the birthday girl.

Every table was covered with something to eat or drink.  As Kate and I sat watched the action, pizza was being brought out for snacks too.  These young girls and boys were having the time of their life.  Our neighbors have two children, both born on the same date.  The son just turned 17 but his friends were not at this party.  Kate commented that there seemed to be no rough play going on although I did note that all the large water guns were being held by the boys.  They were a happy group.   And we were happy too because as we left, Kate took an ice cone and ate on it all the way home.  Some days, you just get lucky.

May 23, 2016. Madison, Mississippi. The Queen's Birthday.

"The 24th of May is the Queen's Birthday.  If you don't give us a holiday we will all run away".  This weekend was the celebration in Canada, a time when traditionally the cottages are open for the season.  Next weekend is Memorial Day in the US but sometimes the celebrations occur on the same weekend.  Memorial Day is always the last Monday in May and the Queens Birthday is celebrated on the closest Monday to the 24th which was Queen Victorias birthday.    So sometimes they are on the same weekend.   Pools open and cottages too even though for much of the US it has been warm for a long time.

When Ken and I first moved to Texas in 1964, we explored Texas and camped in many of their lovely state parks.  We were the only people in the parks even though the weather was beautiful but after Memorial Day, the parks were full.  The same with the pools.  My sister and brother in law visited us in Texas every Spring.  Carol was the only person swimming in the lake in April but after Memorial Day, everyone was swimming.  It is all the custom to wait until Memorial Day weekend to begin the swimming season.   Our subdivision has a pool/  I walked up yesterday to see if anyone was swimming.  It was empty although the water was clean.  Next week, after Memorial Day, the pool will be busy.  It makes no sense but it is true.  The Queen's Birthday and Memorial Day are important weekends in the year.  Both are triggers that bring in summer fun.

May 22, 2016. Madison, Mississippi. Farewell & Welcome Party.

I suspect that our friends in Nova Scotia think we are nuts but we are doing it anyway.  My friend Gill is in Nova Scotia and has been since the end of April.  Soon she will leave for New York and then Florida before returning near the end of June.   Ken and I arrive on July 13.  We decided to have a farewell party for our friends, the Sutherland Family from Mississippi,  who leave on the 17th, and combine it with a welcome party for us.  Both Ken and I are now in better condition than last year so we need to celebrate.  The problem was how to invite people when we are far away.   Gill volunteered to look after inviting our local friends, but she will soon leave.  She has been doing it this past week.

So she has busily inviting friends for a party at our house that will not be held for two months.  People are somewhat surprised but most have accepted the invitation.  She has had a couple of "I have no idea how I will be in two months".   It takes some explaining for Gill to let folks know that she is inviting on my behalf because I will not be in Nova Scotia until a few days before the party.  She and I have laughed that she could just say that she is my social secretary.   So far she has done a great job and I am grateful for her help.  But somehow or other, I do not see Gill as a social secretary.  Does not fit her job description.

May 21, 2016. Madison, Mississippi. The Truck.

Now the truck is running perfectly well.   But we probably did not need to replace the two expensive catalytic converters.  We did as we were told at Gateway yesterday and went to Delta Muffler first thing this morning.   And they replaced our catalytic converter mufflers.  Unfortunately, after the job was done, the truck had the same problem plus the engine light went on, which had not been there before so the mechanic using a fancy machine determined that the third spark plug was misfiring every so often.  He wrote it down for us and sent us back to Gateway who had checked it over yesterday.

The good part of the morning was the conversation Ken had with the owner of Delta Muffler,  who also has Parkinsons Disease.   Bob has the shakes in one arm while Ken has lack of balance.  So they chatted for ages about how to deal with the disease.  Perhaps the conversation was worth paying for the mufflers.  It was certainly interesting and enjoyable.  They both use the same medication.

So back we went to Gateway.  While they were checking out the truck, we walked around the corner to the Chinese restaurant, except rather than walking on the roadside, we went between and behind the buildings which was not easy but was fun.  Great lunch and as we were walking back we got the call that the truck was fixed.  And yesterday and today Gateway did not charge us at all.   The truck should now be ready to drive to Texas in June but we thought it was ready last week too.  You just never know what will be next.

May 20, 2016. Madison, Mississippi. The Best Laid Plans.

We left home at 3:30 to visit the AT&T store.  My phone would  not take a charge.   As soon as we drove down the first street both Ken and I knew something was the matter with the truck so we stopped at Gateway who inspected and repaired the truck.  They ran every test possible and replaced a coil but finally decided the problem was with the muffler, which they do not do.  We undoubtedly need a new catalytic converter.  So first thing in the morning we will be at a muffler store.  Then we will visit the phone store.  Our plans have changed.

Marilyn was planning to visit us in Texas but she must have a tendon repaired which will not allow her to travel, so we must make another plan at our next visit to Texas.  Rita and Ian were expecting to visit us at our new home in Mississippi this April or May but since daughter in law fell when away, their presence in Ottawa is essential so we will make a new plan for another time.  Sara Lou was hoping to drive with us to Texas either this Spring or in the Fall but at the moment she has two broken shoulders and is in a rehabilitation hospital so her plate is full looking after herself.

Perhaps as we get older more plans must be changed due to ill health or accidents.  Certainly, we must get used to rolling with the punches.  It does no use to get upset.  But the truth is, we never know what is just around the corner.  Yesterday the truck was fine. We hope by this time tomorrow the truck will be fine again.  But no matter what, we will keep smiling.

May 19, 2016. Madison, Mississippi. The Dermatologist.

Poor Ken has that bad skin, the skin that burns easily and where you end up with skin cancers,  so he must visit the Dermatologist every 6 months.  Every visit seems to be the same.  He is places scraped or cut or burned and he always has more than one spots sent for biopsy.  Today was the day.  We are always careful to have an early appointment as the Dermatologist gets backed up so the patients must wait.  We fool her.  We try to get the first or the second appointment so we have no waiting.

Ken and I were sitting outside this afternoon and he commented that all those procedures make you feel miserable.  And I agreed even though I have only experienced it once.  I do not have that bad skin so the Dermatologists are not much interested in me.  But I had several spots burned off and I did not like it a bit.  Poor Ken must have things done every six months.  Many times the biopsy is positive for cancers of one type or another which requires further surgery.  But that is what comes with the blue eyes and the thin skin.  We just made his next appointment for next November.  He hopes he has no more procedures until then.  Enough is enough.

May 18, 2016. Madison, Mississippi. The Escape.

Kate had an accident.  The truck in front of her on Northside Drive suddenly slammed on their brake and she could not stop.  Her speed was slow as they were on a residential street but because the truck ahead of her had a boat towing rig, the Escape cost $4,500.to repair.  The truck she hit had a repair of $1000..  We decided to make the repairs.  The insurance company, which is Amica, sent us a cheque for $3600.  The Escape is now sitting in Christina's driveway, all repaired and ready to drive, except it has no title.

Once an automobile is declared a total loss by the insurance company, the system in Mississippi is cumbersome.    On instructions from Amica, we sent our title to them,  signed over to them.  They send it to the state, who return it to the company along with a new salvage title, which they will promptly send to us.  Amica has been an excellent company to deal with but the state has taken it's time to send the salvage title back.  I have called Amica every week to try to track the whereabouts of our new title, to no avail.

Today we found out why.  When Ken sent the title back, he signed as a seller and a buyer and the state would not accept it signatures.  I remembered about the title.  It was confusing.  We did it wrong.  Now we must have a Power of Attorney for Amica to make the changes.  Tomorrow we will have it notarized  at the bank, scan it, and send it to Amica.  Eventually this saga will end.

After we have the salvage title, we must have the car inspected by the state and show pictures of the damage.  We must make an appointment and take 2 copies of everything necessary, which means the application, the salvage title and the pictures of the damage.  Christina has everything ready to go.  Only then are we free to drive it.  This has taken a long time and has been a bitter lesson for Kate.  She will remember this accident but not fondly.

May 17, 2016. Madison, Mississippi. My Neighborhood.

My neighborhood has many attributes.   When I walk, I never have to worry about dogs running loose on the street.  All animals, both cats and dogs, must be on a lease if outside the house or in the back yard.   The interesting thing is the cats.  We often see two different cats roaming around the neighbors back yard but the owners are away 6 months at a time and Ken and I think the cats live at the Yacht Club, which is just across the street.  So much for cats and leashes.

When I walk I almost never see cars driving down the street, even at rush hour.  Many people are retired and are home most of the time so I do not fight the traffic.  Most homes are well looked after too and it appears that everyone has a company maintaining the yards as every property is neat and tidy.  A few homes have taken special efforts with the flowers so a few homes have beautiful yards for me to look at when I walk.

Each home is different so I get to evaluate each exterior of the homes I walk past.  I like that too.  The subdivision was built to look like a European neighborhood.  The homes are close together with lanes behind the streets for garages.   No large lawns in this neighborhood.  We like this neighborhood even though we know almost no one.  It is certainly the most unusual place we have ever lived but it works for us at this time of our life.  We feel safe and sound which is a good thing.

May 16, 2016. Madison, Mississippi. Walking.

Everyone knows that walking is good for you.  Fortunately, I have been walking all my life.   Ken only enjoys walking if he is going somewhere and seeing something.  He does not enjoy walking on the same path day after day.  If he is getting exercise, he likes to be doing work around the house or yard, not walking on the same old street.  What that means is that most of the time he does not go on walks with me.  My problem is that I like to walk with someone.

I don't know why I like to walk with a friend and I am not sure when I got this way but I really do prefer to walk with a friend.  Perhaps I am anxious when I walk alone.  Actually I walk without a walker and I lurch all over the road so maybe I need someone along to help.  On the days when I forget  my cell phone I actually feel anxious when I walk by myself.  All I know is that I am like the horse returning to the stable.  When I see our house when returning for my walk I start to walk a little faster.  Perhaps my attitude comes from all the time I spent at home over the past 18 months.  I became comfortable there.  Now when I go out by myself walking in the neighborhood I really just want to stay at home in my little nest.   My attitude surprises me.  But it does not stop me walking by myself in the neighborhood, because I know walking is good for me even though I am forced to walk by myself.

May 15, 2016. Madison, Mississippi. Remote Control.

Now we are really fancy.   Our new fountain can be turned on via a remote control from inside the house.  Ken ordered one on the internet.   And the lights in the fountain turn on automatically at dusk and turn off after 4 hours.  So now our fountain looks perfect in the space, but also is easy to use.

Ken is very good at using technology to make life easier which he has done with the fountain.  I did not think we needed a remote for the fountain as the plug is right outside the door but Ken ignored my advice and now it is all set up.  The remote sits right beside the little box that tells us the temperatures inside and outside the house, something else that I said was unnecessary.  Now that it is up and running, I consult the guide all the time to decide what to wear when going outside.  Of course, I could do the same by opening the door but it is easier to just read the little box.

Ken bought us a radio that sits on the bar in the living room.  It is so fancy I can not use it at all.  Ken can turn the radio on via his iPad and he can stream music from his computer  or from satellite radio or FM.   He can turn on the radio from his bed and we listen to Salvation Army band music before we even get out of bed.  His tastes are eclectic  so we hear symphonies, Patsy Kline, Johnny Cash and the King Singers, and everyone between.  Somehow or other, the music shuttles from one album to another which is fun.   I benefit from Ken's interest in technology even though I usually say we do not need it.  Most of the time, Ken does not ask me which is a good thing because after I get used to the object, I usually use them.  Hurrah for remote control.  If we forget to turn off the music, Ken can turn the radio off from bed.  These remote controls are a blessing.

May 14, 2016. Madison, Mississippi. Boats on the Reservoir.

The boating contingent was out in force today.  This  Ross Barnett Reservoir is a relatively small lake, compared to the lakes I have known in the past but there are still small boats and bigger boats and slow boats and fast boasts.  What we do not see are big boats such as we see in Puerto Vallarta.  Today was a perfect day for boating so today everyone took their family for a boat trip.

I sat on the lower deck for 90 minutes and watched the boats stream by me..  When I first sat down,  2 men were fishing using a trolling motor.  They did not see me but I could listen to their conversation, which was all about fish.  The first thing I noted was the size of the motor on their small boat.   When they left for home, they could have gotten there in 3 minutes, as their 350 hp motor was speeding them along in their 16 foot boat.  And I saw several so called cigarette type boats that move very fast with only spots for 2 people.   The lake is not connected to anything else so I wonder why they need to go so fast?  I saw many fast boats today which makes no sense to me.

Pontoon boats are common on the reservoir.  By my count, the ratio of pontoon type boats to regular boats is 3 to 1.  They are useful on this lake.  Whole extended families could easily be comfortable in a pontoon boat.  Many boats drove slowly along the shore, looking at all the docks and houses, eating and drinking as they went.  They waved to me and took pictures.   Some pontoon boats are small and look like bathtubs with walls and a motor while some are big with two floors.   Most have a platform and a cover for shade and comfortable benches around the whole boat.  Pretty simple but useful, as long as you only go out on a pleasant day.   They are not designed for rough weather.  But today was a perfect day to be on the water in the reservoir in Mississippi.  And I enjoyed the parade as the boats passed me by.

May 13, 2016. Madison, Mississippi. Making Plans.

Making plans is what I do best.  The concept of figuring out what we will want to do, and then put in place the separate parts to carry out those plans is appealing to me.  Maybe I am just good at it so that is why I like to make these long term plans.  I think I drive my family nuts.

Today I firmed up our catering service in Nova Scotia so until Dave and Irene leave for home in early August, our dinners will not be cooked by us.  And I set up a party at our house on July 16th to say farewell to the Sutherlands and to say welcome to us.  Vicki is looking after the food.  Gill will invite people that I have no e mail addresses.   The cleaning people will have the house ready when Christina and the Sutherlands arrive on July 3 and they will clean each week we are at home in Nova Scotia.  Robert will fill and open the hot tub so it will be ready for the season.

We will be in Texas for 5 weeks before flying to Nova Scotia.  While we are in Texas, Marilyn and friend Tupin will visit us at the lake.   And we will spend time at the ranch and with David and Suzanne and the girls in San Antonio.    We are set for our summer plans.

May 12, 2016. Madison, Mississippi. The Fountain.

The fountain in our new home is splendid.    It looks as if the fountain was always there.   Two men deliver it and set it up although two extra men were called to help lift the main bowl off the truck and set it in place.  The first time we saw the truck with our fountain on the back we realized that the fountain would look bigger in our yard than it did in the outside area of the store.  There were many fountain larger than ours so the one we selected was not even close to the largest.  But here in front of our home, it looks large.  It certainly fills the space which was what we wanted.  This patio area in front of the house is 11 x11 with a brick wall on three sides and the house on the back side.  The former owner had nothing there except 2 chairs and a small table which you could tell was never used and looked ridiculous.  Now our new fountain looks and sounds splendid.

Ken built our first fountain in our first home in Bethesda.   He first dug a fish pond and with the dirt from the pond he made a hill on the backside of the pond.  Using rocks and a VW hub cap, he made the water pump up to the top pool,  bubble up into the hub cap, then drain through two channels over slates into the fish pond.   After the foliage was in place, the small area was beautiful.  We have had fountains here and there ever since in our homes.

Now when you approach our Mississippi house, you see and hear our new fountain, except the fountain does not look new, which is a bonus.  Ah, but now we need a stone bench.  Always something.

May 11, 2016. Madison, Mississippi. On Being Thin.

Being thin is overrated.  I read a headline today on the Internet.  Actually, I did not read the complete article because I only wanted to hear about being over weight not being a problem for health so I stopped reading at the headline, which actually said "You Do Not Die From Being Overweight",

Ian, Ken's cousin who lives in Ottawa, went to the doctor for his check up.  He was told to lose weight as his blood pressure was higher than normal and his cholesterol was high.  Now he takes medication for both and he is being careful with his portions.  But on the phone this week, before I saw this article, I suggested to him that being thin was overrated.   Recently, several friends have had massive heart attacks, and they were thin.  Just this week, friends Rae and Byron  had a son die from a heart attack and he was thin and fit.  They spend summers along the shore from us in Nova Scotia but live in up state New York.  The son managed the farm for Byron, who still practices medicine.  Recently, we have had a series of thin, fit people have heart attacks.  It does not seem fair or right.

A year ago I was thin.  My bones stuck out in all directions and I took three naps a day.  Now I am round which the Oncologist says is a good thing.  "It is not time to diet yet", says she.  Since I read the headline I can rest easy.  You do not die from being a little round and being thin is not necessarily a good thing.  That is my story and will stick with it.

May 10, 2016. Madison, Mississippi. Tuesdays.

Tuesdays are pleasant for me in Mississippi.  Elizabeth arrives around 10:00 to clean our house.  She is everything you want in a cleaning person.  She is quiet and fastidious in her own person.  And she loves her job.  She is so exacting in her cleaning habits that she can not clean both floors on the same day because it takes too long.  And she likes us too, so it is a pleasure having her in the house.   When she leaves after 5 hours here you can tell that the house is clean, at least it is in the parts of the house that she cleaned.

At 1:30, Lourdes comes to cook.   Soon wonderful smells come from the kitchen.  She arrives with groceries and starts  cooking what she brought.  By the time she is ready to leave, three hours later,  she sets out  tupper wear containers beside the fridge waiting to be cooled so I can put them away.  Then all the rest of the week we devour her cooking.  Every day we are grateful for her efforts.  Her food is good.   In addition, she prepares healthy food so her task is to be sure we eat properly so we can get and keep  well.  She is a wonderful soul who wants to help us and she knows we need help.

Elizabeth and Lourdes know each other.  The husbands, John and Chantes have been referring people to each other for ages  so we are really one family group.  John was our mover who referred us to Elizabeth to clean and Elizabeth referred us to Chantes when we needed a person to fix our locks.  Then one day I asked Chantes if his wife was a good cook and he said yes.  I asked if she would consider cooking for us.  One thing led to another.  Now she comes once a week on Tuesday afternoons, just after Elizabeth has cleaned the kitchen.  My Tuesdays are pure delight.

May 9, 2016. Madison, Mississippi. Our Decks and Dock.

First we attended to all the defects inside the house.  We did not even investigate the back of the house until everything was completed inside.  Ken explored the multi level back just before we left for Mexico and we decided what needed to be done and who was going to do it.   Instructions were given so we left for Mexico expecting to return with everything completed.

Some things got accomplished.  The windows in the sun rooms and the bathroom were done.  The lights out the front were installed.  The deck was expanded and most of the rotting wood replaced and the whole thing painted.  We had never even looked at the dock.   When we came back from Mexico, we realized that the deck was almost finished and the back lights were not installed at all.  When Ken and Chantes looked at the dock they realized that the dock was rotten to the core so the whole thing had to be replaced.  It was a slow process but finally it is done.

Last evening, it was with pleasure that Ken and I were able to entertain on our back decks, operating just as we had hoped it would.  We were pleased with the function and the comfort.  One thing for sure though:  going down and up from the top deck to the dock is a work out.  I am going to make the walk down and up every day just to add to my fitness regimen.  It is one steep climb.  But now I can do it safely with railings all the way.  Ken and I are pleased.

May 8, 2016. Madison, Mississippi. The Modern World.

I believe the modern world is wonderful.   Why anyone would want to go back to "the good old days"  is beyond me.  This evening we entertained 11 for dinner.  Our food was excellent but nobody cooked.  For the first time in my life, I purchased the whole meal at Krogers, our local grocery store.  Thirty years ago that could never have happened.  I would have cooked all afternoon or I would have had someone else cater the meal.

My pattern is to invite people for an event, then figure out what we will eat,  which will usually depend on our budget.  I must have a deadline in order to decide the food.  I know friends will decide on a new dish they want to prepare, then invite people to try it out.  That would never happen to me.  First the event and the people, then the menu.  We invited the Mills to be the first people to fish from our new dock.   With the rest of our family and the Mills family, we made 11.

I decided to be casual and ordered baked chicken from Krogers, to be picked up at 3:00 today.   Until I left for the grocery store today I had done nothing to prepare other than asking Kate and Mary Frances to come and help.  I bought a bean salad. a green salad and rolls at Krogers.   For dessert we ate brownies and cherries, which had just come into season.    The girls set the table and helped with setting out the food.  When all was ready, we sat in our new furniture on the top deck while John and son Payton fished.  Everyone was relaxed and happy.   Good friends and good food is an excellent combination especially when the cook has not slaved over a hot stove.  I like this modern world of entertaining.

May 7, 2016. Madison, Mississippi. Making The Bed.

My Mother drank a glass of orange juice every morning.  Many mornings I heard her say that she did not enjoy drinking orange juice but was told that it was good for her so she dutifully drank her orange juice every morning.   I am the same with making our bed.    It is difficult for me to make the bed by myself but for some reason, I have decided that it is good for me to make the bed myself.    I have folks who would be happy to help me.  Christina is always willing to just make the bed herself and has done so on many occasions.  Elizabeth, who cleans the house will help as would Lourdes, who cooks once a week.   But I have decided that I can do it myself, just like every other 2 year old.

When I was really weak and feeble, I would make the bed in stages.  First put on the bottom sheet and take a rest.  Next put on the pillow cases followed by the top sheet.  After taking another rest I would finally put on the blanket and quilt.  Then I would wonder why I did not ask for help.

These days, I just bull right through and make the whole bed from beginning to end.  I even refuse help from Ken because I have convinced myself that it is good for me to make the bed all by myself.  The exercise is good.  But I have no intention of drinking a glass of orange juice every morning even if my Mother did say it was good for me.  I have my limits.

May 6, 2016. Madison, Mississippi. Factual or Bragging.

Tonight Ken and I had dinner with Christina and the girls.   We had a discussion about bragging.  The school year is coming to an end.  Along with it comes awards and grade point averages.   My position was that bragging could not really be bragging if it was actually true.   Ken thought bragging was bragging.  I suspect that it all depends who brought up the topic.  If someone asks Kate her gpa, it is not bragging when she answers accurately but if she brings up the topic herself, that could be bragging.  I think that makes the difference.

One thing I know for sure is that grandparents are allowed to brag on their grandchildren.  Mary Frances received two awards from Jackson Preparatory School.  One was for receiving an over 95% average in all her courses.  The other was excellence in Grade 10 English, the only award given for the grade 10 students.  And Kate for her first year at Mississippi College earned a grade point average of 3.88 out of a top of 4.  Of course, I am not bragging.  These are just the facts.  Congratulations to both Kate and Mary Frances for all their hard work and diligent efforts.  We are all proud of their accomplishments and we love them dearly whether or not they receive the awards.   But from now on, I will not brag until someone asks how the girls are doing.  Then I will just give the facts!!

May 5, 2016. Madison, Mississippi. Unexpected Pleasures.

At 6:00 tonight the doorbell rang.  I was expecting no one.  And I was wearing my night shirt and dressing gown.  Late this afternoon, Ken and I took turns soaking in our big tub with the fancy new .electric chair.  We were so relaxed and comfortable that we put on our night gowns.  And then the doorbell rang.

An older man introduced himself as the glass man, someone we have been waiting for but never seemed to appear.  I knew that he was here to install the glass on our top deck, something we ordered before we went to Mexico.  And here he was right in front of my eyes.  I could have hugged his neck, I was so pleased.  He brought two young men who actually carried and installed the glass while I sat in my comfortable chair and watched the action, all wearing my dressing gown.  Everything fit perfectly so now our deck is safe.

When we first moved into the house, Ken noticed that the deck railings were too short.    We asked Chantes to raise them to 42 inches but the the three sections overlooking the lake have glass installed.  As we had no furniture and were always standing looking at the lake, we decided to only have glass at the top.  Since we now can sit on the deck, we have wondered why we were so cheap and did not put glass all the way to the deck.  Too late.

The new glass looks great and does exactly what we intended.   This ringing of the bell at 6:00 was certainly unexpected but brought us great pleasure.

May 4, 2016. Madison, Mississippi. Attachments.

Son David bought us a television set and ordered service for us at Comcast.  It arrived to our Mississippi condo.  He thought that because I was mostly housebound, I needed more input into my life and he was correct.  In the fall of this year when we were in our new house and getting it in order, we started to look for hockey games.  The only games we could find were being played by the Nashville Predators.    Neither Ken or I had ever heard of them but as we watched, we began to get attached to them.  Much to our surprise, they played well and they played hard and with heart.  So we started to pay them some attention.

At the last minute, they got into the playoffs,  and they won their first round.    Their first round opponent, the Anaheim Ducks,  also never heard of them either but by the time they figure it out, they were down 2 games.  Such fun and so unexpected.   Now they are down by one game but don't count them out.

Being attached to the Washington Capitals is a loosing proposition in the playoffs.  But we do not really care.  We have always cheered for Pittsburg teams too so with this contest we can not lose.  And of course, Sidney Crosby is a home town hero in Nova Scotia so we always cheer for him.  I am always interested about attachments we make.  One thing is sure.  We are more attached to the Nashville Predators than to the Washington Capitols.

May 3, 2016. Madison, Mississippi. Walt and Mary.

Walt is making steady progress.  Just a few weeks ago we were worrying about the functioning of his brain but he responds to commands and recognizes people.   Yesterday, they removed fluid from his chest and they did it too quickly.  Both Mary and Walt got scared at his response.   We were pleased that he felt scared.  He is off the ventilator frequently and he has stood up, all signs of progress.  There is a long row to hoe for healing to fully occur but he is making progress, for which we are all grateful.

I have always been aware how important Walt and Mary have been to us since we moved to Liverpool in 1999.   Now that Walt is in the hospital and Mary is by his side, I realize the huge number of tasks that they help us with.   I have been making the list of all items needing attention prior to our arrival.  It is a long list.   Many items on the list were done by them without saying a thing, such as putting the deck furniture out from the garage.  And I don't even know where we keep keys.  Sooner or later I must ask Mary some questions but in the meantime, I am figuring out what needs to be done and who is going to do it.   We will be ready for summer in Nova Scotia, one way or another.

May 2, 2016. Madison, Mississippi. The Bath Seat.

Our bathtub is beautiful and it is big, but it is useless because we can not safely get in and out.  We have owned this home for over a year.  Ken has gotten into the tub once.  I will not come near it.  Several weeks ago,  Ken sent me a link on the internet showing a bathtub seat that lowers a person into the tub and then raises you up so you are able to get out.  And it was on sale.  When he first noticed the seat he paid no attention because it was expensive but when it went on sale he thought we might consider it.

The reason Ken wants a bathtub full of hot water is because of our neuropothy legs.  Mine are worse than his but they still hurt.  He read an article saying that soaking your legs in warm water relieves the pain, so he is keen to put our legs in warm water.  I suggested we use a trash can filled with warm water.  We had no further conversations.

One day last week a box appeared in our bathroom full of white objects.  I knew immediate what it was.  Some assembly was required.  One afternoon, Ken called me to see if I could make use of the seat so with no water in the tub, I got in holding the grab bars, sat in the chair, and lowered myself into the tub by pushing the buttons on the controls.   Green to put me down and blue to raise me up.  Red to turn it off.  I could actually get off the chair and out of the tub without falling.  Now the next time we will turn on the water.

Of course, when you solve one problem you get another one.  Our tub is huge and uses a full tank of hot water.  Even then there is not enough water so Ken has turned up the control on the hot water heater so we can get more hot water.  Now, when I wash the pots, I must be careful not to burn my hands.  My neuropothy hands don't have much feeling.  My legs are going to feel great so it will be worth all the trouble….I hope.

May 1, 2016. Madison, Mississippi. Carol's Birthday.

Today was my sister's birthday.  She would have been 81 today.  But she died when she was 77.  Even though she looked and acted perfectly healthy, she suddenly died.  I think about her often, such as every time I see all our quilts.  We have many quilts, made by the Mennonites who live near Carol and Ken in Williamsford, Ontario.  They were friends and we bought quilts, thanks to Carol.

Carol could make anything and she could make it quickly.  She would make 4 pies before she left for work.  And she was a whiz with the sewing machine.  Her hands worked well and always did.   I on the other hand,  was useless at making anything.  As she got older, her hands hurt whereas my hands still do not give me trouble.  They are still just as useless though.   Carol was an energetic, generous sister, and I still miss her presence in my life.  Every so often I wish I could call her to chat or rather listen to what she has to say.  But I have no direct connection to heaven so I must rely on my happy memories.  And I will celebrate Carol's birthday every May the 1st.