Sadie Welcomes Lise

Sadie jumped all over daughter Lise when we came in from the airport. There was no mistaking her extreme welcome. By the time Lise went to bed, the traveler had been up at least two full days, if not more. The following morning, daughter and dog were together in a much quieter way. Neither noticed when I took the photo.

We have since been for the morning walk, and Lise gave me permission to post the photo. Family members always have veto power.

CAT’s Car Caper

CAT, a neighbor’s animal that often walks with us, had a rather exciting morning. She joined us in front of her house. John turned back at the big bend, still not quite up to walking to the stop sign after his cold. I didn’t look back until I heard him talking to her. She must have had a moment of indecision when we walked separate ways. From now on, I’ll remind John that she chose him over me.

When coming back from the stop sign, I was aware of a car backing out of CAT’s driveway. What a shock to see CAT on top of the car as it came toward me on the road! She jumped off, landing right at my feet. Being a cat, she landed upright, but forward momentum rolled her to the ground. She was up in an instant, casually walking away as if that was an everyday occurrence. The owner got out of her car, saying she hadn’t heard the cat jump off. Evidently this is not an unusual thing! I reassured her that all was well, as neighbor Bob drove down the street. I don’t think Bob saw the action. As I turned to go home, cars resumed moving, and all was right with the world. I coaxed CAT to look at me so that I would have a portrait of her before she gets run over.

England 40 Years Ago — November 16, 1981

Sorry I missed writing last week. Birthday week is always a hectic time. Nine days ago Kate had four friends spend three hours here for a party, including games and lunch. They are of an age to cooperate nicely and eat heartily, so we all had a good time.

Lise with Kate and her friends for Kate’s birthday party

Thank you all very much for all the notice of the girls for their birthdays. They both had all their cards displayed in their rooms. The real birthdays, which fell in the middle of the week, we celebrated by having them choose their menu and by having their dad home from work early.

Lisa had four friends for a slumber party. Two I know quite well – Catherine S and Caroline H – but Emma H and Janet S were new to me. All were so sweet and interesting to talk to. We feel both girls have some lovely friends.

Lise is 13. The girls’ birthdays are one day apart.

Before long I may have to arrange to shop without John $ or find some horse blinders to fit him. After I’ve put a few purchases in my basket that hangs on the handle of his push chair, he peers into it and helps himself to anything he fancies. I bought bananas; he grabbed them, and before I could think “NO” he’d bitten a little of the skin. By the time I got home he’d worked one little finger into the hole and began to fish out the banana bit by bit.

The English believe in charity and start training their children for it early in life. Every Friday at Micklefield they take up a collection for some organization. Last week, of course, was Poppy week – donations for Remembrance Day (Veteran’s Day). At Dunottar various groups organize things to bring in money for their favorite charities. There have been Rubic cube contests, a game of net ball between students and faculty, and pony rides at lunch break. Adults, too, are not ashamed to walk the streets and pound on doors to raise money.

Lise, at thirteen, has decided it is the thing to run down her parents. I nearly laughed aloud at the conversation among the girls as we came home from school for Lisa’s slumber party. She was going on about how OLD her father is, and it was absolutely the wrong group to air that. The three other girls who came from Dunottar are the youngest in their families, and two of them have a sibling engaged to be married in the coming year. Caroline said, “My father is 50”, in a placid tone, and the other two said theirs are 51. End of conversation! Lisa knew very well that John just celebrated his 40^th.

Yesterday we drove through the autumn countryside taking back roads toward Arundel Castle (emphasis on the “a” as in “apple”). It wasn’t open – most things aren’t now – but we did see the village and outer walls. It was beautiful and imposing. We drove on to the sea and walked beside the pounding surf with the crisp breeze stinging our faces. Refreshing.

Saturday we invited neighbors Jennifer and Vivian for a quick cup of tea and a taste of carrot cake. When I mentioned the name of the cake, they rolled their eyes slightly, having never heard of putting carrots in cake. They decided it was edible. We were discussing beverages, and they said the reason people put milk in the cup before pouring the tea goes back to the time real china cups from China made their advent here, along with tea. The English people knew china was much more delicate than whatever they had been using, so they put the milk in first to keep the china cups from breaking from being suddenly heated by the hot tea. They pointed out that it has never been the custom to put milk in coffee first; it is always served separately.

That’s all the news for now. I hope to reply to several weeks’ worth of letters that I haven’t gotten around to before.

COVID Test Negative

The day after John and I had our COVID booster shots, he had chills. We thought this was a reaction, even though he had not had a reaction from the other two jabs. During the day he developed symptoms of a head cold that worsened for several days. He felt so miserable that he went to the doctor, who treated him for a bacterial infection and swabbed his nose to test for COVID. Two days later the result was in – negative. Whew! Lise is coming from Denmark to visit, and the virus could have wrecked our plans. I realize millions of people around the world had plans disrupted, many permanently. We are grateful for this great favor.

Meanwhile, I continued to walk with Sadie in the morning. This quirky tree, one I have walked past for seven years, seemed to be grinning at me.

John was waiting at home for results of the COVID test, so David and I drove on the Blue Ridge Parkway. The trees were past peak, but the scenery is always beautiful, no matter what the season. As the sun went down, it shown on a mountainside and high-lighted the clouds. It was about that time John texted us, letting us know his personal COVID cloud was not a threat.

New View of an old Cookbook

On Sunday I was concerned about hanging three things about my ears – mask, glasses, and hearing aids. John arranged for me to hide in the balcony to avoid having to wear a mask. For the last few months, I was able to follow the service and see the hymns using cheap reading glasses. I couldn’t see anything close without them, and the world tilted if I looked up. They were on and off my face constantly. That worked well until I added hearing aids. Without my realizing it, the wire tangled with the glasses, digging a hole in the ear. Pain! The throbbing continued to increase after I put the glasses away. Thankfully, it receded so that I could enjoy the afternoon with grandson Nathaniel and Sarah.

Glasses are out now until the hole heals. In order to refer to a recipe, I put a page-magnifying sheet on two plastic containers, with the cookbook flat on the counter. This was even better than pulling glasses on and off. I could read the amounts without touching anything.

The cookbook is 57 years old and also feeling its age. I’m glad I’m not literally falling apart, as it is. Still, we are both somewhat useful, and with care, will last a few more years.

Lovely Autumn Weekend

It was neighbor Bob’s birthday and a time of lovely colors and solid freezes. I took a photo of Bob and Shawn’s burning bushes from our deck, as well as frozen roses in our garden.

We hadn’t seen grandson Nathaniel in ages. On Sunday, John, David, and I drove to Charlotte and had dinner with him and friend Sarah at the restaurant of his choice. Sarah is from North Carolina and is studying hotel management. Conversation was lively and so much fun. The portions were generous, but that didn’t stop every one of us from cleaning our plates.

To prolong our visit, Nate chose a public park with a steam engine for us to walk and talk. The engine shows behind us in the distance, and there is a quick shot of John and David looking closely at it. I asked Sarah if anyone in her family had unusual interests. Without throwing anyone under the bus, she said one is obsessed with Legos and another is restoring an old car. Would you have an easy answer for people in your family?

We sat at a picnic table to chat until we were chilled. The observer behind us was a great blue heron, which flew away when a small child ran toward it.

My favorite photo of the bunch was not particularly good, but it showed enthusiasm and joy in the moment of Sarah and Nathaniel.

Modern Miracles

Two thousand years ago, Jesus said, “Go back and report to John what you have seen and heard: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor.” Luke 7:22

I haven’t had leprosy yet and haven’t died yet, but I’m living proof of the rest of it. Walking two miles yesterday was easy, thanks to total knee replacements years ago. In September I had 20/20 vision for a day or so. Today I can hear!

After I put the hearing aids in yesterday, I noticed the beginning and end of every word John spoke. For years it was a guessing game. Family knew to laugh with me when my replies made no sense to them. The next revelation was how much noise computer keys make. They say actions speak louder than words, but my words are LOUD as they flow through my fingers!

When my hearing was tested, I was told I needed clarity more than volume. Thankfully, my ears work together. Some don’t. Also, I didn’t know there was a genetic component. It seems appropriate that I could hear again on what would have been my dad’s 107^th birthday. I inherited hearing loss, as well as macular degeneration, from him. Happy birthday, Dad! I’m sorry your hearing aids were not as good as mine and your sight was never restored on earth.

Please rejoice with me that I can hear again. To me it is a miracle.

England 40 Years Ago — November 2, 1981

Kate had last week off for half term, and Lisa got only half Friday and Monday. One day Kate and I set out for Bodiam Castle in East Sussex. This castle was built in 1386, was probably burned during the civil war and gradually decayed for 200 years until it was cleaned up and presented to the National Trust. It’s a compact fortress surrounded by a lovely moat. After we walked through and around it, we tried to get home on small roads. Took forever, but it was fun.

Kate enjoyed being outside working with Mr. Clewes. He was able to get her to practice her violin by telling her he was sure she couldn’t really play a tune. Another day she went to the office with John, staying the full working day. She was really tired when they got home and chose to stay at home the following day just diddling around.

John took Friday off, we pulled Lisa from school, and off we went to Paris for the weekend! The first fun thing was riding on the hovercraft across the Channel. We just looked at each other as our “flight” was called. They always referred to it as flying! The vehicle takes about 25-30 cars and extra foot passengers. The loading is relatively quick. Passengers leave their cars being lashed down by the crew and go to either side cabin to sit in airline type seats. Hostesses ask each adult if they wish to purchase anything from the duty free shop and bring your items to your seat. Kate and I decided to go to the loo and understood why they urge you to remain seated most of the time – it’s almost impossible to walk! The girls who work in the craft are used to it. John says they have their sea legs. They trot up and down the aisle with little difficulty while Kate and I lurched the few steps we walked.

The hovercraft is about as noisy as a prop jet. After the engines rev up, it slowly rises up in the air and slithers off the sloping ramp onto the water. I think all of you would enjoy it, with the possible exception of Julie and Chrissie. The return flight was rough because the sea was not calm, but we just enjoyed being bumped around. It could be compared with flying in an airplane through turbulence. It took half an hour to go over and 45 minutes to return, and the fare has been reduced so that it is the same as going on a regular ferry.

We were surprised at the openness of the countryside on the way to Paris. It is empty land! All is farmed or used for industrial purposes, but there are few towns and only a few houses in sight from the highway. The city itself doesn’t seem to be surrounded by suburbs like most cities we’ve seen; you’re in the country, and then suddenly in the city. The traffic was something else again! It took hours for us to work our way to the hotel near Orly Airport, and this was at 3 in the afternoon. After we settled in the hotel, we decided to take a drive toward the city while waiting for the dining room to open. We figured the traffic couldn’t be heavy on the way in and past rush hour. It was. We found ourselves squeezed along with the crowd before trying to make a block and reverse our direction. One block took half an hour. That is not an exaggeration! We were so glad to find the hotel again, though we’d wanted to eat in an outside restaurant (by outside I mean not at the hotel, not outdoors). We ate, put down a tired little boy and went to bed ourselves.

Saturday we had a later start than planned, but did get in Versailles to see the Palace. What opulence! The innards are all marble, gold, mirrors, chandeliers, and paintings. It boggles the mind that a few people could live in that way when the rest of the country was in abject poverty. No wonder they parted Marie Antoinette from her head!

It seemed a fairly long way to Chartres (pronounced “sharts”, I think). It was worth it for the view of the cathedral from a distance. That church is considered by many to be the most beautiful in the world. It sits on the top of a steep hill and seems to be a beacon to the world for miles around. We worked our way up steep lanes seeing what a medieval French town must have looked like. There were times the Peugeot had to squeak between two buildings; an American car simply wouldn’t have made it. All parking places were taken above ground, so we went into an underground car park. It was a marvel – two concentric circles held hundreds of cars, and you’d never have guessed it was there close to that ancient cathedral.

The stones are obviously very old, and the floor from the back up to the chancel is cobbled like an old street. It’s the first time we’ve ever been in a church with such a rough floor. By late afternoon on a cloudy day you could almost not see the ceilings. The windows glowed with a soft light, and the colours were the most beautiful I’ve ever seen.

We walked into the shopping part of town to find people scurrying about and business as lively as could be at 5 in the afternoon. Most impressive were the flower stalls doing a brisk business in potted plants. We later found out why. We had forgotten it was Halloween and the next day All Saints’ Day. It seems to be the custom in France to decorate graves with plants for All Saints’ Day. On Sunday EVERY cemetery looked like a flower shop! We saw numerous glowing spots of colour in the landscape on the drive back to Calais (that ends with “lay”), and each one was a cemetery.

We found out that hand-knitted Norwegian sweaters are very absorbing items. I hope you enjoyed the above description because I’ll now tell you how the day started out. $ wouldn’t eat breakfast, whimpered in the car as we drove away to go sight-seeing, so I took him on my lap. You guessed it. He let loose with all the orange juice he’d insisted on drinking. It kept coming and kept coming. Got on the car carpet, my legs, and all over $, mostly on his sweater. The sweater absorbed a great deal. We immediately turned around to go back to the hotel, and I washed out everything by hand while John and Lisa cleaned the car. He and Kate searched until they found Woolite, and soon the sweater was smelling sweet again. We took the ice bucket from the Holiday Inn and started out again. Every time $ looked green, cried, or burped, I shoved his head down that little plastic bucket. Luckily, nothing else happened. We did enjoy our day and got to see much that we’d wanted to.

Sunday we walked around the inside of Notre Dame looking at all the beautiful windows. What a treat to hear the bells pealing and resounding down through the church, though it wasn’t loud at all inside! We stayed for part of the service until $ had had enough. The boy choir was so much better than we’d have thought. Many French choirs sound terrible compared to English or German ones, but this was an exception. People kept streaming in to attend the service. It was very moving.

The Seine flows right by the church, all hemmed in by stone banks. A short way down the street is the Eiffel Tower, and we also drove to see the Arc de Triumph or however you spell it. If I can’t spell English, I know you’ll forgive my French.

This morning (Monday) Kate was supposed to go to school, but threw up three times instead. Lisa has been very kind to her, fetching her drinks, books and such. I washed three loads of clothes, spread Carpet Fresh in the car, and returned overdue library books. I’m so glad Kate can aim at a bucket and not do her thing on me! Tomorrow all should return to normal.

Paris is surprisingly open with very wide boulevards, unlike London’s narrow winding streets. John said the man who helped design Paris also had a hand in the design of Washington DC. Most of the areas we were in came from this period.

Halloween with Logan

Reformation Day started like any other Sunday, with our rushing to go to church. The day veered sharply toward extreme pleasure when neighbor Logan (11) called, asking if he could go to church with us. Logan told us in the car that his mother was ill, and his dad was staying with her. We all sat in the choir loft, because John and David had been asked to sit up there to help lead the singing. At the end of the service, Pastor said someone had made him a hat like Martin Luther would have worn. He modeled it for us, because he said he would not have been comfortable preaching with it on. This was a zoom shot from the other end of the church.

We had planned to go to Tennessee to eat lunch and were glad Logan was given permission to go with us. Bob was taking Shawn to the doctor, so that worked out well. Grandson David and Logan posed with mozzarella sticks that seemed to be sticking out their tongues at me.

Our waitress offered Logan three pieces of candy from a large container . She had already given him a spider ring for Halloween.

John drove us home via a small road beside the Pigeon River. The fellows examined graffiti, picked their way down the steep bank, and skipped stones on the water.

I was standing under I-40 with traffic roaring overhead. Can you see the boys beside the river?

The camera could see David and Logan helping each other find stones to skip on the water.

Camera and I caught a three-skip throw, although he made others skip seven or more times. The stones made it to the middle of the river and beyond!

We took a few seconds to celebrate Halloween at home, pouring candy into a bag for Logan to take home. This was one of the best Halloweens I can remember.

Chess

Neighbor Logan (11) asked to come over to visit, which thrilled us. He and John went straight to the chess board. I took this photo while he was concentrating on his next move.

The whole scene looked like this.

I asked Logan to pose for me, which he always does willingly. I haven’t had a close-up of him in a long time, and he is maturing quickly. In 20 more photos, he’ll probably be driving a car.

I wasn’t paying close attention, but John must have made a bad move. I think Logan offered to let him take it back. John said, “No, I made a mistake. You won.”

I had my phone ready and asked to borrow John’s so that Logan and I could play a fast game of Set. He is terribly quick, so we played two games before he had to go home.

What a wonderful world we’d have if everyone had neighbors like Logan and his parents!