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Cassette Tapes

           Last weekend I gave in to C's pleas to down size my music collection. I had bought a lot of CDs over  the years and most of them were in a plastic bin in the storeroom. I understand that we need to get rid of things we no longer want or need and have no trouble getting rid of some things. Books and CDs are much harder for me to get rid of. My fear is that I'll get rid of something that I'll want later and it's actually happened to me a few times. There are two books that I got rid for the I wished I'd kept. I was able to find one of them at a used book store. The other I haven't been able to find.           The first thing I did was go though all the CDs that are in the entertainment center with the stereo. There were a several that I knew I no longer wanted. Then I went to get the big bin downstairs. I was afraid that it was going to be hard to decide what to keep. I had decided that all Frank Sinatra, Bobby Ca...
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Turntable

           When my dad was getting rid of things in preparation for his move to this area he had a Technics turntable that he no longer wanted. He offered it to me and I accepted it. For nearly a year it sat in the basement until the upstairs TV finally died. We put the turntable where the TV used to sit. For several months it sat there until last night when we finally had time to hook it up to my stereo.          At this point a bit of backtracking is in order.          After I got my first job and apartment, my first big purchase was a stereo. I didn't have time to watch much TV and music was my chief form  of entertainment. At that time my small music collection was on cassette tapes. CDs were just starting to become available. My stereo consisted of two large speakers, a receiver, twin tape deck and a CD player with room for five discs. I didn't get a turntable because it seemed that form of music r...
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Ice Cream

           When some people get to be "a certain age", they tend to reminisce. Things were better then including the food.  While that may be true about some foods, there is one that has improved over time. It is ice cream.          When I was young, we always had ice cream in the house. Most evenings after supper, my dad would eat a scoop of vanilla ice cream with nutmeg sprinkled on it. Sometimes we would buy it in plastic buckets, most of the times it was in rectangular cartons that we kept in the basement freezer. I remember that ice cream came in very basic flavours vanilla, chocolate and strawberry. If you felt fancy you could get Butter Brickle, Moose Tracks or Mint Chip.          I'm not sure if ice cream making technology has improved in the last 40 years, but for some reason ice cream tastes better to me now than it did then.           There could be a couple reas...
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The Sun is Out

           The past few years it seems like we get a lot of rain in the spring. I've never checked to see if my feelings match reality. I've taken to calling it monsoon season. Last year, there was so much rain that our sump pump was working constantly to keep the water from our basement. I gained a new appreciation for sump pumps.          We got our garden planted before the rains started. I was happy that I didn't have to water the carrot and wildflower seeds we planted. I got concerned as it seemed there were no days without rain. I hoped that my seeds would take root and would not be washed away or rot.          Tuesday there was no rain in the forecast so we loaded up and went to our favourite trail for a ride. It felt good to stretch our legs and get some extended time outside. The river was high but not overflowing the banks. Once the weather gets warmer it will be a fun place for people to tube. ...
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Second Chances

           In January 2009, Jeffrey R. Holland, member of the Quorum of the Twelve of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and for president of Brigham Young University returned to that campus to speak at a devotional. The title of the speech he gave is 'Remember Lot's Wife'. As it was the beginning of a new year, Elder Holland spoke on faith and the future.           One of the things he talked about was wanting to live in the past. The "good old days" when life was better and everything was easier. Having a "I wish I were eighteen again" attitude.  Nothing in the future could be as good as the past. He claimed that this demonstrated a lack of faith in the future.          Then he brought up the tendency to remember past mistakes, our own or someone else's. He referred to it as "the worst kind of wallowing in the past" and said that when someone has repented of their mistakes and is tru...
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New Shoes

           Last week C and I did some much needed shopping. The tennis shoes that C wear for pickleball were getting worn out and I needed to replace some clothes that were getting worn out.           The first place we went was the shoe store. While C was talking to the salesman about the right shoes for pickle ball, I looked around. The first thing I looked at was tennis shoes. I was thinking about buying a pair to wear at work. Most of my coworkers wear tennis shoes to work. The shoes that I have are pretty comfortable but I wondered if a good pair of tennis shoes would be more comfortable especially on days when I work long shifts. An employee approached me while I was looking. I hadn't planned on trying anything on, but figured it couldn't hurt.           A bit of background might be in order here. When I was younger, I wore tennis shoes to work. I had a white pair specially designated for thi...
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The Cat Tree

           C and I have been doing a little shopping for new cat tree. Barnaby and Willow liked to chew on things as kittens and have chewed on the cat trees we have now. I can put towels and blankets over the trees to cover the chewed parts, but we wanted something taller with places for them to climb. Some of the trees we looked at had things the cats could play with.           Last week while shopping at Costco we found one. It was tall, sturdy and had several levels for the cats to sit. There was also a little cat condo that they could use to hide in or nap. It was the right price so we bought it.          The box with the pieces was too heavy for either of us to lift. C decided we would open the box in the garage and carry the pieces into the house. We put them in the music room. They stayed there for a week.               I must admit, I'm always nervous abo...
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