Sophie's Story

   One of the things I've noticed over the years that we've been married is that we like to do things together that others might find strange. For example, many years ago when we were living in an apartment, we had laundry dates. We would gather all our dirty clothes and supplies and head to the Laundromat together. We would read or talk and just somehow enjoy ourselves while doing the laundry.   Part of this stems from the fact that we both work full time and mostly on opposite shifts. C works day shift and I usually work evening shifts. Any time when we both off we like to spend it together.   Lately we've been doing something else together which is pretty strange. It started with C's last trip to the dentist.   It turned out that he had some cavities and also the beginnings of gum disease. The dentist recommended an electric toothbrush which C purchased along with some other supplies. Like almost everything these days, the toothbrush has an app that can ...

  Last weekend was Worldwide Knit in Public Day. According to the official website it was started so that knitters could get to know each other and that knitting can be a community activity. There are some who believe that it is also to show that knitting is that a hobby for everyone, not just elderly women.   I first got into knitting because of a dishcloth given to me by a customer. Every once in awhile she would bring the pharmacy staff dishcloths that she had knitted. I loved them. They seemed to me to be much better that the terry cloth ones I was using. Eventually she became too sick to knit. She passed away a few months later.   I wanted to learn how to make those dishcloths myself. I was looking for a new hobby. I love to do counted cross stitch, but the tremors in my hands were worsening to the point that it was hard to stitch properly. I was also having difficulty seeing the small squares on the aida cloth. I had tried needle point. I like to do it but ...

    Dean was coming to Minnesota to spend some time visiting. He had several stops that he wanted to make and also was going to make a pilgrimage to the Boundary Waters, the Gunflint Trail and other places along the North Shore in Minnesota. We hoped that maybe we would get to spend some time with him.    We got the call a couple of days ago. He was going to jam in Mankato (he's a musician like C) and then was going to come up for a visit. He would be spending one night. He would get to our house around 4 o'clock. We had already made plans to go to the Arboretum, but decided that we could get home soon enough to get a bed set up in the basement, do a little cleaning and get the lawn mowed.   We had a good time walking around the Arboretum, but our timing was off and we had to run an errand which got us home shortly after four. Dean was waiting on our deck. He was taking the strings off a guitar he got. The two dogs he was travelling with were roaming ar...

  Early this year we were told that we would be installing new software at work. They told us that they had sent a team of people who were tech savvy to go over the new package.   Needless to say I was not happy. I was fairly certain that the software had been chosen by people in corporate who would never have to run the new system. I also thought it was not the smartest thing to have a group of tech savvy employees inspect the system. To me, it would have been better to have included one person that is challenged by an "on" switch. If that person can run it than anyone can run it.   I was worried because I was told that the new software was an ungraded version of the software we had when I first started working for the company. I remember that  didn't like it very much. It was difficult to run and hard to figure out.   I did the online training that was required. I was even more unhappy. Our current system was fairly simple and user friendly. It had t...

  There have been several stories in the news lately about a young man in California, a college student and  swimmer, who was recently convicted of sexually assaulting a woman at a fraternity party in January of 2015. This case has received lots of press lately because the light sentence given this young man. He was sentenced to six months jail time and three years probation. There has also been a lot of outcry about a letter that the young man's father wrote to the judge which has been released to the public.   Before I go any farther I want to make a few points perfectly clear. I am not excusing this young man or what he did. He was convicted properly by a jury who heard all the evidence and made their decision based on that. I am also not condoning the judge either. The sentence he handed down was far below the minimum for such a crime. To me it seems more like a "I have to impose some punishment, but I don't want to so this is what I will do" sentenc...

  I'm going to be stepping out of my comfort zone in a few hours and I'm a little nervous about it. No, I'm not going skydiving, learning a new language or even wearing a swimsuit in public. It's even more daring, at least for me. C is making dinner tonight and he will be cooking pork chops.  I'll be eating pork for dinner.( Unless I chicken out and make some mac and cheese.)   This may not sound like a big deal, but it is to me. With the exception of bacon and sausage, I don't eat pork. This had caused many people I know to wonder if I am Jewish. I'm not.   I've been pretty steadfast about refusing to eat pork for a long time. It's especially interesting whenever I go to a church dinner. The main course is always ham. For awhile I used to eat only the side items, fortunately I love au gratin potatoes. The last few times I've taken to bringing  a small container of a bean dish that I like to eat instead of the meat. This has lead people to th...