Sophie's Story

           When my parents moved into the senior apartment complex where they live, there were many activities that they could participate in. There were get togethers, Happy Hour once a week, religious type programs, a chorus and diamond art class.           For those of you who don't know, diamond art is like painting by numbers except you use small resin beads called drills. The canvas is preprinted with symbols or numbers and is sticky so the drills adhere to the canvas. It's a good way to relax and do something creative without having to actually be creative. The finished project turns out somewhat shimmery and depending on the design can also look dimensional.          Mom was doing "bead class" as she called it, when I discovered that I had a diamond art kit given to me by a tech I used to work with. It was a large design maybe 24 by 18 inches. It was a picture of a grey cat with a blue butterfly...

           Several years ago someone told me about edible landscaping. This is where edible plants are used instead of decorative plants in landscaping. An example would be planting berry bushes or fruit trees. As much as I'd like to do this, I'm not sure I'm good enough with plants to be able to make this work. I do believe in growing at least a few things we can eat so I'm trying things in out garden.           One of my most successful trials of food plants have been carrots.  Last year we had open space in our garden where the lemon balm plants used to be. My Dad suggested growing carrots. Dad has been a fairly successful gardener in the past so I did what he said. I bought some carrots seeds and planted them.          I read information on growing carrots and learned that once the seeds are planted it's important to water them daily. Every day I watered the seeds until the ground was moist. On...

           Now that we are back home and have re-established our routine with the cats, Barnaby has discovered a new "toy". The word is in quotation marks because it isn't really something to play with. However, one thing I have discovered in my many years of living with cats is that everything is one of two categories: food or toys.          I discovered this new interest a day or two after we got home. I was in the bathroom washing my hands when Barnaby jumped on the counter. He watched the water coming out of the faucet with great interest. I turned the water down to a thin trickle to see what he would do. He continued to watch it for a little bit and then started to bat at the stream with his paw. I let him do this for a few minutes and then turned the faucet off.          I started turning on the water for him anytime I was in the bathroom. Pretty soon it became obvious that this was a mistake. Now he e...

           Three years ago we "ate" dinner at a restaurant in Door County that we like a lot. It is on the fancy side and has an English manor theme. I use the word ate in quotations because looking back at the column I wrote at the time, all we had were bread and salad. We were there for an hour and a half and never got our entrees even though tables around us had and the place wasn't overly busy. It was the worst experience I had ever had at a restaurant. We decided we were not going back there again.               After three years of driving past it, we decided it might be time to try it again since another restaurant we do like had no open reservation times. We made the reservation and it was confirmed. As before we chose and early time, right after the restaurant opened for dinner hoping that it would be less busy.          I was a little nervous when we drove up to the restaurant a few ...

           We are back in Door County as usual for us at this time of year. We've made this trip over 20 times and have been staying in the same place and same room for the last three years. I don't mind this. If I know that the room and the bed are somewhat familiar, it's easier for me to go to sleep.          I wanted to do some different things. Maybe take the ferry to Washington Island and bike around it. See the big lavender farm that is there even if there isn't anything growing this time of year. We could go to the Cana Island Lighthouse. We haven't seen it in over a decade. Eat at a new place, do something, anything different than we've done the last 21 years.          Much to my frustration, C prefers to do what we have done every year. For some reason, he doesn't feel adventurous when we come here. I can understand this somewhat. It's comforting to know that the restaurant has something you like on...

           I know that in the past I've voiced frustration over the dependence we now have on technology. When I first started working, we had fax machines, our insurance claims were transmitted in real time over phone lines and we filled prescriptions from pieces of paper brought in my customers or phoned in by nurses. Now we transmit claims over the internet, our phones are internet and the prescriptions for the most part are transmitted via....wait for it... the internet. When the internet connection goes down, we are severely crippled.             There are times where I'm grateful for the technology we have. Here are a few of those times.          I have several websites where I can bypass the password. A message comes to my phone. I answer yes to the message. The I get a six digit code which I enter in and then I'm logged in. I don't have to try to remember any one of the 15 or so passwords I...

           I like being a pharmacist. I like the fact that I'm helping people. (Although there are a couple members among my in-laws who believe this is not true.) Interacting with my customers is something I enjoy. I'm amused by this because I'm also a introvert and more than a little shy. Introverts usually don't take public facing jobs like that. I've been a pharmacist for a bit over 30 years now. While I may not have always liked where I worked, I always liked what I was doing.          Having said that there are a few things about my job that I don't like. Mostly this involves dealing with insurance companies. As I work for an independent pharmacy, we don't have a corporate office to take care of certain tasks centrally. This means that certain tasks must be shared among the staff.  One of the insurers that we deal with requires us to revalidate our information every three years.           The...

           It's vaccine season. The vaccines we ordered arrived a couple weeks ago. We ordered more needle tips and gathered the rest of the supplies that we need. My manager printed out the forms and information sheets as well as appointment pages. The room where we give shots was clean and tidied up. We were ready.           We do shots by appointment to help manage our workflow and because not all the staff are certified vaccinators. It also helps us to be able to get paperwork and billing done ahead of time so that the appointment goes smoothly. Our first appointment day was last Tuesday and the schedule was full.          I don't believe that getting a vaccine should be a painful and bad experience. I like to talk to people during the process of getting the vaccine to distract them from getting the shot. as a result I have had some pleasant experiences. I hope that they have too.    ...

           I'm starting to see pumpkin spice on the menu in bakeries and coffee shops. This is normally something I'm happy to see. I like pumpkin muffins, steamers, smoothies and scented candles. Bring on the warm spices. There's just one problem.          It's too warm out. It's  hard to get excited about pumpkin flavoured things when it's so warm out. Hot apple cider can't really be enjoyed in a t shirt and capri pants. I really want to enjoy these things, but my body still thinks it's summer outside. It's not time for these things yet. We're still running the air conditioner and ceiling fan. The only autumn type product I can really enjoy is apple cider slush from a food truck at the Arboretum,          It's not fair. One of the benefits of living in the north is knowing that summer will come to an end. I won't have to feel slightly damp all the time. I won't be kicking the covers off at three in th...

                  The broiler on our trusty stove finally gave out a couple months ago. Although we could still use three of the four burners and the oven worked apart from the broiler, I felt it was time to replace it. I had been working a lot of extra hours so there was room in the budget.          We had looked at several stores and found one that we liked. C wanted to look at the model we chose a bit more closely and do some research. I eventually got frustrated and told him we needed to get moving on it. He said he wanted to look at one more place. I told him the features I wanted and that it needed to be white to match the rest of our appliances.           Last week I got a text from C. He had found a stove and purchased it. He was looking at a local appliance store and found one with the features that we both wanted. It would be delivered on Wednesday of the next week.  ...

           Last week I wrote a column about why I celebrate my birthday. My original intent was to write a birthday version of things I've learned. That happens sometimes. I may have an idea for a column when another presents itself. Today I'm going with the topic of things I have learned birthday edition. As always these are in no particular order.          I learned that if Barnaby is brushed regularly we don't have as much hair on the floor.  You'd think I'd know this already since I've lived with cats for over 25 years. Experience has taught me that not all cats shed the same. Barnaby is a long haired cat with a soft light coat. When it comes off it tends to form dust bunnies. It also clings to any piece of cloth like iron filings to a magnet. Grooming Barnaby means less hair everywhere else. It also has the added benefit of making his already soft fur even softer. Good thing he likes to be petted.      ...

                I watched a video on You Tube a few weeks ago commenting on the actions and decisions of a celebrity business owner. The comments were about public relations and advertising mistakes along with critical remarks about sales, inventory and merchandise quality. One of the things discussed was a social media post wishing the founder of this company a happy birthday. The presenter talked about how the founder had probably wrote and published the post herself and that it was strange and inappropriate. Once the video was done, I read the comments. I sometimes enjoy reading the comments more than watching the video.          Most of the comments were about how it's really silly for grown women to making a big deal about their birthday. Several of them suggested that while it is ok to have a celebration for milestone birthdays, other birthdays should be celebrated privately if at all. If you have been reading c...

           I am aware that a golden anniversary is 50 years. However, if a golden birthday is the year when the day of your birth and age match, why can't it be the same for anniversaries? Just a thought that came to me.          There are many things I have learned over 21 years of marriage. Today I thought I'd share a few with you. These are, of course, in no specific order.          You do not know what you are getting into when you get married. You may think you know and if you've lived together you may have a pretty good idea, but until you actually take the plunge, start down the road or climb into the ship of marriage together you don't really know. You can discuss and plan and do all the things they tell you to do in the pre wedding marriage class, it's helpful but it won't cover everything that can and does come up during marriage. Hopefully you have the kind of relationship that allows you do deal ...

  I don't have pet peeves like some people. I have whole kennels of irritation. Whoopi Goldberg          Whoopi and I agree on this topic. Most of the time the pet peeves that I have stay nicely in their kennels and don't bother me much. The past few weeks it seems like the things that irritate me are around every corner. I'm grateful for the gift of self control that allows me to handle these things. I'd like to share a few of my pet peeves. Some of them of them are due to technology and one is work related. They in no particular order.          Pet Peeve number one: Responding to a message that has a question it it with a heart, thumbs up or a hundred points emoji. I don't believe that every message needs to be answered right away so I understand using an emoji of some type to let me know a message has been read. If I send a message with a question in it or something that clearly requires a response, respond. Answer the question, ...

              This past week was the last part of a stretch of six working days in a row. The reason why I can do  a stretch like that is because Sunday is the first day of the work week. That means a when I work from Thursday to Tuesday it's only three days in a row each week. Before my boss went home for the day on Tuesday, I asked her to give me my second shingles shot. I knew I had the next two days off in case I reacted badly to it which I did. (This is normal for me which I'm perversely grateful for. At least this means I have a working immune system.) Wednesday was spent feeling sick except for a few hours in the afternoon when I fortified myself with ibuprofen and a Coke Zero so C could take me out to lunch at a nearby Indian restaurant. It was delicious.               Thursday I felt better and went to visit my parents as usual. Yesterday I was back at work for one more day. I have the weekend ...

           One of the blessings that comes with age is the appreciation of simple things. I've discovered that little things can be really satisfying. Here are a few of them.          I like pulling weeds in the garden. I know for most people it is a dreaded chore. For me it is instant gratification. I can look at the spots that are cleared of weeds and see the flowers that I planted looking happier and less crowded. When I pull weeds around the carrot plants I have the satisfaction of knowing the carrots will have room to grow. Pulling weeds is also a good way to deal with anger in my opinion. it gives you something to do with your energy which can help to settle you down.          Doing laundry and washing dishes are also satisfying tasks. You can see your progress. I'm always thankful when I put away clean dishes and clothes. I'm grateful to have them and also grateful to have a place to put them.  ...

           Yesterday I spent most of the afternoon on the couch. I wasn't sick or anything like that.           My original plan was to sit on the couch, send a couple texts and sip some water. Then I was going to start on the things that needed to be done. There were clean dishes in the dishwasher that needed to be put away. There was a laundry basket of clean clothes in our bedroom that needed to be folded and put away. The kitchen floor needed to be swept and mopped and dust bunnies were running rampant in the living room.           I sent the texts first using the Ipad. Sometimes Willow would come up to me looking for a head scratch or to sit on my lap for a bit. Eventually I got my messages sent.           I noticed a book that I had started sitting on the bookshelf. It was a book I owned but hadn't read in several years. I thought it would be nice to relax and re...

           You never know what you are going to get when you adopt a kitten (or cat). I imagine it's much like having a child. They come into the world with their own personality and as they grow you can see how they develop.          We've had some cats that were interesting to live with, but I think Barnaby may be the most interesting of all. I think he might be a dog in a cat body.          The woman who was fostering him described him as "starving for attention". That's an unusual description for a cat. While cats can become attached to their  humans, they generally don't act needy for attention. With a description like that I had to meet him.          I met his fosterer at her home. She took Barnaby out of his carrier and handed him to me. He was a couple days past a neuter operation and his tipped ear was still healing. Her curled himself into my shoulder and began to purr...

           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...

           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...

           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...

           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. ...

           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...