'Twas the Eve o' 'Ween

'Twas the eve of 'ween when I went for a walk

Thru the neighboring hood, where I could gawk

At the transformation of this part of town

Into a place where ghoulies and goblins gather 'round.

Where gargantuan webs glisten with gossamer thread,

Where large arachnids tiptoe where I thought to tread. 

And the skeletons were frozen in their skeleton dance,

While others looked on with a vacant glance.

The whistle of wind and skittering leaves, 

And a skeleton fishing above the eaves,

Along with ghoulish grins suspended from trees, 

Made me appreciate comforting classics, like these:

The neighbors appear to go to great lengths

To make Halloween special, with no need for pranks,

To give imaginations a chance to consider 

Macabre sights and unusual critters.

From the wee little mouse, 

To spiders engulfing a house, 

And witches, and covens, and secret spells,

To the homeowner who last year tragically fell.

I don't know about you, but I probably wouldn't

Trick or treat for goodies, I'm thinking I couldn't 

Knock at doors such as these, with that hanging there,

It's surely safer to pass by these to get to the stairs.  

My evening walk has been a special delight,

 I've had enough of spirits to spawn nightmares tonight.

It's time to make my way back to my side of town

And hope that by a local driver, I'm not mowed down!

Chronicling a walk through an Oakland, CA neighborhood

Ch-Chirp

 I love coming to California to visit the family. I flew into to San Francisco Sunday evening. By the time I Ubered to my little condo (my sanctuary), it was almost 9 PM. Ahhhh, so good to be 'home'!  Ch-Chirp. I had just shut the door. I hadn't even gotten my jacket off. My suitcase was only inches inside the door. Ch-Chirp. I am so ready to get in bed, considering it is midnight according to "brain time"! Ch-Chirp.

I don't know about you, but when the smoke detector begins chirping, there is no way I am going to be able to shut the sound and and go to sleep. So...Ch-Chirp, I need to locate the errant smoke detector and change the battery. 

Ah...first, do I have a 9-Volt batteries? The gas station down at the corner would be still be open, but let me check the 'junk drawer'. Ch-Chirp! 

Ah, it is my lucky day. Not only is there a 9-volt, but I have three! Jack pot! Ch-Chirp!

I need to get the little ladder. But first I need to move the bike that is wedged into the 8' x 8' "bedroom", so that I can open the closet door. Then I have to move a folding wagon - hmm, why do we have a folding wagon??!! Ch-Chirp! Then I have to move the shovel. Shovel?? Why?? Ch-Chirp! 

Here's a pic of the bedroom so you see how tiny a room can be! One of the bikes is already out of the space, but you can see it is rather small! 

But, back to the evening before: I Finally got the ladder out, batteries in my pocket, and checked the alarm for a little battery door - like those I was used to. No door. Ch-Chirp! I twisted the detector off it's bracket, only to find this label: 

Doing the math, the built-in battery (no need for the 9-volts in my pocket) should be good for 7 years, 3 months. But, reading the instructions and warnings on the back of the battery indicated they could have false alarms if dirty, and they should be cleaned/vacuumed out annually. Ch-Chirp!

I unearthed the vacuum and, to the best of my ability, vacuumed around all of the openings. Ch-Chirp!

OK...it's a small condo, but maybe there are other detectors. I guess the law requires one in every bedroom, no matter how small. I took down each, vacuumed them, replaced them, Ch-Chirp!

So, I then notice this other little box...hmmm, what could that be? Does it chirp when a battery is low??

I stood on the ladder with my head between both detectors (Carbon monoxide and smoke) and waited. (Why does it take longer for the alert to sound when you are waiting for it?!) Ch-Chirp! AHA! It was the carbon monoxide detector chirping! 

I took that off the wall, still chirping, and stared at it trying to decide what to do with it.

• I could put it outside the door to the condo - but it might disturb other tenants.
• I could go put it in the trash area - but you aren't supposed to put batteries in the trash.
• I could smother the sound - maybe! 

It worked! I could no longer hear the annoying Ch-Chirp!

The next morning I dealt with the offensive gadget, which was still chirping. This unit also had a 10-year battery, which apparently only lasted 9 years, 2 months, according the label. (Do you think I can get warranty coverage for it?!)

There were clear instructions for deactivating the batteries.

I followed the instructions to detach the key, insert the key, turn it about 360 degrees,

and leave the key in it. 

Oops!

I don't think the 'key' was supposed to break off.

Ch-Chirp!

Luckily, I was able to insert jam the end of the key

back in the hole and twist it, 

and silence the device.

Finally!

Peace in my little sanctuary, 

at last!

PT - (Not the Cruiser!)

I was enamored with the PT Cruiser when it first came out. After the kids went off to college I traded in our mom-mobile for a used PT Cruiser - I loved it! It was my "Gangsta Car"!

But this post is about the real PT thing. 

I've struggled with back pain for years. My PCP (primary care physician) recently referred me to PT for my back. The therapist asked how long I've had back pain....and to be honest, I can't remember when it first started!

• There was the time I fell off Doc, and landed flat on my back, having the wind knocked out of me. That was around 2017. However, I don't think that was the start of it all. (But, x-rays show some vertebral cracks that may have happened with this fall.)
• When my son was first born, I guess I stooped to pick him up and evidently made the wrong move. That was in 1986...was that the beginning?
• I rode in fox hunts and in cross country events even before that, around 1968. Did all that pounding cause the problem?
• I skied competitively as a kid, and had plenty of wipe-outs,  that was before 1968 - did I damage my back then?

I think the answer to all questions might be that my activities possibly, and or probably,  contributed to chronic back pain.

Anyway, back to the point,  this isn't my first go-round with PT for my back. After Covid I worked with a therapist for a few weeks. The pain didn't seem to improve, in fact, in some ways it was worse. However, I decided to try it again in a new location with a different therapist. I like how this new gal listens to me, and within minutes of her evaluation she found a few areas that could benefit from strengthening. She sent me off, until our next appointment, with some exercises to do.

The corgis love it! 

Mom....the mat is down, are you ever gonna get down and do your PT?

Pleeeeze!

Hooray - You are doing your exercises! 

Can I help?

Since you don't want help,

will you at least pet me?

Wait, wait....I wanna help, too!

Let me see if you are taking deep breaths, down to the bottom of your lungs!

It's always good to smile and laugh.

This might be as good a therapy as the exercises! 

The Box

It's here! 

The long awaited box has arrived! 

It's the annual "Countdown to Christmas" box 

carefully packed by the elves at the 

Missouri Star Quilt Company.

(It was preordered on Dec. 27, last year!!)

If you are a quilter, you know! 

Each year, beginning in 2016, the MSQC has offered this Advent calendar with sewing/quilting related gifts; one for each day from December 1 to Christmas morning. The gifts from Christmases past have included: pre-cut fabric packs, project patterns, books, mugs, pin cushions, threads, puzzles, and all kinds of cute, sewing related items. 

This will be my fifth year of participating, and I can't wait! 

(But, unlike some folks, I will!) 

Jenny Doan, the MSQC Maven and her husband put up daily videos of their gift opening.

I chat with my BFF while we both open the gifts and oooh and ahhh about what is inside.

The process brings the inner child in me to life! 

As a child I always had a darling Advent calendar, gifted by my grandmother. 

I loved opening each little door to see the image inside. 

I made an Advent calendar from a fabric panel for my own children. 

Each day they would move a tiny bear from one number to the next, 

in anticipation of Christmas.

• One year I gave a tea Advent calendar; each day my friend opened a flap to get a different flavor of tea.
• My grandkids get LEGO Advent calendars. They have a scene that the kids get to populate with LEGO minifigs and accessories. 
• I gave my hubby a fishing Advent calendar, which gave him a different lure each day. 
• I have also received an online Advent calendar where you "open" an animated part of a holiday scene each day.

Do you participate in an Advent calendar? You may have noticed, there are many sorts of Advent gifts on the market now. It seems there are several choices for folks of all ages and all interests! 

 

What's the Angle?

As a former Math teacher, I often had to listen to, "When will I ever use this in real life?!"

I worked hard to bring folks in to the class to show how they used Math in their jobs.

I had a lighting engineer who showed us how to calculate how many watts...

or whatever...

we would need per square foot to meet code.

I had a hunting preserve manager who had the students compute the average 

number of deer in a specified area based on sightings.

I had a Realtor come in to explain how his fees were calculated based on sale prices.

I don't know if the kids enjoyed it, but I certainly did!

When the crane operator came to help set our trusses 

I was excited to see an example of "math" in real life!

Look at this!

It's geometry in real life! 

Here's a protractor in real life!

Angles are important!

And speaking of angles....

The shadows and angles intrigued me.

 

Worker on the Roof

I heard the roar of an engine, and then a "thump".

I looked outside and the truck (on the right) was leaving

after having dumped trusses for our garage in our pasture. 

A few hours later, the "guys" appeared. 

This "kid" worries me when I see him walking around on top of the concrete block wall.

The crane arrived, and within 30 minutes had all of our trusses on the building.

The first truss assembly is put in place.

The last truss if placed for the roof. 

The round discs are used to support the "feet" of the crane.

The license plate on the disc tickled me. 

And just like that, the trusses are in place. 

 

Contract Auto Renewal

It was our anniversary a few days ago. We renewed the contract. Neither of us can figure out how we possibly can have said our vows 53 years ago! That's insane. It hasn't been that long, has it?!!

We went out to a local eatery to celebrate: 

Yum!