A week full of activities!

Happy Birthday to Beckie who is forty years old today and celebrating with Kyle and Micah and the two poodles down in New Orleans.  Beckie reminded me when we just talked to her that we now have four children forty or older!  Wow....

 The week started with Steve and me getting our second Covid shots.  Hooray!  And, happily, aside from a sore arm, we had no adverse reactions.  

I got a text Monday morning - before our shot appointments - from Emily who was at the zoo with the kids and was having some severe gastric issues and she needed my help.  Since the zoo is only about fifteen minutes away, off we went.  Steve actually had to drop me off and return home to get his shot record but I was able to spend about thirty minutes with the grandkids and we visited the polar bear and the red pandas.  The weather was gorgeous and the zoo was full of people but we were all masked and it was all outdoors....

Julina arrived Monday afternoon.  Stratton is on his two-week spring break and at his dad's for the first week so Julina felt comfortable leaving Alex to spend a few days with us.  Since she works virtually right now, she was able to do her work from our library/office during the day and then spend time with us in the evenings.  Beckie came over for dinner and a visit on Tuesday and on Friday, Emily left the kids with Joe and also came over for dinner and a visit.  It was grand!

The grandkids were also on their spring break this week so, instead of just having Larkin come over on Tuesday, I invited all four to come so their mamma could have her own "spring break" for a few hours.  They had a great time making art using my acrylic paints, some foam cut outs, and leftover 5X7 picture frames.  (clockwise from the top left:  Noah, Quinn, Larkin, Lucy).  Lucy and Quinn also painted some tree cookies and I drilled holes in them to make necklaces.  After lunch, we played Qwirkle and then dumped out our large bucket of assorted Lego pieces and they were in heaven.  Emily used her time to do some major organizing and straightening up at her house so it was win-win for everyone.

I had a couple of appointments this week - a routine bone scan Tuesday afternoon which showed I have no bone loss - and an eye exam on Wednesday which was LONG overdue (I had my last exam and new pair of glasses five years ago).  On Thursday, Steve had an appointment in Columbia with his renal doctor so we spent the day there - first having lunch with Steven and Elise at Culvers, then Steve's doctor visit while I taught Ethan an in-person cello lesson, and finally dinner with our friend Elizabeth before driving back home.  It was a nice day but very rainy.  

On Friday, Emily booked a fifty-minute session at a local cat cafe and invited us to join so we had fun with grandkids AND kitties....

Wednesday night, Julina helped me prepare for making sugar Easter eggs and on Friday, after the cat cafe, Steve and I went to Ballwin to help the grandkids assemble and decorate.  I haven't done these in YEARS and it was a fun, nostalgic activity for Julina and Emily and a new adventure for Noah, Lucy, Quinn, and Larkin.

Finally, this morning, the Carondelet String Quartet (the string quartet I play in) performed for the Palm Sunday services at the Epiphany Lutheran church where we rehearse every other Friday morning.  We are so grateful to have free practice space in their fellowship hall so playing in their church services was a way to say thank you.  It went well, I think.

Because most of our evenings were spent visiting, we watched no movies but we did see the rest of season one of the Great Pottery Throw Down (Julina enjoyed watching with us) and, last night, Steve and I watched the first episode of Falcon and the Winter Soldier.  

Happy Spring!

Sally, the ever vigilant poodle.  She loves to look outside and bark at people walking by.  And, Steve with the two pups

We had a cloudy, wet week to start with.  But, the sun returned by the end, just in time for the first day of spring.  Larkin painted a lovely rainbow with a pot of gold at grandma preschool this week.  Steve and I had delicious corned beef and cabbage on the 17th and Reuben sandwiches on the 18th.  Yum!  I neglected to write about Elise and our string duet session last Sunday.  She is learning the viola and I asked her to bring her instrument so we could play duets together.  To "even the playing field", I played  my secondary instruments - violin and bass.  It was quite a lot of fun and Elise is really progressing on viola.  We started in Book 1 of my duet book and quickly moved to Book 2.  The next time we get together, I am pulling out Book 3!  

Steve and I filed our taxes on Monday evening - all by ourselves!  We had been using an accountant for at least fifteen years because my music studio business always made things complicated.  We started with a really nice older woman who worked out of her home and she was just great.  Sadly, she passed away while we were on our mission and we used a Columbia accountant firm that took over her clients for the next two years.  But, this year, no longer being in Columbia, we wanted go in a different direction.  We called Jerald Poulson who served in the mission office with us and who has done tax preparation for many years to see if he wanted to do our taxes.  Because he and Jenene live in Houston, he declined but he encouraged us to explore the free tax preparation programs on the IRS website and assured us that he would be available should we run into problems.  So, we took the plunge Monday night.  It started out poorly as we had problems getting into the MU employee portal to get the amount we paid for my health insurance.  Steve's password didn't work and the site wanted us to use Microsoft Authenticator which was a nightmare.  One hour later, we finally had the information we needed from MU and the rest of the experience went fairly smoothly and we didn't even have to call Jerald.....Yay for Steve and me!

Safelite came on Wednesday to repair our back car window.  It is a good thing we had a garage for him to work in because it was raining pretty steadily at that time.  We also had a locksmith come to work on our sliding glass door lock that just kept getting loose.  We worried we might need to get a completely new latch but he was able to get the one we had nice and tight.  Ever since our horrific experience with the heater repair company recommended by our Home Warranty - which scarred my ability to trust -  I have been fearful of finding good, honest, reliable technicians.  St. Louis has SO many choices for repair people and who will do a good job for a fair price?  I am happy to report that ever since the heating repair debacle, I HAVE found good technicians to work for us:  a great HVAC company (our heater has been humming along all winter thanks to them), a super electrician, a great plumbing company, a car mechanic, and now a good locksmith.  It is also interesting to discover how many of the above individuals grew up in south Saint Louis.  The locksmith told us that as a kid, he used to ride his bike up and down Bates Street!  The electrician's mother lives five houses west of us.  

We awoke Friday morning to find a strange car parked in our driveway.  

The car had no plates.  It was locked and full of junk inside.  We texted our neighbor to see if they had someone visiting them who had arrived late at night and didn't know where to park their car - nope.  I called the police  who came to check the VIN number and learned it wasn't stolen (meaning they could not tow it away).  I had a string quartet rehearsal at 10:00 so I needed to be able to get our car out.  Happily, we have a back gate into the alley and, while it is a tight turn, Steve and I decided that would have to be the way to get out until we could get it towed.  So, we hauled my cello and music bag out to the garage.  We first spent time taking the tape off of the back window (left by Safelite) and then we put the cello in the back.  When I opened the driver side door to put my purse and music in, I was startled to see a man in the passenger seat!  I screamed a little.  He was a kind of startled as well and, he turned out to be the owner of the car in our driveway.  A homeless man, maybe 55 years old, named Greg who had gotten turned around and confused and sought refuge in our garage.  We ALWAYS keep the side door of our garage locked and we ALWAYS keep our driveway gate padlocked but, somehow, both were not locked that night.  Maybe the Safelite guy unlocked it?  Maybe we unlocked it weeks ago?  Maybe the rain kept us from locking the gate?  I don't know the answer but I believe that guardian angels were looking out for Greg because, once Steve and I discovered him, we felt absolutely no fear of him.  We just felt compassion.  Like many homeless, he was not completely right in the head.  But, he was not drunk or on drugs and he was just a sweet, simple minded guy.  Happily, he had his car keys so he could move his car out of the way to allow me to get to my rehearsal.  And, while I was gone, Steve fed him some breakfast - which he devoured - and later, a peanut butter sandwich.  And, he talked Steve's ear off all morning and was still there when I returned! (but he left shortly thereafter).  We realize that this might not be the last time we see Greg.  

We went to Columbia yesterday.   A long-time friend, and the woman who rented our house while we were on our mission, got married at Parkade Baptist in Columbia so we  attended.  Here is Elizabeth and Tyler.....

 

We also made a trip up to the Amish to re-stock my granola making supplies (pumpkin, flax, sesame seeds, etc.) and to see what the out-of-stock store had (LOTS of gluten-free foods).  We had lunch at Las Margaritas with Steven and Tamara and we had dinner at Lutz's BBQ with Tracie and Eric Downs.  Beckie stayed here at the house for most of the days to keep the dogs company.  Weather was sunny and warm-ish and it was a lovely (although tiring) day.  Living here in Saint Louis, where masks are mandated, it was a shock to travel outside of this protective bubble.  No one wore masks at the gas station in Jonesburg.  At the Amish, we saw maybe one or two masks and there was no social distancing.  The church for the wedding was packed with guests, row upon row, and hardly a mask to be seen.  Steve and I sat, with our masks on, to the side where we could be distanced.  The servers at Las Margaritis all had masks but at Lutz's, down in Jefferson City, not a single employee had a mask.  I was pretty shocked and annoyed.  

Steve and I started watching "The Great Pottery Throw Down" this past week and have seen three episodes so far.  I have finally signed up to resume my own pottery adventures (starting in April) and it is so fun to be getting back into that world with this show.  Even Steve is enjoying it.  We watched "Singing in the Rain" and "Iron Man 3".  Both of us have seen both movies but it has been so long that we enjoyed watching them again.  And, we saw "Ready Player One" for the first time.  It sure paints a depressing possible future.  

On the way to teach Southerland music lesson Friday afternoon, look what I saw crossing busy Manchester highway, stopping traffic....

   I planted crocus last fall and the first to bloom were all yellow.  Just today, I noticed a purple one as opened up.  Happy, happy spring!!!!!

 

Precious family time

Our big event of the week was yesterday - Quinn was baptized and we had a lovely family gathering as a result.  Elise and Steven drove over from Columbia.  Beckie didn't have to work so she was there.  The baptism was a smallish affair due to Covid restrictions but it was Zoomed to dear grandparents far away in Hawaii and to aunts, uncles, great-aunts, and friends far and near.  I gave a talk on baptism and Steve spoke on the Holy Ghost.  We went to the Southerland house afterwards for lunch and lots of visiting.   Elise stayed with us last night and went to church with us this morning.  Beckie joined us for lunch and we took the pups for a walk afterwards.  It has just been the best weekend!

Noah is as tall as I am!!!!

Lucy took the photo below!  She did a great job.

Larkin LOVES her kitties.  She introduced herself to everyone with  " Hi, pink is my favorite color and I love kitties"  

 

In other news - I took Sally to the veterinarian on Wednesday because she has a croup-type cough that she has had since we got her but, a week ago Thursday, it got worse for a while.  She couldn't seem to stop and was actually coughing up spittle.  We all had horrible sleep that night.  Since then, she has continued to have coughing spells but only intermittently and they never last longer than thirty seconds or so.  I managed to record her doing it a few times to share with the vet who believes it is the collapsing trachea that is so common in little dogs.  We were sent home with some cough pills (?) and a week of antibiotics just in case it is something else.  Since that Thursday night, Sally has never had as bad an episode, thankfully.  I saw my primary care provider on Friday morning.  We discussed my back issues and how physical therapy has made things so much better and we discussed my vertigo episode.  She prescribed some medicine that I can take should that ever happen again.  

In addition to physical ailments, our vehicle also had a few issues.  I accidently ran down the battery while at the vet and had to call USAA roadside assistance.  Steve shut the hatchback window on Friday and the glass completely shattered!  The earliest appointment to get it replaced is this coming Wednesday!  Thankfully, the weather has not been bitterly cold (and it IS the back window so we don't feel too much breeze anyway) and we haven't had to drive in torrential rain.  And, Beckie had her catalytic converter stolen this past week!  She is currently driving a rental and will hopefully pick her Prius up tomorrow.  We are both weighing the pros and cons of getting catalytic converter shields installed on our cars.  It is not an easy decision because some say the sawzaws can cut through those just as easily.  And, the shields are not cheap - about $300 and the installation is about another $200.  We are fortunate that we can park our car in a garage but we have heard of thefts happening in broad daylight in shopping area parking lots.  So, stay tuned on this one....

We managed to watch a few movies this past week.  On Monday, we watched the Netflix documentary on the Salamander Letter scandal.  Tuesday it was the Ed Norton "Incredible Hulk".  Thursday it was "Accidently Everafter" (AKA "I Love You Sally Carmichael" ).  Friday I watched the Netflix remake of "Rebecca" and last night, Elise joined us for "The Avengers".  Maybe more movie watching than we should have done but, by the time dinner is over, we are both to tired to do much else.  

My last photo is of the daffodils that have begun to bloom in my back yard.  We are in a rainy spell right now but once we get some sunny days, I am ready to start creating flower beds again because spring is almost here!!!

It's March now...

March came in like a lamb this year and we have been enjoying lovely early spring weather.  Temperatures still drop down into the 30's every night but they have climbed up to the 50's or 60's during the day all week.  It has been so nice.  The doggies have shed their sweaters and they got baths on Tuesday.  Steve and I got our first Covid shots on Monday.  YAY!!!!   It was a little stressful at first because I was not sure where in the hospital the shots were actually being given and I was just positive that our late arrival would cause them to say "Oh, so sorry.  We had to give your dose to someone else" but, happily, that wasn't the case.  Everything went quite smoothly with no lines and, during our fifteen-minute post shot waiting period, we got to watch part of the "Sound of Music".  It was all great!

Tuesday we voted in a primary election for mayor and alderman.  We brought Fred, our blind neighbor, and, while Steve's and my voting went very quickly, Fred's experience was less satisfying.  The election judges couldn't seem to get the voting machine to adapt to his disability for the longest time.  But, eventually, they got it to work and Fred says that next time he will tell THEM how to get it to work!  Larkin came over for preschool and she just LOVES stuffed kitties so she brought her three to play with my one stuffed cat and they had a tea party in the basement play area. 

Wednesday we did grocery shopping.  Thursday we got an oil change for our car.  There is a shop literally down the street that we decided to try and they were just great!  Their  prices were reasonable and we could walk home after dropping the car off - which is what Steve did.  And he brought the dogs so they got a little walk, too.  A couple hours later, I did the pick up (sans dogs).  Beckie came over for dinner that night - I tried a new recipe that we all approved of - and she stayed a bit to watch the first part of "Thor" before she had to leave.  Steve and I had watched "Iron Man 2" earlier in the week. (continuing with the Marvel universe viewing sequence)

Friday was a busy day.  I had an almost three-hour quartet rehearsal in the morning and I taught music lessons at the Southerlands in the afternoon and that takes almost three hours (three piano lessons, one cello lesson, one violin lesson).  We watched the final episode of "WandaVision" in the evening.  I also finished watching "56 Up" , the documentary featuring about 10 individuals from England who have been followed every seven years since they were seven years old ("7 Up, 14 Up, etc).  I watched "49 Up" earlier in the week and now I have seen all but the most recent one - "63 Up".  It has been very interesting to see these people, who are only about two years younger than me, grow up.   

Saturday morning, we gathered another load of wood mulch from the free site at the nearby park.  This is for our backyard turn-around area and one more load next week should get the entire area covered.  They also had some beautiful black dirt so we brought home a few buckets of that for future garden plans.  At 11:00, I had a cello lesson with Ethan.  Steve and I helped the missionaries with a new-member lesson at 2:00 and then we loaded our bikes onto the bike rack and drove to the meetinghouse where I pruned some rose bushes there (don't worry, I got permission from the bishop) and we took a bike ride along the River Des Peres portion of the Great Rivers Greenway.  It was getting late in the day and we really don't have much stamina at this point so we just rode for about forty minutes.  After dinner (which was a left over night),we watched Steve's March movie, "The Scarlet Pimpernel".  And, that was our week.