Head Smack and Deep Thoughts

I admit it. I'm becoming even stranger as I age. I should have planned ahead like the guy I read about recently in the New York Times. He started making a list of things he wasn't going to do when he aged. He was age 50 at the time (now he's 60), and he was observing his own parents. Some of the things were:

• Driving too long - his mother had been in several fender-benders
• Refusing medical assistance - such as a walker after a fall
• Upkeep of the house

There was more, but I'm old, and I can't remember what I read....I can remember my own mother verbalizing similar thoughts about her mother and my dad's folks. She swore she'd happily accept Meals On Wheels when the time came. Of course, she passed away at age 68, so we never got to experience her obstinacy at such milestones. And thank goodness for Kay Harris who helped make sure Dad didn't drive. I'd better start making my list now, so my own kids don't have as much to deal with.  

Anyway, back to me. I'm already weird. I don't move into new things quickly. My behavior is more like a feral cat, where I must observe, and gradually accept that it's okay before moving in. So keep that in mind kids. When you put me into the "home", let me warm up to it. 

I joined a new gym a few weeks ago, Prairie Life Fitness. So far I really like it as it's laid back and not overly crowded. I have walked on the track while scoping out the pool to see just when lanes are available. I dislike sharing lanes. Those of you who have known me since childhood know I've enjoyed swimming all my life. I am the reigning 40-yard 13/14-year-old breaststroke record-holder at Sunnyside Pool. (Last I checked - which was in the 1970's).  

Finally, on Friday I was ready to take the plunge. One other swimmer was in the eight-lane pool when I finally figured out there was no entrance directly from the Women's Locker Room. The door into the pool also flummoxed me. See how hard it is for me? Did I mention that I dislike asking for help? Yes, it's a weakness. A nice lady did notice my perplexed look and explained the door directions. See, that wasn't so bad Leslie. 

The water was just the right temp, and I paddled away for a half hour or so. During one stretch of backstroke, I started to drift (mentally not in the water), thinking about Net Neutrality and its possible effect on rural Iowa. Bam, my head smacked the end of the pool. Lucky they have a plastic edge, much kinder than concrete. Course correction. No deep thoughts whilst swimming. 

Ultimately, I do recognize that I am not the same person that I once was. I can be a weird introvert at times, which makes it difficult to do new things. I feel good about conquering the pool yesterday! As Arnold said in Terminator, "I'll be back!". 

December Not Chillin'

Last week was a busy chilly week. I didn't get to snuggle with Odie in my comfy chair in the evenings. Instead on Monday, we went to Bravo at Jordan Creek for the Diamond Brooke Christmas party. We enjoy hanging out with our neighbors who we have gotten to know during the five years we've lived here. Bravo seemed to struggle with new wait-staff that night. Then, when it came time to settle up, some of our single women friends had to endure several references of "being alone". Like - "are you here ALONE?" As if that is forbidden. Sue laughed it off, but I thought it was quite tone-deaf. Overall, a nice evening, despite the waitresses. Plus, leftovers!

Tuesday was my volunteer night at LSI. I'm a classroom assistant in an English as a Second Language class. The class was smaller than usual - about eight that night. The students are still working on short and long vowels. In addition, this week plurals were a topic. There's so much that I don't remember learning - it just seems I always knew how to make things plural. The teacher, Sue, goes over rules - for example, when a word ends in ch, to make it plural you need to add es - such as church, churches. If a word ends in a consonant, you just add s. Seems so easy, right? Not when English isn't your native tongue! Class goes by quickly.

Our pal Krissy gave us tickets to the ISU vs. Iowa women's basketball game in Ames on Wednesday night. We asked our friends Kevin and Kari to meet us at Whiskey River before the game for supper and a beer. It was good to see them and begin making Liberty Bowl plans. The Cyclones played hard but came out on the short end. We trust the coaching staff will have them playing better later in the year.

Cheering at the game

Thursday meant another trek to Ames - this time for the ISU vs Iowa's men's game. It was an early game so we tucked into walking tacos for supper. The crowd was rocking and the game was close until the end when the good guys pulled ahead. We met Kevin and Kari for a beer after the game. Cyclone fans were cheerful as always after a win against the Hawkeyes.

Did I mention we worked all those days too? Paul happened to take Friday off. I work four hours on Fridays after working 36 hours Monday through Thursday. It can be somewhat wearing though - especially after late night Thursdays! Once my work shift was over, I watched Netflix until my car appointment. Suby needed new oil.
That night, thanks to my sisters (a birthday gift - aren't my sissies awesome), we had tickets to the musical Waitress. First, we visited our "go to" when we have show tickets, The Stuffed Olive. Good food and martinis. Loved the show! If you haven't seen it - go! 

Pre-show martini

Saturday was "Tour Des Moines", a walking/food tour of the Court Avenue area - another big birthday gift. This one courtesy of our children/spouses. Kara and Jud have done these types of tours in many cities they've visited along with St. Louis where they live. Des Moines finally caught on, thanks to Angie our tour guide who is super knowledgeable about the city. The website  tourdesmoines.com doesn't seem to be working today.

Our Wisconsin friends

We met at 1:30 PM at The Hub on the corner of Court Avenue and 1st. There were supposed to be 2 couples with us but one canceled, unfortunately. The other couple was from rural Wisconsin. They were fun - a farmer and his nurse wife. They love trips like this, having sampled food in a few other cities. It was their first time to DSM and they were hitting all the highlights! We tried pear, brie and honey flatbread at the Hub - delish!

RoCA

Next, we were off the Vivian's Diner for grilled cheese/beef sannies and grits. On the way, we walked along the river whilst Angie told us historical information about the city. I loved the grits! The diner is at the former Hotel Fort Des Moines which now is being switched over to condos - Angie actually lives there with her husband and college-aged sons in a two bedroom unit.

The last two stops included alcohol tastes, which was fun. We had fancy drinks at RoCA with skewers and roasted Brussel sprouts. Angie showed us a hidden bar - "Shorty's Somewhat Fancy Bar". I had no idea it was there with an alley entrance under RoCA. Dessert was at CABCO. Beer and chocolate. Yum! It was a delightful day. I would say you should not go to something like this for a filling meal - it's "tastes", which was fine with me.

Today was a day of rest! And we stayed home last night too. This week should not be as rigorous for this old girl. But it sure was fun while it lasted.

Patrick - 26

Paul and I took a walk at Walnut Woods State Park today to celebrate our son, Patrick's birthday - December 2, 1991. He only lived six days due to a heart defect, hypoplastic left ventricle. While he's not been an active part of our lives since his birth, he made a definite impact.

Losing Patrick put me into a tailspin. Until then, my life was a breeze. Childhood, college, job, marriage, two healthy children (girl, boy). Except for a previous miscarriage, not much had gone wrong in my life. When one's life is like that, you don't expect things to go wrong. Boy did it!

When Patrick died, people reached out and supported our family. That was one lesson I learned from that experience - the humility of accepting that support. Grieving was extremely hard work - especially with a six and three-year-old at home, needing our care. It hurts now thinking back on that time in my life. I feel bad for that young woman that was me. And for all parents and families that have lost children.

My beliefs and political persuasion changed after we lost our son. While I can't say these changes are a direct result of Patrick, he is a part of me.  As the years go by the pain of loss eases. Every once in a while the scar of grief rips open and I feel the sadness of what we have missed out on. Today we celebrate Patrick's birthday. Never forgotten.

It was a beautiful day today. No wind and sunny with a temperature of about 60 degrees. Walnut Woods is a beautiful park, full of hardwood trees. We started hiking by a bird blind, spying several species. My phone camera didn't pick them up, however. The Raccoon River is quite low, likely due to the lack of rain this year. The year Patrick was born we had a big snowstorm Halloween weekend, but this year, no such thing! I hope you too are enjoying this weekend. Thanks for your support through the years.