Our Neighbours (for a week)

The Catechetical Academy hold their annual Symposium beginning the third Wednesday in June.  We have been traveling down to it as often as possible since 2000.  The first year we met the Koch family, since then we have stayed with them each time we've attended the symposium.  They have become family to us.  This year was no exception.  We arrived in our Motor Home on Tuesday and proceeded to set up home outside Aaron and Laura's, becoming neighbours for a week.

While in Greenfield Laura and Aaron, as their schedule permits, take us to the various stores we like to visit.  This trip was no different we went to the 2nd hand book store, checked out some of the other stores in the strip mall including one called Tuesday Morning.  There were all sorts of interesting items to be found and many at very reasonable prices.

Wednesday evening was the opening Divine Service for the Symposium.  The church is always full the singing is wonderful to say nothing of the service itself which is always enlightening with much food for thought.  After the service there is a reception in the school hall, where we meet friends we have made over the years and make new friends.  It was great to see a fellow Canadian Pastor and his wife (Dave and Lise) attending, usually Richard and I are the only Canadians who attend.

Thursday and Friday morning are the actual sessions where we listen to various speakers.  This years topic was on the first article of the creed "I believe in God the Father almighty maker of heaven and earth."  I enjoy the sessions and learn much during that time.  Friday afternoon is the Bratwurst BBQ, where we take time visiting with everyone.

These few days are pretty hectic so there is not much time for us to spend with the Koch family.  Friday night we sat down and played "Fluxx" a new game for the family but one Richard and I enjoy.  On Saturday Laura dropped us off at JC Penney's where we shopped for clothes for both Richard and myself.  This has become a tradition for us, when we are in the States we always go to JC Penney's to shop, it is one place we know we can buy clothes that fit Richard.  Hannah and Mary were working at Taco Place so we went there and had our lunch before shopping some more.

Saturday evening we went to 'Bekah's new home and played bowling on their Wii.  This was a lot of fun.  It is amazing what you learn about people when you play games with them.  I'm always shocked at how grown up Aaron and Laura's children are.  Bekah is now married and has a little one of her own.

I had every intention of taken pictures during our stay in Greenfield but kept forgetting my camera so on Saturday and Sunday we made up for it and took the following pictures.

Bekah is practicing a new wrap that she bought to hold Jacob in when she is shopping.  There are several ways of wrapping the cloth around ones self to carry your child in different positions.  It looked very comfortable and Jacob was quite content being snuggled close to his Mom.

This a better picture where you can see Jacob cocooned against his mother.

Hannah and Mary helping clean the dishes up after our Saturday spaghetti supper.

Getting a picture of Laura is extremely hard to do and you have to catch her unaware, sorry Laura this is not the best picture of you.  You can see Bekah with Jacob, she was showing her Mom how the new wrap worked.

Aaron at the computer working.

Sunday was Father's day, once the gifts were open by Gabe (Bekah's husband) and Aaron they were able to BBQ shish kabobs, which were really good.  Missing from this picture are Laura (someone had to take the picture) and Philip, who had left during the week to attend a wedding.

Here is Laura, not happy because I took this just as... well never mind... but I think it is a nice picture of her.

It was a great visit we were not rushed to leave and decided rather than dash off after Divine Service on Sunday we would wait until Monday morning.  This was a great visit as always.  I know Aaron feels he is too busy during this particular week but we always enjoy our stay with his family and we keep up with them and all their news even when we aren't visiting.

Thank you Aaron, Laura, Bekah, Phil, Hannah and Mary for allowing us to be part of your family.

Posture

I know I said I would write about our trip but I found some pictures that I meant to add to my blog.

This is the chair I have been sitting in for the past 10+ years.  When we sold our home in Edmonton after Richards graduation from seminary we replaced a good majority of our furniture most I had had since the children were babies.  My chair became a problem after my amputation.  It was too low and too deep.  I used to have a cushion on the seat as well as the one you see at the back.  This meant I could get in and out of the chair a lot easier.

I eventually took the seat cushion off but needed the one at my back.  If you have a Lazyboy you will know that they tend to make you sag (relax) into them, that being said I had become to relax too much and hence my posture suffered.  I still had trouble standing up once I was seated in the chair but did not want to put the cushion back on the seat, anyway that cushion was now at the church because I find the pews are too low and cause other problems, but that's maybe another blog.

 This is how I looked once seated, as you can see my posture is very bad and although I look comfortable I still found it difficult to stand up once seated.  Our cats loved this chair because it meant I had plenty of lap for them to sit on and they could stretch out comfortably while I used the computer, sewed, read or just watched TV.

After a lot of shopping and testing chairs we finally came to one that would really work.  Believe it or not the whole chair and foot stool fit into this one box. I was at work when Richard put the chair and stool together, which may have been a good thing!

This is what we purchased to replace the Lazyboy.  It doesn't look as comfortable and took me sometime to get used to.  Our cats were not happy and chose not to sit on my lap for the first week or so.  As you can see the seat is not as deep the back is more upright if I need to put my feet up then I have the stool.  I am now used to the glider, I am able to get out of it a lot easier than I could the Lazyboy.  I have no need for extra cushions and the room looks bigger without the larger chair.

There is a down side to the new chair, I can't hide all my stuff as well as I could behind the other chair, but it means then I have to have less stuff around me and keep things a lot tidier.  To solve the lap problem we purchased a free standing table that fits over my legs and means that our cats can sit on my lap when they want to.  We kept the Lazyboy for several weeks to make sure I was really comfortable with the new chair, once I decided that this was the right way to go we sold the Lazyboy to a parishioner who needed one for her son whose old one was in bad shape and was in a care home where he needed to supply his own chair.

I must admit there are times when I miss my Lazyboy but when you have a tiny living room, as we do, you can't keep extra furniture.  It is great to be able to get in and out of a chair now though.

Prince Albert to Greenfield, WI

Sunday June 13rd after Richard had fed his pastoral flock we headed home to finish packing the motor home.  It wasn't long before we were ready to move the RV from it's parking spot at the end of our property and leave for our three week adventure.  While Richard hooked up the battery and moved our temporary home I checked that everything in the house was secure and we hadn't forgotten to pack anything.

Richard was taken quite some time but he eventually came in and informed me that he would have to take the battery (the 3rd one) back to Canadian Tire for replacement as it too was dead.  This was the beginning of this years adventure.  He returned with the replacement, hooked it up, started up the RV and moved it to the street ready for us to take our leave.  It was about 3:00 or so when we finally set out.

We had no real plan other than to get as far from home as we could that first day.  By about 10 - 10:30 Richard had had enough driving for the first stretch; we were in Estevan.  We had not quite made it to the border as hoped.  We found the local Walmart and pulled into their car park for the night.  Engine turned off, battery disconnected we discovered we had no power to the coach.  No problem we would run the generator; that started fine but would only run for about 5 minutes before it too quite.  The adventure had begun; had the mice eaten through wires during the residence in the RV? 

Having RV problems is nothing new to us; having had a 1972 Winnebago Brave before this RV we were not new to breakdowns and motor home adventures.  We learned at the beginning of our RV days that you always add extra travel days for unforeseen (not sure that that's the correct term to use) breakdowns.  The question was; do we want to do anything about this current turn of events?  Not really, well not at the moment.  We pulled out the emergency lights and went to bed.

The plan for Monday was to drive as far as we could.  Not much of a plan but it worked for us.  There were no new mishaps or surprises for us on Monday and we happily listened to our audio book as we traveled on I94.  We made it to Menomonie, just outside Eau Claire, found the nearest Walmart and once more parked for the night.  Still not having any power once the engine was turned off and the vehicle battery disconnected; we munched on what was at hand and then headed for bed.

The next day we set out on our last leg of travel for this first part of our vacation.  For Christmas Richard got himself a GPS and we discovered that this small piece of equipment was worth it's weight in gold.  It directed us away from major delays and kept us moving in the fastest most efficient route to Greenfield.  We were really looking forward to using this small piece of equipment once we were within reaches of Milwaukee and hence Greenfield, our destination.

I have to say this was the most relaxed either of us have ever been on a trip to visit with the Koch family; we would have stress from the breakdowns, various mishaps and reading maps to guide Richard through the traffic.  We took the lack of power calmly; I did not have to tell Richard which lane to move too or which junction or exit to take, that was all left to the GPS.  This was the first time we had arrived at Laura and Aaron's home not over loaded with stress from an adventurous drive.

Three Weeks of Holiday

When I was hired for my current position I made sure that the bosses knew I would be gone for three weeks in June.  That three weeks is now here and they are not really happy about the fact that things are getting really busy and I am gone until July 3rd.

Before I left on Friday June 11th my immediate boss made sure I was aware that the majority of my work would still be here waiting for my attention when I returned.  At that moment I realized that I did not really care I would be gone and would have three wonderful weeks away visiting friends, relaxing by Lake Superior and shopping.

I will try to blog about our trip over the next few days.

Where had the time gone

My goodness has it been two months since I last added anything to my blog? 

You know I don't really have anything new to add.  Other that work has been absolutely awful for the last few weeks.  It appeared that I was under the microscope and once again having everything I do checked and analyzed.  To say nothing of being called out in front of other employees and the girl whose boss (supervisor) I am.  Neither of which had any grounds to blame me for the errors.  One was a filing change that was made before I even began working there, the other was something that had never even been asked of me.

This week the main boss (one of the owners of the company) asked me how things were going and how I was doing... my first response was "OK" but then I decided in a split second to be honest and said "actually I am really frustrated right now".  Of course he asked me why and what ensued was a meeting between him, my immediate boss and myself being scheduled for Thursday morning.

The original meeting was set for 9:00 am but did not actually take place until 2:30.  The owner is very diplomatic and began with stating that I was asking about replacing the girl who had recently left and wanting to know what the future holds for the accounting department.  Then he gave me the floor to state any concerns that I had.  I began by stating I was feeling I had taken a step backward if in my employment there. My boss wanted to know what I meant by that.  Basically I said that it appeared to me that where as before I was left to do my job and now he was checking everything I do... or that is how it appeared to me.

I don't want to write an expose on work but just state the short facts.  He (my boss) explained that due to his overload of work with all the new programs that were being built and implemented he had neglected keeping up with everything else.  He actually was not checking my work, at least that is what he said, but checking the everyday activities of the salesmen and confirming that the new program would work for the rentals by reviewing what was actually on the rental contracts.  He also stated he needed to review that everyone was doing their job properly and following company procedures.

My response was that he needed to communicate this with me and what he was looking for and show me the types of errors that were being made, this way I could learn how the company worked and what was expected from everyone and catch errors at my level.  I do not expect to have learned my job in the six months but I do expect to be taught the finer points of the position.  Communication is the key factor, which was reiterated by the owner, he needs to share with me the errors so I know what to look for.

Of course this was all done politically correctly and I am not stupid to think that my work isn't being critiqued.  This is the first time in all my 30 years of working in accounting departments that I have not been taken advantage off for my abilities but been made to feel incompetent.  I must say that my boss did take time on Friday to point out to me things that he was looking for and errors that the salesmen had made in a couple of invoices, and explain other items of work during the day.

For now I will continue to work and hopefully learn, but, I do refuse to micromanage the one employee who is my responsibility.  I want her to feel comfortable working with us and to know that if she has a problem with any part of her work as the receptionist / assistant to me, she is not intimidated and will come to me for help.  I don't like being micromanaged and people do not learn when treated this way, it is extremely demeaning.

Here's hoping that Friday's improved communication will continue but I'm not holding my breath.

Blog Name Change

Evette and Richard (aka: Smiley), that is my daughter and Son-in-Law, had suggested I change the name of my blog. I wasn't sure what to use. Smiley suggested; "Now that you "Mensch"-ion it..." . I wasn't sure, therefore, since my blog began it has been called "Where to Start" until I could come up with something else. Well obviously I never did, and Evette finally told me it is time to change the name of my blog.

So; here we have the new name: "Now that you "Mensch"-ion it...". What do you think? Shall I go back to "Where to Start" or do I stay with the new title as "Mensch"ed by my son-in-law?

The Bed Fire that Almost WAS!

The Bottom of my Bed

This is how my bed looks at any time; two cat blankets on the foot of the bed on top of the dark blue duvet cover, to keep their fur contained, to a degree.

So the almost fire? At approximately 6:00 am this morning I woke. Probably because Richard had got up to get a drink of water; we have a water cooler on the landing outside our bedroom doors. As I became more aware I realised I could smell a smoldering smell. I checked and the bottom of my bed was extremely warm. I called Richard to check out the problem and this is what he found.

Under the duvet an orange coloured spot.

Under the top sheet the spot was more brown.

Under the bottom sheet.

Under the mattress cover

Under the mattress pad.

I know; you are now asking but what caused all this? On top of the mattress cover is a foot warmer. When I became an amputee I had a real problem with my remaining foot always being cold; probably because I have Renaud's Disease (another topic for another time).

Let's get back to the topic; the almost bed fire. I tried just wearing a sock at night but it really didn't help much and for those of you who know about cold feet, you just don't sleep very well when your feet are cold. Richard found a way to solve this problem and for Christmas 2006 he purchased a special gift for me.

The cause of the burning smell.

The Foot Warmer!

The foot warmer was a wonderful gift. Since Christmas of 2006 each winter I have used this in the bottom of the bed between the bottom sheet and mattress cover. It had two settings, high and low. Usually I would put it on high then sometime during the night turn it down to low, turning it off in the morning. It served me well. We never washed it or miss treated it; just used it in the cold season. What we now know, we will not buy another foot warmer, at least not this brand.

Richard and I this morning feel very blessed to have awoken before the singeing had gone through the duvet, the cat's blanket and reached the surface and oxygen because just maybe I would not be here, at least not in my chair, in our home, writing this blog this morning.

Both Richard and I believe that my guardian Angel was watching over me; as I pray each evening "

Luther's Evening Prayer

In the evening when you go to bed, make the sign of the holy cross and say: In the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Then say this prayer:

I thank You, my heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ, Your dear Son, that You have graciously kept me this day; and I pray that You would forgive me all my sins where I have done wrong, and graciously keep me this night. For into Your hands I commend myself, my body and soul, and all things. Let Your holy angel be with me, that the evil foe may have no power over me. Amen.

This morning once the problem had been dealt with; the foot warmer pulled off the bed and thrown out of the room, and the bedding cooled and we ensured that there was no longer a danger; we both prayed a truly heartfelt thank you to our Heavenly Father that we had been protected this night.